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A communications service of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, ELCA copyright 2007.
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Conference conversations continue
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 Conference conversations resume Monday, Oct. 1, in the Upper Montgomery conference. The meeting is at St. James Lutheran Church, Limerick (get map and directions). Each conversation includes devotions, presentations by Bishop Burkat on missional principles and her Top 10 Indicators of Vital Congregations, a time with Pastor Serena Sellers on mission support, and open conversation with the bishop. Please RSVP to the host church so that they may adequately prepare!
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SEKUCo dedication Oct. 28
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 Tanzania’s Sebastian Kolowa University College (SEKUCo)
will open Oct. 28 with 178 students - nearly twice the 100 students originally projected. The popularity of SEKUCo’s programs testifies to the desire in Tanzania for special needs education and other programs that will improve the lives of its people. Please pray for the workers who have reported and those who are on their way to SEKUCo. Pray for the students who prepare themselves to begin their studies in the Bachelor of Special Needs Education program.
Our companion synod, the North Eastern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, conceived and birthed SEKUCo, helped by many gifts and talents of people in our synod. As part of the dedication ceremonies our delegation will present a “birthing gift” of more than $285,000, the result of many miracles, large and small. There’s still time to make a gift in honor of the dedication. Send your contribution to:
SEPA-SEKUCo Project
506 Haws Ave.
Norristown, PA 19401
Most of us can’t be there when SEKUCo is dedicated on Reformation Sunday, but we can worship with our companions in spirit by using the prayers, hymns and texts in the worship planning resource edited by Pastor John Hougen that has been mailed to congregations and is available on the synod website.
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| Junior Youth Gathering registration now open |
 This fall, our annual Junior Youth Gathering will focus on how our faith in God can make the seemingly impossible happen. Youth in grades 6-8 are invited to attend JYG with their adult leaders. JYG 2007 will serve as the perfect confirmation retreat or junior high youth ministry event! Two one-night gatherings will be held back to back, October 12-13 and 13-14. Each gathering will start at 6:00 p.m. on day one and end at 3:00 p.m. on day two. The JYGs will be held at Refreshing Mountain Camp again in Stephens, PA, Lancaster County. Registration closes Oct. 2, so get those forms in the mail!
Youth worker training
There are two awesome youth worker training opportunities this fall - Foundations for Effective Youth Ministry Level 1 and Level 2 (SEPA Synod is the first place in the ELCA to present this new Level 2 training!). Level 1 is Saturday, September 29 and Level 2 is Saturday, October 27. Each training is $40 a person and includes a binder full of resources, lunch and giveaways! Go to our web site now to download registration brochures for these trainings. Bring a team of people from your congregation to absorb as much as possible!
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Bishop’s Convocation: Seedtime and harvest
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 This year’s SEPA Bishop’s Convocation, to be held November 12-14 at Willow Valley Resort in Lancaster, invites rostered leaders to reflect on their stewardship of creation, their care for our neighbors, and their self-care. The Convocation offers leaders time for refreshment and the stimulation of inspiring presentations by the Rev. Dr. Robert Robinson, Jerome Ringo, and Tammy Devine, Diaconal Minister. Check out the schedule, download a brochure, or register online at our website. Registration closes Oct. 9.
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Ministry resources
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Praise-a-Palooza hits Yardley Oct. 6
The 3rd annual “Praise-a-Palooza” festival is a day of fun and celebration featuring live Praise Band music, hosted by the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection (LCR), 1700 Makefield Road in Yardley. The event will feature AGAPE, The Joe McArdle Band, SWAT TEAM and ARISE & Friends. This lively and inspiring event will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 6, 2007 and end at 5 p.m.. There will be an assortment of games, Moon Bounce, face painting, food and much more.
For more information call LCR at 215.493.2018 or visit the church website.
“The Faith Club” visits Gloria Dei Oct. 20
 Are you interested in joining an open, intelligent discussion on different faiths and religions? Join Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Warner, the authors of “The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew - Three Women Searching for Understanding” on Saturday, Oct. 20 as they speak at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 570 Welsh Road, Huntingdon Valley, PA. The program runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the cost is $20. For information call Barbara DeFlavis at 215.947.8200, ext. 228, or visit the church website and scroll down to the Faith Club announcement, or download a brochure.
Seminar: Leadership and anxiety in the Church
Leadership and Anxiety in the Church: A Family Systems Perspective is a seminar that will be presented Oct. 30, 2007 at Zion Mennonite Church in Souderton, PA. Topics include: The Road to Damascus: The Church and Change in an Age of Anxiety; “They Know Not What They Do”: The Scapegoat Mechanism and Church Conflict; The Importance of Not Being Ernest: Reversals, Playfulness, and Paradox; The Road to Damascus: Lessons for Leadership in Anxious Times. For further information, call Lombard Mennonite Peace Center at 630.627.0507 or view a brochure.
New Hanover hosts ELW hymn sing
 New Hanover Lutheran Church, Lutheran Road and Swamp Pike, Gilbertsville, will be hosting an ELW hymn sing on Sunday, November 18th at 3 p.m. Come join them to celebrate and explore the richness and variety of Evangelical Lutheran Worship! For more information please call 610.326.1335 or e-mail.
Lifestyle Stewardship
Part of being a good steward is living a sustainable lifestyle. How we use our resources has an impact on how we obey Christ’s commandment to love one another. American Public Media has released a game on the internet “Consumer Consequences” which allows you to see the sustainability of your lifestyle. How many earth’s would it take to sustain your lifestyle if everyone lived as you do? Go to their website to find out.
Affirmation of Baptism Festivals
 Registration is now open for “Living Peace,” the Theological Education with Youth (TEY) Affirmation of Baptism Festivals to be held November 3, 2007 at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and November 17, 2007 at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP). These one-day formation events will offer dynamic exploration of the calling to “seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:14) Each congregation may send up to four ninth-grade youths and one adult mentor.
Visit their website for more information or to register.
 Interim Ministry refresher course in October
The Interim Ministry Network and the SE Pennsylvania Region of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, are co-hosting an intentional interim minister’s refresher course at the St. Luke Church in Devon, PA October 22-26, 2007.
Learn more and download a flier at our website.
Take lay ministry to the next level
Looking for a way to energize gifted lay leaders in your congregation?
The 2007 Faith and Leadership Academy will be held from October 13 -
November 17. The Faith and Leadership Academy is sponsored each year by
the Philadelphia Seminary and the SEPA Synod. The purpose is to help
laity develop their gifts for leadership in the church and in the
world.
The six-sessions (9:15 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.) will meet in the Brossman Center on the Seminary campus.
The cost is $170 which covers tuition, notebooks, weekly outlines,
morning refreshments, and noon lunches for the six Saturdays. Several
congregations make the Academy an expectation for those who are council
or teach. Many congregations share the cost.
Brochures have been sent to all congregations. See the Synod website for more information, or contact George Keck by email or phone 610.489.1202.
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| ELCA News |
Global Mission Event envisions “new heaven and new earth”
“A New Heaven and a New Earth” was envisioned by 1,800 members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America during the 2007 ELCA Global Mission Event held July 19-22 at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Melissa Ramirez Cooper reports in this video.
LWR scholarships for seminarians
Lutheran World Relief is pleased to announce the availability of three Marian Stegemoeller Memorial Scholarships for seminary students interested in participating in an LWR study tour. Each scholarship covers the cost of one full study tour, including round-trip international airfare, meals, lodging, in-country transportation, educational materials, accompaniment, tips, and honorariums. Scholarships are available for these tours: Nicaragua/LWR Coffee Project (1/4-13/2008); Holy Land/Prospects for Peace (2/17-29/2008) and KARIBU! Hospitality and Hope in East Africa (4/26-5/9/2008). More information is available on the LWR website.
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ELCA News
