You are invited to the first assembly of the New England Synod Mission Areas. At each assembly, Bishop Margaret G. Payne will be present to offer an opportunity for reflecting on the synod’s five year guide, “Called to Listen, Called to Live.” Other staff and resource people will be available as needed, based on the requests of the lay planning teams of the Mission Areas.
What is a Mission Area? There is no “typical” congregation in the New England synod. The large geographical territory in New England offers a wide variety of ministry contexts and mission opportunities. The formation of New England Synod Mission Areas is an endeavor to support our congregations through the gathering of conferences that share similar geography and mission opportunities.
Who is invited? Assemblies are planned by lay members of the New England Synod with the support of synod staff members. All members of the New England Synod are invited to attend.
Why attend an assembly gathering? Assembly gatherings are shaped by the needs, interests and gifts of the laity in each particular Mission area. Gathering together with members of each region, lay members will be given an opportunity for networking, developing leadership and discovering opportunities and support for lay education and ministry. In addition, there will be an opportunity to learn more about the coming synod assembly and to consider the nomination of Mission area members to synod leadership.
When and where are we gathering? Assembly gatherings will be held on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with lunch provided. Mark the date and watch for more information from your Mission area planning team.
North Mission Area – Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York Conferences
Date: May 17, 2008
Place: Holy Trinity, Newington NH
East Central New England Mission Area – Boston Metro and Northeast Mass Conferences
Date: May 3, 2008
Place: St. Paul, Arlington MA
West Central New England Mission Area – Central and Western Mass Conferences
Date: April 12, 2008
Place: Bethlehem, Sturbridge MA
South Central New England – Greater Hartford Mission Area, East CT Rivers and Central CT Conferences
Date: May 10, 2008
Place: Emmanuel, Hartford CT
Southeast New England Mission Area – Southeast Mass and Rhode Island Conferences
Date: April 26, 2008
Place: Pilgrim, Warwick RI
Southeast New England Mission Area – Southwest CT, Naugatuck Valley and Greater New Haven Conferences
Date: April 19, 2008
Place: St. Paul, Torrington CT
Need more information? Contact Pastor Alice Kerr Laird, Associate to the Bishop at aklaird@nesynod.org.
The East Central Mission Area:
A group of youth and adults are meeting this Sunday from 5-7pm at Faith Lutheran Church in Andover, Ma to discuss future plans for a regional youth ministry. Below is a copy of the e-mail we just sent out.
Hello churches of Mission Area 7!! (I know that’s a new term for us, but this email is about a new start for youth ministry connections so I thought it appropriate.)
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Katie Proctor. I am the full-time youth minister at Faith Lutheran Church in Andover, MA. I want to share an AWESOME opportunity for your youth to plug into the larger Lutheran Youth community in our area! I know that one of the hardest things for me to do is connect my kids with other Lutheran students. If only there was a region-wide event that we could attend…
Well, as a possible solution to this problem I would like to invite 1 (one) adult leader and 2 (two) youth from your congregation to join “The Senate” (because there are 2 youth from each church…I know it’s pretty clever hehe). We will be having our “opening session” from 5-7pm on Sunday February 10th at Faith Lutheran Church in Andover. There will be dinner provided and we will be starting the planning for a regional lock-in! We want this event to be a kick-off for other events and activities to bring youth together. Please respond and let me or Heidi know so we can have plenty of food for everyone! I look forward to hearing from you all! peace – Katie Proctor
Katie Proctor
Youth Minister
Faith Lutheran Church
360 South Main St. Andover, MA 01810
office: 978/475-4059
Heidi Jakoby, Co-Chair Youth, Young Adult and Family Ministry Team, New England Synod
Director of Discipleship Development,
Trinity Lutheran Church,
170 Old Westford Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824
office: 978-256-6300
Hey everyone I hope you see this. I have contacted the Dean of the Boston Conference and he gave me some great insight. I need some volunteers to make some calls. He suggested we begin with St. Paul Arlington, Resurrection Roxbury, Emmanuel Norwood, Grace Needham, Framingham, and Christ Natick. Does anyone know anyone at these congregations? Also, Pastor Nathan invited ust to their May 20th conference meeting to talk about our plans, Katie can you make it it is at 11:30am, anyone else?