Tuesday at Convocation

I know that I am prejudiced, being a native of these North Carolina mountains, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a more beautiful time and place for a spiritual retreat than Lutheridge in October.

On Monday and Tuesday afternoons; First Call Theological Education participants, Spiritual Directors and the Cluster Deans held their respective meetings, gathering together for communion on and community Monday night.

Tuesday at 1:00 PM, the rest of the Rostered leaders arrived, beginning our time with worship in the chapel, accented by a powerful sermon the Rev. Jim Arends, bishop of our Companion Synod in Wisconsin (and a little bit of Minnesota.), the Lacrosse Synod.

In the afternoon, we heard from a representative of Bread for the World, from the Deaconess community in the ELCA (and the ELC in Canada) and from the Lutheran Volunteer Corps, which now has a presence in Atlanta, including in our Synod office.

Our keynote Presenter was retired Pastor Robert Graetz. Pastor Graetz was the white pastor of an African-American Lutheran church in Montgomery, Alabama during the Montgomery bus Boycott. He and his wife Jean were participants in the boycott and were active in civil rights issues throughout their long career in the church.

Bishop Gordy followed this with a presentation on the state of the church and the synod; a presentation that was punctuated by a prayer from Haiti:

"LORD, there is a big, ugly devil loose in the land named DISCOURAGEMENT. LORD, send him a way! AMEN

After dinner, the Bishop orchestrated a musical chairs "café conversation," exercise using a variety of questions and requiring participants to change places from table to table. We talked about the state of our souls, our ministries and congregations, the past present and future of the nation and the church.

As the evening drew to a close, we sang and prayed together and then went out into the night for rest and relaxation.

Convo pictures are now posted on Synod Website.