July 6, 2021
Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA Enews
Synod office update
Synod staff are celebrating the fact that Minnesota is officially at a 70% vaccination rate. Although the staff is now splitting time between in-office and remote work, the office will remain closed to public meetings. This re-entry plan will be evaluated in the next weeks. 
Family friendly outdoor activity celebrating watersheds
The Ecumenical Water Initiative is hosting a family-friendly, community event to share stories about water and watersheds in our lives. Join us on July 11 at 3:00 p.m. at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1800 Glenwood Avenue, Minneapolis, or on Facebook Live at MN Ecumenical Water Initiative as we celebrate and are refreshed by the water we all share.

Sunday, July 11, 3:00-4:00 p.m.
Redeemer Lutheran Church
1800 Glenwood Avenue, Minneapolis 

If you do come to Redeemer, we ask that you wear a mask at this event and bring your own chair if possible. Questions can be directed to Madeline Troyer.
The thin, fragile pages of power
“My grandmother was a night owl. From the time I was old enough to stay up past an 8:30 bedtime, I learned that my grandmother never went to bed before midnight and she never, ever went to bed without reading her Bible. As a young adult, when I would come quietly into the house from a night out with friends or traveling home from college, there’d she be, reading her Bible in bed or in her rocking chair.”
Archbishop Musa Filabus and
Pope Francis look to future
(LWI) - Meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican on June 25, Lutheran World Federation (LWF) President Archbishop Dr. Panti Filibus Musa and Pope Francis expressed the hope that the 500th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession in 2030 can become common ground on which to strengthen the commitment of Lutherans and Catholics to unity and reconciliation.

During the papal audience, the LWF President presented Pope Francis with the gift of a chalice and paten, crafted for the occasion by the brothers of the ecumenical Taizé Community. The glaze for the Eucharistic vessels was made with sand taken from the refugee camp in Za’atari, Jordan, where LWF has been working since 2012 to support Syrian refugees, internally displaced people and host communities. This gift, President Musa told the pope, “represents our calling to be one.”

In his words to the pope, Archbishop Musa said this journey is “irreversible” and now prompts Catholics and Lutherans to look ahead to the commemoration of the Augsburg Confession in the “hope that we will reconnect with its original ecumenical intention.” The Augsburg Confession is the primary confession of faith for Lutheran churches around the globe. Initially, it was presented as an ecumenical confession at the Diet of Augsburg on June 25, 1530, in an effort to restore religious and political unity within the church.
Growing Stewardship and Generosity
Is your congregation looking for a way to give your financial stewardship ministry a boost? Has it been a while since you’ve led an intentional ask for a financial commitment to God’s ministry happening in your congregation? Beginning a Culture of Generosity may be the place for you and your congregation to start. This four-month, six-session online series helps congregations build a foundation for a generous future, is grounded in Biblical stewardship principles, and not only helps stabilize but grow financial giving – most congregations experience a growth of 3-5% in giving,

The cost for Beginning a Culture of Generosity is $450 and congregations across the ELCA have used Thrivent Action Grants ($250) to help pay for that cost.
Help find students for Lutheran Campus Ministry
Beginning in early July, Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM) will embark on an intensive listening project as they anticipate returning to in-person ministry on campus. Because they don't have a directory of students on campus, LCM needs your help to connect with students.

Members of LCM will be listening to what the Spirit has been up to in their lives over the last 18 months particularly, and how that is shaping what the Spirit might be up to in their individual lives, and in our shared life together as a Christian community. Then, they’ll use what they hear, from the lives of these young adults, to give shape and form to our ministry on campus.

Your referrals don't necessarily have to want to be involved in LCM (so if they're involved somewhere else, or taking a church break, it's fine), because the leaders of LCM want a broad snapshot of the campus.

If you know of any current U of M students (rising freshmen included), fill out this form with their information so LCM can reach out to them.
Where is the synod staff in upcoming weeks?
  • Pastor Norma Malfatti will be preaching at Bethany Lutheran, Minneapolis, on Sunday, July 11.
  • Pastor Craig Pederson will be preaching at Christ Memorial Lutheran, Plymouth, on Sunday, July 25.
  • Pastor Norma Malfatti will be preaching at Redeemer Lutheran, Henderson, on Sunday, August 1.
  • Pastor Norma Malfatti will be preaching at House of Prayer Lutheran, Richfield, on Sunday, August 8.
  • Pastor Norma Malfatti will be preaching at Zion Lutheran, Minneapolis, on Sunday, August 29.
Upcoming Events
Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA www.mpls-synod.org