On (and after) Sunday, September 13, 2020, SEPA congregations joined others across the ELCA for the annual Day of Service projects. Each year, “God’s work. Our hands. Sunday” brings Lutherans out to serve their communities. This year, even though gathering was limited by the pandemic, churches still managed to serve neighbors near and far. Read...
Category: Congregations
September 22, 2020
God’s work. Our hands. Service
On (and after) Sunday, September 13, 2020, SEPA congregations joined others across the ELCA for the annual Day of Service projects. Each year, “God’s work. Our hands. Sunday” brings Lutherans out to serve their communities. This year, even though gathering was limited by the pandemic, churches still managed to serve neighbors near and far. Read...
July 27, 2020
Forward Together in Faith Grant Applications Open
Our Synod is again offering $25,000 in grants to congregations and leaders in 2021 for new initiatives and ministries that support the emphases of the Forward Together in Faith Campaign. Due to COVID-19, the grant process has been moved back. Applications will be accepted through October 31, 2020. Funds will be distributed by January 31,...
September 9, 2020
In God’s Image 2020
Interested in learning how to expand your ministries to be more intentionally welcoming for LGBTQIA+ persons? Is your congregation already Reconciling in Christ but you want to know what more you can do? Do you feel like you just don’t know how to be the best ally you can be? This year’s In God’s Image...
September 1, 2020
Fox 29 Recognizes Welcome Bread
Fox 29’s Bill Anderson talked with Lou Farrell, the organizer of Welcome Bread, which has so far collected and distributed more than 30,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to persons in need or experiencing homelessness since April. “There is no excuse for people to be hungry in this country, and if you have the opportunity...
August 18, 2020
State Sales Tax Exemption for Churches Extended
Due to delays in processing of sales tax exemptions as a result of COVID-19, the state Department of Revenue extended the exempt status of the Synod and its subsidiary churches until September 30, 2020. The extension is intended to assist churches in continuing daily operations without interruption of exempt status. You may use this correspondence...
August 18, 2020
Thanks For Your Support of Bishop Munga
We’re pleased to say that Bishop Stephen Munga of our companion synod in Tanzania is at home following heart surgery and weeks of rehabilitation. His family, including the Rev. Dr. Anneth Munga and son Daniel, and our partners in the North Eastern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania share their thanks for the...
July 13, 2020
Will Your Finances Flourish or Diminish?
Tip of the Month July, 2020 : Will Your Finances Flourish or Diminish? By 2026 checks will no longer be processed by banks! So says, one of the ELCA preferred vendors who oversees Simply Giving, in a recent webinar sponsored by the ELCA Stewardship Desk. In the past 15 years the use of checks has...
July 8, 2020
Feast of Justice Steps Up to Fight Hunger (Video)
As food insecurity across the five-county SEPA area during coronavirus and the ensuing recession, congregations and agencies have expanded and in some cases started service to provide food to the hungry. Today’s video highlights one of these ministries: Feast of Justice. Since the pandemic almost everything has changed at the Northeast’s Feast of Justice. Demand...
July 8, 2020
Spirit Uses Technology To Launch New Ministry
So, what happens to a yoga ministry in the age of COVID-19? Beginning in March 2019, Yoga at Redeemer gathered at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Jamison on Sunday mornings and occasional Saturday evenings for gentle, beginner-friendly yoga, meditation and prayer, with themes for each class designed around the weekly lectionary and the liturgical seasons. Instead...
July 3, 2020
“Healing The Heart” – Medical Appeal For Bishop Stephen Munga
We recently learned of urgent medical needs for Rev. Dr. Stephen Munga, Bishop of our companion synod the North Eastern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. He fell ill and was diagnosed with transient ischemic attacks. Bishop Munga needs emergency medical treatment and the closest doctor that can help is in South Africa....
June 16, 2020
Emergency Grants for PA Families Open Through July 12
Did you lose a job or work hours during the coronavirus crisis? You might be eligible for emergency cash assistance from Pennsylvania. The Emergency Cash Assistance Program will provide one-time cash grants to families who qualify. This could be helpful while you are waiting for your Unemployment Compensation to start. This program will end July...
June 15, 2020
Churches Eligible for FEMA Assistance
When federal disaster declarations occur, and sometimes in other cases such as for anti-terrorism work, federal grants become available to houses of worship for repairs and mitigation. Please see the information below to register your congregations to be alerted if opportunities arise in your community. Greeting Partners, In the midst of a disaster it can...
June 3, 2020
Prayers For PRIDE Month
Prayers for your use during PRIDE month in June. God of LOVE, we thank you for the Spirits who were trailblazers, moving and shaking people’s hearts and minds. Stir up in us that same energy of those who helped pave the way for where our LGBTQIA+ siblings are today. May we never stop expanding the...
May 20, 2020
Letter From Our Partner Bishop In Tanzania
May 13, 2020 Dear Rev. Patricia Davenport, Warm greetings in the name of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ. “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (1 John 4:16) Beloved in Christ, It is...
May 20, 2020
A Hometown Hero for the Houseless
Welcome Church Pastor Violet Little nominated Project Home homeless outreach worker Sam Santiago as one of 6ABC’s “Hometown Heroes” for his work supporting people without houses in the city. Part of Sam’s duties, with co-worker Kara Cohen, is distributing hygiene kits and peanut butter sandwiches donated by supporters of Welcome Church and Welcome Bread.
May 20, 2020
Virtual Closing to the Sunday School Year
The last planned day of Sunday school at Redeemer Jamison was to have been the week before Memorial Day Weekend. At 9:30 am on May 17, the normal Sunday school time, they held a Zoom class instead. The teachers told the story of Mary and Martha, then asked each child if they thought of themselves as more...
May 15, 2020
Continually Updated List of COVID-19 Resources
We have been collecting and sharing resources for navigating COVID-19 from faith and government sources. The most recently added items are listed below. To view the entire collection, click the button below. VIEW ALL RESOURCES > Latest Resources VIEW ALL RESOURCES > Photo by Марьян Блан | @marjanblan on Unsplash
May 15, 2020
What’s Next: How will COVID-19 Shape the Church’s Future?
What’s on the horizon for congregations and parishes as we transition from the crisis of the moment to the long-term implications of the coronavirus pandemic? The pandemic has fast-forwarded us into our future at warp speed. Normal has changed forever. With the advent of the digital church, not all of our congregation is physically present....
April 28, 2020
Disaster Update: COVID-19 Response
Be a part of the response: Pray Please pray for people who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. May God’s healing presence give them peace and hope in their time of need. Give Thanks to generous donations, Lutheran Disaster Response is able to respond quickly and effectively to disasters around the globe. Your gifts...
April 18, 2020
A Message for Congregations in Transition
To the Churches of our synod that are currently in transition: Dear Siblings in Christ, Our churches like the tomb are empty. And yet we proclaim: CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED, ALLELUIA. The Pandemic of Covid-19 has brought sudden and drastic changes to our way of life and to the way our congregations...
