Synod assemblies
Northern Illinois Synod congregations sent hundreds of towels and bedding supplies for one of the area children and youth homes run by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois.
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“How might your future as a member of the body of Christ shape how you deal with the fear that you’ve identi- fied?” —Dan Glaman
Lower Susquehanna, June 6-7, Grantham, Pa. (
www.lss-elca.org/ events/synod-assembly). Under the theme “Feeding the Hungry,” the assembly started with “Loaves & Fishes,” a record-breaking service project in which about 1,000 volun- teers packed 300,324 meals to feed needy people in Central Pennsyl- vania. Voting members heard from Amy Reumann of Lutheran Advo- cacy Ministries in PA and Dan Rift of ELCA World Hunger about hunger’s root causes, advocacy efforts and what the ELCA is doing to help. Vot- ing members approved a synodwide comprehensive campaign in con-
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www.thelutheran.org
junction with Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA. —Sharron Blezard
Northwest of Wisconsin, June 7-8, Eau Claire, Wis. Participants heard from a panel of “nones,” people who describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. The exchange was meaningful and spirit-filled as panel members offered their observations and thoughts on the Christian church. It modeled for assembly participants how they might start conversations with their friends and neighbors who might be “nones” and offered insight on how Christians are often per- ceived. —Elizabeth Bartsch
Southwestern Pennsylvania, June 12-14, Latrobe, Pa. (www.swpasynod. org). Under the theme “Belonging to Each Other in Christ Jesus,” keynote
speaker Cheryl Peterson, a professor at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Colum- bus, Ohio, addressed the topic of what God wants for the church as we reach out to the neighborhood. Synod com- mittees, missionaries and ministry partners conducted forums to share information and resources. Congre- gations broke into 14 geographically based groups to discuss the obstacles and opportunities of working together in ministry. —Janice Jeletic
La Crosse Area, June 13-14, La Crosse, Wis. (
www.lacrosseareasynod.org). Hunger, both at home and around the world, was the focus. Workshops looked at ways congregations and communities are working to help those in need. Six synod ministries received grants from ELCA World Hunger in 2014 to assist them in expanding existing hunger programs. Congregations gave $2.77 per bap- tized member to World Hunger in
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