The synod's Planting Hope capital campaign is progressing on its planned timeline and we now move into the training sessions for congregation leaders. Our first sessions will be on Wednesday, Nov. 30, with an in-person gathering at 3 p.m. and another session available at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. We are excited that nearly 70 of our congregations have already committed to supporting the campaign. Don't forget that the synod will be asking for the name and contact information for your selected congregation leader. Watch for information yet this week with full details and registration information for the training!

For rostered ministers in the Saint Paul and Minneapolis Area Synods. Near the end of 2020, Martin Luther’s words on how to respond to a pandemic as a person of faith went viral. His “Whether One May Flee From a Deadly Plague” didn’t feel nearly 500 years old. Just as he spoke to his community during an outbreak of the bubonic plague in Wittenburg in 1527, his writing hits close to home today as we attempt to serve the church faithfully during this COVID-19 pandemic.

While much uncertainty still colors our daily lives and our comings and goings, we are grateful for the gifts of vaccination and public health guidance that provide opportunities for us to come together for a ministerium this fall, to learn more deeply about what our tradition and its founder have to offer us as leaders. We will gather for worship and learning. The Rev. Dr. Anthony Bateza, a theologian with a deep knowledge of Martin Luther and Associate Professor of Religion at St. Olaf College, will be our guide.

The Saint Paul Area Synodical Women's Organization is gathering for a in-person soup luncheon and panel discussion. Members of the Advocates for Racial Equity (ARE) work group will help facilitate ways for the group and our congregations to engage in the critical task of becoming more anti-racist. Click here to download the flyer. A freewill offering will support the efforts of ARE. Register by emailing tricia.niesche@gmail.com.

"Inatosha" is a word that can mean abundance, satisfaction or, paradoxically, too much to bear, depending upon the circumstance. (Read Rev. Peter Harrits' reflection on Inatosha from a recent Companion Synod Update.) This phrase is the focus of this year's Bega Kwa Bega Fall Festival, which celebrates our companion synod relationship with the Iringa Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. The morning will be filled with renewed connections, learning and worship. In-person participants must register in advance and follow COVID protocols of masking and physical distancing. The event will also be live streamed on Christus Victor's Facebook page. Watch for more information and a registration link soon!

Lutheran Social Service and Cherish All Children have a new resource for church middle school and high school youth! Safe & Healthy Relationships includes four interactive sessions to guide youth in understanding how they can engage in healthy friendships and dating relationships and steer clear of exploitative situations. Youth and leader guides cover these sessions:

Throughout the sessions, leaders are given the opportunity to reinforce the youth’s value as children of God and to identify safe, supportive adults and friends. Having these conversations in the safe space of Confirmation class or Youth Group, while encouraging open dialogue at home, provides youth with a supportive network and skill-building for situations they may encounter in their lives. Download or order the Youth Guide and accompanying Leader's Guide at lssmn.org/cherishallchildren/youthguide. Questions? Email joy.mcelroy@cherishallchildren.org.

The newly released 2022 Salary and Compensation Guidelines for our synod were emailed to congregational treasurers, 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 Saint Paul Area Synod is dedicating Oct. 1 to May 14 as a time of remembrance, repentance and resolve to live in equitable partnership with neighbors of Native identity. Please send a photo of your congregation's worship space display to communications@spas-elca.org.

With the theme, "Imagining Scriptural Encounters in the New Normal," the 2021 Hein-Fry Book of Faith Challenge features four online presentations by ELCA seminary students. This lecture series seeks to enliven the biblical engagement of the whole church by encouraging the development of faithful, innovative and effective ways to teach and learn Scripture. The event is sponsored by the seven ELCA seminaries, the Hein-Fry planning team and the ELCA Book of Faith Initative.

Each year, one student from each seminary is invited to develop and present a class or series for people both familiar and unfamiliar with biblical texts. The students are then invited to report their findings. This year, the challenge will include four online events:

The Rev. Dr. Diane Jacobson will serve as online host. The public is invited to attend these free online events, but registration is required for each of them. Learn more.

Pastors Erik Gronberg, PhD (Bishop of the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod) and Kendra Mohn, PhD (pastor of Trinity, Fort Worth, Texas) will share examples of courageous leadership during this ELCA coaching event. You are invited to bring a spirit of curiosity and childlike play to discern how and where the Spirit might be calling you forward as a leader in your life, family, work, ministry, community and the world. Small groups in break-out rooms will help leaders learn from each other. Learn more.

There's just one remaining session in the series of conversations about public-private partnerships in global health and the role of faith-based organizations. On Oct. 20, the topic is "Partner Perspectives: How are faith-based health systems in Global Health Ministries' partner countries collaborating to advance health?" Health leaders in Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania will be presenting. The symposium is free, but you must register to receive the link.

Global Health Ministries (GHM) is a Minnesota faith-based NGO that partners in 13 low-resource countries to improve health. Our Lutheran health partners serve all people, regardless of faith. Learn more.

Chain Reaction Theatre Project: White Privilege

White Privilege, written by Malaina Moor and directed by Justin Cervantes, tells raw, true stories about the consequences of white privilege on the Black experience in America. Performed in a series of vignettes by both Black and white actors, the play explores a wide range of issues surrounding race, cultural appropriation, the education system and police brutality. It is recommended for ages 13+ due to strong subject matter and some profanity. Additional performances are offered during the next few weeks including one at Christ on Capitol Hill, St. Paul, on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20; proof of vaccination or negative COVID test result in the past 72 hours is required. Masks are required. Learn more and purchase tickets.

Incarnation invites the community at large to join them in its 14th Feed My Starving Children MobilePack. The "All Hands on Hope" event seeks 2,810 volunteers to pack 614,304 meals to feed 1,683 children around the world for one year. Meals will be packed on-site at Incarnation. Food packing takes place in two-hour shifts with adults and children (ages five an up) filling and sealing bags at work stations. Volunteers must wear masks. To learn more about the event, volunteer for a shift or make a donation to help pay for ingredients, visit the All Hands on Hope, Feed My Starving Children MobilePack web page. Questions? Contact Becky Benson at 651-560-7058 or bbenson@incarnationmn.org.

St. Paul-Reformation (100 Oxford St. N., St. Paul) will commemorate Reformation Sunday with Luther’s first revision of the medieval mass, his Formula Missae of 1523, on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 5 p.m. Period music will be included in this setting of the mass as it would have been celebrated at St. Mary’s Church (the City Church) of Wittenberg in the 1520s.

Are you concerned about persons impacted by homelessness, the high cost of rent and the scarcity of affordable or supportive housing? Do you want to understand these issues from a variety of perspectives and make a difference? Then attend one or more of the monthly Housing Webinar Series offered by the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC):

Download the flyer. For more information contact Joan Miltenberger at jmiltenberger@jrlc.org or 612-230-3232. Register here for the program and small group discussion.

To commemorate All Saints Day this year, the National Lutheran Choir is offering both live performances and virtual programming. Live concerts, "All Saints: We Remember," will be held at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 at Central Lutheran, Minneapolis, and at 4 p.m. on Nov. 7 at St. Andrew's, Mahtomedi. These performances offer a space to mourn and heal as we emerge from such an uncertain time. Names of loved ones no longer with us may be submitted for reading during the performance.The virtual program, "Requiem Aeternam," features recordings with added visual art to deepen the impact of All Saints at such a crucial time of remembrance, patience and hope. It will be available Nov. 6-8. Learn more.

The opportunity to make a difference in the life of someone struggling with addiction is often no further away than the person who sits near us in the pew on Sunday morning…someone whose life is silently unraveling and who desperately needs us to reach out with an open heart. The faith community can be one of the principal healers of addiction and mental health issues.

Faith Partners has established a national presence resulting in over 1,000 trained congregational teams in 29 states from 23 different faith traditions. These team members have ministered to thousands of individuals and families by offering the necessary tools and supports to make healthier choices and effectively meet people in their brokenness. This hybrid training event (in-person and virtual combination) is for two to four congregational leaders (preferably a pastor, staff and lay person) who are interested in developing a congregational addiction team ministry. The cost is $250 per congregation. Learn more.

Shobi's Table, the food truck ministry supported by our synod, is holding a virtual fundraiser to support its goals around expanding Shobi's community. There will be entertainment as well as cooking videos from the Shobi's Table kitchen crew. Watch for more information soon!

www.spas-elca.org | 651-224-4313