Supporters of Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) have donated over $210,000 to the agency’s appeal for funds to assist the people of Haiti. The appeal was launched on January 13, one day after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake caused catastrophic damage in the capital city of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas.

Funds raised by CLWR are being used to support the work of its partners, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Action by Churches Together (ACT) Alliance, who are on the ground in Haiti to address immediate needs and assess how best to address long-term recovery.

Immediate relief being provided by ACT includes a water purification system that is providing 10,000 homeless Haitians with crystal clear drinking water. The "water factory" is based in the Belair neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince. The water coming from these taps is the first clean water these people have had since the earthquake.

Several shipments of equipment have been sent to homeless families in Jacmel, on Haiti's southern coast, where the ACT Alliance is distributing tonnes of relief materials, including four million water purification tablets, jerry cans, blankets and enough healthcare kits to last 10,000 people three months. The ACT Alliance is also involved in the psycho-social treatment of the traumatized population.

The ACT Alliance is an international ecumenical coalition of churches and church-based relief and development agencies based in Geneva. Both CLWR and the LWF (also Geneva-based) are members of the ACT Alliance. The LWF is playing a lead role in coordinating the ACT Alliance response in Haiti.

Canadian Churches in Action (CCA), a group of nine Canadian churches and church-based international development and relief agencies, is preparing a request to the Government of Canada for additional support from the $50 million it has set aside for organizations assisting Haiti. A similar request is being prepared for funds available from the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation.

CLWR continues to accept donations for its Haiti Appeal. Donations can be made online (www.clwr.org/donate), by phone (1.800.661.2597 or 204.694.5602) or by cheques made payable to CLWR and mailed to CLWR, 302-393 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3B 3H6.

To Congregational Treasurers:
In order to be eligible for the federal government's matching grants program, donations must be in CLWR's bank account by February 12, 2010. As this date is quickly approaching, we recommend that congregations forward donations received from individuals directly to CLWR with a letter stating that the donations were received from individuals. Please see CLWR's website for details on the Haiti Appeal: www.clwr.org or contact the synod office at 889-3760.

Would you enjoy a SPA weekend ?
Join women in MNO for a weekend of spiritual refreshment and warm activities!
February 26-28, 2010
After supper on Friday to lunch on Sunday
Laureate’s Landing, St. Norbert MB

$275
Includes all meals, snacks, accommodation for 2 nights and program

Schedule and registration forms is available at www.elw.ca

For more information contact:
Melissa Ulrich 254-6946
Debbie Fuhl 224-0019
A Communicate Event of the Evangelical Lutheran Women.
Download poster here

Jesus invites us saying, “Follow me.”
Jesus also said, You know the way to the place where I am going.” To which Thomas replied, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way.” (John 14:4-6a)

In this Lenten season, as Jesus invites us to follow him to Jerusalem and a cross, he invites us to follow the way into discipleship, purposeful living and abundant life.

We seek this lent to explore some ancient practices as a means to deepen our experience of Christ and further our spiritual formation.

These practices are the following:
February 24 Making a Spiritual Pilgrimage
March 3 Observing a Liturgical Year
March 10 Keeping Formal Prayer
March 17 Keeping Sabbath
March 24 Fasting
Maundy Thursday – April 1 Partaking in a Holy Meal – especially Communion. This service is at 7 pm and includes the stripping of the altar.
Good Friday April 2 Tithing – especially discovering sacrificial living as an extension of Christ’s cross. This service is at 10 am.

We begin the journey on Ash Wednesday, February 17, 7 p.m. Remembering our baptism, remembering that we are dust, but also feasting with Christ at the table that gives life, we begin to take a journey. We follow Christ not as a belief but a movement. Discipleship becomes something more about how we live, the practices we keep, than the beliefs we hold.

Wednesday evening services will feature Holden Evening Prayer, together with a brief meditation on our theme. At the conclusion of the service, those who need to slip away may do so, but there will follow immediately a brief discussion about how to put these practices into practice. Holden begins at 7 p.m. Service and discussion will be completed by 8:30.
Come. Follow the Way. It is Jesus Christ who invites you.

Faith Lutheran Winnipeg
1311 Dakota St.

I am feeling quite well and back to our wind-up of the second semester of our academic year. But in December I was surprised by the unexpected. I was in the hospital for 3 weeks and diagnosed with an infarction in the cerebellum (a "cerebellicular infarction"!) - which equates to a mild stroke. This could have been much worse, so I am very fortunate. I can speak, think, remember, and am still Lori in personality. But the left side of the new Lori is somewhat numb and my balance is somewhat affected. The condition has already much improved since that first week in the hospital! I have learned that recovery with brain things is ongoing over a period of a year. My new fashion accessory is a medical cane, which I am finding very supportive. So, now I look like Miss Marple! Ha Ha!

Take good care, folks!
Lori
Lori Endress/Thailand
lendress@hotmail.com

Lecture and Seminar with Dr. Anna Carter Florence
Columbia Theological Seminary Decatur, Georgia

Public Lecture: Preaching as Testimony
Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Charleswood United Church
4820 Roblin Blvd.

Seminar for Preachers:
Monday, March 1, 2010, 9:00 – 12 noon
Convocation Hall
University of Winnipeg

Dr. Anna Carter Florence is the Peter Marshall Associate Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. She is a popular speaker at events across North America and a featured presenter at the Festival of Homiletics. Dr. Florence is interested in historical, theological, aesthetic, and performative dimensions of preaching and the ways preaching engages other fields and different traditions. Her research focuses on testimony, feminist theology, the role of experience in preaching, and the history of preaching women.
                                                                                    
This event is made possible by the support of Charleswood United Church, the United Church of Canada Conference of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario, and the Faculty of Theology of the University of Winnipeg.

There is no fee or registration required for this event.

For more information please contact: Rev. Dr. Michael Wilson mwilson@charleswoodunited.org or 204.832.3667

June 15 – 17, 2010, Waterloo, ON

Governance and Ministry: Building Effective Partnership Among the Leaders of the Church, with the Rev. Dan Hotchkiss, Alban Institute Senior Consultant and author. This ecumenical event is the 18th annual Summer Training Institute for Church Leaders sponsored by Conciliation Services Canada. More information is available at www.conciliationservices.ca .

In Governance and Ministry, Dan Hotchkiss offers a roadmap and tools for transforming the way our congregational governing boards and clergy work together to lead the church. In all church polities, Hotchkiss demonstrates that the right governance practice is the one that best enables a congregation to fulfill its mission—to achieve both the outward results and the inward quality of life to which it has been called by God.

In this seminar you will learn specific practices and principles gleaned from the best of current governance resources to help your leadership group to sharpen its skills, streamline its decision-making, maintain clear limits, and keep the congregation's mission at the centre of its ministry. By discovering how to set clear policies and behavioural covenants, you will find that you can trust others to make their own decisions, give up micromanaging, and make space for holy conversations among the leadership of the church and beyond. Both lay and clergy leaders are encouraged to attend.

For more information or a brochure in pdf format, please go to www.conciliationservices.ca , or contact Nan Cressman at 519.742.2280. Bulk paper brochures are also available for distribution.

Make plans now to attend the 2010 National Worship Conference, jointly sponsored by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Anglican Church of Canada. It's called, "Taking Care of the Neighbourhood: Worship as Public Work for the Common Good," and it will be held July 4-7 at the Vancouver School of Theology, on the UBC campus. Speakers include Distinguished Theologian in Residence Dr. Sallie McFague of VST, and award-winning religion columnist Douglas Todd. The event will also feature insightful workshops and inspiring worship.

Deadline for early-bird registration is March 15. For more information and registration procedure, please visit http://nationalworshipconference.org/.

Registration packages (including Registration Form and Information Sheet) were sent in mid-January by mail or email to all rostered ministers and congregational chairs. Registration deadline is March 5th. If your lay delegates will be elected after March 1, please inform the synod office as soon as possible.

Lutheran Theological Seminary Saskatoon is pleased to announce this year's recipients of honorary degrees.

Mr. Felix Tillmanns, Doctor of Christian Letters (honoris causa) for his more than 20 years advancing outdoor ministries in Canada through his work at Camp Kinasao and through Lutheran Outdoor Ministries in Canada (LOMIC).

The Rev. Dr. Alyson Barnett-Cowan, Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) for her significant work as an ecumenist with the Anglican Church in Canada (and now with the Anglican Communion Office in England) which has helped strengthen Lutheran-Anglican relations.

The degrees will be awarded at Convocation, May 7th, 2010 at 7pm, Zion Lutheran Church, Saskatoon.

Youth Registration for the bus trip to London
An important line (Provincial Medical # information) was missed on the youth registration page that was included in the packet to your congregation last December. The replacement to give to each of the participants is attached. Sorry for this error. It has also been changed on the synod website.
Registration form updated here

Two reminders
1) February Youth Retreat Registration deadline - February 1
2) Youth Leader' sTraining Event - February 3, Faith Lutheran, 1311 Dakota, from 7:00- 9:00 pm (Let Larry Ulrich know if you are coming so we can make certain we have sufficient snacks- thanks)

Hey everyone we are excited to announce that Hands On T-shirts and Hooded Sweaters are now available! These are available for online purchase, so be sure to check out the What's New page for more information as well as the souvenirs page to look at the products!

As well we now have a FAQ page under contact! So be sure to check that out as well!

Anxiety and depression are the #1 emotional illnesses in our country today.  Mike Glugosh, of The Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety, understands how debilitating anxiety and depression can be, at one time in his life he was a hostage to his thoughts and feelings.

Mike will be presenting a seminar at Grace Lutheran Church, 211 Kimberly Avenue, Winnipeg on February 16, from 7 – 9 pm.  This seminar - based in his own experiences, enlightened by his extensive training, and honed through over 1100 presentations given throughout North America over the past 14 years – teaches coping skills to overcome anxiety and depression.

The staff and Education Committee of Grace Lutheran Church are pleased to host this opportunity to better understand these all-to-common illnesses.  All are welcome!  By all means, invite friends and associates.  Please note as well, that those who arrive early will have the opportunity to join us downstairs in the banquet hall for the annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper 5 – 8 PM 

Refugee sponsorship training course available this winter
Want to learn more about what’s involved in sponsoring the resettlement of a refugee in your community? If so, why not register for a free internet-based course being offered this winter by the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP). The course begins on February 8 and runs to April 9 and is divided into eight modules. Topics covered include a global overview of forced migration, eligibility requirements, the application process and settlement planning.

There is no charge for the course but participants must register by January 27. For more information about the course and to access a registration form, please visit www.clwr.org

In 1979, the Canadian government began allowing groups to sponsor refugees through Sponsorship Agreement Holders such as Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR). Over this time, Lutherans across Canada have worked through CLWR to sponsor close to 12,000 refugee applications. RSTP exists to assist agreement holders in the refugee process. For more information about RSTP, visit www.rstp.ca.

Messiah Lutheran Church, 400 Rouge Rd. Winnipeg, is looking for an Administrative Assistant / Bookkeeper. This is a part-time position of 15-20 hours per week.

The administrative assistant requirements are clerical, communications, computer and organizational skills as well as effective verbal, editorial and publishing skills. This position provides support for the pastor, council and committees of the church and requires a caring attitude, excellent people skills as well as high integrity.

The bookkeeping requirements include understanding of bookkeeping/accounting functions and procedures and familiarity with computer accounting software programs – Simply Accounting / QuickBooks. Must be familiar with payroll set-up and functions.

Please e-mail resumes or requests for full job description to: messiahc@mts.net

Executive Director
Sorrento Centre, Anglican Church of Canada

An opportunity exists for someone who is prepared for a unique career path in the management of a Christian-based conference and retreat centre.

Responsible to a volunteer board of directors, the competitive candidate will be a strategic thinker as well as an effective manager of staff, volunteers and physical resources.  Essential to the position are business and administrative skills, an ability to develop and administer a wide variety of programs, the capacity to communicate effectively and motivational skills in overseeing staff and others in a community environment.  While not essential, experience and success in the hospitality industry would be an asset.

Sorrento Centre is a year round facility located on 24 acres in the interior of British Columbia on the beautiful Shuswap Lake.  Associated with the Anglican Church of Canada and ecumenical in its welcome, the non-profit centre is operated by core and seasonal staff with the assistance of many volunteers.  (Visit the website at www.sorrento-centre.bc.ca)

Interested applicants are asked to email their requests for further information to Kathie MacDuff, Search Committee, sorrentocentredirector@gmail.com on or before Wednesday, February 3, 2010.