Frantic Friday...

Well, I've been trying since 11:30 this morning to post some photos and update you on the many, many things that have happened at Eisenhower since the gavel landed at 8 a.m. You can see how far I got! (See this morning's E-Letter for a report of assembly actions and elections.)

And at this hour (10:10 p.m.), neither my rotator cuff nor my fried brain can do much more than upload some photos and let you simply appreciate them. Look for some specifics tomorrow (I hope). The photos in this upload were all taken by Pr. Michael Guy, St. Philip's Lutheran Church, Baltimore.

Thursday comes to a close

The plenary hall is empty now, except for a little stuffed teddy bear with a Luther rose emblazoned on its tummy, sitting about three rows in front of me on the center aisle. Though today wasn't a full day in hourly terms, with the business session proper beginning only at 6:15 p.m., it was more than a full day for over 400 voting members and visitors who've already waited in various lines to register for the assembly, meal tickets, name badges, and packets. The longest line at one point formed at the hotel registration desk, but the generally good-natured air around the Eisenhower Center was evident even there.

By the time the voting member orientation and the budget hearing were finished, Bishop Jerry Knoche began his Bible study to an almost-full house with a reading of the familiar Parable of the Good Samaritan. His intent in leading the Bible study himself was to encourage all congregations to increase the number of Bible studies they offer and to provide a model for doing so. After asking a series of questions like " With whom do you identify in the text?", the bishop talked about his own experience in the eighth grade, discovering the relevance of the Psalms to his own life. " People need to be able to find 'my story' in the Bible today," he said. As part of the Bible study, he encouraged people to divide into groups with people they didn't know to further discuss the questions he'd presented. When the large group reconvened and the bishop offered people a chance to come to the floor mikes to ask questions, many people took advantage of the opportunity, which seemed to break the ice and encourage people to be active participants throughout the formal business session.

Our first on-site dinner proved an interesting one, as folks chose from any number of venues in the two buildings of the Eisenhower Center. Personally, I opted for the area around the indoor pool, where assembly-goers relaxed amid the greenery and retrieved that hallmark Lutheran beverage (coffee) from the tiki hut.

The opening gavel came down within a minute or two of the 6:15 p.m. scheduled starting time, even though folks milled around for a while, greeting one another and finding seats. They settled down quickly, though, when someone went to the floor mikes almost immediately to propose a change in the assembly rules of procedure. The proposal would have eliminated language that, in essence, forces anyone who proposes from the floor of the assembly an increase in the synod budget to also indicate where that money would come from elsewhere in the budget. After a series of speakers on both sides, the proposal was defeated by a vote of 202 to 95.

As is typical of opening days of events like this, the bishop introduced a series of guests who either waved from their seats or made brief remarks. Pr. Bob Lowden, on behalf of the synod's Africa Task Force, took that opportunity to present the synod with a gift from our Companion Synod, a carved ebony map of Mara Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania.

Pr. Bill Lundgren, on behalf of the Community of St. Dysmas, a Lutheran congregation behind prison walls in the Maryland Correctional System, presented the bishop with a check for $300 for the Lutheran Adolescent Drug Recovery School in honor of the bishop's 40th ordination anniversary. Bill pointed out that this was an "inside out" offering that caught the imagination of the inmates, who looked at this as an opportunity to give something back to the synod in gratitude for the synod's support for so many years. The gift is especially meaningful because the average inmate earns 98 cents a day.

The budget presentation again elicited considerable discussion, especially when Pr. Dick Goodlin, on behalf of the Budget Development Committee, presented the reality of the synod budget: the salary pool for staff needed to be reduced by $32,000, meaning that some reconfiguration of synod staff is necessary for 2008. Even with that decrease, the budget still reflects cuts in mission team spending to below 2005 levels.

Pr. Fred Melton, on behalf of the Nominating Committee, presented the nominees for office, including two for vice president: incumbent Donna Kent (Immanuel Church, Manchester, Md.) and Yolanda Tanner (St. Philip Church, Baltimore). Each woman spoke briefly before the first ballot was taken. The office of treasurer is also up for election, with incumbent Mick Thistle (St. Martin Church, Annapolis, Md.) and Jim Summers (St. Paul Church, Jefferson, Md.) vying for the post.

Stay tuned for results of the first ballot tomorrow. The opening gavel drops at the eyeball-busting hour of 8 a.m., with a welcome to pastors and lay rostered ministers new to the synod. (Thanks to Pr. Carl Myers for the photo of Bishop Knoche reading the Bible.)

Let the games begin!

The nametags are flapping, the staff is scurrying, the voting members are nesting at their tables in the plenary hall, and the podiums are full…and all this before the opening gavel even sounds! The Eisenhower Center is jumping as the 2007 Delaware-Maryland Synod Assembly prepares to begin tonight after dinner. Voting members and visitors have been gathering since early this morning, and you'll be glad to know that worship patterns hold true: everyone heads for the last row in the wide hall.

So far, Bishop Knoche and Vice President Donna Kent (Immanuel Church, Manchester, Md.) have led an orientation for new voting members, aided by brief presentations from the assistant to the bishops, the chairpersons of the Committee for Reference and Counsel (Yolanda Tanner, St. Philip Church, Baltimore) and Committee on Memorials (Pr. Don Burggraf, First English, Baltimore), and Ann Iona Warner, assembly parliamentarian. We've now moved on to the budget hearings, led primarily by Pr. Dick Goodlin (St. Stephen Church, Arbutus, Md.), chair of the synod's Budget Development Committee. The discussion about the proposed cut of a half staff position is continuing, with voting members showing more interest in the budget than I can remember in recent years. A voting member just came to a floor mike to point out that, when figures are adjusted for inflation, the synod budget has actually decreased 24% from 2000 to 2008.

If you read yesterday's blog, you noticed that I had some problems placing photos in text. I'm going to cop out today and simply upload some photos.

Greetings from Gettysburg and the Synod Assembly!

Greetings from the Eisenhower Center at Gettysburg! The Tech Table is officially up and running for the 2007 Synod Assembly, even as the folks from AVGroup, Frederick, continue to work on the big screen projectors for the plenary session.
Things were going swimmingly - right up until a point 15 minutes ago when one of the staff from Ike was diligently vacuuming around the dais. Naturally, it blew a circuit breaker, taking out an assortment of lights and both main projectors. We're just getting them fired back up and have made arrangements to coordinate any future housecleaning with our absence. Be sure to note the miles of gaffers tape being laid, and it all has to come back up again on Saturday.




That's pretty typical of the "day before" proceedings at a big event like this. You always know when Ellen Spies is here: her "Maxine" sign is already in place at her table in the registration area. Ellen and Stef Spies, aided by Nancy Stroh and Amy Purdy of St. Paul Church (Curtis Bay), Baltimore, are doing the preliminary set up for registration before the hordes of volunteers arrive tomorrow, while Jennifer Baxter sets up the on-site synod office. Holly Crispell and I are here in what will be the plenary hall, going over scripts, PowerPoints, and the assortment of other items to be projected over the course of the assembly.


Meanwhile, over in Eisenhower II, just across the breezeway, the worship planning team are overseeing the placement of all the equipment and liturgical decorations in their large area. It's pretty amazing, actually.
Each time I wander back over there, usually in search of one of the many technician helping us set up, I see another piece of the woship space in place. Most recently - though I didn't have my camera with me on that trip - a magnificent baptismal shell had appeared in the middle of the room





Meanwhile, out in the parking lot where the temperature is climbing rather steadily, the plant man is assembling palm fronds even as a I type. You'd be amazed at how many palm trees it takes to turn an empty room into a place for worship! If you're coming to the assembly, do drop by the Tech Table at the back of the plenary hall and say hello. If you're not coming, check back to the blog as we upload pix and reports daily.

Photo Album from Bishop Knoche's Ordination Anniversary

About 200 people braved the torrential rains on Sunday, June 3, to surprise Delaware-Maryland Synod Bishop Jerry Knoche on the 40th anniversary of his ordination...and surprise him they did. When he first entered the sanctuary of St. Michael Lutheran Church, Perry Hall, Md., he reportedly turned to host pastor John Mohan to ask, "What's this?", despite loud shouts of "Surprise, Bishop Knoche!" from the crowd.

The view from the choir loft revealed a crowded nave as the procession concluded. The few remaining seats were filled by folks who'd been caught in traffic delays as the rain continued to pour down.

Two of the synod's choirs joined together to offer special worship music. In red are choir members from Faith Lutheran Church, North Ave., Baltimore. St. Michael's choir members are in blue.

Throughout the Service of the Eucharist, several guests shared words of celebration with worshipers. For instance, Mr. Chris Phillips represented the Lutheran Adolescent Rehabilitation School Launch Team, on which he serves. The school will be the recipient of the many donations in honor of the bishop's ordination anniversary. As of Monday afternoon, more than $22,000 had been received between advance donations and the service offering. (If you were unable to attend but would like to contribute, please send your check, payable to Delaware-Maryland Synod, with Rehabilitation School on the memo line, to Bishop's Celebration, Delaware-Maryland Synod, 700 Light St., Baltimore, MD 21230-3850.)

From the choir loft at the back of the large sanctuary, trumpeter David Roberts added to the festive worship music.

Among several ecumenical guests sharing words of celebration during the worship service was the Rt. Rev. John L. Rabb, bishop-in-charge of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.

The Rev. Elizabeth Platz, Lutheran campus pastor at the University of Maryland, College Park, presided. To close the service, she led worshipers in blessing Bishop Knoche. In turn, Bishop Knoche blessed the congregation.

Once worship was over, the large crowd adjourned to the church's nearby Fellowship Hall for a reception. An impromptu receiving line formed at the door before people made a beeline for various refreshment stations.

As part of the festivities, Synod Vice President Donna Kent (Immanuel Church, Manchester, Md.) read aloud several citations presented in the bishop's honor on behalf of the mayor of Baltimore and the governor of the State of Maryland.

In one of the afternoon's most poignant moments, the bishop's aunt, Mary Ellen Brush, spoke of her family's pride in the bishop's many accomplishments.

As the afternoon turned into evening, the bishop and some of his family compared shoe fashions. (In case you weren't aware of it, the bishop continues to recover well from toe surgery a few weeks ago.)