Metro e-Word

• 1/13 LCMNU Dismantling White Supremacy Event
• 1/17 Suburban Interfaith Service
• 1/17 DuPage County Realizing King's Dream Event
• 1/18 LSTC King Day Event
• 1/18 FaithBridge Virtual Event

• 1/19 ELCA Rostered Ministers Future Church Update

• LSSI Opportunities
• Deepening and Expanding RIC Requirements
• Bp. Anderson House Spiritual Care Training
• Mediation Skills Training Offered
• Empowering Communication Workshops
• Scholarship from Beta Sigma Psi
• 1/14 Welcome to the Youth Ministry Network
• 1/21-4/15 Ignite the Church Conference 
• 1-28 Our Saviour's Launch of Adult Education Course, "The Bible and Race Relations"
• 2/2 Begins AJC Year of Civil Discourse
• 2/11 MCS WGME Confronting Christian Zionism Virtual Event
• 2/18 Black Voices of Transformation Spoken Word Event
• COVID-19 Virtual Care Program

1/17 Suburban religious leaders hosting interfaith prayer service

Suburban faith leaders will come together to host a virtual interfaith prayer service for World Peace Day at 2:00 PM, Sunday, January 17.

Eboo Patel, founder and president of the nonprofit Interfaith Youth Core, will deliver the keynote address. Patel is a noted Muslim community leader and speaker on issues of religious diversity, civic engagement, and the intersection of racial equality and interfaith cooperation.

The event is organized by the Naperville Interfaith Leaders Association, Congregation Etz Chaim, and Congregation Beth Shalom and co-sponsored by various faith communities.

For more information, visit napervilleinterfaith.org/worldpeaceday or mail WorldPeaceDay@NapervilleInterfaith.org.

Read more, 

1/17 Realizing Dr. King's Dream Through Good Trouble and Nonviolence

All are invited to this virtual event, sponsored by a number of congregations and organizations in DuPage County. The event will celebrate the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and reflect on nonviolent resistance today. Click the image above to link to the Zoom event. 

Contact: Tom Codaro, cordarotom@gmail.com. 

1/18 LSTC Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemoration 

Dr. King’s message of unity is the theme for the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemoration Monday, January 18. Five leading theologians will reflect on the theme during the 60-minute pre-recorded tribute.  The recorded event will go live at 11:15 a.m. Central time on LSTC’s Facebook and YouTube sites. 

“In light of recent events and public calls for healing and reconciliation, theological reflection on the promise and the problems with the rhetoric of unity could not be more timely or urgent,” said Erik Christensen, pastor to the community and director of worship, who serves on this year’s planning committee. “This year’s speakers will explore how the wisdom of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. may be a guide for navigating the present moment.”  

About the speakers 

Gary Dorrien, Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics, Union Theological Seminary, and professor of religion, Columbia University, is the author of 20 books and more than 300 articles that range across the fields of social ethics, philosophy, theology, political economics, social and political theory, religious history, cultural criticism, and intellectual history. In 2018 he won the Choice Award of the American Library Association for his book Breaking White Supremacy: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Black Social Gospel and in 2017 he won the Grawemeyer Award for his book The New Abolition: W. E. B. Du Bois and the Black Social Gospel.  

Pamela Lightsey, vice president of academic and student affairs and associate professor of constructive theology, Meadville Lombard Theological School, who is the author of Our Lives Matter: A Womanist Queer Theology, “Reconciliation” in Prophetic Evangelicals: Envisioning a Just and Peaceable Kingdom, and other works. She is a leading social justice activist, working with local, national and international organizations focusing primarily on the causes of peacemaking, racial justice and LGBTQ rights. 

Richard Perry Jr., is professor emeritus of church and society and urban ministry. He is the author of numerous works on African American Lutheranism, ethics, and urban ministry including “Martin Luther King Jr and the Christian Life” in the Journal of Lutheran Ethics, “African American Ethical Action” in The Promise of Lutheran Ethics, and, with Albert Pero and Cheryl Stewart Pero, Let Justice Roll Down Like Waters. . ., a Black cultural awareness resource. 

Rosetta Ross is professor of philosophy and religious studies at Spelman College.  

She has published three books and numerous articles on religion and Black women’s activism, religion and Africana women’s quality of life, and religion and society. Her current book project is Ruby Ruffin Hawkins Hurley: The Making of an Activist, focused on Hurley’s NAACP work among early to mid-twentieth century black Atlantic religious and political expressions. 

Sunggu Yang is assistant professor of Christian ministries, George Fox University. He is the author of, King’s Speech: Preaching Reconciliation in a World of Violence and Chasm and Evangelical Pilgrims from the East: Faith Fundamentals of Korean American Protestant Diasporas. he has served as founder and general editor of The Journal of Asian American Theological Forum ( www.aatfweb.org).  

Unity in prayer and music 

The event planning team chose the theme unity noting that “this year the national holiday honoring Dr. King comes at the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and just two days before the inauguration of the next president of the United States, President-Elect Joe Biden, who has spoken frequently of the need for unity in this country at a time of profound political polarization, as well as racial and economic injustice.  

Music and worship elements of the celebration will be provided by Vickie Johnson (2020, MDiv), pastor of St. Thomas Lutheran Church, Chicago, Ill., and Keith Hampton, cantor to the seminary community, LSTC. It includes a performance of his composition, “Unity,” by Chicago’s Apollo Chorus and members of the Chicago Community Chorus. 

Contacts 

Erik Christensen 

Pastor to the Community and Director of Worship 

erik.christensen@lstc.edu 

Jan Boden 

Public Relations Manager 

jboden@lstc.edu 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. FaithBridge Interfaith Prayer Virtual Gathering

This Virtual Martin Luther King, Jr., Interfaith Breakfast will feature Dr. Mark A. Hicks. Dr. Hicks is the Angus MacLean Professor of Religious Education at Meadville Lombard (Chicago) who also directs the activities of The Fahs Collaborative: A Laboratory for Innovation in Faith Formation.

As a scholar and practitioner of faith formation, Dr. Hicks calls upon the disciplines of philosophy and education, transformative learning, critical pedagogy, and arts education as foundations for holistic, spiritually/emotionally grounded teaching and learning. His teaching and scholarship have been acclaimed by colleagues for their impact, and also lauded by participants whose learning is deepened by his ideas and practices.

Register here. 

1/19 ELCA Rostered Ministers Future Church Update

Activate each of us so more people know the way of Jesus and discover community, justice and love. Dear rostered minister, This past November the ELCA Church Council affirmed a new Future Church design and I sent out a “save the date” notice for us to gather as rostered ministers and learn more. I hope you will be able to join me on Jan. 19 at 11:30 a.m. Central time. The other presenters will be: The Rev. Philip Hirsch, executive director, Domestic Mission Mikka McCracken, executive for innovation, director of the ELCA Leadership Lab We will use our time together to answer these questions: What is Future Church? What specifically do we hope for with ministries? What are our next steps? I understand that you are all very busy and juggle many responsibilities, but I hope you will take time to join me for less than an hour. You do not need to register. Simply click here on Jan. 19 just prior to 11:30 a.m. Central time. God’s peace, Elizabeth A. Eaton Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

LSSI Opportunities 

LSSI Needs Foster Parents - Video Resource

During the pandemic, it has become increasingly challenging to recruit foster parents and to place children in need of foster care. LSSI continues to address these circumstances, but you can help! Share this video from a Rockford TV station on social media - bit.ly/LSSI-video1 - and direct people interested in becoming a foster parent to LSSI.org/fostercare. The need for foster parents spans statewide.

Therapeutic Foster Parents Needed in Aurora, Rockford, and Chicago

Be a part of a successful pilot program at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) by becoming a therapeutic foster parent through programs in Aurora, Rockford, and Chicago. Therapeutic foster care places children with histories of severe trauma and emotional/behavioral needs in family treatment homes where they receive more one-on-one care and attention. The program is evidence-based and provides short-term, intensive support for these children, so that they can thrive in a family home. Therapeutic foster parents receive intensive training, 24/7 support, and a generous daily stipend, and they are part of an evidence-based treatment team. Learn more at LSSI.org/TFC.

Deepening and Expanding RIC Requirements

Since 1983, the Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Program has been a public way for faith communities to see, name, celebrate, and advocate for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions in the Lutheran church. The RIC Program is made up of congregations, synods, colleges, seminaries, outdoor ministries, and other Lutheran organizations. Every ministry setting begins this journey from its own unique context and ReconcilingWorks is here to help you create an authentic welcome journey that is customized to your community. 

The purpose of the RIC Program is to ensure the welcome, inclusion, celebration, and advocacy for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions; work for racial equity and commit to anti-racist work, and support the national program. 

Expanded RIC Partners Public Commitments: 

Your community explicitly states a welcome to people of “all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions” or “LGBTQIA+” and names its commitment to racial equity or antiracism in its welcome statement. 

Open to calling an LGBTQIA+ and Black, Brown, Indigenous, Person of Color (BIPOC) Rostered Leader. 

Will allow community space/sanctuary to be used for LGBTQIA+ weddings and blessings. 

Will make a meaningful contribution annually to support the national RIC program. 

Now is an important time for our RIC partners to review their Welcome Statement, make updates to meet the new expanded public commitments, and set new goals and milestones of justice work for your community to strive for.

Learn more here. 

Satrting 1/30, Spiritual Care Training at Bp. Anderson House

How will you grow in the new year?  Do you have a passion for helping others? If so, it’s not too late to apply for the next session of the Bishop Anderson House Spiritual Care Visitor Training Program. Our next session begins on Saturday, January 30. To ensure our student’s safety during COVID19 conditions, we will start with a virtual retreat held over Zoom in three separate mandatory sessions (January 30, 10-12 PM and 1:30-3 PM; February 6, 10-12 PM CST). You will continue the program by taking seven online modules covering a variety of topics, completing two verbatims, and providing two hours of spiritual care weekly via phone or videoconference at the direction of your faith community leader. A $50 application fee is due when you apply to conduct a background check, which must successfully be completed prior to the start of the retreat. The course fee is $325, with discounts offered for groups of five or more from the same organization. We do have limited scholarship funds available. Please see our website for further details on the program or to complete your application. All applications are due no later than Monday, January 18. If you have any questions, please contact Kim Lessner, Registrar, at 312-563-4825 or kim_lessner@rush.edu.

Lombard Mennonite Peace Center Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders

Does your congregation experience conflict?  Does it harm your Christian fellowship and distract from your church’s mission?  Learn to transform conflict from a negative force into an opportunity for reconciliation and growth.  Register now for one of these six sessions of our popular and practical Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders:  March 1-5, May 3-7, June 21-25, August 2-6, October 11-15, or November 15-19, 2021.  The “early bird” rate is $695.  Currently we plan to conduct this event online via Zoom.  NOTE:  After December 2020, online registration will no longer be available via Brown Paper Tickets.  To register or to learn more, contact the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center at 630-627-0507 or Admin@LMPeaceCenter.org.

Empowering Communication Workshops for Clergy 

Four Empowering Communication Workshops for Clergy are being offered from January 18 – February 12, 2021, facilitated by the Rev. Joel Westby and the Rev. Leslie Ritter-Jenkins

For information and registration follow this link:  https://empoweringcommunicationinc.net/workshops-for-religious-leaders