2020 has been a strange year for every congregation, as well as the Saint Paul Area Synod. Congregational leaders are invited to an evening of conversation with Bishop Lull and one another to discuss what we are all learning about gratitude and generosity in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and to hear about the mission impact that contributions to mission support are having across the synod. Come to share what your congregation is doing to support members and neighbors and learn more about our collective initiatives going into 2021!

The content will be identical for both offerings so plan to attend either tonight or on Wednesday. No advance registration is necessary. A reminder email with the Zoom link was sent yesterday. If you are a congregation president, treasurer or a rostered minister serving a congregation and didn't receive the link, please call the synod office at 651-224-4313 or email communications@spas-elca.org.

In the midst of a pandemic when staying safe means that congregations cannot gather in familiar in-person ways, it takes some imagination to know how to host an Annual Meeting.

Join Sarah Crippen, Synod Attorney, and Bishop Patricia Lull for a tutorial on how to host and run an online congregational meeting. This one-hour Zoom call is designed for congregation presidents and other elected leaders. Rostered ministers serving in congregations are also welcome. Topics to be covered include passing a Continuing Resolution to allow an electronic meeting, participation by internet or phone connection, rules for discussion and legitimate ways to vote. There will be time for questions, as well.

No advance registration is necessary. If you are a congregation president or rostered minister serving in a congregation, you should have already received your personal invitation and link to the Zoom call. Call the synod office at 651-224-4313 or email communications@spas-elca.org if you haven't seen it.

As we await a most turbulent election—and what is bound to be its aftermath—it's hard to think about gratitude and being thankful, which should be our mindset during November. It seems appropriate to share a piece by Diana Butler Bass written in 2016. While she was writing about her feelings about the 2016 election, her words seem to speak to us today as we move into uncertainty about our 2020 election AND live with the pandemic.

Click here to read A Thanksgiving Prayer.

You are invited to a series of free conversations with the Moments of Arising Videos, sponsored by the EcoFaith Network and Together Here Ministries of the Northeastern Minnesota Synod, and the Saint Paul Area Synod's Care of Creation Work Group.  

This year's Bega Kwa Bega Fall Festival will be virtual celebration of our partnership with the Iringa Diocese in Tanzania. With the theme, "Together & Apart," we'll enjoy fellowship and workshops, as well as video greetings from Tanzania.

Festival planners are also making available to all synod congregations a variety of worship materials which can be used on Sunday, Nov. 15, or later. This includes a full video worship experience or a variety of separate worship elements, including a sermon, prayers, music and more. The worship resources will be available by Nov. 10. Watch for more details soon!

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. The group will be 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.

Join ELCA World Hunger leaders for a time of networking, idea sharing, learning and planning to address hunger and its root causes in our local and global communities. The event centers on John 6:11-12 with the theme, "And All Were Satisfied." The cost is $20. (Scholarship opportunities from the ELCA are available for those for whom the cost would be a barrier to attending.) Register here to receive the information for joining the event. Questions? Contact the ELCA World Hunger Team at hunger@elca.org or 773-380-1749.

The ELCA General Counsel reminds us that the Boy Scouts of America have filed for bankruptcy, primarily due to the flood of sexual abuse lawsuits. There are many questions about what this may mean for congregations that are (or were) chartering organizations for Boy Scout troops. In particular, congregations that chartered Boy Scout troops should consider whether to file a proof of claim in the bankruptcy to protect their interests.

The ELCA has prepared a resource on the BSA Bankruptcy, which is now available on the ELCA resource page under the sexual misconduct tab: www.elca.org/Resources/Legal#Sexual OR click here for the direct link. Please alert Bishop Lull if your congregation has a concern about this or additional questions.

The Saint Paul Area Synod serves as one of four member synods on the Augsburg University Corporation. Each September there is a Corporation Meeting to which we send eight representatives plus the Bishop. We are looking for a number of individuals, both laity and clergy, to fill vacancies in our delegation. Alums of Augsburg might find this a pleasing way to connect with this ELCA related institution. Persons interested in being considered can send their name to michael.gold@spas-elca.org.

The synod office is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. 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.

Rostered and lay leaders alike are invited to a weekly gathering of topical presentations designed to provide encouragement and support for ELCA leaders. On Nov. 4, the presentation is part three of "The Sacred Work of Grief: Finding the Courage to Do the Thing You Think You Cannot Do" with the Rev. Solveig Nilsen-Goodlin. This is an opportunity to be in small group discussions with an ELCA group coach facilitating the conversation. Recordings of past sessions with supporting documents are available at www.elcacoaching.org/podcasts/media. You may find upcoming topics and presenters at www.elcacoaching.org/.

or by phone: +1 312 626 6799

Centering Prayers is a receptive, deep method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of the experience of God's presence within us. Presenters Rev. John Keller and Rev. Luna Gebbengreen invite you to learn how Centering Prayer emphasizes prayer as a personal relationship with God and as a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion with Him. Each session includes a 20-minute Centering Prayer session. Participants are encouraged to read Thomas Keating's book, Open Mind, Open Heart, between sessions. Learn more.

Ambiguous losses are perhaps the most challenging kind of loss. When someone or something is physically absent yet psychologically present, or physically present yet psychologically absent, it’s hard to find clarity, it’s hard to make decisions, and it’s hard to grieve. The physical, emotional, economic, and relational uncertainty resulting from the current pandemic further complicates ambiguous losses. In this workshop hosted by Mount Olivet Conference & Retreat Center, we’ll discuss the nature of ambiguous loss and ways to deepen our resilience in these uncertain times. The presenter is Carla Dahl, Professor of Congregational and Community Care at Luther Seminary. Learn more and register.

Get inspired to work to overcome racism where you live, work and play! This year's theme is “Taking Back 'We the People'" What does it mean to be “We the People” through an antiracist lens, in these times? How do we address the rise of right wing populism worldwide? The keynote speaker is Dr. Eddie S. Glaude, noted Scholar on African American Culture & James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor. Other speakers and presenters include: Chanda Smith Baker, Senior Vice President, The Minneapolis Foundation with May Lee-Yang of FAWK; Michael McDowell of Black Lives Matter, Minneapolis; Jim Bear Jacobs of the Minnesota Council of Churches and Judith Marquz Duran of COPAL-MN. The conference is presented by the Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative (FREC); the Saint Paul Area Synod is one of the sponsors. The cost is $125 to attend both days or $65 per day; student tickets and limited scholarships are available. Learn more and register.

This virtual retreat will create sacred space in a unique way. We invite you to pause and experience what it means to embody your faith at the intersection of yoga and faith. The retreat will prepare participants to enter the season of advent, to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas, the Incarnation. Emmanuel, God is with us. Included in this virtual retreat are four different yoga classes (Restorative, Vinyasa, Hatha and Yin), worship with communion, self-healing touch session and a way to be community in a time of physical distancing. The keynote speaker is Father Tom Ryan, author of Prayer of the Heart and Body. Learn more.

Online Book Discussion: Born a Crime

Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. This discussion is hosted by the Racial Truth & Justice Team at Shepherd of the Valley, Apple Valley. Please purchase and read the book before class. Registration deadline: Nov. 15. Register.

At Shobi’s Table we believe in sharing from scratch, delicious and nutritious meals with anyone who comes and everybody who needs it. We’ve been doing this through our pay-as-you-can mobile café throughout almost all of the craziness of 2020 has thrown at us, going from serving twice a month to serving twice a week. We want to keep up the good work, and plan to expand. To do that we need your help!

Your support can provide the ingredients for this From Scratch effort to continue into the future. Come join us for our online fundraiser. We’ll be broadcasting live with Emcee Paul Damico-Carper and special guests Rhoda Habedank, Nate Houge and Beth Dooley! There will be music, cooking demonstrations and ways for you to support the ministry of Shobi’s Table into the future. Watch for more details soon. Together we can gather the ingredients to continue making From Scratch meals available to everyone!

www.spas-elca.org | 651.224.4313