Updated Oct. 27 with new video. In the face of the Ebola outbreak that has stricken West Africa, several hundred people – Africans and Americans, from several faith traditions – gathered Sunday (Oct. 19) to pray together, console each other, and build bridges of hope rather than barriers of fear. Crush Ebola from on...
Category: News
October 20, 2014
Standing Strong Against Ebola
Updated Oct. 27 with new video. In the face of the Ebola outbreak that has stricken West Africa, several hundred people – Africans and Americans, from several faith traditions – gathered Sunday (Oct. 19) to pray together, console each other, and build bridges of hope rather than barriers of fear. Crush Ebola from on...
September 25, 2014
Turning Point Makes Connections
In 2007, volunteers from Redemption Lutheran and Rhawnhurst Presbyterian in the Northeast began listening to the Spirit and the community’s longings for a safe place to welcome neighborhood youth. After much prayer, planning and fundraising, Rhawnhurst Turning Point officially opened its doors in 2011. The center gets support from the Synod, ELCA and the Presbytery...
September 10, 2014
Divine Foolishness
“I wonder, sometimes, if the church is a little embarrassed by the foolishness of the cross,” ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton writes in her September column in The Lutheran. “The foolishness is not just that the brutal and humiliating crucifixion of Jesus is actually the way God’s love was manifested, but that God’s love...
August 20, 2014
Prayer for Ferguson
Please include the people of Ferguson, MO in your congregational prayers Sunday, using the following petition written by Linda Manson of Living Gospel Ministries, or a similar prayer: God of Peace and Healing, We experience violence and hatred that divides us as cultural groups, ethnicities and nations and we feel we do not have the...
May 2, 2014
Ministry Partner: Welcome Church
“We are moving 40 folks into permanent housing in May!” was the happy response of Pastor Violet Little of the Welcome Church when asked “What’s new and exciting in your ministry?” Working cooperatively with Project Home the Welcome Church, a ministry of our Synod that worships weekly outdoors on a corner of Logan Square with...
April 19, 2014
‘The Best Gifts of Easter are Unseen’
After this incredibly dreary, cold and snowy winter, I found myself craving spring more than I can remember for a long time. I yearned for longer light, warm sun, buds, blossoms, and birds singing again. Thankfully we are seeing all the signals of spring now, signs of the abundance to come. But the miracle of...
April 2, 2014
Immigration Reform on Bishop’s DC Agenda
As a person of faith, Bishop Claire Burkat of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Church in America (ELCA), recognizes that she is called to welcome the sojourner and walk alongside migrants and refugees as they rebuild their lives in America. Bishop Burkat took that message of welcome to Capitol Hill today and visited...
February 21, 2014
Tech Tip: Time to Upgrade Windows XP
Key takeaway: Windows XP and Office 2003 will no longer be supported after April 8, 2014. You should make plans to replace computer hardware and/or upgrade your software as soon as possible. Microsoft’s venerable Windows XP was introduced in 2001, and has had an long and stable life. But nearly 13 years and three versions...
January 30, 2014
Diverse Faiths Unite for Immigration Reform
The Religious Leaders Council of Greater Philadelphia has adopted “Religiously Diverse, United for Immigration Reform,” a statement that calls on communities and individuals of faith to welcome immigrants and refugees, educate themselves about the immigrant experience and the laws that govern it, and advocate for reform locally and nationally. “Our religious teachings, our nation’s ideals,...
November 27, 2013
Act Now to Give Kids a Good Start
Deadline to register for School Breakfast Challenge is Dec. 20 School breakfast is one of the best ways to address childhood hunger. It also improves test scores, reduces tardiness, absenteeism, discipline problems and the likelihood of obesity. Yet less than 45 percent of the state’s students receive school breakfast. Right now, our congregations have a...
November 11, 2013
Little Receives 2013 Purpose Prize
Welcome Church Pastor Violet Little honored with prize for people over 60 solving tough social problems. The Rev. Violet Little, pastor of Philadelphia’s Welcome Church ministering to people experiencing homelessness, is one of seven winners of the 2013 Purpose Prize, which honors people over 60 who are using their “second acts” to make a...
October 31, 2013
Making a Difference, One Life at a Time
In late June, 111 Lutherans traveled halfway across the country to be of service to descendants of an ancient culture. Eager to make a difference in whatever ways they could, these youth and adults arrived east of Rapid City, South Dakota at Rosebud Reservation, home to the Lakota tribe. The group—representing 19 churches of the...
July 12, 2012
Judge Blocks City’s Homeless Feeding Ban
A federal judge today (July 11) blocked enforcement of the Philadelphia's ban on distributing free food to homeless persons in city parks, including Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Welcome Church, a synod-sponsored homeless ministry, and three other religious groups brought suit claiming that the city's plan to move all feeding to City Hall interfered with their ability to minister to homeless persons where they live -- along the parkway.
July 10, 2012
Churches Appeal of Feeding Ban Heard
Religious leaders and city officials testified July 9 in the first day of a hearing on the legality of the city's ban on free meals for the homeless along Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Rev. Violet Little of the Welcome Church testified along with other homeless advocates and a deputy mayor. Little and the other plaintiffs argue that providing food, such as the coffee hour after her "church without walls" services on the Parkway, are central to their ministries and the city's ban interferes with the expression of their faith.
June 20, 2012
Suit Challenges City’s Ban on Feeding Homeless
Pastor Violet Little of the Welcome Church and leaders of three other religious organizations have joined in a federal lawsuit challenging the City of Philadelphia’s ban on feeding homeless persons along Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Open-air activities such as the coffee hours following Welcome Church services along the Parkway are necessary “because that’s where the people are, and for so many who choose not to be inside it is the opportunity for relationship,” Little says.
May 17, 2012
From Liberia to East Lansdowne
It’s a long way from Liberia to East Lansdowne, but over that distance God planted and nurtured a small worshipping community in a refugee camp into a thriving Lutheran Church officially welcomed at the 2012 Assembly.
May 6, 2012
Assembly Re-elects Bishop Burkat
“I’ve learned over the last six years that the synod elects a pastor and forms a bishop. And you have formed me,” Bishop Claire Burkat told the 2012 Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod Assembly Friday after it re-elected her to a second six-year term as bishop.
April 11, 2012
Rev. Davenport Named to LSA Board
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has appointed the Rev. Patricia Ann Davenport, SEPA Assistant to the Bishop and Director for Evangelical Mission, to the national Board of Lutheran Services in America, the Baltimore-based network of two Lutheran denominations and their over 300 health and human service organizations.
September 26, 2011
Synod Welcomes Yvonne Curtis
Mrs. Yvonne Curtis is now serving the Synod as Interim Director of Operations. Yvonne brings a wealth of experience to this position. From 1994-1999 she served as executive administrative assistant to Bishop Almquist and more recently served as Executive Assistant in the Region 7 office. She is also completing a master of science degree in organizational development and leadership.
December 13, 2010
UniLu’s Wiesner Recieved to Clergy Roster
In a low-key Advent celebration, the Rev. Jay A. Wiesner of University Lutheran Church of the Incarnation (UniLu) was received on the clergy roster of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Clergy including several former UniLu pastors, members of the congregation and friends surrounded Pastor Wiesner as Bishop Claire S. Burkat officiated at the rite of reception.
