April 27, 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 they continue to work primarily remotely, some staff will begin working at the office. The office will remain closed to public meetings. This re-entry experiment is planned to go through early May. 
Synod assembly message from Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm to give you a future with hope." (Jeremiah 29:11)

We’ve learned over the past year how resilient we are as church and as people of God. It’s been a time of pain, loss, injustice, and uncertainty. It has laso be a time of learning, listening, and tyring new things — stepping out of our comfort zones and into a more digital world. This church persevered in so many ways.

The churchwide organization has been working alongside all expressions and ministries of the ELCA and our partners to provide resources, share stories, engage members, keep our programs alive s we've shifted our focus to responding to the pandemic.
The voice of the
Good Shepherd
““In the wake of the momentous events of last week – the Chauvin trial verdict, the killing of Daunte Wright, the death of Walter Mondale, the uptick of COVID-19 cases – I’m still reflecting on the gospel text many of us heard over the weekend about Jesus being the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18). If there has ever been a time when we’ve needed to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd, and to be guided and comforted by that voice, it is now.””
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 we resume in-person gatherings we are not simply reclaiming our physical worship space. We are being reclaimed by God and one another in the Spirit as we 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?

Beginning April 21, congregations are encouraged to consider:

  • how we can meet new people, especially those who crave community after a time of unprecedented isolation
  • how we stay connected with people who have joined us online
  • how we can create new ideas to meet the changing needs of our communities
Open doors invite us in to gather, and open doors send us out to meet our neighbors. 
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."
Two Minneapolis Area Synod candidates receive Fund for Leaders awards
ELCA Fund for Leaders scholarship selectees for the 2021-2022 academic year include 45 full tuition, 12 mission developers, and four federal chaplaincy awardees, 61 people in all. The ELCA Fund for Leaders is an scholarship program that supports students of tremendous promise attending ELCA seminaries. By making seminary more affordable, the ELCA Fund for Leaders enables more future ministers to go to seminary and helps them graduate with less debt,

Two candidates from the Minneapolis Area Synod -- Frances Fernandez and Yesenia Morales Bahena -- are both awarded scholarships. Frances is a member at Grace Lutheran in Andover, and Yesenia is a member at University Lutheran Church of Hope in Minneapolis.
ELCA Churchwide Domestic Hunger Grant process open again
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: Congregations with feeding ministries should watch for an announcement about the next round of Daily Bread Matching Grants in the coming months. Visit www.elca.org/dailybread to learn more.
LSS names synod's 2021 Servant of Christ Awardee
Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota (LSS) each year awards one congregation in each of Minnesota's six synods its Servant of Christ Award. Normally, these awards are presented at the Synod Assembly for each synod. Because the synod assemblies are virtual this year, LSS is sharing a video in which it names the congregation being recognized for its service to the community.

If you want to be surprised while watching the five-minute video, stop reading here. A spoiler will follow: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, was named the 2021 Servant of Christ Awardee for the Minneapolis Area Synod for its presence and engagement during the Uprising that followed the murder of George Floyd on May 26, 2020.
Mental Health Connect plans Breakfast of Hope
Are you living the life you want? 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 will 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.
Mosaics available for congregational display
The panel “Feed the World” is our call to end world hunger. The images reflect the Three Sisters that native peoples planted together: corn, beans and squash. It is a planting that naturally calls to cooperation. As in nature, we are all one; we are all in this world together.
 
The panel “Love the Earth” shows native flowers of Minnesota, which attract pollinators needed for life: butterflies, bees, hummingbirds. Under the earth, you can see a different kind of pollinator: bugs and animals that help create the soil that nourishes all of us.
 
The middle panel was done by attendees of the 2019 synod assembly, under the direction of Pr. Luisa Cabello Hansel, Artistic Director of Semilla and co-pastor at St. Paul’s. It shows the unity of the church with our Creator, the creation, and one another.
 
They were created by the Semilla Center for Healing and the Arts at St. Paul’s Lutheran in south Minneapolis. Semilla means seed in Spanish, and the center works to plant seeds of hope by teaching and creating public art that can help make the community healthier, safer and more beautiful.
 
If you are interested in displaying the mosaics, please contact Brenda Blackhawk at b.blackhawk@mpls-synod.org or (612) 230-3305.
Where is the synod staff in upcoming weeks?
  • Pastor Craig Pederson will be preaching at Atonement Lutheran, Bloomington, on Sunday, May 23.
Upcoming Events
Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA www.mpls-synod.org