APPAL-BITES

“Developing News Tidbits” from

The Evangelical Lutheran Coalition for Mission in Appalachia (ELCMA)

PO Box 338, Indiana, PA 15701 724/463-8422 admin@elcma.org www.elcma.org

Staff: Dory Campbell, Rianna Swalga and Trudy Brubaker

"Connecting and Equipping God's People for Christ's Mission in Appalachia"

ELCMA is a coalition of churchwide units, synods, seminaries, congregations and individuals called to:

* Support, develop and encourage the gifts of Appalachia for ministry

and celebrate Appalachian heritage and culture

* Advocate for God’s people and natural resources in ways that demonstrate faithful stewardship

* Serve as the primary networking tool in the Appalachian Region for the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) connecting Appalachian congregations and communities with other ministries and resources around the country

+++++

SUMMER 2007 EDITION

+++++

2007 ELCMA Assembly

“One in Christ: On the Road Together”

“One in Christ: On the Road Together” was the theme of the 2007 annual ELCMA Appalachian Assembly hosted by the Allegheny Synod and held at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Johnstown, PA on April 23 – 25. Over 100 delegates and visitors from the sixteen Appalachian ELCA Synods met for the three-day event. This gathering is always a perfect time for renewing acquaintances, making new friendships, growing your network, encouraging your brothers and sisters in ministry, gathering inspiration, experiencing new models for ministry and maybe a bit of relaxing. Numerous highlights are listed below to give you a flavor of this year’s event.

1. Distinguished visitors to the event included the Rev. Gregory Pile, Bishop of Allegheny Synod, hosting; the Rev. Ralph Dunkin, Bishop of WV/WMD Synod; the Rev. Ralph Jones, Bishop of NW PA Synod; Ms. Rianna Swalga – ELCMA’s new Administrative Assistant; Dr. Mary Hughes – Professor of Christian Education at Trinity Lutheran Seminary; Rev. MinChan Park - Pastor of Messiah Korean Lutheran Church, Norcross GA; Ms. Inez-Torres Davis – Associate for Programs with the Women of the ELCA; Ms. Sarah Soltow, Executive Director of Community Lutheran Partners, WV/WMD’s only social ministry organization located on its territory; and Ms. Helen Harms–Mission Director with EOCM working in Region 8 & former Coordinator with ELCMA

2. Field trips took participants on two varied tracts. One was the Johnstown Heritage tour; the second was a tour that included the site of the 09-11-01 plane crash site and the 2002 Quecreek Coal Mine Disaster. On each tour we hear firsthand accounts of well known disasters and faith stories that grew out of the events and changed peoples’ lives.

3. Mr. Wallace Miller, coroner for Somerset County, PA and coroner for the 09-11-01 crash site, talked about his ministry with the families of the victims and the changes God, through the event and people, brought to his faith journey.

4. Forums helped us to share information on a variety of topics including Anti-racism Training Resources, Issues You Are Dealing With in the Trenches, How to be a Caring Congregation When One of the Sheep is Mentally Ill, the newest happenings with Thrivent and the more ordinary items like ELCMA’s budget and a resolution to remove the Commission on Religion in Appalachia (CORA) references from the ELCMA bylaws in light of the organization’s recent closure.

5. The Glenn Heasley Award in Appalachian Ministry was given to both a lay and clergy person this year. The Rev. Thomas Light, from Upper Susquehanna Synod and Mr. Monroe Herring of Southeastern Synod were each recipients of a $1500 sabbatical gift for their commitment to and service in Appalachian ministry.

Dan May (left) and Thomas Light (right) Monroe Herring with Shirley Heasley

6. The Donald Roth Award was given to two congregations – St. Paul Lutheran Church, Ironton, OH &Prince of Peace Lutheran (POP) Church of Pleasant Hills, PA for their creative and outstanding outreach ministry.

Michael Poole from St. Paul LC Allyn Giuffre & Betty Itterly – POP

7. Delegates and Synods closed the assembly by declaring their commitments to ELCMA’s ministry for the coming year. The variety, breadth and depth of the commitments were extremely significant, and as always, the key reason ELCMA is able to accomplish its goal of “connecting and equipping God’s people for Christ’s mission in Appalachia”.

8. Funds received at the assembly break down like this:

a. Appalseeds – 16 for a total of $1624.00

b. Thrivent Giving Plus – Total $1050.00

i. 10 people filled in the Volunteer Circle - $250.00

ii. Matching monies - $800.00

c. Glenn Heasley Fund - $1145.00

d. Advocacy Scholarships - $253.00

e. Offering to be shared between Camp Sequanota Scholarships and Mom’s House - $618.00

Next year the 2008 ELCMA Appalachian Assembly will meet at Chautauqua Institute near Jamestown, NY on April 21-23. So if you miss this year’s gathering, be sure to mark you calendar and plan to be with us as Upstate New York Synod welcomes us to their territory.

ELCMA Receives Grant for Advocacy

The Church in Society Unit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) awarded ELCMA a $66,900 grant to stretch over three years of advocacy work. Expect to learn more shortly about an Appalachian Advocacy Summit to be held in Charleston WV on December 7, 2007 that includes our constituency, ecumenical partners, grassroots community groups and individuals who will shape ELCMA’s advocacy agenda for 2008. In order to continue the advocacy work beyond 2008 on the issue being championed for the year, ELCMA will be forming a network of people passionate about the issue. Final details will be announced in June at the ELCMA website www.elcma.org.

South Carolina Hunger Project Moves Forward

The SC Food Bank Association alerted ELCMA to holes in its delivery system of food to the elderly and the very young living in poverty, in Oct. 2006. ELCMA put our network into action. By March 2007 a group of community folks and Lutherans had begun praying and planning for an appropriate intervention in Salters, SC. An additional group is discerning the suitable actions for the community of Fairfax, SC in Allendale County, the poorest county in the state. Reports show well over 60% of the families in the county go to bed hungry. This is totally unacceptable by any standards. Please continue to hold this project in prayer, asking God to assist us in identifying local leadership for this work. I will update you on this project frequently.

ELCMA’s Wish List and Update on Gifts Received

At the insistence of ELCMA’s Development Committee and Council, I have been sharing on a regular basis some needs that we and our constituency have. Below is that list with some updates on gifts received. Please contact the ELCMA office for more details.

For Our Partners

· New Mission Partners for Living Waters Lutheran Church, Cherokee NC

· Supplies (or money) for the Living Waters LC ministry and food pantry

· A small baptismal font for the synodically authorized worshipping community of Faith Lutheran Chapel, Pickens SC where they have already done two baptisms in their small space – being donated by Sandy Valley Cooperative Ministry

· Prayer partners for this new flourishing ministry in Appalachian South Carolina

For ELCMA

· Prayers for leadership on ELCMA Council as well as in the ministry projects we have under way including for the SC Hunger Project, the Advocacy Summit scheduled for Dec 07, 2007, and for the economic development projects we are facilitating in Purchase Line and Punxsutawney PA

· Our thanks for the financial gifts to ELCMA:

Immanuel LC, Blountville, TN for their faithful monthly gift of $16.00

Redeemer LC, Williamsport, PA for their quarterly gift of $250.00

First LC, Beach City, OH for their quarterly loose offering totaling $174.00 this quarter

St. Johns Red House LC for their Appalseed gift of $60.00

Mrs. Elaine Roth - $120.00 Appalseed

Rev. Alan and Mrs. Nicole Kinsey - $120.00 Appalseed

Ms. Diane Force - $120.00 Appalseed

Mrs. Shirley Heasley - $300.00 gift

Hope, Love & Charity Foundation - $500.00 gift

Thrivent Giving Plus monies - $1050.00

Thank you, God! Thank you, everyone!

Coordinator's Corner

Let me take this space to update you a bit on some of the other work happening in our region. In no particular order, I will highlight some of the ELCMA’s celebrations.

>>>>>ELCMA is thrilled to welcome Rianna Swalga to the staff, beginning on May 01, 2007. She, her husband and three young children make their home in Apollo, PA (Dory’s home town). Rianna will work 25 hours each week covering administrative details freeing Trudy Brubaker to handle the accounting and financial portions of the office work and Dory to be on the road building and nurturing the ELCMA network. You can speak to Rianna Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM until 1:30 PM. when you call the ELCMA office.

>>>>>At our 2006 Assembly many of you contributed to a discretionary fund for me to use in my ministry. It was quite a surprise and a blessing. So far some of the funds have been used to assist a critically ill single mother fighting cancer. ELCMA joined a rural congregation & a campus center cooperating in starting a Latino Ministry to purchase Spanish hymnals. We were able to assist a foster child with her newborn boy who fell through the institutional cracks. ELCMA also contributed to food resources for a parent living away from home for a month while her son received a kidney transplant. And most recently we were able to assist a young man as he transitioned from foster care to independent living. This time it cost ELCMA nothing but redirecting items that others had and were willing to share. I mention it here because we were called upon for assistance because of past outreach from the discretionary fund. Thank you for your gifts. They are making a difference and showing God’s love on behalf of you all.

>>>>> ELCMA coordinated an immersion for the Women of the ELCA this past August 2006. The group focused in east Tennessee and southwestern Virginia areas. Ten women from IA, WI, TX and NC came together, formed friendships, shared experiences and talked about the “hard stuff” like racism, environmental rape of the land with Mountain Top Removal Strip Mining, and hunger. The group also shared the fun of learning about the ministry planned for the Konnarock Retreat House, visited the Abingdon Highlands Festival with crafts and food and the Carter’s Family Fold for some flatfoot dancing. ELCMA is still hearing from these ten women about their efforts to make a difference in the issues we experienced. Now ELCMA will coordinate a second WELCA immersion in August of 2007. Check their website for details www.womenoftheelca.org

As usual, I will end by telling you how important it is that you and your congregation keep ELCMA and its ministries on your prayer list. Your prayers keep ELCMA connected to the Source and focused on His ministry, not individual ambitions. On my end, I am spending one day each month devoted only to praying for you and those in the region. I extend an invitation to each of you to continue encouraging and supporting one another in prayer. It is our strongest tool in the ministries we are called to.

>>>>>NOTE: ELCMA has been sending out leadership development, resource and grant information and advocacy updates via our electronic network as they become known to us. If you know someone who should be receiving this information, direct them to www.elcma.org where they can sign up or notify us with the correct e-mail address. They can easily be added to the list serve.

*****