Below is the link for the current job posting of Assistant to the Bishop/Director for Evangelical Mission for the Allegheny Synod. The opening was made active earlier this week. Careers - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (atsondemand.com) If you wish to apply, please use the link provided and have an updated, active RMP in the ELCA database. Interviews will be scheduled in collaboration with the ELCA CCL Home Team.

Beloved in Christ, We pray you are blessed as we continue in the season of Advent. As we prepare for the celebration of our Lord’s birth at Christmas, the staff of the Allegheny Synod Office wanted to send you our Christmas greetings. We ask you to please share this greeting with the members of your congregations. Please feel free to forward this message to your distribution lists. We pray that you will know the peace and presence of our Lord Jesus as walk through these days of Advent and prepare for the celebration of Christmas. This has been a challenging year. May the celebration of our Lord’s birth remind us that he is the light who has come into the darkness and the darkness shall not overcome it. No matter what we face in this world, our Lord and Savior stands with us and the power of the Holy Spirit is leading us forward. May we know the comfort of the presence of our Lord in these days. Remember he promised to be with us always and until the end of that age. May God be with you and may we all have a blessed Christmas and a happy new year. In Christ, Your Allegheny Synod Office Staff Bishop Michael Rhyne Pastor Becca Ehrlich Mrs. Michelle Bossler

Please click the link below to download the bulletin for the Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Ordination of Women.

Please click here for the Allegheny Synod Women's Organization Fall 2020 Newsletter.

Please click here for the 2020 Blanket Sunday and LWR Collection information from the Allegheny Synod Women's Organization.

I am writing to make you aware that today July 15, 2020, Governor Wolf issued an executive order limiting the size of gatherings in the state of PA to 25 people indoors and 250 people outdoors. Below is a link to information about the governor’s order below. https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/wolf-administration-announces-targeted-mitigation-efforts-in-response-to-recent-covid-case-increases/ This will limit the size of in person gatherings we can have for indoor worship. For some of our congregations they will be able to worship because they do not have over 25 persons at a service. For those that would exceed 25 people you may consider going back to online services, or streaming a live service with a maximum of 25 persons gathered for indoor in person worship. The governor orders all business to use telework unless not possible. That means our congregation offices can be open, unless your office manager or church secretary can do their job remotely. At this time, your sexton or housekeeper would be allowed to perform their duties in the building since these tasks cannot be completed remotely. The order also encourages us to continue the practice of social distancing when we are in our offices. Beginning Monday the Synod staff will be working remotely. We will continue to have meetings via Zoom. If you need individual meetings with the Synod staff we will schedule meetings via Zoom or telephone. If you have an issue that requires that we must meet in person, please contact the Bishop or Synod staff and we will make arrangements to meet safely. The Governor’s order also requires people to wear masks when they are away from home, and not participating in outdoor physical activity. This means all our people should be wearing masks for in-person meetings and in worship. As we get more information we will pass it along to you. May God bless you and keep you +Bishop Michael

From Bishop Rhyne: Friends, I wanted to share with you where I stand with my health situation. First, I want to let you know that my COVID test came back negative. I thank God for this. However, I still have many of the symptoms and health issues that began last week and are associated with Covid-19 - shortness of breath, congestion, and cough. I have been seeing my doctor and continue to stay in contact with her. I am thankful the other tests I had have come back clear and no markers for other serious problems appeared. I am feeling much better than I did last week. I still get exhausted fairly quickly, but that is slowly getting better. I thank God for that; I would not wish this on anyone. I can also tell you that I have not been in contact with anyone who was symptomatic, or who I found out later had COVID-19. To me, this highlights even more the importance of our doing all we can to be safe. Please wear a mask when you are in public and church, remembering that my mask protects you and your mask protects me. Practice social distancing. Wash your hands and use hand sanitizer. Do all you can to protect yourself and others Thank you all for your messages and prayers. I truly appreciate you taking the time to reach out. I will be working from home this week (6/22-6/26). I am available by email if you need to contact me. Thank you and God bless Bishop Michael

Friends, ​ The Allegheny Synod Office will reopen on June 22 with regular hours, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Staff will be in the office Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (22, 23, 24) during regular business hours and working remotely on Thursday and Friday (25, 26). We will see people on an appointment-only basis for the time being. If you need to come to the office, please call ahead to make an appointment. We respectfully request that when you come to the office, you wear a mask and practice social distancing. If you serve on a committee that is meeting in the Synod Office, we ask the same—masks and distancing. If there is not enough room in the conference room for distancing, please make arrangements for a Zoom meeting or a larger space off-site in which distancing can occur. ​ As always, the staff is available via e-mail: Bishop Rhyne: bishopmichael@alleghenysynod.com Pastor Paula: paula.schmitt@alleghenysynod.com Pastor Becca: becca.ehrlich@alleghenysynod.com Michelle Bossler: michelle.bossler@alleghenysynod.com ​ We will post our in-office time for the week of June 29 by June 25. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work toward safely returning to the office and hosting you. ​ Peace be with you+ The Allegheny Synod Staff

As many of you know, Pastor Becca Ehrlich serves the Allegheny Synod as the Interim Director For Evangelical Mission. Before she began her ministry with our Synod, she participated in a 3-week filmed wellness retreat in Costa Rica. The retreat has now become a TV show, Lost Resort, which will begin airing on the cable channel TBS in July. Because Pastor Becca had signed the contract to be our Interim DEM before her participation in the retreat was confirmed, Bishop Rhyne and the Synod staff knew of her possible participation. When it was confirmed that she would be part of the retreat, the Synod staff supported Pastor Becca and her desire to address some personal issues on the retreat. Our hope is that Lost Resort and Pastor Becca’s willingness to share part of her story will help others, and encourage them to seek ways to address difficult issues in their own lives. While the show is airing, Pastor Becca is open to answering questions regarding her experience. Look for ways you can connect with Pastor Becca and learn more about the show. If you would like to see the promotional trailer for the program it can be found at the following link: https://youtu.be/D2CgQoSp47w

As you know Pennsylvania is moving toward the ‘Green Phase’ of re-opening. Centre and Clearfield counties moved into green this past Friday. Bedford, Blair, Cambria, and Somerset counties are slated to move into green on June 5th. We have been trying to gather guidance on our churches re-opening and what the state is requiring of us. There are several resources pasted below. The most helpful, I believe comes from our PA Government. The first is a link to the Re-Opening page which contains a lot of information. The second is a link to the news brief explaining the transition from Yellow to Green. I would say to all of you to please be in conversation with your leadership about when you will re-open the church. Just because we are moving into the green phase, it doesn’t mean that you must re-open immediately. I would advise you to begin in person worship when you and your leadership are comfortable and able to do so. I know that you will continue to be cautious as you enter into this new phase of opening and begin to move toward worship. I have also pasted the breakdown of the aspect of the green phase below. You will notice immediately that the green phase says there can be no gatherings of over 250 people. It also says that businesses should not exceed 50% of their building capacity. To make things more complicated the news brief which is linked below says: “Churches, synagogues, temples, mosques and other places of congregate worship are specifically excluded from the limitations established by the order. These institutions are strongly encouraged to enforce social distancing and other mitigation measures such as masking at their gatherings.” We have the order saying no more than 250, but clarifying that these restrictions do not apply to places of worship, but encouraging congregations to wear masks and to follow social distancing practices. It does seem a bit confusing. Might I suggest a way forward with these competing dynamics. Along with the administration I would strongly recommend wearing masks in worship, to refrain from singing, and making sure you are following social distancing practices. We should also be cleaning and disinfecting our sanctuaries after each service. Though the order is saying congregations are not bound by the limits, limiting our gathering size to 50% of building capacity seems to be a good idea. If we were to limit the numbers in our sanctuaries to 50% of capacity it would keep us spread out and help limit transmission of any infection. Though I am sure you are going to do this anyway, I would also strongly encourage you to continue your streaming or making your services available via the internet. It may not be able to be done in the same way, but I have been truly encouraged and surprised by the numbers of people who are engaging and connecting with the services which you are sharing on line. I have spoken to a number of our colleagues who regularly have more people watching online worship than they have in regular Sunday services. I hope that there will be a way to continue this and reach out beyond the walls of our congregations. I know that you will make the best choices for your congregations. You will make these with caution and care. May God bless you as you discern how to best move forward with your leadership. In Christ, +Bishop Michael Resources: PA Government Reopening page https://www.governor.pa.gov/process-to-reopen-pennsylvania/ PA Government news brief on reopening https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/gov-wolf-issues-updated-green-phase-order-guidance-on-dining-and-professional-sports/ CDC Community page https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/index.html Guidelines for GREEN PHASE from Governor Wolf Work & Congregate Setting Restrictions Continued Telework Strongly Encouraged Businesses with In-Person Operations Must Follow Updated Business and Building Safety Requirements All Businesses Operating at 50% Occupancy in the Yellow Phase May Increase to 75% Occupancy Child Care May Open Complying with Guidance Congregate Care Restrictions in Place Prison and Hospital Restrictions Determined by Individual Facilities Schools Subject to CDC and Commonwealth Guidance Social Restrictions Large Gatherings of More Than 250 Prohibited Restaurants and Bars Open at 50% Occupancy Personal Care Services (including hair salons and barbershops) Open at 50% Occupancy and by Appointment Only Indoor Recreation, Health and Wellness Facilities, and Personal Care Services (such as gyms and spas) Open at 50% Occupancy with Appointments Strongly Encouraged All Entertainment (such as casinos, theaters, and shopping malls) Open at 50% Occupancy Construction Activity May Return to Full Capacity with Continued Implementation of Protocols All businesses must follow CDC and DOH guidance for social distancing and cleaning Monitor public health indicators, adjust orders and restrictions as necessary

Message on Financial Situation during Covid-19 Allegheny Synod, ELCA For the last several weeks the finance committee of the Allegheny Synod has been monitoring mission support received and the budget passed by the Allegheny Synod Assembly for the fiscal year 2020-2021. Concerns were raised in the finance committee about making our budgetary commitments this year due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. After several meetings, the finance committee made recommendations to the Synod Council to amend the budget and make appropriate cuts in order to do so. The recommendations came from projections of what this year’s mission support for the Synod might look like. It will be no surprise that our mission support has been behind previous years in 2020. Through April we were 18% behind normal giving levels. Though we have begun to see a rebound in May, the finance committee thought it important to prepare for a worst-case scenario. In that worst-case scenario, if we were to do nothing and mission support trends did not change, the Synod could be facing a deficit of over $130,000 for the coming year. The recommendations presented by the finance committee were as follows: Michelle Bossler, the office manager of the Allegheny Synod, would remain in place at full pay and benefits. Should the bishop-elect wish to make a change, Michelle would be able to negotiate severance at that time. Any employee who resigns voluntarily should not be provided severance. Pastor Paula Schmitt, Assistant to the Bishop, would be half-time beginning July 1 and would be eligible for the approved severance package stated in the Allegheny Synod personnel policy of two months salary and three months benefits which would begin following the end of her term on December 31, 2020. Because Bishop Rhyne announced his desire not to seek another term, which was seen as a voluntary resignation, it was decided that he will not be eligible for severance following the end of his term, December 31, 2020. Pastor Becca Ehrlich, Interim Director For Evangelical Mission, will complete her term at her same hours and rate of pay through August 31, 2020 (her original end date before extension of the term by the Synod Council). The ELCA will negotiate severance with Pastor Becca. It was advised by the finance committee that the Allegheny Synod reduce mission support to the ELCA from 50% to 44.1%. Various other cuts to the Synod budget were proposed and considered. The Synod Council heard the recommendations of the finance committee at its meeting on May 16, 2020. The Synod Council thanked the finance committee for their hard work in dealing with a difficult financial situation. Given the gravity of the recommendations, the Synod Council scheduled another meeting for Wednesday, May 20, 2020 to more fully consider the recommendations. The Allegheny Synod staff created a counter proposal for consideration by the Allegheny Synod Council which included selling the Synod car, restoring some of the ELCA mission support, and a more balanced approach to some of the proposed cuts. After hearing the proposal, the Allegheny Synod Council voted to make no change to Michelle Bossler’s package; have Pastor Becca Ehrlich be contracted through Dec. 31, 2020 (the end of the staff term), remove the offer of severance for Bishop Michael Rhyne that was passed at its September 2019 Council meeting, and to move Pastor Paula Schmitt to three-quarter time as of July 1, 2020 with the original recommendation of severance according to the personnel policy. The Synod car will be retained. ELCA Mission Support will drop from 50% to 45% for this budget year. Partner support will be reduced as well as various other programmatic and administrative costs. The staff, Council, and finance committee thought it important to maintain our support for Camp Sequanota and PSU Campus Ministry at current levels. These cuts made it possible to eliminate the possible deficit due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Council will continue to monitor the financial situation of the Synod. If Mission Support levels begin to rise, the Council will evaluate restoring support for the ELCA, our partners, and revisit the staff reductions. Because the staff is working to reduce travel costs through the end of the year, we will be doing more meetings via Zoom even when we are able to return to in-person meetings. What does this mean for you? The most noticeable difference will be in the reduction of hours for Pastor Paula. She will not be available for Synod business two days a week. While still performing the essential parts of her position, we are discerning together what pieces will have to be let go in this new configuration. Because this is the least amount of staff hours the office has ever had to do its ministry, we are evaluating what is essential. We do know that Pastor Paula has carried numerous responsibilities for Synod Assembly that were outside her normal scope of work. Therefore, it will be imperative that we have additional volunteers from the Synod to assist in the preparation and planning for Synod Assembly. The finance committee and the Synod Council affirmed that new staffing and ministry models will need to be examined by the Bishop-elect. It is the recommendation of the current staff that the Bishop, a full-time assistant, and a full-time office manager would be the ideal staffing model. In these unusual times we all are being asked to re-evaluate our processes and procedures for doing ministry together. While these decisions are challenging, we continue to pray for the Holy Spirit’s presence and guidance moving forward. We ask for your prayers and for your patience as we live into this new way of being church together. Faithfully, +Bishop Michael Rhyne