Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Member church of the Lutheran World Federation
Our “OK…What’s Next” conversation continues on July 8 @ 6:30pm EDT.
We will be joined by Rev. Dr. Kimberlynn McNabb and Rev. Dr. Allen Jorgenson to talk about “The Praxis of Holy Communion in a Hybrid Model”.
Register Now: bit.ly/OKWhatsNext
This event is co-presented by the Eastern Synod Task Force for the Resumption of In-Person Worship and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College.
Bishop Michael brings greetings for a blessed and very celebratory Pride month!
Bishop Michael’s Pride Month Greeting may also be downloaded for inclusion in your mediated worship. Click HERE
Dear Friends,
I am delighted to inform you that the Eastern Synod welcomes the Rev. Dr. Mark Harris to serve as a Congregational Redevelopment Advisor starting on July 1, 2021. Congregational Redevelopment Services is one of the ways the Eastern Synod supports congregations which are struggling with declining membership, revenue and relevance. The goal is to help congregations discover where renewed mission and capital resources meet community needs.
Mark brings considerable gifts in missional leadership, administration, and relationship management. He is the past Principal/Dean of Martin Luther University College. Prior to his time at Luther, he served as an Assistant to the Bishop of the Eastern Synod and as a parish pastor in three congregations. He was also the founding chairperson of Lutheran Homes- Kitchener-Waterloo.
I am also happy to inform you that Karen Bjerland will continue to work with Mark and Congregational Redevelopment Services at a reduced level. Due to the needs of her elderly parents, she will be stepping backing from the bulk of her current responsibilities.
Karen and Mark look forward to working together to ensure a smooth transition and continued quality service to Eastern Synod congregations. Mark’s deep experience and familiarity with the challenges faced by churches across the Synod puts him in a strong position to help congregations deal with today’s realities and make good decisions.
Our church is in a time of great change and opportunity. No one has all of the answers, but through congregational redevelopment we are beginning to see new forms of ministry and redevelopment, which may help congregations create more sustainable futures. With support from Congregational Redevelopment Services, some of our faith communities are renewing their vision for the future and making life-giving decisions to rethink how their property is used to better serve the community. As an example, two congregations will be providing affordable housing for seniors and other vulnerable individuals in their communities, while maintaining space for ongoing worship and fellowship. Both the congregation and the community benefit.
We welcome your questions and encourage you to talk to Mark and Karen about how congregational redevelopment may be able to help your congregation.
Blessings,
Bishop Michael Pryse
Content warning: abuse, trauma, tragic loss of children, genocide
We encourage you to use this prayer in your mediated worship, congregational mailings and across your social media channels.
Dear Friends in Christ,
As we approach the 2021 National Indigenous People’s Day, we offer gratitude to the Creator for the gift of Mother Earth, and to the First Peoples of this land for the wisdom they offer us as we walk together in solidarity with creation and with those who suffer the effects of colonization, racism, ableism, ageism, and sexism in its various guises.
Since the 2020 National Indigenous People’s Day, Turtle Island has witnessed a sobering sequence of injustices, injuries and inequities directly bearing upon First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people. News reels have documented the outrageous treatment of Joyce Echaquan, the ongoing effects of land grabs in Caledonia and beyond, the unconscionable continuance of boil-water advisories across this land, the rampant racism levelled against the Mi’kmaq of Sipekne’katik First Nation for exercising their fishing rights, the ongoing inordinate incarceration of Indigenous people, and the repeated disappearance and death of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. Unfortunately, what has been reported is but the tip of the iceberg of what is experienced.
Read more →Martin Luther University College (Luther) and the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) are pleased to announce the launch of the Centre for Spirituality and Media.
The joint project is being led by founding director Sherry Coman, associate professional faculty at Luther and the Eastern Synod’s deacon for spirituality and internet outreach.
Rev. Dr. Kristine Lund, Luther’s principal-dean, said the pandemic has driven many more of our activities online, including individual and communal spiritual practices.
“The centre’s work will help us discern how we might explore personal spirituality and group worship as we move through and beyond this pandemic,” she said.
Rev. Michael Pryse, bishop of the Eastern Synod of the ELCIC, said the past year has challenged us immensely and we have all learned so much.
“But in many ways, I think we are facing an even bigger challenge when we try to imagine how worship will be engaged moving forward when we are gathering both online and in person,” he added. “I look forward to addressing that challenge, and welcome a forum such as so we might do so together with colleagues and partners!”
Coman teaches courses at Luther exploring the relationship between spirituality and faith and media. She has been the creator and curator of the online devotional project Lutherans Connect for more than a decade.
“I am very excited to be starting on this adventure,” Coman said. “A primary goal of the Centre for Spirituality and Media is to create programming that will enrich personal spirituality while also broadening our vision for doing mission online.”
Coman added that the centre’s activities will bring together the community of Luther with the wider church and its partners in the ecumenical and justice communities.
The centre’s first public event — Back to the Future: Prophetically Imagining the Online Church — takes place online on Tuesday, May 25, from 2-3 p.m. All are welcome.
The centre is also co-hosting OK…What’s Next? for the Eastern Synod’s rostered and lay leaders on June 1.
For further details, please visit the centre’s new web page.
Media inquiries
Mirko Petricevic, mpetricevic@luther.wlu.ca
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
Martin Luther University College
Rev. Adam Snook, asnook@elcic.ca
Assistant to the Bishop (Communications)
Eastern Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada