THE DAWN JUNE, The Dawn is also available on our Facebook page...

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1 THE DAWN JUNE, 2017 Published four (4) times usually in these months: March September June December Next deadline - August 20 Editor Cathy Byers 342 Durling Dr Wadsworth OH cathy@gracewadsworth.org Grace Lutheran Church 146 High St Wadsworth OH cathy@gracewadsworth.org Letters and articles of interest to the members of NEOSWO should be submitted to the editor no later than the following: February 20 August 20 May 20 November 20 Publication of The Dawn will occur around the 1st of the month following the deadline (or at the whim of the editor) and will appear on the synod s website as stated below. Please print a copy of The Dawn to share with someone - that will give more people than ever the opportunity to read The Dawn. If you know someone who doesn t have computer access, please print one and give it to them. (You don t have to print it in color; simply choose grayscale.) The Dawn is available on the synod website by going to: click on Let s Talk - click on Synod Organizations and The Dawn will be listed as a link. You can also sign up on that screen for individual notifications from the synod. OR You can send your address to cathy@gracewadsworth.org - include your name, address, cluster - and The Dawn along with any cluster information will be ed to you personally. The Dawn is also available on our Facebook page...

2 The Dawn A Publication of the Northeastern Ohio Synodical Women s Organization, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America OUR PURPOSE STATEMENT As a community of women, created in the image of God, called to discipleship in Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves to grow in faith, affirm our gifts, support one another in our callings, engage in ministry and action, and promote healing and wholeness in the church, the society, and the world. OUR MISSION STATEMENT Mobilizing women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ. THE NEOSWO BOARD The roster is included in this issue and includes all contact information. Executive Board President Barbara White Vice President Ruth Reinoehl Secretary Cathy Byers Treasurer Tami Reynolds We have vacancies on the board - Cleveland East Cleveland West ing The Dawn. A database has been created with all the churches that have addresses and it is the intent that The Dawn be ed to each church. Each church will be asked to please, please print a few copies (black and white is fine) to share with the women. By ing it to individuals, too, we re hoping that those who receive it personally will make a few copies and share them with others. We can get the word out that way if people share with each other. Thanks!!

3 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE... Thank you to everyone who has sent offerings to NEOSWO. Have you ever had one of those months, when you have been so busy with stuff, your head is full? That has been my world for a couple of months now. I attended as many spring cluster meetings as I could. The ones that I had a scheduling issue with, I tried to send my trusty Vice-president Ruth Reinoehl. Some clusters were fortunate to have many board members there. Thank you to all the board members that attended in my absence. Thank you to all the women that attended the cluster meetings. It has been a busy spring for all of us. Besides attending 4 cluster meetings, the board had a table at Synod Assembly June 9 & 10. It was great to see everyone. Reunions, Baccalaureates, and graduations parties have kept most of us busy. As busy as we have been, have you forgotten something? I hope we have not forgotten to take time out of our busy schedule to pray. As I was at my women s circle, the Bible study in the Gather magazine was about how we can be good Christians. The main Bible verses were about how David slayed Goliath. In our lesson, it was said that David may have been that little pest around the camp. As some scripture states, Somewhat of a brat! Yes, we know of them. As an older sibling, I had 4 of them. They were always hanging around when I really didn t want them to. Or we were fighting over the last popsicle on a hot day. But little David was different. He believed he could slay that giant Goliath because he believed in God. We know this today as in Matthew 19:26, says With God all things are possible. As I reflect over the last several years, I do believe this. Our theme at Synod Assembly was God s Word, Our Heritage, Our Hope. We were reminded of family connections and how important they can be. This is in conjunction with the 500 th Anniversary of Martin Luther posting the 95 Theses. That historic day is October 31. It was a day that changed religion forever. Luther had a vision of what he thought the church should be like. He wanted change. He stood up with his opinion. That is why we have the Lutheran church today. As we have learned from our families, we are generous to those in need. The women of our churches have been helping for many years. We must remember two more Bible passages. Proverbs 19:17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done. 1 Timothy 6:17-18 (NIV) 17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. We hope to see everyone at the 17 th Biennial Convention September It will be held at Camp Mowana, Mansfield. We ask that you register as soon as possible. If you are staying all night, there are limited rooms at the Retreat Center. If you do not have a roommate, you may be assigned one. We have our New Foundation Guest program. This is open to any women age We will select one participant from each cluster to attend the convention. This will be an all-expense paid program. We are hoping to have 7 participants this time. We will have the business meeting on Friday night. Then Saturday we will begin a day long assessment of our faith journey. There will be Bible study, prayer and fellowship at this event. See you in September. Sisters in Christ: Barbara White, NEOSWO President At Synod Assembly, June 9-10, NEOSWO had a display table. There was a drawing for a nice chocolate basket and the winner was Pastor Emily Seitz.

4 VICE PRESIDENT S MESSAGE... I am woman, hear me roar In numbers too big to ignore And I know too much to go back an pretend Cause I ve heard it all before And I ve been down there on the floor No one s ever gonna keep me down again (refrain) Oh yes, I am wise But it s wisdom born of pain But look how much I gained If I have to, I can do anything I am strong (Strong) I am invincible (Invincible) (refrain) You can bend but never break me Cause it only serves to make me More determined to achieve my final goal And I come back even stronger Not a novice any longer Cause you ve deepened the conviction in my soul (refrain) I am woman watch me grow See me standing toe to toe As I spread my lovin arms across the land But I m still an embryo With a long, long way to go Until I make my brother understand (refrain) Perhaps you remember this song from back in the 70 s? It was sung by Helen Reddy and entitled, I am Woman. It was quite the statement for the National Organization of Women (NOW) back then. It is quite a statement of convictions; especially political ones. So where does that leave us as women of faith? Is there truly a separation of church and state - in the mind? I think that is sort of like trying to separate the creation story from science. As one very knowledgeable Christian once said to me, Why can t they go hand in hand? I think he was correct. We shouldn t separate the two because they are both a very big part of our lives. One influences the other and intertwines with the other in every day life. How do (or did) we instruct our children properly if we cannot explain that both are needed in our every day lives? We go to work and interface with all sorts of different people; different ethnicities, different religions, different backgrounds. We enjoy the company of friends who are surely not identical clones of us? Our faith comes into play in everything we do. We need to look outside our own personal boxes and be active, for Christ, in a world that needs love and understanding. We need to teach and show that we are more than just one thought, one view, one side, especially in today s world. At our convention in September we ll have the program entitled, I Am She. It s similar, at least to me, to the I Am Woman song made almost 50 years ago only this time the statement and thoughts include God; which every thought and action should. I know when this theme was first mentioned for our convention the first thought that popped into my mind was the song. We cannot just sit back passively and let things happen. We are women - it just isn t in our nature to do that. As women, yes we do know pain but it can endure with Christ in our lives. Yes, we have been down and yes we have gotten up but it would be easier with Christ in our lives to do so. And yes, we will be made stronger, through Christ, so we can achieve what God has purposed for our lives. We need to celebrate the fact that we are women in community; whether in this organization or in our world, created by The Creator of the universe. We have gifts, faith, and experience to share with others for the benefit of human kind. We are not alone ever! We have each other but more importantly we have a Savior who will help us if we just ask. So why not explore a bit more and join us in September as we proclaim, I am She? Ruth Reinoehl, Vice President, NEOSWO Seventeenth Biennial Convention - NEOSWO - September 29-30, 2017 ALL OF THE FORMS NECESSARY FOR REGISTRATION, NOMINATION, APPLYING AS A NEW FOUNDATION GUEST, ETC. WERE ED TO THE CHURCHES AND TO INDIVIDUALS. EVERYTHING IS AVAILABLE ON THE SYNOD WEBSITE. PLEASE SHARE THE MATERIALS WITH OTHERS IN YOUR CONGREGATIONS AND INVITE YOUR FRIENDS. I AM SHE...

5 SEVENTEENTH BIENNIAL CONVENTION OF THE NORTHEASTERN OHIO SYNODICAL WOMEN S ORGANIZATION SEPTEMBER 29-30, 2017 CAMP MOWANA, MANSFIELD I Am She

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7 DUTIES OF THE NEOSWO BOARD Duties of the President 1. Preside at all conventions of the Synodical Women s Organization and at meetings of the Board and Executive Committee. 2. Ensure that the constitution and bylaws of the Synodical Women s Organization are duly observed and appoint all committees not otherwise provided for. 3. Be an ex-officio member of all committees of the Synodical Women s Organization except the Nominating Committee. 4. Submit a report to each regular convention of the Synodical Women s Organization concerning her work, with observations and recommendations affecting the organization. 5. Serve as liaison with the churchwide women s organization and attend the meetings of Conference of Synodical Presidents. 6. Represent the Synodical Women s Organization at or appoint a representative to inter-lutheran and ecumenical associations and councils in which the organization participates. 7. Serve as representative to the Synod Council or appoint a representative. Duties of the Vice President 1. Act in the absence, disability or resignation of the president. She shall assume the duties of the president until the vacancy is filled by the board of the Synodical Women s Organization at its next regularly scheduled meeting. 2. Perform such other duties as requested by the president or the board. Duties of the Secretary 1. Be the secretary of the board and the executive committee of the Synodical Women s Organization. 2. Record and distribute minutes of the Synodical convention, the board meetings and meetings of the executive committee. 3. Notify units of regular conventions and special conventions. 4. Keep a current register of the roll of the member units and their officers. 5. Secure from the units such reports as from time to time may be required. 6. Perform such other duties as the board may direct. 7. Provide for the gathering and preserving of historical records and documents. Duties of the Treasurer 1. Provide for the keeping of financial records and be accountable for all funds. 2. Be responsible for disbursing funds. 3. Provide a complete report to each convention and meetings of the board and Executive Committee. 4. Facilitate the development of the annual budget of the organization. 5. Provide for an annual review of the organizations financial activity. Duties of Board Members 1. Transact necessary business and make programmatic decisions between conventions. 2. Set policies for effective and efficient functioning. 3. Supervise and coordinate the work of all committees. 4. Determine the time and place of each convention. 5. Prepare for each convention the proposed agenda, rules of procedure, and program. 6. Report its actions to each regular convention. 7. Recommend the proposed budget to each regular convention. 8. Fill vacancies on the board as needed. 9. Act as Constitution and Bylaws Committee. 10. Perform such other duties as may be delegated to the board by the convention of the Synodical Women s Organization. 11. Attend at least two regular board meetings a year. Note: Special Meetings may be called by the president. Committee meetings may be scheduled at times other than in conjunction with regular meetings of the board. March, 2017

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9 Director for justice retires... Innez Torres Davis, director for justice for Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America since 1997, announced her retirement effective March 15, Before joining the Women of the ELCA, Torres Davis worked for nine years in parish ministry and directed a non-profit organization in Chicago. She is a deacon of the ELCA. Reprinted with permission from Interchange, the churchwide newsletter of Women of the ELCA. Copyright 2017 Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

10 From the Treasurer NEOSWO Cluster Financial Guidelines: Each cluster shall elect or appoint a financial secretary to oversee the budget planning, event income and timely payment of expenses, including remittance of offering to Women of the ELCA and designated local recipients. As part of event planning, determine who will serve as registrar and receive registration fees. Since the synodical treasurer will be responsible for depositing and distributing funds, she may agree to serve as registrar. Do not assume this; ask. If the cluster designee serves as registrar, funds should be turned over to the synodical treasurer in a timely manner. The worship offering, and any special offerings, should be collected and counted by at least two people together; a teller s report form should be completed and signed by the persons who counted. Send all checks received, payable to NEOSWO (or Women of the ELCA), and a money order or cashier check for the cash and coin received, along with the teller s report, to the synodical treasurer within five (5) days of the event. NOTE: Remittance should be made by money order or cashier check (nominal fee for money order comes from petty cash). Personal checks for the cash received are not in keeping with safe accounting practices, per the ELCA Risk Management Director. Cluster financial secretary or event leader must request payment to vendors, honorarium for speaker, disbursement of offering, and any other disbursement of cluster funds, in writing, using a Cluster Expense Form. Forms for Tellers Report, Cluster Expense Disbursement and event budget planning are available from the synodical treasurer. Cluster may keep a Petty Cash fund of up to $50.00 available. Receipts must be kept and turned in to the synodical treasurer to replenish funds. Clusters should keep records for income and disbursements from each event, for future planning, and to reconcile with synodical records as necessary. The cluster financial secretary should assist the synodical treasurer with offering interpretation. In other words, explain where the offerings go, what Women of the ELCA does with our offerings, the financial condition of our organization, etc. Cluster leadership is encouraged to read and discuss the Churchwide Board s appeal to spend down reserves. The synodical treasurer is available to answer questions, assist with offering interpretation, offer guidance. Feel free to contact her. Cluster leadership, including financial secretary, is invited and encouraged to attend any synodical board meeting, and especially the cluster/ synodical joint board session. Dates will be printed in the DAWN, and cluster leaders of record will receive information by . Our treasurer is: Tami Reynolds 1020 Cleveland Ave. Ashland, OH treynolds@whitcomb.com All remittances from units and clusters, as well as requests for checks, should go to Tami. Form A for unit offerings and Form B for Thankofferings may be downloaded from www. womenoftheelca.org. Form A and unit offerings is sent to the synodical treasurer. Gather Summer Bible Study: Session 1: Say goodbye to nice For the heroes and sheroes of the biblical story, being part of the new thing God was doing often meant having to do and say things that were unpopular with family, friends and neighbors. What truths need to be told in the places where you live, work, worship and play? Are you ready? Session 2: Stand with the least of these The biblical story tells us that whenever God does a new thing, it happens in, through and with people who live on the margins. With whom is God asking you to align yourself? In whose corner are you being called to stand? Are you ready? Session 3: Upend the tables The biblical story is filled with characters who challenged unjust systems, took action that turned societal norms upside down and spoke truth to power. What counter-cultural, justice-making actions are you being called to take? Are you ready? Reprinted with permission from Interchange, the churchwide newsletter of Women of the ELCA Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

11 Churchwide Representative: Jody Smiley Executive Board Vice President, Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Jody Smiley was elected vice president of the churchwide executive board in July She previously served the Virginia Synodical Women s Organization as president and board member. She currently serves on the Virginia Synod Council and is the Mission Interpreter Coordinator for the synod. She has been a voting member at synod and churchwide assemblies. A member of St. Michael Lutheran Church in Blacksburg, Va., Jody has served as congregational president, secretary, and chair of the education committee. She teaches Sunday school and is a youth group leader. She is active in her congregational unit, leading Bible studies and other programs. She serves on the Virginia Tech Lutheran Campus Ministry committee. Jody is an analytical chemist in Virginia Tech s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. Jody and her husband Tim, a radiation safety officer for the university, have one son. The family has lived in Blacksburg for nearly 35 years. Jody is a sports fan and plays softball on her church s team. She especially enjoys cheering for Virginia Tech s women s basketball and volleyball teams. Jody is very excited about serving Women of the ELCA on the churchwide executive board. She sees this as a chance to share her passion for the organization and encourage Lutheran women of all ages to become part of this amazing group of faithful and caring women.

12 Funding triennial convention is a challenge by Elizabeth Hunter If every woman gave 33 cents a day or about $120 a year to the organization, Women of the ELCA could more than meet its budget for conventions, regular ministries and resources that women love, Ely Smith, treasurer, told the Women of the ELCA churchwide executive board at its spring meeting. The board met at the Doubletree Hilton in Arlington Heights IL April Smith said that offerings to the churchwide organization continue to show a decrease, although the organization s goal for regular offerings has not changed. Regular offerings and Thankofferings have been declining for at least the last 15 years. Regular offerings are those collected in congregational units that benefit the unit, the synodical organization and the churchwide organization. Coping with challenges around decreased giving was a constant theme during the meeting, with much time spent discussing how best to continue funding the constitutionally required triennial convention, which costs the churchwide organization nearly $900,000 every three years. Although triennial gathering costs are covered by registration fees, exhibits and sponsors, triennial convention expenses come out of the churchwide organization budget. When Dinah Dutta, board member from Lawrence, KS asked for a breakdown of these costs, staff listed expenses of housing, travel, food, production, video, printing and postage. Every year, the organization has tried to budget (to put aside) an additional $300,000 to hold the triennial event, but sufficient offerings have not come in, executive director Linda Post Bushkofsky said. Notwithstanding the financial challenges, everything else is in good order for the triennial convention. Bylaws of the churchwide organization of Women of the ELCA require the churchwide organization cover the cost of the convention, Post Bushkofsky said. Any change to that obligation would need to be made consistent with the constitution s provision for amending bylaws. To cover the costs of the Tenth Triennial Convention (2017), the board voted to approve the use of $571,410 from the New Ministries Fund, which has a balance of $1,090,000. Although this allocation was first recommended by the budget and finance committee in October 2016, the action was tabled until 2016 financials were complete. The balance needed to cover the costs of the triennial convention will come from the Eshleman Fund, an action taken by the executive board at its October 2016 meeting. Board members also discussed alternate ways to pay for the convention. Reporting on the work of the budget and finance committee, Deborah Banks-Williams, board member from Chicago IL, said: We talked about moving the convention to a college campus to save money there. We talked about proposing a change to the constitution where synodical women s organizations are required to either contribute to the expense of triennial conventions or pick up the travel costs for their voting members. We need to take care of this now, said Dawn Smith, board member from Midland, MI, underscoring the urgency. When you re talking money, there are always two options: to increase income or to decrease expenses, said Post Bushkofsky. A primary way of decreasing expenses in the annual budget of the organization, she said, would come by reducing staff. The organization had staff reductions in 2003 and Triennial Gathering update So far 2,398 participants have registered for the Tenth Triennial Gathering (2017), including 914 first-time attendees. By comparison, there were 700 first-time attendees at the 2014 triennial gathering in Charlotte NC. Gabriela Contreras, director for meeting planning, told the board that registrations had surpassed the goal of 1,650 full-paying participants and hotels are nearly sold out. Highlights include mid-day organ recitals on Friday and Saturday, as well as evening and morning prayer at nearby Central Lutheran Church. Food trucks will be present in the parking lot at Central over the lunch hour on Friday and Saturday. Two documentaries will be screened, The Beauty of Our Dreams by Diva Communications, examining education of girls, and Dream Catchers, a documentary about a Chicago anti-trafficking effort. Women of the ELCA is also working with a full-communion partner, St. Mark s Episcopal Church, to run a bookstore at the gathering. Featured speakers and worship leaders were previously announced. In other action, the board voted to: Ask the executive director to investigate ways to lower costs for future board meetings, including holding board meetings at retreat centers, rather than hotels. Authorize the executive director to pursue (continued on the following page)

13 (continued from previous page) negotiations with Equal Exchange with the goal of bringing a formal agreement between the two organizations to the October 2017 board meeting. Equal Exchange asked Women of the ELCA to continue the fair-trade relationship with Equal Exchange, although Lutheran World Relief is amicably ending its relationship with Equal Exchange at the end of May. Post Bushkofsky said I can t envision a day when the women of our organization aren't making quilts to send to Lutheran World Relief, she added. We ll continue to do fair trade work with LWR as well. There s no reason we can t work with both organizations. Board members also heard reports about: The 2017 Conference of Synodical Presidents The 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering to be held June 27- July 1, 2018 in Houston ELCA Slovak Zion Synod Bishop Wilma Kucharek gave a report from the ELCA Conference of Bishops, on topics of concern across the church, including interreligious and ecumenical cooperation, the Centurions (from the story of the centurion in the Bible) work with federal chaplains Lutheran Men in Mission The fiscal year 2017 budget of $3,246,995, and the proposed budget for fiscal year 2018 to be sent to the Tenth Triennial Convention (2017) Gather, the magazine of Women of the ELCA, which is seeing increased subscriptions, as well as generous donations from subscribers a previously untapped resource. The executive board s next regular meeting is October 21-22, 2017, in Chicago, preceded by a day of orientation for the board that will be elected at the Tenth Triennial Convention (2017). Elizabeth Hunter is editor for Gather magazine. Reprinted with permission from Interchange, the churchwide newsletter of Women of the ELCA. Copyright 2017 Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. UPCOMING SYNODICAL & CHURCHWIDE EVENTS Cleveland West Cluster Fall Gathering, September 23, Dr. Martin Luther, Brooklyn Canton-Massillon Cluster Fall Gathering, October 14, St. Paul Lutheran, Alliance Akron-Wooster Cluster Fall Gathering, October 28, Messiah Lutheran, Akron July, Triennial Convention/Gathering, Minneapolis, MN July, Triennial Convention/Gathering, Phoenix, AZ July, Triennial Convention/Gathering, Spokane, WA

14 Cluster News... Akron-Wooster (Beth Haas, NEOSWO Rep) Spring Gathering - Saturday, April 29, Trinity Lutheran Church, Clinton. The Gathering theme was Jewelry of Ohio s Presidential First Ladies and the speaker was Dr. Mari Halkovich. The Bible study was led by Pastor Julie Thoms, pastor of Trinity. The in-kind gifts were given to Harvest Home and the Special Offering was given NEOSWO and the Ohio Veteran s Memorial, Clinton. The Fall Gathering will be held on Saturday, October 28, at Messiah Lutheran Church, Akron. Theme is Reformation and Pastor Elizabeth Hazelton, recently retired pastor of Trinity, Kent, will present a program about Katie Luther. Canton-Massillon, (Rebekah Carr, NEOSWO Rep) (reported by Mary Amick) Spring Gathering - Saturday, May 6, Advent Lutheran Church, Uniontown. Spring Cleaning for the Heart and Soul (based on devotional material by Julie Betttencourt), led by Kristi Woods. In-kind gifts of cleaning supplies for the Lake Township FISH food pantry. There were 4 baby blankets and 6 adult lap robes donated and they were taken by Kristie Woods. The Fall Gathering will be held October 14 at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Alliance. More details will be published in the next issue. Cleveland East (representative position is vacant) No report at this time. Cleveland West (representative position is vacant) (reported by Mollie Broadnax) Spring Gathering - Saturday, April 22, Bethany English Lutheran Church, Cleveland. Theme was Our Christian Heritage through Stained Glass and Stone. Jackie Krieger was the speaker and she presented a slide show of her visits of European cathedrals. The Rev. Susanne Carter delivered a message and Communion; she spoke of her boldness and struggles in becoming a pastor. Barb White, NEOSWO president, and Ruth Reinoehl, NEOSWO vice president, brought greetings from the board and churchwide. They talked about the Biennial Convention at Camp Mowana in September. The offering was split with NEOSWO and Family Haven, a facility which supports individuals with developmental disabilities. The cluster Fall Gathering will be held at Dr. Martin Luther Church, 4470 Ridge Rd, Brooklyn, on September 23, Pastor Kari Langford will bring us Katie Luther. Eastern (Erin Burns, NEOWSO Rep) Summer Pot-Luck Picnic and Gathering - Tuesday, June 27, 6-8:00 p.m. at St. John, Champion (Warren area). Join us for good food, fellowship, fun, music. Registration is $3 and you should bring a favorite picnic dish to share. RSVP to Pastor Erin Leave a voic or text. Chicken and beverages provided. Richland-Ashland (Katie Danielson, NEOSWO Rep) Spring Gathering - Sunday, May 21, First Lutheran Church, Shelby at 4:30 p.m. Salad/dessert buffet. Theme was Reformation and the program was The Rev. Paul Lintern presenting Martin Luther and his music. In-kind gifts are food pantry items for First Lutheran. Love offering went to LOMO. Ruth Reinoehl, vice president of NEOSWO, represented the board. Details for the Fall Gathering will be shared later. Southern (Judy Harstine, NEOSWO Rep) Spring Gathering - Wednesday, May 3, First Lutheran Church, Strasburg. The keynote speaker addressed Human Trafficking. If clusters advise me of their upcoming activities, I will gladly send out s to those persons for whom I have addresses. Providing me with a flier for your event is an even better idea. I can send an with the flier attached. Cathy Byers, Editor You may support Katie s Fund by making out your check to Women of the ELCA, writing Katie s Fund on the memo line and sending it to: Women of the ELCA, ELCA Gift Processing Center PO Box 1809, Merrifield VA Reprinted with permission from Interchange, the churchwide newsletter of Women of the ELCA. Copyright 2017 Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

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16 To report an event, please make a summary of it and forward that to the SWO secretary (Cathy Byers). The minutes from your meeting would be a perfect way to share your event. If you wish either/or both of those forms ed to you, please contact me at cathy@gracewadsworth.org. This allows us to cut down on the number of pages in the publication. We also like contact information for key people in the units. We want to share as much information as we can. 17TH BIENNIAL CONVENTION - IT S NOT TOO LATE TO CONSIDER SERVING ON THE NEOSWO BOARD. EVERYONE IS IMPORTANT AND HAS WONDERFUL IDEAS AND THOUGHTS THAT ARE WELCOME TO BE SHARED. PLEASE PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER SERVING ON THE BOARD. As mentioned previously, we have a database of all the church and personal s that I ve been able to get. If your church is having a function that you d like to share with the churches in your cluster, send the information to me and I can it to the churches. If your church s address changes, please let me know so the database can be as current as possible. Together, we can do a lot!!!! We can share significantly more information with The Dawn than we ever could before. Technology, while not always welcome, makes it possible to share so much more with pictures and items directly from church-wide. It is our hope that, with each issue of The Dawn, we re reaching out to more and more women. I am enjoying the opportunity to be the editor and hope that you are enjoying the information we re sharing. Keep up the good work as Women of the ELCA Bold Women of the ELCA!!