Praying for others – at Queen’s Park By Rev. Phil Heinze, Eastern Synod Director, Public Policy and Service Ministries

LUTHERANTHE EASTERN SYNOD

In this Issue 3 The Bishop’s Journal 4 Introducing prayer flags 5 Celebrating women’s ordination 7 ELFEC distributes $3 million

SUMMER 2012 • VOL.27 NO.3

Does your congregation have a vision?By Janet WeberSt. Paul’s, Cambridge, Ont.Member of the Eastern Synod Council

In these rapidly changingtimes, many congregations areasking questions such as Whatis God's vision for our congrega-tion? or What is God calling us todo, in this place, in this time?

Questions like these are alsobeing asked by our EasternSynod and National ChurchCouncils. We know that wehave a common mission – weexist to be In Mission for Others.We are seeking to spread God'slove in our local communitiesand throughout the world, inmany and various ways.

As members of the EasternSynod, we have a VisionStatement (see right) that is astarting point for congrega-tions and other ministrygroups to help us identifyways we can respond to theneeds of others. Our VisionStatement names five missionpriorities: spirited discipleship,

diversity, compassionatejustice, a focused frameworkand effective partnerships.

Resources have beendeveloped to help us explorethese mission prioritiesincluding a short skit that canbe used to introduce them. Theskit can be used in worship, ata congregational gathering orwith small groups. Suggestionsfor small group discussion arealso available to help begin theconversation. Hearts forMinistry Devotions is a series of12 meditations available to beused with Church Council,seniors' groups, choirs, Sundayschool teachers and allcommittees.

Resources can be accessedthrough the synod website:www.easternsynod.org. Clickon About Us, then Our VisionStatement. At the bottom of thepage, select Hearts for Ministry

which will lead to these tools.We pray that your congre-

gation or ministry group willembrace our five missionpriorities. May God bless usand our ministries as wejourney toward the vision thatGod has for our church.

Rev. Dr. Susan Eagle, InterfaithSocial Assistance ReformCoalition (ISARC) Chair and aUnited Church clergypersonassembled concerned faithpeople from Toronto andsurrounding areas in front ofthe Ontario Legislature onBudget Day, April 24, to prayfor others. They also called onthe government to craft abudget that protects thecommon good, values individ-uals and their livelihood, andhelps lift the burden on thepoor, rather than increasing itwhile shielding the wealthiestfrom additional responsibility.

Bishop Michael Pryse wasone of the faith group leaderswho led the prayers for others.Prayers were offered for allthose who hunger becausethey are poor; all those whoare homeless; for children

without adequate care andearly education; all those whoare impoverished by too lowwages; for fairness in taxation,that each citizen might rightlycontribute to building astronger society; for equitabletreatment for everyoneemployed in this province; forcorporations - that they maytruly become contributors tosociety’s well-being; for peopleof faith that we may act withcompassion and justice withour whole lives; and for justiceand respect for every person inthe province of Ontario,whatever their situation.

As each faith leaderconcluded their prayers, theyadded a pebble to a bowl at thepodium while those gatheredsaid: “We add this pebble of

Our Vision:

We are a Church in Mission for OthersThrough the Gospel, God calls the whole church to beengaged in mission in response to the needs of others,celebrating what God has done and continues to dothrough us. Relying on the gifts of the Spirit, we willdevelop ministries that will inspire and equip us to carefor others through the mission work of the synod,conferences, congregations, and specialized ministries.As members of the Eastern Synod, we will help oneanother to embrace our vocations as ministers of the Gospel.

Our 5 Mission Priorities

■ We will practice Spirited Discipleship.

■ We will welcome Diversity.

■ We will demonstrate Compassionate Justice.

■ We will establish a Focused Framework.

■ We will develop Effective Partnerships.

Janet Weber

Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition Chair Rev. Dr. Susan Eagle (left) watches as Bishop Pryse adds apebble of hope to a bowl as a symbol of strengthening the foundation of justice in our world. continued on page 6…

PAGE 2, THE EASTERN SYNOD LUTHERAN SUMMER 2012

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Lutherans and Mennonites study forgiveness and healing By Pastor Joanna MillerZion, Phillipsburg, Ont.

Lutherans and Mennonitesfrom four congregations joinedtogether to complete a four-session study about theLutheran Apology toAnabaptists for past wrongsand the forgiveness andreconciliation that has beenfound. Pastor Olavi Hepomakiof St. James, Baden, Ont., andPastor Joanna Miller of Zion,Philipsburg, Ont., wereapproached by the pastors ofSteinman Mennonite andWilmot Mennonite Churchesto see if they were interested inparticipating together in thisstudy. A discussion betweenthe four pastors ensuedregarding the planning andexecution of the study as aLenten offering in all fourcongregations. A group ofapproximately 30 attendeesmet successively in eachchurch for one evening'ssession.

Particpants enjoyedlearning about Reformationhistory, the meaning offorgiveness and the newrelationship between the twochurches as we move forward

together. Because Lutheransand Mennonites live in closeproximity and in largenumbers in Wilmot Township,many expressed an apprecia-tion for a greater understand-ing of the faith and beliefs oftheir Anabaptist\Lutheran

brothers and sisters, amongwhom they have grown, lived,and often married. It is thehope of all participants thatthis is the beginning of a good,long relationship betweenLutheran and Mennonitecongregations in the area.

For more information aboutthe study, "Healing Memories,Reconciling in Christ," see theELCIC website (www.elcic.ca).We encourage you to seek outyour Anabaptist brothers andsisters to get to know eachother!

Pastors at four Southwestern Ontario churches led a unique study program, “Healing Memories, Reconciling inChrist,” during Lent. (L-R) Pastors Dave Rogalsky (Wilmot Mennonite, New Hamburg) Olavi Hepomaki (St. James, Baden), Joanna Miller (Zion, Philipsburg) and Ilene Bergen (Steinmann Mennonite, Baden) helpedparticipants from both denominations come to a greater understanding of Anabaptist and Lutheran history,faith and beliefs.

SUMMER 2012 THE EASTERN SYNOD LUTHERAN, PAGE 3

The Bishop’s Journal

Bishop Pryse issued the followingpastoral letter to the EasternSynod on March 24, 2012.

Could you run yourhousehold on 45 per cent ofyour 1986 income? It’sunlikely. And yet, that isprecisely the case for theEvangelical Lutheran Churchin Canada. While offerings tothe most local expression ofthe Church – congregations –have kept pace with the rate ofinflation, further remittancesto synods and the NationalChurch have dropped dramat-ically. We have all, bothcongregationally and synodi-cally, been holding our pursesclose, to the point where ourbeloved Church is greatlydiminished in its capacity to beall that we would want orhope it to be. It needs to stop.

In March, I sat through ameeting where our NationalChurch leaders were informedthat several of their synodicalfunding partners would bedrastically reducing theirofferings in support of analready diminished budget. In

the face of this reality, theNational Church Council wasreluctantly put in the positionof having to end severalprograms that are vital tomaintaining a nationaldenominational identity.

The National ChurchCouncil made major cuts toour global mission program,cut the planned givingprogram, and shaved manyother program areas. The onlyreason worship and youthprogramming were not cutwas because Council passed adeficit budget. But that can’tcontinue. Although there wereno staff cuts, National Officestaff has already been reducedby one third in the past fouryears. To its credit, the Councilrefused to pass its cuts along tonational and internationalpartners such as KAIROS, the Canadian Council ofChurches, Lutheran WorldFederation and the WorldCouncil of Churches. I was soproud of our leaders. They cut themselves, rather thanhurt others.

That is why I returned

home determined to do what Icould to turn the tide. Ichallenged our Synod Council,conference deans and ministrydirectors to join me in raising$100,000 of Praise Appealfunding for the ELCIC. Everypenny will go to make up forour negligence in supportingthe national and internationalministries of our Church; not apenny to the synod. To aperson they were enthusiasti-cally supportive!

As such, we have designat-ed Pentecost Sunday, May 27,2012, as ELCIC Praise AppealSunday. We have challengedourselves to make up for theshortfalls in our ELCICbudget. We must do it and wecan do it! We dare to sharebecause we care!

I am asking every leader inour synod to challenge everymember to make “second milegifts” to fix this very fixablesituation. We have the meansto do so and we know it. Whatremains to be demonstrated iswhether we have the will to doso, and I think we do.

For the past three years, our

synod has increased its annualbenevolence offerings to theELCIC by one per cent of ourtotal income, with a goal ofeventually reaching 25 percent and beyond. We have along way to go but are movingup steadily at a time whenother synods are makingdrastic cuts that are having aprofoundly negative impacton our church’s ability to dothe work we have asked it todo. That means that we needto do better – and quicker.

My wife, Lois, and I will bemaking a significant gift insupport of this appeal and wechallenge you to do likewise.While we would prefer thatyou provide gifts throughyour congregation, designatedto the “ELCIC Praise Appeal,”you can also send designatedgifts directly to the synod or contribute via the “Donate” link on our website(at www.easternsynod.org).

Don’t rob Peter to pay Paulby altering your regular gifts insupport of your congregation,church-wide benevolence orCLWR! We’re talking extra-

designated gifts. And if we doit, I am sure that when ourNational Bishop Susan joins usin Waterloo in early July, wewill be able to report that wehave filled the gap and that the$100,000 shortfall has beenmade up! And if it’s not, deardelegates, be sure that I will bepassing the hat for pledgesuntil it is made up! I mean it.Be forewarned!

We dare to share because we care

Each year, Waterloo LutheranSeminary (WLS) and theLutheran Theological Seminary,Saskatoon (LTS), look forchurches that are willing andable to be internship sites forseminarians. The directors ofcontextual education, workingtogether with bishops andpastors, look for sites andsupervisors who will provideexcellent learning experiences.

There are many reasons acongregation, agency andpastor would choose to takeon an intern:

• It’s a growth experiencefor the congregation andsupervising pastor andbrings new vitality andenergy to a congregationor agency's life.

• Internships help developstrong leaders. Leadersneed to be supported asthey seek to follow God's call and build up the church.

• Interns contribute signifi-

cantly to the congregationsin which they are placed.

The Holy Spirit guidescongregations and agencies inthis vital ministry.

The internship of AnnaThede at St. Peter’s, Ottawa,bridges east and west inproviding a unique internshipexperience.

At St. Peter's, three pathsconverged for the 2011-12academic year: St. Peter'soffered itself as a potentialinternship site to WLS. LTSwas in need of a seventhinternship site for an affiliatestudent. And Anna, acandidate for rosteredministry from the ELCICSynod of Alberta and theTerritories attending LutheranTheological Seminary inGettysburg, Pennsylvania, wasready to intern. As a result, St.Peter's, LTS, and Anna aresharing a journey of learning,witnessing and formation.

Rev. Dr. Barton Beglo,

pastor at St. Peter’s , and Annabegan their journey assupervisor and intern byattending a Fall InternshipRetreat hosted by LTS inSaskatoon. In Ottawa, theinternship program wasdiscussed, supported, andpromoted by members of thelay Internship Committee. The four members of thiscommittee work together withAnna, Dr. Beglo and the widercongregation to ensure thatmeaningful and challenginglearning experiences arepresented and reflected on.

In March 2012, LTS’sAcademic Dean Rev. Dr.Gordon Jensen and Chair ofTheology William Horderntravelled to St. Peter's for a sitevisit. Dr. Jensen met with Dr.Beglo, Anna and theInternship Committee to talkabout her internship, theprogram and the relationshipbetween the seminary and thewider church community. As

part of Dr. Jensen's time inOttawa, he also preached andattended a Bible study – part ofa series written by Anna. Hisvisit strengthened St. Peter’snew partnership with LTS.

When reflecting on thisinternship, we see it as anamazing and wondrous event! A student from theAlberta and the TerritoriesSynod attending LutheranTheological Seminary in

Gettysburg, interning throughLTS-Saskatoon, learning andcontributing to worship at St.Peter's, Ottawa. This is thework of the Holy Spiritbringing the Church together– from all over this countryand beyond. Doing God'swork in the formation of agifted young church leader.Bridging indeed!

The internship bridge – Connecting the ELCIC east and west By Anna Thede and Agnes Cassleman on behalf of the Internship CommitteeSt. Peter’s, Ottawa, Ont.

St. Peter's Internship Committee encourages other congregationsto consider supporting the internship program and benefitingfrom this unique faith experience. Committee members andadvisors include (L – R): Dr. Crystal Sissons, Dr. Barton Beglo, AgnesCasselman, Intern Anna Thede, Jean Ringhofer and Dr. GordonJensen (LTS Saskatoon). Missing from photo: George McLaughlin.

From Tibet to Woodstock, Bethany adopts prayer flags By Ron ThomsonWoodstock Sentinel-ReviewReprinted with permission

PAGE 4, THE EASTERN SYNOD LUTHERAN SUMMER 2012

Congregational Life

Bethany Lutheran Church[Woodstock, Ont.] wassurrounded by colour duringPentecost this year.

Colourful prayer flags weredisplayed outside the churchMay 27 to cap off the flagproject, which started off inTibet last year.

Bethany parishioner EstherMueller went on a trip to Tibetwith her husband last year andbecame captivated by theBuddhist prayer flags.

“The first time I saw them inreal life they were justhanging,” Mueller said. “Thewind wasn’t blowing and theywere beautiful. When thewind starts blowing you cansee them flutter. You almostfeel energy in them. I justfound them fascinating.”

She brought some prayerflags home and the churchdecided to adopt the idea.

“I have the original prayerflags that we got there andsome people were justfascinated,” Mueller said.“Then all of a suddensomebody said we should dothat for our church.

“It’s Buddhism so we had tokind of do our own twist onthat.”

The project started off a few

months ago and more than 60flags have already beencreated, with more on the way.

“We got together as a groupand we made a few,” Muellersaid. “Then we talked about itin church and about how theyare Bethany’s Christian prayerflags.”

The project picked up steamfrom there. Mueller said theflags have brought the churchtogether and everyone isparticipating in the project.

“It has been really greatbecause the whole congrega-tion has kind of bought intothe whole concept. It’s a greatproject because mostly it’swomen who do those thingslike crafts, but now the menare helping to hang them upoutside. It’s something we cando then we give it over toanother committee so itinvolves the whole church likethat.”

Mueller said it feels neat

having first seen prayer flagsin Tibet and now seeing themin her church. Better yet, shesaid it’s great to see how thecongregation has responded tothe flags.

“These prayer flags havebrought a different energy intoour church and it will beinteresting to see whathappens when they are takenout of the building.”

The church put the flagsoutside to share them with the

community with the hope theywill spread compassionthroughout the community.

“It is believed that whenthey flutter in the wind itcreates positive vibrations,”Mueller said. “In Tibet, it’sbelieved the wind reads themessages and it spreads themessage all over. Everyonewho is touched by the wind isgetting goodwill and compas-sion from Bethany. It’ssupposed to affect the wholecommunity because Bethany isspreading love and compas-sion. We have taken a Buddhisttradition and made Bethany'sown version of it.”

In Tibet, the prayer flags arevery traditional; at BethanyLutheran Church, not somuch. Each flag is differentand the congregation got toflex its creative muscles tocreate unique flags.

“It’s amazing the creativitythat has come out of ourcongregation,” Mueller said.“Some of them are absolutelybeautiful and some are drawnby young kids. Some are piecesof art and some are justbeautiful with positivemessages on them. Everybodyloves them.”

Creating God’s community By Pastor Karen JenkinsSt. Luke’s, Ridgeway, Ont.

The congregation of Bethany, Woodstock, Ont., has been busy making prayer flags. About 60 have been madeso far and the flags were displayed outside the church May 27.

The fourth annual winterretreat for Niagara andHamilton area youth was heldin late February at FirstLutheran, Port Colborne, Ont.It was a time for fun, fellow-ship, prayer and devotion forthe 20 combined leaders andyouth who gathered under thetheme: Just Build It!: CreatingGod’s Community on Earth.

The event began on Fridaynight and we got to know eachother better by playing “ice-breakers.” Pastor Julio Romerofrom Trinity, Fort Erie, Ont.,introduced our theme bytelling us about the hardshipsof life in his home country, El Salvador. The youth learnedthat much of what we take forgranted in Canada, such asclean water, adequate housingand basic education is lacking

in El Salvador. They discov-ered how hard it is to build acommunity by trying to createone from a deck of cards. Thenwe gathered ’round forevening worship in which weblessed each other andrecognized the gifts we are toeach other. We ended the dayby watching the movie, The Princess Bride, enjoyingpopcorn, cookies and juice, of course!

Saturday began withpancakes, bacon and sausageand then morning worship ledby Pastor Karen Jenkins of St.Luke’s Ridgeway, Ont. Wediscovered what the Bible hasto share about living incommunity with one another.We learned that there aremany scripture passages thatdeal with treating each other

with respect, following the 10commandants and looking outfor each other’s welfare. Therest of the morning was spentdrawing, cutting and pastingas we built houses, stores,recreation facilities, schools,churches and transportationstations to create ourcommunities.

After lunch, we enjoyed ascavenger hunt that FirstLutheran’s pastor, Tom Arth,organized to help us get toknow Port Colborne’s mainstreet better. Then we returnedto our community-buildingproject to paint the roads,bicycle paths, farmland andmountains to set off our two towns. This “ideal”community-building exerciseprovided valuable lessonsabout how God wants us to be

in community with each otherand what God is calling us tobuild to serve the needs of all.

The day ended with a“make-your-own-sub” dinnerand concluding worship inwhich we gathered around the

altar to share the Lord’sSupper before bidding eachother goodbye. Stay tuned formore information, as anotherfun and enlightening youthevent is planned for early June.

Youth from the Niagara and Hamilton, Ont., areas work on acommunity-building project to learn what God is calling us to create toserve the needs of all.

Late last November, 44ordained Anglican andLutheran women gathered inLunenburg, N.S., for a three-day celebration of the 35thanniversary of women’sordination in the two churches.The event theme was“Reflecting the light of Christ.”

Most of the women wereAnglican priests, but somenotable Lutherans attended aswell. Pastor Vivian Roberts(Lunenburg Parish) served onthe organizing committee andcelebrated her 35th anniver-sary of ordination just four days after the event.Bishop Elaine Sauer(Manitoba/Northwester n

Ontario Synod) preached atthe celebratory Eucharist heldat St. John Anglican inLunenburg. And PastorKimber McNabb (Resurrection,Halifax) led one of the eventworkshops.

The group receivedgreetings from ELCIC NationalBishop Susan Johnson andEastern Synod Bishop MichaelPryse. A 40th anniversarycelebration is being plannedfor 2016 in the London, Ont.,region.

Photos by Eric Roberts.

SUMMER 2012 THE EASTERN SYNOD LUTHERAN, PAGE 5

St. James, Elmira, Ont. – Part-Time Position Available St. James is looking for an engaging person to fill the ChristianEducation Coordinator position. The position requires appoximately 12 hours per week. A detailed job description andcompensation is available by calling the Church Office at 519-669-5591 or by emailing saintjames@golden.net. Onlyperspective candidates will be contacted for interviews.

St Luke’s Music Jams – Rhodes Corner, Lun. Co., N.S.A Music Jam will be held in the Church Hall, 12713 RhodesCorner, Hwy 3 on Saturday, June 16 from 2 – 5 p.m. Come andsing, play an instrument or listen. Everyone welcome.Admission: $2. For info, call 902-543-5871.

St. Matthew’s, Rose Bay, N.S. – Special Events

The Ernst Family in Concert Sunday, June 17 at 2:30 p.m. Freewill Offering. Proceeds toChurch Paint Fund.Strawberry Social Wednesday, July 4 11:00 a.m – 1:00 p.m. at RiverportCommunity Centre. Sandwiches, sweets, strawberry desserts, bowls of fresh strawberries, beverages. Sponsored bySt. Matthew’s.Blueberry SocialWednesday, August 22 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at RiverportCommunity Centre. Sandwiches, sweets, blueberry desserts,bowls of fresh blueberries, beverages. Sponsored by St. Matthew’s.125th Anniversary Celebration A special celebratory service will be held for St. Matthew’s 125thAnniversary on Sunday, October 21at 2:00 p.m. More details inthe next issue of The Eastern Synod Lutheran.

Zion, Maple, Ont. – Cemetery Memorial, Picnic & BBQAll friends and past members are invited to our annualCemetery Memorial Service on June 24 at 10:30 a.m. which willbe followed by our annual Picnic/BBQ and a time for sharing,remembering and fun. Everyone is welcome.

Zion, Lunenburg, N.S. – 240th AnniversaryZion is celebrating its 240th birthday! The foreign protestantswho immigrated to Lunenburg founded Zion in 1772. EdmundBrownless (a participant in the annual Boxwood Festival) andZion are collaborating on a Foreign Protestant Worship Service.Reflecting worship in 1772, in both German and English; someperiod instruments will be used. All are invited to join thecongregation on July 29, 11:00 a.m. for this one-of-a-kindworship experience. Period dress is welcomed! Visitors toLunenburg can also visit Zion in July and August, Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. as well as worshipSundays at 11:00 a.m. (More information about the service canbe found at www.facebook.com/#!/edmundbrownless)

St. James, Normanby Twp., Ont. – Cemetery Memorial ServiceThe St. James Lauderbach Cemetery annual Memorial Servicewill be held on Sunday, August 19 at 2:30 p.m. For moreinformation, contact Russel Pletsch at 519-327-8554 or emailrpletsch@wightman.ca.

Email Congregational Classifieds to beverley@cunninghamcommunications.caby August 1 for the Fall issue, delivered to homes in early September. Includeyour name and phone number.

Congregational ClassifiedsAround the synod

Celebrating 35 years of ordinationfor women By Eric A. Roberts Lunenburg Parish, N.S.

Celebrating Earth Day By Wilma SevilleSt. John’s, Hamilton, Ont.

On April 22, St. John’s,Hamilton, Ont., joinedhundreds of congregationsaround the world in celebrat-ing Earth Day – a day thatinspires positive environmen-tal action to preserve God’screation for future genera-tions.

As the elevator was out ofcommission, in order toconserve human energy, theservice was held in thedownstairs church hall – threesteps instead of many.

The worship themereinforced how mankind isresponsible for the care of ourprecious planet. Pastor FrankBahr’s sermon emphasizedthat we, as individuals, mustbe responsible to change howwe treat the environment.

It was wonderful to see thechildren participate by readingfrom the Word of God.Congregational member,Emma Begert, used a “showand tell” method to deliver thechildren’s message and it wasvery well done.

An overhead screenpresented the order of serviceand featured the words of thehymns and responsivereadings – a welcome changewhich the congregationseemed to enjoy!

This very interesting way ofholding “church” wasfollowed by various familiesdemonstrating how to recycle,how to use solar energy andother worthwhile ways tobecome stewards of God’screation.

A light lunch was servedwith food purchased fromlocal sources within a radius of200 km. At this time of year,that was a difficult thing to doand the committee is to becommended for the excellentjob they did in helping uscelebrate Earth Day.

Learn more about Earth Day atwww.earthday.ca and more aboutthe ELCIC’s Stewardship ofCreation program atelcic.ca/Stewardship/Stewardship-of-Creation/default.cfm.

The story continueswww.easternsynod.orgThank you for all the submissions to The Eastern SynodLutheran this month. We received many more articlesthan we could publish in this issue. We have postedadditional congregational news on the Eastern Synodwebsite. Visit www.easternsynod.org soon to read morestories about what’s happening in congregations aroundthe synod.

Edgewood: A steadfast mission and growing ministry By Fred LudolphExecutive Director, Edgewood Camp and Conference Centre

Mission and ministry are twowords we encounter a greatdeal in the church, often in thesame sentence. As we usethem so often, I’ll risk tellingyou what I think they mightmean for us. Mission is discov-ering, living into, and sharingthe gracious love of God weknow through Jesus Christ.Ministry is what we do to liveout that mission.

Mission never changes orends, whereas ministries comeand go, prosper and fail, grow– change – and evolve intosomething else. Ministriesrespond to needs, and thenfind other needs to meet. Theyare not permanent.

Saying this is easy, but ifyour church is closing, or yourproject ending – it takes somegrace, forgiveness, letting go,and FAITH to make your waythrough. To help, let me sharea few stories of ministriesending that were able tosupport a growing ministry.

ALYF (A Life - get it?) –Anglican Lutheran YouthFellowship in Kitchener-Waterloo held a number ofexcellent youth events andretreats over many years, buttheir following dwindled andleaders moved on to otherprojects. ALYF ended;however, it still had fundsremaining. It gave those fundsto Camp Edgewood topurchase a data projector anda new sound system. Now wehave new, working equipmentfor our own programs and forrenting to retreat groups.Thank you ALYF!

In 2011, two synod congre-gations closed. Meadowvale,Mississauga, Ont., ended itsministry and invitedEdgewood and other congre-gations to choose items fromthe church that mightsupport theirm i n i s t r i e s .Edgewood

received coffee mugs, twocoffee makers, tea towels, dishcloths and an excellent piano.After we had chosen andpacked the items, congrega-tional representative andfrequent Edgewood Camp firstaider, Carole Verscheuren,handed me an envelopesaying, “We also wanted togive you this.” It was a chequefor $7,000, part of the congre-gation’s remaining funds.These funds provided newministry by supporting ourcommon mission through theministry of Edgewood.

St. James, NormanbyTownship, ended its congrega-tional ministry in 2011. InJanuary 2012, EdgewoodCamp received a cheque madepossible by the sale of itemsfrom St. James. Thank you, St.James, for your spirit ofmission and ministry.

Edgewood Camp andConference Centre has been asynod ministry since 1944. Webegan as a summer camp, butfollowing the call of missionour ministry is now year-round. On a daily basis, wehost public school environ-mental programs, Catholicschool day retreats, congrega-tional retreats, trainingsessions and leadershipworkshops for high school andcommunity groups. Ourmission has never changed,but our ministry has grown –from summer to year-round;from Lutheran to interdenomi-national and interfaith; fromserving the Lutherancommunity to serving ournon-profit partners, people offaith and people who have yetto discover faith. We are inmission with you, for you, andfor others through ever-

changing and growingministry.

E d g e w o o dextends sincere

thanks to

61 congregations whosupported us with donationsin 2011. Special thanks to thefollowing congregations thatgave gifts of $1,000 or more:

• Our Saviour, Owen Sound• Zion, Stratford• St. James, Elmira• St. Peter’s, Kitchener• St. John’s, Waterloo• St. James, North Easthope,• Meadowvale, Mississauga• St. Paul, Neustadt• St. Ansgar, London.

We are also grateful for theministry of volunteers: thecongenial congregation of theannual men’s work weekendin May; adopt a cabin congre-gations; summer camp nurses,chaplains, and volunteers;board and committeemembers; and the eversupportive community ofEden Mills.

What is Edgewood’s nextministry project? A two-stageredevelopment plan. We havejust received concept drawingsfor a new retreat centre.Accommodating 35 guests, itwill offer spacious activity anddining areas, small grouplounges, and it will featuremoney-saving environmentalfeatures. It will serve many ofour existing groups andprovide the kind of space andamenities that groups whocurrently pass us by arelooking for.

How can you participate inthis exciting ministry project?As an individual, you canconsider making a major gift orproviding security through an investment in the ELCIC’s LIFE fund. As acongregation of the Toronto,Georgian Bay, London, K-W, or Hamilton/Niagara confer-

ences, you can commit to a giftof at least $2,000 a year for thenext three years through theannual Eastern SynodLutheran Camp Appeal. Thatwould make a combinedannual gift of about $220,000 ayear! There are hands-on waysto help as well: painting,landscaping, clean up, gifts inkind or gifts of skill that canmake monetary donations gofurther.

Edgewood is lookingforward to the challenge andexcitement of this new project.One day it will be completed,operating and serving ourmission. What then? Missionis never complete. There willbe new projects for us toundertake together as support-ers of outdoor ministry.

PAGE 6, THE EASTERN SYNOD LUTHERAN SUMMER 2012

Praying for others – at Queen’s Park .

. . . continued from page 1

hope that this legislature maysee justice.” The intent wasthat these pebbles becomeone more stone in thefoundation of compassionand fairness, a pledge tojustice and a commitment tothose in need, a foundation ofhope in every human heartthat an inclusive community

shall prevail. In addition to Dr. Eagle and

Bishop Pryse, the followingfaith group leaders participated:

Pandit Suraj Persad, HinduCommunity; Sean Hillman,Buddhist Community; Rev. Maggie Helwig, Anglican Diocese of Toronto;Jehan Bagli, Zoroastrian

Community; Rabbi StephenWise, Shaarei-Beth ElCongregation; Rev. JeffreyBrown, Unitarian Universalistand Imam Habeeb Alli,Canadian Council of Imams.

Lutheran Student House

177 Albert St., Waterloo, Ont.

Applications for residency at the Lutheran Student House arebeing accepted for the 2012 spring/summer term and the

2012/2013 fall/winter term. This is a large two-story home atthe corner of Albert St. and Seagram Dr. The Lutheran Student

House is on the edge of WLU and three blocks from U of W.

The Lutheran Student House is a non-profit student residenceministry of Lutheran Campus Ministry where residents live inan intentional spiritual community. The cost for the summerterm is $215/month or $860 for the term. The cost for the

fall/winter term is $430 per month or $1,720 per term. Thisincludes cable and high speed internet.

For more information, contact Anne WoolnerEmail: annewoolner@hotmail

Tel: 519-743-2277 Or visit the website: www.lutheransconnect.com.

High school students who use Edgewood daily enjoy the excellentpiano donated by Meadowvale. The pianist is playing classicalmusic while her friends offer a raucous chorus of a camp favourite,“Brown Squirrel”!

SUMMER 2012 THE EASTERN SYNOD LUTHERAN, PAGE 7

Report of the TreasurerRegular Benevolence Offerings, Mar 31, 2012

PerTotal Household

Offerings received to date in 2012 209,958 $8.04

Offerings received last year same period 232,705 $8.92

Change from 2011 to 2012 -10%

Minimum Goal for 2012 1,580,500 $60.56

Challenge Goal for 2012 1,730,500 $66.30

Note to Congregational Treasurers: Please ensure that congregational benevolence offerings are remitted monthly. Thank you.

Pastoral opportunitiesThe following congregations are seeking a pastor. For moreinformation, please contact Rev. Riitta Hepomaki, Assistant to the Bishop. Tel: 519-743-1461 Toll-free: 1-877-373-5242 Email: rhepomaki@elcic.ca.

Atlantic Conference:St. Paul’s, Trinity and St. Matthew’s, New Germany, NS

Hamilton/Niagara Conference:Redeemer, Fisherville, ON

London Conference:St. Peter’s and St. James, Sullivan/Williamsford, ONSt. Peter’s, Brodhagen, ON

Ottawa-St. Lawrence Conference: Latvian Trinity Evangelical, Montreal, QC and Peace LatvianEvangelical, Ottawa, ON (Latvian-English bilingual shared call)

Toronto Conference: Christ, Peterborough, ON

Please visit the synod website www.easternsynod.org for more information and regular updates on pastoral opportunities.

Ministry changesRev. Tuula Van Gaasbeek, Agricola, Toronto, ON to St. Philip’s,Etobicoke, ON

Rev. Thomas Doherty, TWC to Holy Cross, Newmarket, ON

Rev. Martin Malina, Zion Pembroke, ON to Faith, Ottawa, ON

Rev. Vihtori Leskela, ELCF to St.Matthew’s /St. Timothy’s,Sudbury/Copper Cliff, ON

Ordinand Bruce Thomson to Good Shepherd, Brockville, ON

Ordinand Steve Hoffard to St. Mark’s, Kingston, ON

Rev. William Gustafson from Northfield and District Lutheran Parish NS to retired.

Key: TWC – Temporarily without call ELCF – Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland

“We have distributed morethan $3.2 million to Lutheranorganizations in the past fouryears,” Laurie Kitchen,president of the EvangelicalLutheran Foundation ofEastern Canada (ELFEC)reported recently. At ELFEC’sAnnual General Meeting onMarch 16, Ms Kitchenexplained that the amountincluded grants to the EasternSynod as well as to congrega-tions, church camps and otherinstitutions.

Another part of the totalwas paid to congregationalinvestment partners as invest-ment income on assetsmanaged by ELFEC. Since2009, the foundation haswelcomed a total of six congre-gational partners. Ms Kitchenreported that ELFEC hopes toattract many more partnersand welcomes inquiries

from congregations across the synod.

The foundation’s presidentalso announced that as of theend of 2011, ELFEC wasmanaging 92 distinct namedfunds with a total value inexcess of $11.7 million.

In other business, ELFECmembers heard a presentationby Gunnela Hahn, Head ofResponsible Investment for theChurch of Sweden. Speakingvia Skype from California, Ms.Hahn described her church’sefforts to invest in companiesthat make a positive contribu-tion to society. The investmentpolicy also screens outcompanies that don’t performwell on environmental, socialand governance measures.

According to Hahn,Responsible Investment (RI) iscompatible with good financialperformance. “Some of our

funds have met marketbenchmarks and others haveexceeded them,” she toldELFEC members. “These days,Responsible Investment hasbecome mainstream. We havefound it lowers risk andexpands our ideas about what kinds of companies toinvest in.”

Following the presentation,the members passed a motionasking the ELFEC board to“create and implement anappropriate RI policy thatreflects our church's commit-ment to compassionate justiceand ethical stewardship and toprovide a progress report tothe members at the nextAnnual General Meeting.”

More information on thefoundation can be found at the organization’s website,www.elfec.ca.

The ELFEC Board plans to implement a Responsible Investment policy and invest in companies that make apositive contribution to society. Board members include: Back row (l-r): Rev. Dr. Mark Harris, Rev. Dr. DavidPfrimmer, Susan Heard, Wendell Schlumberger and Laurie Kitchen. Front row: Bill Kuehnbaum, Dr. JaninaVanderpost and Allan Greve.

Lutheran Foundation distributes $3 million By Jeff PymELFEC Secretary-Treasurer

302-393 PORTAGE AVENUEWINNIPEG, MB R3B 3H61.800.661.2597 • WWW.CLWR.ORG

LIKE US ON FACEBOOKFOLLOW US ON TWITTERWATCH US ON YOUTUBE

Give a Penny, Save a LifeCalling all Sunday Schools, youth groups, and everyone witha fat penny jar!

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Interested in a new way to serve?The Evangelical Lutheran Foundation of EasternCanada (ELFEC) is in the business of growing generosity. As a federally incorporated public foundation and registered charity, ELFEC works at the intersection of faith and finance.

We are looking for a few qualified and committedpeople to join our volunteer Board of Directors. Ourgoals are to deepen the Board’s technical capabilities

in a few key areas, whilemaking it better resemblethe diverse communitieswe serve.

We would like to hearfrom you if you have theenergy and experience tocontribute to our mission.

You can learn more about ELFEC at http://elfec.ca/.Choose “About Us” from the main menu and then clickon “Serving on the Board” for detailed information onhow to put your name forward for consideration as apotential director.

The deadline for submitting expressions of interestis July 13, 2012.

PAGE 8, THE EASTERN SYNOD LUTHERAN SUMMER 2012

Lutheran TV WorshipCome Worship With Us

10:00 am

June 10 Pentecost 2

June 24 Pentecost 4

July 8 Pentecost 6

(Pre-taped from Feb. 5, 2012)

July 22Pentecost 8

(Pre-taped from Feb. 19, 2012)

July 29 Pre-empted for

CTV Summer Olympics

August 12 Pre-empted for

CTV Summer Olympics

August 26 Pentecost 13 (Pre-taped from

Jan. 15, 2012)

Your freewill offerings are mostwelcome to help continue this

ministry. Contact us if you wish tosponsor a broadcast in memory or

honour of a loved one.

St. Peter’s Lutheran Church49 Queen St N, Kitchener,

ON N2H 2G9 (519) 745-4705Email: stpeters@golden.net

Tuesday, August 21, 2012Rockway Golf Course

18th Annual Charity

Tournament FormatA scramble format will be used and each team of four golfers will combine their skills for a single team score. To keep the game rolling along, once a golfer has reached double par they have to pick up the ball and move to the next hole. Individual skill tests will challenge all the golfers!

Cost: $125Registration & BBQ Lunch: 12:00 p.m.

For more information go to www.trinityvillage.com

Rev. Susan Climo ofMississauga's Peace LutheranChurch took another sip ofcoffee and then got "a kick inthe butt from the Holy Spirit" a few weeks ago while having breakfast.

Distraught over the closingof her church in the SquareOne Shopping Centre, Climosays God's hand has been at

work over the last few weeks.During that time she'smanaged to meet her soulsister, Rev. Judith Alltree ofMississauga's Anglican Churchof the Holy Spirit.

"It's not just a coincidencewe met and were both inneed," Climo said today atAlltree's church, where Climo'ssmall congregation will nowgather for worship.

Climo held her last serviceat the Square One location lastSunday. This week, hercongregation had to vacate thepremises so the mall could usethe space to expand its food court. The Peace Lutherancongregation worshippedthere for 37 years.

"I was just sipping my coffeeand something told me I hadto get right over to the closest

church and ask for help," saidClimo, who was told theAnglican leaders ofMississauga were meeting.

When Climo crashed theparty and told her story ofwoe, Alltree immediatelystepped up and offered herchurch as a place of worship.

"We're really struggling withfinances and our own congre-gation is dwindling, so whenSusan told her story, I knewwe'd be a good fit and be ableto help each other," saidAlltree, whose congregation of70 has warmly welcomedClimo's smaller congregationof 30.

"By joining our congrega-tions, it gives us both a boostand it's how God wanted it tohappen," said Alltree, who calls the alliance a "spiritualsynergy."

The two congregations willshare Alltree's church, eachproviding a separate Sundayservice while teaming up for a combined service once a month.

Steven Viera, a member of

Climo's congregation for thepast three years, says this typeof relationship isn't seen veryoften and is a testament to trueChristianity.

"Some of our traditions andsmall details of our servicesmay be different, but we're allworshipping the same God. Uscoming together showsChristianity should not bedenomination based, it shouldbe people coming together asone," said Viera.

Viera says Alltree's Anglicancongregation has beenwelcoming and the friendshipis proof members of bothgroups are comprised ofhumble human beings strivingtowards the same goal — toput God first.

Climo says she's relieved tohave found a new, permanenthome, considering her searchwas going nowhere due to thehigh costs of rent inMississauga.

"God is up to somethingreally cool here and I think there's more to come,"said Climo.

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Two churches in oneBy Alex ConsiglioStaff writer and photographer, The Mississauga NewsReprinted with permission