Fonder guilty of murder (phillyBurbs.com) | Intelligencer

Fonder guilty of murder (phillyBurbs.com) | Intelligencer

A Bucks County jury deliberated for nearly seven hours before finding Mary Jane Fonder guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting of Rhonda Smith, 42, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Pleasant Valley, on Jan. 23.

The Associated Press: Churches are looking at hard times

The Associated Press: Churches are looking at hard times

With the economy in crisis, congregations around the country are cutting expenses at the very moment many members need help with food, heating bills and gasoline.

Some members of the clergy say their fundraising has remained steady despite the economic downturn, but how long that will last is unclear. Some are postponing building plans and delaying new programs just in case.

Among the congregations faring best are those with a strong tradition of tithing — the biblical mandate to give at least 10 percent of one’s income to the church.

Metro NY elects Rimbo bishop

Pr. Robert Rimbo of Holy Trinity, Mahnattan and former bishop of our domestic partner synod, the Southeastern Michigan Synod, was elected bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod on Saturday.

Read more on the web: Metropolitan New York Synod

In other elections:

• Pr. Michael Burk, executive for worship in the ELCA, was elected bishop in Southeastern Iowa Synod
• Pr. Herman R. Yoos III was elected bishop in the South Carolina Synod

State Senate ID bill would harm the needy

Making its way through the Senate since last spring, S.B. 9 requires the submission of government-issued ID as a condition of receiving a wide variety of public benefits.

In a state where 1.4 million people live in poverty, there is a $4.6 billion shortfall in adequate funding for K-12 public education and nearly 800,000 people dont have health care insurance. So why is a bill that would accomplish little or nothing a top priority?

State Senate ID bill would harm the needy –  themorningcall.com

ELCA ad campaign shows results

Denver motorists saw billboards in September 2007 that displayed tools in the shape of a cross and conveyed a fact — “8,400 homes repaired after Hurricane Katrina” — and a message — “God’s Work. Our Hands.” The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Rocky Mountain Synod took the lead in a pilot advertising campaign about the ELCA and what Lutherans are about in the world.

Read in Church Executive Magazine

Milestones and Myopia

Lois Kadel, coordinator for much of our synod’s volunteer work along the Gulf, sends this reflection on the anniversaries of Sept. 11, 2001 and Hurricane Katrinia:

I awoke this morning to another milestone morning in America. The cable news outlets and the national media I watch as I channel hop each morning are all focused on yet another anniversary date of a national tragedy.

Hello, synod!

Welcome to the weblog of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This blog complements our main website, www.ministrylink.org. Here we’ll post announcements, ministry stories, observations and resources to keep you in touch with the synod organization and with your partners in ministry across our territory — and beyond.

This site has some features not found on our main site:

• You can join in the conversation by commenting on most articles on the site.
• By subscribing to one of our RSS feeds using the “subscribe” buttons you can have new information delivered to you in a feed reader or aggregator program without having to constantly check this site.

This blog is one way we’re trying to make our communications more useful and interactive. Let us know how we’re doing by leaving a comment here or sending an email to rfisher [AT] sepa [DOT] org.

Bob Fisher

Communications