We are pleased to announce that our 2022 Synod Assembly will feature several mini-keynotes from energizing voices who will help us think about children in our communities from theological, historical and grassroots community service points of view.

The Rev. Dr. Amy Marga is Professor of Systematic Theology at Luther Seminary. She earned her MDiv and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary and has been teaching at Luther since 2006. She is a grounded and incisive theologian, rich and accessible on topics from reformation theology to the subject matter of her forthcoming book: perspectives on motherhood throughout Christian history. She will address the assembly on Friday morning, May 13, with “Eight Things You Need to Know About God and Children.”

Marcus Pope is the President of Youthprise, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization that aims to increase equity with and for Minnesota’s indigenous, low-income and racially diverse youth. He was raised in St. Paul’s Frogtown neighborhood and has dedicated his life to helping children and other vulnerable populations in Minnesota thrive. Youthprise strives to listen to the voices of young people, to give them a seat at the table, and to build programs and systems that are responsive to their needs and guided by their ideas. Marcus has been with Youthprise since its inception almost a decade ago; he was named its president last year. He will address the assembly on Saturday morning, May 14, with “Eight Things You Need to Know About Children in the East Metro.”

Following the second mini-keynote, Dr. Marga and Marcus will be joined by Bishop Patricia Lull and Alexis Oberdorfer, Vice President and Chief Officer for Community Engagement and Partnerships at Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. Alexis has been a close colleague in the planning of the synod’s investment (through our Planting Hope Campaign) in the Families Together project on the East Side of St. Paul. This conversation will address how we best care for all of our children.

The Synod Assembly will be held Friday, May 13 (9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.) and Saturday, May 14 (9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) at St. Andrew's in Mahtomedi. Pre-registration is open through April 29. During this time, the registration fee is $65 per person. If you miss this window, you may register on-site at a cost of $75 per person. Questions? Contact the synod office at 651-224-4313.

I am delighted to announce that Kirsten Levorson has been named the Acting Director for Bega Kwa Bega. She will begin in this full-time role on synod staff on April 1 and will serve through September. She has been involved with Bega Kwa Bega since her first visit to Tanzania in 2002 as a member of Shepherd of the Valley, Apple Valley. She has served on the Iringa Task Force and the Iringa Committee, and has chaired the committee for the past six years. As Acting Director, Kirsten will oversee the work of Astine and Ryan Bose, our short-term volunteers in Iringa, tend our relationships with the staff of the Diocese of Iringa, support the work of the Iringa Committee, and serve as the synod’s designated representative when she travels to Tanzania later this summer.

Caryn Josephson, a member of the Executive Committee of Bega Kwa Bega, has agreed to serve as chair of the Iringa Committee for the remainder of 2022. Her love for Tanzania began on a 2004 trip to visit Prince of Peace in Roseville’s companion congregation in Bomalang’ombe. Eight visits later, she serves as Tanzania Partnership Chair at Prince of Peace, Roseville, and is involved in the larger Bega Kwa Bega ministry as a member of the Iringa Executive Committee, serving as North Central Cluster Leader with her husband Jim, and VP of Communications for the Iringa Hope Board of Directors.

I am grateful for the willingness of these two leaders to step forward during this time of transition. We are building upon strong relationships during this transition and hopeful for the enduring fruitfulness of these rich and mutual global partnerships.

Bishop Patricia Lull

Thank you for your outpouring of prayers and generosity — you are making a difference in the lives of people impacted by the war in Ukraine. Your gifts to Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) during this crisis are already at work. Because of your generosity, $1 million will support the Lutheran World Federation and these member churches:

They are distributing hygiene supplies, food, medicine, bedding and psychosocial and pastoral care to refugees and internally displaced people, most of whom are women and children. Your support has made this possible, but more work remains. Your gifts to “Eastern Europe Crisis Response” will be used to in full (100%) to address the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and neighboring countries.

Additional responses through partners in these countries and others in the region are expected in the coming weeks and months, and Lutheran Disaster Response is committed to accompanying those partners as the situation evolves. We pray for the Roma communities and foreign nationals who are facing racial and ethnic discrimination at the borders as they flee Ukraine. Our companions are ensuring that people in these marginalized groups will be treated with respect and dignity as they seek safety.

Lutheran World Federation is another robust organization that will make good use of your donations to support the millions of people affected and displaced by the invasion of Ukraine. Give to LWF here!

NOTE: If you missed reading Bishop Patricia Lull's homily from last week's Prayer Service for Peace, you may view it here.

This event is open to rostered ministers of the Saint Paul Area Synod. All rostered ministers in the synod (active and retired, seminarians, candidates and inters) are invited to attend this gathering. The morning will include a service of Holy Communion, during which there will be a blessing of vocation for leaders. There will be an opportunity to renew the vows made at ordination, consecration and baptism. Attendance is free, but registration is required by April 10. Masks will be optional, per the current policy of our host congregation. Register here.

The South Central Conference of the Saint Paul Area Synod has voted to change its name to the City Conference to better reflect its representation in serving congregations located in the City of St. Paul (plus one in Lauderdale). Click here to view our color-coded map of the congregations and conferences of the synod!

Attendees represented many congregations from around the synod, and together learned some basics on mental illness, including that one in five people live with a mental illness, the most common being anxiety, and the second most common being depression.

We also learned five important things each of us can do to make Minnesota a better place for people who experience a mental illness:

Read the full post for concrete examples of how congregations can be more inviting and welcoming to those experiencing mental illness or caring for a loved one with mental illness.

NOTE: To learn more about the synod's mental health grants, visit https://spas-elca.org/resources/for-leaders/mental-health-grants/.

Join other children's ministry staff and key volunteers for a discussion of summer plans. Let's think outside our walls! We'll look forward to the summer as we share ideas to spread the love of Jesus outside our walls. Let's work together!

Meeting ID: 850 7612 9637

Passcode: 473439

Questions? Contact Rachelle Gill from Easter Lutheran Church in Eagan.

If your congregation plans to participate in the synod's Planting Hope Campaign in the coming months but hasn't yet attended a training session, make March 15 your day! Participants receive a detailed leaders' manual, which walks them through the process and options for running not only this synod campaign, but future congregational stewardship or fundraising efforts. Click here to register.

If you are a congregational leader for the campaign and missed the Zoom update on Feb. 24, a recording is available for viewing. You'll hear more details on the Families Together Preschool project on the East Side, a description of the internships portion of the "Raising Up the Next Generations of Leaders" initiative and more. View the recording here.

Just think of the lives your congregation could impact if your members grew their giving by 10%-15% next year! This is exactly the goal of Stewardship for All Seasons, a two-year, comprehensive process. SAS congregations embrace an impactful annual appeal and move into other vital realms of a culture of generosity:

The Saint Paul Area Synod invites you to an informational session to meet SAS Facilitator Pete Reuss and learn more about the process! Congregations will sign up for SAS by the end of April with the first cohort session to be held in May. Contact the Rev. Justin Grimm at justin.grimm@elca.org to confirm your attendance or with any questions.

Join the synod's Advocates for Racial Equity (ARE) work group on Zoom as we learn about the Saint Paul Industrial School, which operated at one time as an Indian Boarding School in Clontarf, Minnesota. This will be a chance to get a closer look into what led this small town to build and operate such a program. We'll examine the ongoing impact of Indian Boarding Schools and discuss the ways in which suppression keeps us from rumbling with our past. Presenters include:

Jesus calls us to “Go and make disciples….” How are you doing at that? What does that look like in your context? How has the pandemic changed the way to respond to that call? Many faith communities are wondering how to do the work of invitation today. The days are gone when people just show up to church because it’s expected. Truth is, people need to be invited.

We tend to be good at welcoming once they enter our doors, but how do we get them there in the first place? In this interactive workshop, the synod’s Vitality Team will redefine what evangelism means for today. There's no cost to attend, but please register! Learn more. To download a flyer, click here.

The NE MN Ecofaith Network and our synod's Care of Creation Work Group invite you to "Holy Ground, Holy Table: Regenerative Practices for the Wholeness of the Earth." This summit over Zoom features keynote speakers George and Annaliese Walker, Minnesota farmers and leaders in the international regenerative agriculture movement. A remarkable and diverse group of seven storytellers will also share their experiences in a full range of regenerative food practices.

Throughout the morning, there will also be small group "table talk" breakout sessions and original music videos featuring Susan Palo Cherwien's and Robert Buckley Farlee’s hymn, In Sacred Manner, with the paintings of Robyn Sands Anderson and Charlotte Schuld.

Partners for the 2022 EcoFaith Summit include: Luther Seminary, Lutheran Advocacy-Minnesota, Lutherans Restoring Creation, Minneapolis Synod EcoFaith Network, Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, The Land Stewardship Project, and Together Here Ministries. Learn more and register.

The Horizon Apprenticeship is designed to help young people of color or whose primary language is a language other than English acquire a missional imagination to help them discern their future and the role that Jesus and the church have in their life. An ELCA congregation can nominate a young person (or persons) with growing leadership skills in their worshiping community to participate in the program. By nominating the young person, the congregation's leader agrees to oversee their apprentice's summer internship if accepted into the program.

Nominees must be enrolled in high school or college and be between the ages of 16 and 20 for the entire program. Each apprentice accepted into the program will receive a stipend of $1,800. The commitment is for nearly two months, from Sunday, June 5 through Sunday, July 31, 2022. Availability is limited this year, so please submit applications as soon as possible but no later than Tuesday, March 22. Learn more.

American Christians have always struggled with the relationship between church and state. But in recent years the alignment between right-wing politics and Christianity has taken on a new intensity in a movement called “Christian Nationalism.” This power grab co-opts the language and symbols of Christianity, deceiving many and harming both our faith and democracy. (Christian nationalism strongly influenced the Jan. 6, 2021, riot in Washington, D.C.). How do we as Lutherans understand this movement and respond to it?

Pastor Rolf Olson and Dr. Nancy Koester have developed a two-part primer to alert congregations to this dangerous development. Session 1 explains what Christian Nationalism is and why it matters; Session 2 explores who’s involved in Christian nationalism, what are its components and ways we can respond. The presenters are willing to come to metro ELCA churches. To schedule them, email rolson@rosevillelutheran.org or nancykstr@gmail.com.

When Jesus began His ministry, He immediately formed a small group. Following in the footsteps of Jesus, ELCA Coaching is continuing to offer opportunities to gather in small groups for discussion and empowerment around the prominent topics swirling in the crucible of change for us as faith leaders. Most of the hour is spent in breakout rooms with conversations facilitated by our ELCA Coaches. Topics range from community and personal grief, rural and urban ministry, hybrid church, advocacy, race relations, conflict, leadership development, allyship for the LGBTQIA community and more. Learn more.

Following the darkness of winter, the National Lutheran Choir sings to the promise of life in its second virtual program of the season, O Blessed Spring. The program will draw musical inspiration from the seasons of nature, the seasons of life, and life in God with hymns and other works by hymn writers and composers such as Felix Mendelssohn, Ruth Duck, Hall Johnson, Susan Palo Cherwien and Robert Hobby. Both the choir and viewers will sing as we look toward a brighter future more connected to the world than ever before. The program is free to watch beginning March 20 at https://nlca.com/.

Pastor Mary Lund will lead an in-depth community Bible study through the Psalms, a spiritually enriching and marvelously engaging book of scripture. Please bring your Bibles with you to the class. We will begin with an overview of the book of Psalms and then examine several specific Psalms. Pastor Mary is a retired ELCA pastor who has served congregations in Massachusetts and Minnesota. She was on the pastoral staff of Shepherd of the Valley during 1997-2015. The cost is $10 per person. Register here.

A free recorded Earth Day worship service will soon be available, thanks to a collaboration between the Ministry Lab at United Theological Seminary and Lutherans Restoring Creation. The service has stunning imagery, beautiful music and a powerful call to listen to creation. The Rev. Dr. Carmelo Santos preaches and music will be provided by Vance Blackfox and friends, Tom Witt and Mary Preus, along with Baird Linke. The service will be available on YouTube and Facebook Live starting April 22. Those who wish to integrate the service in their own worship offerings are encouraged to request the material to download ahead of time. Files should be available no later than April 9. Learn more.

Church Anew, a ministry of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie, offers a two-day event featuring the Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber. She founded a community of faith in Denver, Colo., called House for All Sinners and Saints, as a haven for a diverse community seeking affirmation and acceptance. She is an author and hosts a podcast, The Confessional. The conference also features Dr. Tod Bolsinger, author of Canoeing the Mountains, who will discuss leadership practices and tools; preaching from the Rev. Jenny Sung; and an artistic response with nationally touring poet Joe Davis. The cost is $249 to attend in person; virtual access is $75. For group rates, email support@churchanew.org. Learn more.

This conference offers professional development, spiritual nourishment and networking opportunities for persons engaged in congregational ministry. The theme, Scatter the Imagination of Our Hearts, is based on Mary’s proclamation in the Magnificat that the proud will be scattered in the imagination of their hearts. The conference invites participants to explore how the power of imagination can challenge, change and inspire, especially as churches respond to the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and structural racism. The conference will feature Rev. Dr. Willie James Jennings and Rev. Dr. Eunjoo Mary Kim, both of whom have produced books and research focused around race, multiculturalism and the church. The conference will also feature musicians Tesfa Wondemagegnehu and Anton Armstrong (choir) and Jill Mahr (handbells) and sessions led by Joe Davis, Deanna Thompson, Kelly Sherman-Conroy, and more. Early bird registration rates are available through April 3. Learn more.

www.spas-elca.org | 651-224-4313