We invite you to make some time to view (or re-watch, if you saw them at assembly) our videos that commemorate these observances. They include:

The videos mentioned above as well as ALL of the videos shown at the 2020 Synod Assembly can be viewed on the synod website at www.spas-elca.org/synod-assembly. Congregations are invited to share them with their congregations; they are available for download from Vimeo. Questions? Contact Director of Communications Mary Smith at communications@spas-elca.org.

We are grateful for the enthusiastic support with which congregations have responded to the synod's Food Shelf Challenge. We've surpassed the $160,000 mark and contributions continue to add up in support for local food shelves and food banks. Learn more at www.spas-elca.org/a-food-shelf-challenge.

Rostered ministers serving in congregations are invited to participate in this year's Bishop's Theological Conference, which has been shortened from its traditional multi-day in-person conference to an online gathering. Our featured speaker is Dr. Deanna Thompson, Director of the Lutheran Center for Faith, Values and Community at St. Olaf College. Her comments will focus on "Beyond Deep Gladness: Rethinking Vocation in This Time." Have your Bible at the ready as we together reflect on Deuteronomy 34 and our own evolving sense of vocation amid this pandemic. No registration is necessary; the Zoom link was emailed Oct. 1.

The updated salary and compensation guidelines for 2021 are now available. The document provides a point of reference for congregations to determine compensation for pastors, deacons and other staff in our synod. Click here for the document or find it on the synod website at www.spas-elca.org/resources/forms-reports/.

Our congregation’s Hunger Advocacy and Awareness Group plans an annual field trip to a hunger-related site. One of the places we have visited is Dream of Wild Health farm in Hugo, a place where this intertribal, independent nonprofit provides Native youth education and leadership which improve the health and well-being of the Twin Cities’ Native youth through culturally-based mentorship, education, leadership and job training. Over 14,000 lbs of produce were harvested summer 2019 at the farm. Produce is distributed to the community through the farmers market, youth and educational programs, chef donations, the Indigenous Food Share (CSA), and to 700 community members at the Indigenous Food Tasting.

This past spring, ELCA World Hunger rapidly responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by launching Daily Bread Matching Grants. These grants provided 200 congregations with tools to raise funds online for their feeding ministries, along with a $500 grant to drive generosity. In 14 days, the 200 congregations raised well over $200,000, and the energy and impact of the ministry fueled by those funds has been felt widely across the church.

We know that in times of need, this church gets to work and gives abundantly. Thanks to the generous response to the COVID-19 Appeal, ELCA World Hunger will be offering 300+ additional Daily Bread Matching Grants this fall. 

Details for applying via ELCA GrantMaker can be found on elca.org/dailybread and ELCA World Hunger’s social media. Approved participants will be notified shortly before the two-week fundraising period, which will take place Nov. 8-22. Until then, interested congregations should email hunger@elca.org and follow ELCA World Hunger on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for updates.

Eligibility: ELCA congregations with feeding ministries are invited to participate. Grant information will be available in Spanish and English through elca.org/dailybread. Ethnic-specific, multi-cultural and vulnerable congregations will receive priority. ELCA World Hunger staff will coordinate with DEMs to ensure that these congregations receive the support to successfully participate. Congregations that received a Daily Bread Matching Grant already this year are not eligible, but are encouraged to coach and support congregations participating in this round. Congregations without a feeding ministry can get involved by partnering with a congregation that does, multiplying their impact.

ELCA World Hunger offers a variety of downloadable resources for the upcoming season of Advent, which is a great time to raise awareness for issues surrounding hunger and poverty. These resources include Advent calendars and weekly study guides, resources for newsletters and bulletins, and action guides for congregations. Unlike years past, ELCA World Hunger will not be sending a full sample packet of Advent resources this year. Instead, you may check them out online at https://elca.org/hunger/resources.

The synod office is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. A limited number of staff are on-site each day. You may continue to reach all staff members by phone (651-224-4313) or by email.

Rostered and lay leaders alike are invited to a weekly gathering of topical presentations designed to provide encouragement and support for ELCA leaders. Drawing on her experiences of simple and powerful ritual in her own life's apprenticeship with sorrow, Rev. Solveig Nilsen-Goodin is accompanying us through a six-month series on the sacred work of grief (the first Wednesday of each month, September through February). This week (Oct. 7), through reflection and guided meditation, she will open space for us to encounter the painful truth that "everything we love, we will lose." If you missed the Sept. 2 gathering or would like to watch it again, you may access that recording here. Solveig Nilsen-Goodin offers spiritual direction and coaching, as well as support and accompaniment for leaders, activists, organizers, healers, and anyone longing to "heal-the-whole" on any level. This is an opportunity to be in small group discussions with an ELCA group coach facilitating the conversation. Recordings of past sessions with supporting documents are available at www.elcacoaching.org/podcasts/media. You may find upcoming topics and presenters at www.elcacoaching.org/.

or by phone: +1 312 626 6799

What does it mean to be a Christian public leader in a time such as this? In this odd and challenging year, you are invited to engage in the process of healthy leadership through a natural family systems lens. Join the Rev. Dr. Jules Erickson and the Rev. Tom Olson in life-giving conversation and rich learning through the lens of Bowen-Friedman Systems Theory and the work of Brené Brown (The Daring Way™). Sessions will be held every third Tuesday of the month through May. The cost is $20 per session or $120 for the series. Learn more.

Living through a pandemic involves many changes and losses: of routine, of community, of time with family and friends, of jobs, of privacy, of home and of safety, to name a few. These losses are especially difficult for older adults who are already living with so much ambiguity around finances, relationship changes, retirement plans, family roles, and health. In this older adult ministry forum, living well with ambiguity and ambiguous losses in the midst of a pandemic will be addressed. Adjustments and adaptations of previous practices will be interwoven with information about care of self and care for others. The presenter is Ted Bowman. The registration fee is $12 and registration is required by Oct. 6. Visit https://tinyurl.com/y4ztl9uy to register or contact Becky Hulden at (651) 632-5335 or bhulden@lyngblomsten.org. Registrants will be sent a confirmation email with instructions for logging into the forum via Zoom.

We've all been living in the COVID world for several months now. This online course will examine how

pandemics have impacted humankind over time, paying particular attention to how human spirituality can both hinder and facilitate our ability to cope and find meaning, specifically with respect to COVID-19. The course is taught by the Rev. Karen Cherwien, BCC. Topics include:

The cost is $5 per session or $20 for all six sessions. Learn more and register.

www.spas-elca.org | 651.224.4313