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SYNOD NEWS AND EVENTS - July 3, 2019
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In observance of Independence Day, the synod office will be closed tomorrow, July 4th and Friday, July 5th. We will resume normal business hours on Monday, July 8th.
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Your new Director for Evangelical Mission:
The Rev. Dr. Dee Pederson
+Bishop Jon V. Anderson
Rev. Dr. Dee PedersonWe want to share with you that Pr. Dee Pederson will be our next Director for Evangelical Mission (DEM).
She will be starting on September 1.
Pr. Dee is an experienced and gifted pastor. She has served at Bethlehem Lutheran in St. Cloud for 31 years. In that time, she has served on local interfaith, conference, synod, and churchwide committees and task forces. She has also served on the ELCA Church Council and served as Chair of the LIFT Task Force (Living into the Future Together: Renewing the Ecology of the ELCA).
The role of DEM involves these key components:
- Deepen evangelical outreach
- Develop holistic stewardship practices
- Sharpen our synodical mission strategy
- Guide new mission starts
- Accompany mission renewal and redevelopments (forming new rural parishes falls into this category)
- Increase our capacity to cross barriers to share the gospel
- Serve as a public voice for our churchwide organization
We had a large pool of candidates. We had a significant number of very strong candidates who were interviewed. This made our discernment and decision both a privilege and challenge. We want to express our appreciation to everyone who was a candidate for their willingness to enter our process. We are thankful for the gifts Pr. Dee will bring to our work as a synod and staff.
I want to thank Pr. Dwaine Bruns and Vice President Gwen Arneson for their service on our search team. We were a part of a larger search team that also included several people on the churchwide staff. Pr. Dee's letter of call comes from the churchwide council.
We invite your prayers for Pr. Dee, her family, and the people of Bethlehem in this time of transition. |
Congratulations
Tammy & Jason Schacher
Last Friday, June 28th, Tammy Sather was married to Jason Schacher in a beautiful service looking out over the Redwood River valley. We are thankful as well for their relationship and marriage. May God bless their life together. Tammy serves on the synod staff as administrative assistant to the Bishop and will be on vacation until July 8. An e-mail change will be coming. A notification will be sent out during that transition.
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Whenever We Remember You,
We Give Thanks to God: Larry Strenge
+Bishop Jon V. Anderson
Last Friday was Pastor Larry Strenge's last day as the Director for Evangelical Mission for the Southwestern Minnesota Synod. We give thanks to God for his faithful and fruitful service in the last decade in this very important role of Director for Evangelical Mission.
We are feeling deeply grateful for our partnership in the gospel and all the ways Pr. Larry built up the life of our synod, churchwide organization, and our many congregations. May God bless his next chapter of life.
We know that we will miss Larry in the day-to-day life of our synod where he has touched many congregations and walked with so many pastors.
We have arranged with Larry to do some contract work as we go through the next couple of months, particularly through the Cultivating Generous Congregations project with our congregations and neighboring synod.
Bp. Jon Anderson will be the acting DEM until September 1.
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Job Openings
Regional Gift Planner
The ELCA Foundation is searching for a Regional Gift Planner that will support the Northwest Minnesota Synod and the Southwest Minnesota Synod. This development professional is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and securing planned and current gifts from individuals in support of churchwide ministries, congregations, synods and other ELCA-related ministries. Reporting to the Director of Gift Planning, this position is part of a nationwide network of twenty-two professional Regional Gift Planners. Each Gift Planner lives and works within their assigned territory (home office).
Click here to learn more about the opportunity.
Multi-Congregation Youth Program Director
Overview: The Youth Director is the executive director of Stevens County Christian Youth in Morris and the surrounding communities. The Youth Director will coordinate with the youth board and local churches to organize and facilitate youth programming for 6-8th and 9-12th grade students. Programming and events will include weekly, monthly, and yearly events locally, nationally, and abroad. The Director will invite and train adult leaders, develop youth leaders, delegate responsibilities for logistics and events, and act as a facilitator of community and relationships between youth, leaders, and the wider community. The director is someone who identifies gifts in others and connects those gifts to programming and needs for the greater good of the community and individuals in the name of Jesus Christ.
Click here to learn more about the opportunity.
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Save the Date!
Retirement Anniversary Celebration
Tuesday, September 17 a luncheon in the New London/Spicer area
Elderberry Retreat
Monday, September 16 at Green Lake Bible Camp
- Information gathering at 7:30 p.m.
- Overnight accommodations are available through Green Lake Bible Camp.
Tuesday, September 17 at 9 a.m. in the New London/Spicer area
- The Elderberry attendees will join the Retirement Anniversary Luncheon
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Social Media Preferences
+Bishop Jon V. Anderson
We would like to best understanding our synod's social media preferences.
Click here to answer four quick multiple choice questions.
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Effective Treasurers
+Bishop Jon V. Anderson
We are looking for treasurers from congregations of a variety of sizes to have a conversation about how we might enhance the work of our congregational treasurers.
If you have someone to nominate, please submit their name with us by clicking here. Share a little bit about the person and their work as your congregational treasurer. Share your name, the size of your congregation, and location of your congregation. We will not be able to invite all nominees to a webinar but we hope to have a conversation with leaders from across our synod so that we can plan a strong training event for the coming months as part of our Gifts of Grace project. |
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Synod Events
Below is a list of all the upcoming synod events. Visit the synod events webpage for more information.
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JULY
July 26, 2019
Redwood Falls Golf Course,
Redwood Falls, MN
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
Elderberry Retreat
September 16-17, 2019
Green Lake Bible Camp, Spicer and the
New London/Spicer area
Retirement Anniversary Celebration
September 17, 2019
New London/Spicer area
September 28, 2019
St. Stephen Lutheran, Marshall, MN
OCTOBER
Fall Theological Conference
October 6-8, 2019
College of Saint Benedict. St. Joseph MN
Registration will be posted July 12th
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NOVEMBER
November 2, 2019
First Lutheran, Marshall MN
Jr. High Youth Gathering
November 22-23 & 23-24, 2019
Best Western and Conference Center, Willmar, MN
Leading Worship: A Skills Workshop
November 16, 2019
Cross of Calvary, Olivia, MN
DECEMBER
JANUARY
January 11, 2020
St. Stephen Lutheran, Marshall MN
FEBRUARY
2020 Equipping Congregations Day
February 29, 2020
Willmar, MN
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Southwestern Minnesota Synod, ELCA
PO Box 499, Redwood Falls, MN 56283
Phone: 507-637-3904
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