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God is at Work Through The Planting Hope Campaign
by Bishop Patricia Lull
Advent offers an opportunity to look back with gratitude and to look forward with anticipation of the good and gracious activity of God in our world. This Advent, I am especially appreciative of the way God has been at work spurring forward the efforts of the synod’s Planting Hope Campaign….
We have seen exciting developments in this first full year of active fundraising. Fifty-one congregations are participating in the campaign with 32 congregations sharing multi-year commitments, totaling over $943,000 toward our collective goal of raising $2.75 million dollars by the end of 2024. With 100% participation from synod staff and Synod Council members, over $95,000 has been committed. To date, major donors committed $63,000 for an overall commitment of $1,102,110 in this first year. Ten congregations have fundraising efforts currently underway or scheduled in the first half of 2023.
Thanks to this first round of fundraising, we have $650,000 in the bank in support of the four goals of the campaign….We would like to train 20 more congregations to run a six-week campaign in the first half of 2023. Is your congregation one of those ready to take on this work?
Read the Bishop's full update.
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The synod's Candidacy Committee met last week at Immanuel, St. Paul, for three interviews with candidates for rostered ministry in the church. Three new members were welcomed to the committee: The Rev. Greg Geier (St. Philip's, Hastings), Thaoke Her (Eternal Flame, Vadnais Heights), and Deanna Thompson (Gloria Dei, St. Paul). We are blessed to have dedicated rostered ministers and lay persons to support our future leaders in ministry! | |
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Green Blades Rising
Green Blades Rising is a monthly EcoTheology publication produced by the EcoFaith Network NE-MN Synod with the Saint Paul Area Synod's Care of Creation work group. It contains an EcoFaith preaching roundtable, highlights of congregational creation care initiatives, creation advocacy opportunities, and more. To receive the newsletter directly in your inbox, subscribe here.
The December edition contains a reflection on raising awareness of creation care activities, an Advent devotional on climate action, an update on advocacy related to creation care issues, a pollinator project Sunday School lesson and more. Read the December edition.
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Meet the BKB Program Coordinators
Tuesday, Dec. 6 - 6:30-8 p.m. | Gustavus Adolphus, St. Paul
Bega Kwa Bega's program coordinators, Ryan and Astine Bose, are on a holiday break from Tanzania. They are in the Twin Cities for a few days and you are invited to meet them in person! Join us for light refreshments as we mingle and hear about their Iringa experiences. They welcome your questions.
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Innovative Practice, Design Thinking & Experimentation
Saturday, January 21 - 9 a.m.-3 p.m. | Gustavus Adolphus, St. Paul
Have you ever felt stuck in your ministry? Does it feel that you are running into roadblocks as you try to proclaim the Gospel to your community? Do you have the pressure of the past haunting you as you live into this present reality as church? Are you ready to try something new?
The synod’s Vitality Team is offering its next Tools for the Church event to address these questions and more. We will explore design thinking and spend time together dreaming and thinking of the innovative places God is calling your congregation specifically in this time. After some conversation and work together around risk taking and failure, you and your team will be given tools to plan some experiments for your setting. The cost is $10 per person and includes lunch and snacks. Registration will open soon!
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Internship Program Coordinator
We are still accepting applications for the coordinator of a new program of summer internships to take place for four years beginning in 2023. The program coordinator will work to recruit placement sites, design and implement an application process, and oversee the placement process for up to 10 summer internships each year. The proposed start date is Jan. 1, 2023, to prepare for internships beginning in June 2023. The position and the internship program are largely funded by the synod’s Planting Hope capital campaign.
The primary aim of the program is to raise up a new generation of leaders in the church by providing opportunities for vocational exploration. The project will include a learning component for the cohort of interns, for which the program coordinator will provide organizational support. Flexible hours and remote work make it an easy complement to existing employment. This contract position works closely with a senior member of the synod staff and reports to the Bishop. Download the job description.
Interested persons may send a cover letter and resume to rachel.holsten@spas-elca.org. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled. Please share this opportunity with anyone you feel might be qualified and interested!
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ELCA Young Adult Steering Committee
The ELCA Young Adult Ministry team is seeking seven representatives for its 15-member Young Adult Steering Committee. This is a year-long term with quarterly meetings. At least eight members of the team will be young adults of color, and they are looking for diverse representation in queer identity, disability status, socioeconomic status, family makeup, life experience, age and other factors. The application deadline is Dec. 31. Learn more and apply.
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REMINDER: The 2023 Salary and Compensation Guidelines for our synod were emailed to congregations, presidents and rostered ministers in late October. The document may also be accessed on the Forms and Reports page of the synod website. | |
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Courageous Leadership Series
Wednesdays - 1 p.m. | Online
ELCA Coaching offers a weekly online gathering for ministry leaders. Each week this series features a new topic and presenters. On Dec. 7, most of the hour will be spent in breakout rooms with conversations facilitated by ELCA coaches on grief and loss, rural ministry, urban ministry, hybrid church, race relations, conflict and other topics. Recordings of these conversations are posted by the next day. Learn more.
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‘Meet the Plants’ Video Launch
Tuesday, Dec. 6 - 10-11 a.m. | Living Waters, Lino Lakes
A vast majority of our churches own property and that takes much of our time maintaining the building and keeping the heat on. But how have we been tending to the land on which these buildings reside? In partnership with the Rice Creek Watershed District, Metro Blooms, and Growing Green Hearts, there is a new educational video resource available called “Meet the Plants.” The video teaches us about the importance of native plants and how simple it is for all of us — churches included — to tend to the land on which we live. Join us for the launch of this new, free resource to experience firsthand how we can live into the first command God gives humanity in the Garden of Eden: to watch over and tend to creation. For more information, contact Pastor Ivy Huston at pastor@livingwaterslutheran.org. No registration is necessary!
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National Lutheran Choir’s Christmas Festival
Friday, Dec. 9 - 4:30 & 8 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 10 - 8 p.m. | The Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis
Join the National Lutheran for the 37th annual Christmas Festival, "Jesus Christ Yesterday, Today, Forever"! A free-to-all livestream of the performance will be broadcast at NLCA.com on Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. and will be available as a recording throughout the holiday season. Learn more.
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What is Discipleship in the Information Age?
Monday, Dec. 12 - 12:30-3 p.m. | Minnesota Church Center, Minneapolis
Certain core principles of faithful discipleship remain constant — such as telling the truth (1 John 2:24) — but the way disciples practice them in the 21st century may look different from how it looked in the 1st. Faith is a main driver of human behavior and so those who teach it bear additional power and responsibility. Join a clergy convening organized by Minnesota Council of Churches and the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy to share what faithful discipleship in the information age means to you. Register here.
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Addiction, Faith, Science & Public Policy
Tuesday, Dec. 13 - 11:30 a.m. | Online
Faith communities play a vital role in recovery and prevention. This webinar will explore the reasons why faith and spirituality can be integral to recovery and the critical importance of faith-based groups adopting evidence-based practices. Joining the discussion is Regina LaBelle, former interim director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy and current director of the Addiction and Public Policy Initiative at the O'Neill Institute of Georgetown University. You’ll learn about important policy initiatives at the federal level, how faith and science can work together, and this country’s first addiction focused public policy masters degree program. The hour-long presentation will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A discussion. Register here.
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Bowen Systems Series
Thursday, Dec. 15 - 1-3 p.m. | St. Stephen, Bloomington, & Online
Rostered ministers and interns with an interest in Bowen Systems theory are invited to join the learning and conversation. In December, the topic is Triangles as we continue to work through the eight concepts of Bowen Family Systems theory. This group meets on the fourth Thursdays of each month. (December is the exception.) The agenda is one hour of teaching and one hour of a shared case study. The leaders are the Rev. Wendy Vie Trittin and the Rev. Dr. Jules Erickson. The cost is $30 per session at the time of class. The dates into 2023 include Jan. 26, Feb. 23, March 23, April 27 and May 25. Questions? Contact Pastor Tom Olson at tolson@ststephen.net. Learn more about Bowen Theory.
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SYNOD STAFF IN CONGREGATIONS | |
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Rev. Justin Grimm
- Dec. 11 - Immanuel, Almelund (preaching and installing Pastor Justin Fenger)
Rolf Lowenberg-DeBoer
- Dec. 11 - Chisago Lake, Center City (installing Pastor Brian King)
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The Saint Paul Area Synod, which includes 107 congregations and new mission starts,
is one of 65 synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
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