Being at the Synod Assembly on May 12-13 with Pastor Summer and Rich Schumann was a fun, enlightening, and blessed event. I don’t know that there is another place where the music of the worship experiences is better than when 358 Lutheran voices all join together in the many hymns—strong, passionate, and many times, in multiple harmonies. What a witness to the staff and other guests at the Westin in the Forrestal Center!
While there were the usual acknowledgements of pastors who reached milestones in their careers, retired or died, there were also the recognitions of congregational anniversaries. It is a good thing to see other congregations still going strong! On Friday night, there was a presentation of the Lutheran Church throughout the years and I was pleased to do a reading that included the growth of the early church in this country, specifically mentioning the impact and influence of Zion’s beginning years.
Reverend Brenda Smith joined us as the ELCA Church-wide Representative and gave a meaningful sermon, but the most fun presentation of all had to be Cross Roads Camp and Retreat Center—just ask Pastor how to sing and do the movements to “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean”. However, besides the amusing song, they showed a video of the camp that really touched on the many ministries there as well as the faith formation that grows in the youth who attend summer camp. The testimonials given by the young campers themselves really explained the value of not only going to camp, but to a Christian camp. This is where many of our future church leaders are coming from! We truly have a gem in Cross Roads and it is right in our own backyard. We need to encourage our kids to go there for summer camp. I know that mine went and still have great memories about the time they spent there. I brought back lots of literature that you can find in the church and CEB. It’s not too late to sign up for this year!!
As usual, there were workshops to attend. One was on Martin Luther and the Reformation, but specifically regarding the impact of economic and social justice, was very unique. We got books if anyone is interested in learning more! There was also a workshop on Deeping Our Discipleship and one filled with data on Congregational Vitality. We made sure that, between us, we hit every workshop.
Of course, there was business to attend to and reports to hear. I would like to say it was all-uplifting, but there is a real concern on the sustainability of the Synod. It did make me very proud to be from Zion when I reviewed the synodical annual commitments of the 167 congregations. While we are not one of the largest in the number of members, we are #8 in giving. It is a real testament to the mission focus we hold. I was very sad to see that way too many congregations give very little and that there were 72 congregations that did not even pledge an amount to the Synod this year!
So, pray for our Bishop, our Leaders and our Synod as they continue on with our work and mission. Through our Synod, accomplishments in 2016 include:
* five new ministries
* donated $187,000 to Lutheran Disaster Relief
* donated $574,000 to Lutheran World Hunger
* donated $998,000 to the ELCA
* donated $2.5 million to scholarships for 250 seminarians
There is much to be proud of and much to be grateful for. We need to continue to do God’s work with our hands---and we, at Zion, are committed to doing just that.
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