Turns out, God is doing a new thing. Of course, Isaiah, one of our favorite Advent voices, told us to look and see the new thing God is doing, but I never dreamed I would find myself in the middle of one of those new things. Would you join me in doing the new thing that the Synod is igniting through a contribution to the Innovation Fund?
Read MoreThe September 2016 Synod Mission and Ministries Commission was full of our regular work as well as approving items to pass onto the Synod Assembly for consideration and approval. The full Commission serves as the Synod Board of Trustees. In this capacity they voted to: have funds from the Wurffel-Sills Fund support the Robert L. Washington Scholars and Fellows Program; have the unused balance of the Black Theology and Leadership Institute Fund of $1,390 be transferred to the Robert L. Washington Program; approve the funding of $36,000 for the CrossRoads Racial Awareness program for 2017 from the Walker Fund; and authorize the Treasurer to take appropriate steps to receive distribution from the Eichelberger Trust, of which the Synod is a named beneficiary, with an expected payout of $125,000.
Read MoreSince the beginning of the YAV program, there have been 10 YAVs who have built partnerships in Boston. The YAVs have gone on to live their faith in a variety of ways, from attending seminary to working for Americorps, to being a children's advocate at the Virginia Poverty Law Center, to enrolling in nursing school, to working at the Women's Lunch Place in Boston, to name a few.
Read MoreAfter using the April Synod Mission and Ministries meeting for a retreat in which we reflected upon the synod’s foundational text Isaiah 43:19, the Commission went back to business the last weekend in June. We began with the unveiling of our new synod video, which in many ways is an expression of the Isaiah text. If you haven’t had the chance yet to see our new website or the video, go take a look and see the new things we are doing.
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