MinistryLink

Kindling Faith: Redevelopment Workshop
2022-10-11 09:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Online
What is the difference between a thriving and vital congregation and one that struggles to connect with and meet the needs of its community? Successful mission starts, vibrant redeveloped congregations and community-centered churches with active growth and clarity of mission share their pathways to Gospel-inspired active ministry in this one-day retreat for rostered leaders and members of congregational leadership teams.
This workshop on October 11, 2022 is from 9 am to 3 pm at the Gettysburg Campus of United Lutheran Seminary or online. Facilitators are The Rev. Carla Christopher, an ordained redevelopment and community engagement pastor in the ELCA, and Rev. Matthew Best, pastor of St. Stephen Lutheran Church in New Kingstown, PA. It is ideal for leaders in congregations of all sizes and varying locations—from rural to urban. The experience of this multicultural and cross-country group of success stories reveals that vital congregations are not a thing of the past, but a practical and accessible plan for the future. Download brochure.
$25 in person (includes lunch), $10 online.
To register, please click here or use QR code provided.
Through first person stories, interactive discernment exercises and practical tips, participants will complete their day equipped to move forward with a fresh understanding of the common traits all the involved vital congregations share; entrepreneurial ministry and equity-based stewardship, authentic community partnership, uplifting leaders from within congregational community, adapting mission style for context, and minimizing resource drain through using technology and best practice procedure in a useful way.

Sharing Your Faith Authentically On Facebook
2022-10-11 19:00 - 20:30
Liking, commenting, and sharing on Facebook is a means of evangelism and outreach. In this training session learn why you may want to share your faith online and how to do it authentically! This training is for lay people of all ages (and rostered ministers) to empower you to share your faith with your Facebook feed.
Hark! The Herald Facebookers Sing! Is offered by the Southeastern Synod, ELCA, on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Register here for this free training.

Ministry in the New Abnormal
2022-10-13 11:00 - 12:30 | Online
Join your peers and Pastors Bob Fisher, Jonathan Suloff and/or Sue Lang for an informal time of learning, sharing, and mutual support.
For rostered ministers, church communicators, parish admins, tech teams, worship leaders, musicians, re-opening committees, councils…anyone navigating new ways of being, leading, scheduling, and planning church in the time of the pandemic.
Join us on Zoom at https://bit.ly/sepacomms.

Vitality Team Meeting
2022-10-15 10:30 - 13:30, 2022-11-07 18:30 - 19:30, 2022-12-10 10:30 - 12:30
For information contact Pastor Bryan Penman, bpenman@sepa.org

Installation: The Rev. Kayla Sadowy
2022-10-16 14:00 - 15:30 | Grace Lutheran Church, Broomall, 2191 West Chester Pike, Broomall, PA, 19008, United States
The Rev. Kayla Sadowy will be installed as pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Broomall, on October 16 at 2 p.m.
The Church is located at 2191 West Chester Pike, Broomall, PA 19008. gracebroomall.org. For information call the church at 610.356.1824.

Implicit Bias Training
2022-10-17 14:00 - 17:00 | Online
United Lutheran Seminary is sponsoring Implicit Bias Training with Stacey Waters of the Pennsylvania Human Rights Commission. This workshop is being offered free of charge via zoom or in person. The first event will be in the Brossman Center of the Philadelphia Campus on October 17th at 2 pm. The second event will be at the Wentz Library on the Gettysburg Campus on October 18th at 7 pm. Again, both events will have a zoom component.

Download Brochure.
Training is free and open to the public in person or via zoom.
Register here or by scanning this QR code ➡︎

Fall Vitality Trainings
2022-10-20, 2022-11-03, 2022-11-17
Is your congregation ready to take the next step (even a small step!!) to revitalize or renew? Our Synod is participating in a series of Vitality Trainings here this fall with folks from across the ELCA. This training is great for pastor and a team of folks to take together to bring clarity about your own congregation’s mission, how to live in the community and build vital and key relationships. Facilitated by my fellow DEM Nancy Nyland, this is the third time they have offered this WONDERFUL opportunity for FREE!!!!
The four session are being offered October 6th and 20th and November 3rd and 17th, but even if you can’t make those dates work, sign up to at least get the emailed recordings! Each session is offered twice daily (so you choose the one that works best) 1:30pm – 3pm (eastern) & 7:30pm – 9pm (eastern).
To register – visit this link: https://ministrylink.org/vitality-fall-22 (Our SEPA Synod is 7F when you get to the list of synods)
As always, I look forward to the ways the Spirit will bless our time together this fall and equip the saints for the work of ministry! If you have questions about this training or any of our other equipping events, please let me know: bpenman@sepa.org / 267.323.3756

Volunteer Opportunity - Reforestation
2022-10-22 10:00 - 14:00 | New Hanover Lutheran Church, 2941 Lutheran Road, Gilbertsville, PA, 19525, United States
New Hanover Evangelical Lutheran Church is requesting assistance from volunteers to help plant native trees and shrubs as part of a reforestation project. The project is designed to protect and enhance wetland habitat in the Minister Creek Watershed.
Date: Saturday, October 22
Time: 10:00AM – 2:00PM
Location: New Hanover Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2941 Lutheran Rd., Gilbertsville, PA 19525
To register, please email: Pastor Scott Staub at psstaub@gmail.com
Download: ECO Theology – Reforestation Volunteer Project Flyer for NHELC
Tools, instructions and refreshments will be provided to all volunteers.
Advance registration is required to receive project updates and/or notification of event postponement in the event of adverse weather.
This restoration project was made possible by the TreeVitalize Watersheds Grant program,
managed by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, with funding from the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection’s Growing Greener program, PECO, and Aqua
Pennsylvania for projects located within its source water protection zones.

Kindling Faith: Transgender and Lutheran
2022-10-23 19:00 - 21:00 | Online
Join us for a delightful presentation by Dr. Stephanie Dykes, an ELCA Lutheran who advocates on behalf of the transgender community.
Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 7 pm EST via zoom.
Cost: $10
To register, please click here or use QR code provided ➡︎
Dr. Stephanie Dykes is an out and proud transwoman, living in Seattle, Washington, where she works as the executive director of institutional effectiveness at North Seattle College. Dr. Dykes has over 40 years’ work experience in education and business.
She earned her Ph.D. in educational research and measurement and her Master of Arts in teaching from the University of South Carolina. She completed her undergraduate work in history and business administration from Clemson University.
Dr. Dykes has spoken at numerous conferences in the United States and Canada on the topics of gender and women’s studies as well as institutional research. She has spoken at colleges and universities across the United States about her experiences as a transgender woman.
Dr. Dykes is the father of a 29-year-old son, and she sings bass with the Seattle Men’s Chorus. Dr. Dykes is a member of Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Kirkland, Washington, where she is a featured soloist.

Vitality Team Training: Cultivating Generations of Generosity
2022-10-24 09:30 - 11:00
Cultivating Generations of Generosity – in partnership with GSB Consulting and ELCA Churchwide offices
Trainings that are being offered via churchwide to help congregations develop a year round stewardship appeal process that cultivates a deep and abiding sense of Generosity in the membership of the congregation.

Monday October 24th
VIRTUAL SESSION #5
Sharing Results and an Effective Follow-Up

1522/2022: Lutheranism and the Status Quo
2022-10-26 | ULS Gettysburg Campus
United Lutheran Seminary is sponsoring its annual Luther Colloquy with featured speakers President Guy Erwin, Dr. Volker Leppin, Dr. Monica Melancthon, and Dr. Amy Nelson Burnett speaking on the topic of “Lutheranism and the Status Quo.” Wednesday October 26th on the Gettysburg campus. Livestream is available.
The year 1522 was decisive in the history of the Reformation—Luther repudiated the push for rapid, iconoclastic changes to worship led by his one-time ally Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt, aligned himself with a prince-led Reformation, and published his prayer book and his translation of the New Testament to shape the piety of the “common person.” This year’s Luther Colloquy examines how Luther secured the endurance of the Lutheran Reformation and asks what we can learn for good or for ill. How did Lutheranism establish itself as the status quo and what resources for a theological challenge to the status quo remained and remain?
Registration fee: $15.
Lunch fee: $15
For more information and to register, please click here or use QR code ➡︎

How Should We Respond to Christian Nationalism?
2022-11-01 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
The Rise of Christian Nationalism in Public Life— How Shall We Respond?
The Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields will host a Zoom presentation and dialogue on Tuesday, November 1 at 7 pm with Dr. Philip Gorski, a sociologist at Yale University, and co-author of the new book “The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy.”
Please join in-person for this timely conversation, just one week in advance of the November 8 elections. Join in-person at St. Martin’s, 8000 St. Martin’s Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118.
RSVP for the November 1st Event Here. Note: The speaker will Zoom in, and you are invited to join in person at St. Martin’s.
“For anyone who is concerned about the future of religion and democracy in America…this book is essential reading.” (Dr. Anthea Butler, Penn State University). All are welcome, for in-depth learning and respectful conversation. This presentation is part of the ongoing works of love ministries at St. Martin’s prompted in June by the Supreme Court’s radical reversal of Roe v. Wade.
For more information contact the church at https://www.stmartinec.org/contact-us/ or at 215.247.7466.

Anoint the Vote 2022
2022-11-07 20:00 - 21:00
This virtual event will be hosted byBlack Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity and POWER and will feature Pre-Election Day Prayers by the Faithful. You may join the event via Facebook: www.facebook.com/forumphilly

Fundraiser: The Drive for 1,000 Desks for Honduras
2022-11-12 17:00 - 20:00 | Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Souderton, 69 W. Broad Street, Souderton, PA, 18964, United States
Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Souderton, invites you to a Central American Food and Cultural Festival on Saturday, November 12, 5-8 p.m. at the church, 69 W. Broad St., Souderton PA, 18964. This event benefits the rebuilding of 1,000 student desks destroyed by hurricanes in Santa Barbara Honduras in 2020.
The festival features home-made food, folk dancing, local celebrity singer from Santa Barbara, Honduras, and Central American handcrafts (for sale).

Tickets – $56. (Sponsors 4 rebuilt desks for students in need)

To Purchase Tickets:

Online: https://donorbox.org/events/366461
E-Mail: emmanuel@emmanuellutheranchurch.net
Phone: 215-723-7514 (leave voice message)

Download Information Sheet

Rostered Ministers Equipping Event
2022-11-14 - 2022-11-16 | United Lutheran Seminary – Philadelphia, 7301 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19119, United States
Reimagine. Renew. Rejoice
10am Monday, November 14 – 1pm Wednesday, November 16, 2022
United Lutheran Seminary, Philadelphia Campus
Hybrid Event
Cost: Free! This is our gift to you!

Register Now
We are excited to announce the Rostered Minister Equipping Event for 2022! Join SEPA Synod Rostered Ministers for a “Choose-Your-Own-Adventure” convocation, intended to help you reimagine, renew, and rejoice. This event features a keynote speech by our own Bishop, alongside opportunities to engage with online and in-person workshops presented by Lena Glickman, Brandi Miller, and Dale Selover, across topics of spiritual direction, self-care, storytelling, and more. Opportunities for fellowship, worship, good food, prayer, time with the Bishop, hiking and nature walks, knitting, meditation, and more will also be available. Whether you’d rather spend more time in workshops or with colleagues, you can build your own experience from the offerings presented. Come and see!

If you are interested in staying overnight in the vicinity, you may contact United Lutheran Seminary (717-338-3000) or the Chestnut Hill Hotel (215-242-5905) for accommodations of your choosing. The cost of the rooms or hotel will not be covered by the synod.

We are creating this event for in-person or online participation. For the in-person event, masking and testing will be required, except when eating.

A complete schedule will be available in the coming weeks, with workshop titles and summaries. Zoom Q&A sessions will be held on October 3 at 11am and 7pm. Join the sessions at this link.

Questions or concerns? Please contact Lauren Bruno at pastorlaurenbruno@gmail.com.

Schedule: RME2
November 14-16, 2022
ULS Philadelphia Campus
Monday, November 14
Individual Direction available with Dale Selover – 45-minute blocks

10am: Gathering & registration (BROSSMAN HALL)

Breakfast

11am: Bishop’s address (BENBOW)

Welcome
Prayer and call to gather
Kevin: Introduce event

12pm: Lunch

Recommended: High Point Café & Iron Hill Pub and Brewery

2pm: Workshops

Dale Selover (in-person) (BENBOW B)
Lena Glickman (online) (Room 320)

4pm: Adventure!

Happy Hour at Iron Hill Pub (meet Joey Klinger at the Brossman front desk at 3:30pm)
Coffee & pastries at the Night Kitchen (meet at the Brossman front desk)

Tuesday, November 15

9am: Gather & breakfast (BENBOW)

Short Worship

10am: Workshop

Lena Glickman (In-person) (BENBOW B)
Dale Selover (Online) (Room 320)

12pm: Lunch

Recommended: McMenamin’s & Jyoti

2pm: Workshops

Brandi Miller (in-person) (BOARD ROOM)
Online: Opportunities for one-on-one conversations with the Bishop
2-5pm: Dungeons & Dragons with Axel Kaegler (6 maximum) (LULL LOUNGE)

3:15pm: Adventure!

Morris Arboretum (meet Lauren Bruno at the Brossman front desk)
Uncle Bobbie’s Bookstore & Café (meet at the Brossman front desk)

5pm: Dinner & online Happy Hour

Wednesday, November 16

9am: Gather & breakfast (BENBOW)

Short Worship

10am: Workshop block & Activities

Brandi Miller (online)
Take Time for Prayer Stations:

Prayerful Coloring in Lull Lounge
Walk the Prayer Labyrinth in the Library
Prayer space in the Chapel

Time with the Bishop (Please sign up for a slot)
Knitting with Sarah Aasheim (prayer shawls, hats, etc.) (LULL LOUNGE)
Hike in Wissahickon Park (meet Lauren Bruno at Brossman front desk)

11:30am: Lunch

Recommended: Mi Puebla & Golden Crust Pizza

1pm: Closing worship with Eucharist (CHAPEL)

Don’t forget that the Labyrinth and Chapel will be open all three days for prayer and reflection. We’ve built free time into this schedule so that you can stop by. You might even find the Bishop there, and she’d be happy to pray with you.

Register now!

Emotional Intelligence and Human Relations Skills within Faith Based Systems
2022-11-14 - 2022-11-18 | Mar Lu Ridge Conference Center, 3200 Mar Lu Ridge Rd, Jefferson, Maryland, 21755

Vitality Team Training: Cultivating Generations of Generosity
2022-11-14 09:30 - 11:00
Cultivating Generations of Generosity – in partnership with GSB Consulting and ELCA Churchwide offices
Trainings that are being offered via churchwide to help congregations develop a year round stewardship appeal process that cultivates a deep and abiding sense of Generosity in the membership of the congregation.

Monday November 14th
VIRTUAL SESSION #6
Finishing the Year Strong

Ordination: Mr. Ethan Doan
2022-11-19 11:00 - 14:00 | Faith Lutheran, Montgomeryville, 615 Cowpath Road, Montgomeryville, PA, 18936, United States
Mr. Ethan Doan will be ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament and installed as pastor of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, Montgomeryville, on Saturday, November 19, at 11 am at the church (615 Cowpath Road, Montgomeryville, PA 18936).
All clergy are invited to vest and participate in the procession.
There will be a reception after worship. If you are planning to attend please RSVP to faithmont@verizon.net so adequate food can be prepared.
The service will also be broadcast on Zoom:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84577757081?pwd=[REDACTED]

Meeting ID: 845 7775 7081
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Holy Closure: Bethany, Roxborough
2022-11-20 15:00 - 17:00 | Bethany Lutheran Church, 401 Martin Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19128, United States
Remembering in prayer the saints at Bethany Lutheran Church

Bethany Lutheran Church, a congregation of the Central Philadelphia Conference, will hold their final worship service on Sunday, November 20, 2022 at 3:00 pm with Bishop Davenport presiding.

Rostered ministers and members of the SEPA Synod are welcome to attend the final service at Bethany as we celebrate the life, witness and service of this congregation to the Roxborough-Manayunk community since 1845. Rostered ministers not participating in worship leadership are invited to sit in the congregation.

Bethany Lutheran Church is located at: 401 Martin Street, Philadelphia, PA 19128.

Brief history of Bethany Lutheran Church

In the beginning, German was the language of Bethany. It wasn’t until 1934 that an English service was offered. You could still hear the Word in German until 1970.

The first church building was on Martin Street, where the Bethany cemetery is now located. Our current church building was constructed beginning in 1873 and completed, with the addition of the bell tower, in 1902.

An Evening With Pastor Franklin Morales
2022-11-20 19:00 - 20:00 | Online
An ELCA Pastor Shares a Journey of Personal and Spiritual Transformation
November 20, 2022 at 7 pm via Zoom. Cost: $10. Register at https://ulsforms.wufoo.com/forms/z1b5qr3a0b1rxpp/
Pastor Franklin Morales was born in Venezuela and is a former Catholic priest. He did his philosophical studies in Venezuela, his theological studies in Rome, and a one-year internship in Central America, where he had first-hand contact with the realities of poverty, criminal gangs, inequality, and hunger that force many of our Central American brothers and sisters to emigrate from their countries of origin looking for a better future for themselves and their families.
Pastor Franklin discovered in Lutheran theology a gospel that seeks liberation and equality for all people without distinction through ways of justice and peace, where the relationship with God through prayer is manifested in service to the neediest and with creation.
He has a fascinating story culminating in marriage, moving to the United States, and becoming an ELCA Pastor in the Metro DC Synod. Join us to hear his wonderful story.

Life of Faith
2022-12-03 15:00 - 17:00
Cohort gatherings for the congregations who are participating currently in the Life of Faith process. For information contact Pastor Bryan Penman, bpenman@sepa.org

Christmas Lessons and Carols With Bethlehem
2022-12-17 10:00 - 12:00 | Philadelphia Cathedral, 3717 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
The 16th annual Christmas Lessons and Carols simulcast live between the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral in the United States and the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, Palestine, will take place on Saturday, December 17, 2022 at 10 a.m. EST and 5 p.m. Bethlehem time.
Hear familiar carols and readings in Arabic and English, and a word of hope preached this year by Bishop Sani Azar of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.
The Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral invites you to join in person for this free event. Registration details are forthcoming.

You can also participate virtually by watching it live on YouTube. (You can watch last year’s event on YouTube here.)

Online donations are encouraged and support the rich ministry of Episcopalians and Lutherans in Palestine.
For questions, please contact the Rev. Canon Matthew Dayton-Welch, Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania Canon for the Holy Land, at rector@stalbansnewtownsquare.org.

Registration Deadline: SEPA Anti-Racism Team’s next educational event for rostered ministers
2023-01-05
The SEPA Anti-Racism Team’s next educational event for rostered ministers is coming soon. The event follows the team’s new format:
 One 90-minute Zoom meeting to introduce the curriculum on January 12, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
 Personal Engagement with Historical Context Modules: January 12-March 8, 2023. Participants will receive a link to these modules and may complete them at their own convenience.
 One in-person day-long final session covering Connections and Conversationson March 9, 2023, 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., at ULS/Philadelphia.
Please register through the Anti-Racism Team link, antiracism@sepa.org. The Registration Deadline is January 5, 2023.
This educational program, required by a Synod Assembly resolution, is free to all participants.
SEPA ART 2023 Education Event Flyer

Lessons and Carols for Epiphany
2023-01-08 15:00 - 17:00 | Grace Lutheran Church, Hatfield, 40 South Main Street, Hatfield, PA, 19440, United States
The six churches of the Indian Valley Cluster — Advent Harleysville, Christ Kulpsville, Emmanuel Souderton, Grace Hatfield, Little Zion Telford and St. Paul’s Telford — will present a joint celebration of Lessons and Carols for Epiphany on Sunday, January 8 at 3 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, 40 N. Main St. in Hatfield. The service features favorite hymns and carols of Epiphany, a choir of three dozen members from all participating congregations, each of the pastors in leadership roles, and a procession of brightly costumed magi, followed by a festive reception. The public is warmly invited.

Kindling Faith: A Middle Eastern Christian Perspective on Lent, Holy Week, and Easter Readings via Zoom
2023-01-09 09:00 - 13:00 | Zoom meeting

Webinar: Caring for Gen Z in a Post-Pandemic World
2023-01-12 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom meeting
We are excited to invite you to an upcoming Lunch & Learn webinar in partnership with Springtide Research Institute, ELCA Youth Ministry Network and ELCA Youth Ministry.
On January 12, 2023, at noon CST, Springtide Research Institute will share their latest research on “Caring for Gen Z in a Post Pandemic World.” For many young people, there is no normal to return to after the pandemic. Their entire lives have changed. Springtide’s pandemic research focused on what young people are experiencing, how they view the future, and most importantly, what you can do to support them. We invite you as ministry leaders and volunteers to come together for this virtual event to strengthen the ministries you are a part of and discover how we can best tend to the young people and communities we serve.
Join us as we learn together from this research and share in a brief Q&A time with our Springtide Researchers!
Where: Zoom (link will be sent upon registration)
When: January 12, 2023
Time: Noon CST
Topic: Caring for Gen Z in a Post Pandemic World
REGISTER NOW
