All registrants for this year's Synod Assembly should have received an email this past Tuesday with a link to download the Pre-Assembly Report. If you are a registrant and did not receive the email, please contact the synod office right away at 651-224-4313 or info@spas-elca.org. Additional assembly information will be emailed in the coming weeks including voting credentials so it is essential that any email issues are resolved as soon as possible. The report may also be viewed online at www.spas-elca.org/synod-assembly.

This year's assembly on Sept. 25-26 will be held online. To help prepare registrants with new protocols and voting processes, two digital orientation sessions have been scheduled:

All registrants are highly encouraged to participate in one of the orientation session to practice joining Zoom and being admitted to a meeting, voting on different types of ballots, "getting in line" to speak and using Zoom functionality. A link to the sessions will be emailed to assembly registrants.

We are grateful for the enthusiastic support with which our congregations have responded to the synod's Food Shelf Challenge. We've now passed the $86,000 mark and contributions continue to add up in support for local food shelves and food banks. Keep it going! Learn more at www.spas-elca.org/a-food-shelf-challenge.

Calvary Lutheran in Stanchfield is located in the northern part of our synod, north of Cambridge. The congregation reports: "The issue of hunger can sometimes seem invisible in a rural area and the congregation of Calvary Lutheran feels that part of our kingdom work is to help the invisible become visible. Contributing to the food shelves, feeding folks literally with food on the table and the Word, goes a long way toward living out Matthew 25:40."

St. Paul Reformation in St. Paul offered this perspective when documenting its contributions to the challenge: "With schools out and unemployment high, the case numbers at Hallie Q Brown food shelf have skyrocketed, making hunger relief more crucial than ever in recent memory. A long standing (almost 50-year) relationship with HQB keeps the hunger of our neighbors front and center for us." 

After this summer of 2020, it’s no surprise that we find ourselves thinking about how one thing relates to another – and to another. As we have lived with the pandemic most of us have been mainly concerned with social distancing, staying close to home and wearing masks. That alone has made us anxious.…

I recently read information from the U.S. Energy Information Administration that 43% of electricity that we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling air and water. (That’s 31% for heating/AC and 12% to power water heaters.) Refrigeration (6%), lighting (5%), clothes dryers (4%) and TV/video games (4%) make up another fifth of electricity use. How might more careful use of this energy save much needed money for food, rent, transportation, and medical costs? For all of us?

The annual ELCA Youth Leadership Summit will occur over the weekend of Nov. 6-7 with all sessions occurring online during this pandemic season. The Summit brings together two youth and an adult leader from each synod for conversations about the life of the church. The theme verse this year is Proverbs 27:19 As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.

Bishop Lull will be naming the youth, who will represent the Saint Paul Area Synod. Pairs of youth along with an adult leader can submit a 40-word essay by Oct. 1, 2020, to Bishop Lull (patricia.lull@spas-elca.org) on why they would make the best team to represent this synod in 2020. The team selected to participate in the 2020 Youth Leadership Summit will be announced by Oct. 8. The synod will take care of registration and there is no cost for those chosen to participate. Questions? Please contact Bishop Lull.

Don't forget that our synod has grant money available to congregations for mental health training! (Only one application has been submitted so far.) Clergy are often the first point of contact in situations involving mental health crises; our synod is pleased to receive a grant from ELCA Disability Ministries to expand access to educational opportunities for our rostered ministers around mental health!

This grant creates a resource pool for mini-grants that centers on these learning goals:

We invite rostered ministers to propose a mental health training opportunity within their own congregations for grant funding up to $500. You might have leaders attend a workshop, contract with an organization or professional to bring a workshop or series of Zoom conversations to your congregation, host a book study, etc. Click the button below to learn more, find resources and apply.

Looking for a way to connect with other leaders in engaging conversation and fulfill your boundaries requirement at the same time? Join this book group! Pre-reading and attendance at both meetings are expected to meet the requirement. This book group is only open to rostered ministers; please no lay leaders or interns. Hosted by Deacon Krista Lind.

We will be reading The Integrity of the Body of Christ: Boundary Keeping as Shared Responsibility by Arden Mahlberg and Craig Nessan. Pre-reading and attendance at both meetings is necessary to meet the requirement. There is no cost, but participants are expected to purchase the book themselves. NOTE: Boundaries education is required for all rostered ministers in the Saint Paul Area Synod every three years.

ENGAGE is a public witness work group of the Saint Paul Area Synod. Its mission is to meditate on, educate about, and advocate for gun violence prevention (GVP) in the nonviolent Spirit of Jesus Christ. In the past year, St. Paul has experienced a 100% increase in gun deaths. In Minnesota, gun deaths increased to 470 victims. Reports of domestic violence have increased and unintentional child shootings happen too often. Gun dealers report record sales. Meanwhile, two gun violence prevention bills, (Universal Background Checks and Extreme Risk Protection Orders) languish in the State Senate.

As you plan your annual education/advocacy calendar, ENGAGE offers the following options for congregations to address GVP:

For more information contact the Rev. Dr. Ron Letnes at ronletnes@hotmail.com.

On Sunday, Sept. 13, many ELCA congregations will observe “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday. As church, we are guided by our life in Christ to share the love of Jesus and serve our neighbors — even if such acts of service look different this year. Physical distancing has changed the way we worship and serve. But the need is great, and God’s church is at work. We encourage you to plan your day of service in compliance with local health guidelines. The safety and well-being of your volunteers and those you serve is a top priority. Follow all local guidance regarding physical distancing, mask-wearing, maximum gathering size and building capacity limits.

Acts of service can happen anywhere: you might contribute to an online project from your home or volunteer in person keeping a safe physical distance and wearing a mask. To help you plan for “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday, we invite you to visit ELCA.org/DayofService for resources. If your congregation cannot participate on Sept. 13, please consider another day for your service activities.

P.S. Share your congregation’s participation with the ELCA! Send your stories and photos to livingLutheran@elca.org. And don't forget to tag your activities on social media using #GodsWorkOurHands. 

The synod office is open this summer from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday. A limited number of staff will be on-site each day. You may continue to reach all staff members by phone (651-224-4313) or by email.

Rostered and lay leaders alike are invited to a weekly gathering of topical presentations designed to provide encouragement and support for ELCA leaders. On Sept. 2, the topic is "The Sacred Work of Grief, Part 1: Rituals of Renewal" led by the Rev. Solveig Nilsen-Goodin. This is an opportunity to be in small group discussions with an ELCA group coach facilitating the conversation. These "Being Church" sessions are now being recorded and are available at www.elcacoaching.org/.

or by phone: +1 312 626 6799

During this pandemic, clergy have been faced with numerous challenges impacting pastoral care, worship, community and justice work and finances, among others. The folks at LeaderWise want to support you by offering clergy consultation groups to share wisdom, exchange ideas, and process experiences of ministry during the pandemic. Groups will be facilitated by experienced LeaderWise staff and will meet for eight sessions either weekly, every other week, or monthly.

Participants are encouraged to bring forward their challenges to get input from the group and facilitators. Discussion topics will also be provided by LeaderWise facilitators. The groups will begin as soon as four participants are registered. No more than six participants will be in each group. Each session will last 90 minutes and be conducted via Zoom. The cost for eight sessions is $600. Learn more.

Incarnation Lutheran Church in Shoreview raises funds all year long in support of MobilePack events for Feed My Starving Children. Due to COVID, the MobilePack events are postponed, but Incarnation isn't about to let a pandemic stop them from raising money to pay for life-saving meals! Teams of up to six people are welcome to participate in an online trivia competition (no connection to the church required). Just pay the $10 per person registration fee and you're in! Learn more and register. Donations are also accepted without participation in the trivia contest. Registration deadline: TODAY!

www.spas-elca.org | 651.224.4313