Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod Endowment Fund Committee

The Endowment Fund Committee is meeting on a quarterly basis at the present time. Our next meeting will be on April 17, 2019.

We welcomed two new members, Corine White and Lisa Ohlde, along with Bruce Snyder, Carol Rowe as Chair and Bp Mike Girlinghouse as an ex officio member. Ida McAllister attends as an advisory member.

At our January meeting we set our 2019 distribution of funds of earned income will be $6,000.00. We also awarded Ascension Lutheran Church Quilters of Del City, Oklahoma $1,000.00 and a grant to Eben Ezer Lutheran Church Youth, Oaks, Oklahoma $1,700.00

At this time we are working on having a table at the Synod Assembly with pictures of past grants that were distributed and grant applications.

An updated grant application can now be found on the synod website and information will be included in the synod newsletter to let folks know of the ability to apply for grants.

Submitted by Carol Rowe-Chair

Global Missions Report

The Global Missions committee meets on an as needed basis, sometimes in person, sometimes via Zoom. We also vote on issues via email when appropriate.The Global Missions accounts as of January 2019 are as follows:

Global Mission Support $311.61Medical Mission Trip $5700.00Water Project Funds $2207.25Tanzania Evangelist $825.87Tanzania Construction $3924.57

In January we wired money from the Evangelist fund to the Morogoro Diocese to be used for support of pastors and evangelists salaries. In February the Water Project funds and the Construction funds were wired to the Diocese to be used for digging a deep well at the site of Ebenezer Secondary School and construction of a dining hall for the school. The Medical Mission trip funds will be used for the medical team. The 2019 Medical Mission is being planned for June 7 to 24, 2019. The team currently has 15 members, including 6 from our Synod and 2 from the Rocky Mountain Synod. The team will work with Mazimbu Hospital again, treating patients and doing surgery. We will also visit the Berega Orphanage for a day or so. One of the team members (a specialist in goats) will spend most of the time at the orphanage helping them get a dairy goat herd established. Prayer support is greatly appreciated!Conversation and support of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain is ongoing. We are looking forward to more engagement after a new bishop is elected.Respectfully submitted,Cindy PennieChair, Global Missions Committee

Women of the ELCA/Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod

Women of AR/OK held three Spring Gathering this year. I was able to attend two of them one was in Hot Springs AR Prince of Peace the other in Oklahoma City at Redeemer. The them was Angles Around Us, Susan Humphries was the study leader and bother were great.I travelled to Chicago IL for the conference of Presidents in February. Human Trafficking was once again one of the main topics, along with AMMPARO and reflections on family detention. We are planning a trip to Tanzania next Spring for 4 women and Bishop Mike, meeting with and learning from the women’s group there. We now have a date for our trip May 21 ,2019 to May 31, 2019. We are now the Women’s Delegation to Tanzania.

Penny Budzien President of the Women of The ELCA Arkansas/Oklahoma Synod

Ecumenical Representative ReportMay 2019

S10.01.C15. The Ecumenical Representative is a member of the Synod who works with the Bishop to:

a. Encourage ecumenical and interfaith relationships in the Synod. b. Coordinate ecumenical and interfaith relationships and partnerships. c. Share resources with congregations and ministries for building ecumenical and interfaith relationships.d. The Ecumenical Representative shall serve on the Community Outreach Team and the Synod Council.

It is my honor to serve the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod as the Ecumenical Representative on Synod Council. Ecumenism, from the Greek word oikoumene, meaning the “whole inhabitable world,” is the work of promoting the unity of the Christian Church(es) so that Christ’s words “that they all may be one” will be fulfilled. In many ways this has now expanded to include dialogue with people of other religious traditions than Christianity, but it’s first and foremost goal is to promote dialogue with other Christians. This includes, naturally, finding common ground in theological and doctrinal areas; but also recognizing areas where there are differences and learning how to live with each other’s differences and distinctive ways of doing theology. It also includes promoting ways in which the churches can work together to live out the Gospel in service to others in our communities and our world.

As the Ecumenical Representative, I work with Bishop Girlinghouse to represent our synod and the ELCA when we are in conversation with other religious groups in Arkansas and Oklahoma. I attend the Oklahoma Council of Churches meetings, as well as the Council of Communion Leaders meetings which are held regularly in Oklahoma City.

In my own ministry, I have strong relationships with the Episcopal and Roman Catholic clergy and their parishes, having served in assisting with liturgies at their churches, and meeting with them about how our churches can work together.

Bishop Girlinghouse and I have a standing lunch date with the Roman Catholic Bishop of Tulsa, David Konderla, and my counterpart, Monsignor Patrick Gaalaas, to discuss our ministries as well as to study documents by various theologians. My hope is to begin to have the same sort of relationship with leaders of other communions in our synod as well.

Please continue to pray for the unity of the Church. It strengthens our witness in a world that is so in need of the message of God’s redeeming grace in Jesus Christ.

Respectfully submitted,

The Revd. Joseph E. Summerville III, STSPastor, University Lutheran Church and Student CenterNorman, OK

Campus Ministry Report

The Arkansas Oklahoma Synod has no independent Campus Ministries – but Campus Ministry still bubbles up like an underground spring. Every time a congregation continues a relationship with a student in college or at a university Campus Ministry happens, and several congregations in our Synod reach out to the students in their communities. In addition, we have two ELCA recognized Campus Ministries happening through congregations in Norman and Stillwater. While they are both ELCA ministries, not all attending students are Lutheran. Students from other traditions or those who are exploring their faith also feel welcome.

Salem in Stillwater, serving Oklahoma State University, and University Lutheran in Norman, serving the University of Oklahoma, each have about twenty students who participate in either weeknight programs or Sunday morning activities, and sometimes both.

From University Lutheran in Norman: The Students of University Lutheran (a.k.a. "SOUL") meets every Wednesday for dinner provided by the congregation, as well as an educational time. Our studies have been Bible studies, topical studies, Lutheranism 101, or even open discussions regarding situations going on in the world around us. We usually end our evening by praying Compline together. Worship

is also done together at one of our two Eucharistic celebrations on Sunday. Most of the students come to breakfast and then stay for the 11.00am service. We are completely funded by selling parking spaces in the church's lot during the six games of the football season. This is not only our only fundraiser but is also a great fellowship time. SOUL has connections with our Jewish, United Methodist, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic student groups. Our goal is to continue to foster these relationships in the semesters ahead.

From Salem Lutheran in Stillwater:Our Campus Ministry meets each Thursday evening for a homecooked meal provided by church members, followed by Bible Study and prayer. We have done topical studies, the lectionary readings and some more in-depth studies on particular books in the Bible. Students come for worship on Sunday mornings; four currently serve as Assisting Ministers, and one as Youth Director. We have two ‘Peer Ministers’ who help everyone stay in touch and organize events. We have also attended events on campus, particularly prayer vigils by the Jewish and Islamic student associations after tragedies, as well as lectures on social justice issues.

This year the two ministries had our first joint retreat, held at University, in Norman. The retreat was led by the pastors of ULCSC and Salem, and Deacon Donna Summerville of ULCSC. A special guest, Art Lantagne, spoke to the students about vocation and avocation, and the place of faith in our callings. Pastor Liz Albertson was instrumental in initiating the event and joined the group Saturday evening and Sunday morning. There was great enthusiasm among the participants to continue to find opportunities to get together.

Please continue to pray for our college students and those who minister with them. It is such an important time in the lives of people, and learning how to navigate issues of faith, life, work, and study, is vitally important.

Respectfully submitted,The Revd. Joseph E. Summerville IIIULCSC, Norman, OKThe Rev. Sally Houck Salem Lutheran Church, Stillwater OK