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The Rev. James S. Dunlop jdunlop@lss-elca.orgBishop January 12, 2022 “but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31 Dear Lower Susquehanna Synod Rostered Ministers, As the new year is upon us and our COVID-19 weariness continues to grow, I would like to first extend an invitation for us to meet by Zoom on Thursday, January 20 at 1:30 p.m. or, Tuesday, January 25, at 1:30 p.m. (Zoom links provided in a separate email.) I...

December 14, 2021 He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep. – Isaiah 40:11 (NRSV) Advent blessings in the name of Jesus Christ - the one who is, and the one who is to come again. I write first to express my gratitude for how all of you are working selflessly for the sake of the common good and to share my concern as COVID-19 continues to deeply impact our local communities and the world. The growing weariness from the...

December 10, 2020 Second Week of Advent For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. - Galatians 5:13-15 Dear Lower Susquehanna Synod Rostered Ministers: Over the past few weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to worsen. Yesterday 3,011 people died from...

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” – Luke 6:31 Dear Siblings in Christ, On Monday, November 16, 2020, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine spoke about the increasing coronavirus case numbers, citing that “62 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties have a percent positivity rate of 5%. The state’s overall rate is 9.6%.” Our own counties are seeing high escalations in daily positive cases, five to ten-fold increases. This data confirms that we are now in the worst of the pandemic to date. For us as the church gathering for worship and meetings, digital congregating remains...

June 11, 2020 Barnabas, Apostle Dear Siblings in Christ, Care for God’s people, bear their burdens, and do not betray their confidence. So, discipline yourselves in life and teaching that you preserve the truth, giving no occasion for false security or illusory hope. Witness faithfully in word and deed to all people. Give and receive comfort as you serve within the church. And be of good courage, for God has called you, and your labor in the Lord is not in vain. I’m reminded of the words above from the service of ordination as the COVID-19 crisis continues … and...

(Harrisburg, PA)…Barry R. Herr, former treasurer of the Lower Susquehanna Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, was sentenced today to serve 30 months in federal prison, two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $799,998 in restitution. Herr, 62, of Lancaster, was arrested on March 13, 2008, and charged with thirty-six (36) counts of Criminal Use of a Communication Facility (electronic transfer of funds) and one (1) count of Theft by Deception in the amount of $1,004,732. Each charge is a felony of the third degree. The charges stem from months of investigation by the synod, the...

A local church conference questions how much the CEO of a social services nonprofit earns. A local congress of Lutherans wants to know why the top executive of a large, church-affiliated social services agency has a compensation package topping $1 million. In 2006, the Rev. Dr. Daun E. McKee, CEO and president of Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries, collected $385,947 in salary, $582,925 in benefits and a $63,591 expense account for a total $1.03 million, according to tax records. McKee's compensation topped all other nonprofit executives in the region, according to the Central Penn Business Journal. Diakon officials defend McKee and...

Federal prosecutors are reviewing the case of a Lancaster man accused of stealing more than $1 million from the regional governing body of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, lawyers said. Lower Paxton Township police arrested Barry R. Herr, 61, of the 2100 block of Creek Hill Road in March and accused him of misappropriating $1,004,732 in church money. Herr was charged with 36 felony counts of criminal use of a communication facility and one felony count of theft by deception in a scheme police said dates to at least 1991. Herr was released on $25,000 unsecured bail. Prosecution of...