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The
Sierra Pacific Synod
Weekly
E-Newsletter
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Sierra Pacific Synod,
ELCA March
24, 2011
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My
mom grew up during the Great Depression. With four siblings, an
ailing mother and a father out of work, she knew the value of a dollar
and boy oh boy, did she ever teach that to my brother and me!
Shopping sales, looking for deals, bargaining for a better price, buying
thf brand ... all those behaviors were just part of how we
lived. Back then, it meant getting the most "bang for the
buck". Today I understand it as being a shrewd steward.
I
could go on and on with examples of how that continues to play out in my
life, but I'll contain myself and just talk (write) about one: FREE
MONEY. Personally, I'm for it. I have to assume you are, too
-- especially when it comes from a reputable source and there is no
sneaky fine print to worry about, which is exactly what we have offered
to us from the Board of Pensions (the medical plan that covers most but
not all of our rostered leaders and their families). Here's the
deal: if our Synod manages to encourage 65% of the plan members and
spouses to fill out a form called the Health Assessment, we get FREE
MONEY. The pastor and spouse each get $150 (FREE MONEY)
credited to their initial health care costs. Each congregation
receives a 2% discount (FREE MONEY) on what they pay for medical coverage
for their pastors and other covered employees. And the Sierra
Pacific Synod will receive 2% (FREE MONEY). The total savings
across the synod is estimated to be $39,700! (FREE MONEY).
In addition, if members go on to participate in follow up health
behaviors suggested through the Mayo Clinic, each can earn an additional
$300 (FREE MONEY) credit.
So
what does this have to do with you? Well, if you're a congregant,
ask your pastor/youth director/music coordinator/administrator whether
s/he has taken the assessment. (Go ahead. Do it right
now. Send the email. Make the call.) If you're a BOP
member and you HAVE taken it, YAY! If you're a BOP member, and you
HAVE NOT taken the assessment, TAKE IT. If you have a spouse who
hasn't taken it, get him/her to do so (make whatever promises necessary;
it will pay for itself!) If you are a rostered leader but NOT a BOP
member, check with your colleagues, your conference, your study group to
see whether they have. The deadline: Apr. 30.
Oh
yeah, one more thing: This is also a good idea because taking the
Health Assessment encourages our rostered leaders and their families
toward greater health and wholeness. Kind of a no-brainer, even
without the FREE MONEY.
Peace,
Nancy
Feniuk Nelson
Bishop's
Associate
Learn more about the Health
Assessment by clicking here.
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Pastor Ginny Bishop
(Mariposa) recovering from an emergency appendectomy
Pastor Warren Nelson (Hope, Fresno) receiving a
pacemaker
Ann Watkins (Chair of the Word and Sacrament
Discipling Team), with continuing respiratory problems
Pastor Kerstin Barnes (St. Mark's, Pleasant Hill),
having back surgery
All those affected by the current series of storms,
especially those impacted by flooding, heavy snowfall, and loss of
electrical power
Pella Lutheran Church, Selma, with storm damage to
their building
The people of Japan, as they continue to recover from
earthquake, tsunami and radiation damage
We invite you to lift up these ministry partners in
prayer:
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church,
Tiburon; Calvary Lutheran Church, Rio
Linda; Ebenezer/herchurch Lutheran, San Francisco; Holy
Redeemer Lutheran Church, San Jose; Christ Lutheran
Church, Reedley
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Treasurer's
Remittance Statement
The Treasurers in our
congregations are some of the hardest-working volunteers in the
world! Please be sure to thank the Treasurer in your
congregation for her or his work.
To make the congregational
Treasurer's job a little easier, we have posted a Treasurer's Remittance Statement on the Sierra Pacific Synod website. Clicking
on the link above will open the statement for use; the form can also be
accessed by going to the SPS website and
clicking on the link there, the third item in the "Synod
Resources" box in the upper left-hand corner.
The
Treasurer's Remittance Form is very helpful to our finance
staff in the Synod office! Treasurers, please be sure to include a
copy, or a similar statement, when sending in contributions. Thank
you!
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2011
Hein-Fry Lecture at PLTS
Hearing
the Word: Lutherans Read the Bible with the Ecumenical World
Dr.
Justo L. González -- April 27
The Bible is not an exclusive
word and those who share in its messages are related to one another,
whether we want to be or not. Other Christians around the world
have positive ways of experiencing the Bible from which Lutherans can
learn, and Lutherans have an opportunity to share their experiences of
the Bible with those around the world. Hein-Fry in 2011 gives us an
opportunity to enter into dialogue with a variety of Christians beyond US
Lutheranism about engaging the Bible through global and ecumenical
perspectives. For more information and to register click here.
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Reconciling
in Christ (RIC)
Lord of Mercy Lutheran Church,
Sparks, NV recently voted to become the twenty-seventh Reconciling in
Christ Congregation in the Sierra Pacific Synod, which is one of
twenty-four RIC Synods in the ELCA. Started in 1984, the RIC Program of
Lutherans Concerned / North America recognizes Lutheran communities that
publically welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender believers.
The Reconciling in Christ roster of congregations, synods, college,
seminaries and organizations now exceeds 450.
Proclaiming Christ
as the Word of God's Welcome:
wet on our foreheads,
alive in our hearts,
and active in our world -
that justice might roll
down like waters
and righteousness like an ever-flowing
stream.
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SPECIAL
OFFER! $200 off Day Camp from Mt. Cross
Mt. Cross is offering $200 off of Day Camp if you sign
up for the weeks of June 6-10 or July 4-8. Invite kids to your church
this summer for a week of fun and faith! For more information
about the discount or information about other weeks, email Mariel Spengler, Director of Day Camps,
or call her at 650-814-8395.
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Leadership
Discipling Team recommends...
Emotional
Intelligence & Human Relations (EQ-HR) Workshop
Menlo
Park, CA - May 2-6,2011
For information and to
register online click here; for
additional information email Barbara Holder or call
301-432-8933. Registration deadline is April 20th.
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SYNOD
CALENDAR
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March 31 Stewardship Conversa-
tion, Resurrection, Granite Bay
April 1-2 Multicultural Ministry
April 7 Stewardship Conversation,
Cross and Crown, Rohnert Park
April 8-9 Candidacy Committee
April 12 Assembly Planning
Committee, Office of the Bishop,
April
14 Chrism Mass, 10:30 a.m.,
Lutheran Church of the
Resurrection, Granite Bay
April
15 Chrism Mass, 10:30 a.m.,
Iglesia Luterana El Buen Pastor,
Salinas
April
20 Synod Assembly
Registration Fees Due
April
20 Synod Assembly Hotel
Reduced Rate Ends
April
27 Hein-Fry Lecture, PLTS
May
12 Synod Council, Hyatt
Regency, Burlingame
May 12 Assembly Planning
Committee, Hyatt Regency,
May 13-15 Synod Assembly,
Hyatt Regency, Burlingame
June 2-4 Anti-Racism Training,
Mt. Cross
June 2 Episcopal Lutheran
Ascension Day Service,
Stanford University
June 9 Council of Deans, Office
of the Bishop, Sacramento
June
24-25 Synod Council
July 1-5 Western States Youth
Gathering, California Lutheran
University, Thousand Oaks
July 14-17 Women of the ELCA
Triennial Gathering, Spokane, WA
August 1-3 North American
Catechumenate Gathering, SF
Assembly, Orlando, FL
August 26-27 Candidacy Committee
September 23-24 Synod Council
September 29 - October 4
Conference of Bishops,
Lutheran Center, Chicago
October 11-13 Professional
Leaders' Conference, Asilomar
October 21-22 Candidacy Committee
November 4-6 Hunger Education
Retreat, Mt. Cross
2012
January 5-9 Bishops' Academy
January 18-19 Council of Deans
Retreat, Christ the King
Retreat
Center, Citrus Heights
March 1-6 Conference of Bishops
July 18-22 ELCA Youth Gathering,
New Orleans, LA
October 4-9 Conference of Bishops,
Lutheran Center, Chicago
2013
January 16-17 Council of Deans
Retreat, Christ the King
Retreat
Center, Citrus Heights
February 28 - March 5 Conference
of Bishops
October 3-8 Conference of Bishops,
Lutheran Center, Chicago
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HAVE
YOU TAKEN THE 2011 HEALTH ASSESSMENT?
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Sierra
Pacific Synod Youth Ministry Network
Looking for new ways to support
youth ministry in your congregation? We invite you to be a part of a
dynamic group supporting the many ways folks minister to youth in our
synod. Join the network to stay informed of upcoming youth events,
ministry training oppor-tunities and, maybe most importantly, to be a
part of a group which can offer you support as we all work together to
nurture the youth of our synod. To join, simply email the following informa-tion:
congregation name; the name of the person respon-sible for youth
ministry; and their contact information (please include an email
address).
Thank
you! Lisa Herlocker, Youth & Family Ministry, Bethel Lutheran
Church, Roseville, and Synod Coordinator, 2012 Youth Gathering.
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The
Re-Emerging Multicultural Church - Apr. 1-2
St.
Matthew, Walnut Creek
According to
Dr. Michael Emerson in Harmonizing Cultures: "Orchestras consist of instruments that create very
differ-ent sounds. If each person plays their own tune, without
regard for other instruments, it results in an unpleasant mass of
noise. If they work together in har-mony, they can make beautiful
music together. Harmonizing culture can be complex; it is only
possible when the Holy Spirit is at the center of the
process." Register here for the
conference; just a week away!
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Western
States Youth Gathering
July
1-5
Deadline
for registration has been extended until April
1st! For more information go to the WSYG website; click
here to register.
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Like
the Sierra Pacific Synod on Facebook!
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claimed . . . gathered . . . sent
The Sierra Pacific Synod
PO Box 276648, Sacramento, CA 95827-6648
916-756-1665 · 800-275-3522
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