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SYNOD NEWS AND EVENTS - March 28, 2019
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Women and Justice Social Statement
+Bishop Jon V. Anderson
Here is the proposed social statement Faith, Sexism, and Justice: A Lutheran Call to Action growing out of the work Justice and Women task force. I encourage you to make some time to read it. It has a brief set of principles, then longer reflections and action items for our denomination. It is now going to our Church Council. They must be review and recommend this statement, and then it will be considered for adoption at the Churchwide Assembly in August 2019. The wording here is subject to change, therefore, until final adoption.
Click here to read the Proposed Social Statement on women and justice titled
Faith, Sexism, and Justice: A Lutheran Call to Action. It also includes a set of implementing resolutions on the final pages.
Click here to read the accompanying cover letter from the ELCA Task Force on Women and Justice: One in Christ.
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Fighting Sin - Personal and Communal - Racism and Sexism
+Bishop Jon V. Anderson
Part of the work of Lent is intensifying our fight against sin. How have you been working on that?
We all have our personal work to do. We also are a part of systems and structures that are as broken and sinful as we all are. The ancient church was clear that sin is both an action and a condition. It is something we do and live in. It is a reality that we would rather not think about or talk about in our current culture.
There are many biblical words in Greek that speak about sin. I will just name a few.
- Kakos is the word for bad or evil
- Adikia is the word for injustice or unrighteousness
- Anomia is the word for lawlessness. As a child might say, "You are not the boss of me now."
- Hamartia is to miss the mark. This is the most common Greek word for sin.
I want to share something that has made me think deeply about my sin and our sin. It is an audio podcast. It is called
Scene on Radio and is from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. It is not a religious podcast, but rather a stew of deep conversation, research and storytelling about life in our time. I kept thinking about what God longs for as I listened to these conversations and stories.
The second season is entitled "
Seeing White." It explores racism and invites you to see how the idea of white supremacy works in our culture in a deep and wide way. I heard about it from one our congregations in North Minneapolis, Redeemer, and a friend, Pr. Kelly Chapman. It has made me see things I used to not notice. It has helped me to be more self-aware and willing to speak about the ways that racism steals away all that God longs for in the lives of all our siblings of many colors and cultures in this world.
The third season, which I finished today, is called "
MEN." It explores the ways men and women interact. Again, the podcast series challenged me to see something that, as a man, I don't often notice or pay attention to. Men are privileged in our society. Particularly white men are. The stories made me remember parts of my life that were hard. I think about mistakes I made and make. It talks about how patriarchy leads to men damaging women in personal and communal ways as we claim to be superior or don't even notice how we are functioning in a society that has placed higher values on men. After listening, I notice things I mindlessly do that can diminish the gifts of women and girls while also hurting me and blocking me from being who I want to be as I live in this broken world. Both of these podcast series have me thinking and changing.
Click here to read more.
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Rev. Larry Strenge, SW MN Synod Director for Evangelical Mission in
the ELCA, was published in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy blog last week. It's a Helpful article about how we think about life - You or Me....or You and Me?
Learning to Live a "You and Me" Life
by Rev. Larry Strenge, Director for Evangelical Mission in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
In 2011 I was introduced to Lynne Twist's captivating and transformative storytelling through her book,
The Soul of Money. An error in ordering the audio version of the book led to hours of learning more as she narrates an outstanding workshop entitled,
Unleashing the Soul of Money. Both resources share overlapping stories of her journey as a global fundraiser, an activist for women and indigenous people, as well as her surprising truth about her soul's relationship with what we call money. I've discovered that her insights into the toxicity of a scarcity mindset, as well as the joy experienced once one begins to live into the truth of sufficiency, are revealed in many places.
For example, I recently returned from a Habitat for Humanity
Global Village program trip to the Dominican Republic. On the fourth night of a nine-day home building experience our group of twelve gathered for our nightly time of reflection. Our leader asked us, "What
shifts have you noticed in yourself as a result of the experience we are having?"
Kim was first to speak. She recalled a sermon Pastor Elizabeth - also a participant in the group - had recently preached. In it she invited the congregants to consider the
lens through which they viewed the world. Was it a lens of scarcity? Or was it a lens of God's abundance? Then Kim said, "I came here expecting to find a world of scarcity. Instead what I've discovered is a world of abundance."
What Kim was observing came through the relationships we'd formed: with the family, through the dedicated Habitat workers and laborers, and through the joy that was seen in numerous faces around us as we built this home and shared meals together. We were living into what
Brother David Steindl-Rast, one of Twist's teachers, calls "Great Fullness" or simply "gratefulness" as a way of being.
Yes, something had shifted. Stepping out of a consumer culture where Lynne Twist's three toxic myths of scarcity -
There isn't enough. More is better. That's just the way that it is - are lived daily, we were being transformed through this lens of abundance and gratefulness.
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Toxic Myths of Scarcity - There isn't enough. - More is better. - That's just the way it is.
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In Lynne Twist's language: Kim was observing a
you AND me world and it was taking root in her soul - and ours as well!
I use Kim's story as a way to introduce you to Lynne Twist. She is a person who sees transformation of the soul as essential to live a
best self life. This best self life is one freed from money's deceptive power produced by those lies in the toxic myths of scarcity noted above: myths that create anxiety, fear and cynicism. These are transformed as one's soul encounters the truth of sufficiency.
As I spend time with this marvelous teacher and storyteller, I long to live into the values which make the world a better place. These values cultivate a healthy relationship within my own best self, with other people, with God's good creation, and yes, with this soul-neutral thing we call money.
In 1976, Lynne went to hear
Buckminster Fuller -- a man known for his work to make the world a better place for all of humanity. Lynne heard Fuller turn aside from his more prepared speech and tell of the shift he saw happening in the next 50 or so years.
The shift was going to be gradual, he said. From a you
OR me paradigm - one that had dominated the world's institutions and thinking, one grounded in a fear that there isn't enough for everyone - to a new you
AND me paradigm, where we live in a world that has
enough for everyone.
For Lynne that talk was transformative. She says, "Scarcity was gone....It was an epiphany I never got over." This new mindset shaped her numerous callings which are shared throughout
The Soul of Money. Applying her teachings in my own work, I have learned the destructive power of the three toxic myths of scarcity. I've learned how naming these three lies, showing others the false narrative of a you
OR me world, and how we swim in all of this from the moment we are born into our consumer culture, helps people see how our self-worth is easily confused with our net-worth. The practices of seeing this you
AND me world leads to a life of gratefulness and whole-hearted living, rather than chasing after that illusive
more and seeing families break-up over the passing of assets that were meant to be a blessing.
The principle of sufficiency teaches a truth: What you appreciate appreciates. Living by this principle of enough allows one to "let go of what you don't really need in order to make a difference with what you already have."
If this topic of having a healthy relationship with money is of interest to you, I hope you will find a way to listen to or read one of the resources I've mentioned above or through
The Soul of Money Institute. And, I hope you can see her in person or recorded at the
Thomas H. Lake lecture on April 11th in Indianapolis where the topic is "Shifting from Scarcity to Abundance!"
What I can testify is this: Lynne Twist makes a deep impression on a person's soul! I'm confident that your relationship with your best self, your soul, and its relationship with money, will find rest as you meet and learn from this amazing person God has gifted to our planet.
Questions for Reflection
- What images come to mind when you think of the word scarcity? What about the word abundance?
- Think of a challenging situation you're currently facing. Are you using a mindset of scarcity or abundance to address it?
- What is your response to Twist's quote: "What you appreciate appreciates"?
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For those who are insured with Portico Benefit Services
+Bishop Jon V. Anderson
Have you been earning your wellness dollars yet? The system this year invites you to engage in projects and is more education focused in the past. It takes time but I am learning things as I go. Here is an article that explains the wellness tool. Wellness is the goal. Earning dollars to drive down your health costs is a secondary advantage to doing your work.
Portico Launches Personalized Online Wellness Tool
Posted Dec. 30, 2018
Portico's annual wellness program kicks off Jan. 1 for members and spouses covered by ELCA-Primary health benefits. Entering its 12th year, the program invites eligible participants to earn wellness dollars as they complete specific activities designed to strengthen their physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual well-being. New for 2019, participants will choose from nearly 100 guided activities in an online tool called 2019 Live Well. The tool gives participants the freedom to decide where to focus and to set their own pace. "Personalized support has been a game-changer for our members over the past two years," Portico president and CEO Jeff Thiemann said, citing recent benefit offerings like Omada and Portico Financial Planners. "We're excited for our members to discover how the Live Well tool can support their individual goals, no matter where they are on their wellness journey." An evolution from prior years, the tool encourages regular interaction over time to help participants establish meaningful lifestyle changes. Participants can earn wellness dollars incrementally, $10 - $50 per activity completed, up to $400 total. Portico partnered with RedBrick Health, an industry-leading wellness company based in Minneapolis, to develop the Live Well tool specifically for its membership. According to Thiemann, features that make the tool unique include a spiritual assessment, spiritual activities, and a holistic approach to well-being rooted in the Wholeness Wheel. "Unlike secular alternatives," he said, "the Live Well tool recognizes that faith is central to daily life and can enhance overall wellness." Members and spouses with ELCA-Primary health benefits can access 2019 Live Well via myPortico. Participants will have opportunities to provide feedback to help Portico enhance the tool for the future. |
Death Notice - Forrest Chaffee
We are saddened to share Rev. Forrest Chaffee died peacefully on March 4th, 2019, at the Benedictine Living Community. Let us hold the Chaffee's family in our prayers as they grieve, mourn, remember and give thanks to God for the promises we know in Christ Jesus. Click here for his obituary.
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U.S. Flooding
Lutheran Disaster Response is responding to U.S. Flooding through congregations, synods and our affiliates across Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri.
What you can do:
Pray:
Please pray for the communities that have been affected by or lie in the path of flooding. May God's healing presence give them peace and hope in their time of need. Pray that God will deliver comfort to those mourning the loss of loved ones and strength to those working diligently to care for affected communities.
Give:
Gifts to "U.S. flooding" will be used in full (100 percent) to assist those affected by flooding until the response is complete. Click here to give now.
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SE MN Synod Boundaries Workshop
Monday, April 8, 2019
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Tek Lounge at Assisi Heights, Rochester MN Rev. Emily Carson and Rev. Dave Efflandt will facilitate our discussion on strengthening healthy boundaries. They will also engage in discussions around boundaries in congregational life and the response of the Office of the Bishop to boundary violations. Bishop Delzer will be with us for that part of the conversation. Click here for more information and to register.
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Synod Events
Below is a list of all the upcoming synod events. Visit the synod events webpage for more information.
April 5-6, 2019
Lake Geneva Christian Center
Alexandria, MN
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SAVE THE DATE
June 7-8, 2019 Redwood Falls, MN |
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Southwestern Minnesota Synod, ELCA
PO Box 499, Redwood Falls, MN 56283
Phone: 507-637-3904
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