Table Prayer resources

The following suggestions were posted by resource center directors from across the ELCA. They provide you with a host of great books that provide examples of prayers you can use with any age at mealtime.
Enjoy and use them!
Greg

Peanut Butter and Jelly Prayers by Julie Sevig, Moorehouse Publishing

One of the things that many families in our synod like are the Meal Prayer cubes from Vibrant Faith. There are 12 (all the same) in a package for $17.95.

Thank You For This Food - Debbie Trafton O'Neal;

Come, Lord Jesus: Devotions For the Home - Susan Briehl;

How the Children Became Stars: A Family Treasury of Stories, Prayers and
Blessings from Around the World, Aaron Zerah - Sorin Books

Bread for the Day: Daily Bible Readings and Prayers 2011 - Dennis
Bushkofsky and Susan Burke

Augsburg Fortress Book of Faith Resources

Irene Flynn posted this note in the resource center director's list serve. What she says applies to all of us. Enjoy reading her praise of the Augsburg Fortress Book of Faith resources.

Hi Everyone,
I’ve been thinking about all the great Book of Faith resources that Augsburg Fortress has published these past years! I just want to say that I think they are excellent! I love the 3 series –People of Faith; Books of Faith; and Together in Faith. I am especially pleased with the Books of Faith series. FINALLY! A book by book excellent study with great scholarship and great teaching suggestions and Lutheran takes on things! I appreciate them all! I also love the foundational series. I think David Lose has done an excellent job with his “Making Sense of…..” And those Lenten and Advent series have been stellar. The Lutheran Study Bible is so well done and that middle section is gorgeous . The Spark curricula is flexible and thorough. I must say, my favorite is the Spark Children’s Bible. I love looking at the illustrations and I love reading the stories. It’s just chock full of Good News! Thanks Augsburg Fortress and everyone who has worked so hard on all of these resources!

Irene Flynn
Specialist in Resources
Florida-Bahamas Synod, ELCA
813-876-7660 ext 229
IreneF@FBSynod.org

A great new children's book!

Just received in the Resource Center from a pastor in our synod:

Miracle of the Moringa Tree written by Hank Bruce and Tomi Jill Folk with illustrations by Miho Komatsu. It even comes with a sample of the Moringa seeds. Dr. Lowell Fuglie invested his life researching the moringa as a resource to end starvation, hunger, and malnutrition, and to provide safe drinking water. His humanitarian eforts in Africa have saved untold thousands of lives, and will continue to impact people around the world. On April 21, 2010, he passed away, but his influence lives on.

Ounce for ounce, this is how dried moringa leaf powder compares with some other foods that are good for us to eat: 7 times the Vitamin C as there is in oranges; 3 times the iron as there is in spinach; 3 times the potassium as there is in bananas; 4 times the Vitamin A as there is in carrots; 4 times the calcium and 2 times the protein as there is in milk. The leaf powder can be added to water or food like cereals, gravies, soups, or vetetables, to add vitamins and minerals. Ground up seeds can be put in muddy, unsafe water and it will turn to clear, safe water in about an hour to drink or to cook with.

This is truly an amazing book, one that children and adults alike will enjoy! Check it out today! Call 715-833-1153 or email staff@synodresourcecenter.org or come and visit at 1005 Oxford Avenue, Eau Claire, WI.

The latest resources at the Center...

You will be pleased at some of the new resources that are gracing the shelves of your Synod Resource Center:

Just received today - October 13, 2011 - three new Bible studies from the Book of Faith series.
One is for the season of Advent. Four sessions from various scripture references. This will be great for the "waiting season" coming up soon;
The book of Ephesians is exciting with four sessions - short, but dynamic, enough for most people to commit;
Signs of the Kingdom - a study in Matthew for seven sessions.

These will be very helpful in getting parishioners into the habit of Bible study.

We have lots of resources for Advent/Christmas/Epiphany that will help your planning.

A new shipment of Spark Storybook Bibles arrived today - on sale for $12; the hard cover Spark Study Bible for $16; and the hard cover Lutheran Study Bible for $26.

Come in and see us soon!

Two new resources

Your Synod Resource Center has just received, as a gift from Chaplain Peter Muschinske, two DVDs that you will want to check out and view with your Adult Forum, Church Council, Youth Group or other interested people in your congregation.

One is entitled, "Dying to Live" which deals with the immigration issue that is changing the face of cultures worldwide...In the debate, what often gets lost are the human issues at stake. This DVD is a profound look at the human face of the migrant. It runs for 33 minutes

The other one is, "Strangers No Longer" which also confronts the migrant issue. It invites us to look into our past and notice the similarities that exist between ourselves and our ancestors when they came to this great land and those who are arriving now. This one runs for 22 minutes.

Give people in your congregation the opportunity to view these DVDs and discuss this very pertinent issue.

Women's magazine with new name

We want you to be among the first to know. With the September issue,
Lutheran Woman Today magazine becomes Gather. Gather magazine will
still have the award-winning Bible study, the same great articles and
the columns that inform, challenge, comfort and encourage. With this
name change we hope to introduce the magazine to younger women while
also inviting our ecumenical partners to subscribe.

This is something everyone needs to know about. Please pass the word among your women's circles and meetings so all will be ready for the change.

Synod Assembly

Many, many thanks to each and everyone of you for your support from the Synod Assembly and those who have sent support since the first of the year. Nearly $9,000 was donated at the Assembly. Your understanding and cooperation is greatly appreciated. We hope to add some new resources soon.

Keep watching this blog for new resources as they come in.

Thanks again. Looks like your Resource Center will be around for another year!

The latest Alban resources

Just in: from the Alban Institute - "Leading Through the Water" in the Vital Worship, Healthy Congregations series. Written by Paul Galbreath, with a Foreword by Craig Satterlee, it is excellent reading for looking at how important our baptism is in our lives of faith.

"Open Source Church - making room for the wisdom of all." The author, Landon Whitsitt, gives some insights into a new way of thinking, acting, doing church. The Foreword is written by Carol Howard Merritt.

The last one is "Becoming the Pastor You Hope to Be - Four Practices for Improving Ministry." This one is written by Barbara J. Blodgett with a Foreword by Bruce G. Epperly. This book, as the title indicates, is focused on you, as a pastor, and trying to make a difference in your life and other people's lives.

All three books are great for putting forth some new ways of thinking about the old ways of doing ministry. Well worth your time spent in reading them.

Come and see them or call and they can be sent to you. The number is: 715-833-1153. We are located in First Lutheran Church, 1005 Oxford Avenue, Eau Claire, WI 54703 on the second floor.

New resources are here!

The new resources about re:form Traditions - Methodist, Lutheran, Reformed - are here. If you would like to stop by and preview them, please feel free to do so. They are so "teachable" that your young folks or, for that matter, adults who are looking to know more about our neighbor's faith, will really respond to this style of teaching. Be sure to stop soon!

We have "The Greatest Story" with all the Lutheran Study Bible references removed. It also has the Sand Art dvd with it that has been so popular.

These are a few of the new things just in at Your Synod Resource Center. Do stop by or call and see what is here for you!

New resources coming soon!

There are new resources from Augsburg Fortress coming soon to your
Synod Resource Center. The new hard cover, Spark Study Bible for grades
3 and up, is here. We have a shipment coming which is a second
printing. The first printing sold out almost immediately so our
shipment may be delayed. It is a great publication, complete with the
ever-popular stickers.
If you are enjoying the re:form resource, you will like re:form
Traditions. A Lutheran, Methodist, and Reformed team have worked
together to create re:form Traditions that teach these three branches
of the Christian faith. AND, make it fun for the students to learn
about them.
The new Greatest Story is an ecumenical publication that does not have
references to the Lutheran Study Bible. Some who wanted to use the
study, didn't have the LSB, so all references to it were taken out. Any
Bible can be used in this new version.
There will be another study with The Greatest Story format, called The
Greatest Story: The Church - Walk Through the Gospels and will have a
new sand art DVD to go along with the lessons. This will be a wonderful addition to your adult studies.
If you would like to preview any of these items, call your Resource
Center. Some materials may not be published for a few weeks. Call ahead
to find out for sure: 715-833-1153.

New resources just in!

A new resource that is sure to help you spend your "extra" time reading it, is "The Art of Curating Worship: Reshaping the Role of Worship Leader" by Mark Pierson from Sparkhouse in the new Clayfire emphasis. From the review by Leonard Sweet: "Mark Pierson believes that all of us are artists, born with a box of materials and supplies - words, images, song, dance, food, smells, dreams. Read this book to find out why we should open our box, reach in, and pull out our instruments for creating and curating. Few books provide such a quiver full of creative artistry as (this book)."

From the Book of Faith series, we now have studies on the book of Luke and on I Peter, and Making Sense of the Christian Faith by David Lose.

More will be coming from Augsburg Fortress soon. Stay tuned for the latest in wonderful, helpful resources!

You've got to try this Bible study!

The Ruth Circle at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin have been using The Greatest Story monthly since November and are completely excited with what it has to offer. Previously, we had used No Experience Necessary, which they thoroughly enjoyed, too. So, we kept the check-in feature from that series and incorporated it into The Greatest Story. Otherwise, we follow the lesson plan which brings out great discussion with the questions at the end, as well as the reading assignments. The dvd with the sand art never fails to regale the fifteen to twenty participants!

Thank you to Augsburg Fortress and all the contributors for creating this marvelous study.

A new publication

Another new release from Alban Institute: "Welcome to Theological Field Education!" by a number of contributors, is designed to revitalize your ministry, whether you are new at your calling or a seasoned veteran. From the Foreword: "What we are treated to is nothing less than each author's copy of the music with its 'penciled annotations, the edges of the sheets rolled and frayed.' The reader gets to watch each of the authors play the piece. In field education, whichever of the roles - teacher, student, supervisor - they inhabit, they will try out their own interaction with its text. With these authors at their side they will discover and redisover the great joy of 'pressing the keys' and 'remembering the composition, creating sound, and evoking interpretation,' that is, they will discover and rediscover the great joy at the heart of their work." Written by Dudley C. Rose, Associate Dean, Ministry Studies, Harvard Divinity School.

Check this book out and revel in its help and teaching!

New book about leadership

A new release from Alban Institute is "Pursuing Pastoral Excellence: Pathways to Fruitful Leadership." From the Foreword: "How do clergy find ways to sustain the passion and effectiveness of their call, season upon season, crisis upon crisis, pastoral call upon pastoral call, sermon upon sermon? .... At the heart of this book is the gospel metaphor that weaves through the text: 'You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last' from John 15:16. The author, Paul Hopkins asks the question: How can a pastoral leader bear fruit that lasts? How can a ministry make a lasting difference?.... For opportunities to renew and strengthen our call to God's ministry, we are grateful for this book, its stories of witness, and the wise listener who heard and wrote about fruit that lasts." by Nancy Gieseler Devor, M.Div., Ph.D Vice President, The Samaritan Institute Director, Samaritan Institute Clergy and Congregation Care project.

This is a publication designed to give you and your ministry a "shot in the arm." Check it out soon!

Faith Formation 2020: Designing the Future of Faith Formation

Piggy-backing on the previous post shared by Rev. Greg Kaufmann, we have received a new book entitled, Faith Formation 2020: Designing the Future of Faith Formation written by John Roberto.

In the words of Sharon Ely Pearson, an ecumenical partner in Resource Center work: "...The goal of lifting up lifelong Christian formation in the church is not a new one, but this guidebook offers strategies, steps, and concrete tasks similar to how the Lifelong Faith Journal has given countless Christian educators tools for developing strong programs for supporting and strengthening the faith of their members. This is not a book for the faint hearted; it is for those who desire to step up to the plate and get serious about how collaborative leadership and long-range planning can make a difference in the life of the Church."

The book is ready to be checked out. Get it and start the ball rolling!

Faith Formation Learning Exchange

Vibrant Faith Ministries has created something that you need to know about. I've taken the liberty to reword some of the information you can find on their website. Enjoy it!

Are you searching for the most relevant and valuable resources for 21st century faith formation? If you are like most leaders today, you don’t have enough time to search for the latest research, practices, technologies, and approaches to respond to your congregation’s religious and spiritual needs.

Don’t worry...Vibrant Faith Ministries has done the work for you! They’ve created an online Learning Exchange where you can find the most current information, research, and resources in faith formation for all ages and generations. The Faith Formation Learning Exchange provides tools to assist congregations and their leaders to respond creatively and adaptively with relevant approaches to faith formation. The website will be updated monthly, so you’ll always have access to the most current information.

Congregational leaders, professors and ministry educators, ministry students, authors, publishers, and program developers will find the Learning Exchange valuable for both work and personal enrichment.

Vibrant Faith Ministry has designed the Learning Exchange to be easy to use. Just select one of the nine Faith Formation Centers and explore the resources in that Center or use their "Search the Exchange" feature to find a particular resource. You can navigate the Learning Exchange using the menu system on the left of each page or go to the home page for each Faith Formation Center and select the category of resources you want to review.

Where can you find it? http://www.faithformationlearningexchange.net/

A new choir devotional

New to the Resource Center is: "Soli Deo Gloria: Choir Devotions for Year A." It is a spiral-bound edition that contains brief meditations based on the texts given in the Revised Common Lectionary for the church year. Each devotion ends with a verse from a hymn appropriate to the reading.

The book gives choirs and their directors the opportunity to "set the tone" for rehearsals just as much as the warm-up session gets voices in order.

Call, stop by, or browse the on-line catalog to view other resources housed at the Resource Center, 1005 Oxford Avenue in Eau Claire. We are on the second floor of First Lutheran Church. Telephone: 715-833-1153.

A great new resource!

We have just received a new publication from Augsburg Fortress entitled, "Washed and Welcome: A Baptism Sourcebook". "It offers resources that support your congregation's baptismal ministry and the participation of God's people in the lifelong gift of baptism. Here you will find:
+five approaches to baptismal preparation with parents, caregivers, and sponsors of infants and young children;
+a library of helpful topics that explore both pastoral and practical considerations accompanying baptismal preparation and formation;
+advice, suggestions, inspirations, and examples;
+reproducible pages for parents, sponsors, godparents, children, families, and the whole congregation;
+encouragement and resources for strengthening your congregation's total baptismal ministry."
All of the content is contained on an accompanying CD-ROM and is reproducible and customizable.

Also, with this sourcebook is, "Living the Promises of Baptism: 101 ideas for parents" which has some great ideas for living out your baptism of all ages; "Welcome, Child of God", a board book for infants and toddlers which will be published soon; and, a "Certificate for Sponsors" - a four-page certificate that will become a keepsake with space for family history to be recorded.

Check out these resources for faith preparation soon from the Synod Resource Center!

Missing link

I noticed that the link did not transfer over in the previous post about the "Opening a World of Possibilities" article. This is it below. Highlight and paste.

Sorry for any inconvenience!


Okay, this is what you need:
astore.amazon.com/e0a08-20/about

This will take you to the site with all kinds of information. Have fun reading!

ELC Jordan and Holy Land Libraries Project

I thought you might like to read about this new project and perhaps get involved with it.

JERUSALEM, January 5, 2011 - The ELCJHL is pleased to invite our friends around the world to partner with us in a new and exciting project! With your help, it is our goal to equip each of our four k-12 schools with new English-language resources. Visit our bookstore to donate a book to the ELCJHL Libraries Project: Opening a World of Possibilities!

About our project...
The schools of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land have been providing excellent education for students in Palestinian communities since 1851 - regardless of gender, race, religion, or ability to pay.
The schools teach English from Kindergarten through the 12th grade, equipping students for dialogue with international partners and expanding their opportunities for college and careers.
Through the ELCJHL Libraries Project: Opening a World of Possibilities, we invite you to accompany teachers in the Holy Land as they build libraries that foster a love of language and learning right from the start.
A great book has the power to open a world of possibilities!

Click here to visit our bookstore now! or follow the links below for more information about this project and how you can get involved.

Lutheran Dramas by a Lutheran Pastor

In the most recent Seeds for the Parish magazine (Dec. 2010), I noticed a short article titled: "Fun and Easy Christmas Pageants." I checked out the related website: www.faithdrama.com, and was very pleased to find a large number of religious dramas that could be put on by almost any congregation. I encourage you to check out his website. The plays are very reasonably priced. Here is what John says about himself on his website:

John P. Trump is the senior pastor at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Columbia, S.C. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in English from Muhlenburg College in Pennsylvania, Pastor Trump earned a Masters in Fine Arts in theater with an emphasis in playwriting from Columbia University’s School of the Arts in New York City and a Master of Divinity degree from Yale University. He served churches in New York City before heading south to join the Hurricane Hugo relief effort, and there he still resides as pastor, husband, father of twin sons, playwright and marathon runner.

Trump has been commissioned to write numerous plays for churches, colleges and theaters for a myriad of special projects and celebrations. "A Twisted Cord" is to be published by Erdman’s Publishing Co., and "Katie Luther: A Burr to a Topcoat" was winner of the Best Script Award in a national competition sponsored by the Episcopal Church in America.

Trump is a co-founder and project director for Dramarama, a summer drama camp for at-risk youth. He has also written and published a children’s book for twins.