It's not too late to register for Tool Kit for Congregational Leaders this coming Saturday! Lay leaders, ministry volunteers and church staff to hear from experts in a variety of areas related to congregational life. Twelve workshops are available over two time slots:

View workshop descriptions and presenter bios. There's no cost to attend. Full vaccinated, mask-wearing participants are welcome! Learn more and register.

Prince of Peace has recently undergone a major renovation and volunteers will be on hand to give short, informal tours prior to the start of Tool Kit. Tours will be offered from 8:30 to 9:00 a.m. so come a little early if you want to see the new digs, including the Mission Outpost, which provides food, clothing and dental services. Watch this video with Community Life Director Amy Kalsow to learn more.

Registration for the 2022 Synod Assembly will open on Friday, March 4! The cost is $65 per person. As you gather information for registering your voting members, please note that we will be asking for personal emails so that messages and materials go directly to those who will be present for assembly. More information is coming soon!

If you are involved with the campaign in your congregation and did not receive the invitation with Zoom link, please contact the synod office at 651-224-4313 or info@spas-elca.org.

The "Remember the Children: One Minnesota Town's Indian Board School" Zoom event planned for Feb. 24 is being postponed. The synod's Advocates for Racial Equity (ARE) work group is working with the panelists for a revised date. Watch for more information soon!

You are invited to an open house to help us express our gratitude for the work and mission of Pastor Peter Harrits, director of Bega Kwa Bega and Assistant to the Bishop, and Alicia Rodriguez, office manager, both of whom are leaving the synod staff in the coming weeks. For those unable to attend in person, we hope to live stream the program with remarks at 11 a.m.

Now that we know that the 2022 Youth Gathering has been cancelled, we are wondering what to do this summer. Join other youth ministry staff and volunteers to share ideas and questions for new summer youth ministry plans! This meeting will be led by Lisa Sampson, director of faith formation at Grace, Apple Valley.

glcav.us/zoom 

What to do when the MYLE (Multicultural Youth Leadership Event), planned in conjunction with the ELCA Youth Gathering, gets cancelled? The team leaders are doing a quick pivot to planning a separate hybrid event called the Multicultural Youth Justice Experience (MYJ) that can be done online or in small, local in-person gatherings. The event is specifically for ELCA members who are Black, Indigenous, +/or People of Color (BIPoC0 who will be entering grades 9-12 in the 2022-23 school year and their youth group peers who are of European Descent. European Descent youth in these grades will acquire training in allyship to BIPOC people and experience and celebrate the cultures of our BIPOC youth in unique ways. Learn more at www.2022myj.com or follow them on Facebook.

Just think of the lives your congregation could impact if your members grew their giving by 10%-15% next year! This is exactly the goal of Stewardship for All Seasons, a two-year, comprehensive process. SAS congregations embrace an impactful annual appeal and move into other vital realms of a culture of generosity:

The Saint Paul Area Synod invites you to an informational session to meet SAS Facilitator Pete Reuss and learn more about the process! Congregations will sign up for SAS by the end of April with the first cohort session to be held in May. Contact the Rev. Justin Grimm at justin.grimm@elca.org to confirm your attendance or with any questions.

This event is for all Women of the ELCA! For the last several years, A Day for Making Comfort has been held on the fourth Saturday of January. This year, it will be held on Saturday, March 19, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Stillwater (1616 W. Olive St.).

Women from throughout the Saint Paul Area Synod are invited to gather to complete comforters for those in need, both locally and internationally. No experience is needed. Come for the whole time, for just an hour or for whatever amount of time works for you. Bring a lunch if you will be there around noon! Bring a friend and enjoy the fellowship while making a difference in the world.

The NE MN Ecofaith Network and our synod's Care of Creation Work Group invite you to "Holy Ground, Holy Table: Regenerative Practices for the Wholeness of the Earth." This summit over Zoom features keynote speakers George and Annaliese Walker, Minnesota farmers and leaders in the international regenerative agriculture movement. A remarkable and diverse group of seven storytellers will also share their experiences in a full range of regenerative food practices.

Throughout the morning, there will also be small group "table talk" breakout sessions and original music videos featuring Susan Palo Cherwien's and Robert Buckley Farlee’s hymn, In Sacred Manner, with the paintings of Robyn Sands Anderson and Charlotte Schuld.

Partners for the 2022 EcoFaith Summit include: Luther Seminary, Lutheran Advocacy-Minnesota, Lutherans Restoring Creation, Minneapolis Synod EcoFaith Network, Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, The Land Stewardship Project, and Together Here Ministries. Learn more and register.

Have you watched any of the episodes of Talks at the Desk from African Descent Ministries of the ELCA? This series celebrates Black History Month by exploring diverse expressions of the church. Three episodes have been released so far:

A new episode premieres each Wednesday in February at 7:30 p.m. You can view the full series here. For more updates, follow @ELCAADM on Twitter and Instagram or check out the ELCA African Descent Ministries Facebook page.

Get out for a walk or your own favorite winter activity anytime during February and March while sporting a new Cherish All Children beanie. Donate now and your beanie will be on its way to you!

Join Cherish All Children for the return to live musical performances by Caritas! This year’s theme is Inspiring Harmony. “When we sing, we build community. When you join us, you strengthen community.”

A free-will offering benefits Cherish All Children. COVID Safety Protocols include proof of vaccination or a negative test. See full details here.

Planning for the Lenten season? Join Rev. Rodger Patience as we explore how the journey of addiction and recovery helps us better understand Lent and how the spiritual practices of Lent can be a part of our journeys of recovery. This conversation will provide new insight into this important church season and provide practical resources for your planning and personal practice. Register here.

Sarah Garner is the director of music at St. John's Lutheran Church in Mound. She received her Master of Music in Organ Performance from Southern Methodist University and graduated with High Honors from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. A simple lunch follows this noontime recital. Admission is free.

Looking for a Lenten practice tailored to you as a woman in ministry? Join Dr. Crystal Hall in reading Dr. Karoline Lewis’ She: Five Keys to Unlock the Power of Women in Ministry. She’ll offer actionable tools you can apply in your ministry working with difficult people, setting boundaries and addressing sexism. Open to seminarians, clergy, staff and volunteers. Dr. Hall teaches biblical studies at United Lutheran Seminary and is a certified life coach for women in ministry. Registration is free. Learn more.

The Christian Education Network is offering another Faith Formation webinar led by facilitators from Lifelong Faith Associates. "Formation for Christian Learning" will be held online on March 10. The cost is $12 per webinar ($10 for CENetwork members). Learn more at www.faithfulteaching.org.

This is a free, practical preaching workshop by Backstory Preaching. As preachers begin their sermon prep and open the text, the first question they often ask is "What am I going to say?" It's a question fueled by anxiety that they won't find something worthwhile to say—or worse, won't have anything to say—especially when they've seen the text a thousand times before. But what if they never had to ask that question again? This one-hour workshop will guide lay and ordained preachers through the simple process that lets them see the text with fresh eyes, allows the message to reveal itself, and draw them closer to God at the same time. This session is offered by the Rev. Dr. Lisa Cressman, founding steward of Backstory Preaching. Register here for the Zoom link.

The Joint Religious Legislative Coalition invites you to the online, evening "Day on the Hill" to learn about legislative advocacy to help struggling Minnesotans. Be inspired by the keynote Maharat Rori Picker Neiss, an Orthodox religious leader and Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, St. Louis. Learn about the 2022 legislative priorities, and be equipped to meet with your state legislators. Make a difference – and make connections between charity and justice – for your neighbors! Trainings available prior to Day on the Hill. Click here for a flier.

Questions? Contact Statewide Organizer Joan Miltenberger at jmiltenberger@jrlc.org or 612-230-3232. Learn more and register.

Bread for the World regional organizers hold quarterly regional online meetings to update and equip our members and to introduce Bread to those who are new. In these meetings, you will learn about the status of Offering of Letters and current legislative priorities, hear from and connect with Bread members in your region, and consider timely action steps you and your group can take to advocate for an end to hunger. Register here.

Augsburg University Campus Ministry invites you to participate in its 6th annual Fosdick Lecture on Preaching. "Preaching in a Time of Crisis" features Pastors Ingrid Rasmussen and Angela Khabeb from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. This webinar will be live streamed from Hoversten Chapel in the Foss Center at Augsburg University.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, located just off of Lake Street in the 3rd Precinct, found itself at the heart of the explosive response to the brutal killing of George Floyd and the centuries of trauma that preceded his death. During the months that followed the uprising, the church responded by distributing donated food, diapers, toiletries, plywood for boarding up broken windows, cleaning supplies, and tools to the community. This remained a primary part of Holy Trinity’s work throughout the summer and fall of 2020. Pastors Rasmussen and Khabeb share their insights on preaching during this time of crisis and reflect on how these experiences continue to shape their understanding of theology and ministry. Register here.

The Faith Community Nurse Network of the Greater Twin Cities (FCNN) is an interfaith

nonprofit organization serving faith community nurses (also called "parish nurses") across Minnesota. It is offering the Foundations of Faith Community Nursing Course again in spring 2022 and is required for RNs seeking to practice as Faith Community Nurses (FCNs). While only RNs will receive Continuing Education Units, others such as chaplains, health ministers, faith community nursing coordinators may also enroll.

The course will be held via Zoom and includes several self-learning modules. The curriculum has been updated to include trauma-informed care to help nurses care for persons who have experienced psychological and/or spiritual trauma. Students will learn:

The course provides 38 contact hours taught by a diverse faculty of advanced degreed nurses with experience in education and faith community nursing. The cost is $425. Learn more here or contact the FCNNTC office at contact@fcnntc.org or 651-204-0904.

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