Headline News

Scouting Conference for Lutherans (3/4/21)

NLAS announces a conference focusing on Scouting in the Lutheran Church. Click here for details.

New Page for Social Ministry (2/27/21)

There is certainly enough happening on the social ministry front to justify a page dedicated to that work. Check out the page contents to the right. Ministries are listed according to the chronological order in which they were established.

Hunger programs, housing & shelter ministries, disaster response, orphanages and foster care, nursing homes and hospitals, and immigrant and refugee services are all social ministries engaged in by church's, agencies, and individuals. The boundaries can be expansive, including advocacy and community organizing, or they can narrow, referring only to Social Ministry Organizations. At present, "social ministry" will be broadly defined for this page's purposes.

The Big Freeze: Disaster Response (2/27/21)

Our southern synods weren't built for cold weather. The recent winter storm did a number on churches and private residences, one of the biggest problems being water damage from burst pipes. Lutheran Disaster Response has set up a donation line. You can donate to the relief effort by following this link.

You can also read a first hand account of its impact on the Gulf Coast Synod by Bp. Michael Rinehart. He also provides an extensive photo journal. Click here.

Other giving options can be found on the Community Lutheran Partners, Inc., Facebook page.

Community Lutheran Partners, Inc., Has New Website (2/24/21)

Community Lutheran Partners, Inc., has set up a new website at https://clpwvwmd.org/. Check it out.

Community Lutheran Partners, Inc.

Flood Recovery

Flood recovery is a long and and difficult process. Community Lutheran Partners, Inc. is in it for the long haul. To give through Community Lutheran Partners, visit its website. You can also learn about volunteer opportunities at there. Disaster response teams should coordinate with Sherri Schafer at Community Lutheran Partners prior to making plans to enter the affected area.

Communications & Contacting CLPi

You can visit Community Lutheran Partners, Inc., at its website and also on Facebook.

Scouting

National Lutheran Association on Scouting

The National Lutheran Association on Scouting. describes itself as "a resource for youth and adults who wish to know more about the religious emblems program, endorsed by the Lutheran Churches for members of Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts USA, American Heritage Girls, 4H and Camp Fire USA." It also coordinates Lutheran chaplaincy services during jamborees.

The NLAS Facebook page featuring news of particular interest to Lutheran scouts and leaders.

The Rev. Rick Egtvedt, pastor of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, McHenry, MD, serves as the Standing Chair of Chaplaincy. He is also the NLAS Lead Chaplain.

Conference: Scouting in the Lutheran Church

The National Lutheran Association on Scouting is holding a conference at Philmont for those who want to learn about using Scouting as an outreach ministry to boys and girls in your community. See how Scouting becomes part of a congregation’s youth ministry and contributes to reaching young families and building and sustaining membership. Our course will include:

• Duty to God (National, Council and congregation levels);
• P.R.A.Y. and Religious Emblems Programs;
• Unit and Adult Recognitions;
• Sharing our Faith with Scouts;
• Organizing Scouting Units;
• Selecting Quality Leaders;
• Duty to God in Advancement; and more.

There are fun programs for attendee family members from infants through teens as well as spouses. Bring your family and make this a vacation to remember! This will be of special interest to

• Lutheran chartered organization representatives,
• clergy,
• youth ministers,
• congregational leaders, and
• Lutheran Scouters

For more information visit https://www.philmontscoutranch.org/ptc/ptc-conferences/. The conference will be held 11-17 July 2021.

Jamboree Chaplaincy

The Rev. Rick Egtvedt was recruiting chaplains for the Boy Scout Jamboree to be held the summer of 2021 at the Bechtel Summit Reserve. COVID-19 has forced the cancellation of that Jamboree, but there is already talk of future Jamborees. So, drop Egtvedt a line regardless if you want to learn more. The ad (at right) is for the now cancelled Jamboree, but we'll leave it up for now as it provides some useful information.

Military Ministry

A page centering on military ministry can be found here. It includes resources for Veterans Day and information on COVID. As new resources become available, they will be added to the page.

The West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod Assembly endorsed work with Centurion Connection, an ELCA ministry to military personnel and Partners in Care, an initiative of the WV National Guard to provide support to military personnel and their families.

COVID-19

We've had a page dedicated to COVID-19 since mid-March 2020. You will find there a variety of resources and information, including material related to reopening churches and worship. Click Here.

Racism

Organized by the synod DEM, a Racial Justice Team has been at work for roughly half-a-year. A separate page for the Racism-related items is coming soon.