Last edited August 04, 2011

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September 10, 2010: Faithful Efforts to Proclaim the Good News
(click here for a bulletin insert of this letter)

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Greetings in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior! I am thankful for our fellowship in his name and for our ministry together as his disciples.

My visits to synod congregations continue to reveal your faithful efforts to proclaim the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ. The commitment and enthusiasm of congregation members inspire me. It is my privilege to serve as bishop to so many who are striving to make Christ known. To be sure, the baptismal call to discipleship brings challenges, but we have many reasons to rejoice.

My confidence in the Holy Spirit’s work in you prompts me to call you to ever more spirited gospel mission. At the same time, I offer to you my faith, my energy, and my prayers as we move into the final months of 2010 and prepare for a new year of grace. Our ministry together as a synod offers hope to many people within our congregations and to many people outside our congregations.

Thank you for your financial support of our ministries. What a difference your faithfulness makes! I have seen your mission support make a difference, for example, at St. John’s, Pen Argyl. A grant from the synod’s Witness and Service Ministry Team funded a neighborhood outreach ministry called Fourth Friday Fun Nights. The ministry brings children from ages 7 through 14 to the church. It has enhanced the Brownie troop that meets at St. John’s, as well as the Sunday school and the youth program. Spurred by the impact of this new ministry, St. John’s is preparing to undertake a five-year planning process, Hopes and Dreams of St. John’s.

I have seen your mission support make a difference also through the work of the synod’s Candidacy Committee. Ten congregations in seven mission districts will have called first-call pastors within two years. These first-call pastors received financial support from the committee during their seminary years. Supporting their seminary education will translate now into stronger congregational ministry and mission across the synod territory.

I have seen your mission support make a difference for hundreds of congregation members who attend a variety events offered throughout the year. Among the events are the Farm Family Appreciation Dinner, Lutherans in Faith Together (LIFT), Learning Ministries Day, and a justice and advocacy conference – Jesus Calls Us ...to Action. Vital witness and faith formation arise as a result of each event, carrying their impact well beyond our congregations.

Soon you and your congregation will consider a mission support commitment for 2011. In that process, I ask you to give thanks with me for God’s work accomplished by our hands. As we grow together in faith because of God’s work in our midst, I ask also that each congregation increase its commitment by .5% of its income. Forms were included in a mailing to all congregations to assist you in calculating your commitment and in returning your commitment.

With thanksgiving that God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – has united us in Holy Baptism, I urge you on in your call with words from the Apostle Paul: “…whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”

Your servant in Christ,

Samuel

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June 12, 2010: Kindergarteners, Flowers, and Witnessing to the Gospel

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Mrs. Fister's kindergarten class at The Lutheran Academy "graduated" recently. I attended because I had spent time with the class just before Christmas. We enjoyed hot chocolate and homemade cookies, and I read them a story. Graduation was great - lots of smiles from the 16 grads and lots of laughs from parents and relatives.

The Lutheran Academy is a ministry of Concordia Lutheran Church, Macungie (a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregation), housed at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Allentown (an ELCA congregation). A wonderful collaboration! When classes resume in the fall, however, the academy will open its brand new building on land near Bath.

After the graduation ceremony, I received a bouquet of flowers to take home to Linda. A few white daisies, little purple flowers, all decorated with a feather, ribbon, and soft purple netting. I knew Linda would be pleased.

At 19th and Washington Streets, Redeemer is just a few blocks from home, so I'd walked to the ceremony. Bouquet in hand, I started my trek home.

As I turned the corner, people in a green pickup blew the horn and shouted, "Nice flowers! Ya gonna ask her to marry ya?" We laughed, but I became self-conscious.

Walking west on Washington, I passed a home where a woman sat on the front porch. I looked up at the porch and nodded. "For me?" she teased. "How'd you know purple's my favorite color?" Two blocks later, a woman watching her two kids jokingly acted surprised: "You shouldn't have! I have the perfect vase."

By this point I'm feeling like a one-float parade.

At home the awkwardness subsided and I realized these encounters with unfamiliar people were a lot of fun. We reached out to one another and talked. Differences were put aside for the sake of connecting, the unknown overcome for the sake of smiles and laughs.

It was gracious, just like the collaboration between Concordia and Redeemer, for the sake of the students of The Lutheran Academy.

Great witness to the gospel, there, folks.

Your servant in Christ,

Samuel

Click here for more pictures from the day.

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May 12, 2010: Our Walk Together in the Risen Christ

(The following letter is excerpted from the Report of the Bishop for the 2010 synod assembly. Click here for the full report.)

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Since the 2009 synod assembly, our walk together in the Risen Christ has been enriched by God’s grace and favor. Regular visits to congregations throughout the synod territory reveal to me the fruits of strong rostered and congregational leadership, inspired and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Conversations with youth and young adults in catechetical settings or after worship services reveal an emerging discipleship that invigorates our public witness. Multi-congregational events and mission district programs reveal a heart for mutual encouragement and a readiness to bear witness to the faith.

God’s grace and favor abound for us.

Our walk together in the Risen Christ has at the same time been impeded by the struggles that life together can bring. Congregations continue to feel the effects of fear prompted by a crippled national economy. The deaths of beloved sisters and brothers in Christ and the struggles of our most vulnerable congregations have assaulted our joy and dampened our sprits. Decisions on human sexuality made at the churchwide assembly in Minneapolis have elicited varied responses, some of which have created tensions in otherwise healthy congregations.

God’s will and expectations can be unclear to us.

As God’s grace and will determined our walk together in Christ since the 2009 assembly, a number of events were at work shaping my ministry as synod bishop. I would like to use this report to describe the events and their impact upon me.

LIFT, Lutherans in Faith Together, held in June at Muhlenberg College, revealed to me the abundant spiritual energy of synod members. LIFT built my confidence in the potential for this synod to grow in its witness to the gospel.

In July the ELCA National Youth Gathering in New Orleans furthered my confidence. Over 35,000 youths and their advisors gathered for a “supersized” LIFT event that included a powerful service component and exposed me to the scope of our churchwide relationships and scale of our witness. While our congregation-based organization is essential to our life together, we cannot lose sight of our churchwide capacities.

Another significant event was the August 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The assembly will long be remembered for decisions about human sexuality and ministry policies made there. My ministry as bishop has been shaped by the balanced manner in which the assembly conscientiously carried out its deliberation on these matters with repeated opportunity for prayer, study of the Bible, and small group conversations. Exposure to the way in which difficult proceedings can be handled with grace and civility has instilled confidence in me that we need not fear formidable responsibilities.

In January I participated in the Region 7 Institute for Congregational Ministry, the annual event for rostered professional leaders in their first three years of service. I was impressed with the range of gifts for ministry possessed by these individuals and their desire to have Lutheran congregations faithfully carry out gospel-centered mission. Exposure to their energy has given me a deeper level of confidence that wise preparation of professional leaders must be among the highest of our priorities.

While many other events of significance might be identified, I will add just one more to my report. Meetings with call committees and congregation councils at the time of pastoral transition have played a formative role in shaping my ministry as bishop. No two of the meetings have been alike, but all have been engaging. Each congregation has revealed a personality in these encounters, and I have learned to value the uniqueness of each. Exposure to this congregational diversity has helped me to see more clearly that there is no one way to faithful discipleship and that we can boast of the broad spectrum of settings available to rostered leaders.

I am thankful for the ways God’s grace and will have been at work in the events over the past year to mold my ministry. The same thankfulness is present, I suspect, in so many of you for your own growth in ministry. It is important that we recognize the process of transition in one another and that we commit ourselves to support each other as we find the way that God lays down for us. Exercising mutual consolation fortifies all the baptized for their walk together in the Risen Christ.

Frankly, as I carry out my ministry in your midst, it is clear to me that such mutual consolation is very important at this time in the synod’s history. Congregational isolation, which can appear highly attractive in our time, is not only a detriment to our walk together as a synod; it is also the first step down a path that leads to internal strife. As this synod’s pastor, it is important to me that we are forthright about caring for one another.

I rejoice over the opportunity to carry out gospel-centered mission with you in the name of Jesus, particularly in these challenging times. It is clear to me that God has used not only the events I have described above to give shape to my role in our mission partnership, but has used also the staff that works with me every day, the pastors and other rostered leaders who patiently share their insights with me, the diligent congregational leaders who tell me of their resolve to be faithful to their responsibilities, and my churchwide colleagues when they pray for this synod and offer themselves to us as resources in our work and in our walk.

Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart (2 Corinthians 4:1).

I assert to you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, that I have not lost heart as I serve as your bishop. In truth, I believe that God has strengthened me in more ways than I am able to report to you. Strengthened by the grace and will of God, I therefore call you to renewed ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as it lives out its purpose through congregational, synodical, and churchwide expressions. Thanks be to God!

Your servant in Christ,

Samuel
 

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April 23, 2010: Update on Schoenersville

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

As you know, the synod council has been considering the possibility raised by the people of Christ, Schoenersville, of giving us their property for use as synod office space. Two task forces were formed in January, one to look at the place of the synod office in our vision, and the other to weigh matters of due diligence.

This week those groups presented their reports to the Synod Council. After intense discussion, the decision was made to let the members of Christ, Schoenersville, know that we are open to receiving this gift. In the coming weeks we will continue to be in conversation with them about the best decisions for them and for the synod.

The synod council and I will keep you informed of our actions, and we hope that you will continue to keep in your prayers all those who are trying to discern the right path for our ministry here in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Your servant in Christ,

Samuel
 

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January 21, 2010: New Opportunities for Ministry

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

I want to share with you a possibility that was presented to our Synod Council at their meeting this week.

We met at Christ Lutheran Church, Schoenersville, within sight of Lehigh Valley International Airport. The people of Christ Church have come to the realization that their life as a community is coming to an end. As they have considered how to dispose of their assets wisely, they have offered their building and property to the synod, should we wish to use it as the synod office.

This location would offer us many ministry opportunities not possible at our Wescosville building. At the same time, it would present challenges. After visiting and discussing this site, the synod council agreed that we certainly need to look seriously at this option. Two task forces are being formed, one to look broadly at what our needs and dreams might be as they relate to synodical office space, and one to carry out a "due diligence" study of the Schoenersville property. Both groups will report back to the April synod council meeting.

The elected leaders of the synod want you to be aware of this possibility. If you have thoughts about it, please feel free to share them with me or with synod vice president Dawn Baxter. I hope that you will keep the synod council in your prayers as they try to make decisions that will be both responsible and creative. And I hope you will also give thanks in your prayers for the long and faithful ministry of the saints of Christ, Schoenersville.

Your servant in Christ,

Samuel
 

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December 11, 2009: The Grace Experience

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

I preached at Grace, Topton, recently. They celebrated their 60th anniversary.

It impressed me that Grace is a bona fide congregation on the campus of the Lutheran Home at Topton. There’s a congregation council, a choir, and worship assistants. Its members reside in the various facilities. They faithfully provide mission support to the wider church.

I am more familiar with worship services regularly provided by most care-giving facilities, often in a social room. As a congregational pastor I took my turn leading these services in communities I served. They were meaningful and those attending were deeply appreciative. Such services are also available at the Topton Home.

But the “Grace experience” was new for me. It was also invigorating. As folks gathered, it was evident that they were not simply thrilled to be together, but that they valued their togetherness as a faith community. Warm greetings abounded among them, greetings that portrayed for me images of the earliest Christian gatherings. I saw eagerness, affection, joy, and focus as individuals assumed responsibilities and took their various places.

Grace Church, Topton, is a vital, extraordinary congregation of this synod. It adds to our integrity. It invigorates our mission. It gives life to Luther’s words explaining the third article of the Creed: “I believe that there is on earth a little holy flock or community of pure saints under one head, Christ...called together by the Holy Spirit in one faith, mind, and understanding.”

Congratulations to this “communion of saints” on their 60th anniversary. And thanks to every one of our congregations for their unique gospel witness, borne out of life together in word and sacrament.

Your servant in Christ,

Samuel
 

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August 20: Greetings from the Churchwide Assembly

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Last night the assembly approved the social statement, "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust." It passed precisely by the two-third vote majority it needed. The immediate reaction in the assembly hall when the vote was projected on the large screens was stunned silence, followed by a collective Ohhhhhh!!"

Everyone was aware of the significance of what was about to happen before the vote, and after the vote everyone was aware that the action unfolded in perhaps the most dramatic way possible. On this morning after the vote, we are conscious that some are pleased and some are saddened.

A very helpful gathering took place over breakfast this morning. The gathering was designed as a way to absorb the effects of last night's vote and to prepare us for Friday's vote on the ministry recommendations.

Voting members sat at tables to which they were randomly assigned (ten at each table) to discuss thoughts about each of the ministry recommendations. On my left sat a man who opposes the statement and the recommendations; on my right sat an openly gay man who favors both.

When breakfast ended after 90 minutes of frank, active discussion, we departed for the morning plenary. As we left the table, the man on my left and the man on my right moved toward one another and embraced. It was a moment of grace in this increasingly intense assembly.

I share the occasion with you so that it can be a beacon of hope for us in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod as we move beyond this assembly. I pray that their embrace will also be a beacon of hope for the entire ELCA.

Your servant in Christ,

Samuel

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August 19: Greetings from the Churchwide Assembly

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

I greet you on behalf of all the voting members of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod at the churchwide assembly in Minneapolis.

Everyone arrived safely and is engaged in the work of the assembly. We are busy here with a full agenda and extraordinary worship. What a dynamic expression of the church gathered from across the US!

This churchwide assembly is my second. I attended the 2007 assembly as a voting member. In my role now as synod bishop, I have responsibilities at this assembly that make my attendance a bit more focused. Our synod's voting members have been supportive and helpful every day.

The assembly will give attention to the proposed social statement, "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust." Preliminary discussions that have already taken place indicate that consideration of the social statement will bring deeply-held convictions to the floor.

Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson has presided in a most pastoral way that will serve well our consideration of the social statement. I am thankful for his gifted leadership.

I ask your prayers for all voting members who will be gathered on this Wednesday afternoon as we undertake such an important task. We pray collectively here during the course of our plenary sessions, and it will be helpful to have your prayerful support as we seek to serve faithfully.

Your servant in Christ,

Samuel

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June 2: My Other Staff

Receive this staff as a sign of your pastoral office: keep watch over the whole flock in which the Holy Spirit has appointed you to shepherd in the Church of God. With those words spoken at my installation last September, I was handed the bishop’s pastoral staff, also called a crozier.

It’s a striking, beautifully-crafted, wooden staff with a silhouette of the Luther rose at the top. I take it with me as I visit congregations to participate in worship services. Actually…it’s more appropriate to say that the crozier takes me along as it visits congregations.

The crozier gets all the attention! I pretty much get lost in the background. Many folks greeting me after worship who are seeing the crozier for the first time want to know what it is. While I explain its significance, they stare at the crozier as if it’s doing the talking. I end up feeling like a two-bit ventriloquist.

The kids at Trinity, Wernersville, came forward for a children’s sermon about what a bishop does. We spent the time instead talking about “the stick.” During announcements preceding worship at St. Paul’s, Mertztown, I was asked to explain what “the wooden thing” is; then I was introduced.

We have the synodical women’s organization, Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod Women of the ELCA, to thank for all this commotion. They commissioned the crozier in 1996 and presented it to the synod. Mark Yundt, Bethlehem, PA, designed and crafted it. It’s part of his website (www.woodworkingstudio.net), under “Gallery.” Click “Religion” and go to page 2.You’ll notice me standing beside the crozier. What? You didn’t notice me? Well, that’s much the same way that people “notice” me when I’m holding the crozier in congregations of the synod.

It’s only fair to let you know that the crozier’s schedule is getting booked well into 2010. If you are interested in having it visit your congregation, you might want to extend an invitation soon. By the way, I come with it.

Your servant in Christ,

Samuel

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May 5: Lutherans in Faith Together

I hope you’re planning to attend LIFT at Muhlenberg College on June 13. There’s a lot about the day that merits your attention.

The number and the quality of workshops top the list. I’ve counted over forty of them, and I am really impressed with the leaders and the descriptions for each. If you have not read the workshop booklet, take time to get acquainted with the ministries, issues, and ideas that will be offered.

I am also impressed at the opportunities to combat hunger at LIFT. Everyone is invited to bring cans of food for distribution to area food banks and soup kitchens. There will be grocery carts to fill. Let’s do it!

In addition, there’s a walk to raise support for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. Get a sponsor sheet and commit to walking the perimeter of the campus (about a mile) as many times as you can. If you can’t participate by walking, be sure to sponsor someone. Come to think of it, if you haven’t sponsored anyone yet, you can sponsor me: I’ll walk! Contact me at my email address, bishop@nepsynod.org.

Amazing chapel concerts will occur throughout the day, Dakota Road will perform, and Professor Mark Allan Powell (Trinity Lutheran Seminary) will be keynote speaker. The day ends with a closing celebration and concert.

Before learning the details of LIFT, I was already impressed with the event planning group. I was present for a while at one of their meetings a few Saturdays ago. Check out the photo to see who’s on the planning group. They are an energized and creative bunch, and they are committed to making LIFT a great get-together.

I encourage you to attend.

Go to the LIFT page for more information.

Your servant in Christ,

Samuel

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April 22: Square Dance

I attended my first official square dance recently. It was official because, before the dancing started, we sang, "There'll be a hot time in the ol' town tonight." All 860 of us!

My wife, Linda, loves to dance, but even she was intimidated by the skill level of the folks covering the floor of the Hamburg Field House. So the two of us watched from our table. What especially struck us was the number of teenage dancers out there doing the elbow twirl, promenading, swinging “yer” honey, and doe-see-doeing with people in their seventies.

Harry and Nancy cut quite a rug! They’ve been married 56 years and are retired from farming. Nancy said, “We work harder helping our son with the farm now than we did when it was our farm. But we love it.”

Closer to the middle of the floor, nobody could allemande left (or allemande right), nobody could weave-a-basket, quite like Earl. Earl includes jumping off the floor in his dance routine.

You’ve got to go to this thing. It’s the Farm Family Appreciation Celebration, and it’s been held annually for nine years. The date is already set for 2010 – April 10. The 2010 version will be a hoedown. Evidently, a hoedown is not the same as a square dance. Anyway, if you can’t make that one, I expect to see you March 19, 2011. These people are serious about living it up!

Farm families on our synod territory from Berks, Carbon, Schuylkill, Northampton, and Lehigh counties come together. The Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod, along with several area banks, cooperative extension offices, Diakon, Ziegels Union Church, and two county granges sponsor the event as an opportunity to say thank you to the farm families for their hard work, their faithful labor, and the great benefit that comes to us all because of their skill.

I acquired new insights into (and fresh appreciation for) this vigorous component of the synod’s life. The agricultural part of us, our tie to the soil and to so much of all creation, our dependence upon the natural cycles over which we have no control: they all instill reverence for God’s life-giving power, and for the people whom God calls to husband this work for us.

As you drive around our territory and see the tilled soil and the sprouting seeds, be sure to give quiet thanks for the fields, the farms, and the families devoted to agriculture. And you’ll get a sense of what happens at the Appreciation Celebration if, after you give thanks, you hum the tune to "there’ll be a hot time in the ol' town tonight!"

Your servant in Christ,

Samuel

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

Psalm 51:10-12 NRSV

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April 7: A Message in these Holy Days

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

May the Holy Week liturgies pierce the dust of which we are made,
as the plows till the fields frozen by winter's gales.

May the Resurrection liturgy shower our dust with death-defying choruses of "Alleluia,"
as the heavens shower warmth and water that bring buried seeds to life.

The synod staff and I pray that a bountiful harvest of joy comes to you as the passion and death of Jesus give way to his rising.

Your servant in Christ,

Samuel

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March 20: Discussing ELCA Decisions Regarding Sexuality

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

This summer our Churchwide Assembly will wrestle with issues of sexuality and the rostering of gay and lesbian persons in our church. Whatever decisions are made are sure to cause discomfort and are likely to cause division. As bishop of this synod, I do not want to see us torn apart by these votes.

For that reason I want to encourage you to take part in an event entitled Sex and the Synod: Perspectives on Homosexuality in Scripture and Ministry. Sponsored by our synod, it will be held on May 9 at Muhlenberg College and will bring together Dr. Eric Heen and Dr. Jon Pahl, professors at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, and Dr. James Nestingen, professor emeritus at Luther Seminary, as presenters.

We will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude at 3:30 p.m. with a service of Eucharist. Morning presentations will focus on Scripture and will provide background. The heart of our work in the afternoon will be presentations and small group conversations focusing on ministry together as a synod in the aftermath of whatever decisions are made at the August churchwide assembly.

Sex and the Synod is the culmination of months of planning by a working group representing differing points of view on the topic of gay/lesbian inclusion on the ELCA leadership roster. That group has been composed of Sharon Ann Burns, Pr. Tim Boyer, Chaplain Peter Bredlau, Pr. Barry Fritts, Marney Fritts, Pr. Manfred Bauman, Pr. Carl Shankweiler, and me. We came together with a commitment to find ways to help the members of this synod live together faithfully in the midst of disagreement and difficult conversations about this topic.

This goal of the working group is consistent with an emphasis in the proposed social statement, Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust - that the subject of human sexuality not be characterized as divisive or confrontational. Instead, it should be seen as a task accepted by this church as a community in Christ. If you have not yet read the proposed social statement and the Report and Recommendations on Ministry Policies from the ELCA Task Force, I strongly encourage you to do so. I also recommend that you encourage members of your congregations to read the documents, which can be downloaded from the Church and Society page of the ELCA website (http://tinyurl.com/5nywk9).

Watch your mail in the next few weeks for further information about this important event.

Your servant in Christ,

Samuel

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February 20: The Pickup Truck

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

I pulled into the synod’s parking lot on Tuesday morning, just like every other day. It’s one of those routine things. Each day I use the same entrance, drive past vehicles that I’ve learned belong to particular staff members, and pull into pretty much the same spot. Do this sort of thing often enough and the repetition numbs your perceptions.

Something changed all that on Tuesday. As I entered the lot there was a huge, maroon late-model extended-cab pickup truck in one of our spaces. You’ve seen pickups like this: a jacked-up suspension system, tires large enough that just one of them could fill the interior of a mid-size sedan, chrome custom wheels resembling a saw blade, and a cab on steroids. Did I mention that it was maroon?

Generally speaking we’ve got environmentally astute folks working for us. So…parked close to our office building, the in-your-face pickup just seemed out-of-place. “That’s got to belong to someone dropping off furniture at the reupholster shop behind the office,” I concluded. The pickup truck, or, more accurately, THE PICKUP TRUCK, would have blocked the alley if it were parked at the shop.

Inside the office building, I quickly discovered the incredible truth: Carol Weiser drove the truck to work! Trying to imagine this was like trying to picture Jesus smoking a cigar. The pieces don’t fit. Turns out, the pickup was a loaner vehicle while her car was being fixed.

The dissonant image didn’t get resolved in my mind right away. Finally, though, it occurred to me that Carol’s role at the synod office has been HUGE for a long time.

Carol will retire at the end of the month and the void created by her absence will be enormous. The maroon pickup is an excellent indication of just how non-routine it has been to have Carol around. I’m missing the pickup truck already.

Samuel

 

February 9: Surprised Along the Way

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

I represent the synod on the Muhlenberg College Board of Trustees. During a banquet at a recent board meeting, long-term benefactors were honored. Four giving levels were noted, with one million dollars or more comprising the highest level.

As President Randy Helm identified the million-dollars-or-more benefactors, he said, “The next person will be surprised to hear his name included in this level: the Rev. Samuel Zeiser, bishop of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod.”

He was right; I was real surprised. President Helm went on to say that over time the synod has contributed more than a million dollars to the college and that it was appropriate that I accept the appreciation of those gathered. I accepted their gratitude on your behalf.

Another surprise came a few days later when I preached at St. John’s, Boyertown. “Faith chests,” normally given at baptism, were presented that day to young people who had been baptized before the faith chest program began. There were about ten recipients at the 8:00 service and about the same number at the 11:00 service.

The oak chests, made at a Boyertown manufacturer, are beautiful. A plaque engraved with the individual’s name and baptismal date is attached to the front of the chest. Over the course of the recipient’s lifetime, significant faith-related items can be stored in the chest and referred to occasionally for faith renewal.

It’s a thoughtful idea. John Pearson, pastor of St. John’s, will be happy to tell you more.

My surprise came at the 11:00 service when, after all the children received their faith chests, I was called to join the group. It seems that folks at St. John’s obtained the date of my baptism and prepared a faith chest for me. I was real surprised and deeply grateful.

We can be surprised sometimes when taking account of what it means to live lives of faith. In the case of this synod, faithful to the higher education ministry of the church, Muhlenberg College took account on our behalf and surprised us. In the case of faith chest recipients, they have a means for taking account as they fill the chests with gracious reminders of events and people who have surprised them on their faith journey.

In my case, I am surprised regularly as I take account of the faith expressed and the mission carried out daily by congregations and institutions across our synod territory.

Samuel

 

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January 27: A Return to Ministry in Our Synod

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Among the events on my calendar during the week after my return from the Middle East were an ecumenical worship service, a large synod gathering, and an installation service. The dynamics of these events quickly brought me back into the flow of ministry on the synod territory.

I had the great pleasure of preaching at the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton. The occasion was a service marking the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity hosted annually by the diocesan bishop.

Bishop Joseph Martino was a very gracious host. Six or seven judicatory leaders participated in the liturgy, and a large number of clergy from various denominations joined the procession.

During his remarks Bishop Martino spoke of the divisions in the church as a “scandal,” and he expressed what seemed to be a genuine spirit of hope that the scandal might be overcome. I was delighted to see so many of our Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Mission District leaders in attendance.

Later in the week I attended the 2009 Learning Ministries Day held at Union Lutheran, Schnecksville. Professor Rolf Jacobson of Luther Seminary was the keynote speaker. What a great job he did in support of the event’s focus on the Book of Faith initiative! Folks in attendance (there were about 220 of them) responded with great enthusiasm to the way he brought some rather obscure passages from Deuteronomy to life.

Fourteen workshops offered twice during the afternoon kept the spirit of the day pumped up. It was my first experience at a Learning Ministries Day, and I came away deeply encouraged by the enthusiasm, commitment, and creativity of the congregational leaders who are engaged in learning ministries throughout the synod.

As the weekend came to a close, I installed a new pastor at Dinkey Memorial Lutheran in Ashfield. Dinkey Memorial is a fine congregation situated in a quiet, rural area west of Bowmanstown. If regular gatherings of the people of Dinkey Memorial demonstrate even a small portion of the collegial fellowship, warmth, and vigorous faithfulness that I witnessed, then Pastor Tony Pagotto is going to have a fulfilling ministry there. The synod is well represented by the folks at Dinkey Memorial.

There were other responsibilities for me to address during my first week back from the trip. Some of them were sobering, but I am increasingly aware that there are so many of you out there doing faithful work in the name of Jesus, week after week. I thank God for the faith and sincerity you demonstrate, and I encourage you not to lose heart.

Samuel

 

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December 18: Staffing Decisions

I want to let you know that decisions about synod staff have been made. A few details need to be attended to, however, before names and responsibilities can be announced. There will be an announcement following the January 28 synod council meeting.

Since becoming bishop on August 1, I have taken a very deliberate approach to staffing decisions. It was important to me that I spend time gaining insight into the day-to-day operation of the synod. As part of this process, I held extensive conversations with each of the present executive and support staff members.

It was also important that I have the opportunity to listen to rostered leaders and members of congregations. In order to accomplish this part of the process, I drew on encounters such as the nine Evenings with the Bishop, visits to congregations, meetings with mission district deans and councils, the synod council’s overnight retreat, and conversations with churchwide representatives.

Above all, it needs to be said that I devoted significant time to prayer over staffing decisions.

Amidst the staffing changes and adjustments, I am confident that the individuals on my leadership team will bring important ministry gifts to the opportunities and challenges that God lays before us. They are committed to working in a collegial way, drawing upon the gifts for ministry that are abundant across the synod territory.

May God bless us as we move forward together in the name of the Risen Jesus.

Samuel

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December 3, 2008: Advent Beginnings

December 9: A Warm Congregation on a Cold Sunday Morning

A Psalm Tree was incorporated into the worship at St. Paul’s, Orwigsburg, this past Sunday. The tree is decorated with slips of paper containing psalm verses, placed there by members of the congregation. The young (and the young at heart) who gathered for the children’s message focused their attention on this meaningful sign of the mutual support the members offer one another.

It was one of the few trees in Orwigsburg not agitated by the cold wind sweeping through lower Schuylkill County on Sunday morning. St. Paul’s sits on a hillside in the town of approximately 3,500 people. It wasn’t a day to stand outside and chat.

But lots of folks were inside the sanctuary for the two worship services and the Sunday school hour. Pastor Joe Scholtes took me to each classroom, where the shy and the not-so-shy, the children and the adults, were given an opportunity to tell me about life at St. Paul’s and in Orwigsburg. Advent worship was enhanced with meaningful musical components, with the first communion of some young people, and with capable liturgical participation of church members (the eighth grader who read the lessons at the 8:00 a.m. service did especially well).

In anticipation of my visit, the congregation undertook a special effort to raise funds for the ELCA Hunger Appeal. The response was exceptional. During the service I was presented a certificate indicating that $1,025.40 had been raised and would be forwarded to the synod office. What an uplifting addition to a morning already filled with inspiration.

My only regret is that I failed to add a psalm verse to the tree. Based on my time with the people of St. Paul’s, I’d have written the words of Psalm 92, verses 1 through 4, on the slip of paper. Check it out.

Samuel

Photos by Bill Furjanic

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December 3, 2008: Advent Beginnings

I spent my First Sunday in Advent involved in two firsts.

The morning began with Eucharistic worship at St. Paul’s, Allentown. Pastor Richard Baumann and his flock assembled in their building at 8th and Walnut Streets.

The young acolyte, alert to his role, got the first Advent candle glowing right on cue. The choir sang with a fresh, sweet tone as we gathered at the Table of the Lord.

St. Paul’s is the oldest Lutheran congregation in Allentown. An announcement in their worship bulletin reads: “Allentown’s first Lutheran Church.”

In the evening, Linda and I gathered with the people of two other Allentown Lutheran congregations: St. Michael’s and Nativity.

Interesting thing is that Pastors Richard Stough and John Minnich and their flocks were gathered together in one place, but not in a building of either congregation. The occasion was a celebratory dinner, marking the start of the consolidation of the two congregations. It was, therefore, their first official joint gathering as a consolidated congregation. Folks were joyous, spirited…glowing like the Advent candle set aflame that morning.

Another meal and more singing! This time it was with what might be considered the youngest Lutheran congregation in Allentown.

It was a good start to the new church year for me.

Samuel

Photos by Bill Furjanic

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November 24, 2008: Ringside Seat at the Synod Council Retreat

I had a ringside seat at a retreat for the synod council on November 14 and 15.

The retreat was planned to explore the council’s role in defining and supporting the mission of our synod. Under the leadership of Dave Daubert, an ELCA pastor and partner in A Renewal Enterprise, council members participated in Bible study, small group discussion, and full council dialogue about missional direction in the months to come.

The study, discussion, and dialogue were spirited, sometimes pushing folks into prolonged consideration of vision, communication, accountability, leadership, relationship building, and transformation.

Time was also spent trying to construct images of the church in Acts, using paper cups and colored pencils. As groups described the images they created, mutually-held ideas about the purpose of the church created a foundation for productive conversation. Despite the effects from prolonged sitting on chairs with hard wooden seats, the council came away from the retreat with a shared commitment to continuing the hard work of mission development.

Plans were initiated to expand the development to include rostered leaders at the Bishop’s Conference in February, at mission district assemblies in the spring, and at the synod assembly in June.

Now, if the Holy Spirit sees fit, all of us will be called to get out of our seats and join the effort to help define, support, and carry out the mission of this synod.

Samuel

 

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November 11, 2008: Need an Energy Boost?

If you ever need an energy boost, I suggest that you participate in a Lutheran Youth Fellowship event.

I spent last Friday night at the LYF assembly at Pinebrook Retreat Center, just north of East Stroudsburg.

Talk about energy! The opening worship service was fired up. The quieter moments were those when we sang hymn texts (written by assembly leaders) put to the music of Beatles’ tunes. Whoa! It took this 30-year veteran of ordained ministry, steeped in classic Lutheran liturgical practices, a minute or two to catch the spirit; but I was swaying with the best of them by the second song.

The kids are great. They offer a refreshing view of life in the church. They get down to business when necessary. They talk about God and the importance of the church’s ministry with them. They give Karen Matthias-Long a hard time whenever they can. And they foster hope.

There are real leaders in this LYF group…and lots of them.

Samuel
 

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November 3, 2008: Jesus is Calling

I participated in Jesus Calls Us…To Action on Saturday, November 1, at Union Lutheran, Schnecksville.

What an enthusiastic, engaged gathering it was!

Sponsored by the synod, Micah 6:8, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in PA, and Lutheran Congregational Services, the event offered 15 workshops, a keynote address by Andrew Genszler (ELCA Washington DC Office), and a panel discussion (including State Representative Douglas Reichley) that explored a variety of social issues and opportunities for advocacy in relation to those issues.

It was a well-planned, well-executed, well-attended event that set the stage for further consideration of the role of advocacy in our life together.

It was also timely, with Election Day occurring this week. I encourage you to be responsible citizens by participating in the election process, and I encourage you to be prayerful about and supportive of all efforts toward unity among our people in the days following the election.

Samuel

Pictures by Pam Wallace

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October 27, 2008: Reflections on Reformation Sunday

I spent Reformation Sunday at two different congregational settings on our synod territory.

In the morning, I preached at St. Luke-Reformation Church, Noxen.

Noxen is a village located deep in the mountains north of Wilkes-Barre. In addition to celebrating the Reformation, the congregation dedicated its recently renovated facilities, which had been badly damaged by flooding.

Then late in the afternoon I participated in the installation of Pr. Nelson Quinones at Christ Lutheran Church, Easton. Christ Church, a neighborhood congregation in the midst of the city, is now poised for new ministry and mission opportunities.

Deep in the mountains and in the midst of city streets and sidewalks: very different settings perhaps, but the Lutheran presence in Northeastern Pennsylvania is lived out vibrantly by the committed leaders and members of these congregations.

Thank you for the ways your congregation lives out the Lutheran witness to the gospel day in and day out.

Samuel

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October 15 ,2008: Reflections on the first Evening with the Bishop

Last night was our first Evening with the Bishop. What a spirited time!

The gathering took place at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Fleetwood, and it was wonderful!

Folks from the East Berks Mission District gathered with me to hear thoughts about my early weeks as bishop and to ask me questions.

I found it to be an enjoyable time, filled with meaningful (and lighthearted!) conversation.

I am encouraged by the interest of those who attended and I look forward to the next Evening with the Bishop.

Join us for one of these mission district gatherings. The next one, the Lehigh Mission District Evening with the Bishop, is this Sunday, October 19, at St. Peter Lutheran Church (Hanover Avenue), Allentown. Our program begins at 7:00 p.m.

Your servant in Christ,

Samuel

 

Pictures by Manley Victory
Click here for more pictures

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Information about Evenings with Bishop Zeiser

Each of the nine mission districts hosted an evening with Bishop Zeiser.

These gatherings provide an opportunity for participants to think about the ministries we do together as the church – locally, synodically, and as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the role their congregations play in helping to support the ministries of the synod and the church at large.

A major block of time is devoted to conversation with Bishop Zeiser – a time for folks to ask questions of the bishop and for him to ask questions of them. (See the agenda, below.)

For pictures from the October 14 gathering, click here.

Agenda

Gathering Time (30 minutes)
 

People sign in when they arrive and pick up their congregation’s packet of materials.
   

Opening Devotions (15 minutes)
 

The evening begins with opening devotions led by Bishop Zeiser.
   

State of the Church Presentation (15 minutes)
 

An opportunity for participants to think about the ministries we do together and to celebrate the one-ness of the three expressions of the church. (A copy of the DVD will be distributed to congregations.)
   

Open Forum with the Bishop (45 minutes)
 

A time for participants to ask questions of the bishop and for the bishop to direct questions to the participants. (Examples: What excites you most about your congregation? What has been the most helpful use of the synod’s resources from your perspective? What has been the most successful new idea your congregation has implemented?)
   

Review of Mission Support Packets (10 minutes)
 

An opportunity for participants to think about the role their congregations play in helping to support the ministries of the synod and the church at large.
   

Closing Prayer (5 minutes)
 

The mission district dean offers the sending prayer.
   

Refreshments (approximately 30 minutes)
   
   

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