June 16, 2020
Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA Enews
Synod office update
The synod office will continue to remain closed, as per the social distancing guidelines request, through mid-June at least. As per requirements, the staff is preparing a plan for the slow re-entry of staff to the office. Staff are working remotely and can still be reached by email or phone.
ELCA prayer service for the commemoration of the Emanuel 9
An  ELCA Prayer Service for Commemoration of the Emanuel Nine  will be available for online viewing starting at 11:00 a.m., on Wednesday, June 17, the fifth anniversary of the evening nine people were shot and killed during a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

11:00 a.m., Wednesday, June 17
Online Prayer Service of Commemoration

The service will include leaders from around the ELCA and ecumenical partners, including leadership from the AME Church. ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton will preach the sermon. This service is a time of repentance, mourning, and prayer to remember the nine martyrs of the shooting and to renounce the sins of racism and white supremacy. 
Pandemic, uprising, and self care 
“Jesus was an exemplary servant of others during his time on Earth but, in his agony, before he was crucified, Jesus stepped away for time by himself to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus recognized the sacrifice he was being called to, but also his need to be centered, prepared, and self-aware. I’m your typical Enneagram 2. I could tell you what the people around me need, but I can rarely tell you what I need. For that reason, I’m the synod office’s self-proclaimed self-care advocate, checking in regularly on people, asking what they’re doing to take care of themselves, and encouraging a good work-life balance.” 
Synod Staff Features
Join us over the next few months as we highlight different members of our staff. The Minneapolis Area Synod staff is comprised of 17 people who live in the city, suburbs, and rural areas. We are fairly racially and age diverse for a Lutheran office. We hope you get to know us better through these fun interviews! This week's featured staff member is Pastor John Hulden, assistant to bishop.
Pastor John Hulden

What has been the best or most surprising part about the staying at home?
  • I am very pleased at how creatively our pastors, deacons, and lay leaders are responding to the current crises.
Do you have any pets or wish you did?
  • We have 200+ chickens, 1 goat, too many barn cats, and a bear that eats our bird feed.
What book are you currently reading or show are you binge-watching?
  • Growing Young by Powell, Mulder, and Griffin
What is your favorite restaurant to order take-out from?
  • The farm is out of every delivery range, so we just eat from Becky’s Garden.
What summer activity are you most looking forward to?
  • getting out to the family cabin near Glacier Park, Montana
What is giving you hope right now?
  • that our pastors, deacons, and lay leaders are weary but finding their groove
Witnesses
In her June/July column for Living Lutheran , Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton notes that the “restrictions imposed by the pandemic have made it clear that people are searching for hope and meaning and love.”

As those restrictions are eased, she urges us to assess the ways our congregations are witnesses to the transcendent, keeping in mind all those who worshiped with us online but may not walk into our churches.
Being church in times of crisis
ELCA coaching invites congregational leaders to a gathering designed to provide encouragement and support for ELCA leaders across the church. Participants will hear topical presentations related to how we are called to be church in times of crisis, as well as an opportunity to be in small group discussions with an ELCA group coach facilitating the conversation.
 
A Time of Lament and Accountability Wednesday, June 17; 1:00 p.m (CDT)

Presenters are:
Emanuel Nine Commemoration on June 17
On June 17, 2015, Clementa C. Pinckney , Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd , Susie Jackson , Ethel Lee Lance , DePayne Middleton-Doctor , Tywanza Sanders , Daniel Lee Simmons , Sharonda Coleman-Singleton , and Myra Thompson were murdered by a self-professed white supremacist while they were gathered for Bible study and prayer at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (often referred to as Mother Emanuel) in Charleston, South Carolina. Pastors Pinckney and Simmons were both graduates of the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. The shooter was a member of an ELCA congregation.

A resolution to commemorate June 17 as a day of repentance for the martyrdom of the Emanuel Nine was adopted by the Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA on August 8, 2019. Congregations of the ELCA are encouraged reaffirm their commitment to repenting of the sins of racism and white supremacy which continue to plague this church, to venerate the martyrdom of the Emanuel Nine, and to mark this day of penitence with study and prayer.

The ELCA has prepared resources to aid congregations in the commemoration:


An online ELCA Prayer Service for the Commemoration of the Emanuel Nine, including Presiding Bishop Eaton and leaders from around the church, is being prepared for viewing beginning on June 17, 2020.
Where is the synod staff in upcoming weeks?
  • Rev. Kelly Chatman will be preaching for the pre-recorded synodical worship service for the weekend of July 5. (The recording of the service will be available a week before the services for that weekend.)
Upcoming Events
Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA www.mpls-synod.org