Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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20 April 2026
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed!
Synod Assembly 2026
Call of the Assembly
By order of the Synod Council, the 2026 Synod Assembly of the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod will be held 5-6 June 2026 at the Mon County 4H Center, Mylan Park, Morgantown, WV, the first business meeting convening at 1:00 p.m.
Registration Open
Online registration for Synod Assembly 2026 is now open. For details on the Assembly and registration link, visit our Synod Assembly 2026 page.
Resolutions & Memorials
Congregations and properly constituted conferences may
memorialize Synod Assembly; voting members my submit
resolutions. The deadline for both is16 May 2026. Review
the information posted on our Resolutions & Memorials
page to ensure proper formatting and submission.
Worship
In observance of America's 250th, we are resurrecting the
Lutheran liturgy of the time with the Friday evening (7:00
p.m.) service being the order for Holy Communion of the
Muhlenberg Liturgy (1748) at St. Paul's, Morgantown.
The Assembly's opening worship will be the preparatory
rite of the Muhlenberg liturgy held at 12:30 p.m. at the
Assembly venue.
Everything Else You Might Want To Know
All other information related to Assembly (including venue, lodging, and dining) is on our Synod Assembly 2026 page.Requiescat in Pace: Cantu
News of the death of The Rev. Larry Cantu and information on funeral arrangements is posted on our Clergy page.
Is Your Paschal Candle Burning?
After the long fast, the Paschal candle burns again to
celebrate the resurrection of Our Lord (and to mark the
forty days that end with the Feast of the Ascension. Learn
more on The
Paschal Candle page.Mercury Retrogradant
Little known among modern Lutherans is the degree to
which astrology was part of the life of the sixteenth
century. Even Melanchthon mentions the horoscope that his
father had commissioned for his birth. So, we make a
little joke when saying that Mercury is retrograde, i.e.,
moving in the opposite direction in the night sky than it
usually does. Astrologers caution that communications can
become confused when Mercury is retrograde; remember:
Mercury was the messenger of the gods. Well, we are having
communications problems...
Web Links to ELCA.org
ELCA.org has been updates, and links on our site to
several pages and documents on that site no longer work.
You can help us fix things on our end by reporting dead
links.
Migrating The Bishop's Roadshow
Mailchimp lowered the quotas for both subscribers and
sends for our account level. We are working on migration
to another platform, hoping that we can keep costs low and
maybe even improve the service. Be on the lookout for The
Roadshow coming via ZOHO Campaigns. If you don't see one
in a few weeks, let us know.
Camp Luther: Camper Registration Open
Camper registration for Camp Luther is now open and online. Also available, an advertising flyer for Camp Luther (suitable for posting on a church bulletin board or other locations) may be downloaded. Visit our Camping and Outdoor Ministries page for access and information.
LARCUM 2026
Registration is now open for LARCUM 2026 to be held in
Charleston, WV, 18-20 May 2026. LARCUM is open to all.
Whether you find the specific topic interesting or just
enjoy being with others interested in learning and
conversation across religious traditions, consider joining
in for what promises to be this year's lively conversation
about the Devil. For details and registration information,
visit the LARCUM page.
Help! I Have To Plan Worship (without a
Pastor)
With new congregations entering pastoral vacancy, it is a
good time to remind everyone that the synod provides several
resources for worship planning. Visit our Worship
page to get started. |
 |
Occasionally, a congregation, agency, or individual will have something they either want to sell, give away, or acquire. To that end, we've set up The Exchange, a place to post items and requests. There are two items (a total of forty choir robes) now posted on The Exchange. Check them out, and feel free to contact the Synod Office if you have something to request or post.
Congregation Constitution Amendments Posted
The amendments to the Model Constitution for Congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America effected by Churchwide Assembly 2025 have been posted. Visit our Governing Documents for Congregations page to review.
Clergy Wellness
Portico has just released updates on services available
to clergy and congregations. Visit our Clergy Wellness page for
information on
- mental health support during disruptive times,
- the Online Retirement Readiness Series, and
- getting ready for tax season.
And don't forget to notify Portico of compensation changes.
If you haven't checked out the members portal...
Don't forget to take a peek of the members
portal (click the button at right near the top of
this page). It's not password protected. We only call it
the "members portal" because it's mostly stuff that deals
with the internal workings of the synod. Visitors looking
for more general information about the synod, will
probably find the "guest portal" more interesting.
Synod
Website Updates
The synod website updates frequently (as in often) and irregularly (as in not on a particular schedule). Click here (or on the picture at right) to find out what has been recently updated.
℅St. Paul Lutheran Church, 309 Baldwin Street, Morgantown, WV 26505
304-363-4030 + Porter@WV-WMD.org