Greetings!  

As I write this, youth and adults from all over the US are traveling to New Orleans - as you read this, around 35,000 Lutherans will have descended upon the Big Easy to have fun, worship, learn, serve, and have fun at the ELCA Youth Gathering - including over 500 people from the Sierra Pacific Synod!  (Including Bishop Mark and me).

We remember in prayer:     

Pastor Richard Halvorsen (Retired), family and friends, as they mourn the death of his younger brother, Kenneth 

Boost Results From Your Offering Envelope Program - Free Webinar
 

Join Augsburg Fortress Senior Steward- ship Consultant Deneen Mueller as she shares practical tips on increasing financial giving while improving congregational communication.  This free webinar on August 15 at 1:00 p.m. CDT (11:00 a.m. PDT) will provide an overview of the stewardship services and time-saving tools offered by Augsburg Fortress, including the monthly mailing program, mailed communications, and address management services.  Click here to register for the webinar.

Responses Still Needed for "Listening for Justice and Mercy: An Asset Inventory of Sierra Pacific Synod Congregations and Ministries"

The Policy Council of the Lutheran Office of Public Policy-California, with support from an ELCA World Hunger domestic poverty grant, requests your participation in a survey of how congregations, pastors, members, and other expressions of the ELCA participate in ministries of mercy (e.g. food assistance, homeless shelters, child care centers, non-profit boards) and justice (community organizing, advocacy, pastors and members in public roles).  LOPP-CA is gathering information so that we all might better serve our communities and our states (California and Nevada).  This survey will establish a new baseline of information, support more effective interpretation and communication of our collective efforts, enable networking and sharing of best practices, and facilitate identification of helpful people and resources.  Information will be useful for the work of the new Sierra Pacific Synod Justice and Advocacy Discipling Team.  Please identify someone in your ministry or congregation who can gather the relevant information and take a few minutes to fill out this survey.  Click here to fill out the survey.  A $100 prize will be awarded by a random drawing of respondents and donated to the ministry of justice and/or service of the winner's choice.

REQUEST FOR DIGITAL PICTURES

We would still like to receive digital pictures (.jpg files) from all of our congregations, as well as pictures of synod activities.  Some pictures were used during the Synod Assembly to spotlight our congregations and as part of a narrative budget presentation.

Please submit two or three pictures for your congregation:  one of the church façade, one of your worship space, and one of an activity you would like to have highlighted.  Please clearly identify the congregation and include a brief description of the activity.  Since the pictures will be publicly displayed outside of your congregation, please be sure that you have permission to share the picture(s).  If any of the pictures include children, please be sure that the parents/guardians know how the pictures will be used.  We plan to display the pictures in the synod offices.

If you have any pictures of synod activities, synod committee meetings, or synod staff at a congregational event, we would also like to receive those.

Please submit the pictures as .jpg e-mail attachments.  If you have any questions about this request, please e-mail them, contact the Bay Area Office of the Bishop at 650-590-0980, or contact Linda Lownes, Synod Treasurer, at 916-784-9861.  Thank you!

To register, complete the registration form and mail with payment as directed.

Mission Coalition Grant Opportunity

for Evangelism Efforts

Grant guidelines:  click here.  Questions?  Contact Pastor Stephen Carlson by email or by phone at 559-264-5385. 

"We Can Do It:  Changing the World One Mosquito Net and Hungry Child at a Time"

Saturday, October 27 -- 9:30am to 3pm

Lutheran Church of the Incarnation, Davis

Contact Information