Thanks to You

Thanks to You is a bulletin insert that tells about the many ways that congregational benevolence is used in ministry across the synod and the ELCA. The insert is sent to all congregations in the synod in the monthly mailing from the synod office.

Click here to see a list of available issues.

The reproducible insert is printed on one 8½"x11" sheet of paper in two formats, one for 8½"x11" bi-fold worship bulletins and one for 8½"x14" tri-fold bulletins. Thanks to You is also available as a PDF to be downloaded and printed (see instructions).

Below are the issues that are available in PDF format, with a brief description and the date and month published. Click the title to view and print the insert.

Thanks to you . . . Resources Are only a Mouse Click Away

Thanks to you, everyone with online capabilities can explore the wealth of resources in the synod’s Resource Center. Read more about this constantly growing resource... (May 2008)

Thanks to you . . . Campground Worship and Canoe Trips Happen

Thanks to you, visitors to and residents of the Poconos can worship at a number of private and state-owned campgrounds around our synod. PALM (Pocono Area Lutheran Ministry) shares the good news of God’s love with all who live, work, or vacation in the leisure and recreation settings of the Pocono region. Read more... (March 2008)

Thanks to you . . . ALL of God's Children Experience Creation

One of the wonderful gifts you enable with your gifts to the wider church is camping at Bear Creek Camp. Through the camp, people of all ages experience God's awesome creation. Read more about your gifts at work at Bear Creek Camp. (February 2008)

Thanks to you . . . Lives Are Touched

You are making a difference. Your gifts to synod ministries through your congregation are touching lives. Read comments from two people whose lives were changed with the help of your gifts. Read how Good Shepherd is you touching others with the love of God. (January 2008)

Thanks to you . . . Help is Just a Click Away

Need a DVD or an idea for Sunday church school? Want to register for a synod event? Looking for more information about Lutheran Youth Fellowship? Checking on the details of an upcoming workshop? Need to contact a synod staff person? Thanks to you, you can find answers to these questions—and a lot more information—on our synod website. Read more... (November 2007)

Thanks to you . . . Faithful Servants Are Raised Up

Did you know that over 75 percent of the full time students at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia receive financial aid? Thanks to you and your gifts, people preparing for ordained and lay leadership in the church are helped to receive an education. Read more... (October 2007)

Thanks to you . . . Local Katrina Victims Find Help and Hope

When Katrina hit New Orleans two years ago, Paula and Ashton were left with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. They ended up in the Lehigh Valley, where, with the help of our disaster response network, they received help. Read more... (September 2007)

Thanks to you . . . Leaders Develop Healthy Financial Practices

In June, 25 rostered leaders gathered for conversation and self-assessment of their experiences, feelings, knowledge and practices related to money issues. Money Leadership for Pastors was the focus of their gathering, a program made possible, in part, because of your gifts. Read more... (August 2007)

Thanks to you . . . Children Learn to Appreciate Music

St. Luke Lutheran Church, Reading, in conjunction with the Community School of Music and the Arts, is sponsoring a music appreciation program for neighborhood children and their families as part of their outreach endeavors in the neighborhood. The program is possible, in part, because of your gifts. Read more... (June 2007)

Thanks to you . . . Kids Experience God's Amazing Creation

Thanks to you, youth experience the awesome power of the Spirit by living and playing together with friends in the midst of God’s amazing creation. This all takes place at Bear Creek Camp. Read more... (May 2007)

Thanks to you . . . St. Mark's Will Host a Street Fair

St. Mark Lutheran Church, Reading, will host a street fair this summer, thanks to you and your gifts to mission support. St. Mark is expanding its summer program of outreach to children in the surrounding community. Grant money from the synod Witness and Service Ministry Team is helping to make this possible. Read more... (April 2007)

Thanks to you . . . Lutherans Join in FaithTogether

On Saturday, June 9, Lutherans from across northeastern Pennsylvania will celebrate being Lutherans in Faith Together — thanks to you. This issue of Thanks to You tells more about this exciting event. (March 2007)

Thanks to you . . . Accessibility is Possible

Helping congregations be accepting and accessible is the goal of the synod Accessibility Team (the "A-Team"). This issue of Thanks to You tells more about the work of this team. (February 2007)

Thanks to you . . . Leaders Find Answers

A key responsibility of the synod staff is keeping congregations informed about issues that affect congregational life and answering questions from congregational leaders. This issue of Thanks to You explores some of the questions staff persons receive. (December 2006)

Thanks to you . . . Ministry Happens

Across the synod and ELCA, ministry happens through your mission support. This insert tells about ways you help fund an after school program, deaf ministry, young adult event, and the LIFT event. (November 2006)

Thanks to you . . . Information is just a Mouse-Click Away

The synod website continues to grow and expand — and is now even easier to navigate. Thanks to you and your willingness to share the gifts with which you have been blessed, we have a wonderful tool for sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. (October 2006)

Thanks to you . . . Wilkes-Barre Congregations Reach Out to Others

Thanks to you, the Witness and Service Ministry Team is able to provide grants several times a year to congregations and groups addressing one or more of the team's priorities. This insert includes stories about some programs in Wilkes-Barre. (September 2006)

Thanks to you . . . Youth Participate in TEY

Theological Education with Youth offers educational and formative opportunities for high-school-aged youth. Thanks to you, the synod Leadership Development Ministry Team provides scholarship aid to youth to attend these events. More... (July 2006)

Thanks to you . . . Seminarians Receive Aid

Students who go immediately from college to seminary often are faced with a significant debt load from college—then need more loans as they begin seminary. The Student Education Fund, through you, can help. More... (May 2006)

Thanks to you . . . Camp Noah Helps Children

Thanks to you, children who survived Hurricane Katrina can process their feelings and fears—and take an emotional break from recovery—at Camp Noah. Read more about this program. (April 2006)

Thanks to you . . . The AV Library Is Online!

Thanks to you, everyone with online capabilities can explore the wealth of resources in the synod’s AV library. Take a virtual tour of the AV library at the synod office – and request videos you would like to use. More... (February 2006)

Thanks to you . . . Prayers Abound!

Each morning at 9:30 a.m., Bishop David Strobel and his staff pause for prayer—and you are among those for whom prayers are offered. You are invited to join with the staff in prayer each day. More... (January 2006)

Thanks to you . . . Small Congregations Are Served

With fewer persons entering ordained ministry and more congregations struggling to support a full-time pastor, how can smaller congregations survive? One option is the SALM program. More... (December 2005)

Thanks to you . . . Help Arrived—Twice!

As we struggle to comprehend the devastation brought by Katrina, the damage caused by flooding in our own area may seem trivial. To our sisters and brothers in need, however, nothing is "little." More... (October 2005)

Thanks to you . . . Our History is Preserved

Did you ever wonder what the "hot issues" were for the delegates to the first convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Ministerium of Pennsylvania and Adjacent States? Are you looking for parish records from a Lutheran congregation no longer in existence? The Lutheran Archives Center at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia may help your quest. More... (September 2005)

Thanks to you . . . Lifelong Learning Becomes a Habit of the Heart

Theological education doesn't end with graduation from seminary. All new pastors and lay rostered leaders are required to participate in structured programs of theological education throughout their first three years of ministry under call. More... (August 2005)

Thanks to you . . . The Pulpiteers Connect Faith and Daily Life

A grant from the Witness and Service Ministry Team helped fund a unique ministry at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Fountain Hill. The Pulpiteers use puppets to bring Bible and everyday stories to live and give joy and delight to people of all ages. More... (June 2005)

Thanks to you . . . Flood Victims Receive Help

The Delaware River flood in September 2004 caused extensive damage to homes all along the river. In April 2005, many of those same homes were flooded again. One man had just celebrated the completion of repairs to his home from the September flood; 24 hours later, the second flood hit, wiping out the first repairs and causing even more damage. More... (May 2005)

Thanks to you . . . Council Presidents and Vice Presidents Grow as Leaders

Council presidents and vice presidents play a key role in the life of the congregation. In the Council President/Vice President workshop, made possible through gifts to synod benevolence, these leaders develop skills in leading meetings, working with conflict in a healthy way, knowing where to find help, and making sense of how the church works (and sometimes doesn’t). More... (April 2005)

Thanks to you . . . Youth Grow as Leaders

Thanks to gifts to synod benevolence, ten youth and three adults from St. James Lutheran Church, Hobbie, Pa., will participate in a weeklong service project in Charleston, West Virginia. Through this trip, "others will see the love of Christ through our willingness to help repair houses and minister to children and to the elderly," notes the grant application. The mission trip is funded in part by a grant to the congregation from the synod’s Witness and Service Ministry Team. More... (March 2005)

Thanks to you . . . Lives Are Touched

"I needed to know how to be there for Caleb in every way, like finding the best possible treatments and medicine for children with autism, knowing how to go about getting them, and following the ever-changing laws. The folks at the Good Shepherd Dornsife Pediatric Center were so helpful!” Your gifts to synod ministries like the pediatric center are touching lives. Good Shepherd Home, Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries, Lutheran Congregational Services, community social service agencies, congregations reaching out to the poor—more than programs, these activities are you touching others with the love of God. More... (December 2004)

Thanks to you . . . Youth Participate in TEY

Theological Education with Youth (TEY) offers, among other programs, two intensive summer events for youth focusing on vocational and theological exploration: a one-week Crossroads event for youth who have just completed tenth grade and a two-week Summer Theological Academy for youth who have just completed eleventh grade. Thanks to you and your gifts, the synod Leadership Development Ministry Team was able to provide $100 scholarships to ten synod youth so that they could participate in these events. More... (November 2004)

This Month's News

Partners in the Spirit

Synod News

Monthly Prayers

Viewing and Using Thanks to You

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