Thanksgiving 2020:
Will You Join Me?
Last Thanksgiving presented a challenge of a lifetime. Having lived alone throughout my adult life, I have never been the obvious host for a large gathering of friends and family. But 2019 presented a rare opportunity. Many family and friends from out of town were coming to the Twin Cities, and as one of my nieces put it, my house was the ideal location for hosting 18 guests from eight different households. She was right. By moving all the furniture in my dining and living rooms, sliding three tables together, a single table stretched across both rooms, creating an extended board where all could gather. From a toddler to a nonagenarian matriarch, we gave thanks for many gifts that day.
Thanksgiving 2020 will be another experience of a lifetime, as I set a single place setting and join family by Zoom for conversations across two continents. Governor Tim Walz has asked us Minnesotans to stay home this holiday and to gather only with those in our immediate household. I will do just that because you matter to me. In fact, the well-being of all our neighbors matters to me and right now we are being overwhelmed by the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Will you join me? I don’t mean join me at my table. I mean join me in staying home and letting the prudence of this public health mandate slow the pandemic’s spread. This is a time for caution and restraint, for wearing our masks, washing our hands, and keeping safe distance from one another. Not forever, of course, but for a while longer.
On Thanksgiving Day, as I have done for years, I am going to give thanks for many gifts in my life. Some of those gifts are unique to this strange year. In 2020 I give thanks to God for frontline health care workers and epidemiologists, elected officials and mask makers, conscientious neighbors and school teachers, emergency responders and cable repair crews, citizens who rally for the common good and truth tellers of every age. We all have much to be thankful for and many to whom we owe a debt of gratitude for seeing us through these messy days. May you stay home and stay well.
In God’s service,
Bishop Patricia Lull
|
|
Synod Assembly Offering
Each year at Synod Assembly we collect an offering for a designated cause. This fall, our assembly offering was designated toward hunger relief, an extension of our Food Shelf Challenge earlier in the year. We are pleased to announce that, thanks to your generosity during assembly, the synod has presented a gift of $4,831 to Second Harvest Heartland. For every $50 given to this organization, 150 meals are provided and that means our gift is providing 14,493 meals. Thank you!
|
|
The Christmas We Will Never Forget
Tuesday, Dec. 1 - 2 p.m. | Online
Rostered ministers in the synod are invited to join Bishop Patricia Lull for a pastoral conversation as we look toward Christmas in this incredibly messy year. We will speak God's good news as we reflect on the Christmas Gospel as a life-giving Word. Pastor Justin Grimm and Deacon Krista Lind will remind us of joys hidden amid ordinary duties in this pandemic season. Join us for prayer and a few surprises. The registration link was emailed to pastors and deacons in the synod last week. Please register by Nov. 30.
|
|
Advent Happy Hour for Deacons
Thursday, Dec. 10 - 4-5:30 p.m. | Online
Deacons are invited to join together with other ministers of word and service from across the synod for an Advent event on Zoom. We'll check in, ground ourselves in scripture and prayer and play some fun games together. Watch for your invitation via email soon!
|
|
2020 Lutheran College Virtual Christmas Programs
Attending a Christmas concert at a Lutheran college is a well-loved tradition for many of us. This year, when we can't go to the concert, the music will come to us! Visit the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians website to find out how to view this year's pre-recorded programs at Augsburg University, St. Olaf College, Augustana University, Concordia College, Gustavus Adolphus College, Luther College and many other institutions in the coming weeks. Check for details because you may need to register in advance!
|
|
Recharge Conference
Saturday, Jan. 9 - 9:30 a.m.- 3 p.m. | Online
Recharge is a one-day, multicultural, multi-denominational conference created to inspire and equip church staff and their volunteers serving in children’s & youth ministry. It draws regionally from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North and South Dakota from 30+ denominations.
Participants may attend up to three workshops on digital ministry, personal growth, or age-specific ministry. There's also a digital exhibit hall and keynote addresses by:
- Bob Goff, author of the New York Times bestselling Love Does and Everybody, Always and his latest book, Dream Big.
- Dr. Virginia Ward, dean of the Boston Campus and executive director of the Northeast Region of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
The cost is $29 per person when you register by Dec. 1. Learn more.
|
|
Young Adults in Global Mission Applications
Applications are now being accepted for the ELCA's Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program for the 2021-2022 program year. If you're a young adult ages 21 to 29, you can apply for an international service year that will shape your faith, career, identity and understanding of how you fit into God's work in the world.
Through YAGM, you'll learn what it means to serve in a spirit of accompaniment as you walk alongside global church companions. You'll immerse yourself in new community and form deep relationships with the people you meet. And you'll confront issues of wealth and poverty, racial privilege, gender privilege, economic disparity and globalization, all through the lens of faith. Learn more and apply on the ELCA website. Application deadline: Jan. 15, 2021. |
|
The synod office will be closed this Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving.
Regular office hours are weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A limited number of staff are on-site each day. You may continue to reach all staff members by phone (651-224-4313) or by email.
|
|
"Being Church" Online Gatherings for ELCA Leaders
Wednesdays at 1 p.m. | Online
Rostered and lay leaders are invited to a weekly gathering of topical presentations designed to provide encouragement and support for ELCA leaders. On Nov. 25, we'll be talking about what it means to practice allyship when social justice issues meet the church. We'll look at some principles for practicing genuine allyship and see how we can apply them to our ministries. The presenter is Jory Mickelson, a writer, educator and ministry leader who is currently a candidate for Word and Sacrament in the Northwest Washington Synod. He has a passion for working in the LGBTQAI+ community and building connections across difference and promoting neighborliness and solidarity. Recordings of past sessions are available at www.elcacoaching.org/podcasts/media. Upcoming topics and presenters may be found at www.elcacoaching.org/.
Join the Zoom Meeting:
or by phone: +1 312 626 6799
Meeting ID: 180 439 412
Password: 648160
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
