HEADWATERS NEWS, PRAYERS, AND LINKS MILESTONES. News for Upper Susquehanna Synod Leaders. May 2018

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1 HEADWATERS News for Upper Susquehanna Synod Leaders May 2018 NEWS, PRAYERS, AND LINKS Just another reminder: We will be updating our photo directory of rostered leaders during Synod Assembly. A photographer will be set up ON FRIDAY ONLY (June 15) in Weber Chapel Auditorium, just outside of the Greta Ray Lounge. Please take five minutes, or so, to step in and get your photo taken for our synod directory. There is no charge for this and you will not be expected to purchase anything. The Photo Directory company is not charging us for this and will be providing the synod with a free directory. The Ansbach-Würzburg Partnership Committee of the USS and the Kirchenkreis Ansbach-Würzburg, Germany, will recognize our ongoing Partnership on Sunday, June 24, This date was chosen as the Sunday nearest the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession on June 25, For more information: The following prayer petitions are prepared and sent by the Upper Susquehanna Synod Liberia Committee. Please use them in your congregation to lift up our companion synod program; for example, include them in your intercessory prayers, print them in your bulletin or newsletter. The committee welcomes suggestions for petitions. Interested in highlighting stewardship in the coming weeks in your congregation? Here is the Stewardship Toolkit for June: ewardship_kit_elca.pdf MILESTONES Rev. Vickie Brown is now the pastor of St. Peter s, Kreamer. Her call vote was April 29. Rev. Elinor Allison is now the interim pastor of Zion, Herndon. Rev. Don Snyder will now serve as pastor of Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, Turbotville, under a contract for extended service. Snyder is a newly ordained minister in the Central Association of the Penn Central Conference of the United Church of Christ who had been serving as a supply preacher for Holy Spirit. St. Matthew, Williamsport (Pastor David Byerly), has sold their building and held their final service on May 27. With thanks to God for their ministry, we celebrate with these children of God the anniversaries of their ordination or consecration (note: anniversary years listed are in multiples of five only): 60 years: Charles Heaps (retired) 6/18/1958; and Robert Logan (retired) 6/22/ years: Roy Meyer (retired) 6/5/ years: James Park Bricker (retired) 6/9/ years: W. Stevens Shipman, Jr. (retired) 6/22/1973; Nelson Strobert (retired) 6/10/1973; and John Koons (retired) 6/22/ years: Kerry Maurer (retired) 6/10/ years: D. Elinor Allison (retired) 6/13/ years: Chad Hebrink (Grace, Berwick) 6/29/ years: Elisabeth Schuster (Trinity, McClure) 6/21/2008; and Matthew Schuster (Messiah, Troxelville) 6/21/ years: Richard Adams (Liberty Parish) 6/15/2013

2 MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES Updated May 29, 2018 Served by Interim/Seeking Candidates Messiah, Mifflintown St. John, Belleville St. Mark s, Williamsport (Intentional Interim) Served by Interim/Preparing Profiles Pine Street, Danville Currently Served by Intentional Interim Milton Lutheran Parish (Christ and Trinity) Grace, Shamokin; and St. Paul s, Gowen City Currently Served by Interim Pastor Beaver, Beaver Springs Christ, Buckhorn/St. Paul, Danville East Kish Parish Faith, Richfield Grace, Point Township Messiah, New Berlin St. James, Jersey Shore St. John, Montgomery Trinity, Oak Grove Trinity, Point Township Trinity, Shamokin Zion, Herndon Job information and application for Program Director for Advocacy Engagement for ELCA Advocacy in Washington, D.C.: Job Posting for Chaplain and Director of Campus Ministries at Gustavus Adolphus: CONFERENCE MEETINGS All conferences will next meet in September SYNOD STAFF Rev. Barbara J. Collins, Bishop Rev. Craig Miller, Assistant to the Bishop/Director of Evangelical Mission Brenda Krouse, Office Manager Chad Hershberger, Director of Communications The bishop and assistant like to make Sunday and other congregational visits. Here is the schedule: June 3: Bishop at Port Royal for Pastor Hershberger retirement celebration; Pastor Miller at Messiah, New Berlin June 10: Bishop at Trinity, McAlisterville: Pastor Miller at Beaver, Beaver Springs June 17: Bishop at St. Stephen, Licking Creek; Pr. Miller at St. Mark, Williamsport June 24: Pastor Miller on retreat CONFERENCE DEANS Rev. William Henderson, Buffalo Valley Rev. James Park Bricker, Juniata Valley Rev. Robert Doll, Middle Creek Rev. John Koons, North Branch Rev. Andrew Weaver, Tulpehocken Rev. Theodore Cockley, West Branch Upper Susquehanna Synod PO Box 36 Lewisburg, PA Phone: Fax: Web:

3 Upper Susquehanna Synod Events Calendar Boundary Awareness Training Reminder Rostered leaders of the ELCA are required to remain current with Boundary Awareness training. As part of their continuing education rostered leaders should participate in a training every three years. Bishop Barbara J. Collins encourages all rostered leaders of this synod to take advantage of trainings offered by our ELCA and full-communion partners. Please be sure to send a copy of your certificate of completion/participation to the bishop s office when you have completed a workshop. As we learn of opportunities we will make them known. The Penn Central Conference (UCC) offers workshops in various locations. To register for one of their trainings contact Janice Mountain (jmountain@pccucc.org or ) or register online Cost varies from $10 to $40, depending on the workshop. Engaging Scripture as LifeForce and Financing Life and Ministry June 9, 9-1 at Susquehanna University Lay Boundary Awareness, October 20, 10-3 at First UCC in Middleburg Educating Educators, November 12, 9:30-12 at Trinity, Dalmatia Lower Susquehanna Synod workshops are currently scheduled for these times and locations. Cost is $25. August 9, 8:30-3 at Hill Lutheran Church in Lebanon ( October 1, 8:30-3 at Zion Church in Marietta ( December 7, 8:30-3 at Good Shepherd in Liverpool ( June 10, 2018: Summer Camp Kickoff and Circle of Faith Dinner On Sunday, June 10, 2018, Camp Mount Luther will have a worship service at 7:00 p.m. at which time they will kick-off the 2018 Summer Camping Season. The worship service is open to anyone who would like to attend to support our synod s outdoor ministry and this year s summer staff. The service will be held outdoors, if the weather permits, so please bring a lawn chair. The worship will be immediately following the annual Circle of Faith Giving Club Dinner, which is by invitation. June 15-16, 2018: Synod Assembly The 31 st Annual Assembly of the Upper Susquehanna Synod will be held at Susquehanna University on June 15-16, The theme of this year s assembly is On the Way Together: Open Ears, Open Hearts. Rev. Amy Reumann will be our ELCA Churchwide representative. The second day of the assembly will focus on strategic directives for the coming years. Meal tickets will not be available after the late registration date or at the door on the days of the assembly. Registration deadline is May 21. Other notes as we prepare for this June event: Singers Needed for Assembly Choir: You are invited to sing as part of the choir that will provide musical leadership for the Eucharist on Saturday, June 16, at 2:30 p.m. in Degenstein Dining Hall at SU. The choir will participate in singing specific pieces of music for our closing worship. Adult and high school singers who would like to sing in the Assembly Choir should have some choral experience in church and/or school. Being able to read music is helpful but not required. Two rehearsals are scheduled for Sunday, June 3, and Sunday, June 10, from 2:00 3:30 p.m. in the chapel of Zion, Sunbury. A warm-up rehearsal will take place prior to the service. If you plan to sing in the choir or have questions, please contact David Reier at dreier@ptd.net or Live Tweet from Upper Susquehanna Synod Assembly: We will also live tweet from our synod assembly. This year, we invite others to also tweet from the assembly and use this hashtag:

4 #usselca18. If you d like to see what is happening at assembly in June, search for the Twitter hashtag or visit our Facebook page at Along the Way Bookstore: Sandy Grier will operate her bookstore at assembly. She ll have cards, gift items, books, bulletins, flower charts, Sunday School attendance charts, CDs, DVDs, plays, church supplies, Bibles, Sundays and Seasons and much more. Many items will be percent off, while supplies last. The bookstore will be located in the Degenstein Campus Center. Bulletin of Reports: We are going paperless again this year with the bulletin of reports so materials will be available for download at Attention Rostered Leaders: We will be updating our photo directory of rostered leaders during the assembly. A photographer will be set up ON FRIDAY ONLY in Weber Chapel Auditorium, just outside of the Greta Ray Lounge. Please take five minutes, or so, to step in and get your photo taken for our synod directory. There is no charge for this and you will not be expected to purchase anything. The Photo Directory company is not charging us for this and will be providing the synod with a free directory. Looking Ahead to July at Mount Luther Camp Mount Luther is gearing up for the summer camping season for 2018 and are still accepting registrations for all programs. Late fees will begin to be accessed on June 2, 2018, so register soon to avoid the late fees! Some highlights of programs in July and August include: Family Camp, a great vacation for the family! Susquehanna Canoe, a new trip with a daylong trek down the mighty river. Tracks, our new program where you pick extra activity time around H20, Mountain Adventure, Music/Art/Drama, or a sampler of all four. Senior High X-Teen, a traditional program for that age group. Night Owl, where campers stay up later each night and do nighttime activities. Pioneers celebrating a different holiday daily. Craft, Lego, and Wild Sports (CLAWS) camp, doing more of those three activities. Pick Your Days Day Camp when you pick how many days you want to come from 9:00 to 3:00. SURE for campers who want to Survive Using the Resources of the Environment Mini-Base Camps, a half week camp for our youngest campers. Intern for our senior high campers who want to learn what it s like to be on staff. Tour de Crème, a bike trip taking rides to local ice cream establishments. For more information, visit the camp website at or call Stay connected to camp this summer and find out what is happening during our various programs, visit Facebook ( Twitter (@mtluther) and their blog ( They try to update these daily but please realize that the staff is quite busy and if updates are not posted, it s because the campers and staff are so busy that they can t get an update posted. And, don t forget, daily First Light devotions will continue to be posted each weekday. Check them at July 3, 2018: Camp Mount Luther s 55 th Birthday Celebration The camp staff invites everyone to come to camp on Tuesday evening, July 3, 2018, to celebrate the camp s 55 th birthday. As part of our annual Family Camp, we ll be having a campfire and worship service to commemorate the birthday. K.J. Reimensnyder-Wagner will be here to provide some special music as well. It all gets underway at 6:30 p.m. The program will be held outdoors, weather permitting, so bring a lawn chair. To help us plan, it would be helpful to have an RSVP to chad@campmountluther.org or call July 21, 2018: USSWO Convention The Upper Susquehanna Synodical Women s Organization Annual Convention will be held on Saturday, July 21, 2018, at the Evergreen Center at Camp Mount Luther, 355 Mt. Luther Lane, Mifflinburg. Women

5 are asked to be present for this one-day convention as it brings an excellent opportunity for you to meet your sisters from neighboring churches and become informed about the workings of the Women of the ELCA. The theme for this year s convention is Called to Serve, based on 1 Corinthians 12: 4-6 and 1 Peter 4:10. The Bible Study leader is Jodi Ellis and Pastor Ann Zimmerman is the worship leader. Registration forms are available at July 25-27, 2018: Rethinking Stewardship People today are asking hard questions about giving to the church such as: Who should we give to? Should we give at all? What s the future of the church if giving decreases? Are you prepared to face these changes? Rethinking Stewardship will be held on July 25-27, 2018, at Luther Seminary. It is an event for leaders like you to find new ways to understand and adapt to changing perspectives about giving. Speakers include: Jennifer Kaalund, Ph.D., assistant professor of religious studies at Iona College Martha Moore-Keish, Ph.D., associate professor of theology at Columbia Theological Seminary Mark Teasdale, Ph.D., associate professor of evangelism at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary Learn more or register at Stewardship&utm_content=Adapt+to+changing+attitudes+about+giving&utm_campaign= Rethinking+Stewardship+ +2. Scholarship are available until June 29. Interested persons should contact Craig Miller in the synod office before registering. August 12-17, 2018: Roman Catholic Camp Seeks Help CAMP VOL_NTEERS...all that is missing is U! The Diocesan Summer Camp for Adults with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities is seeking volunteers willing to assist at its residential camp, August 12-17, The camp takes place at Camp Kirchenwald in Lebanon County and serves the needs of approximately 40 adults of all faiths. The camp has been held annually for the past 32 years, and is primarily dependent on volunteer support. Last year, volunteers from 21 parishes participated alongside volunteers from other faith communities to make this event a success. Anyone 16+ is welcome to volunteer for full-time or part-time duties; there is a particular need for male volunteers, 18 or older, who are able to spend the night, and for volunteers skilled at running an arts & crafts program. All volunteers are required to complete the Diocesan Clearance process and attend a brief training session prior to helping at camp. A deadline of June 30, 2018 for expressing volunteer interest is requested in order to facilitate planning efforts. Sponsor a Camper - Would you like to sponsor a campership for a person with a disability who might not otherwise be able to afford camp? The Diocese of Harrisburg is seeking donations to defray the cost for campers to ensure that each individual who would like to attend camp is able to do so, regardless of finances. A full week of camp costs $575, but donations in any amount will be welcomed. They can be sent to the Office of Ministry with People with Disabilities, 4800 Union Deposit Road, Harrisburg, PA Checks should be made payable to the Diocese of Harrisburg. For more information on volunteering or sponsoring a camper, please contact Larry Kiley at , Ext. 322, or lkiley@hbgdiocese.org. Fall 2018: Lutheran Marriage Encounter Weekends Marriage is a journey! A Lutheran Marriage Encounter Weekend can help you enrich your marriage and add some pizzazz to your journey. Sign up TODAY to be sure to get the weekend of your choice. Weekends scheduled this fall in Northeast US are: September 14-16, 2018 at Spruce Lake Retreat in Canadensis, PA. A lovely hotel-style retreat center with many acres of woodlands in the heart of the Poconos, an hour north of Allentown, PA.

6 October 19-21, 2018 at Olmsted Retreat Center. A stunning, hotel-style retreat center adjacent to the Olmsted Mansion in the Allegheny National Forest, 2 hours north of Pittsburgh. November 9-11, 2018 at Hampton Inn Berkshires in Lenox, Massachusetts. Situated on the edge of a nature preserve in the heart of the Berkshires, an hour northwest of Springfield MA. Two nights lodging, five meals for each of you, and all supplies are included with your registration fee, plus toward the end of the weekend you will be given an opportunity to make a confidential contribution of whatever amount you wish toward the continuation of the program. For further information or to sign up, go to: and pay the $100 registration fee with your credit card, or mark the option to mail a check. For questions, or if you would like a brochure, contact Northeast US Directors of Lutheran Marriage Encounter, Fred & Julie Schamber, at or fjschamber@comcast.net. September 24-26, 2018: Stewardship Kaleidoscope s Transforming the Face of Generosity Pastors and lay leaders are invited to attend this event at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac in St. Louis, MO on September Keynoters will be Diana Butler Bass and Chick Lane and there will be 30 workshops covering topics such as annual stewardship, planned giving, theology of giving, current trends in stewardship, and capital campaigns. Cost is $275 before August 1, and $300 after. For more information and to register, visit There are a limited number of scholarships for first call and small church pastors!