Continuing Education for Lutheran Pastors Elca

Education for Clergy & Laity
West Virginia - Western Maryland Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(12 October 2022)

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Page Contents

• Your Input Sought
• Upcoming Events
• Recorded Past Events
  

For a map of the full page contents: click here.

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We've moved all the continuing education to this new page because continuing education is not just for clergy. Both laity and clergy will find offerings here. Some are for laity only. Some are for clergy only. Some are for both. That said, there is denominational encouragement for clergy (and even requirements for certain classes of clergy). If you are clergy (or a congregational mutual ministry committee member), please review the general introduction for clergy continuing education.

The education event matrix below is a quick way to skim our offerings. Click on the linked text to learn about each. Check beck periodically to find out what new thing is being offered.

Some educational events are recorded and available for viewing at a later date. Beneath the education event matrix, you find the archives matrix.

We've had a lot of events that are now behind us and have begun work on the next series. Check back again and do be sure to take a look at the offerings from our colleagues across Region 8. Those are posted separately on Facebook (click here for more info).

Your Input Sought

Here are some things that are in the works, upon which we would like to have your opinion.

• Workshops for Congregational Leaders: We are asking congregational leaders to tell us what would be helpful in the way of workshops and resources for the discharge of their offices. If you are a pastor or congregational lay leader, please respond to our very short survey. Click here for more information.

Matrices

Upcoming Events	Date	Venue	Audience	Judicatories
Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic: Annual Conference	15 Oct 2022	Gettysburg Seminary	All	All
Melanchthon's Loci Communes	17 Oct 2022	Zoom	All	All
Melanchthon's Loci Communes	24 Oct 2022	Zoom	All	All
WVCC: Annual Assembly	23-24 Oct 2022	John XXIII	All	All
Luther Colloquy	26 Oct 2022	Gettysburg Seminary	All	All
Melanchthon's Loci Communes	31 Oct 2022	Zoom	All	All
Region 8 Racial Justice Training	7 Nov 2022	Zoom	All	All
Armistice Day Symposium	11 Nov 2022	TBA	All	All
SELA Town Hall	13 Nov 2022	Zoom	Clergy and SAMs	ELCA Appalachian judicatories
FCTE Region 8 Plenary	14-16 Nov 2022	Capital Camps and Retreat Center	FCTE Clergy	Region 8
Synod Clergy Cont. Ed Event: My Burden Is Light	16-18 Nov 2022	Cacapon State Park	Clergy	All
LARCUM: Evangelism? (tentative)	May 2023	TBA	All	All
Parliament of World Religions	14-18 Aug 2023	Chicago	All	All
Symposium for Evangelical Lutheranism in Appalachia (SELA)	26-28 Oct 2023	Gettysburg Seminary	Clergy and SAMs	TBA

Don't forget to check out the offerings from the other synods of Region 8

Recorded Past Events	Date	Venue	Audience	Judicatories
WVCC: Dementia-Friendly Worshiping Communities Webinar	8 Dec 2021	Zoom & Facebook	All	All
ELCA: Anger Webniar	30 Nov 2021	Zoom	Clergy	ELCA

Clergy Continuing Ed

Page Map

• Intro
• Your Input Sought
• Matrices
• Cont. Ed Offering Matrix
• Archives Matrix
  
• Clergy Continuing Ed
• In General
  
• CEUs and COVID-19
• Sabbatical
• Region 8 Cont. Ed Sharing
• Racial Justice Training
• 4 of 8
• First Call Theological Education
• Plenary 2022
  
• Biannual Synod Clergy Continuing Ed Event
  
• The Team
• Fall 2022: "My Burden Is Light" with +Satterlee
  
• Extra Offerings
• AAR: Book of Job with JT Miller
• Past Events
  
• LARCUM
• LARCUM Fall 2021
• LARCUM May 2023: Evangelism?
• SCALD
• Other Opportunities
• Melanchthon's Loci communes (1521): Book Study
  
• Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic
  
• Luther Colloquy
  
• WVCC Annual Assembly
• Parliament of World Religions
  
• Standing Resources
• Select Learning
• Archives
• Blumhardt's Action in Waiting
  
• Dementia-Friendly Worshiping Communities
• Anger Webinar
  

In General

WV-WMD typically holds two main clergy cont. ed events each year, one in fall, the other in winter. More about that below.

It is worth noting that CA97.2.7(a)(1)(a), an action of the Churchwide Assembly, encourages "a minimum of 50 contact hours per year of intentional continuing education, or 150 contact hours each three-year period." N.B., a contact hour is defined (as found on the rostered leader's annual report to bishop) as 50 minutes of class time or the equivalent. Time in worship, at meals, etc. does not count as contact hours.

Who would go to a doctor or a lawyer who did not engage in continuing education? Arguably, the stakes are higher when it comes the the clergy. Congregations should, therefore, not think of continuing education as a reward or a benefit but as an investment. Mutual ministry committees should discuss continuing education plans with their clergy and support education that will advance the professional develop their clergy and, in turn, advance the ministry.

CEUs & COVID-19

Clergy, if you have been attending webinars, zoom conferences, etc., related to COVID-19 (e.g., the synodical one organized by DEM Sherri Schafer and held April 30) where the purpose is education, training, or information sharing (and not planning or mutual support), you can count the hours as contact hours for purposes of continuing education. N.B. the definition of contact hours supra.

Sabbatical

Since 2000, the WV-WMD Synod has recommended sabbaticals for clergy every seventh year of service in place. Mutual ministry committees and call committees should review the Synod's recommendation. It can be found linked on the Clergy Compensation page.

Region 8 Continuing Ed Sharing

There has been lots of new postings on the Region 8 fb page. It's good to see this much activity, and it is especially good to see us all moving beyond our synodical silos.

Synods across Region 8 hold continuing education events, and, on occasion, the Region sponsors an event jointly. It is often, though not always, possible to join another synod for its event. Be sure to check with the appropriate sponsor. If, however, the event is listed on the Region 8 Facebook Page, you may assume that it is open to clergy from across the Region. Check it out.

Region 8 of the ELCA's Racial Justice Training

We are called to be a church that embraces each person and confronts racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, age, gender, familial, sexual orientation, physical, personal and class barriers that can manifest as unjust treatment, inequalities, exclusion, and violence. The ELCA's Region 8 is committed to equipping leaders to recognize and understand the complexities and implications of racism and racial issues and is offering training in the areas of anti-racism and racial justice for leaders in partnership with synods, congregations, associations, and social service agencies.

Region 8's Racial Justice Training equips leaders (rostered and lay) to face the challenges of racism in a diverse, complex and changing world by providing tools and resources that foster healthy and holy conversations.  Each workshop addresses these aspects of racism:

1. Talking about Race: language and vocabulary
2. History and systemic racism in the United States, and
3. How to begin conversations and actions in your ministry context.

Each training is offered on Zoom using a combination of instruction and small group conversation.  Facilitators will represent the region to the extent possible, spearheaded by the Reverend Carla Christopher Wilson. Cost is $25 per person; however, if cost is a barrier, please contact Marty Shifflett at mshifflett@lss-elca.org, or 717-652-1852, ext. 115.

Because we want to make this training as accessible to as many people as possible, if two people from a congregation register, additional participants (beyond 2) from that congregation may attend at no cost.  Those additional participants are required to register by contacting Marty Shifflett.

Region 8 is comprised of the following eight synods: Northwest PA, Southwest PA, Allegheny, Lower Susquehanna, Upper Susquehanna, Delaware/Maryland, Metro DC, and West Virginia/Western Maryland.

The first three Racial Justice Training offerings have been held. Remaining opportunity is 7 November 2022.

Click here to register.

4 of 8

NWPA, Allegheny, USS, and WV-WMD are teaming upon a variety of projects that are of specific interest to those of us with small cities, towns, and rural territory. These projects include some continuing education offerings.

First Call Theological Education

CA95.6.55 ...To require, by the fall of 1997, that all newly rostered pastors and lay leaders participate, throughout their first three years of ministry under call, in structured programs of theological education, designed and supervised by their synods, according to churchwide standards;....

The 1995 ELCA Churchwide Assembly mandated continuing education for the first three years of called ministry. The synods of Region 8, compacting, even during the preceding two-year pilot phase, to establish a region-wide approach, developed a program featuring an annual plenary retreat and regular geographical cohort groups. The annual 3-day retreat is held in early November not far from Gettysburg, PA. The geographical cohort is currently run on a synodical basis with the bishop having direct oversight. The cohort has begun meeting on a nearly monthly basis. All new first-call pastors and deacons and their respective congregations or agencies will be contacted by the bishop with details related to FCTE. The national policy document can be downloaded here.

FCTE Region 8 Plenary

The next Region 8 First Call Theological Education 8 Plenary is scheduled for 14-16 November 2022 at the Capital Camp & Conference Center. The plan is to hold the event in-person.

The Biannual Synod Clergy Continuing Ed Event

Synod Clergy Cont. Ed Events Team
Pr. Sherri Schafer (UOVC), Chair
Pr. Ben Erzkus (MVMC)
Pr. Sally Bartling (PC)
Vacant (OKVC)

The Planning Team

At the Winter 2018 Synod Clergy Cont. Education Event, the presbyteral college elected to establish a committee for the design, planning, and management of synod sponsored clergy continuing education with one representative from each of the four conferences. Synod Clergy Cont. Ed, as we currently have it configured, provides approximately 12-17 per year, assuming attendance at both events.

Serving on the the Continuing Ed Committee we have Kevin Mackey (OKVC), Sherri Schafer (UOVC), and Ben Erzkus (MVMC), and Sally Bartling with Bp. Riegel as an advisory member. Synod clergy should feel free to talk to their conference's team about ideas and concerns related to continuing ed.

Thanks are owed to The Revs. Christine Olson (past chair), Paul Schafer, Casey Linemann, Ryan Heycock, Ruth Bullwinkle, and Kevin Mackey for their, now concluded, service on the team.

Fall 2022: My Burden Is Light with The Rt. Rev. Dr. Craig Satterlee

The synod's Clergy Continuing Education Team has announced details for the Fall 2022 event and also announced that registration has been opened. This event is for clergy, seminarians, and SAMs of any judicatory.

We gather at Cacapon Resort State Park (a few miles south of Berkley Springs, WV) from Wednesday, Nov. 16, through Friday, Nov. 18. Our presenter will be Bishop Craig Satterlee of the North/West Lower Michigan Synod, ELCA. Click here for a biographical sketch. Bishop Satterlee's presentation will be on his upcoming book titled My Burden is Light: Making Room for Jesus in Preaching.

The registration fee is being waived for this event. Each attendee will need to cover the cost of their own travel, room, and meals. Each person needs to make their own reservations directly with Cacapon Resort State Park. Warning: Room reservations must be made by October 15, 2022. After October 15, the reserved block of rooms will be released. There may very well be rooms available, but there is no guarantee.

General registration

Registration for the educational component of the event is fee. Meals and lodging, however, are one your own. Nevertheless, we ask that you register so that we have contact information for you should an emergency arise requiring cancellation. Register your attendance here. We'll be meeting in the Cacapon Resort State Park Lodge. There should be a sign at reception to tell you what room we will be in for the 4:00 p.m. gavel.

Agenda

The agenda for the event will be sent as soon as we can clarify a few things with Bishop Satterlee.

Check in on Wednesday, Nov. 16 is 4:00PM.  The event will begin at 5:30PM.

Venue

From golfing, to hiking, to Roman baths, Cacapon Resort State Park offers fantastic recreational options. To learn more about the venue and the amenities, visit the Cacapon Resort State Park website. Also check out nearby Berkeley Springs State Park.

Information on lodging

We are holding a block of 40 rooms (mix of Kings and Queen Doubles). After October 15, the block will be released. There might still be rooms available up until the day of the event, but we can't guarantee it. There are also lodging options in the surrounding area.

Cost for rooms:

• King $169
• Double Queen $149
  
• Single Queen $109
• There is the possibility of 4 and 8-person cabins. Please call the reservation number to inquire.

When you call to reserve your room, give them the group block name: WV-Western MD Synod

Each person needs to make their own reservations directly with Cacapon Resort State Park; the number for reservations is: 304-258-1022 (then press "0" for the front desk). Warning: Room reservations must be made by October 15, 2022. After October 15, the reserved block of rooms will be released. There may very well be rooms available, but there is no guarantee.

Meals

Attendees are on their own for meals as well. The lodge at Cacapon has a main dining room, but there is also the Legacy Lounge and the Pro Shop Grill on the grounds. Outside of the park, there are a variety of restaurants, microbreweries, etc. within a short drive.

Extra Offerings

Sometimes we through in a continuing ed offering specifically for clergy that is beyond our usual biannual event.

AAR: "God Is Fair? Life Isn't? A Discussion of Job"

The Rev Dr. JT Miller, pastor of Zion Lutheran, McGregor, TX, delivered a Stimulating lecture on the Book of Job on Wednesday, 27 July 2022, to a gathering of clergy and laity, representing six different judicatories.

Miller is the first to try out our "Working Vacation" invitation. He is spending a little over a week on the Mountaintop, providing pastoral services to the Aurora-Redhouse Parish. While among us, he consented to provide the lecture.

Some participants decided to take advantage of their time in the highest-altitude incorporated city in West Virginia, renting a cabin at Blackwater Falls. Rumor has it that some excellent sausages in cider was served up for dinner. A confirmed report of Pr. Ruth Bullwinkle beating out four others at hearts has been received. Folks planning on joining us for the Synod Clergy Cont. Ed Event at Cacapon State Park should consider the recreational opportunities afforded by the venue (and maybe challenge Bullwinkle to a card game).

Past Events

Peruse our past events and get a sense of what we do.

LARCUM

The pandemic has certainly wreaked havoc with our LARCUM plans. The planning team has been meeting and adjusting matters as conditions warrant. Here's what's happening....

LARCUM: Fall 2021

In light of the pandemic, planning for a some sort of fall 2021 LARCUM event(s) has been scrubbed. The LARCUM planning team will meet again in January to continue planning for the spring 2023 event. You can follow LARCUM on facebook to get the latest information.

LARCUM Spring 2023: Evangelism? (Tentative)

Postponement (again)

LARCUM 2020 was initially postponed until May 2021 by the planning team because of the pandemic. Unsure of what COVID-19 restrictions would be in place in September (affecting both venue and travel for both participants and presenters) coupled with the fact that a good number of LARCUMites would classify as vulnerable, postponement seemed reasonable this past summer. Our caution proved warranted.

Now we're shooting for May 2023, at John XXIII. Once we have dates worked out, we'll let you know. In the meantime, mark it down as tentative on your calendar. The topic will be "Evangelism?" the focus not being on the how but rather on the why. The planning committee will post updates as plans evolve.

Old Info

The next WV Lutheran-Anglican-Roman Catholic-United Methodist Tetralogue will be held 14-16 September 2020 at the John XXIII Pastoral Center, Charleston, WV. The topic will be evangelism, and we are using the working title, "Evangelism?" until things take more shape. That working title should give you a clue as to the current direction. Based upon conversation with attendees at the conclusion of LARCUM 2019, the focus is to be on the why of evangelism (and the other theoretical concepts that relate to it) rather than the how. +Riegel, responding to a question on line wrote, "We have no shortage of techniques, but we do seem to have a motivation." He also pointed out that the mainline churches already share many of the same resources related to the how of evangelism, but whether they share the same rationale between them or even within their own histories is something to be explored. Mark you calendars. For those with facebook, an event has already been created: https://www.facebook.com/events/962456230758841/. RSVP with either "going" or "interested" to stay connected for updates over the course of the year.

LARCUM 2019, held under the "Christianity & Civil Government: History, Theology, Implications (for Citizens, Pastors, and Institutions)," was very well attended with 49 registered. The Lutherans were there in force---and the envy of all the other denominations. If you would like to check out some pics and posts from LARCUM 2019, click here.

Lutherans interested in LARCUM may want to consider joining Team Wittenberg, our very own LARCUM fb group for Lutherans. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2828820697146887

SCALD III

SCALDers had been thinking about holding SCALD III in the spring of 2020, but the pandemic came. Well, we're thinking about it again. No definite time and place has been selected, but late mid to summer is looking like a real possibility. So, it's time to start dusting off paper ideas. This is be an in-person event.

SCALD

(Symposium for Central Appalachian Lutheran Dogmatics) is designed as a day of theological discussion, employing the symposium model. Presenters give papers with discussion of those papers open to all participants. It is about providing an intellectually engaging and profitable opportunity for rank and file pastors and lay theologians (amateur and professional) to test their all too often private ruminations among those capable of being critical and convivial at the same time.

SCALD II, meeting in Keyser, WV, on 21 Feb 2019, saw a doubling of attendance over SCALD I, with 30 participating, representing 6 ELCA judicatories (WV-WMD, LSS, Allegheny, MNYS, NC, and Del-MD). There were 2 non-ELCA folks there (TEC and UCC). There were 6 laity and 24 clergy. One of the lay participants, a seminarian from LSTC, even road the train overnight to attend.

SCALD papers...

• SCALD I
• The Rev. Matt Day --- Suicide and the Church's Answer: A Theological Primer on the Theology of Suicide and How the Church Should Respond
• The Rev. Elizabeth Leigh Hadaway --- The Babylonian Captivity of the Clergy Spouse
• The Rev. Brian McClinton --- My Church Council President Is a Montanist: Is That a Problem? -- Brian McClinton
• The Rev. Mike Hadaway --- Holding Fast: Ecumenism, the Answer to the Saviors Prayer or a Betrayal of Dogma?
• The Rev. Jerry Kliner --- The 95 Theses 500 Years On: What's Settled, What Is Still in Dispute?
  
• SCALD II
  
• The Rev. Christine Olson --- Ask, Search, Knock. Opened? A Case for a Theology of Prayer in a "Just Do It" World
• The Rev. Brian McClinton --- "You mean we can't sing Pass it on in Church": Hymnody and the theological importance in Christian education
• The Rev. Jonathon Jenkins --- A (More) Trinitarian Baptism
• Vr. James Demmel --- On the Concept of Irony with Continual Reference to Kierkegaard
• Dr. Eric Crump --- Shameless - and Mindless: A Proposed 'Sexual Reformation' in Need of Enlightenment

Until the SCALDers get a proper page set up, you can indicate your interest in SCALD III by visiting SCALD II's facebook event and posting in the comments thread. That way the SCALDers will know to let you know about SCALD III.

BTW, in the photo at right is The Rev. Elizabeth Hadaway, at SCALD I, delivering her paper, "The Babylonian Captivity of the Clergy Spouse," a very interesting critique of commonly held ideas about the role of the clergy spouse in light of Augustana XIV, XVI, and XXIII.

Other Opportunities

Melanchthon's Loci communes: Book Study

Plans are coming together for a book study on Melanchthon's Loci communes.

What we know:

• We know that we will be meeting by Zoom.
• We know that the sessions will be one-hour.
• We know that it will usually be Monday afternoons at 3:00 p.m..
• There will be some Mondays that we will skip because of scheduling issues.

What we do not know:

• We don't know how fast this will move. Ideally, we could say that we will knock off a chapter each session, but who knows? We may move faster or slower depending upon the will of the group. There may even be times when we breeze through multiple chapters and then slow down for an intensive study of a particular chapter.
• There may be times that we enlist the aid of experts for particular topics.
  

It is not required that someone be at every session. We're all busy, and you're not getting a certificate from an state-accredited agency for this. You are more than welcome to invite a friend for any particular session. Our first session was held on 19 September 2022, 3:00 p.m.—just because you missed the first session (or any subsequent session) doesn't mean you can't jump in. Here's the schedule (which, of course, is subject to change) from this point forward:

When	What
Monday, 19 September 2022, 3:00 p.m.	Introductory material by editor/translator Dedicatory Letter Basic Topics of Theology or Christian Theology in Outline
Monday, 26 September 2022, 3:00 p.m.	The Power of Man, Especially Free Will
Monday, 3 October 2022, 3:00 p.m.	Sin
Monday, 10 October 2022, 3:00 p.m.	The Law Divine Laws
Monday, 17 October 2022, 3:00 p.m.	Councils Vows of Monks Judicial and Ceremonial Laws Human Laws
Monday, 24 October 2022, 3:00 p.m.	The Gospel
Monday, 31 October 2022, 3:00 p.m.	The Power of the Law The Power of the Gospel
More sessions TBA	TBA

We will use the first edition of the Loci communes as the base text with cross-referencing to the other editions to mark the development of Melanchthon's thought. You will want to find yourself a copy of the 1521 Loci communes. There are several editions out there. Two of the most common are

• Commonplaces: Loci Communes 1521, Christian A. Prues, trans. (CPH, 2014);
• The Loci Communes of Philip Melanchthon: With a Critical Introduction by the Translator, Charles Leander Hill, trans. (Boston: Meador, c.1944);  and
• Melanchthon & Bucer, The Library of Christian Classics Series, Wilhelm Pauck, ed. (Westmintser John Know Press, 1997) — a benefit of this edition is that you also get Martin Bucer's De regno Christi.
  

Of course, there is nothing wrong with securing later editions in addition to the 1521.

You can also find the Latin text online on Google Books here.

You may also join the "Melanchthon Reading Group" Facebook group.

To register for the book study, click here, or we can't let you know how to login.

Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic: 2022 Annual Meeting and Program — Postponed

Postponed — The meeting of the Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic has been postponed; the new date has yet to be set. Check out the site from time to time for new developments or sign up for The Bishop's Roadshow .

LHSMA will hold its 2022 conference on Saturday, October 15, on the Gettysburg Seminary campus, beginning at 9:00 a.m..

The program is free; there is a $10 cost for lunch.  No lunch cost for high school, college, and seminary students. Registration is required. To register, complete the registration form (see second page of this document in PDF or MS-Word) or register online at www.LutheranHistoricalSociety.com

The keynote lecture will be The Art of Exegesis: An Analysis of the Life and Work of Martin Hans Franzmann, presented by The Rev. Matthew Borrasso. Borrasso holds an S.T.M. from United Lutheran Seminary (2018). He is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Birmingham (UK) researching the practical effects of Lutheran hermeneutics in the LCMS and ELCA regarding issues of human sexuality. His presentation focuses on his St. Paul, Biglerville Prize winning book.

A panel discussion titled, "Church Record Keeping in a time of the COVID pandemic: What should we keep?" will discuss what congregations should keep from their experience with the pandemic including how to handle digital records. The panel will feature The Rev. Dr. Maria Erling,
Professor of Modern Church History and Global Mission, United Lutheran Seminary, and Victoria Jesswein, Assistant Archivist, United Lutheran Seminary Library.

A flyer may be downloaded and reproduced at your convenience in either PDF or MS-Word.

West Virginia Council of Churches: Annual Assembly

The Annual Assembly of the West Virginia Council of Churches is scheduled to open Sunday afternoon, 23 October 2022, with an online discussion and run, in-person, through the early afternoon of 24 October 2022. John XXIII, Charleston, WV, will host. Like the previous in-person Annual Assembly, a mix of plenary and concurrent sessions (the latter split between a Faith & Order track and a Life & Work tack) is offered.

The 141st Annual Assembly will include:

• A keynote presentation by The Rev. Sekinah Hamlin, Minister for Economic Justice, United Church of Christ,
• An Interfaith panel discussion on Reparation, Reconciliation, and Restoration (online only on October 23),
• A workshop on "Ministry with Mothers in Prison" by Dr. Jeri Kirby of Fairmont University and Ms. Amber Bjornsson of the REACH Initiative,
• A discussion on Faith and COVID: The Aftermath,
• A panel discussion on the dangers of Christian Nationalism, and
• Time for prayer and worship.

For more details, please check the West Virginia Council of Churches Assembly page.

Luther Colloquy: 1522/2022 Lutheranism and the Status Quo

From the ULS website:

The year 1522 was decisive in the history of the Reformation—Luther repudiated the push for rapid, iconoclastic changes to worship led by his one-time ally Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt, aligned himself with a prince-led Reformation, and published his prayer book and his translation of the New Testament to shape the piety of the "common person."  This year's Luther Colloquy examines how Luther secured the endurance of the Lutheran Reformation and asks what we can learn for good or for ill. How did Lutheranism establish itself as the status quo and what resources for a theological challenge to the status quo remained and remain?

Scheduled for 26 October 2022, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Luther Colloquy will offer lectures by four scholars:

• Cutting the Roots or Transforming Them? Luther and Mysticism After 1522| - Volker Leppin
• Karlstadt and the Zwickau Prophets: A Cautionary Tale - Amy Nelson Burnett
• Crossing Borders, Making Connections: Luther Gains Allies Outside Saxony - R. Guy Erwin
• Sola Scriptura as Invitation: Reading Hagar; Reading Luther - Monica Melanchthon

More information is available on the ULS website.

Armistice Day Symposium

The armistice of the Great War took place on 11 November 1918, the Feast of St. Martin of Tours. One year later, the day was marked by observances in Europe, and, here, in the USA, President Wilson issued a proclamation:

To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations….

Seven years later, Congress declared November 11 a federal holiday, stating,

  Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and
   Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and
   Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it
   Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.

Bishop Riegel calls for an ecclesiastical symposium to mark the 103^rd anniversary of the first Armistice Day Observances and discuss how the church might commemorate the Armistice with "thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations," said symposium. In 2019, the centennial of Armistice Day, a small group gathered in Morgantown for the same purpose, and plans were hatched for an annual event, but the pandemic scuttled it. We revisit these great themes and this salutary purpose. More information to come. In the meantime, you can visit the fbEvent from 2019.

SELA (Symposium for Evangelical Lutheranism in Appalachia)

SELA is coming back after its COVID hiatus, but the next symposium won't be until fall 2023. As part of long-range planning for SELA 2023, an online town hall will be held for ELCA clergy and SAMs, 13 Nov. 2022, 7:00 p.m., to solicit input on the direction of SELA. Synod clergy have been sent an email with the Zoom information. If you have not received it, contact +Riegel.

Parliament of Word Religions

The 2023 Parliament of World Religions will convene in Chicago, 14-18 August 2023, under the theme, "A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom & Human Rights." This conference is open to anyone. There is a lot more information than we can put on this page, so, click here, to visit the Parliament of World Religions website. If registered by 30 June 2022, you can save $325 ($225 compared to $550 at the gate the day the conference opens).

The Parliament of World Religions is the biggest and most diverse religious conference in the world. It first convened in 1893, in connection with the Chicago World's Fair. The Parliament travels the world, and the last time it was in North America was Toronto 2018. The last time before that was Chicago 21993. So, if you are interested, you may want to jump on this opportunity because it may not be back within easy striking distance in the near future, and Chicago is a very easy trip by train from our territory.

Standing Resources

Select

Select Learning provides access to quality theological learning experiences for personal, congregational and professional learning. Using outstanding seminary and college instructors and ministry practitioners, Select Learning combines high quality DVD-based video courses, customized study materials, proven textbooks,and online learning to create effective and flexible theological exploration opportunities. Select Learning is a member of the Lay School for Ministry Network of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Archives

Reading Group: Blumhardt's Action in Waiting

Last year, we explored Johann Arndt's master work, True Christianity. This year, we fast forwarded a few centuries and dove into Action in Waiting by Christoph Blumhardt.

Christoph Blumhardt has a fascinating biography, involving both healing ministry, spiritual revival, and politics, but he saw something even greater, saying,

I do not want to suggest that it is of little importance for God to heal the sick; actually, it now is happening more and more often—although very much in quiet. However, things should not be promoted as though God's kingdom consists in the healing of sick people. To be cleansed is more important than to be healed. It is more important to have a heart for God's cause, not to be chained to the world but be able to move for the kingdom of God.

Although the book study has wrapped up, you still engage engage in conversation through the Christoph Blumhardt Reading Group. Click here to learn more.

Dementia-Friendly Worshiping Communities

The West Virginia Council of Churches held a webinar on Dementia-Friendly Worshiping communities on 8 December 2021 with The Rev. Kathy Fogg Berry. Berry wrote the book When Words Fail: Practical Ministry to People with Dementia and Their Caregivers and co-authored, Dementia Friendly Worship: A Multifaith Handbook for Chaplains, Clergy, and Faith Communities.

The Rev. Kathy Fogg Berry received a Masters of Religious Education from Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and a Masters in Patient Counseling and a postgraduate certificate in aging studies from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. During Kathy's tenure at Westminster Canterbury Richmond, she provided spiritual care for residents with dementia diagnoses, their families, and the staff who care for them. For the last five years, Rev. Berry has offered the "When Words Fail" seminar for clergy and lay leaders throughout Virginia and she speaks regionally and nationally about spirituality and dementia.

A recording of the webinar can be watched on the WVCC Facebook page.

Anger Webinar

Barb Keller offered a webinar for clergy on anger for ELCA clergy, via Zoom, on 30 November 2021. A recording is available. Contact the bishop or the D.E.M. for access.

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West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod, ℅ St. Paul Lutheran Church, 309 Baldwin Street, Morgantown, WV 26505
304-363-4030  +  Porter@WV-WMD.org

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Source: http://www.wv-wmd.org/education/index.html

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