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Epiphany Greetings!
Our new Synod website is up and running. We
encourage you to check it out and give us your
feedback. The website is being "rolled out" throughout
the internet, so if you have a problem viewing it, wait
and try again later.
You received an e-mail from us about the Synod transition
plan. Please read the e-mail and documents
carefully and give us your nominations for people whose gifts
would serve well in our transition. Attached
below is a link to those documents for your
convenience. The link goes to our new website, so if it
does not work, wait until you are able to view the new
website.
Finally, please keep Bishop Holmerud and the people of
the Lutheran Church in Rwanda in your prayers as he travels to
Rwanda for the dedication of a school.
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We remember in prayer . . .
Bishop Holmerud and the people of the Lutheran
Church in Rwanda. Bp. Holmerud is in Rwanda this week to
celebrate the dedication of the first wing of the Rwanda
Lutheran School, a joint ministry of the Sierra Pacific Synod
and the Lutheran Church of Rwanda.
The
Conference of Bishops, ELCA staff, Bp. Younan and members of
the ELCJHL, the people of Gaza, and hopes for a lasting peace
in Israel/ Palestine.
The communities of the Bay Area and the family of Oscar
Grant as concerns are exprssed over his death while
in the custody of the BART
police.
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AID FOR
GAZA
ELCA Disaster
Response 
A number of you have asked how help can be sent for
those who are being affected by the violence in Gaza.
Information from the ELCA website (
http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Responding-to-the-World/Disaster-Response/Recent-Disasters/Gaza-Crisis-2.aspx
) to help you in your hopes to respond to this humanitarian
crisis:
In December, violence erupted between the
military forces of Israel and Hamas militants, threatening the
1.5 million civilians in the Gaza Strip. The latest violence
comes after a months-long blockade of Gaza imposed by Israel
and a rejected proposal for ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The
situation within Gaza is in constant struggle. Food
commodities and fresh water are scarce and the constant
feeling of insecurity keeps many in their homes even though an
average wait time for bread in mornings is roughly four hours.
"Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas on the
earth," said Robert Smith, ELCA Global Mission Director for
Europe and the Middle East. "Because of years of occupation
and then blockade, most civilians live in extreme
poverty."
Hospitals are also suffering from rolling
blackouts; generators operate around the clock in order to
keep the doors of the hospital open even though minimal
medical supplies and overworked or understaffed medical teams
make it difficult to treat patients with chronic illnesses let
alone those with life threatening medical needs. Augusta
Victoria Hospital, located on the Mount of Olives in
Jerusalem, is responding to the medical needs of cancer and
dialysis patients from Gaza. "Unfortunately, it is often
people with chronic illnesses who suffer the most in a
disaster such as the one unfolding," said Rev. Mark Brown,
regional representative, Lutheran World
Federation.
Here's how you can respond to this
crisis:
Check or money
orders sent to:
ELCA Int'l Disaster
Response
Attn: MIDDLE EAST CRISIS
PO Box
71764
Chicago, IL 60694-1764
write "Middle East
Crisis" on your check's memo line.
Credit card by
phone: 800.638.3522
or online
Credit card contributions may also be made via
mail.
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LSS "TOOLS FOR CHANGE"
CONFERENCE
January 31, 2009
9:30 am - 2:00
pm
Our Savior Lutheran Church
1385 So. Livermore
Ave.
Livermore, CA
To
mark its 125th year of social ministry, Lutheran Social
Services (LSS) is holding a social ministry conference, "Tools
for Change," featuring Bishop Mark Holmerud and LCMS President
Robert Newton.
This conference focuses on how
collaborative efforts between church and community groups can
serve as effective catalysts for social change.
The
cost is $25.00 per person, with a group discount rate of
$20.00 per person for 5 or more. Contact LSS for
registration form at: (925)
825-1061.
Link
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DISCOVERING HOPE
in
Small Town and Rural
California and Nevada
a Conference for Clergy
and Lay Leaders
Saturday,
February 14, 2009
9:30
am to 3 pm
St. Luke Lutheran Church
7595 Center
Parkway, Sacramento
Presenters
Rev.
Brenda Smith
Director for Discipleship
Evangelical Outreach and
Congregational Mission, ELCA
Ms.
Sandra LaBlanc
Director for Rural Ministry
Networking and Resourcing
Evangelical Outreach and
Congregational Mission, ELCA
Rev. Robert
Vaage
Parish Pastor
First Lutheran Church, Milford,
Iowa
Rev. Nancy
Nyland
Parish Pastor
St. Peter Lutheran Church, Bassett,
Nebraska
St. John's Lutheran Church, Atkinson,
Nebraska
Rev. Mark
Nelson
Assistant to the
Bishop
Eastern Washington - Idaho
Synod
1) to gather
Small Town and Rural (STaR) congregations for fellowship and
networking
2) to provide tangible resources for
stewardship and evangelism in STaR settings
3) to
create connections between/among STaR congregations for future
support, encouragement, resource sharing, etc.
SAVE THE
DATE
More information to come
RSVP to
pastorjim@goldsmith.us
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Upcoming Events
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January 15-22 - Bishop Holmerud
in
Rwanda
January 21 - Care for Returning Veterans Workshop
Pacific Lutheran
Theological
Seminary
January 23-24 -- Synod Council
January 29 -- Interim Pastors
Gathering
January 31 - LSS Tools for Change
Conference - Our Savior
Lutheran Church, Livermore
February 10-11 - First Call Event
San Juan
Capistrano
February 13 - Professional
Leadership Conference
Planning Committee
February 15-17 - Clergy/AIMS
& Spouses Retreat,
Asilomar
Conference Center
March 2-3 - Retired Pastors,
Spouses, AIMs Retreat - San
Damiano
Retreat Center,
Danville, CA
March 19-22 ELCA Bishops'
Assistants Gathering in
SF
March 27-28 Racial & Ethnic
Ministries Task Force
April 21-22 Mobility Conference
April 16-18 - Gathering for Women
of Color in Ministry
Eaglewood Resort and
Spa,
Itasca (Chicago) IL
May 27-28 Synod Council
May 28-30 Synod Assembly
Fresno,
CA
August 17-23 - Churchwide Assembly, Minneapolis, MN
September 22 - LSS Garrison
Keillor - Live in Concert
Memorial Auditorium
Sacramento
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Synod Youth
Retreat
The Synod Youth Committee is sponsoring a retreat for
young people in the 3rd - 6th grades and their adult sponsors.
It will be presented two times in difference places:
March 6-8 at Mt. Cross, Felton, CA.
Arrive Friday night by 8:00pm and leave at 11:30am
Sunday
March 27-29 at Sly Park, Sacramento,
CA
Arrive Friday night by 8:00pm and leave at 11:30am on
Sunday
Theme: Superheroes of Faith: Believers
Assemble
Cost: $125/person
To Register: Click on '2008 High
School Yough Event' at www.spsyc.org then click at 'download
registration materials' and scroll and follow the
prompts.
More info: Call Pr. Craig Minich,
Adult Chair, at 510-390-4045 or call Christina Espegren, Youth
President, at 916-813-5881.
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Mt. Cross Day
Camp
Registration is now open for
churches who want to partner with Mt. Cross to host Day Camp
next summer.
Mt. Cross will send a team of young people to lead Day
Campers in songs, crafts, Bible encounter, games and
worship. They provide the staff, the program and all of
the supplies. Your church provides housing and meals for
the team and some volunteers.
The program can work in a variety of contexts, from small
churches who need help to plan and put on VBS, to large
churches who want to provide additional summer
programming for their kids.
For more information, check out Mt. Cross at
222.mtcross.org or contact Mariel Spengler, Director of Day
Camp Ministries, at daycamp@mtcross.org or by phone at
650-814-8395. Address: Mt. Cross Ministries, P.O.
Box 387, Felton, CA 95018.
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Oh love, how deep, how broad, how
high,
Beyond all thought and fantasy,
That God, the Son of God, should
take
Our mortal form for mortal's
sake!
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Sierra
Pacific Synod 