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In Our Synod
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon has a new president, Frank So! Check out his message to Oregon faith leaders.
Gather with others from around the Oregon Synod as we "do theology" together, seeking inspiration from Lutheran theologians, our communities, and beyond. Guest instructors will join us each week to share a theological nugget: a lens through which we will be invited to see, practice, and reflect as we go about our daily lives. Then we'll come back together to share, wonder, and explore meaning-making as beloved children of God.

This on-line course will meet on seven Thursday evenings from 6:30-8 pm beginning January 5 and then on one Tuesday evening, February 21. The course is designed with a Lutheran lens and inclusive heart; all are welcome. Course participants and/or their congregations are encouraged to donate, as they are able, on a sliding scale between $20-$160, but donations are not required to participate. Register here.

Do you have a musician in your church? Invite them to the synod quarterly musicians group meeting!  At these meetings, musicians gather to discuss what is happening in each of our churches and share ideas with colleagues. We will meet to discuss Advent/Christmas plans November 15, 5-6 pmMeeting link. Email Ralph Nelson, choir director at First Immanuel Lutheran Church, Portland for more information.

Join St. James Lutheran Church in downtown Portland on November 13 for a Rededication concert to celebrate completing a 3.4-million-dollar renovation of their historic building.  This Bach vespers service will highlight and celebrate the Reformation with instrumental, vocal, and organ music. The concert begins at 5 pm.
From the Spiritual and Theological Mutual Accompaniment gathering in Brazil, to the First Call Theological Education gathering in Washington to the Thanksgiving holiday and the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary Thriving Leaders event in California, synod staff will be traveling a lot this November!  We appreciate your patience and understanding with our busy calendars and delayed response times as we continue to tend and extend the wild web.
Monthly coffeehouse-style gathering featuring a storyteller sharing how being queer has affected their relationship with faith, the Bible, church, God, and themselves. This month Rachel Miller, a bisexual, polyamorous seminarian will share her story. All are welcome whether you are queer or straight/cis! RSVP's are appreciated but not required. Refreshments provided. November 20, 7:00-8:30 pm at Spirit of Grace, Beaverton.
Opportunities
Registration is open for Byberg Preaching Workshop 2023! This year will feature Rev. Traci Blackmon as the main speaker. Rev. Blackmon is a powerful preacher who was recently featured at the Festival of Homiletics. She is the associate general minister of justice & local church ministries for the United Church of Christ and senior pastor of Christ the King United Church of Christ in Florissant, MO. The Rev. Blackmon also has extensive pastoral experience on the national stage helping communities of color, and our nation as a whole, work through the strong social and institutional challenges and weaknesses that have brought us to this time of intense partisan turmoil. The event will also feature Br. Stefan Andre Waligur as the chaplain and musician.  His music for congregational singing uses American rhythms, Celtic melodies and the call and response style of Indian Kirtan.

January 23-25 in Seaside, Oregon. Learn more and register. Registration closes December 15.
Survey for Protestant clergy. The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and the Duke Endowment survey is part of a major national study on the health and future flourishing of mainline Protestant clergy and churches. (The congregation portion was recently completed.) The current study seeks to understand attitudes and experiences across a wide swath of American religious leadership. Because this survey is designed for a broad cross section of viewpoints, not all the questions may be relevant to your experiences or perspectives. Some questions may even describe controversial views that do not necessarily align with either your views or positions taken by the governing bodies of the ELCA. Please answer the questions from your context and experience. If a question is not relevant or applicable to you, please skip it. 
  • The survey will remain open for the month of November. 
  • It is available in both English and Spanish.
  • All responses are anonymous

PRRI will publish the results of this study in early 2023

"What we do will look like a waste of time and money to the broader order of utilitarianism. We sing together, we share bread, we tell stories. We form people in the church to be very bad at capitalism."
My Church Is a Beautiful Waste of Money. In this brief but bold article from Duke University, the Rev. Melissa Florer-Bixler makes the case that churches work in ways that defy the economies of the world because churches operate in a context of love, not efficiency. Her perspective challenges us to examine our preconceptions around stewardship and what God calls us to be in the world. This resource would be a wonderful opener for a council meeting, congregational retreat or stewardship workshop.

Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Sunday. 2023 resources include: worship materials, activity pages, a Zoom background, a consent building practice for passing of the peace, videos for guided meditation, children’s message, and sermon with written transcript. Learn more on their website.

ELCA
Building a liturgy - Living Lutheran article. Prior to the drumbeats, the gospel text read in Lakota, the music chanted in Muscogee (or Muskogee) and a presiding minister from the Osage Nation leading worship, there were months of planning and preparation to put together the American Indian and Alaska Native service at 2022 Churchwide Assembly.
Executive certificate in religious fundraising. In partnership with the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, the ELCA’s Congregational Stewardship and Generosity team is offering rostered leaders in the ELCA an intensive certification course on religious fundraising. Participants will sharpen their fundraising skills, explore the spirituality of fundraising and, upon completion of the course and an independent project, earn a professional certificate. The full class meets Wednesdays from Jan. 4 through March 8 (except for Ash Wednesday), with a smaller cohort meeting an additional day each week. Typically costing over $1,300, the course is offered at a steep discount for parish deacons and ministers, at only $550. Learn more. If you have any questions, please contact Rev. Larry Strenge or Rev. Timothy Brown.
Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) applications are open! The program invites young adults aged 21-29 into a transformative, yearlong journey in international service. YAGM is ready for you! Learn more and apply. Applications close on Feb. 1, 2023, with priority given to those who apply before Jan. 15, 2023.  (This is a picture of young adults deployed September 2022. Can you spot Bishop Laurie's daughter, Sophie?)
Advent
This Advent, journey through the psalms with ELCA World Hunger. In the psalms we find the pleas of the Hebrew people for renewal and transformation, for justice and peace, and for hope and comfort. Download the new Advent study, calendar and more here.
Check out current openings in the synod on our job board!  Have an opening?  Send us:
  • a link to the job description
  • a link to your church website
(We do not post job descriptions, just the links that point to the job description.)

Nov. 14-17: First Call Theological Education
Nov. 15: Quarterly musicians meeting, 5-6 pm. Meeting link
Nov. 27: First Sunday of Advent

2023

Jan. 23-25: Byberg Preaching Conference
Jan. 29: RIC Sunday
May 20: Oregon Synod Assembly - online
July 17-20: ELCA rostered ministers gathering
PRAYERS
For the family and friends of Rev. Dr. Walter Martin Stuhr, who recently died.  Rev. Stuhr was a former seminarian, professor, academic dean, and seminary president of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. You can read his obituary here. A hybrid memorial service is planned for Spring 2023. More details, including the date, will be shared when they are available. Memorial gifts are invited to the Rev. Dr. Walter & Barbara Stuhr Fund for Climate Justice & Faith at PLTS. You can give online at this link or send gifts to PLTS, PO Box 525, Berkeley, CA 94701 with "Stuhr Fund for CCJF" in the memo line.

For the family and friends of Pr. Gerald Jensen, who is in hospice with terminal cancer.

For Pr. Jim Seiffert as his health declines following a recent fall, and his daughter Pr. Sue Seiffert.

For Pastor Kristi Kreamer who had hip replacement surgery and whose husband James recently underwent quadruple bypass surgery.

For Pr. Jane Baker, who is undergoing chemotherapy.

For the young women in Iran, who are bravely protesting for freedom from tyranny.

For the people of Ukraine, and for all those who suffer during war.

For all the Ukrainian refugees and those sheltering them, including our sister synod The Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland.
Go and do God's work!
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Oregon Synod
2800 N. Vancouver Ave., Suite #101
Portland, OR 97227

(503) 413-4191
Bishop Laurie Larson Caesar- BishopLaurie@OregonSynod.org
Bishop's Associate Juan Carlos La Puente- juancarlos@OregonSynod.org
Bishop's Associate Rev. Melissa Reed- pastormelissa@OregonSynod.org
Synod Administrator Jemae McCanna- office@OregonSynod.org 
S.A.L.M. and Lay Education Coordinator Christie Bernklau Halvor - learningtogether@oregonsynod.org 
Director of Candidacy
Christie Bernklau Halvor - candidacy@oregonsynod.org
Disaster Response & Preparedness Team Coordinator Sarah Loose - sarahl@oregonsynod.org






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Oregon Synod, ELCA · 2800 N Vancouver Ave, Suite 101 · Portland, OR 97227 · USA