October 13, 2020
Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA Enews
Synod office update
Synod staff members will work remotely for the foreseeable future. Contact them using their email or cell phone. Watch this space for information about the reopening of the office. 
As the weather changes,
think about Good Gifts
With Christmas right around the corner, ELCA's Good Gifts is the perfect option to replace traditional gift-giving with something more meaningful. Each gift in honor of a loved one supports the lifesaving ministries of the ELCA and the people it serves – one goat, water well, or school uniform at a time.

Whether you organize a special event or simply promote the program with members of the congregation, everything done to share ELCA Good Gifts is deeply appreciated and impactful. And this year, with hunger and unemployment on the rise, people in need could really use help. Will the community of the faithful respond?
A call to persistence and resilience
“I am both grieving, as well as feeling guilty about, how COVID-19 has interrupted our plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our church’s decision to ordain women. We stand on the shoulders of all who worked to reform our church leading up to the historic votes in 1970. We are grateful for pioneers like Elizabeth Platz and Barbara Andrews, the first women ordained in the LCA and the ALC; for the persistence of pioneers like Earleen Miller, the first woman of color ordained, albeit ten years after the historic vote; and for all our LGBTQ siblings who waited for 40 more years.” 
Subscribe to the 2020-2021 National Lutheran Choir
A virtual subscription is a great way to get a front row seat for the National Lutheran Choir's 2020-2021 season! No longer constrained by geography, the choir is forming a national community of people who value sacred choral music and believe it speaks to us more than ever in these days of separation. 

Subscribe to receive twice-monthly emails with musical content, reflections, interviews, devotions, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of our artists, community, and national thought leaders. The cost is $10 per month or $90 for the full season of monthly engagement (September-May). Pay now, or subscribe on a monthly basis via a credit card recurring transaction. 
Where is the synod staff in upcoming weeks?
  • Bishop Ann Svennungsen will be preaching at First Lutheran Church of Columbia Heights on Sunday, October 18.
  • Bishop Ann Svennungsen will be ordaining Deanna Kim Bassett at Saint Andrew Lutheran, Eden Prairie, on Saturday, October 24.
  • Pastor Kelly Chatman will be preaching at the ordination of Deanna Kim Bassett at Saint Andrew Lutheran, Eden Prairie, on Saturday, October 24.
Upcoming Events
Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA www.mpls-synod.org