May 4, 2021
Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA Enews
Synod office update
Synod staff are celebrating the fact that the COVID-19 vaccine is becoming more accessible. Although the staff is now splitting time between working in office and remotely, the office will remain closed to public meetings. This re-entry plan will be evaluated after Memorial Day. 
ELCA World Hunger offers guide for "River of Life" VBS program
ELCA World Hunger has produced an At-Home Vacation Bible Shcool Program Guide to help congregations prepare for another summer of pandemic summer programming. The guide adapts the new "River of Life" VBS program for use during times of physical distancing. This year's VBS highlights how ELCAS World Hunger partners with the neighbors around the world in clean water projects, and it features activities, games, crafts, and even snack ideas.
Our unique
dance steps
“Drew Hart, our 2021 Synod Assembly keynote speaker, in his book Who Will be a Witness, writes that, though Christians work with justice organizations, ‘very few … discover their Christian vocation for doing justice and seeking shalom in their neighborhoods because they worship together with other disciples of Jesus.’ Hart believes faith-based community organizing can provide steps for Christian communities seeking to work for justice.”
Open Doors grant application open
As ELCA congregations begin to assess the possibility of returning to in-person worship, following CDC guidelines, they can apply for grant funding with a specific and actionable idea for how its ministry might enable members to meet new people while regathering in community as COVID-19 considerations allow.
As churches resume in-person gatherings, congregants are not simply reclaiming their physical worship space. They are being reclaimed by God and one another in the Spirit as they return to physical community. As people freed by the gift of God’s love and grace, how might we share that gift with others who might need it, too?

Congregations are encouraged to consider:

  • how they can meet new people, especially those who crave community after a time of unprecedented isolation
  • how they stay connected with people who have joined them online
  • how they can create new ideas to meet the changing needs of their communities
Open doors invite us in to gather, and open doors send us out to meet our neighbors. 

If you have questions about these grants, email grants@elca.org. To view an FAQ about this grant campaign, visit ELCA.org/OpenDoors.
2021 "Ordinary Season" Preaching Workshop with Teresa L. Fry Brown
The Southeastern Synod, ELCA, invites pastors to attend a preaching workshop by the Rev. Dr. Teresa L. Fry Brown, the Bandy Professor of Preaching of Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

Monday, May 17
8:00-11:00 a.m., Central

“Not so Ordinary—Ordinary Time: From Holy Trinity Sunday through June” will address these Sundays in the preaching cycle:

  • May 30 - John 3:1-17
  • June 6 - Mark 2:23-3:6
  • June 13 - Mark 3:20-35
  • June 20 - Mark 4:26-34
  • June 27 - Mark 4:35-41

All are welcome and there is no cost. You can offer a donation here, designating "formation."
Mental Health Connect plans Breakfast of Hope
Learn how to live your life intentionally with nationally known speakers Kelli Nielsen and Joe Davis. Join in Mental Health Connect’s 3rd Annual Virtual Breakfast of Hope! 

Thursday, May 20
8:30-9:30 a.m.
 
Kelli Nielsen, "The Grief Guru," will speak about “Advancing Through Adversity.” Joe Davis, artist and educator, will speak about “The Healing Community and Vulnerability.” Joe employs poetry, music, theater, and dance to shape culture.

Funds raised from this event support the mission of Mental Health Connect, providing community-based resources, support, and education to improve access to mental health services and to connect individuals and families with the services they need.
ELCA Domestic Hunger Grant application deadline is approaching
Registration for 2022 ELCA World Hunger Domestic Hunger Grants is now open. Visit www.elca.org/domestichungergrants to learn more and how to apply. Organizations applying for a grant for the first time must register by setting up an account in ELCA GrantMaker in order to access the grant application once it opens on April 19. If your organization is already registered in ELCA GrantMaker, log back in and confirm that the contact information is up to date.
 
A pre-recorded webinar on the application process will be accessible on the Domestic Hunger Grant FAQ page within the next few days.
 
Application Timeline:

  • Registration open: March 17–May 5, 2021. Applicants must be registered in ELCA GrantMaker to access the application. Allow up to two weeks for registration approval. If you have not registered by May 5, you will not be able to start a new application. If you have already registered in ELCA GrantMaker, you do not need to register again.
  • Application open: April 19–May 21, 2021
  • Application review: June 2021–October 2021
  • Awards recommendations shared with applicants and synods: November 2021
  • Final awards approved and announced: February 2022
NOTE that the deadline for registration in ELCAGrantMaker is Wednesday, May 5.
The deadline for applications is Friday, May 21.
Lutheran World Federation plans for 2023 global assembly
Under the theme "One Body, One Spirit, One Hope," the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) will gather for its 13th Assembly in Krakow, Poland, in September 2023. The Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland (ECACP) will be the host body for this assembly.

The LWF Assembly is the highest decision-making body of the lwf. It brings together representatives from all LWF member churches to empower the Lutheran communion for its witness and service in coming years, according to BIshop Dr. Tamas Fabiny, chairperson of the Assembly Planning Committee. This gathering, the second assembly to be held in Central Eastern Europe -- the first was held in 1984 in Budapest, Hungary -- offers an opportunity to reflect upon the local context in Poland, as well as the rest of that region.

“For our small, minority church the Assembly is an extremely important event, because it calls attention to our Polish community and with the Lutheran communion, the message that all churches are equally important regardless of size or wealth will be evident,” said ECACP Presiding Bishop Jerzy Samiec.

The visual identity for the assembly was by Kristen Opalinski, a Polish-American graphic designer who works for the ELCA. She offers, "We are connected as a global Lutheran family in a wide variety of ways and ai wanted to convey that through the vidual identity of the Assembly."  
Where is the synod staff in upcoming weeks?
  • Pastor Norma Malfatti will be leading a forum at Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran, Minneapolis, on Wednesday, May 12.
  • Bishop Ann Svennungsen will be offering a farewell blessing for Pastors Mary Halvorson and Dan Garnass at Grace University Lutheran, Minneapolis, on May 16.
  • Pastor Craig Pederson will be preaching at Atonement Lutheran, Bloomington, on Sunday, May 23.
  • Pastor Norma Malfatti will be preaching at the First Call Theological Education event on Monday, June 7.
Upcoming Events
Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA www.mpls-synod.org