The School of Lay Ministry

Some things are hot, some thing's are not.  The school of lay ministry is hot.  Founded in 2006 as a learning opportunity for adults in New England who are interested in expanding their understanding of the Lutheran faith.  The school now boasts 90 graduates and a current enrollment of 58 students.  The two year curriculum centers on a year of study of both the Hebrew bible and the New Testament, followed by a year of study of our Lutheran understanding of the Christian faith.

Why is the school hot?  The answer lies in the motivation of the participants to deepen their faith in Jesus way of being in the world.  The first ever alumni event was held this month at Emanuel Lutheran Church in West Warwick, RI. We spent the day preparing to author Hollywood type scripts.  The subject of these narratives?  The grand unfolding drama of God's story and our individual subplots within that grand drama.

 

Using the resource, Storyline 2.0, written by author and screenwriter Donald Miller, we prayed, laughed, meditated, discussed, and wrote our way through the day.  The goal?  Create a five minute narrative of your life as a subplot of God's story, and find a way to live that story as a disciple of Jesus.

The school of lay ministry is hot because around the world, we are seeing a return to a book of Acts way of being church.  People are gathering in living rooms, bars and coffee houses to explore the big questions of life.  What is God like? Does life have meaning?  Why is there suffering?  At the forefront of this movement are lay people.  What would New England look like if there was a trained cadre of lay people to embrace their Christian faith and take it with them to work, to school, to the store?  Not armed with cliches and pamphlets, but embraced by the Holy Spirit, trained theologically and encouraged to love and serve the people they come into contact everyday,

Every September a new class is formed.  That class begins with a retreat at Camp Calumet.  You form a group that is geographically close to you to study, pray and support one another as you journey together as disciples.  We have begun conversations about starting a Spanish language version of the school of lay ministry.  This will be an exciting next step in this very to ministry within the New England Synod.

For more information contact. Stevendumas@cox.net

Charitable Contributions

If you're age 70½ or older in 2013, this may have a positive impact on your individual income tax situation as well as on your local congregation.
During 2012, many donors planned to use the IRA charitable rollover to make a gift to their church or other organizations.  They were unable to do so because Congress had not yet extended the rollover.   As a result, these donors took their required minimum distribution knowing that they would have to pay tax on the distribution.  

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 has extended the IRA Charitable Rollover for 2013, with special provisions that allow donors to make gifts that are retroactive for the 2012 tax year if they act before February 1, 2013.  

There are two ways donors can take advantage of the recent changes for their 2012 taxes:

1.       Under a special rule included by Congress in the recent law, donors who received a distribution from their IRA between December 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012 canconvert this taxable distribution into a charitable distribution by making a cash gift to charity before February 1, 2013.  The IRS will treat the amount of the cash gift as if the donor had made a direct rollover to charity in 2012 and the donor will avoid tax on the amount of the gift.

2.       Donors can make a qualified charitable distribution from their IRA before February 1, 2013 and choose to have that distribution treated as though it occurred in 2012.

For those donors who made a charitable distribution from their IRA in 2012 in hopes that Congress would extend the IRA Charitable Rollover, you made the right call! Distributions made from IRAs directly to qualified organizations can be considered qualified charitable distributions.

Be sure to consult your legal and financial advisor if you are considering a gift under this law.  

Manchester

"Manchester England England, across the Atlantic sea.  I'm a genius genius, and I believe in God, and I believe that God believes in Claude - that's me."

OK, twenty points to anyone who can name the production.

It wasn't in England, but this weekend, I was in Manchester, Connecticut.  Two days of connecting and worshipping and praying with people from the greater Hartford Conference.   I began on Sunday morning with worship at Emanuel Lutheran Church celebrating the Baptism of our Lord.

(I love this photo and the young boy carrying the bowl squinting. Poor kid, I probably got more water on him than anyone.)

In addition to preaching, I also had the opportunity to lead a children's word where we all got wet around the baptismal font.

In the afternoon, I was at Concordia for a Q & A session with about 50 people from around the conference area of Hartford.  After a stop at the Vernon Diner to watch the first half of the Patriots playoff game, I headed over to Trinity Lutheran for "Pizza with the Bish."  Roughly 60 youth and adults from various congregations came by for some lovely Hawaiian Pizza, my favorite.  During the Q & A I was asked if I beleived in Aliens and if I would baptize one.  On Monday, I learned about some of the wonderful minsitries in Manchester, including MACC a food, shelter, clothing and advocacy program.  Then I traveled to see the Creative Learning Center of Connecticut.  

Cindy Hall and Virgil along with other people at Emanuel have been working on a vision of a meaningful residential center for adults with Autism.  It's a grand vision and one of the steps along the way is this green house, where adults with Autism come and work in the greenhouse.  Apparently they find this environment to be soothing and enjoyable.  In the photo below, Chris, the chief gardener, is picking some herbs for me to bring home to Lisa - one of the perks of the job.

In the evening I met more people at The Studio in Hartford, CT.  We had a conversation about the future of the church in America.  It was a fascinating discussion that lead me to think about opportunities we might consider, as we experiment with new forms of being the church.  The evening closed out with Young Adults in Hartford, just enjoying each others company.  Apparently I was allowed to be a part of a Young Adult group because of my title, not my age.  Hmmm, it was just yesterday - I was young and cool and hip.  Actually, I was never hip, but I'm working on it now.  If I try hard, what are the chances?

Oh, one final thing.  I visited First in Ellington with Pr. Jeff Stalley, and found this practice he has engaged with the congregation.  Each week they write down a response to the question, "Where have I seen God at work in the world, in my life."  After they write down a response on a long sheet of paper, it's included in the prayers and then added to a chain that begins at the cross and makes its way along the sanctuary walls, heading out the door and into the world...  I love these road trips where I discover what wonderful ministry we are engaged.

What I learned in Puerto Rico

Every year the Conference of Bishop's holds an event that serves as its major focus of continuing education called the Bishop's Academy.  Typically, the event meets in one of the 65 synods, and includes guest speakers, and the opportunity for bishops to engage in mutual learning.  The latter is perhaps the most helpful, especially for one who is new to this office.  This year, and for the first time ever, the event was held in heart of the Caribean Synod, which consists of ELCA congregations in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.  This synod actually contains some of the oldest Lutheran congregations in the western hemisphere dating back to the 1600's.  While it will be easy for some to critique a visit like this as simply bishops wanting to get some sun, infact there were two essential and more significant elements to this particular academy.  (Next year I'm told we'll be in fishing huts on a frozen lake in Minnesota)

First, this was a strong affirmation of the most multi-cultural synod of the ELCA.  Nowhere else in our denomination do we have such a large population of non-whites.  Why is this significant?  Because the Lutheran church is a denomination of some 97% white people.  Yet, we live in a nation that is rapidly becoming 50% people of color by the year 2050.  Affirming the value and importance of the people in the caribean synod cannot be underestimated.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, this event gave me clear direction in one of our major efforts going forward here in New England.  We need to be very proactive and intentional about broadening the complexion of our church.  We must become a more colorful church.  Starting new congregations, ministries and programs in, with and through the latino community is essential, and I believe should become one of our top priorities.  

While in Puerto Rico, I benefited from three important presentations by Dr. Daisey Machado.  She is the Dean at Union Theological Seminary, and professor of Church History.  Her lectures covered immigration issues, understanding of latino experience in America, and the rise and dangers of the prosperity gospel movement.  Her presentations were not simply academic papers, rather they were pastoral and practical, as well as scholarly.  She helped me understand the importance of the role of faith in the latino community.

Attending worship on sunday, during the festivities surround the "tres reyes" or "three kings" day was a highlight.  Perhaps even more significant than Christmas worship for Puerto Ricans, the day includes family gatherings and gift giving. Children are encouraged to put a small box of straw at the foot of their beds to feed the camels.  In the night, the camels will come bearing the three kings (aka the three wise men) who will then leave gifts for the children. The Puerto Rican equivalent of leaving cookies out on the living room table for Santa.

Lisa and I worshipped at the Lutheran Church of the Reconciliation.  Dynamic music and a gifted preacher have made this congregation an exciting ministry.  Good Jesus stuff is happening here.  Afterwards during a meal, we learned that their Pastor is fond of extreme sports and invited us to return in order to experience some sky diving or para-sailing.  This is my kinda guy, I thought.  

What I learned in Puerto Rico is that our church is birthing new kinds of ministries in new places, and we have an opportunity to learn from these cultures and embrace them.

Merry Christmas 2012

A photo from our August 2012 motorcycle camping trip in Montana, Glacier National Park.  

Along the top, a couple of photos from my installation, with good friends, Erik Bell, Kurt Christenson and Mark Hagen.  The next is of our two black labs, we did say good bye to Lucy this summer after 13 years.  The Hazelwood-Stoen clan, and two good lookin' people on a bike outside Yellowstone in August.

This past weekend I visited  my 51st and 52nd congregation since starting on September 1 as Bishop.  St. Mark in Norwich, CT and Iglesia Luterana in Providence.  I'm now settling in to a bit of a break for this week, and then a week at the Conference of Bishops.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year.  I'm taking some time off from the blog until after the new year. Unless something really sparks my attention.  I'll resuming blogging on January 8, 2013.

What we bring to tragedy.

On Sunday, I was preaching at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Bristol, CT.  Last summer, the congregation extended an invitation for me to come and preach.  Suddenly, the events of last friday in Newtown, Connecticut forced me to abandon my initial plans for the sermon.  In place of the joy of the season of Advent, we were looking deeply into the face of grief, horror and questions.

I chose to explore the range of emotions, the reality of our place inbetween Good Friday and Easter.  But, when the children came to the altar with their parents for Holy Communion, I found myself laying a hand on them and blessing them.  "May Jesus love and care for you."  It was at that moment, that everything came to the forefront of my soul.  It was the most emotional part of the day for me.

In the congregation's fellowship hall following worship, we gathered for a meal and discussion.  A member of the church council had eagerly invited the local press to send a reporter.  Due to a scheduling conflict, she arrived at the conclusion of the meal.  But, I did sit down for an interview with reporter Erica Schmidt, on the left in the photo below. She is pictured with the paper's photographer, whose name I did not catch.

After a few basic questions, she thoughtfully asked me, "What's your response to people when they say, 'How could God cause," she then caught herself and rephrased, "How could God allow this to happen."  

I could tell she was a thoughtful person, and actually quite interested in the question herself.  In other words, she was not simply a reporter doing a job, she was also a human being - a person with a curiosity, a desire to explore significant questions about the nature of God, evil, faith.  

What followed was a conversation, she was taking notes, thinking, responding.  We were engaged in an exploration of some of the most difficult questions we face as people of God.  The results of our conversation became a focus of her article in the Monday edition of the The Bristol Press.  You can read it here.

The article is a reflection of what we as Lutheran christians can bring to the public square, the public conversation about faith and life and death and good and evil.  While some extremist can capture the airwaves with absurd statements and trivializations of profound questions, we can bring an engaged conversation.  "I think God's heart is broken" is a more realistic and honest statement.  Many people understand that phrase in the aftermath of Newtown.  They also want to discuss it more thoroughly and thoughtfully.  This is good.  We lutherans live in the muddled middle, we live in the tension, we live in paradox.  Increasingly, this is the place where most people live.

This is especially true for younger people, but it is not exclusively the purview of a new generation.  We are all living in a world that no longer responds to easy answers, because we know that even the questions are challenging.  Why would we expect the answers to be simple.

I was heartened by Erica, both as a reporter and as a person wondering about significant questions in a challenging time.

 

P.S.  I'm told that the article in print form had many photographs from the morning at St. Andrew in Bristol. Therefore, maybe Erica's reporting of the theology of the cross got more exposure than a simple page 39 footnote.

My Letter following the Newtown tragedy

"O God, your beloved Son took children into his arms and blessed them.  Give us grace, we pray, that we may entrust these little ones along with their teachers to your never failing care and love, and bring us all in your heavenly kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen."

"And now my soul is poured out within me;

days of affliction have taken hold of me.

The night racks my bones,

and the pain that gnaws me takes no rest."   Job 30:16

 

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from helping me, 

   from the words of my groaning?

O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;

  and by night, but find no rest."                   Psalm 22:1

 

"Jesus began to weep."    John 11:35

 

There are no words available to me to adequately express the loss and sorrow I feel over this tragedy in Connecticut.  It may be the season of Advent, but it feels like the morning after Good Friday, before anyone realized the word "Good" could be added.

Our hearts are broken for the parents, siblings, family, coworkers, first responders, ministers and residents surrounding the Newtown, Connecticut community.  We pray, indeed.  But, this morning my prayer is more deep sigh, than eloquent words. 

From across the country, and from our partners around the world, we are receiving offers of assistance, promises of prayer, expressions of a desire to help and be with us.  One congregation from Colorado, who lived through the Columbine shootings of 1999, called us to offer financial support, many of my colleagues in the Conference of Bishops as well as clergy from their synods have sent prayers, and offers to help.

Although, no family (to my knowledge) from any of our congregations lost anyone in this tragedy, there are still many in the area who know someone or simply by virtue of living in the area are impacted.  We have at least two members from area congregations who had either a child or grandchild who attended the school, but were unharmed.

If any of you wish to communicate with the congregations closest to Newtown, CT you my write them, if you wish. 

Prince of Peace Lutheran

PO Box 5184

119 Junction Road

Brookfield, CT  06804

Pastors Mark Nordskog & Amanda Warner

St. James Lutheran Church

111 Peter Road

Southbury, CT  06488

Pastor Scott Nessel

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
466 Elm Street
Monroe, CT  06468

In addition, these congregations have a connection to this incident through family or friends in their congregation or daycare/preschool programs

Grace Lutheran 

150 Chapel St

Stratford, CT  06614

Pastor Cathy Rohrs

Salem Lutheran

3160 Park Avenue

Bridgeport, CT 06604

Pastor Marjo Anderson

Immanuel Lutheran

25 Great Hill Road

Oxford, CT  08478

Pastor Bruce Steinway

There is a time for compassion, and a time for outrage. I'm experiencing both simultaneously. Suddenly, the day of the holy innocents has been brought to life, sadly, in our time once again.

 

Bishop Jim Hazelwood

Advent Hope & Christmas Joy from all of us

 

L-R -  Jane, Lyn, AliceKerr, Tim, Cathy, Barbara, Jim & Ted

 

Something’s happening

 

They are starting to arrive...

Wrapped in plain brown paper, mostly grocery store shopping bags

inverted and converted

into protective covering for delivery.

 

Some arrive bound and sealed with enough tape to create suspicion. 

“What’s going on here?”

 

On the outside, plain and uninviting,

yet, on the inside, a gift, a surprise, an unexpected something.

Reminds me of something, no, someone, long ago, yet not so long ago.

 

Someone who with family and friends ducked under the border fences of His day,

snuck into the places He wasn’t supposed to be -

temples, palaces, hearts and minds of men and women –

 

and still does today.

Bishop in Residence - New Hampshire & Maine

Well, I'm not so sure about "in residence."  It felt more like an ecclesiastical version of Bob Dylan and the Rolling Thunder Revue.  In 1975, Dylan and his band of ecclectic performers booked concerts in small and mid-size venues throughout New England.  It was captured in the movie 'Renaldo and Clara', which was a really strange film.  But, I loved it.  Why?  Because it was Dylan, Allen Ginsburg, Joan Baez, Scarlett O'Hara on the road during the Blood on the Tracks and Desire time period.  Hey, I was in High School and dreaming of being on the road with the band.

I set out last week for my own version.

The goal of this first year as bishop is to visit all of the congregations of the New England Synod.  That's 185 congregations in 365 days.  It seems like a monumental task, but our visits are in the mid forties after about three months - so we are on track.

The northern tier trip last week took me from my home in Rhode Island to Springfield, MA for the Consecration of Rev. Doug Fisher, the new bishop of the Episcopal diocese in Western Mass.  Next I was off to Holy Trinity Lutheran in Newington, NH for the installation of Pr. Richard Rhodes, as well as the Indonesian Lutheran congregation, followed by a jaunt up the coast to First Lutheran in Portland, Maine. I overnighted at Camp Calumet.  The next day was a loop to South Paris, Maine, where they are in discussions to share the ministry with the Episcopal church in town.  After lunch in Bethel, I was off to St. Paul in Berlin, followed by Nativty in North Conway before returning to Calumet.  The next day, Prince of Peace in Claremont, NH, Community Lutheran in Enfield, and Our Savior in Hanover, NH.  In the mddle of all that I visited Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, where we have an ELCA chaplain and CPE supervisor, Rev Frank Macht.  The next day I was in Nashua at Christ the King and Triumphant Cross in Salem, NH.  I dropped down I-93 to First Lutheran in Malden, MA for Advent worship.

Exhausting and exhilirating.  Kind of a simul ustes et pecator experience.  

both/and

hearing the frustrations, and the hopes

the living in the past and longing for the future

the gospel brewing inside people and places, yearning to be born.

A perfect way to start the season of Advent.

 

More to come

Have you done the Google lately?

Some would say the act is the epitome of self obsession, a sign of the narcistic times we live.  Maybe it is the greatest compliment and sign of a self actualized individual.  What am I talking about?  

Googling yourself.

 Yes, indeed.  I am actually encouraging you to enter your name in the google search engine.  What you will see is a glimpse of how other people see you.  The results for me are fairly predictable: My bishop on a bike website and blog, a link to my old photography business (now sending references to two friends), various press releases, plus links to many other Jim Hazelwood's around the world.

But, do you have some strange video out there of you dancing in a grass skirt on top of the tables in the college cafeteria?  Not that I ever did that while I was a student in college.

My point is that in this day and age of the internet, you need to remember that you are a public person. Especially, if you are a pastor, teacher, business leader, coach, etc.   People are googling (is that a word?) you. They are checking you out - all the time.  This is especially true if you are in a job search, interviewing for a new call, or being considered for an award.  Perhaps you should take a deep look at your internet profile and address some of those old posts, facebook pictures or videos.

Do you need to be pure?  Hah.  Look at me, I'm not hiding who I am, but I am strategic about my posts, both here and elsewhere.  I don't use swear words, I don't criticize other people (though I may tease them), I don't advertise my daily emotional status or the latest zit that has appeared on my forehead.  Think before you post! Yes, you can be playful, but you must also be smart.  

Just a thought, oh and by the way, I found this today.

Watch my email box fill with complaints from all the therapists, including my own.   Oooops, should I have disclosed that piece of information?   Oh, the rumors will fly now.

NeXt Church Part 4 - A new path to Evangelism?

Over the course of 4 days, I covered 1,000 miles visiting congregations in Maine and New Hampshire.  It was a great run, but I must admit, me bum is a bit wilted. (said with a British accent)

My last stop was First Lutheran Church in Malden, MA. (Good website by the way) Pastor Rachel Manke had invited me to be a part of their Advent evening worship, but first dinner.  Where to go?  She suggested this Indian food place.  I was all in for energizing my taste buds on some south Indian cuisine.

I'll admit the sorta hole in the wall appearance gave me pause but I was going to trust my pastor for the day.  Later I learned it was her first visit to the restaurant.  An amazing meal, with a variety of textures and colors, curry galore!  Halfway through the meal, the owner, whose name is Pumleigh (forgive the spelling), engaged us in conversation.  "What parish are you with?  Where is this church?  I went to BC, and have attend catholic and pentecostal churches.  Will you give me a blessing?" etc Pastor Rachel was on it with here handy dandy biz card with the churches address and an invite to come to worship.

After we honored her request for a blessing, we left.  

Evening vespers at First Lutheran was quiet, calm and meditative.  Then part way through worship I see the doors at the back of the church open and in comes Pumleigh.  She stays and participates in worship including a candle lighting ritual.

(In the photo she is placing a candle among other candles - the iphone camera can't handle the range and blows out the highlights)

Following worship she stays and engages in conversation and participates in the Q&A with the Bish.  As the discussion turns to outreach for the congregation, Pumleigh raises her hand and describes her journey that evening.  She had been wondering where she might find a new church, and most recently began to pray about this question.  Then everything happened - dinner, conversation, Pastor Rachel's invite, the evening worship, the welcoming place.

Folks, it just doesn't get any better than this!  

WOW! That was fast.

We announced the Jan 12 event, (see below) and it filled up in less than 5 hours.  Yikes.

We are working at moving to a new site in Worcester to allow more people to come.  In addition, Pr. Tim Roser, able bodied Bishop's Associate for the North Pole (pssst, doubles as Santa in the peak season) is working on setting up a way to webcast or Skype to Calumet in order to add an option for Northern Tier folks.

A new announcement will go out next week.

 

I don't believe in Communication.

I believe in over communication.

 

If you would like to register for this event on Jan 12 click here.

-

On Saturday, January 12, from 10:00 a.m. til 3:00 p.m., I'm inviting 25 people to join me and some gifted people from the field of journalism and communication to explore, learn and improve your communication skills. This is another step in our ongoing efforts to help congregations and the synod as a whole tell better stories. There is no financial cost for this event, but there is an expectation that you are willing to learn and apply your new found skills to help both your congregation and the synod do a better job in communication. (A small donation to offset the cost of lunch will be invited.) The trade off is simple. We'll teach you how to improve communication in your congregation in exchange for your willingness to be a journalist to tell a few stories a year about your church. 

 
We are looking for people who like to take pictures or video, write stories, ask questions, and/or express themselves creatively through communication. We don't expect you to know everything, just have a willingness to learn more. 
 
At this event, you will: 
  • Learn the keys to getting better local press coverage of your church.
  • Improve the way your church tells its story. 
  • Become a better photographer.
  • Discover ways to use Facebook and the internet in your church.
  • Write a short story about an event at you church.
  • Network with professionals eager to help you after this.
This event is limited to 25 persons on a first come first registered basis. You can use this Constant Contact link here to register. Yes, you can bring more than one person from your church, but no more than three. Location is at the New England Synod Office, 20 Upland St. Worcester, Mass, actually right next door at Emanuel lutheran Church.