MinistryLink

Installation. The Rev. Lauren Cain
2023-01-14 10:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Grace Lutheran Church, Pottstown, 660 North Charlotte Street , Pottstown, PA, 19464, United States
Installation of Reverend Lauren Cain as pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, 660 N. Charlotte St, Pottstown will be held on January 14th, 2023 at 10 AM. . All clergy are invited to attend. There will be fellowship after the service.
Reverend Austin Chinault, pastor of Zion’s UCC Church in Pottstown will be guest preacher.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Worship
2023-01-15 15:00 - 17:00 | Christ’s Lutheran Church, 700 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Oreland, PA, 19075, United States
Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, ELCA and African Descent Lutheran Association Philadelphia Chapter invites you to honor & celebrate the legacy of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at our annual Memorial Worship Service on Sunday, January 15, 3 p.m., at Christ’s Lutheran Church, 700 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Oreland, PA 19075.
The thee of the service is “Please Do Not Give Up — Help Is On The Way”. Guest preacher is the Rev. Jesse W. Brown Jr. of Christus Lutheran Church. Glenn Bryan is the guest musician. All are welcome!

Download: MLK day Flyer 2023

Generosity And Vitality In The NOW Normal
2023-01-21 08:00 - 16:00 | Trinity Lutheran Church, Lansdale, 1000 W. Main St., Lansdale, PA, 19446, United States
Sponsored by the Southeastern PA and Northeastern PA Synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Saturday, January 21, 2023
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Trinity Lutheran Church
1000 W. Main St., Lansdale, PA 19446
An In-Person Only Event
Cost: $40 per person (includes lunch)
FREE for SEPA/NEPA Synod seminarians and first-call pastors
Engage with two outstanding church leaders in plenary presentations and question and answer sessions. Louise Johnson will speak on change leadership; while The Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah will talk about how the church can express generosity and vitality in the midst of our broken reality. Plus, 10 practical workshops!
Learn More and Register

Synod Council
2023-01-26, 2023-03-30

Ordination and Installation: Ms Eileen Ruppel-Doan
2023-01-28 11:00 - 12:30 | Reformation Lutheran Church, Media, 102 W. Rose Tree Road, Media, PA, 19063, United States
The Ordination and Installation of Eileen Ruppel-Doan
January 28th, 2023 at 11:00 am EST
at Reformation Lutheran Church, 102 W Rose Tree Rd, Media, PA 19063
Live stream of the service will be available at: relcmedia.org/virtualchurch
A reception will follow.

Webinar: Practical Stewardship Tips
2023-02-01 19:00 - 20:00 | Online
New Date: Upcoming Stewardship Webinar
Have you ever wondered why people are generous in the ways they are? Curious to explore how you can tap into giving motivations to encourage generosity? In this increasingly post-pandemic world, rostered and congregational leaders might well explore some of the nuances of giver motivation with the upcoming webinar “Practical Stewardship Tips,” which is free and open to all. Stay tuned to ELCA communications for more information and the opportunity to register.
Mark your calendar – New date:
Practical Stewardship Tips
Wednesday, Feb. 1
7 p.m. Eastern
Join from computer or mobile:
https://iu.zoom.us/j/86372108860?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 863 7210 8860
Password: [REDACTED]

Deepen your understanding of Indigenous Peoples – The Blanket Exercise
2023-02-01 19:00 - 21:00 | United Lutheran Seminary – Philadelphia, 7301 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19119, United States
SEPA Synod is proud to welcome Vance Blackfox, Director of Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations for the ELCA, on Wednesday February 1st to lead us in the Blanket Exercise.
The Blanket Exercise is an experiential learning tool that leads a group of participants through 500+ years of Indigenous history, highlighting the relationship between the tribal nations and the European explorers, colonial setters, and U.S. federal and state governments.
The exercise is interactive and requires participants, as they are able, to stand and move throughout the first hour of the experience. The second hour allows for participants to process the experience and share what they may have learned and what they will take away.
The Blanket Exercise was first created in Canada and has been adapted and used to educate general populations there, in the United States, and in many other parts of the world. The exercise does engage participants both intellectually and emotionally and can in some instances affect individuals deeply.
Due to the honest nature of the information included in the narration of the exercise, all participants are expected to be 15 years of age or older.
We will gather for this exercise on the Philadelphia campus of United Lutheran Seminary (7301 Germantown Ave Philadelphia, PA 19119) in the Brossman Center in Benbow Hall at 7pm. All are welcome and it’s a free event, but we are asking folks to register ahead of time so we can prepare a big enough space for the exercise.
Submit an RSVP here – https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A44ADAC2DA3F49-blanket

Reference and Counsel Pre-Assembly Info Session
2023-02-02 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
You Can Change The Institutional Church
Each year the Synod Assembly considers actions to set policy directions and to present issues for consideration by the Churchwide Assembly. Join the Committee on Reference and Counsel on Thursday, February 2, at 7 p.m. on Zoom to learn how you can create changes in the church through the Synod Assembly, the difference between a resolution and a memorial, and ways to write an effective resolution. The deadline to submit a resolution for consideration is April 5, 2023.

Register at this link.

Mission Devleopers Dinners
2023-02-08 18:30 - 19:30
Fellowship and networking meals for our Mission Developers. These will be potluck meals and open to those who are also considering looking into mission development. For information contact Pastor Bryan Penman, bpenman@sepa.org

Vitality Team Meeting
2023-02-11 10:30 - 12:30, 2023-03-06 18:30 - 21:30, 2023-04-15 10:30 - 12:30
For information contact Pastor Bryan Penman, bpenman@sepa.org

Ordination: Ms. Amy Smith
2023-02-25 11:00 - 14:00 | Trinity Lutheran Church, Lansdale, 1000 W. Main St., Lansdale, PA, 19446, United States
Amy Smith, called to serve St. Luke Lutheran Church in Obelisk, will be ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament on Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 11 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1000 W. Main Street, Lansdale, PA 19446. The service will also be carried online at https://www.trinitylansdale.com/livestreaming/
Rostered ministers are invited to process. The color of the day is red. A reception will follow.

Kindling Faith: Zoom Book Club - Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
2023-02-28 19:00 - 20:30
Dr. Erwin discusses Flowers of the Killer Moon and his perspective on Osage culture in this novel based on true events. The film version directed by Martin Scorcese will be released in May of 2023.

Download a Flyer – Spring Book Club Killers of the Flower Moon

Our American Muslim Neighbors: Christian Reflections on Islam
2023-03-02 08:00 - 17:00
Almost two billion people on Earth are adherents to Islam, yet many American Christians know little or nothing about this faith.
The Rev. Dr. David D. Grafton is the Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations on the faculty of the Duncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford International University. The Duncan Black Macdonald Center is the oldest center of its kind in the United States. Dr. Grafton holds a PhD in Islamic Studies, from the Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, University of Birmingham, England, an MDiv from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota, and a BA from Capital University, Columbus, Ohio.
Dr. Grafton’s academic interests focus on the history of Christian-Muslim relationships, Lutheranism and Islam, Christian theological perspectives on Islam, the history of Christianity in the Middle East, American Christian perspectives of religion and society in the Middle East. He is the author of numerous articles, and chapters of books on Christian-Muslim relations, as well as The Christians of Lebanon: Political Rights in Islamic Law (I.B. Tauris, 2004), and Piety, Politics and Power: Lutherans Encountering Islam in the Middle East (Wipf and Stock,2009), The Contested Origins of the 1865 Arabic Bible: Contributions to the Nineteenth Century Nahda (Brill, 2015). His most recent publication is More Than a Cup of Coffee and Tea: a generation of Lutheran-Muslim Relationships(2021).
Download a Flyer – Our Muslim Neighbors with David Grafton

Preaching with Power
2023-03-05 08:00 - 17:00
Meet the Director of The Urban Theological Institute of at ULS
The Rev. Dr. Quintin L. Robertson, a native of Newark, NJ, holds ordination through the National Baptist Convention, USA and the Church of God in Christ. He serves as the Director of the Urban Theological Institute at the seminary, overseeing the Black Church Studies Program. He also served as Director of Admission and Recruitment for the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta for 10 years. He conducts seminars and workshops, and preaches at churches across denominational lines around the nation.
All events will be held in person at the designated church/location in Philadelphia, PA and can also be accessed on our YouTube channel.

Schedule: Click on an event below to view the full calendar listing and bio. All events take place in Philadelphia, PA and are scheduled for EST time.
Sunday, March 5, 6:00PM – Rev. Dr. William H. Lamar IV, United Lutheran Seminary
Monday, March 6, 7:00PM – Rev. Dr. Clarence E. Wright, Grace Baptist Church
Tuesday, March 7, 11:45AM – Rev. Dr. Raquel S. Lettsome, United Lutheran Seminary
Tuesday, March 7, 7:00PM – Rev. Tiffany C. Chaney, Reformation Lutheran Church
Wednesday, March 8, 11:45AM – Rev. Sean M. Tripline, United Lutheran Seminary
Wednesday, March 8, 7:00PM – Rev. Dr. Danielle L. Brown, Mt. Airy Church of God
Preaching with Power Brochure 2023

Installation. The Rev. Axel Kaegler
2023-03-05 14:00 - 17:00 | Christ’s Lutheran Church, Oreland, 700 Pennsylvania Ave, Oreland, 19075
The Rev. Axel Kaegler will be installed as Senior Pastor of Christ’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Oreland on Sunday March 5, 2023 at 2:00 pm. The Rev. Sarah Aasheim , Dean of Lower Montgmery Conference, Pastor at Grace Wyndmoor presding. The Rev. Noah Hepler, Pastor at Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Atonement Fishtown, Adjunct Professor of United Luteran Seminary, Queer Eye season 5, episode 1 “Preaching Out Loud” preaching.

The SEPA Anti-Racism Team’s next educational event for rostered ministers
2023-03-09 09:00 - 17:30 | United Lutheran Seminary – Philadelphia Campus, 7301 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, 19119
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 S7:January 12, 2023, 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.

Box City For Grades 6-12 March 11-12
2023-03-11 - 2023-03-12 | St. James Lutheran Church, Limerick, 93 Kugler Road, Limerick, PA, 19468, United States
A Box City Youth Event for grades 6-12 will be held March 11-12, 2023, at St. James Lutheran Church, Limerick. For information email Pastor Stacey-Kyle Rea, srea@sepa.org.
Download a poster: Box City Poster

Benefit Concert for The Welcome Church
2023-03-19 15:00 - 17:00 | Christ’s United Presbyterian Church, 1020 South Tenth Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19147, United States
Join Hazelita Fauntroy (soprano) and Rosemarie Coleman (piano) and special guests for a concert to benefit The Welcome Church on Sunday, March 19 at 3 p.m. at Christ’s United Presbyterian Church, 1020 South 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147. There will also be a Women’s History Month presentation. A free will offering will be accepted.
Click to download

Lazareth Lecture
2023-03-20 19:00 - 20:30 | United Lutheran Seminary – Philadelphia Campus, 7301 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, 19119
Philadelphia campus and Livestream. Dr. Pamela Cooper-White, Dean of Union Theological Seminary discusses her new book The Psychology of Christian Nationalism.
Download a Flyer – Lazareth lecture

Tuscarora Lutheran Retreat
2023-03-24 - 2023-03-26 | Tuscarora Inn & Conference Center, 3300 River Rd., Mt. Bethel, PA, 18343, United States
Click to enlarge
Tuscarora Lutheran Youth Retreat (formerly known as Harvey Cedars) is a weekend retreat for 6th – 12th grade youth and their leaders. This retreat fosters relationships between youth of different churches to unify the Lutheran churches and youth of the SouthEastern Pennsylvania Synod of the ELCA. This retreat is also unique in the fact that it is run by the pastors and leaders of our youth groups so we depend on our adult leaders who attend with their youth to help make this retreat possible. We ask our adult leaders to be a part of small groups either through teaching, assistant teaching, or being an extra pair of hands in the classroom.

2023
Friday, March 24th – Sunday, March 26th
@ Tuscarora Inn and Conference Center
2023 Theme
Do Justice, Show Love, Walk Humbly with God

Registration Fee
Early bird registration due by January 29, 2023
Early bird price: $125 per personAll registration due by February 15, 2023
$150 per person

Learn more at the retreat website!

Kindling Faith: Our Muslim Neighbors
2023-04-01 10:00 - 13:00 | United Lutheran Seminary – Philadelphia Campus, 7301 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, 19119

Chrism Service
2023-04-04 10:00 - 13:30 | United Lutheran Seminary – Philadelphia, 7301 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19119, United States
Rostered and lay ministers, seminarians, and Lutherans from our synod are invited to the annual Chrism Service, Tuesday of Holy Week, April 4 at 10 a.m. at the Schaeffer-Ashmead Chapel on the Philadelphia campus of United Lutheran Seminary.
This traditional service of Word and Sacrament includes the blessing of oil for anointing, healing prayer, and renewal of ministry vows. Bishop Patricia A. Davenport will preside. The Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin, seminary president, will preach.
Lunch will follow in Brossman Benbow Hall.

Journeys Through Grief Spring 2023 Dates
2023-04-11 18:30 - 20:00 | St. Michael Lutheran Church, Sellersville, 25 East Church Street, Sellersville, 18960, United States
Tuesday evenings from 6:30 – 8 pm
Elizabeth Vega Casey – Counselor
Call Sylvia to register or Barbara (Secretary at St. Michael’s) 215- 257-6040
Sponsored by Suess-Gehman Funeral Home

Vitality Check-In Call
2023-04-15 10:30 - 12:00 | Zoom meeting
Join the Vitality Team Saturday April 15th at 10:30am for a conversation around helping your congregation deepen its sense of vitality. Members of the vitality team will be present to talk about vitality and present ideas on ways your congregation can focus on the work of growing relationships. All are welcome as we wonder together about ways God is calling us to be church in this new day. Join us as we discover the church we are becoming.

For information contact Pastor Bryan Penman, bpenman@sepa.org.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87541201562?pwd=[REDACTED]

Meeting ID: 875 4120 1562. Passcode: [REDACTED]

Ecumenical Advocacy Days
2023-04-25 - 2023-04-27 | Online
Registration is open for this year’s Ecumenical Advocacy Days, Swords into Plowshares: Achieving Enough for All & Pursuing Peace, taking place online April 25-27. Ecumenical Advocacy Days is an annual gathering of Christian advocates and activists. We worship, delve deeply into the pressing issues of the day, and lift our voices by speaking truth to power on Capitol Hill.

Learn more; register today.

Preaching Perspectives: Stewardship Preaching in Ordinary Time, Year A
2023-04-25 09:30 - 15:30 | United Lutheran Seminary – Gettysburg Campus, 61 Seminary Ridge, Gettysburg, PA, 17325, United States
Stewardship is best approached as a year-round ministry, not just an emphasis for a few weeks in the fall. Pastors will gather to examine the Revised Common Lectionary lessons for Ordinary Time, Year A, and develop ideas and themes for preaching on holistic stewardship during this summer and fall. How do we teach, inspire and equip God’s people to become stewards of all that God has entrusted to them? The RCL
readings offer many opportunities.
Workshop Presenter
Pastor Rob Blezard is passionate about stewardship, which he sees as a key element of our walk as disciples of Christ. God has entrusted us with so much – our time, our health, our relationships, our intelligence, our faith, our family, our environment, our world, our money, and so much more. Stewardship involves using ALL these gifts wisely and for God’s purposes. Practicing wise and faithful stewardship, we become the
people that God wants us to be, we have the lives that God wants us to have, and we accomplish the mission God wants us to accomplish.
For more informaton download a flyer: Preaching Perspectives promo Spring 2023

Spring Convocation 2023: Children of Abraham: Stewards of Creation
2023-04-26 08:00 - 16:00 | United Lutheran Seminary – Gettysburg Campus, 61 Seminary Ridge, Gettysburg, PA, 17325, United States
Join us for conversation with eco-advocates from the three Abrahamic faiths as we explore commonalities in our understanding of ecological stewardship.
Interfaith dialogue is essential for addressing the climate crisis, as the issue of environmental degradation affects people of all religious backgrounds and cultures. We face a global challenge that requires collective action, and bringing together individuals and groups of different faiths can result in a shared sense of responsibility and a broader understanding of the issue. Working together, faith communities can use their
resources and platforms to raise awareness, encourage environmentally-friendly practices, and advocate for policy changes. Furthermore, interfaith cooperation promotes mutual respect and understanding, and can lead to a more unified approach to combatting the climate crisis. By recognizing the interconnectedness of all life on Earth, we can come together to protect our planet for future generations.
Workshop Presenters
Rabbi Yonatan Neril, Rev. Dr. Barbara Rossing, and Huda Alkaff
For more information download a flyer: Spring Convo promo 2023
