Classifieds (EL08-14) Feb. 29, 2008

We're still working on getting a new system in place for The E-Letter. Thanks for your patience and prayers!

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Please notify Linda Lovell when the position is filled, object donated, etc.

Position available: First Lutheran Church, Ellicott City, Md., will be opening a new preschool in 2008. The Preschool Task Force will be holding interviews for a part-time preschool teacher. If interested, please check out the job description under "preschool staff" found on the church website. Resumes may be sent via e-mail to Director of Christian Education Jenny James. Ad expires 03-10-08

Position available: Zion Lutheran Church, Middletown, Md., is seeking a fulltime youth director to plan/develop programs for youth and families. Send resume to Personnel Committee, Zion Lutheran Church, 107 W. Main Street, Middletown, MD 21769. Job description available by calling church office, (301)371-6500. For questions, contact Pr. Kathy Hoffman or Nancy Gordon. Ad expires 03-11-08

Musician available: Lutheran church musician with over 15 years' experience available for position in Baltimore metro area. Excellent piano and keyboard skills, contemporary and traditional worship experience. Contact Bob Hunter. Ad expires 03-11-08

Position available: Zion Church of the City of Baltimore is seeking applicants for the position of part-time bookkeeper. 10-15 hrs/week (must be during work week business hours). Knowledge of Quickbooks and Microsoft Office required. Principal duties include processing offering; special gifts; preparing deposits; bill payments and payroll processing; maintaining books and filing financial support documents. Competitive hourly compensation. Submit resume with references to zionbaltimore@verizon.net or to Zion Church, 400 E. Lexington St., Baltimore, MD 21202. Ad expires 03-18-08

Materials sought: The Community of St. Dysmas, the ELCA congregation behind the walls of the Maryland correctional system, is grateful for the donation of copies they've received of the Lutheran Book of Worship and With One Voice. Is there a congregation which might have a copy to donate of the organist edition for each? Please contact Viola Noffsinger or the St. Dysmas office. Ad expires 03-18-08

Position available: Administrative assistant, part time (45 hours per month), for Lutheran Campus Ministry at University of Delaware. Duties will include but are not limited to: answering telephone, organizing mail, filing, organizing and updating communication lists, acknowledging receipt of contributions. Excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as computer skills required. Email resume to Pr. Bruce Heggen. Ad expires 03-29-08

Position available: Abiding Savior Lutheran Church is looking for an office manager. We are a multi-ethnic/multicultural church in Columbia, Md., looking for someone to work in and manage the office for approximately 12 hours per week. Please call Pr. Chad Kline, (410)997-8770, for position description/details and salary information. Ad expires 04-07-08

Position available: Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries, in partnership with Lutheran Disaster Response, is seeking to hire a part-time Coordinator of Disaster Preparedness and Response for the synod territory. This position is for 20 hours a week for a minimum of one year. If you or someone you know might be interested, please contact Pr. Cindy Camp, Diakon's Director of Disaster Response Ministries, (610)573-0981. Ad expires 04-07-08

To donate: Canon D880 laser copier/faxmachine. 2 1/2 years old in excellent condition. Contact the Synod Treasurer, Mick Thistle for more information and to arrange transfer. Ad expires 04-07-08

Position available: New Hope Lutheran Church, Columbia, Md., is searching for a half-time Family Ministry Coordinator. Inquirers should have an understanding of and appreciation for Lutheran tradition, theology and practice. The FM Coordinator will oversee and coordinate the family ministries of the congregation, working with pastoral/professional staff and lay leaders. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university in religion, educations, social sciences or related is preferred. Certification is preferred but not required (AIM, Youth Ministry, Family Ministry, etc.). Send your request for full job description and/or your application (electronic, please) with vita to: info@newhopelutheran.org, attention Kim Kroll. Ad expires 04-28-08

Position available: The Urbana mission campus of Evangelical Church, Frederick, Md., is looking for a part-time youth leader who loves God, enjoys teaching and spending time with youth of all ages, particularly teenagers, and wants to share in the mission work in Southern Frederick County. If you are interested in this opportunity or know someone who is, please contact Pr. Dave Albertson, (301)663.6361, x116. To be considered for the job, send a resume and letter, including references, to Pr. Dave no later than March 10. Ad expires 04-28-08

Musician available: Musician seeks part-time position as church musician in Delaware or Maryland - organ, adult choir, handbell choir, and work with instrumentalists. Plays piano for "blended" worship but definitely more traditional than contemporary. For contact info, e-mail Linda Lovell. Ad expires 04-28-08

Positions available: Financial Representative, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Do more than make a living...make an impact. Join our Fortune 500 organization and help Lutherans achieve their financial goals...and we'll help you achieve yours! Contact Lauren Werley-Wolf at (443)292-8522 or visit thrivent.com/careers for more information. Ad expires 04-29-08

SA registration open (EL08-13) - Feb. 18, 2008

The E-Letter

Feb. 18, 2008 - No. 13X via blog

We're continuing to use the blog in lieu of the E-Letter until we can get a new list-serv up and running. Please spread the word that this is the procedure. Subscribe to the blog by typing your e-mail address in the yellowish block to the right, then follow through on the procedure described. Note that you must click the link in the e-mail you'll receive in order to complete the subscription - this is a protection for you as well as for the system.


+ Online registration for Synod Assembly open
+ Register now for 'Opening Windows, Opening Doors' council training events
+ Are you reading the online Lenten devotions?
+ Watch for draft of next ELCA social statement
+ Bishop to convene three hearings on ELCA social statement draft
+ Circles of prayer


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Online registration for Synod Assembly open

For the first time ever, you're able to register and pay for the DE-MD Synod Assembly online! In fact, congregations may register and pay as a group, greatly simplifying the process. Visitors also may register online. This year, you'll also be registering and paying for meals at the same time as you register for the assembly, as well as registering for child care. It's safe, it's secure, and it's simple. Just go to the DE-MD Synod website and look for the link on the front page. Questions? Event Planner Linda Chinnia, (410)230-2860, (800)869-5492.

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Register now for 'Opening Windows, Opening Doors'

council training events

While you're on the front page of the synod website, you'll also want to be sure to download and print the information/registration brochure for "Opening Windows, Opening Doors: Exploring Fresh Ideas for Congregation Councils." Five identical events are set at various places around the synod between April and November to make it as easy as possible for your congregation council and other church leaders to attend as a group. The requested donation is only $5, and young adults, ages 18-30, are free.

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Are you reading the online Lenten devotions?

Be sure to check out this year's Lenten devotions, again written by volunteers from the Delaware-Maryland Synod and our ELCA Partner Synod, Northern Great Lakes. Look for the link from the synod website on the front page, or go directly to the devotions website, LentDevotions.org. (Note: It's LentDevotions, not LentenDevotions.) For unknown reasons, the blog set up to provide daily reminders and links is not working this year. Watch for it to return for next year's devotions.

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Watch for draft of next ELCA social statement

The draft of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) proposed social statement on human sexuality will be available March 13. Find everything you need to know on the ELCA website page devoted to Journey Together Faithfully.

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Bishop to convene three hearings on ELCA social statement draft

Bishop Jerry Knoche will convene three hearings on the draft of the proposed ELCA statement on human sexuality. All are invited to attend the location and date most convenient. Beverages and light refreshments will be available. For information, contact A2B Ginny Price, (410)230-2860, (800)869-5492. The hearings are scheduled for:

Sat., Apr. 26. 9:30-11:30 a.m.
St. Paul Lutheran Church, 24 E. Baltimore St., Funkstown, MD 21734

Weds., Apr. 30. 7-9 p.m.
St. Stephen Lutheran Church (Arbutus), 901 Courtney Rd., Baltimore, MD 21227

Sat., May 10. 9:30-11:30 a.m.
St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, 425 N. DuPont Hwy., Dover, DE 19901

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Circles of prayer

(Due to the public nature of the blog, these announcements will be limited.)

We surround with our love and prayers two of our parsonage families who have experienced loss recently.

…the family of Reynold Greenstone, father of Pr. Jon Greenstone (Elias Church, Emmitsburg, Md.), who died Feb. 7. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family in case of Pr. Jon Greenstone, P.O. Box 465, Emmitsburg, MD 21727-0465.

…the family of Edna Hudson, mother of Pr. Lee Hudson (Messiah Church, Canton, Baltimore), who, after a lengthy illness, died peacefully at the age of 88 on Mon., Feb. 11. The funeral will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on Mar. 7 at 1:30 p.m. The family suggests memorial contributions to the American Heart Association or to a cause of your choice. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family in care of Pr. Lee Hudson, Messiah English Lutheran Church, 1025 S. Potomac St., Baltimore, MD 21224-4920.

In lieu of The E-Letter...

(Posted by Linda Lovell)
At the suggestion of webmaster Carl Myers, I'm going to try to use the blog in a minimalistic kind of way until we can get The E-Letter up and running again. Please spread the word as you're able...


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Synod e-mail addresses working again

The E-Letter may still be down for the count, but at least the staff e-mail addresses are working again! You can once again reach the synod staff by addressing e-mail to FirstInitialLastName@DeMdSynod.org. For Linda Lovell, please use LNLovell57@gmail.com. Thanks.


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Bishop Hanson calls for prayer

ELCA Bishop Mark Hanson has issued a statement asking all ELCA members to pray for peace and reconciliation in Kenya. Please share his statemen with other members of your congregation.


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Register now for 'Opening Windows, Opening Doors'

All congregational leaders, but especially members of your congregation council, are encouraged to attend one of the five upcoming training days called "Opening Windows, Opening Doors: Fresh Ideas for Congregation Councils." The cost is minimal - $5 requested donation - and young adults, ages 18-30, are invited to attend for free. The point is to get large groups from each congregation to attend together. To be sent a pdf file to download and print, including all the details, what to bring, and a group registration form, click here. Please indicate in the subject line of your e-mail that you're requesting the Opening Windows, Opening Doors registration brochure.


April 12, 2008
Christ Lutheran Church, LaVale, Md.
Registration deadline: April 5

May 3, 2008
St. John Lutheran Church, Parkville, Md.
Registration deadline: April 26

September 13, 2008
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Frederick, Md.
Registration deadline: Sept. 6

October 4, 2008
Hope Lutheran Church, New Castle, Del.
Registration deadline: Sept. 27

November 1, 2008
Reformation Lutheran Church, Milford, Del.
Registration deadline: Oct. 25

Check your church voice mail today

(Posted by Linda Lovell)

Here's a question for all good Lutherans today: What's currently on your church answering machine or voice mail system? Today is a good time to call (once the church office closes) and listen. Try to listen as if you were someone planning to visit for the first time. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you listen.

+ Does the message include the church name, location and website address?
+ Is the message presented slowly enough that someone could write down information?
+ Is the information about worship services and events current?
+ Is the message clear, concise and friendly?
+ What overall impression of the congregation was created by your encounter with the voice mail system/answering machine? Is that the impression you want to convey?
+ How could your answering machine encounter have been improved?

A true, cautionary tale about church answering machines: Once upon a Saturday, Lutherans visiting from another state called a congregation and listened carefully to the phone message, which listed several worship opportunities. The next day, the visitors showed up at one of the appointed hours only to discover that the service they selected had been cancelled for the summer.

Make that call today, folks! As you saw in the story above, people do listen to what's on the church voice mail/answering machine and assume that the info is accurate. Keep your info current, especially as Advent progresses. Once you've advertised an event in the local newspaper, be sure that your answering machine message reflects that event information.

Why ELCA Lutherans Care About MD's Deficit

Posted by Pr. Lee Hudson, director of LOPP/MD
ELCA Lutherans have an interest in Maryland covering its structural deficit. Why? Last August the ELCA biennial assembly adopted a new social statement on education (“Our Calling in Education,” 2007). As every statement now does, this one has goals for ELCA advocacy at the federal and state levels. It turns out these goals are timely for Maryland’s special session. Two of the statement’s implementing resolutions say-
12} To call upon this church’s advocacy ministries to support legislative initiatives that improve public schools and ensure excellent education for all students in ways that are consistent with this social statement and support financial aid and tuition policies that provide more equitable access to higher education for low- and middle-income students;
13} To call upon this church’s advocacy ministry to support legislative initiatives that ensure adequate funding and support for students with disabilities.
Maryland’s plan to meet all three benchmarks (ensuring excellent public education, equitable access to higher education, and adequate funding for special education) has resulted in the so-called structural deficit. The “Bridge to Excellence” plan, known by the name of the State commission that proposed it, Thornton, has caused Maryland’s deficit.
It’s worth remembering how the State came to Thornton now that many want to abandon or revise it. The motivation came when several of Maryland’s subdivisions prepared to take the State to court over equitable education funding. Some school districts were spending twice the amount on their students as others were able to do. Since the State is constitutionally mandated to provide for public education, funding equity is a State, not a jurisdictional issue.
In other states where similar suits had been brought courts imposed financial settlements to equalize education funding. Maryland quickly decided it didn’t want that to happen here. One reason is that well-financed school systems like Montgomery and Howard counties stood to lose hundreds of millions in state dollars for education to a court settlement. If the courts simply equalized the funding per student there were going to be big losers as well as winners.
And so there was Thornton, a complex multi-year plan to increase State education funding without harming the jurisdictions and accounting for different cost indices, disabled students, and a host of other details. One key element, now being discarded, accounts for inflation so that the equalization process wouldn’t flatten out again over time.
When Thornton passed in 2002 nearly everyone thought it was a great deal. Few were prepared to finance it, however. Regular revenue growth kept Thornton nearly on schedule until now. When Governor O’Malley says he inherited this problem he is absolutely right. A revenue-day-of-reckoning resulting from Thornton was always known to be coming this year or next. When the real estate market sagged and revenue from property taxes went flat, it was this year.
The State also made commitments to provide affordable higher educations at its public institutions for Maryland school graduates, albeit more informally than Thornton. The business community, now opposed to covering the structural deficit, expects affordable higher ed as a public good in the form of workforce development. Over the years Maryland’s done a good job keeping excellent (in the language of the ELCA social statement) higher education available to Maryland students, with beneficial results. Our highly educated workforce is one reason we’re the wealthiest state in the U.S.
Now it appears the political will to maintain these public commitments is evaporating. We can have lower taxes than some other states. But it will cost something in the tangible public commodity of the workforce and in the equal opportunity necessary for a just social arrangement. The specter of lawsuits reappearing is also not beyond the realm of possibility.
ELCA Lutherans serve our neighbors through our civic relationships. We’re now called to advocate for equal access to excellent education. LOPP/MD’s nuanced positions were developed by the board early last summer; adequate public revenues, progressively raised, and opposition to gambling.
When fully operational, in six years according to the State’s analysis, slots are expected to gross $1.3 billion a year. That’s the “take,” meaning what gamblers lose. To reach that level $13 billion a year must be wagered, to give you some sense of the scale of what’s proposed. Maybe the State gets $650 million of that, an inefficient revenue instrument if ever there was one. The “take” doesn’t account for the costs of hosting and in slots states most of the losses come from people within a few miles of the facilities. Baltimore and Laurel disproportionately will pay for that excellent education. That’s an unfair deal all around.

Youth & Family Workers Breakfast posted by Pastor Ginny Price

I received this as an email from Terri Evers at St. Michael on Belair Road. It was too good not to pass on to others.

I just wanted to remind you that the upcoming Family & Youthworker Networking Breakfast will be next Thursday, November 8th at 9:30- 11:00 A.M. at Panera Bread at 6302 York Road, Baltimore (Just south of Towson University.) Typically we meet the second Thursday of the month.)

The topic will be " Developing Youth Leaders in our Youth Groups." Please feel free to bring ideas, games, activities .

Also feel free to pass this invitation to others that have be interested in the topic.

FreeRide 07

Posted by Cindy Ranker, member of the Events Team, Synod Youth and Family Ministry.

Last week end (October 19-21) over 130 middle school youth, their advisors and staff gathered at beautiful Camp Letts for fun and learning centered around the theme "We Are All One - One In Christ." It was time once again for the synod's annual middle school retreat.

The weather was perfect and the setting along the water was wonderful!




Seminarian Brian Spahr was an awesome musician and got the kids and adults singing and dancing during large group time.




There were all sorts of things to do on Saturday afternoon. Some took time to canoe.





Eighth graders were able to enjoy the high ropes course.



Part of Saturday afternoon was also spent unpacking Lutheran World Relief Health Kits and repacking them without the toothpaste (remember, there was some trouble with tainted toothpaste from China). The youth were diligent in their work and repackaged an amazing 505 kits!



Finally, on Sunday morning we all gathered for a worship service that began outside, worked it's way by the water (reminding us of our baptism) and ended up inside.





Thank you to all who made it possible for the youth from 18 different churches of the synod to have such a meaningful week end, especially musician Brian Spahr, our chaplain Rev. Jeff Corson and the small group leaders. We hope to see you next year at FreeRide 08!