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Gleaning From The Harvest Grant:
Six Innings and a Prayer
Early this year, the synod created a Gleaning From the Harvest grant program for exploration and experimentation in the following areas: evangelism, racial justice, "we never did that before" and worship training & technology. Grants totaling $113,000 were awarded to 19 ministries. Pastor Teleen Saunders describes Fish Lake Lutheran's community-building project that received one of the grants.
Fish Lake in Stark was blessed to receive a generous Gleaning From the Harvest grant from the Saint Paul Area Synod to support “Six Innings and a Prayer,” a weekly pick-up softball game for adults. Each Wednesday we met on our softball field for an hour of play. We ended in prayer and then headed down the road to our local bar and grill for fellowship. The grant paid for advertising, equipment, t-shirts, childcare and soda pop. Anyone who showed up could play.…
Let’s be honest. It’s easier to invite folks to join in a game of softball than to join in a worship service. Yet, once relationships are made, an invitation to worship is much more natural. Our games attracted neighbors, relatives and curious onlookers.…Aside from gaining new members and new volunteers, we deepened friendships and started a new tradition as a community of God where everyone belongs and no one keeps score.
Read Fish Lake's full grant summary.
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Addressing Hunger
The Call to End U.S.
Hunger by 2030
The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health, held on Sept. 28, unveiled the administration’s national strategy for ending hunger here in the U.S. by 2030. This plan urges not only federal, state, tribal, local and territory governments to be involved, but also the private sector, academia, nonprofit and community groups as well. Yes, that includes faith communities!
This strategy is a roadmap of sorts including action that the federal government can take administratively, proposals that will need congressional approval, and actions that non-governmental groups will need to take if the 2030 goal is to be reached. It calls for advancing economic security, for investing in child nutrition programs, for expanding SNAP eligibility, and supporting food sovereignty and access to traditional foods.
Be alert to any and all news of progress, especially as the Farm Bill comes up for reauthorization in 2023. Read, listen and advocate. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could truly end hunger for everyone in our country by 2030?
Vernita Kennen
Incarnation, Shoreview
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Joint Fall Ministerium
Under the theme, "Life Together: Connected Communities," rostered ministers of the Minneapolis and Saint Paul Area Synods gathered at Luther Seminary last Thursday for a joint fall ministerium. The event included a worship service with Holy Communion, followed by a panel discussion featuring local governmental leaders.
The panelists, county commissioners from Ramsey, Hennepin and Dakota counties, plus a Metropolitan Council member, focused on how rostered leaders can be positive influencers when polarization runs deep. A recording is available here. You can also view photos here.
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2023 Compensation Guidelines
The newly released 2023 Salary and Compensation Guidelines for our synod have been emailed to congregations, presidents and rostered ministers. This document provides guidance related to compensation for pastors, deacons, lay program and lay support staff. If you have questions, please contact the synod's Financial Administrator, David Roinas, at 651-224-4313 or david.roinas@spas-elca.org.
The guidelines were also posted in the Saint Paul Area Synod's Treasurers and Financial Administrators Facebook group. If you have an oversight role in your congregation's finances but are not a member of the group, click here to request to join.
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From Scratch - A Shobi's Table Fundraiser
Sunday, Nov. 6 - 7 p.m. | Online
Shobi's Table, the synod's pay-as-you-can food truck ministry, invites you to its third annual From Scratch Fundraiser. This is an evening to celebrate what we can do as a community for our community. We’ll share what your support has accomplished this past year and what new goals we have for the coming year. You’ll also take a peek in the Shobi’s Table kitchen and have some fun with staff and volunteers!
You’ll find all the information you’ll need to watch the online event via Facebook or YouTube on our website: shobistable.org/from-scratch-2022. This page has links to donate and you can sign up for updates and have the viewing link sent right to you! Join us and ensure that each person in our community has access to from-scratch, delicious and dignified meals. When we eat together, we are Christ’s Table alive in the world! Shobi's serves delicious, nutritious lunch three times a week in St. Paul neighborhoods.
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Suicide: Guns, Grief and Grace
Thursday, Nov. 17 - 7-8:30 p.m. | Online
Nearly 70% of gun deaths in Minnesota are suicides, mostly in rural areas. Nationally, about 60% of gun deaths are suicides. Guns are the preferred suicide instrument. ENGAGE, the gun violence prevention work group of our synod, is hosting an online conversation to create awareness of the relationship between guns and suicide, and to propose aids for prevention. Data will keep us honest, guests will share their stories, scripture will be our guide, and all of us our support. Register to receive the Zoom link.
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Bega Kwa Bega Fall Festival
Saturday, Nov. 19 - 8 a.m.-12 Noon | King of Kings, Woodbury + Online
Bega Kwa Bega invites you to its 2022 Fall Festival where we will celebrate our "shoulder to shoulder" synod companionship with the Iringa Diocese of Tanzania. Special guests include the Rev. Askali Mgeyekwa, dean/assistant to the bishop of the Iringa Diocese, and the Rev. Jiskaka Lwila, district pastor and former BKB DIRA coordinator. The morning includes affiliate presentations, a keynote, breakout sessions and worship. Learn more and register. Can't attend in person? It will be live streamed on Facebook too!
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Young Adults in Global Mission
After a two-year pause, the Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program is sending volunteers out into the world again. The program invites young adults aged 21-29 into a transformative, yearlong journey in international service. Applications are accepted starting tomorrow through Feb. 1, 2023, with priority given to those who apply before Jan. 15, 2023. Learn more.
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World Hunger Advent Resources
We are called to share in God’s work in the world. Through ELCA World Hunger, our church creatively and courageously works toward a just world where all are fed. Together, we act, pray and hope for truly sufficient, sustainable livelihoods for all. As we look ahead to Advent and Christmas, take note of the following resources available through ELCA World Hunger:
- Advent Calendar - find daily inspiration from prayers, Scripture, hymns and information about ELCA Good Gifts.
- Advent Study Guide - find impactful, motivational stories and information about how your gifts to ELCA World Hunger are at work in the world.
- Action Guide for Congregations - discover ideas and resources to help activate your congregation in the work to end hunger and poverty.
These resources are available to order and to download for immediate access. Learn more at https://elca.org/hungeradvent.
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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. The sessions often include time for small group break-out rooms so that leaders across the church can learn from one another and leave each gathering with at least one action step. Recordings are posted by the next day. Learn more.
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White Church Truths
Saturday, Nov. 5 - 9 a.m.-3 p.m. | Westminster Presbyterian, Minneapolis
In order to work for racial justice there are truths that must be faced, even about the faith practiced in most Minnesota churches. At White Church Truths we will face the truths hidden in white Christian beliefs and open our eyes more clearly to the future – and white Christians' role in it. In the U.S. today, an entire religion has developed around the worship of the dominance, centrality, privilege, and assumed universality of being white. Dr. Michael O. Emerson, author of Blacks and Whites in Christian America, offers the keynote. A response panel includes Felicia Boone, DEI consultant for Hennepin County; Rev. Kelly Sherman-Conroy (Lakota), Native theologian; and Rev. Dr. DeWayne Davis, Lead Pastor at Plymouth Congregational Church. This event is offered through the Minnesota Council of Churches. Learn more and register.
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Prince of Peace Tanzanian Dinner & Auction
Sunday, Nov. 13 - 5:30-7:30 p.m. | Prince of Peace, Roseville
Prince of Peace invites you to attend its annual Tanzanian dinner to celebrate the relationship between the congregation and its companions, Bomalang’ombe Lutheran Church and Vikongwa Lutheran Church in Tanzania. You can feast on Tanzanian-inspired foods, hear more about the partnership, and bid on some great auction items from Tanzania! A freewill donation will be taken to provide scholarships and other needs in Bomalang’ombe, Vikongwa, and the Iringa Diocese in Tanzania. Click here to learn more or contact Caryn Josephson at czjosephson@gmail.com.
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SYNOD STAFF IN CONGREGATIONS | |
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Rolf Lowenberg-DeBoer
- Nov. 13 - Our Savior's, Circle Pines (installation of Pastor Susie Modrow)
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The Saint Paul Area Synod, which includes 110 congregations and new mission starts,
is one of 65 synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
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