of the
West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod
| Proceedings Click Here for Info |
|
Contents
|
Synod Assembly 2026 has adjourned sine die,
Saturday, 6 June 2026, but the mop up work is far from
over.
A summary of the actions of and happenings at Synod Assembly 2026 is being prepared, but it may take a while to fully completed. You can access the preliminary proceedings from our Synod Assembly 2026 page.
The Synod Assembly convened for business at 1:00 p.m.,
Friday, 5 June 2026, at the Mon County 4H Center, Mylan
Park, Morgantown, WV. Opening worship was held at 12:30
p.m. at the Assembly venue.
Agenda
As this is was regular meeting of the Synod Assembly, all
business required by the governing documents was on the
agenda. That included an explicitly enumerated set of
reports and elections. Action on recommendation of the
Synod Council, the budget for FY2027-2028 was approved,
monies were set aside for the engagement of a development
manager, and several constitutional amendments were
adopted. New business, as allowed under the rules, was
also introduced in the form of one resolution submitted by
a voting member and six resolutions introduced by the
Committee on Resolutions.
Program
The Synod Assembly program (distinct from the agenda)
included the Assembly mass, which employed the Church
Agenda of 1748 (a.k.a. The Muhlenberg Liturgy).
Two workshops were held, both focusing on lay leadership.
The first focused on the spiritualities of the church, the
second on the temporalities.
Churchwide Representative: Nick Kiger
Nick Kiger is the Director for Mission Support with the ELCA
churchwide expression was our Churchwide Representative for
Synod Assembly 2026. Nick lives and works from Columbus, OH
where he is a member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. He is
married to Misty and they have a seven year old daughter,
Kara and a three year old son, Cameron. Nick received his
Bachelor of Arts in religious studies from Otterbein
University and his Master of Theological Studies degree from
Methodist Theological School in Ohio. Nick feels blessed to
get to experience many different settings of the church. His
work has taken him to oil fields, prisons, Native American
reservations, store front churches, Latine congregations in
the deep south and rural congregations in the Midwest. In
all these places he has heard the stories of this church,
the stories of how the generosity of all three expressions
for the ELCA (congregations, synods and the churchwide
organization), through Mission Support, have made an impact
on the ministries we engage in together.
Synod Assembly 2026 Nuts & Bolts
Venue
The Mon County 4H Center itself once again as a venue for
Synod Assembly. The weather was beautiful, and several
wondered why we were not meeting in the open-air pavilion.
Having received complaints about background noise when
last holding the business meetings in the pavilion, the
decision was made to use the showroom. It is a good thing
we did. Unexpectedly, paving operations on the adjacent
road were underway on Friday. Additionally, both days
turned out warm enough that air conditioning was welcome.
Even so, the pavilion received plenty of use as attendees
opted to hold small group sessions, socialize, and eat in
there.
It was also noted that attendance was larger than
expected, pushing the limits of the space. Synod Council
will be seeking a larger venue for 2027 in anticipation of
even larger attendance (that accompanies the election of a
bishop).
Dining
One meal was served as part of Synod Assembly: lunch on
Saturday, catered Mama K's Kitchen.
Attendees were free to explore the local dining options for all other meals.
Complimentary coffee, bottled water, and drink mixes were
provided, staffing of the beverage service being provided
by Community Lutheran Partners, Inc.
Following the Friday evening Assembly mass, the Synod
Council served ice cream.
Cost
The registration fee for Synod Assembly 2026 was $80 per
person. This was the first time that a fee was assessed
for the Synod Assembly since 2019. Venue rates doubled
(though they are still remarkably reasonable), and going
to two days doubled that.
Synod Assembly Mass: Muhlenberg Liturgy for America's 250th
|
The Order of Service of 1748 is beyond comparison the noblest and purest Lutheran Service which the church in America prepared or possessed until the publication of the Church Book. — Dr. Beale Melanchthon Schmucker, c.1882 |
As 2026 is the 250th anniversary year of the
United States of America, the Synod Assembly employed the
liturgy in common use by Lutheran congregations of the
Ministerium of Pennsylvania at the time of the American
Revolution. Developed by Henry Melchior Muhlenberg in 1748
in an attempt to bring a semblance of order to the chaotic
colonial church, the liturgy employed hymns well-known to
the Pennsylvania Dutch or other German Lutherans who had
settled in the Delaware and Schuylkill River basins and
surrounding areas. The Ministerium of Pennsylvania was
founded in 1748; the next synod to form was the New York
Synod in 1786.
During the American Bicentennial, a liturgy was circulated
as "A
Colonial Liturgy" (or maybe it was "A Colonial Worship
Service"). Unfortunately, that form lacked the
Eucharistic rite. The full Holy Communion liturgy has
been restored. If you would like to study this
liturgy, visit our synod's Worship page.
The Synod Assembly Mass offering was designated by the
Synod Council for Community Lutheran Partners, Inc., and
the Lutheran Campus Ministry at WVU, the offering to be
divided evenly between the two.
| www |
Preliminary
Proceedings
|
The Proceedings for Synod Assembly 2026 are being compiled. While not complete, preliminary proceedings are available on Manula, our online platform.