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September 1, 2021
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells the Pharisees: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (JN 10:10b NRSV) There are many humans, beloved of God and created in God’s image, who live in our communities and who are our neighbors, but the day-to-day lives they experience are anything but abundance.
In our baptismal vows, we agree to live among God’s faithful people, hear the Word and participate in the Holy Supper, learn the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments. These are all actions of participating in disciplines that form us—so that we can “learn to trust God, proclaim Christ through word and deed, care for others and the world God made, and work for justice and peace.”
Our Synod Advocacy Policy Committee was formed to resource the congregations, rostered ministers, and faithful lay folk committed to living out their baptism by shining a light where abundance is lacking and working on circumstances and systems that would bring abundance to those in need.
To that end, the Advocacy Policy Committee is working on a major effort to update our awareness of ministries in our congregations and connecting with rostered ministers and lay persons involved in those ministries, to maximize the effort and resources across the four states of our Synod.
I encourage you to participate in our survey and share it with anyone in your congregation who might need to be aware of this effort to continue our work of bringing the light and love of Christ to a world in deep need. You may respond by going online here: https://se-reg.brtapp.com/AdvocacySurvey54.
Thank you for your continued support.
In Christ,
Bishop Kevin Strickland
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