The Final Word- Prayer Service for Ukraine

Friends, the terrible suffering underway in Ukraine is not God’s will for how we are to live as nations among nations on this earth. This terrible moment again in human history – and all the memories it elicits of other times of war and suffering – is not God’s way of schooling us because of our lack of faith. It is but one more manifestation of how very broken and brutal a fallen world can be. This Lent God calls all of us back to the sure and certain foundation on which alone we can stand when the earth shakes and the world, as we know it, is turned upside down.…

This Lent we have our eyes trained to see afresh where his journey on this earth led. First, to the cross. Then to the tomb. To that awful day when it seemed all hope had been in vain. When it sure looked like evil was stronger than good. When it seemed that the power of the strongest bully, the desires of the greediest empire, the cruelty of the tyrant was the final word.

But not then; not now. The final word belongs to God. To the God, who raised Christ Jesus from the dead.

Registration for our 2022 Synod Assembly is now open! Many congregations will take care of registering all of their voting members at one time; if you're a lay voter, please check to see if that's the case for you or if you should register yourself.

March 27 - Deadline for Resolutions & Memorials

April 13 - Pre-Assembly Report Available

April 29 - Pre-Registration Ends

The synod received nearly 80 applications for its "Gleaning From the Harvest" ministry grant program. (Wow!) These applications are being carefully reviewed by a committee that will make its funding recommendations this week to Synod Council. All applicants will be sent a letter next week as to if they have been awarded a grant. We wish we could fund all of the proposals...we are amazed at the creativity and detail put into applications for funding in the areas of evangelism, racial justice, worship training/technology and new to your ministry.

A number of presenters from last week's Tool Kit for Congregational Leaders have shared their presentation materials and handouts with us to make accessible to you! PDFs are available from the following sessions:

The Saint Paul Area Synod welcomes Leslie Ortiz as the Interim Front Office Administrator. Leslie brings 20 years of administrative leadership to this role, most recently 12 years in academic affairs at Luther Seminary. She will serve through early June. She is also an accomplished photographer.

We welcome Leslie to the synod staff!

In 2020, 500 Minnesotans died of gun violence: 340 died by suicide, 154 by homicide, and the remainder by accident or unknown cause. Included are 34 youth deaths. (Protect Minnesota). The Giffords Law Center reports the annual cost of gun violence in Minnesota is $2.2 billion. How can we do better? What commitments can Minnesotans make to create a more gun safe state?

ENGAGE, the Saint Paul Area Synod's Public Witness work group for gun violence prevention, is hosting an evening Zoom meeting to design a gun violence prevention strategy. Participating will be leaders representing the Brady Campaign, Moms Demand Action, Protect Minnesota, Interfaith Alliance for Gun Safety and ENGAGE. We invite your participation and commitment to make Minnesota more gun safe.

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 haven'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 much 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:

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 $1800. 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.

Get out for a walk or your own favorite winter activity anytime during February and March while sporting a new Cherish All Children beanie. Donate now and your beanie will be on its way to you!

The Joint Religious Legislative Coalition invites you to the online, evening "Day on the Hill" to learn about legislative advocacy to help struggling Minnesotans. Be inspired by the keynote Maharat Rori Picker Neiss, an Orthodox religious leader and Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, St. Louis. Learn about the 2022 legislative priorities, and be equipped to meet with your state legislators. Make a difference – and make connections between charity and justice – for your neighbors! Trainings available prior to Day on the Hill. Click here for a flier.

Questions? Contact Statewide Organizer Joan Miltenberger at jmiltenberger@jrlc.org or 612-230-3232. Learn more and register.

Bread for the World regional organizers hold quarterly regional online meetings to update and equip our members and to introduce Bread to those who are new. In these meetings, you will learn about the status of Offering of Letters and current legislative priorities, hear from and connect with Bread members in your region, and consider timely action steps you and your group can take to advocate for an end to hunger. Register here.

The Cantorei and Manitou Singers of St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN) will perform a concert centered around the work, True Witness: A Civil Rights Cantata, composed by Jodi Goble. This work features texts drawn from African American women poets and civil rights activists from 1863 to the present day. At this time, proof of vaccination and masks are required for this concert.

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.

Augsburg University Campus Ministry invites you to participate in its 6th annual Fosdick Lecture on Preaching. "Preaching in a Time of Crisis" features Pastors Ingrid Rasmussen and Angela Khabeb from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. This webinar will be live streamed from Hoversten Chapel in the Foss Center at Augsburg University.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, located just off of Lake Street in the 3rd Precinct, found itself at the heart of the explosive response to the brutal killing of George Floyd and the centuries of trauma that preceded his death. During the months that followed the uprising, the church responded by distributing donated food, diapers, toiletries, plywood for boarding up broken windows, cleaning supplies, and tools to the community. This remained a primary part of Holy Trinity’s work throughout the summer and fall of 2020. Pastors Rasmussen and Khabeb share their insights on preaching during this time of crisis and reflect on how these experiences continue to shape their understanding of theology and ministry. Register here.

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.

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