"Lost and Found," Virginia Synod's faith sharing retreat for 7th and 8th graders and their adult advisors, welcomed 85 youth and adults to Eagle Eyrie Conference Center this past weekend. We explored our theme, "Are You There, God?" by dwelling on Jesus' promise to his disciples from Matthew 28:20 - "I am with you always" - along with three stories from the Israelites' exodus experience: the parting of the Red Sea, the giving of manna, and water from the rock (Exodus 14-17). We had an outstanding planning group (pictured above), whose presentations were enthusiastically received by all participants, and our Small Group leaders did their usual superb work in guiding our youth through conversations about all of these questions and stories. In all of our learning, singing, praying, and playing, we felt the presence of God's Holy Spirit drawing closer to our Lord Jesus and to each other. Thanks be to God!

Winter Celebration, the Virginia Synod's annual weekend faith sharing retreat for youth in 9th through 12th grade and their adult advisors will be Feb. 2-4 (Friday evening to Sunday noon). 

To register for Winter Celebration via the online form, follow this link: https://forms.gle/ZuoipGoYTWijnDhz6

To download a printable registration form for submission by mail, click this link: https://vasynod.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/registration-form-WC2024.pdf

Early Registration discount ends January 8, 2024!

If you have questions about Winter Celebration, contact Virginia Synod Youth Director Dave Delaney – delaney@vasynod.org.

Virginia Synod Lutheran Youth Organization Board Members attend ELCA Youth Leadership Summit

Members of the Virginia Synod Lutheran Youth Organization Board traveled to the ELCA churchwide offices in Chicago last week to participate in the annual "ELCA Youth Leadership Summit". There were nearly 100 youth and adult participants from 40 of the ELCA's 65 synods, reflecting on the event theme, "Called on the Way," based on John 14:6. Attending from the Virginia Synod was Susanna Carr (First English, Richmond), Kat Kolodinsky (Muhlenberg, Harrisonburg), Asher Porter (Our Savior, Christiansburg) and Rev. Dave Delaney.

Maternal Mortality Health Equity Zoom

Monday, December 11, 7pm

The VA Synod Tapestry Team and the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP) invite you to a Zoom gathering mobilizing the Virginia Lutheran community to take the first step to address Virginia’s maternal mortality crisis. 

We will Learn. Pray. Act. together as God’s people: 

• Learn about the maternal mortality crisis in Virginia, and the fact that Black women in Virginia are dying roughly two and a half times more frequently than their counterparts. 
• Pray together - in word and deed - as we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God TODAY. “Today salvation has come to this house.” (Luke 19.9a)
• Act by advocating for the proposed bill in the 2024 General Assembly to mandate unconscious bias training for all VA healthcare workers. 

#LearnPrayAct

Registration closes on Thursday, December 7 at 3pm.

Your Support is Needed in the Middle East

Thank you for your outpouring of prayers and generosity for our siblings impacted by the conflict in the Holy Land. The humanitarian crisis continues to worsen —– almost 70% of Gazan residents are displaced, and resources such as food, water and medical supplies are in short supply. The death toll has far surpassed those of previous conflicts in the region in recent decades.

Gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response have equipped us to respond to this and other disasters whenever and wherever they strike. Gifts designated for “Middle East Crisis" will be restricted to and used in full (100%) for those affected by this crisis and others in the region.

I’d like to tell you some of the ways Lutheran Disaster Response already accompanies our partners in the Holy Land. Lutheran Disaster Response supports:

• Augusta Victoria Hospital. The hospital procures medical supplies and provides accommodations for patients and staff unable to return to their homes in Gaza.
• The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. The church provides emergency education support for families who have lost income due to the war and are unable to pay school fees.
• ACT Alliance. Through implementing partners Lutheran World Federation and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, ACT Alliance responds to immediate needs for psychosocial support, shelter, household items, public health centers and direct cash assistance, focusing on the Palestinian communities in Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

These are just the first steps of what will be a long-term response. Our accompaniment of and solidarity with our partners endures, and we will work together to address other emerging needs. We continue to pray for peace with justice in the region.

I encourage you to visit the ELCA’s “Conflict in the Holy Land” resource page, where you’ll find worship resources, advocacy opportunities, statements from the ELCA and our partners, and more.

Young Adults in Global Mission Applications are Open

The ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program is ready for new volunteers! The YAGM team must find the next cohort of young Christians ready to step out into the future. Do you know one? If you know such a young adult, aged 21 to 35, this is the time to reach out. Applications are now accepted on a rolling basis, year-round. Those who apply by Feb. 1 will be considered for the service year beginning the following August. Priority will be given to those who apply before Jan. 15.

Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust Study Process Open

The 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly authorized two reconsiderations (Memorial C3

and Motion K) of the 2009 social statement Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust. The assembly did not authorize a reconsideration of the whole statement or dictate a particular outcome. A reconsideration is not a wholesale rejection or rewriting of a social statement. It is instead a process that allows the church to thoughtfully, prayerfully, and communally re-examine particular parts of a social teaching document.

The process for reconsideration will begin with appointment of a task force by the ELCA Church Council and follow the designated procedure for social teaching development. To support this process, a new website with information has been created by the ELCA. You can learn more by clicking on the button below.

We share in celebration with Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. The Rev. Dr. Chad Rimmer was installed as Rector and Dean of LTSS on November 9, 2023.

In this role, he will serve as a professor and the lead academic and church administrator in the seminary’s mission to educate, nurture, and form leaders for public ministry. Rostered in the North Carolina Synod, he has served in the United States and globally across the Lutheran World Federation as parish pastor, teaching theologian, and, most recently, the LWF Program Executive for Theology and Practice.

Rimmer is an eco-theologian who holds a B.Sc. in biology/chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.Div. from United Lutheran Seminary, and an M.Th. and Ph.D. in theological ethics from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Caroline Furnace Hiring for Summer 2024



If you have a passion for the outdoors and enjoy being surrounded by nature, while also imparting valuable knowledge about God and his creation to children, consider joining the summer staff at Caroline Furnace. Find more info through the button below.

As we gather this month to give thanks for all God’s blessings, enCircle staff is also preparing for a worldwide fundraiser on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28. The money raised will be used to purchase supplies for arts and crafts to provide engaging activities for the people with disabilities we serve and children with challenges in our Minnick Schools. Here’s a short video of your donations in action! https://youtu.be/T0XvtQuZhwc. If you would like to donate, please go to enCircleAll.org anytime through Nov. 28. Every donation is a gift and is deeply appreciated.

EnCircle’s mission is to express God’s love by providing a variety of services to empower communities, families, adults, and children in their journey to well-being. What was started by a pastor as a small Virginia orphanage in 1888 has evolved into an organization of more than 600 staff and caregivers. 



Our circle is wide, and all are included.