Advent and Christmas Blessings!
On one of the morning news shows today, a priest from New York said something like this:
"The gift of faith is to be able to look at the world with clear eyes."

This Christmas, may the story of Emmanuel deeply root you in new ways, giving you clear eyes to see the boundless love of God at work in you and the world around you!

Together in Christ,
Catherine Anderson and the Synod Journey Planning Team
Synod Journey Speaker!
We are excited to share that Pastor Mike Carlson will be our speaker on the Synod Journey! Mike is Lead Pastor at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi, MN. He has over 30 years of ministry experience, including serving several congregations in the NE MN Synod and serving as a national speaker, trainer and consultant.

Mike lives and breathes the boundless love of God, helping youth and adults be deeply rooted and connected so they too can live into the boundless life God has created them for. We are excited for you and your your youth to be captivated by his storytelling, as he weaves Biblical  foundations with personal life stories that challenge listeners to connect faith with their daily lives. Mike lives in White Bear Lake with his wife, Tammy; they have three sons and two dogs. The Carlson family enjoys camping, canoeing, hiking and good movies.
Adult Leader Background Checks
We haven't forgotten about these! We'll be sending the link by the end of January to get these completed.
Monthly Meetings and "Grab and Go" Resources
We hope and pray that your Synod Journey meetings are going well!

We also hope you and your congregation use these resources beyond your Synod Journey group. To help you consider ways to do this, the Worship and Resource Team have put together a "Top 10 List" to inspire you to think of different ways you can engage your congregation in being deeply rooted to a boundless God this year!
Synod Journey Adult Leader Facebook Group
We have a closed Facebook Group for adult leaders. Search for “NE MN Synod Journey: 2021-22 Adult Leaders” and request to join. It will ask for your church and church city so we know any additional adults you want to have added are legit!
Extravaganza!
There is still time to register for the Onsite or Online Extravaganza! One of the best ways to equip yourself for the Synod Journey and ELCA Youth Gathering is to attend the 2022 Extravaganza sponsored by the ELCA Youth Ministry Network. This event offers Learning Tracks and workshops that will equip you for your role, provide opportunities to meet with Gathering staff and leaders, and network you with leaders from across the ELCA.
 
And we still have a few Extravaganza Scholarships available! We think this event is so valuable to leaders that they should include the cost for attending the Extravaganza in their fundraising. We also want to help you get there! The NE MN Synod is offering 15, $200 scholarships for Adult Leaders who will be participating in the Synod Journey AND attend the Onsite Extravaganza. Scholarships are awarded on a first come, first served basis.

Gathering gNews
The ELCA automatically adds Adult Leaders registered for the Gathering to the g-News mailing list. Additional adults can sign up on the Gathering website for these monthly updates from the Gathering staff and planning teams.