Issue 55 of Administration Matters

Stories of Faith in Action 2017-2018 is here!

Stories of Faith in Action is an annual publication highlighting how God is changing lives through ministries funded by Mission Support. Mission Support is a portion of ELCA members’ unrestricted offering dollars that is shared with their synods and the ELCA churchwide organization. This collection of stories is a tool to help ELCA members understand how important their weekly offering is in sustaining and growing global and local Lutheran ministries. Stories, videos, bulletin inserts and an infographic explaining “Where does my offering go?” are tools congregations can use to encourage giving. Order free printed copies of the resource—just pay shipping and handling—or download a free pdf. Visit ELCA.org/SOFIA  now to read Stories of Faith in Action and download additional resources.

 

Plan ahead for 2018 payroll withholdings

If you provide ELCA benefits through Portico and your employees changed their 2018 pretax retirement, supplemental life insurance, and/or other voluntary benefit elections during Portico’s Annual Enrollment, you’ll need to adjust payroll withholdings for 2018. In December, this summary of 2018 payroll withholdings on EmployerLink can help you determine how much to withhold from paychecks in January.

 

‘Cybersecurity Best Practices for Churches’

Cybersecurity is the body of technologies, processes and practices designed to protect networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access. In a computing context, security includes both cybersecurity and physical security. In order to protect your constituents’ data, it is critical to understand cyber security threats and vulnerabilities and have the ability to defend your computer systems against cyberattacks. >More

 

‘You Need a Disaster Communications Plan’

This practical guide to developing a congregational disaster communications plan was written by the Rev. David Hansen, serving at Spirit of Joy! Lutheran Church in The Woodlands, Texas. Based on his experience at the congregational and synodical level responding to Hurricane Harvey, this blog post offers tips for communicating before, during and after a disaster. >More

 

1 in 10 Protestant congregations experiences embezzlement

While it’s easy to believe fraud could never happen in your congregation, the truth is that no congregation is invulnerable.>More

 

Planning safe events

Anyone who has hosted a gathering knows how much goes into even a simple get together with family and friends. Putting on a successful and safe church event takes planning to a new level. This resource from Church Mutual provides some steps to take as you manage your event planning.

On Tuesday, October 31, rostered ministers of the Saint Paul Area Synod & Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA joined together in commemoration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. The theme for the day, Turning 501, we examined the question, “What Does the Church Need to be Passionate About As the Reformation Turns 501?” Six speakers from across this synod – theologians, professors, artists, & even a former bishop – challenged us to approach this question through a new lens and with wider scope. I , Rev. Jen Collins from the Saint Paul Area Synod was one of those six speakers. Having recently attended and completed the Transforming White Privilege (TWP): A 21st Century Leadership Capacity training in Chicago with other ELCA affiliated members, this laid the groundwork for reflection and envisioning the answer to the proposed question. “What does the church need to be passionate about?”

You see, I am a Latina who grew up in the southwestern desert in Albuquerque, New Mexico and has since then traveled all over this nation. Minnesota being my home since 2010 where I’ve attended seminary, met my now husband and have the most incredible daughter. We have a wonderful array of culture and heritage within our small family which is why I am so passionate about sharing my story and adding my colorful voice to the sea of many white ones within our ELCA church.  Being “Lutheran” is more than whiteness.

An answer to a question:

Greetings to you my family in Christ.

I am so elated and on fire to share with you a vision I believe the church should be passionate about as us Lutherans turn 501.  We just celebrated on Sunday this the Reformation- the congregation I serve had 12 young people stand before the community and affirm that God chose them- that they are the next set of reformers to help us shape God’s church.

We though. Those of us here and in our communities, are reformers too! When I was ordained just a couple of years ago, I was taking on two calls at the same time. My half African American, half Latina daughter, Faora blessed our lives. Faora was just barely a month old when I became a mother and a pastor. These calls have been intimately intertwined and have changed everything- the past couple years have been challenging in both my roles. The world’s climate has not been a breeze– if anything it’s been an ever-changing storm. I’ve have never felt so much heart ache – too many black bodies, night clubs and concerts, immigrants, refugees, #allarewelcome, hurricanes, #metoos, fake news, #hatehasnohomehere and most days I don’t even want to know what’s next. I pray that my African-American husband makes it home, I pray my family or others- are not harmed, judged, persecuted, marginalized just for the shade of skin God has gifted us.

God has shaken me, I’m now woke; meaning – I have been made aware of internal and external injustices constructed and uplifted by individuals, systems and institutions. I’ve been thinking and rethinking for myself, woke to the injustices my multi-ethnic family has endured. It is my prayer that the Lutheran Church, that the whole church of God becomes woke and stays woke to the racism and privilege that our- yes, our Lutheran Church has allowed to cultivate in the pews, in our seminaries and in the pulpit. We’ve reinforced stereotypes and limit who is “Lutheran” and who is not. We keep making cultural assumptions which continue to advantage some groups and disadvantage others.

In 501, we should be passionate and strive for EVERY member of the church to be aware of and respect all the voices in the room, not just the most evident or numerous.

We have a need, an urgency and commitment to God and our children that when we say, we are the ELCA Lutheran Church it means we are about the Reformer who changed it all- Jesus. The Word became flesh- a colorful, wonderfully made brown body, a middle eastern Jew that God embodied. Jesus is not a white savior- is not a dusty blonde with flowing locks, not a white European! Our mighty reformer, Jesus challenges us – invites us to tell the right story not a white story. To re-frame the narrative so, the whole church can honestly be welcoming, where ALL God’s people are valued, beloved creations. We are the church in 501. Germans- Swedes- Norwegians- White Europeans are not the only one’s who write the narrative about what it means to be Lutheran!

Jesus shows us we are to reform the world so children- black, brown, indigenous are not seen as less than, second-class, dangerous or a commodity to be used. We NEED to speak – We NEED to stop being silent. We need to be the beacon of hope this world needs. Luther said- “our office involves much toil and work, many dangers and attacks, and in addition to little reward or gratitude in this world. But, Jesus will be our reward, so long as we labor faithfully.” Being silent for fear of backlash, intimidation, ignorance, loss of employment at the utterance of “Black Lives Matters”- Taking a knee- support of LGBTQIA community – anything deemed “political” – not talking, that is being unfaithful to the gospel.

Will we just have to wait another 500 years to consider reforming?

Now is the time. Did Jesus wait? Jesus rocked the boat- stretching the imaginations of God’s people from the beginning and still this day as Lutherans enter 501. Do you see it- Jesus schooled sin, death and the devil to keep setting the marginalized, and demonized victims FREE.  Jesus pardons the prisoners and crosses ethnic and cultural lines, so people will SEE. Jesus changes lives- every life is SEEN, every life – every shade of flesh is VALUED- RESPECTED-DEEMED BEAUTIFUL- filled with Grace! Every life is worth the cost– Jesus endured being slapped around, insulted, assaulted, named “criminal” and led off to the cross- to breath his last breath but not for a loss.

Jesus endured for us – body and blood for us. Jesus rose for us- THIS IS GREAT, REFORMING, LIFE-CHANGING NEWS! We respond because what Jesus has done! We are reformers- called, gathered and sent by the Spirit- she helps us bring hope, love and life to a broken and sinful world. So that one day as Dr. King envisioned, my daughter, will not be judged by the color of her skin but by her heart, whose she is, as was dreamed just some 54 years ago.

 In 501, let’s Reclaim Jesus. Reform Lutheranism. Renew Hope. 

This is my passion and NEEDS to be our passion. This work is HARD and challenging but if we do not do the deep and investigative work within ourselves and with each other – then we aren’t being faithful to the gospel. We all – people of color and white folks have got to open ourselves up to talk productively about racial equity, take ACTION to address whiteness- the dominant culture narrative, privilege and the consequences. It is a goal to utilize this TWP Leadership Capacity to accomplish the ideas stated above. This program will be a monumental tool for our Synods, churches and communities. Let’s keep moving forward in 501 – be motivated!

#Reformation501 #DecolonizeLutheranism #Blacklivesmatter #TransformingWhitePrivilege

 

 

 

Faith Lens

 

Warm-up Question

What is the riskiest thing you did last week, something that could have cost you time, money, or health.

Risk and Trust

The stock market has been booming of late.  That has a lot of people excited, but analysts remind us that what goes up will ultimately come down.  Investments in the market have potential to make great gains–or lose a lot of their value overnight.  Generally speaking, riskier investments have the potential for a higher payoff.  Safer investments are less likely to lose their value, but they seldom create vast fortunes.

Some wonder why you should even be in the market.  If you want safety, why not put your money in the proverbial mattress?  Not investing has its own risks.  If inflation is running at 2.2% (the rate for the past twelve months) and you are not making any interest, you are losing buying power.

Whether and how you invest in the market is driven by your “risk tolerance.”  Some people get very anxious at the prospect of losing any money at all, and they are happy with modest, but steady returns.  Others like to roll the dice and see if they can score big gains, living with possibility that they will see big ups and down over the short run.

Discussion Questions

• Do you have any money invested (perhaps in a college fund, mutual fund, or money market account)?  How closely do you watch how it is doing?
• If someone gave you $1000 with the condition that it had to be invested in the market, would you look for safe, less potentially lucrative investments or would you opt for riskier investments with a bigger potential for quick, large gains?  Why?
• What might allow someone to make a risky investment without feeling too anxious?

Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost

	Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Matthew 25:14-3

 

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at Lectionary Readings

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

 

Gospel Reflection

I’ve always thought this would be a much better story if the first two servants had lost their shirts.  A man goes on a journey, but before he leaves he entrusts some of his wealth to three slaves (or servants).  One gets five talents (a unit of gold or silver), one gets three, and the last servant gets one.   The first two slaves double their investment and–surprise, surprise–get a rousing affirmation from their master.  The third slave, who just returns his master’s investment intact is called lazy and wicked.  The key question is this:  What is the master affirming, the success of the first two slaves or their willingness to risk?  I think it is their willingness to risk, and indirectly the trust in their master which made them willing to go out on limb.  That is why it might be a better story if the first two had not been so insanely successful; then it would be clearer what Jesus values.

Few parables have been more abused than this one.  It has been the proof text for many “slot machine” theologies:  put in your coin and God guarantees riches.  But when you look closely you realize that the first two servants are just the set up, not the focus of story.  The focus of the story (and thus Jesus’ concern) is the poor fellow who was so paralyzed by his fear that he did not dare to do much of anything.

The tragedy of the story is that the one-talent man assumes his master is harsh and unreasonable–too often exactly the image many have of God.  But the story itself belies that assumption.  A talent was a tremendous amount of money, and the master entrusted it to this fellow.  True, he did not give him as much as the others, but maybe that is because he was not as competent.  Yet, there is no suggestion that the master expected him to do anything more than take a risk with what he has been given.  It is not his lack of success but his refusal to dare which brings his master’s wrath.

The gospel is not a magic amulet which guarantees that life will be smooth as we attempt to follow the way of Jesus.  There is genuine risk that we will be misunderstood, thought a little crazy, or put in the position of standing alone against a crowd.  Sometimes it may well look like we have failed.  God can live with that.  What is much more unfortunate is letting our fears keep us from bearing witness to the way of Jesus.  Whether we are entrusted with five talents or just one, the invitation is the same:  live boldly, love boldly in Christ because it is fear, not failure which is the great tragedy.  Christ came to set us free from fear and assure us that we can dare to take risks because the one who judges us is the one who loves us beyond measure.

Discussion Questions

• What is your greatest fear?  How might really knowing you are loved beyond measure help you deal with it?
• With whom do you identify in the parable?
• Why do you think the master gives the one-talent man’s money to the other servants?
• What do you need to know or feel in order to take a risk for your faith?

Activity Suggestions

Create a “stock exchange” of faith.  Brainstorm some activities which you might engage in as part of your Christian faith and talk about the risk/benefit of each.  List the “offerings” in which you might invest.  For example,

• How risky is it for you to worship regularly and how much potential is there for it to make a big difference in your life or the world?
• What are the potential costs and benefits of taking a stand against the bullying of a classmate?

Talk about what you learned about your own “risk tolerance” when it comes to discipleship.

Closing Prayer

Giver of all good things, you have promised that perfect love casts out fear, yet we often find ourselves very fearful of failing, of other’s harsh opinions, of not being good enough.  Give us courage and confidence to dare in your name, confident that your care undergirds all our efforts.

 

Many folks passionate about hunger issues are familiar with Shannon Jung’s work. He has written extensively on the topics of food and eating from a faith-based perspective. His books include Food for Life: The Spirituality and Ethics of Eating (2004), Sharing Food: Christian Practices for Enjoyment (2006), and Hunger and Happiness: Feeding the Hungry, Nourishing Our Souls (2009). In addition to his perceptive writing on these topics, Dr. Jung is a Presbyterian pastor and professor who has taught at Concordia College (Moorhead, Minn.) and Wartburg Theological Seminary (Dubuque, Iowa) as well as Dubuque Seminary and Saint Paul School of Theology. Below, Jung introduces us to his newest book, Building the Good Life for All: Transforming Income Inequality in Our Communities, available this year from Westminster/John Knox.

We hear a lot about the gap between the economically secure and those just getting by. What we wonder is, “How can we transform this gap in our communities?” We know that this is the sort of neighborliness Christ commended. But still the question: How can we build the good life for all?

Sometimes that neighbor is working hard to get by but seems to be falling behind and going further into debt. Many times, a single expense (doctor’s bill, car accident) will shatter a tight budget and force a family to choose between food or medicine or a house payment. “Getting by” can often be a pretty precarious way to live.

We see the devastation that natural disasters can wreak on vulnerable communities. Yet the income inequality we see now can leave communities vulnerable as well – to hunger, poverty, homelessness, and disease. What can we do about this?

In this new book, Building the Good Life for All: Transforming Income Inequality in Our Communities, the focus in on those who are working but find themselves struggling to get by, including those whose income already leaves them living in poverty.

As I contended in Hunger and Happiness: Feeding the Hungry, Nourishing our Souls, I argue here that our own happiness depends not on the quantity of goods we have stored up, but rather on our efforts to eliminate hunger and to ensure that all have access to the resources for a “good life”. Indeed, our own flourishing is tied into the flourishing of our neighbor. Thus, alleviating suffering and enabling long-term well-being is spiritually uplifting for the receiver, but even more so for the giver.

Building the Good Life for All maintains that our work at enabling all our neighbors to enjoy a good life will enrich our spiritual life. We are interdependent. God creates us like that. Striving to empower all people to have a sufficient and secure life–free from hunger and want–is one step towards recovering what God intended for the world.

This isn’t an attempt to harangue Christians into “doing more.” Instead, the book moves by way of stories from one strategy to another. People and churches are already working to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. They are also engaging in efforts to help people develop skills and abilities that will enable them to feed and clothe themselves. So, what the body of the book contends is that this effort is already underway and that Christians could enrich themselves by joining them or initiating similar efforts in their communities.

The beginning focus is on the specific community of Manatee and Sarasota counties in Florida, but many of the efforts there (advocacy, food pantries, tutoring programs, congregational-based community organizations) have branches around the country. So, the question is, “What fits your community?” There will be other similar efforts in your community. Many of the chapters in the book focus on one of four strategies:

1. Relief: This is the sort of program that a crisis like a hurricane calls for–feeding the hungry, finding clean water for the thirsty, making sure people are free from illness.
2. Self-Development: Here, churches can come alongside the working class and poor to assist them to learn English, to learn household management, to develop job skills, to get a job or to get a better job. People are thus able to feed themselves.
3. Public opinion formation: The church’s hunger ministries are efforts to shape public opinion in such a way as to see hunger as a scandal in the land of the free.
4. Public policy advocacy: This is the sort of work that ELCA Advocacy does with its partners, including Bread for the World, to influence legislation that will guarantee an income floor for all people and to support the rights of workers. It also includes such efforts as Fight for Fifteen – the movement to raise the minimum wage, and working to make affordable housing more accessible.

I strongly hope this book will be used by adult Christian education groups in churches. Each chapter has a list of discussion questions to spark conversation, and the last chapter encourages churches to develop or extend their own work. It is helpful that the operating assumption is that churches and other organizations are already doing this and the encouragement is to develop efforts that fit one’s own context.

In addition to the discussion questions in the book, there will be a video series to accompany the text, to help facilitate use by congregations.  Building the Good Life for All: Transforming Income Inequality in Our Communities is now available on sale from the Presbyterian Church (USA) store at https://www.pcusastore.com/Products/0664263186/building-the-good-life-for-all.aspx.

Danny Stone, Marion, IA

 

Warm-up Question

Share a story about when you were late, unprepared or procrastinated.

It’s the End of the World as We Know it

Ever listened to REM’s 1987 classic, “It’s the End of the World?”  Playing it now prompts listeners to ponder recent disasters.  Texas was battered by Harvey.  Irma devastated the Caribbean Islands and rolled across Florida.  Hurricane Nate made landfall in Mississippi.  Puerto Rico is coping with the overwhelming effects of hurricanes Irma and Maria.  Forest fires burned more than a million acres in Montana and scorched California’s Napa Valley.  The Vegas gunmen opened fire from his hotel suite. World leaders threaten annihilation, and you cannot even talk about football without starting a fight.   Are we watching the end of the world?  What’s next?  Elvis is still dead, right?  Will The Walking Dead become a reality show?

Infamous televangelist, Jim Baker, sells a wide variety of food and gear for those anticipating an epic cataclysm.  You can enjoy a king’s breakfast while the world dies around you.   You can get 31,000 servings of food for $4,500.  National Public Radio’s food critics called it “Apocalypse Chow” and found the meals were far from a royal feast.  However, if you are worried about the Yellowstone super caldera volcano, a meteor from space, or civil collapse, Rev. Baker is hawking the grub you need.

The National Geographic Channel and the Discovery Channel feature end of the world enthusiasts in their shows Doomsday Preppers and Apocalypse Preppers.  Families detail their preparations, training, and weapon mastery.  Viewers get tips on how to purify toilet water, “toilet water on the rocks.”  You can learn how to make a bug-out bag, properly store gasoline, and escape cities when society collapses.

People have been anticipating the end for a long time.  The early Christian church anticipated the return of Jesus in 365, 400, 500 and 800 AD.  Expecting the end of days, Holy Roman Emperor Otto III dug up long dead Charlemagne in the year 999 AD.  Because Otto expected the dead to rise at 12:00 am on January 1, 1000, Charlemagne was propped up in the corner, ready to walk again.  Y2K was going to destroy our modern world with a computer glitch crashing the power grid and financial markets.

Perhaps the question is not, “When will the end come?” but “How should we live in the meantime?”At various points in Martin Luther’s life, he was convinced the end was near.  He felt the church was ruled by the “Antichrist,” Ottoman Turks threatened the West, plagues swept the land, and peasants rose in revolt.  Luther faced these challenges by getting married and worked to reform the church and society.

Discussion Questions

• What preparations has your family made for a minor disaster?  Where do you go during a storm?  What would you do if the power went out for a day, week or month?
• Share stories of coping with a disaster like a house fire, tornado, earthquake, flood, riot, blizzard . . .
• “Christian” author, David Meade, predicted an object from space would end the world on September 23, 2017.  We’re still here.  Why do these predictions make the news?
• Luther’s response to living in turbulent times was to marry, raise a family and build a religious movement.  How should we live in a stressed world?

 

Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost

Amos 5:18-24

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Matthew 25:1-13

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at Lectionary Readings

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

Ever wonder what the kingdom of heaven is like?  Jesus answers our question with a parable – a very difficult parable.  He says the kingdom of heaven is like bridesmaids waiting to enter a wedding banquet.  Some of the bridesmaids have their oil lamps ready.  Others don’t have enough oil, are left in the dark, and miss the groom’s invitation to enter the party.  Being unprepared blocks you from the kingdom of heaven.  Ouch.  I’m a slacker.  I procrastinate.  I’m never fully prepared.  I drive for miles with my gas tank on E.  Who among us is always ready?  Doesn’t Jesus offer grace?  Where is the grace in this parable?

We can find deeper meaning in the story if we focus on the lamps and the oil.  The lamps are simple clay vessels with small fiber wicks fueled by olive oil.  The lamps job is to illuminate – to provide light and help us find the way.

Follow the light and we follow God’s grace. We need to see God, Jesus, the holy and divine in our daily surroundings.   God’s love and grace is the illuminating force.  When we see God’s guiding presence, we can easily follow the bridegroom into the banquet.  We become lost when the wicks run dry and darkness overcomes us.  Luther reminds us that “we are saved by grace through faith.”  The wick and oil must surely be our faith.  How much faith do we need?  That’s another parable.

Discussion Questions

• Do you find this parable harsh?  Bible texts can be interpreted through the lens of “Law or Gospel.”  How would “Law” comment on this parable?
• Who or what illuminates God in your life?
• When have you been a lamp for others?

Activity Suggestions

You have many events that require forethought, planning and grace.  Brainstorm the “prep” lists for:

• first day of school
• a big test
• youth group fundraiser
• ELCA National Gathering
• job interview
• athletic competition
• prom
• graduation
• college
• wedding
• expecting a baby

Closing Prayer

Most merciful Father and gracious host, help us to be ready so that we can see your grace and love.  Help us tend your light and be a light to others, in your name we pray. Amen.

On November 6, the Administration announced the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Nicaraguans and took no action to protect Hondurans, automatically extending their designation for 6 months. TPS is a legal immigration status that allows citizens from other countries who are present in the U.S. during a catastrophe in their country to remain in the U.S. until it is safe to return home. As a church guided by Scripture to act for earthly peace that is built on compassion and the dignity of every person, we are disappointed by the Administration’s decision that will separate families and leave people to face an uncertain future.

Through the ELCA’s AMMPARO Strategy, our church strengthened our commitment to walk alongside children and families who are forced to flee their homes in Central America. We did this to respond to the suffering of the thousands of unaccompanied children and families that are displaced from their communities due to violence, lack of opportunities and environmental issues. We are committed to accompany churches and our partners in Central America to address these issues, knowing that today conditions in these countries are still unsafe.

The Administration has already rescinded TPS for over 1,000 people from Sudan, and now hundreds more face an uncertain future. For almost 20 years, TPS holders from Honduras and Nicaragua have worshiped alongside us and brought their gifts to our communities. Without this protection, they will be forced to leave their communities yet again. Children and family members of TPS holders, many of whom are U.S. citizens, will bear the brunt of this Administrative decision. We pray today for all who face an uncertain future due to this decision. We call on the Administration to extend TPS for Hondurans for 18 months and urge Congress to pass timely legislation that protects all TPS holders.

 

Today’s post is from Deb Stein, pastor at St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Syracuse, NY.

 

Greetings from Syracuse, NY!

 

Last Sunday for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, St. Stephen in Syracuse, NY worshipped with two other congregations; those who also worship in our building.  Both are immigrant Christian congregations, not connected to the ELCA, except through us.   The small Burundi church understands English and didn’t want anything translated.  They were happy to be in among the assembly.  However, the Evangelical Living Church (ELC), a Burmese Chin congregation, doesn’t understand English as well, so we used an outline (with some explanations) of our joint worship up on their screen with a PowerPoint in Chin.  Detailed explanations were printed of what we’re doing and why in our English worship bulletin.  We worked closely with the ELC, over three weeks, to pull our Reformation worship together in both languages.  The Gospel was read in English by me and in Chin by Pastor Elisha Thwang.  Pastor Elisha also offered a prayer in Chin after the Thanksgiving for the Word.  In addition, the ELC choir, most of whom attend high school in the city, joined our own choir for the event.  Our worship was filled with the grace-filled readings, prayers, and joyful music in English and Chin.  We used the ELC’s version of an “Alleluia” for our Gospel Acclamation (to the tune of Amazing Grace: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia Amen… Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia Amen), and the ELC Choir, along with Pastor Elisha offered an Anthem in Chin, the title, of which translated: Standing on the Promises.

 

It was such an exciting day for us all – beyond my imagination for sure!  We had been talking about having a joint worship for some time, and Reformation Sunday just seemed to be the perfect day to do it.  It was a day to celebrate a church that is constantly reforming and always being made new.  In doing so, we embraced our differences, while lifting up all the things we have in common.  Last Sunday, nearly 500 years after Martin Luther offered up his 95 theses, St. Stephen sang A Mighty Fortress, together with folks from around the world, immigrants who came to the U.S. looking for a fortress of safety within our boundaries, sharing with us God’s own Mighty Fortress of grace and love for us all.  We used a modified Service of the Word, and I inserted hymns where ever we could fit them.  During the service, four of our youth affirmed their baptism in Confirmation, supported by every Christian present.  It was truly a joy-filled and uplifting celebration for everyone.

 

Our day wasn’t over!  We’d been partnering with another group, who meets in our building, The Society for Creative Anachronisms (SCA), which I think of as a cross between civil war reenactors and a renaissance fair.  The SCA worked with us to provide a 3-act play hosted by St. Stephen at 4:00 PM that afternoon, open to the public.  The third act was Martin and Katharina’s wedding, which was followed by a wedding reception in our fellowship hall.  The SCA created period decorations and costumes, as well as provided period food, music, and dance – all of it done as close to correct for Martin Luther’s time as possible!  The guests had the opportunity to take a turn at period dancing, so even I got in on the act!

 

We are grateful to have such wonderful connections, not only in the community but also in our own building, which has become a bit of a community itself.  We were blessed to have so many wonderful people taking part in our Reformation celebrations, even while many other Lutheran churches in our area were celebrating in different ways. Syracuse has been well represented in this 500^th year of the Reformation!

 

ELCA Advocacy Office, Washington, D.C.

The Rev. Amy Reumann, director

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS: The November day of fasting and action is Tuesday, Nov. 21. This month, we focus on federal investments that make communities more resilient and better prepared for destructive natural disasters and the consequences of a changing climate. ELCA congregations and community organizations across the country work tirelessly to help when disaster strikes, most recently in Texas, California, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. To prepare our nation for the future, our federal government must invest in research, urban planning and building infrastructure designed for the climate challenges of the next 100 years.

DISATER RELIEF UPDATE: President Trump signed a disaster aid package on Oct. 26 to continue federal relief for hurricane and wildfire affected regions. While the $36.5 billion package included much needed funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) disaster relief and the National Flood Insurance Program, the support package as passed is only a temporary solution, and funding for longer-term recovery programs will be needed soon. ELCA Advocacy and Lutheran Disaster Response shared an action alert last month in support of the bill, with hundreds of Lutherans calling for action. ELCA Advocacy will continue to encourage action for those affected by natural disasters as Congress considers a longer-term spending bill next month.

DACA UPDATE: Last month, the White House released a series of immigration principles and policies outlining immigration recommendations for Congress to consider alongside legislation to protect young “Dreamers.” These principles include policies that take away trafficking protections for children, make it harder for people seeking protection to find refuge in our country, and reduce the ability of families to stay together.

Shortly after the release of the principles, ELCA Advocacy shared an action alert encouraging lawmakers to support protections for young Dreamers without additional provisions.

REFUGEE SCREENING: Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), alongside ELCA Advocacy, is also continuing its outreach to Congress and the administration on screening procedures for refugees. This comes as the White House announced that only 45,000 refugees will be resettled in the U.S. next year – the lowest level in decades – and proposed other unnecessary screening policies. Five Wisconsin ELCA bishops will present more holistic refugee policy recommendations to Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., later this month.

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Lutheran Office for World Community, United Nations, New York, N.Y.

Dennis Frado, director

HUMAN RIGHTS UPDATES: The U.N. General Assembly allocates to its Third Committee agenda items related to human rights issues and social and humanitarian affairs affecting people all over the world. An important part of the work of the committee is focused on examining human rights questions, including reports of the Human Rights Council, established in 2006. During October, the committee heard and interacted with special rapporteurs, independent experts and chairs of the council’s working groups.

Jenss Modvig, (l) Chair of the Committee against Torture; Nils Melzer (c), Special Rapporteur on Torture; and Malcolm Evans (r), Chair of Human Rights Council Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture

The committee discusses the advancement of women, the protection of children, indigenous people, the treatment of refugees, the promotion of fundamental freedoms through eliminating racism and racial discrimination, and the right to self-determination. The committee also addresses social development issues in such areas as youth, family, ageing, people with disabilities, crime prevention, criminal justice and international drug control.

The committee has heard from more than 60 experts during this year’s session of the General Assembly. Compelling presentations included extreme poverty and human rights, rights of indigenous people and prevention of torture.

In line with General Assembly resolution 66/246, formal meetings of the Third Committee are webcast live on UN Web TV in the six official languages of the United Nations. Past meetings of the session are also available from the committee’s video archives.

SIMPLE, PRACTICAL MEASURES NEEDED: Experts told the Third Committee in October that member states and international organizations must take simple, practical measures to ensure inclusivity, as delegates debated the human rights of people with disabilities.

The chair of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Theresia Degener, said that budget appropriations were needed to provide such services as international sign language, national sign language interpretation, Braille, captioning, plain language and Easy Read as a minimum. Although the committee has a member with intellectual disabilities, it has not been able to provide that expert person with any information in plain language.

Catalina Devandas Aguilar, the special rapporteur on the rights of people with disabilities, said the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls with disabilities require urgent action. To identify and eliminate harmful practices, member states must provide families with access to legal mechanisms and, rather than simply facilitating care, consider the opinions of people with disabilities. States have an obligation to protect sexual and reproductive health and rights by ensuring comprehensive sexual education, providing inclusive health services and empowering people with disabilities.

The committee also explored freedom of opinion and expression, among other issues, with the special rapporteur on that topic warning that public trust in information was under attack by political demagogues and those particularly purveying “fake news.” He cautioned governments against making, sponsoring or encouraging statements they reasonably knew to be false.

 

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California

Mark Carlson, Lutheran Office of Public Policy loppca.org

D.C. STAFF VISIT: A highlight of October was the visit of Ruth Ivory-Moore, ELCA program director for energy and environment, for the annual Sierra Pacific Synod Hunger event at Lutheran Church of the Incarnation in Davis, an interfaith climate change symposium, and a forum at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sacramento, where, with the farm bill getting more attention, she met Karen Ross, California secretary of food and agriculture.

EARLY CHILDHOOD: LOPP-CA Director Mark Carlson participated in the annual Watercooler Conference of early childhood education advocates and providers, sponsored by the Advancement Project, a civil rights organization. Four leading gubernatorial candidates presented their vision for early childhood.  The California First 5 Commission unveiled its resource to help young children feel safe and develop resilience in a time of heightened fear and anxiety fueled by anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, and militaristic rhetoric and actions.  The resource is available in English, Spanish, Korean and Arabic and has been shared with some church leaders.

THEOASIS: Mark also participated in the Theoasis professional leadership conference for the Pacifica and Southwest California synods. LOPP-CA had a display that included care for creation and racial justice materials and joined a book discussion on “Strangers in Their Own Land – Anger and Mourning on the American Right.” It circulated a sign-on letter thanking Gov. Jerry Brown for approving SB 54, the California Values Act, which limits state and local law enforcement involvement in federal immigration enforcement, as well as other bills with the goal of providing due process and protecting immigrants from overzealous immigration enforcement at schools, workplaces and residences.

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Colorado

Peter Severson, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry–Colorado  lam-co.org

SPECIAL SESSION: The Colorado General Assembly met for a special session at the beginning of October to address the unintended tax impacts of SB 17-267. However, partisan division left HB 17B-1001 dead on arrival in the Senate. We hope that this failure to reach a policy compromise will not portend similar results for next year’s regular session.

HOUSING CONFERENCE: Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado was present for the Housing Colorado NOW Conference in Vail in mid-October. Affordable housing advocacy, possible budget cuts to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, tiny homes, and housing needs for those who’ve experienced trauma from homelessness were among the many topics discussed in workshops and plenary sessions. The event is Colorado’s largest annual housing conference and is invaluable for our upcoming policy work on housing in the 2018 legislative session.

MINISTRY VISITS: We were honored to visit Lutheran Church of Hope in Broomfield and Lutheran-Episcopal Campus Ministry at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley this month! Pictured are students from UNC and Aims Community College sharing a meal and conversation with LAM-CO Director Peter Severson.

SAVE THE DATE: Colorado Lutheran Lobby Day will be Thursday, Feb. 15. Registration opens Dec. 1.

 

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New Mexico

Ruth Hoffman, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – New Mexico   lutheranadvocacynm.org

ANNUAL LAM-NM ADVOCACY CONFERENCE: Over 60 Lutheran advocates and their ecumenical partners met on Saturday, Oct. 14, at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Albuquerque.

Dr. Craig Nessan from Wartburg Theological Seminary was the keynote speaker and spoke about “Keeping Heart in Heartless Times.”

Breakout sessions included advocacy basics, tax policy, and hunger in New Mexico. State Rep. Liz Thomson, whose district includes St. Luke, spoke at lunch about her legislative experience.

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Ohio

Nick Bates, Hunger Network in Ohio  www.hungernetohio.com

UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION: Last November, faith leaders in Ohio gathered at the Statehouse to discuss a very bad and dangerous proposal that would have gutted our unemployment compensation system in Ohio. Unemployment compensation helps protect victims of corporate downsizing and layoffs from hunger and losing all stability. We need to maintain benefits at an adequate level and long enough to make sure people can get by until a new job is secured. However, legislators are concerned that our system will once again go bankrupt during the next recession. Luckily, our advocacy voices joined many others from around Ohio to stop the bad bill from a quick end of session vote.

Representative Kirk Schuring unveiled a proposal in October that would increase revenue from workers and  employers and adopt some cuts to benefits. While this bill is not perfect and has a long way to go, we appreciate Schuring’s improvements to the bill.

GERRYMANDERING: Also, the General Assembly will consider a fix to gerrymandering in Ohio. Ohio’s 16 congressional seats are safe with 12 Republicans and four Democrats. This is unlikely to change because districts have been drawn intentionally to limit actual competition. The Hunger Network,and faith communities around Ohio are excited to work with the Fair Districts campaign toward restoring electoral integrity to our congressional elections.

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Pennsylvania

Tracey DePasquale, Lutheran Advocacy–Pennsylvania Lutheranadvocacypa.org

NEW PROGRAM DIRECTOR: LAMPa welcomes Lynn S. Fry, Chambersburg, the new program director for Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania (LAMPa). She begins her work with LAMPa Nov. 6. Social ministry and advocacy are at the core of Lynn’s being. “Foundational to my life is my faith in the triune God, the knowledge that God has made us all in his/her image, and everyone is entitled to be treated equally with dignity and respect. Since my teenage years, I recognized and have been passionate about my life making a difference in the world in a positive way,” Lynn said. “I am thrilled to be bringing someone with Lynn’s many gifts and deep roots in Pennsylvania Lutheranism onto LAMPa’s staff and eager to introduce her to our wonderful advocates across the commonwealth,” said LAMPa Director Tracey DePasquale.

Those advocates were particularly busy in October, responding to harmful proposals in the last hectic days of a more than three-month-overdue budget. In addition, hunger advocates signed their feeding ministries on to a letter requesting that Gov. Tom Wolf remember anti-hunger funding in his budget proposal for next year. Hunger leaders also a ccompanied Tracey to a statewide hunger coalition meeting as well as an update by the Governor’s Food Security Partnership on the Blueprint for a Hunger-Free PA. Other Lutheran advocates joined Tracey at a three-day Climate Reality Leadership Training in Pittsburgh. Tracey was also pleased to serve as keynote to the Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries annual dinner.

 

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Southeastern Synod

Hilton Austin, director              

LEADERSHIP CONVOCATION: This month we attended our Synod Leadership Convocation at Lutheridge in Arden, N.C. Mark Hanson was our keynote speaker; he used a conversational format to talk about how we connect the biblical narrative to our leadership and ministry. Everyone in attendance had the opportunity to re-think and refresh their ministry.

Hilton Austin, synodical director of advocacy, set up our advocacy exhibit with a focus on support for the Dream Act 2017, along with our continued effort to develop congregational advocacy teams across the synod. We also had the opportunity to bring together leaders developing the Gaurdian Angel program for the Atlanta Immigration Court to discuss the path forward and how we might work with Mary Campbell, ELCA AMMPARO, to provide the necessary training.

The weekend following the convocation, Hilton, along with Megan Neubauer, ELCA Domestic Mission, and Everett Flanigan, assistant to the bishop, facilitated a Leadership/Advocacy conversation at Christ Lutheran Church in Nashville, Tenn., with leaders from Christ Kiswahili congregational leaders. This was the second in a series from the ELCA Leadership Initiative.

 

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Virginia

Kim Bobo, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy  virginiainterfaithcenter.org 

IMMIGRATION HEARING: The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy mobilized people of faith to accompany José Luis Lugo Zarco and his family to his hearing in immigration court on Oct. 26. Unfortunately, his case was continued again. He has been in the U.S. since 2002; he is married to a U.S. citizen, Angeles, and they have two U.S. citizen children, 4 years and 6 months old. The only infraction on his record is a ticket for driving without a license. (Virginia does not allow undocumented people to obtain a license.) He unfortunately came into contact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement due to that infraction and has since been in removal proceedings. The Interfaith Center is organizing the Central Virginia Sanctuary Network, a network of congregations that are willing to provide support to neighbors, friends and family who are being detailed, deported or profiled. In the face of hate and discrimination they are committed to showing love, compassion and hospitality. Learn more at here.

The Center is a co-sponsor for the 8th Virginia Immigrant Advocates Summit, which brings together statewide immigrant rights advocates, partners, supporters and allies to learn, discuss and strategize on issues that affect immigrants in the commonwealth. The event will be Nov. 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Faith Lutheran Church in Arlington.

VICPP’s Northern Piedmont Chapter hosted a community roundtable discussion on heath care on Oct. 18.

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Washington

Paul Benz, Faith Action Network   fanwa.org

FEDERAL: Now that the House and the Senate have passed budget resolutions and committees are working out the details of tax cuts, FAN is focusing on how cuts to federal human-services programs will affect vulnerable Washingtonians. We’re encouraging advocates to gather the stories of those most affected by potential cuts for their members of Congress.

STATE:  FAN and its many policy partners are preparing for the 2018 legislative session, beginning Jan. 8. Some of our key bills will be on voting rights, prison sentencing, revenue and taxation, pesticide notification, and TANF monthly grant restoration. We are also busy scheduling in-district meetings with legislators and our faith advocates.

FAN joined CAIR-WA and interfaith leaders to stand with our Muslim, immigrant and refugee neighbors last week at the U.S. Courthouse in Seattle to say #NoMuslimBanEver!

We’ll also be celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the Apology to Northwest Tribes, which has gained national recognition. Learn more at: fanwa.org/inic/.VENTS: At our Annual Fundraising Dinner on Nov. 19, FAN will be giving awards to those who have been indispensable this year in the work for justiceand equity. We’ll be honoring a founding FAN Governing Board co-chair; a network of faith communities that works for immigrant rights, sanctuary and rapid response; two Yakama tribal elders who have been working to dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery locally and internationally; and a Muslim faith community that has been exceptionally active in welcoming and serving their greater community, even in this difficult time for our Muslim neighbors.

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Wisconsin

Cindy Crane, Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin  loppw.org

FOODSHARE: LOPPW is supporting a FoodShare healthy eating incentive pilot program that would give discounts on healthy food to FoodShare recipients who volunteer for the program. This would be the first of its kind in the nation. LOPPW does not support another bill that would add more mandatory limits to what FoodShare recipients could purchase.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING: East Central Synod Women of the ELCA President Shirley Paulson and two other Women of the ELCA members, Deb Martin (also an LOPPW advisory council member) and Pam Henkel, testified on a bill that would require education for commercial drivers to include training on recognizing signs of human trafficking. Shirley also testified on another bill that would help trafficked youth.

While the director was attending the installation of Bishop Katherine Finegan of the Northern Great Lakes Synod, former adviser council member, the Rev. Diane House of the Northwest Synod, was a keynote speaker at the Eyes Wide Open Women of the ELCA event in the La Crosse Area Synod.

CARING FOR GOD’S CREATION:

• The director worked with members form Milwaukee, Madison and other parts of the state to lead a Wisconsin Climate Table retreat in Eau Claire.
• LOPPW advocated against a bill that would weaken sulfide mining regulations.
• LOPPW is making one last push to support a bill that would make it easier for utilities to assist low-income residents to get lead out of their pipes for drinking water.

 

GOVERNANCE: We’re advocating against a bill that would bring us closer to calling for a constitutional convention.

 

 

 

Today’s post is from Benjamin Stewart, Gordon A. Braatz Associate Professor of Worship and Director of Advanced Studies at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Death is currently enjoying a season of fashionability.

I don’t mean our mini-liturgical-season of November, with All Saints Day and end-of-the-world lectionary texts. I mean something that is changing in the wider culture.

From the #DeathPositive movement, to the pop mortician Caitlan Doughty channelling Morticia Addams, to gimmicks like pressing your loved one’s cremated remains into vinyl for your turntable, there are signs that the cool kids have noticed that death practices are due for some rethinking.

Some things are on the way out. The SUV-style casket, the antiseptic funeral home, and the astroturfed grave are in decline. Even the dead body itself is disappearing from American death rituals. Theologian Thomas Long wryly observes that the dead are increasingly “banned from their own funeral.”

Where are we headed in death practices?

There’s a lot of noise in the cultural system now, but it may be that we are — in the old words of our tradition — returning to the earth. Increasing numbers of people are looking for death rituals that speak honestly about both earthly life and earthly death, and honor the body and its return to the earth in God.

This four minute video, The Coffinmaker, shows that even a simple wood coffin can lead us into the heart of theology and spirituality. (It would be easy to have 30 minutes of discussion on this video sometime during this little season of November, perhaps as part of a larger session or series.)

If you’re looking for inspiring help in navigating — and even shaping — this new era of death practices, I highly recommend this new book: In Sure and Certain Hope: a funeral sourcebook.

Worth the price alone:

• articles on how to work with funeral homes (or to forgo them)
• specific diversity and cultural considerations
• planning resources — including helps for especially difficult deaths like suicide, the death of a child, or a funeral that occurs in a public spotlight
• how to offer a natural burial ministry
• a four-week course you can offer on spirituality and planning for death and funerals
• up-to-date theological and historical overviews of funeral and death practices
• three pages of film recommendations
• e-versions of many of the resources are included

I’ve only highlighted a few things from this significant (280 page) book that offers a welcome mix of seasoned experts and emerging voices among its authors.

We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. But there’s at least a fog bank of goofiness out there too. This new resource helps us do some sorting, discerning what we might welcome for this era, what we might let go, and what continues to promise abundant life even in the face of death as we return to the earth.

 

Bio: Katrina Buchanan, a native of Erie, PA, and a graduate of Robert Morris University in  Pittsburgh, PA, is the current Lutheran Volunteer Corps volunteer serving in Chicago, IL, as the ELCA’s Justice for Women program assistant.

On August 15, 2017, the ELCA released a statement confirming its commitment to confronting racism and anti-Semitism in response to the events that took place in Charlottesville, VA, during the “alt-right” rally.

Shortly after the release of the ELCA’s statement, Justice for Women program director Dr. Mary Streufert asked me to take it a step further by putting together a report on the rampant sexism that the alt-right espouses, especially found in the comments made about Heather Heyer in the wake of her murder. I knew this is what I wanted to do for my service year with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC), but I wasn’t prepared for how emotionally taxing the task would be.

Although I tried to stay objective and detached, it was impossible as I read through hundreds of ad hominem attacks on Heyer and those who sought to protect mourners at her funeral. I scoured social media, various news sites, and the websites of the groups in the alt-right to try to get a better idea of what the alt-right is, why it exists, and why it’s dangerous on multiple levels. My disgust deepened as I researched background information about the various organizations and groups, women’s roles in the movement, and how these groups view and treat women.

I’ve struggled with how I’ve wanted to write this personal reflection on researching that report. As I wrote my report, I grappled with feelings of incredulity, hatred, despair, anger, and sadness. I understood why, but still couldn’t accept that such things could not only exist, but also flourish. More than two months later, I still haven’t found peace in this struggle, but I think that’s the point. As we say in LVC, I have to do the internal work so that I can do the external work.

There isn’t an easy answer to this question of how to create unity where hatred, prejudice, and intolerance is so deeply ingrained. As I flounder to find the words that I need, the words of the prayer of Saint Francis come to me instead, which is how I will leave you:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.