April 6, 2021
Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA Enews
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ELCA Churchwide Domestic Hunger Grant process open again |
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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.
Application Timeline:
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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.
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Visitors to the synod assembly |
The Minneapolis Area Synod will meet virtually in assembly April 23-24, 2021. Voting members for each congregation will register and participate through Zoom.
The 2021 Synod Assembly will also be available to be viewed via live-streaming on Facebook and YouTube. More information about how to access these platforms will be shared closer to the assembly.
If you are a church geek and would enjoy participating in the Bible studies, listening to Churchwide and keynote speakers, following debate around resolutions and memorials, or finding out who will be elected to synod positions or to represent the synod at the 2022 Churchwide Assembly, save these dates and times:
Friday, April 23
6:00-9:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 24
9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
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Earth Day
worship service
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Lutherans Restoring Creation will offer a special online service in celebration of Earth Day. This service is intended for use on April 25 (Good Shepherd Sunday), but can be downloaded for use according to a congregation's needs. The service will feature preaching by Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, visual journeys, musical offerings, pastoral insights, and inspiration from lay leaders.
Register now to receive a special link with download instructions at least a week beforehand.
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Faith Practices and Neighboring Practices: Renewing Congregational Imagination Minneapolis Area Synod congregations are encouraged to learn how to thrive through a renewal of spiritual practices and building meaningful relationships with neighbors. Join other congregations from across the Synod in a two-year learning cohort.
Applications are due April 15 and can be completed on the synod website. Contact Nick Tangen with questions.
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Children's Ministry Gathering: Re-Engaging Families |
How do we re-engage families after a year of isolation? What makes our ministry more like a community when we haven’t been together?
Join children's ministry leaders to discuss these questions and more.
Monday, April 12
2:00-3:00 p.m.
Zoom
Meeting ID: 850 7612 9637
Passcode: 473439
These children’s ministry gatherings are offered on the second Monday of every month through a partnership of the Minneapolis Area and Saint Paul Area synods. Notes from previous gatherings may be found in the “files” section of the Twin Cities CYF ELCA Facebook group.
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Indian Boarding Schools 101 |
From the moment the first ship reached the shores of the Americas, the Church has been a force of colonization, causing pain and suffering for Indigenous peoples. One particular colonial endeavor that caused lasting trauma, from which Indigenous communities are still recovering, is Indian Boarding Schools. With the motto “Kill the Indian, and save the man,” these schools were the federal government’s chosen method of forced assimilation. Most of these schools were run by the Church.
Led by Vance Blackfox, this presentation will give participants a more in-depth understanding of the history and harms of Indian Boarding Schools, the role of the Church in these schools, and what steps we might take toward healing.
Saturday, April 17
3:00-5:00 p.m.
Part Two: Story-sharing event
There will be a follow-up event with a panel discussion. Individuals who spent time in Indian Boarding Schools will have a chance to share their experiences.
Saturday, May 8
9:00-11:00 a.m.
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As you prepare for Earth Day ... |
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The Minneapolis Area Synod's EcoFaith Network (EFN) leadership team identifies many ways for individuals and congregations to engage issues and campaigns around caring for God's creation, a space we share with our siblings of every time and place. If you want more information about the work of the EFN, email Madeline Troyer or Emilie Bouvier.
A great way to stay connected to the work of this ecological team is through one of its two Facebook pages. The EFN has its own page, dedicated to synodical projects and campaigns around accessibility of energy and sustainability. In addition, with support from the InFaith Foundation, the synod provides oversight of the Ecumenical Water Initiative, a joint effort of the Fourth District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Minnesota Conference of the United Methodist Church, and the Minnesota Council of Churches. This collaboration works statewide to ensure protection of water quality and access, especially for the most marginalized communities in Minnesota.
If you like what you see, be sure to "Like" the pages.
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Asylum-seeker sponsorship training for church teams |
ELCA ministries at the border report positive movement for asylum-seekers entering the U.S. and needing accompaniment. In response, ELCA AMMPARO is offering a two-part training for congregations interested in exploring asylum-seeker sponsorship.
To register, send an email to mary.campbell@elca.org. Congregations are encouraged to gather the names of their own participants and send names and emails by April 11.
Thursdays, April 15 and 22
2:00-3:30 p.m.
Criteria for congregations to consider:
- Approval of leadership to explore asylum-seeker sponsorship
- Team of 5-6 people committed to work for a year or more to walk with the sponsored asylees, including ability to communicate in the asylee’s language
- Capacity to raise funds to cover costs for food, clothing, shelter, housing, medical care, legal fees, immigration case expenses, transportation, and incidentals
- Cross-cultural training and racial justice experience for team and congregation
- Capacity to connect the asylees with legal services, either pro bono or paid
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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.
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Now the Green Blade Rises:
Storytelling for the healing of creation
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An EcoFaith Summit, hosted by the Northeastern Minnesota Synod
Saturday, April 17
9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Caring for creation is important to everything we do as a church. The EcoFaith Summit will be a day to provide individual insight and equip congregations to integrate care of creation throughout all congregational activities, including worship, education, congregational life, building and grounds, and community engagement.
The focus this year is on the Jubilee Year of Earth Day and how the stories we hear and the ones we tell can be germinators of the healing of creation. Rev. Dr. Barbara Rossing, New Testament professor and director of the environmental ministry program at Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, will be the guest speaker for this event.
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Local connection to
federal chaplaincy
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The Centurion Connection is a program of the ELCA Federal Chaplaincies. Currently or previously serving federal chaplains serve as volunteers to synods and congregations as a resource for ministry to persons and their families within the context of the military, federal prisons, and veterans. ELCA Chaplains also possess unique training, skills, and experience that can enhance the ministry of congregations in areas of innovation, diversity, and justice.
Aaron Fuller, a federal chaplain who was recently called to serve as pastor of Our Father’s Lutheran Church in Rockford, is this synod’s representative for the program. For more information, contact him at pastor.adfuller@gmail.com or (612) 963-8328.
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Being Church:
A life of faith
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The Life of Faith Initiative is a grassroots effort within the ELCA. The purpose of the Life of Faith initiative is to stir up a culture change that frees us to make the service by the baptized in the arenas of daily life the central focus of the church’s mission. For better context, watch the 17-minute introductory video found here prior to the gathering: https://lifeoffaith.info/
Wednesday, April 7
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Zoom
Meeting ID: 180 439 412
Password: 648160
Introducing the initiative will be Craig L. Nessan, academic dean, Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, and Dwight L. Dubois, pastor of congregations in Mississippi, South Carolina, and Iowa, and former director of the Center for Renewal at Grand View University (Des Moines).
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Devotions for congregational committees |
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The Christian Education Network of the ELCA has released a set of 12 devotions for use by congregational committees. The focus of the offering is living out faith in our daily lives, without an emphasis of churchy language.
The devotions are available and can be downloaded for free. The devotions were written by Diane Shallue, Blaine, Minnesota.
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Can digital worship work? |
Dr. Tim Snyder is offering Designing Digital Worship: A Workshop at two times in April. In this two-hour online workshop, participants will take a deep dive into the research-based principles that shape meaningful digital worship and tackle the specific design challenges their congregations are facing. Participants will also learn how design thinking can help the solve their digital worship challenges.
Wednesday, April 14
11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 21
11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Attendance for each date is limited to 20 participants, so register soon if you are interested.
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Meet your Middle Eastern siblings
in April
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April is National Arab American Heritage Month. Members of the ELCA's Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage (ALAMEH) wish to share their history, culture, values, and contributions to the larger Church in a Zoom webinar titled Let Us be a Sign to You.
Thursday, April 22
6:00 p.m., Central Time
The event will include devotions and information on the identity of Arab/Middle Eastern Christian communities; how the ELCA can gain from, welcome, and support Arab/Middle Eastern members; and how the group has related positively with our Muslim and Jewish neighbors.
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Where is the synod staff in upcoming weeks? |
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Pastor Craig Pederson will be leading a virtual forum on mission partnerships at Immanuel Lutheran, Eden Prairie, on Wednesday, April 7.
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Ms. Madeline Troyer will be preaching at Maple Grove Lutheran, Maple Grove, on Sunday, April 18.
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Pastor Craig Pederson will be offering a farewell for Pastor Joel Bergeland at Mount Olivet Lutheran, Plymouth, on Sunday, April 18.
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Ms. Madeline Troyer will be leading a virtual forum at Diamond Lake Lutheran, Minneapolis, on Monday, April 19.
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Ms. Madeline Troyer will be leading a virtual forum at Immanuel Lutheran, Eden Prairie, on Wednesday, April 21.
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Bishop Ann Svennungsen will be offering a Report from the Bishop at the Minneapolis Area Synod Virtual Synod Assembly on Friday, April 23.
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Ms. Emilie Bouvier will be preaching at Hope Lutheran, Jordan, on Sunday, April 25.
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