Southern Ohio Synod ELCA

Bishop Eaton Addresses Political Violence The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3.8 million members. "God's work. Our hands."

Wednesday, Batch 2 of 2!

Check out our previous post for the full caption!

Wednesday, Batch 1 of 2!

Yesterday was the Accompaniment Day for . Bp. Dillahunt & Gary Pecuch were at the Convention Center bright and early to connect with our congregations before they went to their service areas. We're still learning about all of the projects, but we know we had congregations serve at the ASPCA (with friends from the Northwestern Ohio Synod!), learn about Advocacy, pack flood buckets, volunteer at one of the local Boys & Girls Clubs, learn about the importance of music and marching band culture in New Orleans, and tend a local farm.

Pr. Kerrigan & Pr. Grate joined the Large Group session, where speakers shared their stories, including a panel of Young Adults serving with the Lutheran World Federation. It was like being at a second Mass Gathering!

We had our first big thunderstorm of the Gathering, which meant almost everyone's dinner plans changed and pivoted to keep everyone safe. An enormous thank you to all of our Adult Participants and the Gathering Logistics Team who got announcements out to everyone, kept us safe, and still somehow managed to have enough time and space for everyone to have dinner or a hearty snack before Mass Gathering.

Last night's theme was Created to Be: Authentic because You Are Seen. We learned even more songs and heard powerful stories of the importance of showing up and being the exact person God has created you to be. There were lots of tears around the arena as the speakers last night were brave, vulnerable, and authentic in inviting us to learn parts of their stories.

Today is our Synod Day (Don't forget to wear your Synod shirts for worship this afternoon!). We can't wait to see you this afternoon!

Tuesday was a day of "see you laters!" and "hi new friends!"

MYLE and the tAble ended on Tuesday morning with worship and trips to Smoothie King to see where they would be sitting for the first Mass Gathering session that evening.

Registration for the Youth Gathering and Young Adult Gathering opened at 8 AM and we started to see so many friends from & from across the ELCA! 🤩

We included a few pictures with some of the folks we connected with throughout the day. We have several volunteers from Southern Ohio who are helping to make sure these events are running smoothly. If you see Bp. Dillahunt, Gary Pecuch, Pr. Kerrigan, or Pr. Grate at the Gatherings, make sure to get a picture with us! We'd love to hear about you've seen God at work at the Gathering!

That evening was the first Mass Gathering and the energy was electric! The House Band taught us lots of new songs, we met our Emcees, and we heard powerful stories that reminded us we are Created to Be: Brave because we are never alone. We had been there for approximately 10 minutes and Pr. Michelson (Lord of Life Lutheran Church, West Chester) had already made it onto the jumbotron!

Today is our Accompaniment Day, where we will be learning more about New Orleans and serving across New Orleans.

Hey :

Bp. Dillahunt, Pr. Kerrigan, & Pr. Grate are in the Community Life area near the Old Lutheran store (yes, it’s open!) until about noon today. Come find us after you’ve registered so we know you made it to & !

Join us for our next Discipleship podcast!

The Discussion Guide for this episode is available here: https://tinyurl.com/yck3hx7h

Yesterday was another full day!

Bp. Dillahunt, Gary Pecuch, and Pr. Rebecca Grate spent the morning and afternoon with for worship, ice cream with the bishops (thank you ELCA Seminaries!), and got a peek of all of the fun in the Community Life area. We found Pr. Eli Seitz (Old Trinity Lutheran Church - Columbus, OH), who is here representing Trinity Lutheran Seminary.

Afterwards, we found some of our volunteers while they were on break. They are so excited to be part of this event and to help it run smoothly. We ran in to Bp. Eaton who helped commission them to serve.

We snuck over to Cafe du Monde to refuel with beignets.

In the evening, we joined for their variety show and evening worship service. All of the participants shared their talents through skits and singing! 🤩

Several Taylor Swift songs were on the program and we may have caught a few bishops from Region 6 singing and dancing along. Mysteriously, those videos have disappeared.

The best news is: God is showing up everywhere through these gatherings and our participants at MYLE and the tAble are learning there is a place for them in our church and our world where they can be wHoly and authentically themselves. ❤️

The first full day of & were packed!

In the morning, Bp. Dillahunt, Gary Pecuch, & Pr. Rebecca Grate joined the tAble for their morning worship service and snagged a few pictures with our participants before their accompaniment project began.

In the afternoon, we headed to the MYLE Village to spend time with our participants, and found Intern Laura Applegate (Lord of Life Lutheran Church, West Chester), who is volunteering with the MYLE Team. Our participants promptly issued a co****le challenge to Bp. Dillahunt & Bp. Kriess (Southeast Michigan Synod, ELCA). The youth won!

Our evening ended with worship with MYLE that was filled with speakers from across the ELCA, stellar music from the MYLE House Band & DJ, all reminding them they are called to be their authentic selves.

We can't wait to see what today brings!

After the shooting during former President Trump’s rally, we should unite in prayer for an end to violence and mourning for the tragedy that unfolded today.

Merciful God, grant strength to those who witness great tragedy firsthand, peace to the departed, and those in mourning tonight. Give strength to a nation wrestling with the shock of another shooting in our land. Guide us in compassion and justice so that we may find solace and unity in Your love. Amen.

Bp. Dillahunt, Gary Pecuch, and Pr. Rebecca Grate are on the way to New Orleans for , , , & - Pr. Kerrigan will be joining us next week!

We can’t wait to see you all there!

congregations and ministries, tag us in your posts so we can see and share them, too!

Day of Service is 2 months away!

Congregations across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will be spending a portion of this day (or this weekend!) serving their communities.

Visit this link for resources to help with advertising and project brainstorming: https://www.elca.org/dayofservice

Already have your congregation's day of service planned?
Share your ideas below - they may help another congregation or ministry in their planning!

Let us join together in prayer as we celebrate Independence Day:

Gracious God, as we celebrate the gift of freedom, we pray for those in our communities, our nation, and our world who still experience oppression, persecution, or inequality.

Guide us to exercise our freedom responsibly and compassionately for the well-being of all your creation.
Amen.

[From ELCA Prayer Ventures, © 2020.]

Reminder: The Southern Ohio Synod office is closed today in observance of Independence Day. We will reopen with our regular business hours tomorrow, July 5th.

A new Leadership Blog dropped TODAY! 📰 🎉

Here's a quote from today's blog post:

"Context is rarely discerned through talking, almost always discerned through listening.

Context can be discerned by listening in 3 ways.

We listen first to God as God speaks to us through the witness of Holy Scripture about our identity as children of God who are called to share the good news of Jesus, both as a congregation and as individuals. Listening in this way, we discern whose and who we are.

We listen to our neighbors, to those in leadership, and to those who live and work in our community, to learn about the context of our mission and purpose. Listening in this way, we discern the challenges, passions, and fears of those around us.

We listen to each other so that we may join our God-ordained purpose and identity with the context in which we live and serve. Listening in this way, we discern how our gifts and assets might enable us to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and action with our neighbors."

Click here to read the entirety of the blog post: https://tinyurl.com/ymd4vh2k

Make sure you are connected to us through our social media pages & our emails for more resources to help support Leadership and upcoming brand new resources to encourage Leadership within our Synod!

A new Southern Ohio Synod podcast episode is live! 🤩

Join Rev. Dr. Tim Mentzer (Assistant to the Bishop for Discipleship, Leadership, Engagement) for a conversation with Vicar Jaren Summers and Mr. Chay Rossing about how our theology of death and how to accompany those who are grieving.

🎧 Subscribe & Download on your favorite podcasting platforms today!

Bp. Dillahunt can't wait to be with everyone from for the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering, MYLE, the tAble, & the Young Adult Gathering!

The ELCA Youth Gathering prepared a service of commissioning for congregations and ministries to use for those who will be traveling to New Orleans for these events.

Click here to download the service to include in your worship bulletins: https://tinyurl.com/55j7fvu4

Click here for a recording of this service: https://youtu.be/2rVfRF-PZkU
It may be shared on socials or used during your worship services and youth meetings to commission your group!

See you in New Orleans!

📣 📣 📣 Save the Date! 📣 📣 📣

2025 Ohio Rostered Ministers Gathering
January 21-23, 2025
Trinity Lutheran Seminary

We are thrilled to welcome Andrew Root, Ph.D. as facilitator for this event. Andrew Root (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary) is the Carrie Olson Baalson professor of youth and family ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He writes and researches in areas of theology, ministry, culture and younger generations.

His most recent books are:
- Churches and the Crisis of Decline (Baker, 2022)
- The Congregation in a Secular Age (Baker, 2021)
- The End of Youth Ministry? (Baker, 2020)
- The Pastor in a Secular Age: Ministry to People Who No Longer Need God (Baker, 2019)
- Faith Formation in a Secular Age (Baker, 2017)
- Exploding Stars, Dead Dinosaurs, and Zombies: Youth Ministry in the Age of Science (Fortress Press, 2018).

More information to come in Fall 2024!

📣 SAVE THE DATE 📣

2025 Southern Ohio Synod Assembly

June 6-7, 2025

Location, Registration Cost, and other Assembly information will be available later, but we wanted you to have these dates on your calendar now. We can't wait to see you there!

This year's Assembly Offering was designated for the Southern Ohio Synod Disaster Response Fund, to continue to support communities recovering from recent and future disasters. This will supplement the work done by other disaster response agencies, including Lutheran Disaster Response.

The grand total for this year's offering was $797. Thank you, !

Join us in praying for the Candidacy Committee as they gather today.

Let us pray.
O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Are you discerning a call to ministry?
Do you have questions about the Candidacy process?
Scan the QR Code in the graphic or use this link (https://southernohiosynod.org/staff-members/) to contact Rev. Dr. Connie Mentzer, our Assistant to the Bishop for Discipleship, Leadership, Engagement.

Join us in prayer for The Episcopal Church as they continue meeting for their General Convention in Louisville, KY and celebrate the election of their next Presiding Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe!

You may view the press release here, in English & Spanish: https://tinyurl.com/5avam4sn

Join us in praying for those impacted by the current flooding in the Upper Midwest. 🙏

With flash flooding occurring in parts of the Synod due to heavy rain (and with more on the way), we ask you to join us in praying for those being impacted by the flooding.

"Loving God, in the communion of Christ, we are joined with the trials and sufferings of all. Be with those who are experiencing flooding. Protect those in the path of danger. Open the pathway of evacuations when they are necessary. Provide assistance to those who need help. Ease the fears of all and make your presence known in the stillness of your peace; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen." (Adapted from from sundaysandseasons.com.)

One of the important sets of elections is to elect Voting Members to attend the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix.

These individuals will be joined by Bp. Dillahunt and Mr. Chris Clothier (Southern Ohio Synod Vice President).

As more information becomes available about the next Churchwide Assembly, we will be inviting you to hold all of our Voting Members in prayer as they travel and discern how God is at work in and through the entire ELCA.

Join us in congratulating them!

For our siblings who live, work, and visit the Short North neighborhood in Columbus, we join in prayer after a shooting in their neighborhood this weekend:

God of compassion, we give you thanks for first responders and all who offer compassionate aid in situations of tragedy. Keep them safe from harm and give them courage and sound judgment as they act. That we may join in support of those who risk their lives for others, we pray: make us instruments of your peace.

God of the promise in word and sacrament, we pray for the church. Give us a voice, your voice, to plead for a society marked by justice and sustained by cooperation among diverse peoples. Train us to resist the lure of brute force. That by your Spirit we may become words and signs of your mercy, we pray: make us instruments of your peace.

God of true might and redemptive mercy, receive our prayers, and grant us to become your instruments of peace, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.

[Taken from the Prayer for Lamenting Gun Violence in the hymnal supplement All Creation Sings, pg. 107.]

This year, we had a few open positions to fill to serve on the Southern Ohio Synod Council.

Thank you for saying, "Yes!" to serving! Details are already underway for the next Synod Council meeting this fall.

Join us in congratulating them!

At the 2024 Southern Ohio Synod Assembly, we were tasked with nominating two Rostered Ministers to serve on the ballot at the 2025 Churchwide Assembly for service on the ELCA Church Council.

We invite your prayers for these nominees as well as for everyone preparing for the 2025 Churchwide Assembly. We'll share the election results once we have them next year!