NWPA SYNOD NEWSLETTER · William C. Placher, editor of Callings: Twenty Centuries of Christian...

January/February 2016

NWPA SYNOD NEWSLETTER

“…an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take

the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you;

for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ Then Joseph got up,

took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there un-

til the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord

through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’” Luke 2:13-15

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

We have food on our table every day. We have a warm, safe home that is our refuge. Our family,

though separated by miles, is fortunate to have known excellent education, meaningful employment,

life-saving medical care, and genuine love for one another.

But millions of people in the world have none or few of these things. Too often, what we take for

granted, are the dreams, hopes, and prayers of many of God’s people. Together, in obedience and

gratitude, we strive to care for the people who are our neighbors and for those around the world for

whom Jesus was born.

In this Christmas season, we give thanks to God for all that we’ve been given, including your

faithfulness to Christ’s mission and for the many ways that you seek to feed, shelter, heal, guide, and

support the human family in your communities.

In honor of the rostered leaders and congregations of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod, gifts

have been given to the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and the Second Harvest

Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania.

Please accept this greeting and these gifts as expressions of our appreciation for your partnership in

ministry.

We pray for peace on earth,

Bishop Ralph & Pastor Sandra Jones

Inside this

issue:

Calendar 2

Vocation Part 2 3

Bach Cantata 4

Marriage

Encounter

5

Wrestling with

Jake

6-8

Parochial

Reports

9

Rostered

Leader Reports

10

Rostered

Leader Gather-

11

Grace

Gathering

12

Vocation Cont. 13-15

2016 Courses 16-17

Word from

Ellen

18

Calendar

January

1– New Years Day Office Closed

4– Office Reopens

6-10 Bishop and Spouse Academy Tucson, AZ

18– Martin Luther King Jr. Day Office Closed

19– NWPA Synod Staff Meeting 1PM

22– Executive Committee Meeting 10AM

24– Rev. John Coleman Installation, St. John’s Greenville 4PM

31– Committee on Leadership Support 3PM Denny’s Brookville

February

8– World Hunger Meeting 10AM

12– 13 New Candidacy Manual Training Chicago

23– NWPA Synod Staff Meeting 1PM

27- Synod Council 10am

Email Update

Synod Office email has changed!!!!!!

New office email address: [email protected]

The old address [email protected] is currently still active

and linked to the gmail address.

Vocation: A Theological Perspective, Part 2

Insights from History

Pastor Sandra Jones

Adapted from an independent study paper first written for the

Graduate Theological Foundation, October 2012

Continued Pg. 13

This article, the second of a three-part series, focuses on insights from four historical periods regarding the un-

derstanding and application of Christian vocation. We look back on these centuries through the vocational

questions that people were inspired to ask as they sought to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.

The Early Church

William C. Placher, editor of Callings: Twenty Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Vocation, has provided a

helpful guide through Christian history and the changes in our understanding of vocation in his anthology of

selected writings. Excerpts from theologians, church leaders, and other faithful disciples make the journey

through time and thought come alive in a cohesive way. Following a prologue of several biblical texts on call-

ing, the first historical time period explored is the Early Church, 100-500. During this time, Christians were an

endangered minority. The decision to follow the call to be a follower of Jesus was to break from family,

friends, and much of society. According to Placher, vocational questions for an individual before the fourth

century might have included, Should I be a Christian? and How public should I be about my Christian

life? (2005, p. 6).

Ignatius (35-107), bishop of Antioch in Syria expressed a powerful sense of call through his union with Christ

in suffering and death. In his Letter to the Romans, he writes:

Just pray that I may have strength of soul and body so that I may not only talk (about martyrdom), but

really want it. It is not that I want merely to be called a Christian, but actually to be one…The great-

ness of Christianity lies in its being hated by the world, not in its being convincing to it….But if I suffer,

I shall be emancipated by Jesus Christ; and united to him, I shall rise to freedom (Ignatius, trans.1970/

Placher, 2005, p. 34).

The lives of other Christian converts, writers, and orators, from this era including Justin Martyr, Perpetua,

Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and St. Augustine were witnesses to the depth of faith and commitment in

the midst of danger and extreme sacrifice. To answer the call, to follow the vocation of Christian, in these

days was a matter of life and death and as Placher notes, The very demandingness of Christianity constituted

part of its appeal (2005, p. 31).

Things began to change early in the 4th Century when Emperor Constantine was baptized and declared Christi-

anity the official religion of the empire. It became safe to practice one’s faith in Christ and even provided a

way to be successful in society. The vocational question changed to What were Christians called to do

when it seemed pretty easy just to be a Christian? (Placher, 2005, p. 6). Thousands of adventurous, dedi-

cated believers took to the deserts of the Western Roman Empire and North Africa to follow the call to disci-

pleship and self-denial in extreme ways. Vocation carried a new meaning as men and women tried to turn

away from everything else in order to focus on God (Placher, 2005, p. 31). Those who lived the ascetic life

became the heroes of ordinary Christians and were considered the highest examples of Christian life and voca-

tion.

Bach Cantata Vespers: Luther Memorial Church

Sunday March 20, 2016 4:00PM Bach Festival X

Bach Organ Music for the Passion of the Christ; Walt Gaber, Orgainist

Sunday April 10, 2016 4:00 PM Easter 3

Bach Cantata No. 4: Christ lag in Todesbanden

2016 Remittance Forms

On this year’s Remittance Forms you will notice a few cosmetic changes but also an updated

list of missionaries. There were several former missionaries listed on the past form that are

no longer serving as missionaries.

Please fill out the Treasurers Information on your first remittance for 2016. We would

like to have an up to date record of each congregation’s treasurer. If your congregation’s

treasurer changes during the calendar year please update the remittance form.

Please submit a remittance form with each check sent to the Synod office. Each congregation

will receive a packet shortly after the first of the year.

Each packet contains the following:

12 Remittance Forms

Instruction Sheet

12 Mailing Labels

Attention Married Couples: So you’ve done maintenance for your car—how about your marriage? Make 2016 the year you decide to attend a Lutheran Marriage En-counter Weekend to learn how to make your marriage a more intimate, loving, Christian union. Lutheran Marriage Encounter Weekends run from Friday night at 8 PM to Sunday around 4 PM and have been enriching marriages of couples of all ages for 40 years! In addition to the $100 per couple registration fee, you will be given an opportunity near the end of the weekend to make a confidential contribution of whatever amount you wish toward the continuation of the program. Two nights lodging, 5 meals for each of you, and all supplies are included. The 2016 Pennsylvania Weekends are: April 8-10, 2016 in Lancaster, PA, at the all newly-renovated Heritage Hotel Lancaster, home of the unique tree-house-inspired restaurant, “Loxley’s”

April 22-24, 2016 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College, PA, Happy Valley’s premier conference center located on a quiet hillside with views of Nittany Mountain

September 16-18, 2016 at Spruce Lake Retreat Center, Canadensis, PA, a new, hotel-style facility on Spruce Lake in the heart of the Pocono Mountains – an hour north of Allentown

October 21-23, 2016 at Olmsted Retreat Center, Ludlow, PA, a stunning, ho-tel-style retreat center adjacent to the Olmsted Mansion situated on a

hillside in the Allegheny National Forest, an hour north of DuBois

Registrations are limited, so act today to ensure that you can attend the Week-end of your choice. To sign up online, go to: www.GodLovesMarriage.org and pay the registration fee using your credit card, or mark the option to mail in a check For questions, or if you would like a brochure mailed to you, contact Pennsylvania Direc-tors of Lutheran Marriage Encounter, Fred & Julie Schamber, at 724-325-3166 or email: [email protected].

Wrestling with Jakob A word from Pastor Jake Jacobson

The Last Story Depending on when you are reading this you are either preparing to or have just read the Christ-

mas story from the Gospel of Luke. This story, including its expanded (Wise Men) and apocry-

phal versions (Little Drummer Boy, Amahl and the Night Visitors) may be the last remnant of

Christian story for many people in our society today. The last vestiges of the Biblical narrative

may cling to this story and its tradition in a way that even the Easter narrative has not been able to

sustain (to some degree we have Linus to thank for his reminder of what Christmas is about in the

Charlie Brown Christmas).

Regardless of the reason(s) it is fascinating that it is perhaps the most radical and scandalous ele-

ment of Christian teaching that is hanging on namely the incarnation or divinity enfleshed. What

implications does this have for us engaged in the work of “telling the story” of our faith?

First, I believe it reminds us that the story about Father, Son and Holy Spirit is a story now in

flesh. As John poetically describes it in the prologue to his gospel, “The Word became flesh and

dwelt among us full of grace and truth.” The Triune story, therefore, is not a story confined to the

pages of a book which we affectionately call the Bible, nor is it summed up in the theologies of

our varied church communions. It is a living story living in the flesh and blood of those called

“Christian.”

Saint Francis is credited with saying, “Preach the Gospel at all times and use words if necessary.”

What we don’t often recognize in this quote is the reality that we “preach” something with our

lives that sometimes even reflects our words and on occasion may even resemble the Word. So

what exactly is the story that we are preaching these days as an individual Christian and as faith

communities? Is it the Word that became flesh or is it some other word? For that is the story/

word that the world is “listening” to and responding to from us.

I have traditionally distilled the enfleshed message of Jesus using the two axis of the cross: love

the Lord, your God, with all your heart, mind, strength (vertical) and your neighbor as yourself

(horizontal). If our “preaching” does not reflect these two poles it may be a wonderful and even

edifying word but it is not the Word. It is the Word that we are called to “preach.” This Word

promises to gush within us with life. This Word will satisfy the hunger and thirst of a broken

word. This Word promises to overcome the darkness in which many in this world dwell. No other

word can deliver on these promises.

That said, how do we as individuals and congregations enflesh and “preach” this Word? It will not

be by engaging in the newest program or quick-growth strategy. It will not be by creating the most

spectacular worship experience (although the image of some of our octogenarian dominated con-

gregations rocking out to the “Kings of Leon” does cause a smile to creep across my face). It will

not happen by rewriting your mission statement or engaging in a new visioning process. It will not

happen through even the best of evangelism strategies.

One of my colleagues told the story years ago of driving her daughter home from church one Sun-

day afternoon and asking her daughter what she had learned in Sunday School. Her daughter re-

plied, “We learned that Jesus lives in our heart.” As my colleague was mulling over the conversa-

tion that she needed to have with the teacher her daughter asked, “How does Jesus get in there?”

In the midst of trying to distill two thousand years of theology in terms that a four-year old would

understand her daughter exclaimed, “Never mind, I figured it out.” Not wanting to miss out on a

learning experience she responded, “And how is that?” “Aw mom, it’s easy. We eat him!”

Unless we are willing to swallow the story we cannot hope to enflesh the story and what we

“preach” will always be something other than that story… and the world will remain in darkness,

and hunger and thirst after that which does not satisfy and never experience what it means to be

truly alive. To swallow the Word made flesh is to avail oneself to the means of grace: the faithful

preaching of the good news and to a steady diet of the sacraments. It is to chew on the Word in

study and prayer alone and within the faith community. It is to gather in community to ruminate

over what it means to live out the story in word and deed. It is to gnaw on that provocative ques-

tion, “Who is my neighbor?” in the context of today’s self-serving answers. It is to engage in a

fleshy conversation with the communities we live in so that we may learn to love and understand

them better. It is to accompany those in need in such a way that we preserve their dignity and hon-

or their story. It is to inhale the Spirit that is rattling tired old bones and breathing new life into

dusty bodies as good as dead. Continued pg. 8..

It is not rocket science. It does not require an extensive staff. It is not predicated on the size of the

congregation. Buildings are even optional. It is not costly (well, at least not in dollars and cents). It

has stood the test of time. In such ways the church has been swallowing the Word for centuries. In

fact, in the past when the church has found itself in times like we are in it has usually found that it is

time to go on this diet again.

I invite you, and will gladly accept an invitation to join you, in this new year to engage in a conversa-

tion around ministry and mission. I suggest the following questions as starters:

1. How well do we eat? What are the practices of the congregation that assist us in our Word-

centered diet? Where do we need to increase/decrease consumption? What junk food are we feed-

ing ourselves and each other with?

2. Do we swallow the fact that God could and would love us so much that he would cast off divinity

for human flesh and blood that we might has greater access to that love?

3. Why do we as a congregation exist? And if we disappeared tomorrow what would this community

miss?

4. How do we behave? What is the “word” we preach with our actions: in worship, in fellowship, in

our engagement with the community?

-Pastor Jake

2015 Parochial Reports

Information for the 2015 Congregational Parochial Reports

from the ELCA should be received either by email or hardcopy

by January 1, 2016. Please make sure you fill out both the A

and C reports . Please either submit them directly to the ELCA

via www.elca.org/congregationreport or by sending them to me at the Synod office

by February 15, 2016. You will also notice a few extra questions on this year’s Paro-

chial Reports.

Please remember that these reports come from the ELCA, not the Synod Office. If

you do not receive your reports or need help accessing your ID and Password

please feel free to contact me and I will be more than happy to assist you.

-Ellen

2016 Commitment Forms

Each congregation should have received their 2016 Commitment Form. Please fill

out and return to the Synod office no later than February 29, 2016. These forms are

a critical stepping stone in building our budget. These forms help us correctly

determine the amount of support that can be put towards ministry

within the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod.

Rostered Leader Reports

Every Pastor, Associate-in-Ministry, Diaconal Minister, and Deaconess is expected to

provide an annual report to the synodical bishop. The report may be mailed to the

Synod Office or sent by e-mail to [email protected]. The reports may be found

on the ELCA website at http://www.elca.org/en/About/Churchwide/Office-of-the-

Secretary/Rostered-Leaders. Reports are provided according to the rostered-leader’s

status. Please send your report soon after the New Year.

2016 Synod Assembly

Theme: Spirituality and the Arts

Dates: June 16-18, 2016

Thiel College

Check out our website www.nwpaelca.org for updates.

Theological Presenters and Artists:

Noelle Partusch

Scott Weidler

Robyn Sand Anderson

Rostered Leaders Gathering Save the Date

Tammy Devine is a diaconal minister, and Wellness Manager for the Evangelical Church in America, serving through Portico Benefit Services.

Tammy is a strategic and systemic whole person promoter of well-being, through education and inspiration throughout the ELCA. Devine collaborates with thought leaders to facilitate and motivate whole person lifestyle choices and serves as an external wellness consultant and coach to integrate well-being throughout the ELCA.

Devine is a registered nurse, (BA, Augustana College, Sioux Falls), a Master’s in leadership from Luther Seminary. She has completed preparation as a parish nurse/coordinator, and spiritual coach.

Living Well: Living Out God’s Call

Join colleagues for a day together to celebrate well-being, identify your dependable

strengths, and consider how these strengths/gifts support you in living well.

Wherever you find yourself: in transition, or in a new beginning, God calls us to live as whole

people. Sometimes life circumstances feel like a road block or detour. Together, we will sup-

port one another to identify a next step to becoming a healthier leader who is living into and

out of God’s call.

WHEN: April 12, 2016

9:30 am – 3 p.m.

WHERE: To be Announced

WHY: The synod of NW Pennsylvania has long valued Healthy Leaders. To-

gether we have committed to focus on Life of Faith, God’s Call and your Voca-

tion.

Guest Speaker: Tammy L. Devine

New Orleans or Bust!!

Marcia Hoffman, member at Good Hope Lutheran Church in Oil City, is seeking to plan a bus trip for 20-40 folks who would like to attend the Grace Gathering in New Orleans, LA.

Cost is a per person basis and is up to the attendee to pay.

Estimated cost per person: 20 passengers

Single Rooms: $1460.00 Double Rooms: $1110.00

Triple Rooms: $994.00 Quad Rooms: $935.00

40 passengers

Single Room: $1243.00 Double Room: $893.00 Triple Room: $777.00 Quad Room: $718.00

This includes registration for the event, bus/travel costs, rooms, and 3 meals during event.

For more information please call Marcia Hoffman

914-673-6855

tel:914-673-6855

The Middle Ages

For a thousand years during the Middle Ages (500-1500), predominantly in Europe where Christianity flour-

ished, a majority of people professed to be Christian and grew up in the church. The question about calling in

life became, What kind of Christian should I be? As the terms vocation and religious were now used spe-

cifically for those who responded to a call to serve the church in the priesthood or live in a monastic order,

the vocational question to be considered by a young man or woman was, Should I stay a part of my family,

marry, and have children, or should I choose the vocation of a religious? (Placher, 2005, p. 7). The so-

cial and vocational order became those who pray and serve the Church (the priests, nuns, and monks), those

who fight (the nobles), and those who work (the peasants). Entering a religious vocation had its advantages

of education, safety, and reduced physical labor.

The monastic life drew inspiration from the desert movement of northern Africa. Benedict of Nursia (480-

550) had lived as a hermit, but later founded several monasteries and wrote a rule to guide them that became

the standard for life in all such settings of Western Europe. The rule was based on moderation and common

sense and promoted the communal life, daily chores, prayer and liturgy as the way to fulfill one’s vocation

(Placher, 2005, p. 108). By 1200, different kinds of orders appeared with slightly different purposes, theolo-

gies and lifestyles, but most called dedicated Christians into lives of personal poverty, service to others, chari-

ty, and prayer. As Placher summarizes, They prayed and prepared themselves for death. Most modern folk

are so eager to justify religious activities in terms of the social goods they serve that we are embarrassed to

celebrate them as ends in themselves (2005, p. 114).

Around 1500, European ideas about vocation began to change for complex secular and religious reasons. A

increasingly diverse society offered more choices about the kind of work one might do and the New Devout

among the Roman church were living a faithful, religious life while holding a secular job and getting married

(Placher, 2005, p. 7). When considering what went wrong with the monastic life in the middle Ages, Darby

Ray writes, In monastic culture, the tendency was to view spiritual work as the proper human occupation and

physical work as valuable mainly as a form of spiritual discipline (2011, p. 70). Scholars and common work-

ers began to think about work and faith differently.

The Protestant Reformation

In the midst of many objections to the Church of his day, Martin Luther protested against monastic vocations

that were given a higher status than other occupations and that promoted the works of prayer and devotion as

a means to righteousness and salvation. Believing that our good works and our daily work is to be done in

service to our neighbor, Luther took the word vocation and applied it to all Christians in all their roles and

places of responsibility (Kolden, p. 8).

Since the time of Luther, when people narrowly defined vocation as occupation, they failed to understand Lu-

ther’s broader perspective. Though it was not considered a Sacrament in Protestant theology, marriage and

family relationships were viewed as a God-pleasing and neighbor-serving way of fulfilling one’s vocation or

calling. Occupation is included in vocation, but it is not the only expression of it. People without occupation

or marriage, such as children and elderly (retired) people, were still said to have vocation or calling because

there were ways that they could serve God in their situations by serving their neighbors (Kolden, 2002).

Following the Reformation period, as other Protestant believers contributed to thought and practice, they be-

gan with Luther’s work and made adjustments for new views and circumstances. As Placher summarizes,

Henceforth, at least among Protestants, one could no longer limit the term “vocation” to some

Christians. Every Christian had at least two vocations: the call to become part of the people of

God (Luther called it “spiritual calling,” the Puritans later called it “general calling”) and the

call to a particular line of work (For Luther, “external calling,” for the Puritans “particular call-

ing”) (2005, p. 206).

I find that John Calvin’s beliefs that the particular work to which persons are called is determined not so

much by our station in life as by our gifts (Ray, 2001, p. 78), connecting work and vocation with identity

and discipleship, to be a very wise Reformation period addition and still quite useful for our time and reli-

gious context. His understanding of vocation was gifts-focused and allowed for and encouraged social

mobility. Following Calvin’s thought, Darby Ray suggests:

Instead of a static social universe imposed by God in which one’s calling or vocation is predeter-

mined and fidelity to that singular calling or vocation is a civic and religious duty, Calvin gives us

a world in need of transformation, a world in which each person must discern a calling that will

contribute to social change and the worlds renewal. In this context, Christians should look to their

God-given talents for vocational guidance, and they should choose work that both employs their

gifts and moves society toward conformity with the word of God…Pursing our calling means living

as we were created to live; it means doing what God intends us to do (2011, pp. 78-79).

Other Protestant successors opened up the possibility that even a faithful Christian might hear new call-

ings or change the expression of their vocation during the course of life (Placher, 2005, p. 8). This is an-

other helpful perspective that is surely a part of our experience today.

The Modern World

In the last two hundred years, paradigms and experiences of vocation have continued to change. The So-

cial Gospel movement, inspired by the plight of workers during the Industrial Revolution in North Ameri-

ca in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, drew attention to the questions of Christian doctrine and prac-

tice in the midst of growing industrialization and capitalism. Darby Ray and Miroslav Volf point out that

the movement took aim at the social challenges of the time, claiming that the gospel of Jesus is not just

about spiritual things, but relevant to social realities, as well (Ray, 2011; Volf, 1991).

Two world wars, holocausts, and uprisings across the globe have affected people’s faith, their work, and

their identities. Christian Socialism, Catholic social teachings, the Catholic Worker Movement, the work

of Karl Marx, Liberation Theology and countless other contemporary theologians have struggled to con-

nect faith, work, and calling in relevant and meaningful ways. Vocational questions in a post-Christian

culture are both individual and social in scope: What does God want me to do with my life? and How

can my life make a difference in the world? The work and lives of Soren Kierkegaard, Walter Rausch-

enbusch, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, and Karl Barth have all contributed to the

wide array of answers and further challenges to those questions.

The Lord is good to me in these my elder years. So why shouldn't I do all I can to serve Him? I continue to change

course and take new avenues in my service and faith because of physical limitations and lack of energy. Rather than

help my friend clean out her refrigerator before she moves into her new apartment, I will give her a container of chicken

noodle soup and a dozen cookies, either homemade or store bought. I can run errands for her and walk her dog while

she gets settled. My prayers for her should go a long way.

While my body is weaker, my faith becomes stronger, for I can hardly do without serving God and Jesus in some way

every day of my life. My addiction to serving is embedded in my bones. May my old dry bones rise up and hear the

Word of the Lord all the days of my life.

Member of Christ Lutheran, Sharon, PA

As our world is increasingly more secularized, being a faithful Christian in today’s world may not be so dif-

ferent from that of the first century. Christians often find themselves a minority in their neighborhoods and

workplaces. The vocational questions of today are, What do I believe? Does my faith and my work con-

nect in some way? and How do I pick up my cross to follow Jesus in my daily life? Placher suggests that

in our present age, Simply living as Christians could be our calling, too (2005, p. 9).

In our next issue: a contemporary refocus from a doctrine of vocation to a theology of work.

References

Kolden, M. (2002). Christian’s Calling in the World. St. Paul, MN: Luther Seminary.

Placher, W.C. (Ed.). (2005). Callings: Twenty centuries of Christian wisdom on vocation. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Ray, D.K. (2011). Working. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.

Volf, M. (1991/2001). Work in the Spirit: Toward a theology of work. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers.

Wingren, G. (1957/2004). Luther on Vocation. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers.

2016 Course Offerings

The Northwestern Pennsylvania Institute for Ministry Education

Introduction to Scripture –

Old Testament Module (12 hrs.)

Dates: Feb. 6, 13, and 20

Time: 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

New Testament Module (12 hrs.)

Dates: Mar. 5, 12, and 19

Time: 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Location: Grace Lutheran Church, Clarion, PA

Instructor: The Rev. Harold “Jake” Jacobson

Registration deadline: January 30

Introduction to Ministry (TEC)

Dates: Feb. 27, Mar. 12, Apr. 2, 9

Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Location: St. James Episcopal, Titusville

Instructor: The Rev. Canon Martha Ishman

Registration deadline: February 19

Christianity 101 (TEC)

Dates: April 6, 13, 20, 27; May 4, 11

Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m.


Instructor: Varies by date

Registration deadline: March 31

Free Audit! Open to All!

Lutheran Leadership for Mission (ELCA)

Dates: Apr. 9, Apr. 30, May 21, and June 11

Time: 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Location: NWPA Synod Office, Pleasantville

Instructors: The Rev. Dr. Ralph Jones, Bishop

Registration deadline: April 2

Theory and Practice of Ministry (TEC)

Dates: May 7, June 4, Sept. 10, Oct. 15, Dec. 3

Time: 10: 00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.


Instructor: The Rev. Canon Martha Ishman


History of Christianity

Dates: Aug. 20, Sept. 17, Oct. 8, Nov. 19

Time: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.


Instructor: The Rev. Stacey Fussell

Registration deadline: August 12

This information can also be found on our website www.nwpaelca.org!

These courses are offered for:

Persons interested in deeper theological and biblical studies

Authorized Lay Worship Leaders or Licensed Leaders’ instruction or continuing education

Persons seeking commissioning, consecration, or ordination. Entrance into official denomi-

national programs, or prior contact with synod/diocesan personnel, is required to enroll for

this purpose.

Celebrating Full-Communion Class

See attached sheet

2016 Continuing Education offerings

for Authorized/Licensed Lay Worship Leaders

See attached sheet

A word from Ellen

Happy 2016!! Many changes have come and as I look down

the road of 2016 I see many more changes in my future. I

will turn the big 30, I will marry my other half, and who

knows what else is in store. Good, bad, and everything in

between I am very grateful for the support system that I

have stumbled upon here at the Synod Office. I cannot

begin to express my gratitude for the opportunity I have

been given. I thank you for the friendship and understanding

that I receive from everyone within the Synod. A big thank

you to Bishop Jones, Pastor Jones, Dennis our Treasurer,

and Pastor Jacobson. Thank you for all that you do.

-Ellen

Northwestern Pennsylvania

Synod

22598 Titusville Road

PO BOX 43

Pleasantville, PA 16341

www.nwpaelca.org

[email protected]

814.589.7660

Fax: 814.589.7566

Northwestern PA Synod, ELCA

Bless us, O God, as we remember a humble birth. With each angel and

shepherd we place here before you, show us the wonder found in a stable.

In song and prayer, silence and awe, we adore your gift of love,

Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen

It is nearly Christmas. The evidence is all around – Christmas carols, decorations and preparations in our homes, in our churches and in the mall. That is not a

bad thing. But we are also still in Advent. I want us to consider the deep and holy longing that is a part of this season. It is significant that the words of the prophets

and the yearning of Israel in exile are so prominent in the lessons appointed for this season. The people longed for the Lord to come, to act, to redeem them, to take

them home. They lived in Babylon, but their hearts were not there.

I think Advent is that way for us. As Lutherans, we do not withdraw from the world but engage it believing that it is a gift. But we also know that it is

not quite right, that there is brokenness and pain – the pain we experience, the pain others cause, the pain we cause others.

In some ways Advent creates a certain restlessness. It may be one of the few seasons of the year when we become more aware of our longing for wholeness and more alert to the signs that something is approaching. This Advent longing is

an awareness that apart from God we are not whole. We find ourselves in the unsettled and restless time between the ending of the old year and

the beginning of the new. A thin place where heaven and earth seem to touch, where we draw near to God realizing, as St. Augustine

wrote, “You have formed us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.”

We can’t get there by ourselves, and here is the promise and hope of Christmas – the one for whom we long is not content

to draw us but fulfills this promise by coming to us as Emmanuel, God with us. In the incarnate Christ,

God comes to us, finds us and gives our restless hearts rest.

Merry Christmas, dear church.

The Rev. Elizabeth A. EatonPresiding Bishop

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

The Northwestern Pennsylvania Institute for Ministry Education -- 2016 A collaborative ministry of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the

Northwestern Pennsylvania Diocese of The Episcopal Church

CELEBRATING OUR FULL-COMMUNION These sessions are open to clergy who preside, or would like to preside, at worship in TEC or ELCA

congregations of our respective church bodies as a means of becoming more familiar with local practices and

worship resources. The names and contact information of priests and pastors available for pulpit supply, or

for consideration for interim or shared ministry positions, will be shared with congregations.

For Episcopal Priests

Celebrating our Full-Communion: leading worship in the congregations of the Northwestern

Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Date: Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Time: 9:30 a.m. gather for coffee, tea & conversation,

10:00 session begins

Noon – lunch provided

Conclude by 2:00 p.m.

Location: NWPA Synod Office, 22598 Titusville Rd., Pleasantville, PA 16341

Instructor: The Rev. Dr. Ralph E. Jones, Bishop


For Lutheran Pastors

Celebrating our Full-Communion: leading worship in the parishes of the Northwestern

Pennsylvania Diocese of The Episcopal Church

Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Time: 9:30 a.m. gather for coffee, tea & conversation,

10:00 session begins

Noon – lunch provided

Conclude by 2:00 p.m.

Location: St. John’s Episcopal Church, 1145 Buffalo St., Franklin, PA

Instructor: The Rt. Rev. Dr. Sean Rowe, Bishop

Registration deadline: May 18

Contacts for more information or to register: Pastor Sandra Jones ([email protected]) at the

Northwestern PA Synod office or Vanessa Butler ([email protected]) at the Diocesan Church Center.

12/10/15

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

The Northwestern Pennsylvania Institute for Ministry Education

2016 Continuing Education offerings for Authorized/Licensed Lay Worship Leaders

A collaborative ministry of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in

America and the Northwestern Pennsylvania Diocese of The Episcopal Church

Luke: a study of upcoming texts

Date: Saturday, April 9

Time: Gathering 9:30 a.m., Class 10:00 a.m. – 2/3:00 p.m.

Location: NWPA Synod Office, Pleasantville

Instructor: Rev. Philip Scherr

Registration deadline: Monday, April 4

Sacramental Theology

Date: Saturday, September 24

Time: Gathering 9:30 a.m., Class 10:00 a.m. – 2/3:00 p.m. Location: NWPA Synod Office, Pleasantville Instructor: Bishop Ralph Jones

Registration deadline: Monday, September 19

The Acts of the Apostles

Date: Saturday, November 12

Time: Gathering 9:30 a.m., Class 10:00 a.m. – 2/3:00 p.m. Location: NWPA Synod Office, Pleasantville Instructor: Rev. Julia Fraser Registration deadline: Monday, November 7 updated 12/7/15

NWPA SYNOD NEWSLETTER · William C. Placher, editor of Callings: Twenty Centuries of Christian...

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