The Justice Team continued to meet most months through Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at the Synod Office. We heard reports from several of our committees or task forces. In February The Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra and Dixie Hansen reported on the circles of care formed to help immigrant youth who
Continue readingAutumn Renewal: On the weekend of October 12-13 the Women of the ELCA (WELCA) held our biannual Autumn Renewal at Cal Lutheran University. The theme was “Sharing God’s Love through Gratitude” using 2 Corinthians 4:15: “Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more
Continue readingGreetings to our fellow ELCA congregations of Southwest CA: With smoke, fire, pandemic, and a reckoning on race and racism in America, the Central Coast Conference continues to persevere in its care of its communities and love of God. While many of us leaders were bracing ourselves to hold our
Continue readingIn September 2019, I took on the role of Synod Youth Director with the following goals: to give increased attention to racial equity in our synod youth ministries to strengthen connections between youth ministries in our synod to continue connecting youth ministries in our synod to opportunities in the wider
Continue readingThe Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God in whom I take refuge, my shield, and horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 God is faithful and sustains us in all circumstances and I think that we are all experiencing that grace in a special
Continue reading2020 has not been the year any of us hoped for; still, a quick look from Synod Assembly 2019 to when synod assembly 2020 would have been reveals that God is working in all things for good! Here are some of the places and ways God is moving right here,
Continue readingEmmanuel, North Hollywood, in partnership with the All Valley Youth Soccer Club, sponsored a “God’s Work Our Hands” Sunday Food Drive. It was a huge success! We collected an amazing 1500 pounds of food! Volunteers from Emmanuel and the All Valley Youth Soccer Team both collected food and were on
Continue readingGod’s grace and peace to you. I entered into this call on December 1, 2019, in the last weeks of Pastor Reg Schultz-Akerson’s tenure as your previous assistant to the bishop. Pastor Reg was able to spend many quality hours with me, sharing with me his current workload, briefing me
Continue readingTrinity Pasadena was so blessed to receive a $2,500 Love Our Neighbor grant to address the increased utilization of our Trinity Food Ministry during this COVID-19 pandemic. We also thank the Southwest California Synod Council. It means a lot that you express this confidence in us and our ministries. When
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