Connections: Faith and Life Revised and Digitized

An excellent adult study resource "Connections: Faith and Life" has just been re-issued in a free, downloadable format. The curriculum uses the catechism to explore our common, baptism-grounded ministry and the ways that ministry is played out in our homes, our communities, our workplaces and our whole world. Check it out at http://www.wartburgseminary.edu/template_resources.asp?id=459
And thanks to Wartburg Seminary for helping to make this curriculum available.

Vacation Bible School kit

As most of you know, Augsburg Fortress no longer publishes Vacation
Bible School kits, but they offer other publications that can very
easily be used for that great week (usually) of learning during the
summer months. Such as: the Taking Root series, Rotation Sunday School
materials, and there are still resources available for Baobab Blast.
We have just received the kit from Cokesbury: Operation Overboard -
Dare to go deep with God. The kit contains the classroom leader guides,
the Director's guide, some of the crafts and other "sea life", as well
as other highlights of the program.
If you would like to review this offering from Cokesbury, call the
Resource Center at 715-833-1153 or email: staff@synodresourcecenter.org

A new DVD for adults and youth

"People of Faith: Christianity in America" is an excellent choice for
an adult forum or for educating your confirmation class or for a senior
high class. It's the story of how Christianity shaped life in the
United States. Well researched, balanced, fast-paced and insightful,
"People of Faith" features expert commentary from an array of scholars
representing Evangelical, Mainline Protestant and Catholic
prespectives. This amazing resource will help you discover the
importance of Christian history as we consider the future of the church
in America.
Check it out now for Sundays in Lent.

Stations of the Cross

If you are interested in implementing the Stations of the Cross in your congregation this year, and if you have a copy of the hymnal "This Far By Faith", turn to page 96 in the forepart of the book. There you will find 8 stations and a conclusion. This could be very meaningful for Good Friday worship.

Check it out and see what you think!

We have it at the Resource Center!

Making Sense of the Cross - the Leader Guide, Participant book, and the DVD are here for your consideration. It may be a possibility for Lenten study, adult forum, an evening Bible study or during the day. Whenever and however you decide to use it, you as leader or participant will be glad to be part of it and share it with others.

In the same casual conversational style as "Making Sense of Scripture", author David Lose brings out discussion that will cause readers to think about and experience the cross and its meaning in their lives.

Call now to reserve the set: 715-833-1153 or email at staff@synodresourcecenter.org

Free resources from Augsburg Fortress!

This from Beth Lewis (to be shared with your synod/s):

Bet you didn’t know…..we have lots of free resources on our webstore!
Posted: 17 Jan 2012 03:33 PM PST

One of the ways we support congregational leaders is through the
creation of resources to help them incorporate our faith formation,
worship and music resources seamlessly into the life of their
congregations. Of course, many of these items are built right into
the resources themselves! But, in addition, we offer a number of free
resources that you can download. Here are just a few:

§ "Worship Helps" to assist in using items such as our Book of Faith
Lenten Journey, Water Marks not only in adult forums or small groups,
but as an integrated part of your Sunday morning or Wednesday night
Lenten worship services. These types of "Worship Helps" are available
for a number of other Book of Faith resources, as well! Look for the
"Worship Helps" tab toward the bottom of the product pages.

§ We have a free music planning calendar available on our store for
those of you who follow the lectionary.

§ We offer a number of free webinars on a variety of topics. While
some of them are product specific, more and more of them focus on
teaching and learning techniques or other helpful insights for
professional Christian educators and worship leaders or for members
who are engaged in congregational leadership. Our webinars are
offered at varying times during the day and evening because of the
wide range of scheduling needs and timezones across the country.

§ If you want to try out some of the innovative and very popular
sparkhouse resources for faith formation before you purchase them for
use in your confirmation class, youth group or high school Bible study
class, we offer complete lesson samples for free of both the print and
video resources for the re:form collection on our sparkhouse
website.

§ For many years, Augsburg Fortress has been famous for hosting Music
Clinics in both the winter and summer in various cities across the USA
to assist church musicians with learning about and trying new pieces
of music. While the winter Music Clinics are almost concluded, be
sure to sign up for notification regarding future dates via our free
eNewsletters or on our Music Clinic Facebook page.

§ And, of course, our Little Red Book is now available as a free
download for your Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, etc. to help you
keep up with the lectionary dates in the church year and much more!

So, if you are looking for something free to help with your ministry,
I hope you'll check out a few of these links. And, of course, please
share them with your local colleagues and via your own Facebook &
Twitter feeds!
Blessings,
Beth
@bethalewis
ceo@augsburgfortress.org

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!