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November 5, 2020 Table of Contents
- Synod Worship Team and Bp. Curry to Provide Advent 1 Worship
- COVID-19 Restoring MCS Update
- LSSI Opportunities
- LWR Season of Hope Resource
- Bp. Anderson House Spiritual Care Training
- Thursday Evening Series: Coming to Terms With Race
- Remote Learning Together Program
- LOMC Family Getaways
- U.F.O. at Lutherdale
- 11/9 Kristallnacht Commemoration Service
- 11/16-12/17 Faith Over Fear Training
- 11/17 Vine Deloria Symposium at LSTC
- COVID-19 Virtual Care Program
- Portico Corner
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November 29, Advent 1 Worship (The Bishop is Preaching)
Dear Partners in Ministry,
The MCS worship team is preparing a virtual Service of the Word for Advent 1, Sunday, November 29 (also known by many as the Sunday after Thanksgiving). Bishop Yehiel Curry will be delivering the sermon. The video will be made available via Google Drive to congregations by November 16, to download, use, edit, and incorporate into worship as they wish. It will also air on November 29, 10:30 AM, on the MCS Facebook page.
Unlike previous sermons posted from MCS, this will be a complete worship service, ready to use. We hope that this will give leaders and rostered ministers a bit of a pause in this busy season.
Please reach out to Pastor Severson, kseverson@mcselca.org, for more information.
In Christ,
The MCS Worship Team
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COVID Mitigation Measures - 11/5 Update
As we continue to monitor the spread of COVID-19 in our synod, please be aware of the current regional mitigation measures announced by Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). Because these mitigation measures utilize the best public health information and God’s gift of science, we strongly recommend adhering to these in-person capacity limits and mitigation measures given for non-religious settings.
These new mitigation measures impact worship (including weddings and funerals) by placing all MCS congregations under a limit of the lesser of (a) 25 people or (b) 25% of overall room capacity (both indoors and outdoors), Furthermore, on October 29, the governor reaffirmed online worship where congregants stay at home or to keep an in-person gatherings very small.
We continue to encourage you to use the comprehensive and frequently updated guidelines for congregations within the synod found in “Restoring Metropolitan Chicago Synod: Guidelines for Physically Returning to Buildings” and its associated summary charts. This information includes the critical information that this virus has been found to be airborne in circumstances that are commonplace in our congregations and recent updates to the definition of “close contact.”
Please continue to closely monitor the situation and review updates from Restore Illinois here and from IDPH here. Questions or additional clarifications about MCS recommendations can be directed towards the Associate to the Bishop for your conference.
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Companion Synod Advisory Committee Seeks New Members (Apply by 21/1)
Since 1997, the Metropolitan Chicago Synod has been in a companion synod relationship with the Central Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa. The Companion Synod Advisory Committee is seeking new committee members to help implement and develop our Congregation to Congregation partnerships and interpret our work across MCS. The Advisory Committee meets approximately every 8-12 weeks. Those interested in serving on the Advisory Committee should complete the following application by December 1. In early January, new committee members will be identified and our work together will begin. For further information, you may contact Pr. Elaina Salmon or Pr. Seth Moland-Kovash, prelainasalmon@gmail.com and pastorseth@allsaintspalatine.org.
Find a link to the application here!
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LSSI Opportunities
The Women’s Network
The Women's Network of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois will make a ‘virtual site visit’ to the Rockford Foster Care Program on Thursday, November 12, at 10:00 a.m. via Zoom. The guest speaker will be Lisa Seymour, Program Director, discussing "A Day in the Life of a Child Welfare Professional." All are welcome to attend! RSVP by Monday, November 9, to Ann Klicar, Women's Network Secretary, at annk75@att.net to receive a Zoom link in advance of the meeting.
Let Your Amazon Shopping Help LSSI
Lutheran Social Services of Illinois partners with AmazonSmile, a portal to shopping on Amazon.com. When you choose LSSI as your preferred charity on AmazonSmile, a percentage of all purchases made are automatically donated to LSSI. Same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com. You can use AmazonSmile via computer or phone app. Sign up here: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/36-2584799
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LWR Season of Hope
Let Lutheran World Relief help you this Advent. Lift up the experience of our neighbors in each of the regions your love reaches: Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Lutheran World Relief will provide you with a full suite of resources that can be used digitally or in-person each week: sermon illustrations, powerful videos, candle lighting litany and at-home engagement. Visit lwr.org/congregations to download these free resources and make plans for your congregation to experience a Season of Hope.
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Spiritual Care Training at Bp. Anderson House
Spiritual Care Visitor Training is geared towards individuals who want to learn the art of being a healing presence through basic skills of active listening. Other topics include the role of faith, sacrament and prayer in spiritual care; addiction; ministry to the cognitively impaired; advance directives; cultural diversity; and serious illness, death, & loss.
All are welcome who wish to enhance their spiritual care skills by learning how to support members of their faith community in times of transition and change. These learned skills can also be applied to different volunteer opportunities at nursing homes, hospice centers, and hospitals. Graduates have found it to be a very empowering and meaningful way to increase their capacity to care for others.
The next session begins Saturday, January 30.
Find a full description here of spiritual care training here. For more information and questions, contact Kim Lessner at 312-563-4825 or Kim_Lessner@rush.edu.
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Thursday Evening Study Series: Coming to Terms Race
Please join members of First Presbyterian Church and St. John's Lutheran Church of Wilmette for this four-week Zoom class, led by The Rev. Andrew Packman. Pastor Andrew, a Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago Divinity School, is writing his dissertation on race and the gospel. The class will gather from 7:30 to 8:45 pm on four consecutive Thursday nights beginning on October 22 and running through November 12. Each class will include 45 minutes of presentation, 15 minutes of breakout conversations, and 15 minutes of wrap-up time. The presentation in each session will be recorded and viewable later on YouTube.
This class is designed as a primer on race in American life. We’ll explore the history of race as an idea, identify the different forms racism has taken throughout American history, and reckon with the enduring racial legacy of Chicagoland’s housing market. As Americans, we’ll learn how to have more intelligent conversations about one of the most combustible and confusing issues in national life. And as Christians, we’ll learn to think theologically about the way that race continues to order our world, infusing its evil into even our most seemingly innocent choices.
All are invited to join us via Zoom at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81285684158...
To call in, dial 312-626-6799, then enter Meeting ID (812 8568 4158) and Passcode (108310).
No tickets or advance registration are required.
We would love to have you join us!
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Remote Learning Together
This school year is unlike any other as we jump into an unprecedented model of remote learning. It feels more remote than ever sitting in front of your computer screen all day with little to no human interaction, yet the stakes seem higher and with so much unknown, it is hard not to stress and be filled with anxiety thinking about what comes next. That is why St. Mark Lutheran Church in Chicago is starting the Remote Learning Together program which will bring students together, following CDC guidelines, in a safe environment, so that they may learn remotely from their teachers yet receive that safe physically distant social interaction that children desperately need. By bringing students together in this safe manner, we are limiting the amount of risk that comes with human interaction during this time of COVID while also allowing parents/guardians to work and provide for their families.
How it Works:
The church space will be measured to ensure only a certain amount of people are allowed to be in the learning space at any given time; for St. Mark this is 12 people (11 students and 1 adult director).
Parents will enroll their students in the program. They will be responsible for drop-off and pick-up as well as providing their student(s) with the remote learning devices (these should come from CPS as they did during the Spring 2020 semester). Students will have to bring their own lunch.
Once enrolled the students will come to the church space for their remote learning school day.
The adult director is not their teacher and is not expected to provide educational resources. However, the director is there to provide supervision, ensure students are staying engaged with their teacher, and to provide that adult-student relationship that they will be missing by not being in school.
My Church Would be Perfect!
Great! Reach out to Vicar Marcus Guerra at St. Mark Lutheran Church for more details.
marcus.guerra@lstc.edu or 312-351-1917
I’m interested but we don’t have the ability; how else can we help?
No problem at all. We accept help in any shape or form. The church is not the building (although in this case, we are using the building) it is the people. So, church can be done in a variety of ways:
- A special offering
- Knowledge and experience
- Participation at another site, not just your church space
- Aid with students and guardians who may not be able to get their students to the site
- And any other way that God has gifted you!
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LOMC Family Getaways
Families are invited to take a break at LOMC among the trees, prairies, ponds, and trails. For safety, each household is given their own building in which to relax for two nights and three days. Freedom Tree Village (a hotel-quality experience, pictured above) or Retreat Cabins (bunks) are available.
LOMC has added a limited-time discount, *plus* through scholarship funds (supplied by congregations like Immanuel Lutheran in Lincoln, IL), the next 15 households that sign up, receive an additional $50 grant.
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11/13-11/15 U.F.O. (Un-Finished Objects) Retreat at Lutheradale
Relax at Lutherdale and take time to finish those projects you've been working on, or start a new one! Bring a friend or come by yourself to enjoy the beautiful grounds, your own personal hotel-style room, non-stop coffee, and a relaxing environment. Get creative! Register here: https://www.lutherdale.org/.../ret.../adult-family-retreats/
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Kristallnacht: A Commemoration Service
Annually, the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago commits to the denunciation of anti-Semitism now and in the history of our tradition, and seeks to join together people of all faiths in the work of the world’s mending and the healing of the nations.
To commemorate Kristallnacht, the night of November 9-10, 1938 when a massive, coordinated attack on Jews throughout the German Reich occurred, LSTC will offer a virtual service of reflection, music and witness.
The Kristallnacht commemoration service will take place virtually November 9, 2020 from 11:15 - 11:45 AM and will be led by Rabbi Shoshana Conover and Cantor Sheera Ben David of Temple Sholom of Chicago. LSTC is humbled to also welcome Lucille Wolf, survivor of the Holocaust, to share her experiences with the community. In addition, currently enrolled students in the fall Hebrew course will lead a special reading. Registration is now available.
Dr. Klaus-Peter Adam, Associate Professor of Old Testament, underscores how important it is for LSTC to continually renew its commitment to inter-religious respect and to promote positive interfaith relations in the United States and around the world.
“It is part of our mission to educate future leaders in the ELCA to commemorate, to teach and to pray responsibly in the public square. Learning about the Holocaust is a lesson in church history about the connections of Lutheran faith and anti-semitism in Germany. It is also a lesson that words from the pulpit count. Above all, the services educate sinners and saints how, in light of the murder of six million Jews, to pray ardently for and together with our Jewish sisters and brothers.”
Individuals who register for this service will be provided the Zoom participant details. The service will also be live-streamed on the LSTC Facebook page.
For more information, please contact Sara Trumm at ccme@lstc.edu]ccme@lstc.edu.
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Virtual Faith Over Fear Training
The Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign has created a free, high-quality virtual version of the Faith Over Fear training that many of us attended in-person over the past few years. This training equips faith and community leaders with the research tools and effective strategies for the ongoing work to counter anti-Muslim bias, discrimination, and violence in the US. The course is more than just Zoom meetings or lectures, but rather a month of weekly gatherings (Mondays or Thursdays) and self-guided learning in between live sessions: November 16 to December 17. For more information and to register, go to:
https://shouldertoshouldercampaign.thinkific.com/courses/faith-over-fear-Fall-2020
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David Martinez keynote speaker for Vine Deloria Jr. Theological Symposium at LSTC
The first night of the Vine Deloria Jr. Theological Symposium at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) features a keynote address by Dr. David Martinez (Akimel O'odham/Hia Ced O'odham/Mexican). The lecture takes place live on Nov. 17, 7-8:30 PM, Central time on Zoom. Register here to receive the Zoom link.
In this lecture, Martinez will discuss Vine Deloria Jr.’s historical significance and ongoing relevance to today’s Native American sovereignty movements with particular attention to his work at the intersection of environmental justice, tribal sovereignty, and tribal rights.
Martinez is associate professor of American Indian Studies at Arizona State University and the author of Life of the Indigenous Mind: Vine Deloria Jr and the Birth of the Red Power Movement (University of Nebraska Press, 2019). Martinez’s work focuses on American Indian intellectual and political history, contemporary American Indian art and aesthetics, and O’odham culture and history.
On Nov. 18, the symposium continues with a chapel service at 11:15 AM Central time. Register here for the Zoom link.
That evening, 7-8:30 PM Central time, via Zoom, a panel discussion featuring Dallas Goldtooth (Mdewakanton Dakota & Dińe) and Dr. Kyle Whyte (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) will explore the legacy of Vine Deloria, Jr.'s activism and scholarship. They will speak to the relationship of people to land that is woven throughout Deloria's work. With particular attention to the issues of sovereignty and eco-justice that are of enduring importance to Native communities throughout these lands - and thus to the many people living on Native lands - this panel will challenge us to consider the gifts offered by Deloria's work, and to commit ourselves to responding in the months and years to come, in the land to which we owe so much.
Dallas Goldtooth is Keep It in the Ground Campaign Organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network. He was one of the outstanding Water Protectors at Standing Rock/Oceti Sakowin Camp fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Kyle Whyte is the George Willis Pack Professor of Environment and Justice at the School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan. His research addresses moral and political issues concerning climate policy and Indigenous peoples, the ethics of cooperative relationships between Indigenous peoples and science organizations, and problems of Indigenous justice in public and academic discussions of food sovereignty, environmental justice, and the anthropocene.
Register for the panel discussion to receive the Zoom link.
Other+Wise is a co-sponsor of the 2020 Vine Deloria Jr. Theological Symposium. Learn more about Other+Wise at www.otherwise.red.
About the Vine Deloria Jr. Theological Symposium
In 2013, the Annual American Indian and Alaska Native Symposium at LSTC was renamed in honor of Vine Deloria Jr., an alumnus of Augustana Seminary, Rock Island, Ill., a predecessor school of LSTC. The symposium has been held in November each year since it began over 10 years ago. It has featured presentations, lectures, food and cultural activities. Past keynote speakers include Susan Kelly Power (Standing Rock Sioux), Rev. Dr. Gordon Straw (Brothertown Nation), Dr. Daniel Wildcat (Yuchi/Muskogee) and Prairie Rose Seminole (Three Affiliated Tribes of ND).
Contacts:
Erik Christensen
Pastor to the Community and Director of Worship
Erik.christensen@lstc.edu
Jan Boden
Public Relations Manager
jboden@lstc.edu
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Portico Corner
Annual Enrollment Reminder: Employer Selection is going on now through Oct. 30, where your organization needs to select an ELCA-Primary health benefit option to offer your sponsored plan members for 2021. In November, plan members also have choices to make about health benefits, tax-advantaged accounts, life insurance, and pretax retirement account contributions. Plan members, you’ll get an email from Portico when your account is ready for you to make your selections.
Our 2020 Live Well invitation rewards two activities: Completing a biometric screening ($100) and completing a financial task ($100). In this year of unexpected twists and turns, we’re making it a little easier to receive 2020 wellness dollars. Because of the pandemic, many have had difficulty visiting a clinic to have blood drawn for a biometric screening. We’ve decided to waive this step and credit wellness dollars to those who’ve not yet completed it — $100 to ELCA-Primary members and $100 to eligible spouses. This credit will show up mid-Oct in your personal wellness account (if you have Platinum+ or Gold+) or health savings account (if you have Silver+ or Bronze+). If you (and/or an eligible spouse) haven’t yet completed your financial wellness task, there’s still time from now until 11/30. Learn more on myPortico.
1:1 virtual or phone appointments – now available: Check in with your Portico Regional Rep, Jennifer Prinz. Need to check in on your ELCA Retirement Account? Ask a question about Annual Enrollment? Get a tutorial on how to use the ELCA-Primary Plan's terrific stress-management and mental health support benefits? Click here link to sign up now to chat with Jennifer over the phone or virtually. More dates will continue to be added, so if a time doesn’t work – keep checking or reach out to Jennifer directly at 563/650-4122 or JPrinz@PorticoBenefits.org
(Synod Communicators: here’s the direct link if you’d like to embed it yourself: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040b4ba4a722a02-check)
Need a Conference Meeting Speaker? Your Portico Regional Representative, Jennifer Prinz, is available to come to your virtual conference meetings and she may potentially bring along Portico’s CEO, Rev. Jeff Thiemann. If you’re interested, please reach out to Jennifer directly at JPrinz@PorticoBenefits.org or call/text her at 563/650-4122.
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