St. Paul’s Journey to Transform Lives
From the KW Record
KITCHENER — This time next year, people will be unpacking boxes and moving in to a new affordable housing project at Bridgeport Road and Lancaster Street.
“A year from now it’s not going to be bricks and mortar, it’s going to be home,” said Dan Driedger, executive director of MennoHomes, the non-profit that is building the project.
He was speaking Tuesday at a news conference where the federal and provincial governments announced $3.8 million in funding for the project.
Dignitaries huddled under tents at the muddy construction site as a thin drizzle fell, but the mood at the event was sunny.
Read more →Congregational Redevelopment Services
In late 2014, Lutheran Homes K-W’s Strategic Initiative Committee, along with the Eastern Synod, worked to design, develop and test a pilot program to help congregations transform their assets into tools that could shape a renewed ministry and better serve the community. So far 13 congregations have engaged in this work. Four of the congregations have already made the decision to sell assets and/or properties with more than $5 million in capital released for new mission opportunities – a considerable sum, much more than anticipated by simply selling their properties on their own.
The synod made the decision in late 2018, to expand the pilot to serve all congregations in the Eastern Synod. To ensure a continued level of service, the Strategic Initiative Committee, along with their expertise, was transferred to the synod to form the Property Redevelopment Advisory Committee (PRAC) under the continued leadership of Geoff Bellew.
Read more →Bishop’s Company
Bishop’s Company for Mission – October, 2020. Please sign up for one of the sessions below. A Zoom link will be sent to you along with instructions as to how to join online. See you in October!
Image of Luther Hammering His 95 Theses is credited to: Ferdinand Pauwels / Public domain https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ferdinand_Pauwels_-_Luther_hammers_his_95_theses_to_the_door.jpg
Music: “Dreams” from www.bensound.com
Entering The Amber Stage
Dear Colleagues and Partners in Ministry,
Last night I participated in the final synod wide zoom meetings that have been convened over the past two weeks, bringing rostered and congregational leaders together to discuss preparing for a return to in-person worship. It has been a delight to speak with leaders from across the breadth of the synod and to learn from one another’s experiences in this process. I am grateful that our congregations have followed my recommendation to refrain from in-person worship experience until September 2020 at the earliest and delighted that our congregations are now in a position to consider moving from the red stage to the amber stage of the Eastern Synod’s Staged Approach for the Resumption of In-Person Worship.
I feel confident that in-person worship can now take place within synodical congregations in accordance with regional and local public health recommendations and with due consideration of the resources that have been provided by my office to help you assess your readiness to resume in-person worship. The decision on when and whether to proceed to the “amber stage” is, however, one which rostered leaders and congregational councils will need to make locally and in consultation with one another. I am gratified by the attentiveness with which you have made use of the resources that the synod has provided and trust that you will make wise and responsible decisions that are appropriate to your particular congregational context.
Read more →Worship Resources for the Resumption of In-Person Worship
Dear friends,
As congregations continue their preparations for an eventual return to gathering physically together, the Eastern Synod’s Task Force for the Resumption of In-Person Worship is pleased to share a new Worship Resource. This resource includes a number of liturgical suggestions, as well as a timely reflection about the proposed changes to communion which can be used as a devotional tool or included in your upcoming newsletters and/or other communications!
We pray that these resources will further support congregations and congregational leaders during this time of transition.
Read more →