May 3, 2021
Synod Assembly
Our Synod Assembly is less than two weeks away! By now, all registrants should have received an email from michael.gold@spas-elca.org with instructions for participating in Synod Assembly on May 15-16, as well as personalized voting credentials. The emails were sent last Thursday, April 29. If you are an assembly registrant and did not see the email, first check your spam or junk folders. If you still don't see it, contact the synod office at 651-224-4313 or email michael.gold@spas-elca.org so that we can clear up any communications issues prior to assembly.

This week we'll be mailing assembly packets to registrants, including the assembly booklet (unless you opted out of that). We'll also be uploading more resources to the website, including a PDF of the booklet for those who opted out of receiving a printed copy.

The only registrants for Synod Assembly are Voting Members and Advisors. All other interested parties may view the proceedings on Facebook or the synod website. Learn more at https://spas-elca.org/events/synod-assembly/.

This Week: Discussion on Proposed Budget/Resolutions/Synod Ministries
Tuesday, May 4 - 7 p.m. & Thursday, May 6 - 7 p.m.
Voting members have an opportunity to attend a pre-assembly discussion on the proposed budget, proposed resolution and synod ministries. Two times will be available: Tuesday, May 4 and Thursday, May 6, both at 7-8 p.m. Content will be the same for both sessions. More information and Zoom links to these sessions will be emailed to assembly registrants by May 1.

Next Week: Orientation Sessions
Tuesday, May 11 - 6 p.m. & Wednesday, May 12 - 4 p.m.
To help voting members prepare for Synod Assembly, we are encouraging attendance at one of two digital orientation sessions, which will be held Tuesday, May 11, 6-7 p.m. and Wednesday, May 12, 4-5 p.m. The content is the same; attend just one. The first half of each session will be focused on the basics of using the Zoom conferencing platform; experienced "Zoomers" are encouraged to join at the 30- minute mark for assembly specific skills such as voting with the Election Runner platform.

Next Week: Synod Assembly
Friday, May 15-Saturday, May 16
If you aren't a registrant, you can still watch the proceedings on Friday from 2-5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.-12:40 p.m. (times are approximate). Assembly will be livestreamed on our Facebook page and the synod website.
Guatemala Gala
If you missed the 2021 Guatemala Gala last night, that's ok...you can still enjoy it either on Facebook or the synod website.

Thank you to all of the congregations, individuals and families who generously donated to support the education ministries of the Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala (ILAG). As of last evening, we were just $400 away from our goal of raising $100,000! Donations are still accepted at www.spas-elca.org/2021-guatemala-gala so we're hopeful we'll reach our goal.
Drink Coffee and Do Good
In the newest post on our "Addressing Hunger" blog, Vernita Kennen reminds us about making conscious decisions about what we consume.

Like most food products that we buy, coffee calls us as Christians to consider our responsibility as stewards of God’s good creation. We need to consider who grew/harvested the coffee, the care for the environment in which it was grown, and who profited the most from the coffee sales. Reading labels helps us as do recommendations of faith communities and organizations. Many congregations are committed to serving only fair trade coffee on site. Some make fair traded coffee (and other fair-traded commodities like chocolate, tea, and olive oil) available for purchase by their faith communities.

American Indian Boarding Schools (Part 2)
Saturday, May 8 - 9-11 a.m. | Online
 “Kill the Indian, and save the man.” (Capt. Richard H. Pratt, 1892) Operating under this chilling motto, Indian Boarding Schools were the federal government’s chosen method of forced assimilation. Most of these schools were run by the Church.

In 2016 the ELCA repudiated the doctrine of discovery, calling for the worshiping communities, synods and the denomination as a whole “…to acknowledge and repent from this church’s complicity in the evils of colonialism in the Americas…”(CA16.02.04). As part of this work, the Saint Paul Area Synod's Advocates for Racial Equity work group, in partnership with the Minneapolis Area Synod and the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, is offering a two-part event. In part two, we will hear stories from individuals who spent time in Indian Boarding Schools.

The Rev. Joan A. Conroy is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in SD. She serves as a chaplain at the Good Samaritan Society in Maplewood and is a founding member of our synod’s Advocates for Racial Equity. Rev. Conroy is also president of the American Indian Alaska Native Lutheran Association, Inc. Bonnie Jean Steele is the daughter of a genocide and Indian boarding school survivor. Her father was a survivor of racial terror and fled the South as a teenager. Anishinaabe values informed Bonnie’s upbringing and fueled her passion for justice. Bonnie worked as the Director of Pastoral Ministry in a large, suburban Catholic parish then transferred to a large, urban parish where she directed pastoral care and social justice. You are welcome to attend, even if you didn't participate in Part 1. Register here.
Children's Ministry Gathering: Fall '21
Monday, May 10 - 2 p.m. | Online
Calling all children's ministry planners! Are things looking a little different for the fall of 2021? Let's do this ministry together! We'll listen and share ideas, articles or notes from all of our resources so we can tackle the many questions around Fall '21.

Meeting ID: 850 7612 9637
Passcode: 473439

Questions? Contact Rachelle Gill at rgill@easter.org or Julie Vagle at juliev@trinitylonglake.org.
Two days to register!
ELCA World Hunger Domestic Hunger Grants
Registrations close on May 5 for 2022 ELCA World Hunger Domestic Hunger Grants! Visit www.elca.org/domestichungergrants to learn more and how to apply. Organizations applying for a grant for the first time must register by setting up an account in ELCA GrantMaker in order to access the grant application. If your organization is already registered in ELCA GrantMaker, now its a great time to log back in and confirm that the contact information in your account is up to date.

Application Timeline:
  • Registration open: March 17–May 5, 2021. Applicants must be registered in ELCA GrantMaker to access the application. Allow up to two weeks for registration approval. If you have not registered by May 5, you will not be able to start a new application. If you have already registered in ELCA GrantMaker, you do not need to register again.
  • Application open: April 19–May 21, 2021
  • Application review: June 2021–October 2021
  • Awards recommendations shared with applicants and synods: November 2021
  • Final awards approved and announced: February 2022

NOTE: Congregations with feeding ministries should stay tuned for the next round of Daily Bread Matching Grants in the coming months. Visit www.elca.org/dailybread to learn more.
The synod office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A limited number of staff are on-site each day. You may continue to reach all staff members by phone (651-224-4313) or by email.
EVENTS OF INTEREST
Master Class in Communication with Rob Bell
Monday, May 10-Tuesday, May 11 | Online
World class communicator Rob Bell has been profiled in The New Yorker, toured with Oprah, and was one named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2011. He is also the author of 10 books including What We Talk About When We Talk About God, Love Wins and What is the Bible?. Church Anew is offering a two-part event with Rob:
  • Monday, May 10 (7-8:30 p.m.) - an original presentation on the spirtuality of creativity, direct from Rob's home in Southern California. It will include humor, authenticity and interpretation of an ancient text.
  • Tuesday, May 11 (11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) - Hear how Rob pulled the presentation together. Bring your own imagination for ideas you would like to communicate and work with one of the world's best storytellers on how to better tell the stories you have to share.

The cost is $30 for Monday only and $69 for both days. Learn more and register.
Shobi's Table 5K-As-You-Can
May 16-22 | On Your Own
Grab a friend and get outside together to walk, run, ride or however you like to move...for Shobi's Table, the food truck ministry supported by our synod! We’re all about coming together around one table to eat delicious, nutritious food that feeds the body as well as the soul. Once you’ve all been fed, what better thing to do than to get those bodies outside to revel in God’s good creation and get to know one another even better.

The week of May 16-22, you are invited to do a 5K at your own pace, however you love to move best, wherever you are. You can walk, run, ride your bike, do cartwheels, skip, push someone in a wheelchair or a stroller. You could do 1K a day for 5 days! You can go fast or slow. If a 5K is too much for your body, consider driving to a place you can see a vista that goes out for at least 5K. This 5K-As-You-Can is accessible to everyone! Wherever you do your 5K, take a picture and post it using the hashtags #5KAsYouCan and #ShobisTable.

On Saturday, May 22nd, those who are local to the St. Paul area can gather (location TBD) for a pay-as-you-can lunch at the Shobi’s Table food truck, 5K routes available nearby. The truck will be there from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., so you can eat lunch before or after! There will be plenty of space to spread out.
Register here. Whether you walk by yourself, with a friend or a team, each participant must fill out a registration form. (Parents and guardians, you can fill one out for your kids.) Registration fee is pay-as-you-can (so you decide how much you want to give!). Registration fees of $25/person and up come with a Shobi's Table t-shirt.
Healing Collective Trauma
Saturday, May 22 - 9-11 a.m. | Online
Mt. Olivet Conference & Retreat Center concludes its Living Well, Leading Well virtual workshop series with a conversation about trauma. As we cope with the mounting losses, anxieties and uncertainties of our current pandemic, many of us feel like we are losing our footing. Having some awareness of trauma and its impact on our personal, intergenerational, and collective lives can increase our self-understanding and compassion. Join us in exploring concrete psychological and spiritual tools for increasing resilience and finding hope and joy in the midst of pain.

The session will be led by the Rev. Deborah van Deusen Hunsinger, Ph.D., the Charlotte W. Newcombe Professor of Pastoral Theology Emerita at Princeton Theological Seminary. Deborah was originally trained as a pastoral counselor, taught at Princeton Seminary for 25 years, and now offers spiritual direction for individuals and small groups. She will share psychological and spiritual tools for increasing resilience and finding hope and joy in our life together. Learn more and register.
National Lutheran Choir
Sunday, May 23 - 4 p.m. | Online
Join the National Lutheran Choir for Light Dawns, an online celebration and benefit. The program will feature music by the choir, words of joy from supporters across the nation, and an introduction to the vision for our next season. Make sure to tune in to join the fun and help NLC prepare for the 2021-2022 season. To join the event on that day, visit NLCA.com/LightDawns.
Other Event Reminders:
SYNOD STAFF PREACHING SCHEDULE
Bishop Patricia Lull
  • May 15 - Synod Assembly, online

Pastor Justin Grimm
  • May 9 - Trinity, Lindstrom
The Saint Paul Area Synod, which includes 110 congregations and new mission starts,
is one of 65 synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
www.spas-elca.org | 651.224.4313