[Second_site] Gulf Coast News: February CONNECTIONS

[Susan Rinehart]

Connections

02-09-08

Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

 


 

 Visit Our New Gulf Coast Synod / Peru Website 

 

The inaugural issue of our new "Connections to Peru" website is ready. As
the Future Seekers Program enters its third year, enthusiasm continues to
mount. Just think, because of you, 212 children in Peru will be attending
school this year, who might otherwise have been playing on the streets. This
new website contains a calendar, links, announcements, and more. Please
click and visit! 

http://www.enthuseddesigns.com/connections%5Fperu/

 

 

 

 

Mission Endowment Fund Passes $1,000,000

 

In late January, the synod's Mission Endowment Fund passed $1,000,000! A
complete report will follow at the end of the fiscal year, January 31.

 

The goal was reached thanks to major contributions from Park Place Lutheran
Church, Houston and Christ Foundation, Inc., Brenham.

 

The Mission Endowment Fund has five objectives, the first of which is to
assure 100% of tuition is paid for candidates in the synod's seminary
program.  Achievement of this goal is now just around the corner.


 


Border-Crossing Church


 


Bishop Michael Rinehart


 

I believe today God is calling us to be a border-crossing church. 

A border-crossing church is a church that does what Jesus did: reaching out
to love the neighbor across boundaries of race, class and gender. Paul says
in Galatians 3:28, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer
slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in
Christ Jesus." Race, creed, gender.

In the story of the Good Samaritan, a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "What
must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What do you think?" Jesus replies.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with
all your mind and with all your strength." "Correct," Jesus says. But who is
my neighbor? 

It's a great lawyer question. Is my neighbor someone of my own race? Is my
neighbor some of my own religion? Is my neighbor someone who lives next
door? How about three houses down? How about in the next neighborhood, or
the next country? 

In true rabbinic fashion, Jesus answers the question with a story. A man was
going down from Jerusalem to Jericho where he is beaten and robbed and left
for dead. The priest, Levite, all the people who should respond don't. 

Along comes a Samaritan. A mestizo. Half breed. Dog. Untouchable. It was
forbidden to talk to them, touch them, shake hands, make eye contact. 

Jesus intentionally chooses someone that will make his listeners blanch.
Good-Samaritan is an oxymoron to Jesus' listeners. He tells a story about a
Samaritan who crosses a huge social barrier. It is an offensive story to
many.

This "Good Samaritan:" 

1.       Saw him

2.       Was moved with pity

3    Cared for him: Bandaged him, transported him, housed him in the inn,
covered his expenses, promised to return

1.  See - To be a border-crossing church we must first "see" those, we too
often don't see. Or don't want to see. How do we learn to see better? Like
the injured man in the story, they are right in front of us. Who is in
greatest need in your community? If you asked the mayor, or the local police
chief, what would they say are the top three needs of the community? Who is
in the most trouble?  I once saw Kirbyjohn Caldwell (Windson Village
Methodist Church of Houston) speak at a Beeson Institute event. He said,
"Ministry is not rocket science. Draw a line down the middle of your paper.
On one side, list the most pressing human issues in your community. On the
right devise a ministry to address that need. 

2. Feel - Second, the Samaritan has compassion. He feels, deep down in his
gut, like so often we hear Jesus does in the gospels: Splankneestheis. I
will never forget my first time seeing dire poverty in Mexico. I walked
through this village and the tears ran down my face. My first instinct is to
look away. Go home and watch T.V. But when we see and feel, something in our
humanity stirs. Something deep down in that part of us that is created in
God's image, is moved to the depths of our soul. Who are the people we see
every day at the grocery, in the street, along the road, right in front of
our faces? Not just those who are our race, or religion, or social class.
Everyone. The Samaritan does not check the injured man's religious status.
He does not check his green card. He crosses the border because he acts out
of compassion.

3. Act - Then a border-crossing church acts. When you truly see and feel the
neighbor before you, you cannot NOT act. You can't. The Christ within us
cannot watch our neighbor starve right in front of us. We are driven by
forces beyond our control, to reach out and love, serve, bandage, feed,
house, welcome, give. 

Christian spirituality is not navel-gazing. It is not rising above the
earth. It is grounded in human suffering.

In Jesus' spirituality we encounter God in through the least of these. 

Christian spirituality is not Gnostic, it is corporeal, incarnational. 

The love of God becomes flesh in Jesus of Nazareth, who then calls us to be
love incarnate for one another. 

For Jesus, it is impossible to love God without loving neighbor. They are
simply two sides of one and the same coin. John says, "Beloved, let us love
one another. For love is of God and everyone that is loveth is born of God
and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love. (I
John 4:7-8)

When we become this kind of church, when people see us doing what they
innately sense the church is supposed to be doing, then they will come, and
the church will become a relevant community, de facto.

The Lenten Journey

For the next 40 days, we journey to the cross in a time of prayer, fasting,
alms-giving and works of love. It is a time in which we intensify our battle
against sin. During this time we will hear (very long) stories of a
border-crossing Jesus.

Lent I : The Temptation of Jesus - Today Jesus is led by the Spirit into the
wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by the devil. 

Don't we pray every day in the Lord's prayer: "Lead us not into temptation?"
Does God lead people into temptation?

And yet, Abraham was tested by God, when he was asked to sacrifice his only
son. Wasn't Job tested, when God allowed Satan to ravage his life? Were not
the Israelites tested for 40 years in the wilderness?

It is the Holy Spirit that drives Jesus across the border, from civilization
into the wilderness for a time of testing. He is driven out of his comfort
zone, into a new place, a strange place, so that he can learn to depend on
God, and God alone for all things. As a border-crossing church, we will be
driven into the wilderness at first, out of our comfort zone.

Jesus is tempted to be distracted from the ministry to which he is called.
And so are we, by good things sometimes. Jesus was not tempted to do
anything wrong. Not to steal or commit genocide. He is tempted with good
things: bread, safety, power. Every day we are tempted to be distracted from
the ministry God has given us, and instead go after other things, which are
not bad, but will keep us from the ministry that God has given us to do.

Lent II : Nicodemus - On February 17 we will hear the story of Nicodemus
from John 3 who is told that he must be "born again" or perhaps "reborn from
above" in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. The birth canal is another
border from womb to world. Like Nicodemus, we are called to leave the womb
of the self-centered life and to cross the border into an other-centered,
God centered-life. A border-crossing church will be a less self-centered
church. What would it look like to be a selfless church, a church for
others?

Lent III : Woman at the Well - On February 24 we will hear the story of the
woman at the well, from John 4. Jesus sits down next to someone who has
three strikes against her in Jesus' day: 1. She is a woman. Men are not to
speak to women in public. 2. She is a Samaritan (see above). Jews are not to
have dealings with Samaritans. 3. She is a divorcee. She has had five
husbands, five divorces and is currently living with a man who is not her
husband! Any righteous person would walk away. This border is not to be
crossed. But Jesus is a border-crosser. And he calls us to be a
border-crossing church!

Lent IV: Healing of the Man Born blind - On March 2 we hear the story of the
man born blind (John 9). In this story Jesus breaks through the barriers of
shame, disease, and disability to offer healing to a man who is born blind.
In the process he challenges the blindness of the religious leaders of his
day to the truth of their own blindness.  A border-crossing church sheds
light on the darkness of social, political and religious institutions. A
border-crossing church is a church of the cross that calls a thing what it
is, that calls a spade a spade. Let me be bold: A church that is not a
border-crossing church is not a Christian church. A church that does not
serve the poor is not a Christian church. If we do not do what Christ did,
how can we call ourselves Christian?

Lent V: Raising of Lazarus - On March 9 we will hear the story of the
raising of Lazarus from the dead, a foreshadowing of the resurrection of
Jesus, and of our resurrection, the ultimate border-crossing, from death
into new life. A border-crossing church is a church of hope. It is s church
that believes that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ.
It is a church that believes for God there are no uncrossable borders. 

The best part of being the church is that we don't go it alone. If
border-crossing is hard for us, it was hard for Jesus too. He didn't go it
alone. He had twelve. Then 70. Then 120. Now a billion. The Holy Spirit,
through the church, will drive us into the wilderness, across the border.
Christ will accompany us.

This Lenten season, as we make the journey of the cross with Jesus, preach
the cross which is always relevant, always truth-bearing, always
incarnational, and always meddling in human affairs. Always suffering.
Always giving. Always forgiving. Always border-crossing. Trusting in the
promises of baptism, let's be the church that bursts through barriers of
race, class, gender, creed, stigma, shame, disease, disability. Let's be the
church they point to and say, "Wow. That church has the courage to love the
unlovable, the courage to walk into the darkness of this world, bearing the
love of God.

 

Houston Pastors Take Pilgrimage to New Orleans

 

C:\Users\Home Computer\Pictures\2008-01-22\209.JPGThere have been thousands
of people who have come to New Orleans for any number of reasons. An
anonymous person from the Lower Ninth Ward, Otis, requested for "Jesus to
please come soon".  Jesus has likely come and so have a group of Houston
Pastors on a Prayer Pilgrimage, January 13-15, 2008.

 

The Pilgrimage, which is a guided route through New Orleans and to Lutheran
congregations, was developed by Pastor John and Pastor Robin McCullough-Bade
of Baton Rouge. This Pastors Pilgrimage was organized by Pastor Herb Palmer,
of Houston.  Robin and John extended the invitation to come to New Orleans.
Herb organized a group of lay persons from Faith Lutheran, Bellaire, in
March, 2007 with the promise that he would also bring Pastors as soon as
possible.  A generous grant was given to support the Pastors Pilgrimage for
travel and housing. Herb contacted Houston Pastors to be part of the
Pilgrimage to learn, listen, pray, and build relationships. The follow-up
request, for pastors who attended, was to bring the story back to
congregations and seek to establish a companion relationship with a
congregation in New Orleans. The pastors agreed.

 

Those who attended the Pastors' Prayer Pilgrimage were Jim Fowler
(Lakeside), Eric Klimpel (Spirit of Joy!), Herb Palmer, Mary Lewis
(Resurrection), David Roschke (Salem), John and Robin McCullough-Bade, Kathy
Haueisen, David Tart (Peace, Pasadena), and Brad Fuerst (Lutheran Campus
Ministry). The Pilgrimage began from Houston. 

 

The first stop was LaPlace, LA to welcome Ken Schuman who had been installed
at The Lutheran Church of the Galilean earlier that day. It was a long day
for the people of Galilean who had scattered by the time the Pilgrims
arrived. But the Pastors on the Pilgrimage each spoke with Ken on the phone
and when they arrived at Galilean they were led in prayer. Robin and John
joined up with the group in New Orleans. They had made local contacts for
the Pilgrimage. As the group traveled through the city, they were an
invaluable resource for sharing information about the past, present, and
plans for the future. Kathy Haueisen has been working with the synod
recovery effort since the hurricane devastation. She was an important
addition to the conversations.

 

The first stop on Monday was at Bethlehem to visit with Patrick Keen, the
pastor. Patrick shared the story of his congregation since Hurricane
Katrina. The congregation is currently taking leadership to address violence
and peace. Pastors prayed together for the community and the faith
community. From there it was to the Lower Ninth Ward and then, Gethsemane in
Chalmette.  An incredible Louisiana, home cooked lunch was ready at Peace,
Slidell, where Barb Simmers is serving as Pastor. This small congregation
has had a significant role in the recovery effort. Barb has been tenacious
in raising money and receiving grants for facilities and a ministry that
would welcome volunteers in the recovery. People, synods, and congregations
throughout the country have supported the work through Peace.

 

The Pilgrimage went south over the causeway, from the North Shore, through
East New Orleans, and to Grace Lutheran Church. Leon Philpot is serving at
Grace. He and Caitlin are working with the congregation and the recovery
through human services. 

 

At each site the pastors on the pilgrimage listened and learned. They joined
together in song, scripture, read articles from "Faith in the Midst of The
Storm", and prayed for the people, the leaders, and the community. Much has
been done since Hurricane Katrina but there is so much still to take place
in the recovery, not the least of which is to learn that we need one
another. The time spent by the host pastors was deeply appreciated.

 

You can learn more about organizing a prayer pilgrimage to New Orleans by
going to the website www.futurewithhope.org <http://www.futurewithhope.org/>
.  This website is managed and updated by John McCullough- Bade. The Gulf
Coast Synod passed a resolution at the 2007 Synod Assembly encouraging
congregations to plan a pilgrimage to New Orleans, connect through prayer,
build relationships, and partner with congregations.

 

Pastor Joe Summerville elected Cabinet of Deans Chair

The deans of our ministeriums met at the end of January. Among the agenda
items was the election of a chair. Congratulations to Joe Summerville, dean
of the Coastal Ministerium, who is now the chair. Joe's responsibilities
will be to communicate, call the quarterly meetings, and chair the
conversations. The bulk of this meeting's conversation was spent on the
draft of a relational agreement between pastors. This relational agreement
will set some core values about how we interact with regards to members who
change churches and how pastors relate to congregations they no longer
serve.  Comments, recommendations and words of congratulations can be
directed to Pastor Summerville at frjsummerville at gmail.com.

Companion Synod Trip to the Central African Republic

Two members of our synod will participate in a tri-synodical companion synod
trip to the Central African Republic February 13 to 28.  Carolyn Jacobs from
Christ the King and Steven Cauley, Associate Pastor at Advent, will join
four North Dakota Lutherans, as well as the ELCA representative for West
Africa. The group will visit the Lutheran Church of CAR (EELRCA) in Bouar,
and attend the dedication of the Women's Center (February 20), which our
synod has supported. Other activities include attending a portion of the
Lutheran Women's conference held every two years, visiting a village school,
an HIV/AIDS clinic, the seminary and Bible school of the EELRCA, the State
Hospital, and a water project. The group will attend worship services at
churches in Baboua, CAR, and Garoua Boulai, Cameroon.

For more information on the Lutheran Church in CAR, visit the ELCA website.
<http://www.elca.org/countrypackets/car.> 

The following is an excerpt from an article that appeared in the Living Word
Lutheran Church newsletter about how their congregation is helping those in
dire need in the Central African Republic. 

How some ministries are working to empower women in Africa

By Christa Kolencik, Publicity Coordinator, Living Word Lutheran Church,
Katy, TX

 

Imagine for a few minutes that you wake up one morning and walk outside to
see what the weather is like. The first thing you notice is the neighborhood
is gone. The trees are gone. The spewing fountains that dot your
neighborhood's lakes are dried up. Brush and sand are in their place. The
heat you feel

even at the beginning of the day is incredible. It's hot. Hot like you just
stepped into a sauna. It's possibly hotter than the hottest day Houston has
on the worst day in August. There is just a big open field. No cars, no
stores, no roads or sidewalks. No schools, no running water, no electricity,
nothing is the same. It's just one big, empty, dried up field.

 

This is what people in the Central African Republic see every day. They
wonder where the water will come from. Who will die of AIDS today? How long
will their children live? If you're a woman, will you have to sell your body
for sex today in order to feed your family? If you haven't felt blessed for
everything you have here in Katy, I hope you do now.

 

This year, the ELCA has been involved in aiding people in CAR, a landlocked
nation in Central Africa, south of Chad and Sudan and north of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is an area slightly smaller than Texas,
and the terrain consists of vast, flat to rolling plateaus. Some of its rich
natural resources include diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil and
hydropower. There are many concerns for the people and economy in CAR. It is
the home to four million people, and since 2003, has been run by rebels who
staged a coup which was one of a series of attempts that have plagued this
country

since the mid-1990's.

 

Also, because of CAR's land-locked topography, the economy is limited by
high transportation costs. At the same time, ivory poaching and smuggling by
corrupt officials, among others, as well as governmentally approved, but
environmentally destructive logging methods have dominated. The lack of
water, desertification, deforestation and animal poaching are the country's
largest environmental concerns. AIDS is disastrous. With 13.84 percent of
the country currently living with HIV/AIDS, one can see that this is a
serious health problem. Life expectancy has declined from 45 to 38 years
old, and more than half the population live in dire poverty.

 

Living Word member Marlene Oldham, who is also involved The Women of Purpose
Bible study, felt compelled and compassion for this struggling nation. She
came in contact with Lutheran missionaries, Pastor Joyce and her husband,
Ian Graue, who are on long-term assignment in CAR. One of the things Pastor
Joyce is working on is building and operating a women's center, called Chez
Marie et Marthe, through the FCC (Femmes Centrafricaines pour Christ, or
Central African Women for Christ), which is the equivalent of our WELCA
(Women of the ELCA).

 

One of several projects in the works is to sponsor a Young Women's
Scholarship program that offers educational, literacy, and leadership skills
opportunities for women. Once Pastor Joyce's work is done, the new director
of the center and secretary/bookkeeper will be chosen from candidates who
graduate from the scholarship program.

 

Besides literacy classes, plans are also in place to give lessons in sewing,
so women can become self-supporting. Because of no local electricity, hand
sewing or treadle sewing machines are needed. Monetary donations are
necessary because they need to be purchased in Yaounde, a city about 18
hours from the center. Living Word is currently collecting donations to help
with this cause.

 

To understand how important it is for these women to have sewing machines,
consider this: most try to support their families with raising and selling
peanuts or prostitution. The average income is under $300 a year. Another
obstacle is getting supplies is the limited or non-existent mail delivery.
There are no shipping ports..Donations for sewing machines and other
supplies will make a tremendous difference in the lives of these young
women. The Rev. David P. Lerseth of the ELCA Office for Global Mission
Support in Chicago, recently was quoted as saying, "Educate a boy and you
educate an individual; educate a girl and you educate a nation."

 

Marlene continues on to help that nation. She's worked with other Living
Word volunteers to assemble, package, and mail kits for midwives in other
parts of Africa. These kits consist of items that African mothers cannot
obtain for their babies, like t-shirts, caps, soap, washcloths, and
receiving blankets. So far this year, over 200 midwife kits were shipped....

 

.The AIDS kits are primarily hygiene products for volunteers in African
primitive villages where they are needed to keep AIDS patients clean and
comfortable, so they can die with dignity. Items typically include a towel,
washcloth, nail clippers, comb, toothbrush and toothpaste, Vaseline ointment
and Band-Aids. Donated prayer booklets include Portals of Prayer and Christ
In Our Home, to be used by the volunteers for prayer and meditation with the
patients.

 

This is a collaborative effort with Global Health Ministries (GHM) located
in Minnesota. GHM is a Lutheran organization that provides medical supplies
and equipment to areas of the world that cannot otherwise get them. Once GHM
receives the supplies, they ship them to Lutheran-supported clinics and
hospitals in Africa.

 

Recently, Living Word's junior and senior high Sunday School students
assembled and packed 100 AIDS hygiene kits. The donations came from Living
Word parishioners, the Women of Purpose, Kroger Charity Share Program and
weekly Sunday School donations. Living Word member and Katy dentist, Dr.
Quentin Andrews, donated the toothbrushes. Suffice it to say Marlene and
many others have done some tremendous work. Marlene says they've just
carried out what Living Word member Marilyn Whilhem began.

 

"She was instrumental in getting the Midwife Kit Ministry started," Marlene
said. Since then, Marilyn has had to slow down a bit due to her health. She
still manages to knit and sew hats and blankets, though. She sewed over 200
blankets for this past shipment of midwife kits. Marlene said Marilyn is a
living example and answer to the question, "Where in the Bible does it say
you can retire?" Marilyn has yet to find a "retirement" passage, so she
presses on.

 

To learn more about this ministry and/or donate to any of the projects,
contact Marlene Oldham at 281-646-0748.

 

What to Do If You Inherit an IRA

 

By John Hunsicker

 

An IRA is trickier to inherit than a savings account or a painting---you
face decisions that will affect your tax bills and your wealth.

 

Cash-out option.  Everyone has the option to cash out an inherited IRA in a
lump sum, but since you'll owe taxes on it all at once, that's seldom a wise
choice.

Spouse option.  If you inherited it from your spouse, things are simpler:
You can make your spouse's IRA your own by rolling it over to a new IRA in
your name or by merging it with your own IRA.  Unlike non-spouse
beneficiaries, you can keep contributing to it.

Options for a non-spouse beneficiary.  If you didn't inherit it from a
spouse, starting December 31 of the year following the death of the original
IRA owner, you can:

*	Establish a beneficiary IRA and take annual distributions based on
your single life expectancy, as calculated from an IRS table, with the
option to take a lump sum at any time.
*	Take no distributions, but cash out of the IRA completely by
December 31 of the fifth year following the IRA owner's death.
*	As a non-spouse, you cannot continue contributions

 

The longer you stretch your distributions over time, the longer you stretch
your tax bill payments, too.  Plus, the more money you leave in the IRA, the
better chance the funds have to grow tax-deferred over time.

 

For help with your Estate Plans, contact me, John Hunsicker at
1-866-542-1349 or email john at lfsw.org.   

 


Cyberbullying: A Growing Online Threat 

ADL Launches New Curriculum

 

 

New York, NY, January 29, 2008 . Amid increasing reports that some youth are
misusing Internet and cell phone technology to bully and harass others, the
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has introduced a free curriculum designed to
help students and teachers recognize and confront cyberbullying.  Described
as intentional harm inflicted through electronic media, cyberbullying is a
growing threat that affects almost half of all U.S. teens.

ADL's new
<http://www.adl.org/education/curriculum_connections/cyberbullying/>
Cyberbullying: Understanding and Addressing Online Cruelty curriculum was
designed by the League's A WORLD OF DIFFERENCER Institute to increase
awareness about the problem and to provide educators with the tools to
empower young people to respond productively to online bullying, social
aggression, and hate.

"Cyberbullying is a serious threat facing young people today, and it can
easily go unnoticed amid the privacy of electronic interactions, while
causing tangible harm in the real world," said Ed S. Alster, ADL's Director
of Education. "While it is difficult to police the online world, given its
vastness and anonymity, the best countermeasure against hate is education.
Our young people need to know about the dangers of cyberbullying and be
equipped with the skills to respond effectively."

The cyberbullying curriculum is part of a nationwide educational initiative
launched by ADL in November 2007, in which the League's anti-bias experts
engage with students, parents and educators to increase awareness about the
problem and help young people respond.

More information about the League's cyberbullying initiative is available at
<http://www.adl.org/education/cyberbullying/>
http://www.adl.org/education/cyberbullying/.

To find out how ADL is working to combat cyberbullying in your local
community, or to speak with an expert, contact ADL Media Relations at
<mailto:adlmedia at adl.org> adlmedia at adl.org.

Gibson Day set for April 8 at Texas Lutheran University 


 

Pre-theological students of Greek, and singers in the Texas Lutheran Choir
of the mid-twentieth century, remember Professor Hugo Gibson.  Math majors
of the same era studied under Professor Georgia Gibson. Texas Lutheran
University and the city of Seguin will honor the Gibsons' contributions with
the unveiling of a Texas State Historical Marker at the distinctively
designed and recently restored Gibson home at 308 S. Erkel in Seguin. The
4:00 pm, April 8, ceremony will precede the Gibson Memorial Concert of the
TLU Concert Choir at Jackson Auditorium at 7:30 pm.   No tickets or
reservations are needed.  For more information contact TLU Archivist, Luther
Oelke at 830-372-8021 or loelke at tlu.edu.

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark Your Calendar for a Visit from Salvadorian Bishop Medardo Gomez

 

Plans are in the works to welcome Bishop Medardo Gomez to Houston this
Spring. The date for pastors, rostered leaders and other synod folks to meet
Bishop Gomez has not completely been finalized yet, but Wednesday, April 16
is very likely. Mark your calendar to hear about the ministry of the
Lutheran Church in this ravaged area of Central America.

 

Synod Assembly 2008 - Clarifying a New Vision! 

 

A compelling vision imagines that God is moving and making possible, through
the Gospel, what we never thought could happen!  Think about it:

 

Throughout the Old and New Testament God's people have encountered visions
that have pushed them to think bigger than they would have preferred. It's
almost as though God is always dragging us forward, stretching us to be more
than we know we can be, challenging us to risk beyond our control, resources
and experiences. When you think about it, God is constantly trying to get
people of faith to invite more people in, to share the good news and to push
the boundaries of common understandings. Sari and Abram were laughing at the
idea of becoming parents in their old age and God used them as the parents
of a whole nation. Joseph had childish dreams that God ultimately used to
feed the hungry and heal his family. Peter's vision blows open his
imagination about right and wrong, about clean and unclean, even expanding
Peter's relationship with people he would have usually avoided!  

 

What is God doing with us?

 

This year our synod assembly will minimize the business and reporting to
take up this partnership with God. Imagine... more than our assembly theme.
It is also a call to each of us.  

 

*	Imagine a church with the same demographics as our neighborhoods.  
*	Imagine a congregation that is focused outward at the risk of their
buildings and making people mad because it is so caught up in God's vision.

*	Imagine the hope of the Gospel unleashed by our congregations in the
world.  

 

We have gathered a Vision Team to listen to the Spirit moving and guide the
process. We are inviting pastors and professional leadership to make a real
commitment to this visioning process. We are also looking to the synod
assembly to affirm and validate this new thing.  

 

Please pray for our Vision Team, the upcoming Synod Assembly and this
visionary journey, as we, like others before us, go in faith, trusting that
God will lead the way.

 

The Vision Team:

Dr. Roland Martinson, Coach

Bishop Mike Rinehart

Rev. Anton Kern

Rev. Blair Lundborg

Rev. Barb Bartling 

Rev.  Don Carlson

Rev. Herb Palmer

Rev. Javier Alanis

Evan Moilan

Mandy Faucett

Pam Tamburello

Peggy Hahn

 

 

Bookkeeper Position Available with Gulf Coast Synod Office

 

The TX-LA Gulf Coast Synod Office is looking for a part-time (20 hours a
week) Bookkeeper/Accounting Clerk with the following qualifications:

 

*         3-5 years 

*         Ability experience

*         Knowledgeable in AR/AP

*         Highly organized and attention to detail

*         Prior experience as full charge bookkeeper

*         Good written and oral communication skills

*         Knowledge of Windows based PC Operating System

*         Proficient in Microsoft Word & Excelto work in a multi-task
environment

Duties:

 

*         Maintain a complete and systematic set of records of all financial
transactions of the Synod

*         Record detail of Synod financial transactions in appropriate
journals and ledgers

*         Summarize and balance entries recorded in individual journals and
ledgers and transfer date to general ledgers

*         Prepare monthly statements of income, expense, cash balances and
fund balances

*         Maintain detail transaction register of all restricted and
dedicated funds

*         Prepare for and coordinate the annual audit of the financial
accounts and records of the synod

*         Maintain regular communication with the Synod Treasurer

*         Other duties as assigned by the Bishop of the synod and/or the
Administrative Assistant to the Bishop of the Synod

Please send your resume to Reyna Pereira, Administrative Assistant at 12707
North Freeway, Ste. 580, Houston, TX 77060 or e-mail
reyna at gulfcoastsynod.org or fax it to 281/875-4716.

 

 

$33,697 Received for Synod from LFSW

 

It is with great joy that the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod received a
letter and check of over $33,687 for ministry in our synod from the Lutheran
Foundation of the Southwest. We are thankful for the Lutheran Foundation of
the Southwest and those who choose to invest there. Thank you for your
partnership in ministry. 

 

97 Chairs, Cabinet Available from Grace, N.O. 

 

Grace, New Orleans, has 97 used folding chairs, a horizontal 3 drawer file
cabinet, and a couple fairly new vertical 3 drawer file cabinets available
for free.  No strings attached, you just need to come pick them up.

 

If you have a need for these items, or know of any non-profit organization
that could use them, please contact either Caitlin Moen
(coordinator at gracenola.com) or me at 504-482-5994.

 

Ecumenical Advocacy Days, March 7-10

 

What is Ecumenical Advocacy Days?

 

The 2008 Ecumenical Advocacy Days theme, '2008: Claiming A Vision of True
Security' promises to inspire an expected gathering of over 1,000 religious
advocates from a wide array of Christian communions. Experts will train
participants how to do advocacy and inform them of U.S. domestic and
international policies that focus on a movement toward a new vision of true
human security -- one which seeks not only the absence of tension, but the
presence of justice (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.). The 2008 Ecumenical
Advocacy Days will culminate with lobby visits on Monday calling upon our
government to conceive new visions of security in our homes, our
neighborhoods and our world. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and
Lutheran World Relief are among the sponsors of this event.

 

March 7-10, 2008

Hilton Alexandria Mark Center Hotel 

5000 Seminary Road

Alexandria, VA 22311

 

Registration is now available for Ecumenical Advocacy Days, to be held March
7-10, 2008, in Washington, D.C. Scholarships will be available for young
adults (applications due Feb. 7): www.advocacydays.org/yadults/ 

 

Register now: www.advocacydays.org 

 

 

Thank You Received

 

Dear Bishop Rinehart and the members of the Candidacy Committee,

 

I want to thank you all very much for your generous scholarship for my
seminary studies for the spring 2008 semester. This gift will be a
tremendous help as I prepare for ordained ministry.  I am always thankful
for the support of all of my brothers and sisters in Christ in the synod
through this process.  I feel truly blessed, and I am very grateful for your
prayers and support as I continue on my faith journey.

 

Thank you again for this incredible gift!

 

+ peace and joy,

Sandra Barnes, AiM

 

New "Taking Faith Home" Bulletin Inserts Available

 

Looking for a way to link Sunday worship with family faith formation Monday
to Saturday?  Wish you could help your congregation's members and guests go
deeper into Scripture every week?  

You will want to try Taking Faith Home, a weekly bulletin insert based on
the Four Keys - print ready, professionally designed, written by Pastor Greg
Priebbenow of Australia . now at a special price!

 

>From now through March 15th we can offer the weekly subscription to Taking
Faith Home for the discounted price of $37.50* per year...that's just 72
cents a week.  A great value!  Regular price is $49.95. Offer deadline:
March 15.

 

*in order to take advantage of this offer we must collect commitments from a
minimum of 75 congregations by March 15, 2008

 

To take advantage of this offer just email yfm at gulfcoastsynod.org with the
following info:

 

Contact Name

Congregation

Congregation Address

Congregation phone

Email address you want the inserts to be sent to on the 15th of each month

Do you still want the subscription at its regular price of $49.95/year, if
the target subscription total is not met?

 

 



 

 Please do not send postings or comments to this list.
Its sole purpose is to distribute this newsletter.

Copyright C2007

TX-LA Gulf Coast Synod, ELCA

12707 North Freeway, Suite 580

Houston, TX  77060

Voice: 281-873-5665

Fax: 281-875-4716

Website: www.gulfcoastsynod.org

All rights reserved.

 

 

In this Issue:

Click on a link to go.

Bishop <>  Mike Rinehart: Border-Crossing Church

Houston <>  Pastors Take Trip to New Orleans

Pastor <>  Joe Summerville Elected Cabinet of Deans Chair

Companion <>  Synod Trip to Central African Republic

John <>  Hunsicker: What to Do If You Inherit an IRA

Cyberbullying, <>  A Growing Online Threat, ADL Launches New Curriculum

Gibson <>  Day Set for April 8 at TLU

Visit from Salvadorian Bishop Medardo Gomez <> 

Synod <>  Assembly 2008

Bookkeeper <>  Position Available with Synod Office

$33,697 <>  Received for Synod from LSFW

97 <>  Chairs, Cabinet Available from Grace, New Orleans

Ecumenical <>  Advocacy Days, March 7-10

New  <> Taking Faith Home Bulletin Inserts Available

 

Connections Deadline 

Connections goes out monthly the first week of the month. If you have an
article for the March issue, please submit it by February 25 . Send articles
to Susan Rinehart at rinehart at shawus.com.

Links:

In order to better connect ourselves with the prayer needs of our synod, a
new Prayer Request site <http://www.gulfcoastsynod.org/prayer_request.htm>
has been created. You may enter information and read the requests of others
at this site. 

Congregations in <http://www.gulfcoastsynod.org/call_process.htm>
Transition

Mission Support <http://www.gulfcoastsynod.org/mission_support.htm>
Information

Synod Web Site -

www.gulfcoastsynod.org

 

Youth & Family Ministry www.soggyshoes.org

 

Disaster Relief Web Site 

www.futurewithhope.org

 

Churchwide Web Site

www.elca.org

 

ELCA Global Missions

www.elca.org/GlobalMission

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

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