April 15, 2021

Bishop’s December 2020 Synod Council Report

April 15, 2021

Bishop’s June 2020 Synod Council Report

March 15, 2021

Thank you for your creative ministry!

Greetings, beloved. I’m reminded of the encouragement that comes from Psalm 31. It says, “Be strong, and take heart, “all you who hope in the Lord.” It’s hard to believe that we are coming up on the first anniversary of the day everything shut down. I remember thinking that it would be a few weeks...

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March 11, 2021

Words of Encouragement from Bishop Davenport

December 9, 2020

Guidelines for Virtual Congregational Meetings in SEPA

November 17, 2020

Bishop’s Letter Regarding Latest COVID Spike

Bishop Davenport Nov 17 2020    Greetings, Beloved,   “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.”   Romans 12:12   Right now, new cases of COVID-19, positive test rates, and hospitalizations are spiking across Southeastern Pennsylvania. Public health officials are issuing new mitigation orders in our area. In order to protect our most vulnerable members, our pastors...

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September 21, 2020

A Word of Encouragement from Bishop Davenport

Bishop Davenport Greetings beloved. If I could sing, I would sing I woke up this morning with my mind stayed on Jesus, which I did. However, I also had you on my mind, and I just wanted to pause today just to say, God bless you. And I am so grateful for each and every one of...

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August 21, 2020

A Prayer For The New School Year

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:6-7 Bishop Patricia A. Davenport offers a word of Scripture and prayers...

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April 29, 2020

Synod Assembly Cancelled

Dear Siblings in Christ, We are in the midst of difficult times.  Governor Wolf has issued “Stay at Home” orders across the state and has banned non-essential businesses from operating until further notice.  Even with the upcoming exceptions anticipated mid-May, churches do not yet fit that designation.  Because of this, the Synod Council unanimously adopted...

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April 11, 2020

Easter Greeting From Bishop Davenport

Praise the Lord, everybody. Glory to God in the highest! Grace and peace to you, beloved, in the name of the One who can do all things but fail, Jesus the Christ! Today is Easter. We will gather virtually around the globe, sheltered in place, on one accord. Today we sing: Christ is risen! Alleluia!...

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August 19, 2019

Holy Closure of Good Shepherd, Mayfair on Aug. 25

Remembering in prayer the saints at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Mayfair. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, a congregation in the NE/nW Philadelphia Conference, will hold their final worship service on Sunday, August 25, 2019 at 3 pm with Bishop Davenport presiding. Rostered leaders and members of the SEPA Synod are welcome to attend the final service...

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June 17, 2019

Synod Council Minutes, April 2019

June 2, 2019

Holy Closure: St. Petri-Hope

Remembering in prayer the saints at St. Petri-Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church.  St. Petri-Hope Lutheran Church, a congregation in the NE/W Philadelphia Conference, held its final worship service on Sunday, June 2 at 3 pm with Bishop Davenport presiding. The service was attended by 152 saints. An offering of $880 was received to benefit the Feast of Justice feeding...

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May 23, 2019

‘Are We Willing to be Transformed?’

The beloved community is like this: ‘God takes it very personally how we treat one another,” the Rev. Dr. Wyvetta Bullock said in her sermon at the Assembly’s Saturday Eucharist. “The compassion we express to others is our expression of our love for God.” As humans we struggle with love that seeks nothing in return....

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May 22, 2019

Was it Not Necessary?

May 10, 2019

Bishop Davenport: “We are co-creators of our joint mission”

2019 Assembly logo Bishop Patricia Davenport, the Fifth Bishop of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the ELCA, opened the Synod’s 2019 Assembly (her first as Bishop) with a reading from Psalm 34: 1-3.  “… O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt God’s name together.” From the excitement of her election at the 2018 Assembly, to...

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May 10, 2019

Bishop Davenport: Beloved Community

May 10, 2019

Bishop Davenport We Are Co-Creators of Our Joint Mission

April 10, 2019

Bishop Davenport: A Pastoral Message on Standards for Pastors and Deacons

Dear Sisters and Brothers, This past weekend in Chicago, the ELCA Church Council considered how to move forward with a new statement describing the church’s vision for its rostered ministers. Titled “Trustworthy Servants of the People of God,” it is intended to replace the current document known as “Visions and Expectations.” Last month, the Conference...

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March 20, 2019

Court Upholds Housing Allowance

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Friday upheld the tax-exempt housing allowance for ordained clergy against a constitutional challenge from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. From ChurchLawAndTax.com: The Seventh Circuit reversed a 2017 decision by a federal district judge in Wisconsin, which favored leaders of the tax-exempt atheist organization Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). The...

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