November 12, 2019
Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA Enews
Event Spotlight: Fall Ministerium
Our synod's rostered leaders will join their colleagues from the Saint Paul Area Synod for a Joint Fall Ministerium on November 21. Learn more
2020 Compensation Guideline
The leadership of the Minneapolis Area Synod is committed to healthy lay and pastoral leaders, including by providing a just and livable wage for staff members.

The synod provides the  MAS 2020 Compensation Guidelines   as a starting point for determining compensation for pastors and lay staff. As guidelines, they will not speak to every financial or personnel situation encountered by congregations and specialized ministries. If, after downloading the guidelines, you have additional questions, contact  Karen Ohm .
Football: It isn't fair
" What a great weekend for Minnesota football. The University of Minnesota’s Golden Gopher football team defeated the fourth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday. It’s the first time in ages the Gophers beat a ranked team; the squad is still undefeated late in the season and has garnered national media attention. Then Sunday night the Minnesota Vikings won a game they often don’t win — on the road, against a team with a good record. "
Change (Almost) Everything
Rozella Haydee White and Brian McLaren will be the featured speakers at a Church Anew conference titled "Change (almost) Everything," a conference for those interested in building skills for leadership in "the church that is becoming." Pastors, priests, deacons, lay ministers, youth directors, church administrators, children's ministry professionals, and lay leaders will all benefit from learning through inspiring lectures, practical workshops, and enriching conversation.
November 18-19
13600 Technology Drive, Eden Prairie

How Do ELCA Social Purpose Funds Make a Difference?
Impax Asset Management is a U.K.-based global stock investment manager making a worldwide difference by investing in companies that employ measurable positive environmental strategies, including wind farms, solar technology, and wastewater-reduction and -treatment techniques.

Portico invested $20 million in 2016 in an environment-focused strategy offered by Impax through six of its eight ELCA social purpose funds, and is proud to share Impax’s environmental impact summary for 2018.
ELCA Advent Resources 2019
Celebrate the excitement, anticipation, and wonder of Christ’s birth with ELCA World Hunger this Advent. ELCA World Hunger’s new resource packet includes samples of the newest and most popular resources to share with congregations. Included is an Advent study full of new weekly devotions, Advent calendars to brighten up your home or congregation with a daily reminder of the reason for the season, and an Action Guide for Congregations with ideas and activities.
Warming heads, hands, and hearts
Working through the Greater Twin Cities United Way and word of mouth, Hats & Mittens donates more than 35,000 pieces of warm hats and mittens every winter to more than 100 organizations serving children in the seven-county metro area. A local all-volunteer non-profit, Hats & Mittens is the go-to source for congregations and organizations needing warm hats and mittens for children and youth. Orders can be placed here.

Congregation looking for a service project could launch a collection drive for Hats & Mittens!  Details about being a collecting partner are available here.
Twin Cities of Bells
For centuries bells have served as the heralds of society. They have pealed in celebration, summoned the faithful to worship, tolled in mourning, warned when danger threatened, announced the time of day, and entertained with song. That legacy lives on today.

City of Bells is a 501c3 nonprofit working to emphasize the importance of bronze bell installations — heralding the heartbeat of our communities — through discovery, education, promotion, and restoration.

City of Bells is surveying the bells in churches and public buildings. If your church has a bell, consider filling out the survey.
The Johnson Symposium on Faith and Society: "The Spiritual Price of the Doctrine of Discovery"
The Minneapolis Area Synod has passed resolutions decrying the impacts of the Doctrine of Discovery, a 16th-century policy justifying the colonization of new societies, including the genocide of indigenous peoples; this doctrine has continued to have impact on U.S. law in recent decades. Mark Charles, a regular columnist for Native News Online , will address the implications of this doctrine at the 2019 Johnson Symposium on Faith and Society.
"The Spiritual Price of the Doctrine of Discovery"
with Mark Charles
November 16; 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Come for the Food,
Stay for the Community
"Every Wednesday at Zion Lutheran Church in South Minneapolis a group of congregants and neighbors gather to serve and share a meal and build community around the table. These Lyndale Community Dinners have been a staple of this neighborhood’s life for nearly 20 years, and the 'little church with a big heart' continues to find ways to expand and deepen the relationships that have begun in the small church basement."

Where is the synod staff in upcoming weeks?
  • Ms. Brenda Blackhawk will be facilitating a discussion on the responding to social need at Nativity Lutheran, St. Anthony, on Monday, November 18.
  • Bishop Ann Svennungsen will be preaching at the Fall Joint Ministerium at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, on Thursday, November 21.
  • Bishop Ann Svennungsen will be attending the farewell of Pastor Christine Carlson at Christ Church Lutheran, Minneapolis, on Sunday, November 24.
  • Ms. Brenda Blackhawk will be preaching a dialogue sermon with Pastor Lee Hallstrom at Cross of Glory Lutheran, Brooklyn Center on Sunday, November 24.
  • Bishop Ann Svennungsen will be preaching at Our Redeemer Oromo Lutheran, Minneapolis, on Sunday, December 1.
Upcoming Events
Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA www.mpls-synod.org