With increasing diversity in our culture and growing mobility of people across and into the U.S., how can we as ELCA congregations become places that affirm the God-given dignity and personhood of everyone? What will it take? What’s our role? What’s working? Watch Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, Pastor Ruben Duran, Mikka McCracken and Pastor Matt...
June 9, 2016
Becoming A Place For All
With increasing diversity in our culture and growing mobility of people across and into the U.S., how can we as ELCA congregations become places that affirm the God-given dignity and personhood of everyone? What will it take? What’s our role? What’s working? Watch Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, Pastor Ruben Duran, Mikka McCracken and Pastor Matt...
May 26, 2016
Living Gospel: A Firm Foundation
Pastor Linda Manson and Living Gospel Ministries, our newest faith community, are giving people newly returned from incarceration a sense of self-worth and help re-integrating with society. “It’s important to me that the people who come to be in ministry with us feel loved and cared for,” Pastor Manson says. Building up self-worth undergirds the work Living...
April 1, 2015
Transforming a Container into a Clinic
A large, red shipping container sits in the parking lot of the Lutheran Church of God’s Love in Newtown waiting for Saturday mornings. That’s when team members open it up and continue work on its transformation into a medical clinic that will serve a community on the outskirts of Kisumu, Kenya, Africa. The idea first...
July 17, 2014
Nurturing Vibrant Congregations
Growing the vibrancy of a congregation is not something that can be imparted by a new pastor or a consultant, but is the result of congregations taking ownership of the need for change, understanding any gaps between where they are and where they want to be, and experimenting with ways to make faith useful to...
May 27, 2014
Highlights of 2014 Assembly
Capture the spirit of our Synod’s 2014 Assembly in summary report, which is suitable for sharing with members of your congregation by printing it or linking it to your email, website or social media. A formal summary of legislative actions and elections is also available, as are preliminary minutes of the Assembly. Full coverage of...
May 13, 2014
‘Be Communities of Discernment’
“To do God’s work with our hands, we need to know what God is about,” the Rev. Dr. Mark S. Hanson told the 2014 Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod Assembly in his keynote address. “We need to be communities of discernment,” the former ELCA presiding bishop said. To do that, “we need to be fluent in the...
May 13, 2014
VP Lifts Up ‘Out-of-the-Box’ Ministry
Through a year full of some hard decisions requiring much thought and prayer, the congregations of the SEPA Synod have increased their benevolent giving and increased their outreach efforts on behalf of their members and communities. Tracey Beasley, Synod Council vice president, used her report to praise the congregations and their efforts. “(This) hard conversation...
May 13, 2014
Assembly OKs Mission Advancement Campaign
The Assembly voted unanimously to continue work with Kairos and Associates on the development of a Mission Advancement Campaign to develop resources to reshape the Synod for the work of equipping leaders and congregations to engage their communities and deepen discipleship of their members. Prior to presenting the resolution from Synod Council, Vice President Tracey...
May 9, 2014
Moving Toward God’s Preferred Future
“Nobody changes before they are ready,” the Rev. Dr. David Lose, consultant with Kairos & Associates, told the Assembly. “This body is ready, and excited, and eager to live into God’s preferred future.” Lose reported on a wide-ranging survey of synod leaders, including clergy, congregation council members and other lay leaders, conducted this spring to...
May 8, 2014
Join the Conspiracy
“I want to invite you all to join a new Christian conspiracy,” Bishop Claire Burkat challenged the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod in her address to the 2014 Assembly. “What does it mean to in the 21st Century to conspire with Christ and one another to heal and bless the world in whatever ways God is leading...
May 4, 2014
Videos from 2014 Assembly
Video coverage of Synod Assembly presentations are available online at the links below: Complete 2014 Synod Assembly video playlist Friday Rev. Mark Hanson Sermon Rev. Mark Hanson Keynote Treasurer’s Report ELCA Representative Presentation by Ms. Judith Roberts Recognition of Approved Candidates Saturday Bishop Burkat’s Sermon Kairos & Associates/David Lose presentation Moments with our Missionaries Bishop...
May 3, 2014
Nurturing Vibrant Congregations
For about fifteen minutes every week, most of us listen to a sermon, absorb its message and go home to our daily lives. Perhaps we think about it once or twice, or it may flutter around the edges of our minds, but chances are good that by the next week’s sermon, we’ve forgotten all about...
April 11, 2014
Engaging With “Nones”
Last night (April 10) the Philadelphia Seminary’s “Exploring Series” hosted a program with New England Synod Bishop Jim Hazelwood conversing with four “Nones” with no church affiliation. Some quick observations about what “Nones” had to say: Welcoming people as they are and where they are on their faith journey is important. “Nones” can “smell” insincerity when they...
April 2, 2014
Share Your Mission Story
Share Your Congregation’s Story in Video! God’s work. Our hands. SEPA congregations live into this vision of the ELCA week after week, year after year. “God’s work. Our hands.” is the theme of this year’s Synod Assembly. We’d like to feature some of your stories of bringing this vision to life through community service, faith formation,...
January 17, 2014
Welcome Threads: Sharing Wisdom and Talent from the Streets
The Welcome Church, a church without walls ministering with people experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia, has started a social enterprise known as Welcome Threads that builds community, teaches job skills and provides participants with some income. “The main thing people want is a purpose,” said Pastor Violet Little, lead pastor of Welcome Church. “They want to...
December 19, 2013
Congregations Collect $100K for Needy
For this year’s Christmas Ingathering, about 70 congregations collected donations for vulnerable people. On Dec. 1, more than 100 volunteers (mostly from Gloria Dei Church, Huntingdon Valley) unpacked trucks, sorted donations and repacked them for delivery. The items, valued at about $100,000, will serve people locally and internationally. Some highlights of the Ingathering included:...
December 18, 2013
Sacred Space in the Midst of Loss
The Christmas season is celebrated as a season of light, but for some people this time of year is anything but. “There are factors in people’s lives which make the holiday season difficult: loss of job, divorce, depression, loss of a loved one, and or trauma around the season,” says the Rev. Andrena Ingram, pastor...
December 4, 2013
Invest in Your Synod Connections
Every day the leaders and congregations of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod are blessed by a wealth of connections that only happen because of the work of synod staff, deans, contracted experts and dedicated volunteers. Our synod has reformed into a network connecting you to the people and resources that equip you and your congregation for ministry...
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...
