​Bishop’s Notes 30 June 2022

• I continue to expand the email list for the Bishop’s Notes. Please continue to share this information with folks in your congregations and conferences. If you are receiving duplicate emails from me please let me know.

 

• REGARDING EMAILS: You will notice I blind carbon copy (Bcc) everyone on this email list. The reason is simple, so your email is not stolen and used by individuals to solicit money or information from others as my email has on multiple occasions. It is a sad fact that there are individuals who impersonate people setting up “dummy” email addresses and then using known lists of emails to ask for money or gift cards, or even send fake bills expecting you to either outright pay the bill using a credit card or to contact the “person” or “company” and give out your personal information. DO NOT respond to these emails. If you receive an email from myself or anyone on synod staff asking you to give us money or gift cards, or to contact you regarding a “confidential” request or anything else that seems suspicious, contact me or our staff immediately via phone. There are websites you can use to report the suspicious email. Do not open the email or any attachments, do not respond to the email and delete it immediately.

 

• MORE New News From ULS: Please see the attached information and remember the expanded opportunity for continuing education at https://bit.ly/3tyrEbW.

 

• St. Paul’s Senior Living Community in Greenville, PA is searching for a chaplain. If you have an interest or know of someone who might have an interest in chaplaincy please reach out to me or Chaplain Julia Fraser.

 

• Summer Book Study: If you did not pick up a copy at Assembly, please watch your mail for the book. If you do not receive it by the end of June please let me know. If you are interested in joining the book study I have a few extra copies. Again, please let me know. We will start the study in July.

 

• The following is a list of upcoming events I will be attending in person. If I am in your area and you would like to go to lunch, coffee, have a chat, etc. let me know.

 

• 6 July at Synod Office
• 7 July Lutheran Home at Kane Board Meeting
• 9-10 July Chicago, IL Army Reserves
• 11-14 July working remotely Indianapolis , IN
• 16 July Synod Council
• 17 July Gethsemane, Port Allegany
• 20-24 July Chicago, IL Army Reserve Command Conference
• 23 July Vocations Committee
• 27 July at Synod Office
• 3 August at Synod Office
• 5-6 August Chicago, IL Army Reserves
• 7-12 August Churchwide Assembly, Columbus, OH
• 14 August ELP Beach Worship, Presque Isle
• 17 August at Synod Office
• 19 August  University Hospital, Cleveland One Year Anniversary Stem Cell Transplant Check Up
• 21 August Luther Memorial
• 24 August at Synod Office
• 27 August Bp. Collin’s Retirement Pizza Party, Camp Mt. Luther
• 28 August St. John, Girard
• 31 August at Synod Office
• 7 September at Synod Office
• 10-24 September Annual Training, Darien , IL
• 16-17 September Region 8 Candidacy and Steering Committee Meeting, Sunbury, PA
• 17 September Upper Susquehanna Synod Bishop Installation, Zion, Sunbury
• 26-27 September ULS Zoom Board Meeting
• 27 September – 1 October Conference of Bishop’s Meeting, Chicago, IL
• 1-2 October Chicago, IL Army Reserves

 

• Sunday Supply Dates: October 9, 23*; November 13, 27; December 11. *Mercer/Crawford only. I’ve begun work on my 2023 calendar of open supply Sundays. Look for a tentative list of dates in the next few weeks.

 

• Follow the ELCA Churchwide Assembly at www.elca.org/churchwideassembly

 

• Our 2023 NWPA Assembly will be (8) 9-10 (11) June 2023 at Thiel College. I will form a Synod Assembly Planning Team in the next few weeks. I will ask each Conference to nominate one lay person to be on this Planning Team. This core group along with the synod staff will begin the initial planning process for the next three Assemblies 2023,2024, 2025. As the core team progresses other individuals within our synod will be asked to join specific teams or committees centering around our upcoming 2023 Assembly and beyond.  

 

• Fall Convocation. The dates for Convocation are tentatively set for 24-26 October. Location is TBD.

 

• If you know of a young adult (18-30) who is interested in serving on Synod Council let me know.

 

• The Rev. Gary Harbaugh, Holy Trinity, Erie has announced his retirement. His last Sunday will be July 24, 2022. Let us give thanks to God for Pr. Harbaugh’s many years of faithful service to our synod and the Church.

• The following congregations have active ministry site profiles:
• Christ, Sharon and Holy Trinity, Hermitage. The congregation councils are working to develop a model for shared pastoral ministry.
• Faith, Venus and Holy Trinity, Shippenville. Call Committee working with Candidate
• Grove Chapel, Indiana and Harmony Grove, Creekside. Two-point parish.
• Immanuel, Erie
• Zion, Mayport
• Luther Memorial, Erie. Call Committee working with Candidate

 

• A prayer for the nation for this Independence Day weekend: Holy Trinity, one God, you show us the splendor of diversity and the beauty of unity in your own divine life. Make us, who came from many nations with many languages, a united people who delight in our many different gifts. Defend our liberties, and give those whom we have entrusted with authority the spirit of wisdom, that there might be justice and peace in our land. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our sovereign and our Savior. Amen (ELW, 77)

 
Called to Serve,
 
Bp. Lozano