September 22, 2020
Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA Enews
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Join us over the next few months as we highlight different members of our staff. The Minneapolis Area Synod staff is comprised of 15 people who live in the city, suburbs, and rural areas. We are fairly racially and age diverse for an ELCA office. We hope you get to know us better through these fun interviews! This week's featured staff member is Madeline Troyer, associate organizer for environmental justice. |
Madeline Troyer
What has been the best or most surprising part about the stay-at-home orders?
- I’m surprised how creative people have gotten with the time at home. Personally, I have enjoyed being forced to find creative ways to connect to friends and it has forced me to find outdoor spaces near home. Also, my reading list is slowly getting shorter which is not normal.
Do you have any pets or wish you did?
- In Ohio I have a dog named Maggie. I would loe to have an indoor cat.
What book are you currently reading or show are you binge-watching?
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We Are the Weather, Ishmael, and The Invention of Nature
What is your favorite restaurant to order take-out from?
- I haven't had the chance to explore restaurants here in Minneapolis yet, but I would love recommendations!
What late summer or fall activity are you most looking forward to?
What is giving you hope right now?
- Seeing outdoor spaces being used to bring people together
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Bishop Svennungsen and Archbishop Hebda dialogue on welcoming immigrants |
Expanding on a Star Tribune editorial they jointly penned titled "Resettlement Policy: Create a Welcoming Society, not more Barriers, for Refugees," Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Ann Svennungsen discussed the call to provide hospitality to the sojourner during a Tegeder Talk sponsored by St. Francis Cabrini Church, Minneapolis. The online dialogue took place August 31.
Commenting on both the ministry of hospitality to those seeking refuge and the power of working ecumenically, the two denominational leaders imagined possibilitiies for the future.
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As the weather changes,
think about Good Gifts
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With Christmas right around the corner, ELCA's Good Gifts is the perfect option to replace traditional gift-giving with something more meaningful. Each gift in honor of a loved one supports the lifesaving ministries of the ELCA and the people it serves – one goat, water well, or school uniform at a time.
Whether you organize a special event or simply promote the program with members of the congregation, everything done to share ELCA Good Gifts is deeply appreciated and impactful. And this year, with hunger and unemployment on the rise, people in need could really use help. Will the community of the faithful respond?
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Pastor Dan Carlson has been ministering to public safety professionals for his entire career. He spent 20 years as a police officer and police chief in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and so knows intimately the struggles and unique pastoral concerns of those who work in public safety: police officers, fire fighters, and emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
“I tell people my job is to care about people until I have the opportunity to care for them,“ said Pastor Carlson. “I live by one commandment – love God, love your neighbor as yourself – so I go with that.“
Pastor Carlson’s experience as a police officer showed him that there was a lack of faith-based presence in the public safety professions. This need inspired him to enter seminary and follow his call to be a Minister of Word and Sacrament.
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Ministry Imagination Grant October deadline postponed |
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The deadline for the next round of Ministry Imagination Grant proposals was scheduled to be October 15, 2020. That deadline has been postponed by the Synod Council; a future deadline date is yet to be determined. If you have further questions, contact Craig Pederson by email or (612) 703-1586.
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Addiction and Race: Generations of Trauma |
Addiction and drug policy in America are inextricably linked to race. In this seminar, participants will dive into the dynamics of racial injustice, trauma, and oppression that contribute to addiction rates. The impact of ongoing racial disparities in policing and incarceration that perpetuate inequality and fail to address the root causes of addiction and the potential negative consequences of drug use will also be examined.
Thursday, September 24
11:00 a.m.--Noon
This webinar will benefit those working to lead congregations or communities through issues of racial justice.
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How to get a congregational racial justice group started |
The Minnepolis Area Synod's Unite Table is hosting a conversation on how to start working on issues of racial justice in your congregtions. Hear from a panel of leaders who started successful racial justice teams in their congregations. Learn about how they started, what they’ve done, and what prepared them for our current moment.
Thursday, September 24
6:30-8:00 p.m.
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In an effort to address the growing need for food in hard hit communities across the U.S., ELCA World Hunger launched Daily Bread Matching Grants this past spring. Ministries that participated in this grant process gained access to knowledge and tools to strengthen the financial capacity of their congregational feeding ministries. Altogether, 200 congregations raised more than $200,000 for their relief efforts!
Due to the positive response from participants and donors alike, ELCA World Hunger has committed to awarding another 300-plus grants this fall. These grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served based; however, ELCA World Hunger will prioritize congregations that were unable to participate in the last round due to capacity, as well as congregations that are members of ELCA ethnic-specific and multi-cultural ministry, or are priority vulnerable congregations as identified by synods. To increase the accessibility of our grants, these round Spanish translated overview documents are included.
The application process will open October 1 and close on October 18, with fundraising events taking place in November.
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Support the National Lutheran Choir with Subscriptions |
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A virtual subscription is a great way to get a front row seat for the National Lutheran Choir's 2020-2021 season! No longer constrained by geography, the choir is forming a national community of people who value sacred choral music and believe it speaks to us more than ever in these days of separation.
Subscribe to receive twice-monthly emails with musical content, reflections, interviews, devotions, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of our artists, community, and national thought leaders. The cost is $10 per month or $90 for the full season of monthly engagement (September-May). Pay now, or subscribe on a monthly basis via a credit card recurring transaction.
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Hunger in the time of COVID-19 |
Rick Steves, guidebook author and travel TV host, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, and Northwest Washington Synod Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee invite interested people to an online benefit for ELCA World Hunger. This Zoom virtual event has a goal of raising $250,000 to confront hunger in the time of COVID-19.
Thursday, September 24
7:00 p.m. Central Time
Zoom Webinar
Domestically and internationally, hunger is increasing at alarming rates. At this event, participants will learn about the unique ways ELCA World Hunger is responding.
The hosts will also discuss the ongoing root causes of hunger and poverty addressed in Rick Steves’ recent special Hunger and Hope: Lessons From Ethiopia and Guatemala. And you will hear from ELCA World Hunger partners on the front lines of the current hunger crisis, who will tell you firsthand how your gifts make a difference.
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Lutheran Disaster Response raises funds
for West Coast fires
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Fueled by a heat wave and ignited by lightning strikes, some of the worst wildfires in California’s history have erupted across the state. With many deaths and tens of thousands of people are under evacuation orders, more than one million acres have burned, and more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed and thousands more are threatened. Some evacuees face the difficult decision of whether to stay in a shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) is engaging with Lutheran Social Services of Southern California and Lutheran Social Services of Northern California, along with the three California synods (Sierra Pacific, Southwest California, and Pacifica), to assess the situation and determine the best ways to respond. Please consider partnering with LDR in this relief effort.
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Family systems theory in a time such as this |
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What does it mean to be a Christian public leader in a time such as this? In this odd and challenging year, a natural family systems lens might offer a helpful examinaton of leadership. The Rev. Dr. Jules Erickson and the Rev. Tom Olson are leading a learning opportunity through the lens of Bowen-Friedman Systems Theory and the work of Brené Brown (The Daring Way™).
Sessions will run from September through May on each third Tuesday. The cost is $20 per session or $120 for the series.
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Where is the synod staff in upcoming weeks? |
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- Bishop Ann Svennungsen will be participating in a Ministry Site Profile conversation at St. Philip's Lutheran, Fridley, on Tuesday, September 22.
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Pastor John Hulden will be installing Pastor Maria Markman as associate pastor at Grace Lutheran, Andover, on Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27.
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Bishop Ann Svennungsen will be installing Pastor Kris Capel at Pearl Park as she will serve at Nokomis Heights Lutheran, Minneapolis, on Sunday, September 27.
- Pastor Kelly Chatman will be preaching at the installation of Pastor Kris Capel.
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Pastor John Hulden will be installing Pastor Colin Grangaard at First Lutheran, Crystal, on Sunday, October 4.
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Pastor Craig Peterson will be installilng Pastor Matt Schroeder as associate pastor at All Saints Lutheran, Norwood Young America, on Sunday, October 11.
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Pastor John Hulden will be installing Pastor Marcia Rosa at Faith Lutheran, Coon Rapids, on Sunday, October 11.
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