More than 125 rostered ministers in both the Saint Paul and Minneapolis Area Synods gathered in person for worship and learning last Thursday for our Joint Fall Ministerium. The Rev. Dr. Anthony Bateza from St. Olaf College shared insights on Martin Luther's "Whether One May Flee From a Deadly Plague," which generated reflection and conversation. We also enjoyed an opening worship service with Bishop Lull presiding and Bishop Ann Svennungsen preaching. Thank you to the Rev. Nathan Baker-Trinity (First, Rush City) and Deacon Jennifer Baker-Trinity (ELCA/Augsburg Fortress) for their assistance planning the service and providing music. We concurred that next year we hope to gather without masks and with snacks! View our full photo gallery.

After a pandemic pause, we are excited to announce that applications are accepted starting TODAY for the ELCA's Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) for 2022-2023! Please share the news about this amazing opportunity for a year of international service for those ages 21 to 29. YAGMs walk alongside our global church companions in the spirit of accompaniment. Participants form deep relationships, live in intentional community and confront issues of globalization, economic disparity, colonization, race, gender, sexuality, and more through the lens of faith. Learn more.

The ELCA is currently hiring YAGM Country Coordinators for eight countries: Argentina/Uruguay, Cambodia, Central Europe, Jerusalem and the West Bank, Madagascar, Mexico, Rwanda and Senegal. Country Coordinators oversee and facilitate the YAGM program in-country, and have overall responsibility for the volunteers’ well-being, support, and guidance during their term of service. They also partner with our companion churches and organizations through relationship-building and coordinating site placements. This is an administrative and pastoral role, but both clergy and laypeople are encouraged to apply! Learn more.

From the moment the first ship reached the shores of the Americas, the Church has been a force of colonization, causing pain and suffering for Indigenous peoples. One particular colonial endeavor that caused lasting trauma — from which Indigenous communities are still recovering — is Indian Boarding Schools. With the motto “Kill the Indian, and save the man,” (Capt. Richard H. Pratt, 1892) these schools were the federal government’s chosen method of forced assimilation. Most of these schools were run by the Church. 

Presenter Vance Blackfox, a Cherokee educator and Lutheran theologian, will provide an in-depth history lesson of the harms of these boarding schools, the role of the church in these schools and what steps we might take toward healing. Register below to receive the Zoom link!

The final community bell ringing event of the year will be Thursday, Nov. 11, at 11 a.m. in honor of Veteran's Day. If your church building has a bell, please toll it 11 times starting at 11 a.m. If you plan to participate, please communicate that to City of Bells organizer Rebecca Sundquist at rebecca@jorgensonsundquist.com or 952-221-3400 so you can be included in the press release. An updated City of Bells website will be coming soon with an interactive map; those with bells should complete this survey so your church's information is included.

"Inatosha" is a word that can mean abundance, satisfaction or, paradoxically, too much to bear, depending upon the circumstance. (Read Rev. Peter Harrits' reflection on Inatosha from a recent Companion Synod Update.) This phrase is the focus of this year's Bega Kwa Bega Fall Festival, which celebrates our companion synod relationship with the Iringa Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. The morning will be filled with renewed connections, learning and worship. In-person participants must register in advance and follow COVID protocols of masking and physical distancing. The event will also be live streamed on Christus Victor's Facebook page. Learn more.

The synod's Planting Hope capital campaign is progressing on its planned timeline and we now move into the training sessions for congregation leaders. Our first sessions will be on Tuesday, Nov. 30, with an in-person gathering at 3 p.m. at Roseville Lutheran and another session available at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. We are excited that nearly 70 of our congregations have already committed to supporting the campaign. We are also asking for the name and contact information for your selected congregation leader. Details were emailed to congregation presidents and rostered ministers.

Both Lutheran World Relief and ELCA World Hunger have created free Advent resources for you and your congregation:

In addition, the ELCA Good Gifts catalog contains 50+ meaningful gift giving options you could purchase in honor of friends and family. Examples include animals like goats or chicks, hygiene kits, computers, feeding people at a soup kitchen. You choose your gift that supports ministries of the ELCA in nearly 80 countries, then get a card to share the news of your gift. Learn more.

The Saint Paul Area Synod is dedicating Oct. 1 to May 14 as a time of remembrance, repentance and resolve to live in equitable partnership with neighbors of Native identity. Please send a photo of your congregation's worship space display to communications@spas-elca.org.

To commemorate All Saints Day this year, the National Lutheran Choir is offering both live performances and virtual programming. Live concerts, "All Saints: We Remember," will be held at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 at Central Lutheran, Minneapolis, and at 4 p.m. on Nov. 7 at St. Andrew's, Mahtomedi. COVID protocols will apply. These performances offer a space to mourn and heal as we emerge from such an uncertain time. Names of loved ones no longer with us may be submitted for reading during the performance.The virtual program, "Requiem Aeternam," features recordings with added visual art to deepen the impact of All Saints at such a crucial time of remembrance, patience and hope. It will be available Nov. 6-8. Learn more.

Chain Reaction Theatre Project: White Privilege

White Privilege, written by Malaina Moor and directed by Justin Cervantes, tells raw, true stories about the consequences of white privilege on the Black experience in America. Performed in a series of vignettes by both Black and white actors, the play explores a wide range of issues surrounding race, cultural appropriation, the education system and police brutality. It is recommended for ages 13+ due to strong subject matter and some profanity. Additional performances are offered around the Twin Cities through Nov. 7. Tickets are $20; COVID protocols apply. Learn more and purchase tickets.

The Christian Education Network of the ELCA, in partnership with Lifelong Faith Associates, is offering a webinar series called "Designing Faith Formation for the Future." The first session on Nov. 11 is "Designing Hybrid Faith Formation" with the Rev Kathy Pittenger, children's initiatives coordinator for the Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church.

For decades the church and faith formation have relied on in-person, fixed-time gatherings, events and programming offered in physical spaces. The pandemic disrupted this model and pushed us to experiment with new models. Hybrid models of church and faith formation integrate in-person gatherings at church or in family groups or small group meetings with online content with a rich menu of faith forming experiences. Hybrid models hold together two important values: the importance of in-person relationships and faith forming experiences, and the importance of being responsive to the complexity of peoples lives and their religious-spiritual needs. Hybrid models expand faith formation opportunities for everyone, allowing leaders to become more strategic about when, where, how, and for what we gather people because we can now integrate online with in-person faith forming. The cost is $12 ($10 for CE Network members). Register here.

The opportunity to make a difference in the life of someone struggling with addiction is often no further away than the person who sits near us in the pew on Sunday morning…someone whose life is silently unraveling and who desperately needs us to reach out with an open heart. The faith community can be one of the principal healers of addiction and mental health issues.

Faith Partners has established a national presence resulting in over 1,000 trained congregational teams in 29 states from 23 different faith traditions. These team members have ministered to thousands of individuals and families by offering the necessary tools and supports to make healthier choices and effectively meet people in their brokenness. This hybrid training event (in-person and virtual combination) is for two to four congregational leaders (preferably a pastor, staff and lay person) who are interested in developing a congregational addiction team ministry. The cost is $250 per congregation. Learn more.

Shobi's Table, the pay-as-you-can café ministry supported by our synod, is holding a virtual fundraiser to support its goals around expanding Shobi's community. There will be entertainment as well as cooking videos from the Shobi's Table kitchen crew. An anonymous donor has offered to match up to $15,000 so the new financial goal is $30,000! Every dollar you give will help ensure the ministry of making delicious, nutritious from-scratch meals available to everyone who comes to the big blue food truck. Shobi's Table currently serves lunch three times a week in neighborhoods along the University Avenue corridor in St. Paul. Learn more.

Sunday school teachers, musicians, clergy, camp staff, educators, youth directors, water experts and other interested parties are invited to gather on Zoom to discover faith and science resources on water quality. Participants will learn about a free eco-theology curriculum called "Wade in the Water," fun activities, faithful spiritual practices and a discussion about water justice. Event partners include Luther Seminary, The Ministry Lab, Capitol Region Watershed District, and Growing Green Hearts, LLC. Register here to receive the Zoom link and handouts.

The "Wade in the Water" curriculum is a free resource for congregations that contains activities, connections, field trips, links, tips and tricks that blend theology, water quality and community. (Creation care groups might be especially interested!) Capitol Region Watershed District supported this project with expertise and grant funding. Youth, volunteers and staff from Christ on Capitol Hill, St. Paul, piloted the activities in the summer of 2020. Click here to learn more and download the curriculum.

The 2022 Ignite the Church Conference will be a hybrid event offering both an in-person gathering in Orlando, Florida, and an online option. The conference theme of "Seismic Shifts: Where Do We Go From Here?" is grounded in Psalm 46:1-2. Four group sessions will focus on the following shifts:

Ten 90-minute workshops will dig deeper into these shifts to offer encouragement,inspiration and challenge for church leaders. Register by Nov. 30 to access the lowest $99 in-person rate. The online option will provide live and recorded access to each large group session and the post-conference resource page. The online option is free with a suggested donation of $30 to the ELCA Fund for Leaders. Learn more.

If COVID-19 has taught us anything homiletically, it is that trauma should be a regular part of our preaching. The 2022 Festival of Homiletics will create space for learning and conversation that honors what we have been through and what kind of preachers we want to be as survivors of the storm. Christian preaching knows it can’t get to the resurrection without going through the cross. But COVID-19 revealed that we are less aware of what it means to preach resurrection with the cross remaining. Registration opens today! Learn more.

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