April 28, 2020
Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA Enews
Synod office update
The synod office will continue to remain closed, as per Governor Walz's request, at least through May. Staff are working remotely and can still be reached by email or phone .
A message from Bishop Ann
Dear friends in Christ,

I write today to address what I imagine are two of your most pressing questions:

  1. How do we discern when it is responsible, loving, and wise to gather for in-person worship?
  2. Is there going to be a 2020 Synod Assembly? (OK, that might not be as pressing as I’d hope.)
 
In a special meeting on Monday, April 27, the Synod Council – in an action consistent with our constitution – voted to cancel the 2020 Synod Assembly . The Synod Council will address particular agenda items such as elections and resolutions at its June 18 meeting.

At the same Monday meeting, the Synod Council made clear its recommendation that congregations refrain from in-person worship . Reflecting on the gains Minnesota has made in the fight against this pandemic, Council member, Barrett Lane, Director, Office of Emergency Management at City of Minneapolis, said, “We don’t want to see our down payment evaporate.”

We are in this together. As we’ve contacted congregations through calls to pastors and deacons, conference meetings, and presentations for staff and council members; we have been overwhelmed by the faith, resilience, creativity, wisdom, and love of our congregations, pastors, and deacons . Thank you for your incredible ministries.

We hold you in continual prayer,
Bishop Ann Svennungsen

PS And, f or those who are wondering: We still plan to host a Festive Worship and Reception sometime this fall, celebrating the 50 th anniversary of our church’s decision to ordain women.
Resurrection and relief
“ Archbishop Musa Filibus makes a clear Macedonian call for help (Acts 16:4-10). But is must also be noted that the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) is far from helpless in the fight against the coronavirus. Archbishop Filibus and the bishops of the nine dioceses in the LCCN are seen as credible leaders in their communities. Filibus has posted public service announcements to explain and demystify how coronavirus works, and government officials have asked to broadcast his videos on television. ”
ELCA Federal Credit Union is a PPP resource
With newly enacted legislation providing additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, the Mission Investment Fund (MIF) has the opportunity to cooperate with its financial partner, the ELCA Federal Credit Union, in offering loans. 
 
The ELCA Federal Credit Union is now a Small Business Administration-certified lender that can offer loans to congregations and ministries through the Paycheck Protection Program. These loans can keep your congregation or ministry afloat by covering staff members’ pay and other operating expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
MIF and the Credit Union have been working closely to provide special assistance to customers and members during this global health crisis. For application information and access to details about the program and the latest updates, visit the special  Paycheck Protection Program pag e on the Credit Union’s website. 
Feedback to draft social message on civic engagement sought
At the 2019 Churchwide Assembly in Milwaukee, voting members determined that the ELCA should write a social message on government and civic engagement for people of faith. It was also determined that the immediacy of the need to offer congregations a way to engage this topic in a time of polarization meant that a social message would also be drafted by the ELCA Church Council. A first draft of a social message is available. The authors of the message are seeking feedback .

A ministry of abiding
How can Minnesota Lutherans better connect with their Latino siblings?

Several leaders in the Minneapolis Area Synod, including Pastor Jorge Espinoza, think this is an important question for congregants to ask. Over the past several years, Pastor Jorge and his wife Pastor Stephanie Espinoza have been a part of Lutheran congregations in Illinois, Colorado, and now in Minnesota. Although Jorge has been a rostered leader in the ELCA for five years, his faith journey started far from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

Jorge was born in Nicaragua and was raised in the Catholic Church there. He was a Franciscan monk for 13 years while studying to become a Catholic priest. In the midst of this religious training, Jorge learned about Lutheranism from his brother, a Lutheran pastor in Costa Rica.
Join the 75,000 Face Mask Challenge  
COVID-19 is threatening vulnerable communities, and Lutheran World Relief urgently needs cloth face masks to send to them. The cloth mask you sew in your living room will provide love and protection to a neighbor in need halfway around the world. How many will you make to help stop the spread?

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