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Spring Ministerium
Thursday, March 30 - 9 a.m. | St. Paul- Reformation, St. Paul
Bishop Lull invites rostered ministers to join her for the synod's Spring Ministerium. The morning will include:
- time for fellowship
- a service of Blessing of Vocation
- a conversation led by Bishop Lull on the importance of and current challenges to in-person gatherings as the church
Rostered pastors and deacons, retired clergy, interns serving in the synod, and seminary candidates from the synod are all invited to attend. Lunch will be offered for those who sign up in advance at the cost of $20 per person. (Please sign up by noon today if you want lunch.) There is no charge to attend the ministerium unless you wish to stay for lunch, but please register either way so we know how many to plan for. Register here. Our offering will be directed toward Second Harvest Heartland.
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Join the choir! Rostered ministers who would like to share their singing talents in the ministerium choir are invited to arrive at 8:30 a.m. for a rehearsal with Sister Stacie Lightner. If you plan to participate, please email music@stpaulref.org so we're sure to have music ready for you.
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Statement on Anti-Transgender Legislation
by Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton
As bishop of this church, I am concerned that the rights of transgender and nonbinary Americans have been targeted all over this nation. Nearly 400 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills were introduced across the United States in 2022, most of them targeting trans youth. That is twice the number from 2021 and almost eight times the total from 2020. The language in many of these bills attacks the humanity of trans and nonbinary people, often erasing the dignity that should be afforded to everyone.
While members of our church hold various convictions regarding gender, the teaching of our church supports legislation and policies to protect every person's human dignity and civil rights. (Human Sexuality, p. 19) As Christians we believe every human being is created in God's image, and we must honor and celebrate God's creation. Our church teaches that we affirm transgender and nonbinary siblings as God's children, who are loved unconditionally. Our social statement Faith, Sexism, and Justice: A Call to Action (2019) also declares that this church commits itself to "advocate for and support laws, policies, and practices that respect diverse bodies rather than discriminating against, objectifying, or devaluing them" (p. 60).
Read the full statement.
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Tools for the Church: Reaching Outside Our Walls
Saturday, April 29 - 9 a.m.-3 p.m. | Gustavus Adolphus, St. Paul
Remember that old song from Mr. Rogers: "Who are the people in your neighborhood?" How do you answer that about the people in your church's neighborhood? Who do you know? Who's in your neighborhood that you should meet?
We are called as the church to be church with our neighbor and it is hard to do if we don’t know who they are. This event will help you answer the questions listed above about how to reach outside your walls. Using demographics and asset mapping, we will begin to explore who your neighbor is, as well as the gifts your congregation offers and the challenges it faces.
Bring a team from your congregation to discuss the importance of being inviting instead of just welcoming and to contemplate how we are called to share our faith story. The cost is $10 per person which includes lunch. Learn more.
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Paid Summer Internships
Our synod is launching a paid summer internship program for young adults focused on vocational discernment! Interns will serve at placement sites four days a week mid-June through mid-August. Each week, they’ll also spend time together as a cohort for worship, learning and discussion. Interns will receive a $4,000 stipend, funded by the synod’s Planting Hope Campaign. Applications are being accepted for sites AND interns!
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Sites - Ideal internship sites are synod congregations or nonprofits that can provide a supportive, knowledgeable supervisor willing to oversee the intern’s work and mentor their vocational development. Sites must be able to provide an opportunity for 23-26 hours of work per week.
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Interns - Interns will embrace the opportunity to learn, serve and reflect in their roles in a variety of areas such as administration, communications, ministry, or social services.
Learn more about this new internship program.
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Synod Assembly
Registration is open for voting members, retired ministers, advisors and guests for our 2023 Synod Assembly, which is scheduled for May 12-13 at St. Andrew's in Mahtomedi.
Friday, May 12 - Activities are free and open to everyone in the synod. At 5 p.m., we'll hold a mission fair that features displays by a number of organizations related to the mission of the synod. At 7 p.m., we'll enjoy a hymn sing and a synod-wide worship service. All are welcome to stay for fellowship and a reception. There is no registration needed for Friday!
Saturday, May 13 - This day is the business meeting of the synod and is for voting members, retired ministers, advisors and guests, all of whom need to be registered and credentialed. The cost is $55 per person for advance registration through April 28; on-site registration is $65. Saturday's session will include a keynote address by the Rev. Dr. Barbara Rossing, as well as reports, elections, resolutions and more.
Learn more about synod assembly.
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Children's Ministry Gathering
Monday, April 17 - 1 p.m. | Online
Children's ministry staff and key volunteers are invited to gather on Zoom to discuss ideas for summer! Our hosts are Rachelle Gill (Easter, Eagan) and Julie Vagle (Trinity, Long Lake). Questions? Contact Rachelle Gill at rgill@easter.org.
NOTE: this month's gathering is a week later than normal due to schedule conflicts around Easter.
Join the Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85076129637?pwd=dEQvV1hyM0ZuTVl1OVd0bHVWTHlwZz09
Meeting ID: 850 7612 9637
Passcode: 473439
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Synodical Women's Organization Convention
Saturday, April 22 | Gloria Dei, St. Paul
Join us for a day of worship, bible study, learning sessions and business meetings! This year's convention features Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe who recently earned her Ph.D. from Luther Seminary; an update from our Guatemala and Tanzania partners; and we'll hear from Pastor Bradley Schmeling, who spent three months walking 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. There will be opportunities for worship and fellowship, as well as a Bible study with Bishop Lull. Visitor registrations are due April 1. Download the convention packet and registration information.
Image drawn by Sue Wehrenberg, Trinity Lutheran in Lindstrom, inspired by a continuous line drawing of mother and child credited to Tetiana Garkusha.
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EcoFaith Summit
Saturday, April 15 - 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | Gloria Dei, Duluth & Online
In a moment of deep ecological crisis, this year’s EcoFaith Summit calls us to become part of the Holy Spirit’s subversive plot to pollinate an alternative way of being human for the sake of life. In this plot, we find our model and hope from pollinator species. These tiny, apparently powerless, often overlooked and disregarded creatures, whose drastic decline endangers so much we depend upon, are a key to the regeneration of life itself.
In this great plot, faith communities of every size and place can be demonstration plots, pollinating alternative ways of living. We all steward plots of land, even tiny ones, which can become pollinator habitat. In this critical and decisive time, a ‘Kairos’ moment, what we do with our specific plots wherever we are, matters. How we live the Gospel paradox that God’s power is shown in weakness can engage us in active hope amid the growing crisis we face.
Through worship, keynote presentation from Margot Monson (entomologist and beekeeper), diverse storytellers, conversations, and engagement sessions, together we will be empowered to be participants in this unfolding plot. This event is presented by the EcoFaith Nework of the NE MN Synod, the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin Creation Care and our own synod's Care of Creation work group. Learn more and register.
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A Deeper Dive: Leadership Conversations for Congregation Presidents & VPs
Thursday, April 27 - 6:30-7:30 p.m. | Online
NOTE: Change in date! Due to scheduling challenges, we've had to move the final gathering of leadership conversations for congregation presidents and vice presidents. The conversationis hosted by Rolf Lowenberg-DeBoer (assistant to the bishop for lay leadership) and Dr. Dave Webb (retired school superintendent and council president at Shepherd of the Hills). Register here.
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Congregational Experiments Workbook
The ELCA has a new resource for congregations that is designed to facilitate ministry innovation. The Congregational Experiments Workbook helps discern how God is calling us to do a new thing in our world. The tool helps clarify assumptions and expectations that may not be known or shared until the experiment is tested. This clarity can begin to generate conversation and innovation within your group. Consider appointing a facilitator to lead the group discussion in order to keep the conversation moving forward and to ensure that all voices are heard. A key ingredient for creative conversations is freedom to imagine. This includes a combination of energy and direction. This tool can be used over and over with each iteration of the experiment. Download the workbook.
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Glocal Youth Mission Trip
July 5-10 | Minneapolis
Looking for a unique local mission experience for your youth this summer? A Glocal Youth Mission Trip through the ELCA is available for junior and senior high youth with the goal of building companionship through local service. Youth from other synods across the country are invited to participate with local service projects on July 6-7, including Global Health Ministries. On July 8-9, they participate in the Sudan Mission Centennial, which honors the 100th anniversary of the Lutheran Mission to the Sudan Region, which includes the modern-day countries of Cameroon and the Central African Republic. Representatives from those countries are scheduled to attend, along with former missionaries to the area and representatives from ELCA synods which have companion synod relationships in these countries. Learn more.
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Augsburg Corporation Delegates
The Saint Paul Area Synod has room for eight delegates to be named to the Augsburg Corporation this year. If you are interested, please email leslie.ortiz@spas-elca.org by April 3. Delegates serve for two years and can serve two consecutive terms. The Augsburg Corporation represents the ELCA's constitutional support to the University from Augsburg’s four designated synods: Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Southeastern Minnesota, and the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin. The Governing Board of the corporation includes representatives from the four synods, Augsburg’s Board of Regents, faculty, university administrators and students. The corporation's primary task is to represent the ELCA for the purpose of electing Augsburg’s Board of Regents. The Augsburg Corporation Governing Board meets annually to elect regents, as well as to keep current about the University in order to lend ongoing spiritual and other support. The 2023 Corporation Meeting is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 8 (11 a.m.-12 noon) via Zoom. More details will be provided to delegates by early July.
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Proposals for Family Life Education Summit
The National Council on Family Relations, a multidisciplinary and nonpartisan association dedicated to understanding and strengthening families, seeks proposals for its 2023 Family Life Education Virtual Summit on June 23. Topics may address any and all aspects of Family Life Education. Of special interest are presentations on diversity, equity and inclusion; adverse childhood experiences; trauma-informed practices; fatherhood; immigrant and refugee families; high-risk youth and more. Proposals are accepted until March 30. Learn more.
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Courageous Leadership Series
Wednesdays - 1 p.m. | Online
ELCA Coaching offers a weekly online gathering for ministry leaders. Each week this series features a new topic and presenters. On March 29, we welcome back Bishop Mike Girlinghouse. In our last time together, we talked about yearning and nostalgia as two common responses in congregations experiencing grief at the perceived loss of the past. In this second session, we will talk about how that grief manifests itself in congregational systems and how we can use nostalgic memories to draw strength from the past and step into God's future. If you missed Bishop Girlinghouse's presentation on Jan. 25, we recommend watching this recording in advance of Wednesday. We invite you to bring a spirit of curiosity to these gatherings and to all aspects of your life. What are you noticing? Where is Spirit moving? How are you being invited to participate? Learn more.
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Augustana College (Rock Island) Concert
Wednesday, March 29 - 7 p.m. | Abiding Savior, Mounds View
Under the direction of Dr. Jon Hurty, the 52-voice choir from Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., will sing a diverse selection of traditional and contemporary choral works. The choir tours nationally and internationally and has been invited to sing at many state and regional conventions. No tickets are necessary and a freewill offering will be taken at the concert. An Augustana alumni gathering will precede the concert at 5:30 p.m. at Abiding Savior.
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Addiction & Women with Caroline Beidler
Thursday, March 30 - 1 p.m. | Online
When it comes to addiction and treatment, one size does not fit all. Women often face a unique set of challenges, a history of trauma and barriers to effective treatment. Caroline Beidler, author of Downstairs Church: Finding Hope in the Grit of Addiction and Trauma Recovery, will share her personal journey and lessons she's learned along the way in creating space for women in recovery. We'll discuss some of the historical challenges women have faced as well as important principles to keep in mind when developing outreach and programming to support women. Caroline joins Pastor Ed Treat & CAF Board member Timothy McMahan King, author of Addiction Nation: What the Opioid Crisis Reveals About Us. Register here to receive the Zoom link.
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Organ Scholarship Auditions
Saturday, April 22 - 10 a.m. | Shepherd of the Hills, Hopkins
The Twin Cities American Guild of Organists offers scholarships for individuals wishing to begin or continue organ studies. The scholarships are directed toward students in grades 7-12 and adults who reside in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas. Applicants are not required to have any previous organ experience. The auditions for the Pipedreams Organ Scholarships will be held on April 22; the application deadline is Monday, April 17. Learn more.
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National Lutheran Choir Gala
Saturday, May 6 - 2:30-5:30 p.m. | The Westin Galleria, Edina
You are invited to join the National Lutheran Choir's board, singers and staff for its 2023 gala, celebrating the legacy of the choir and its retiring director, David Cherwien. The gala also supports the future of the NLC's mission to invigorate and expand sacred choral music. The event includes a performance by the choir, complimentary drinks and lots of cheer. Registration is "pay-what-you-will" (approximate value of the event experience is $75 per person). The registration deadline is April 21. Register here. A free livestream of the event will be available that day at nlca.com.
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The Saint Paul Area Synod, which includes 107 congregations and new mission starts,
is one of 65 synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
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