Greetings!  

Debbi and I had a New Year's Eve unlike any we have experienced before.  It started with a call from my son, Justin, at about 7 pm on December 31st - telling us our daughter-in-law, Connie, was experiencing labor pains.  From that point on, we kept getting text messages through the night updating us on how Connie was doing - and finally, about 4:45 a.m., came the news we had been waiting to hear - Christopher William Holmerud was born!    

We are incredibly thankful that Christopher is a healthy baby, and continues to get good reports from the doctors and nurses who have worked with him and his mom and dad.  For those who would like to know, he was 19½ inches long, 6 lbs., 13 oz. at birth, and IMHO, the most amazingly beautiful baby ever!  See picture above for proof...  He was the first baby of the year born at Ballard Swedish Hospital in Seattle; we don't yet know where his birth comes in regarding the same question for the rest of Seattle.

Christopher's birth will no doubt change just about everything for us.  His birth will add new perspectives on how Debbi and I see and experience our walk of faith, our marriage and family, our health and the way we see God working in the world (I think that about covers it!).  That may seem like a lot to put on a barely one-week-old baby and his brand new parents, but that's how it feels - Justin and Connie and Christopher have become a new way in which Debbi and I are oriented to God and the world in our daily lives - something we're only just beginning to discover.  We've heard from a number of people that this would happen; it was just hard to understand until we have started going through it ourselves.

Not to put too much more on Christopher in his young life, but his birth one week after Christmas brings into sharper relief for me the birth of another child that literally changed everything.  Most of us spent a good part of December in the Season of Advent preparing once again to hear the story of Jesus' birth, and then gathered on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to hear the angel say to the shepherds, "Do not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger."  It's barely ten days after Christmas, but already the evidence of that celebration is beginning to be diminished. The birth of Jesus is meant to offer us a new perspective that is meant to help us receive everything with a greater awareness of God's grace working in the world - not just for a few weeks a year, but every day.

God's grace abounds as Debbi and I celebrate the birth of our grandchild.   God's grace abounds in our lives as part of a growing family and in my call as pastor and yes, even in a diagnosis of cancer, all because of the birth of one child long ago.  I'm praying Jesus' birth will once again offer a perspective through which I will be able to see everything in my life as gift and grace - the blessings and the challenges.  I pray that daily my life will be changed by the birth of Jesus - just as much, if not more, than it has been changed by the birth of Christopher William Holmerud.

God's Peace and Blessings in this Season of Christmas, in Epiphany and in this New Year!

Bp. Mark

We remember in prayer:  

Pastor Karen Woida (Calvary, Millbrae), family and friends, as they mourn the death of her husband, Pastor Duane Woida (Salem Lutheran Home, Oakland) 

Midwest Music Groups

Coming Here on Tour

St. Olaf Band - Northfield, Minnesota

 The band is one of the nation's finest college ensembles and represents St. Olaf College, an ELCA liberal arts school that is known for its excellence in music.  Click here for tickets.

Fresno Area * Mon., Jan. 30 * 7:00 p.m.

Salinas * Wed., Feb. 1 * 7:00 p.m.

Saratoga * Thu., Feb. 2 * 7:30 p.m.

Palo Alto * Fri., Feb. 3 * 7:30 p.m.

      Augustana Symphonic Band -

Rock Island, Illinois

This fine wind ensemble, founded in 1874, is the oldest musical organization at Augustana College, and tours annually as part of its commitment to performance outreach.  For more information, please click here.

Palo Alto * Sun., Feb. 19 * 4:00 p.m.

Redding * Mon., Feb. 20 * 7:00 p.m.

Concordia Choir - Moorhead, Minnesota

Plan to hear the 72-voice a cappella choir from Concordia College, one of America's finest choirs seen nationwide on public television and heard in Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center and on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion.  Click to buy tickets for the Fresno or San Francisco concerts.

Fresno Area * Thu., March 8 * 8:00 p.m.

San Francisco * Fri., March 9 * 8:00 p.m.

Spanish Language and

Hispanic Ministry Intensive

This highly recommended continuing education opportunity runs from Sunday evening, May 27, until Friday noon, June 1. The Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest in Austin, Texas, will host the event.  Participants will be immersed in the language, including conversational Spanish and practicing the liturgy, and will participate in lectures on Latino cultural events, indigenous spirituality, theology and practical ministry.  Optional free time will provide a chance to explore historic Austin.  Discounted registration and fees available before February 28; click here for more information.

Annual Report Covers

The 2012 Annual Report Cover is now available online.  When the resource e-store was upgraded last year, standing orders were not automatically transferred.  Notification was sent to congregational leaders in advance, but a significant number of inquiries have been received recently.  The covers are $5.50 per pack of 50 copies.  They can also be ordered by phone at 800-638-3522.

Rostered Leaders and Spouses/Partners Retreat Registration Deadline

Santa Cruz Mtns. -- February 19-21, 2012 

Cost is $500 (room and board) until today, January 6; tomorrow the cost will be $525 (subject to space availability; limited to 21 couples).  Make your check payable to Santa Clara Valley Lutheran Parish and mail to:  ELCA Rostered Leaders/Partners, c/o Jim & Peggy White, 3744 Cadwallader Ave., San Jose 95121.  ??? - call Todd Bertani at 707-688-6411.

Multi-Ethnic Worship Conference

January 20-21, 2012

St. Matthew, Walnut Creek 

This conference has three elements that will encourage and enable you to more effectively address issues of multi-ethnic worship in your congregation.  Speakers and musicians will include Dr. Clayton J. Schmit, Nikki Lerner and Josh Davis.  There will be a nominal fee to cover the cost of meals, speaker, and materials.  For more information or to register please click here.

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Are You Nominee for an Election at the 2012 Synod Assembly?

Please remember that nomination forms are due at the Office of the Bishop in Sacramento by February 1!  Click to download a form for Synod Council Member or for Churchwide Assembly Voting Member.  Form must be signed by your Conference Dean before submission.

2012 IRS MILEAGE RATE:

55.5¢ / mile --

More info here

Lutheran College Fair

Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012 - 3-5:30 p.m.
Thousand Oaks, CA More info

Resources for Epiphany or

Annual Congregational Meetings 

Stories of Faith in Action is a free resource full of dynamic stories of how God is changing lives around the world through the mission and ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  To order a free copy, call 800-638-3522 or order online; ask for ELCAMA1008.  The resource is free; you pay for shipping.

The Global Mission Map Brochure is filled with a panorama of photos and stories from across the globe, an overview of mission rooted in relationship (see a sample).  To order 10 or fewer copies, call 800-638-3522 or send an email.  To order more than 10, please click here.

Contact Information