Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I want to start off the New Year by expressing my gratitude for you, for the partnership we share in the Gospel, and for your prayers. Most everywhere I go, people tell me that they pray for the work of our synod. This is greatly appreciated more than you know. Also, I want to thank you for your continued financial support of all of our shared ministries in a less than ideal year, especially for our farming communities.

During our 2011 synod assembly, many expressed concern regarding the ministries that would receive less financial support due to budget cuts. Many have gone the “extra mile” for our regional ministries, some designating specific ministries, others wanting to support all that received less. Thank you! Some congregations and individuals have given above and beyond what they had planned and for this, all of these ministries are grateful. For those of you wanting to make sure that the work of our church continues, there is still time to make a difference.

Any funds that you would like to apply to help us reach our 2011 mission goal can still be submitted to our office postmarked on or before January 31, 2012. They can either go towards general mission support or to one/all of our “extra mile” for regional ministry partners if you choose.

As of Tuesday, January 17, we are still $130,000 from reaching our 2011 mission goal. Lutheran Campus ministry of ND will receive $50,000 less than last year even if we reach our goal; Luther Seminary $20,000 less.

If you would like to make a difference, either as a congregation or as an individual, please know that it will greatly appreciated.

Serving on your behalf as bishop,
Pr. Bill Rindy

Download Bulletin Insert: A Word from the Bishop

The “stealth God” flies under the radar once more, refusing to powerfully assert Lordship, appearing once again under the form of a servant. In the midst of all that clamors for our attention, Jesus patiently and quietly comes to us in the needs of our neighbors… in our need for the Prince of Peace.

What do you need this year? Chances are that it is something which money cannot buy. I have several needs, the first of which is to express gratitude. Thank you for being part of the Body of Christ for me and for all who have needed you this past year. Your support through prayer, kind words of encouragement, and of sharing of your God-given blessings have blessed not only me, but thousands across the world. I am thankful for the “daily bread” which God gives to us all… today let us receive it with thanksgiving.

I also need hope. So do you.

When centenarians, those over 100 years on this earthly journey, are asked about their secret to longevity, it always centers on hope. God has a promised future for us and for this so-loved world. May this fill us all with hope.

May our God, in mysterious ways, grant you what you need this Christmas. May God grant you the eyes of faith to both see and receive it.

Gratefully serving as your Bishop,
Pr. Bill Rindy

“Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.”
- Philip Brooks, Stanza 3, “O Little Town of Bethlehem” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,

so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
- Romans 15:13, ESV

Download Bulletin Insert: Bishop Rindy’s Christmas Greeting 2011

Gratitude

We are in a season when we take time to reflect on God’s goodness. There is much to trigger such awareness. As a synod, we just celebrated the ordination of our 14th seminary graduate. Should we be thankful for: The families who served as faith incubators? The congregations who nurtured the faith? The Bible camps, Lutheran colleges, and campus ministries that challenged and strengthened them for growth and service in God’s so loved world? The seminaries and congregations who honed their skills and gifts for ministry? The candidacy committees who provided guidance and encouragement? The congregations who called them to serve, seeing God’s Spirit at work in their lives?

Yes! There is so much we do together for which we can be thankful. At the synod assembly, many of the faces I saw reminded me of the good work we have done together over the past years. God has raised up so many faithful lay leaders in congregations, it is truly our privilege to serve alongside of you.

Mission

It is also a season of making mission plans, of seeing how we will continue to be about God’s work through our hands in 2012. This leads to a thank you and a challenge. Thank you for your mission support which allows us to do all of the above and so much more. The challenge comes when we find ourselves reducing our support of these key ministries at the very time we need them most. As you and your congregation plan your mission support for 2012, prayerfully consider increasing your support for our shared ministries. Many of the good things we do together are at risk due to our flat or reduced support. It is my sincere hope that you have experienced the faithfulness our staff and synod council have exercised during challenging times.

In this season, it is not enough to say “thank you” to God for all of the blessings entrusted to our management. It is critical that our lives, the way we live out our gratitude, reflect the one who has blessed us to be a blessing. Thank you for being such a blessed and blessing people!

Your brother in Christ,

Bill Rindy

“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the Gospel from the first day until now…” Philippians 1:3-5

Download Bulletin Insert: A Word from  the Bishop Nov 2011

As a parish pastor, one is sometimes asked to be with a family when a loved one is to be disconnected from life support. If the person is a donor, the family is asked if they would be willing to honor the wishes of their loved one by donating his/her organs.

In June, Zion Lutheran Church, Oriska, experienced a church building fire from which very little was able to be saved. While they could have simply closed their church and joined other area congregations, the members felt compelled to rebuild; not for their sake, but for the sake of the Gospel and their 23 active Sunday School children.

Meanwhile, Blanchard Lutheran Church, Blanchard, lived and served as a congregation for over seventy-five years. Because of local demographics in their rural community, they decided that their mission was complete and that it was time to close.

Fire at Zion Lutheran Church in Oriska, ND - June 2011

Following the fire at Zion, good conversation around how Blanchard could help Zion happened with the Blanchard leadership. While it didn’t work to move their church building to Oriska, they continued the discussion.

When the members of Zion were working on their insurance settlement, they realized they would only be able to afford the shell of their new building. So… they called up the leadership from Blanchard Lutheran to see if they would be willing to donate some of their worship furnishings for Zion’s new building.

Would it be OK if we got the pews? Sure! How about the altar, baptismal font, pulpit and lectern? Sure! The organ? The piano? Sound system? Windows? Sure! As they walked down to the basement… the tables? The chairs? Plates? Silverware? Fridge? Stove? Dishwasher? Sure! How about the broom and the dustpan? Sure!

The closing service at Blanchard was powerful. Representatives from Zion were there. During the prayers of thanksgiving at the close of the service, both presidents from Zion and Blanchard came forward for the laying on of hands. Prayers were shared, thanking God for the proclamation of the Gospel, for new life given in baptisms, and for those fed at the table. It was a powerful moment.

Blanchard Lutheran, in its closing, gave new life to Zion Lutheran. While the closing was sad, it was also the most hope-filled closing of which I’ve been a part. Blanchard Lutheran Church was an organ donor— and a piano, pew, pulpit, plate, and even a broom and dustpan donor! Blanchard gave away its “life” for the sake of the Gospel, which gave hope not only to the good folks at Zion Lutheran in Oriska, but also to those who let go of their “stuff” that it might continue doing what it was originally created to do: provide for the praise of the Living God.

Tradition is the living faith of the dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.
– Pelikan

By giving up the past, both congregations are living into God’s future. This not only gives me great hope, but also the people of Zion and Blanchard. I hope it gives you hope, too.

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
-Romans 8:28 NRSV

» Download: Organ Donors Bulletin Insert (download .pdf file)

Freed in Christ to Serve was the theme around which we (22 voting members from the synod and myself) gathered, worshiped, deliberated, and prayed as your voting members at Churchwide Assembly in Orlando, Florida August 14-19. During the opening worship, Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson asked the question, “Is this church ready to move forward in mission?” The answer he received at the closing worship on Friday was a resounding, “YES!”

• The Living Into the Future Together (LIFT)task force’s recommendations were received and accepted by the assembly, meaning that:
  • we will evaluate and discuss how we work with social statements, finding appropriate ways to discuss difficult topics in the future;
  • we will consider holding Churchwide Assemblies every three years if the 2013 assembly ratifies the motion;
  • we will explore other types of gatherings focusing on mission and minis try that are non-legislative; and more…
• We launched the ELCA Malaria Campaign to deal with the reality many of our companion synods face in sub-Saharan Africa: a child dies every 45 seconds from malaria.
• Farmers, geneticists, and people suffering from genetic disorders came to the microphone thanking our church for help in dealing with complex social, moral, and ethical questions facing our society around the topic of genetics. The social statement, “Genetics, Faith and Responsibility” was adopted by an over 95% vote.

Along with the budget, several constitutional amendments, resolutions and memorials, we spent time in small group Bible study and gathered as a whole to worship. Pr. Rene Larson, who was a seminary student serving in Haiti with her husband, Ben, when the earthquake hit, gave one of the most powerful sermons I have ever heard. To hear this witness to the Gospel, go the ELCA Churchwide Assembly Videos page and click Friday Holy Communion (13:43 of the video)

Finally, members of Peace Lutheran Church (hit by a category 5 tornado) in Joplin, Missouri presented each synod bishop with a wooden cross made from one of their remaining church beams. They asked us to thank you for your support. Through Lutheran Disaster Response you were there the day after the tornado hit. You are still there. You will be there until the job is finished.

I am grateful to be a part of a church that is able to have conversation around difficult topics, even if we won’t all agree. I’m grateful to be a part of a church that lives in mission beyond its walls, serving the neighbor in need. I continue to be humbled to serve as your bishop in this time of our church’s history.

God is good… all the time!

» Download: ELCA Churchwide Recap

from Bishop Rindy

My sister kept M&M‘s in her glove box as part of her winter survival gear. One day while giving our inquisitive niece a ride, our niece discovered the M&M‘s. “What are these for, Auntie?” she asked with big eyes. “They are for an emergency,” my sister replied with a smile. A few moments later, the little girl stated, “Auntie, I think I‘m having an emergency.”

This phrase is taking on a new meaning as the result of a wonderful project initiated by our sisters and brothers in the Western North Dakota Synod. My great wish is that EVERY member of our synod would have a new thought when they see M&M‘s in the CAR: Mission and Ministry in the Central African Republic.

[ Jump to congregational resources ]

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Central African Republic (EELRCA) is our companion synod; they minister to and are themselves among the poorest people on earth.

The great news is that we are making a difference. Dianne Billie, who has been to the C.A.R. on our behalf on two separate occasions, sees progress in that country. The president of the EELRCA, Pr. Andre Golike, has expressed sincere thanks for our extra mile gifts which have been used for motorcycles, roofs, schools, scholarships, water projects, clinics and more! We are making a difference.

Wouldn‘t it be awesome if every member of our congregations would take a tube of M&M‘s in the CAR with them, distribute them, fill the M&M tube with quarters ($14), return them to their congregation, and (through the synod) make a huge impact on/for the church in the CAR? (In the Western North Dakota Synod, the project brought in over $54,000!)

While it sounds simple, $14 times 100,000 members would generate $1,400,000!!!!

This would be enough:

• To equip the C.A.R. seminary
• To staff and supply the Emmanuel Clinic in Gallo (the region‘s only hospital)
• To provide spring boxes which supply fresh water for a whole village
• To put roofs on 30 churches (currently waiting)
• To build a Lutheran high school
• To provide basic, Christian education for the 1000‘s of children in the CAR schools

It‘s as easy as M&M‘s in the CAR. Can it possibly be that simple? Could it be that easy, that attainable? The ELCICAR is having an emergency… God is calling them and equipping them and we are part of the solution, the answer to their prayers. Are you up for the challenge?

Mission & Ministry for the Central African Republic is a “sweet deal” 

At the Fall Professional Leadership Conference at Fair Hills in September, the EaND Synod distributed candy boxes of Mini M&M tubes to each congregation. A reproducible bulletin insert is included with the candy which will detail collection information. It is also available for download below.

Congregations will share the sweets with its members. After the M&Ms have been eaten and enjoyed, individuals and families are asked to refill the tube with quarters. Each tube holds $14 worth of quarters.

This special M & M offering of quarters will make a significant impact on children and adults in the Central African Republic. In Bishop Rindy’s article (above) he outlines several positive effects of this project; in addition, your quarters will help: 

• Build schools through the Village Education Project and provide school supplies so children have access to education
• Provide scholarships so young women can receive education and vocational training
• Train new pastors and catechists to share the Good News of Jesus Christ
• Provide clean drinking water to rural villages
• Support youth and young adult ministry, as well as outreach to both urban and very rural areas of the C.A.R.
• Support an agricultural program to double the income of farm families by introducing teams of oxen, replacing hand held hoes

We ask you to enthusiastically embrace this project. Please publicize it in worship bulletins and congregational newsletters. What a creative, fun, and sweet way to help our brothers and sisters in Christ in one of the poorest countries in the world.

Deadline

The deadline for sending in the money collected is December 31, 2011; please send a check payable to EaND Synod with “M&Ms in the CAR” in the memo line.

You are welcome to raise funds for the CAR at any time. You may choose to use the mini M&M tubes some time other than this fall/winter, but for this particular campaign the deadline is Dec 31 and funds will be distributed in January.

Mission and Ministry in the C.A.R.

– It‘s eternally worth it!

Congregational Resources:

• M&Ms in the CAR Bulletin Insert
• M&Ms in the CAR Poster
• M&Ms in the CAR Tube Labels - Avery 5160 labels (30/sheet)

The synod gave each congregation/pastor one box of mini M&M tubes (24 count) to initiate their congregation’s drive. If you did not receive a box for your congregation, please call us at (701) 232-3381. Any additional mini M&M tubes need to be purchased by your congregation. Here are several suggestions where you may purchase tubes:

• Sam’s Club, Fargo – (701) 282-7997
• Sam’s Club, Grand Forks – (701) 795-9449
• Frank McKone Cigar Co, Fargo – (701) 235-4261
• Target, Wal-Mart, grocery stores…

Share Your Story!

Share your M&Ms in the CAR stories with us. We, in turn, would like to share how your congregation embraced the needs of our brothers and sisters in the Central African Republic. Send stories to Kristi at kristi@eandsynod.org

Abundance… if there is one thing Americans are used to it is abundance. This year, it is an abundance of fresh river water and rain. The past two years we experienced some of the most abundant crops and prices Midwestern farmers have ever experienced. We are used to abundance. The funny thing about abundance is that it can be good or bad depending on how it is shared or distributed.

Many of our congregations are celebrating milestone anniversaries this summer. This affords us opportunities to look back and see God’s providence… abundance.

This summer is also a season of ordinations… nine of them by the end of the summer. God has raised up many exceptionally fine leaders for our church… abundance.

Other things can come in abundance as well. As we watch and wait with our sisters and brothers in the Devils Lake basin, Minot and the Souris valley, Bismarck and Mandan, and many other rivers, flooding had made its presence known in abundance… painful abundance.

There are multiple opportunities to let the abundance of God flow through us as we live out being the church. Quilts from people in Devils Lake, who are under chronic stress themselves, brought comfort to the afflicted in Minot. As we dig into our pockets, roll up our sleeves, pray, and encourage we are … servanthood in abundance.

In a recent conversation with Dr. Richard Bliese, President of Luther Seminary, I informed him of the synod’s planned reduction in financial support by $20,000. While this lack of abundance is currently devastating to our regional ministries, we are hopefully looking to restore our giving in the future. Thankfully, the 2011 Synod Assembly moved to establish an Extra Mile fund for these ministries. Dr. Bliese’s response was, “We do not take any support for granted. Please express our appreciation for each and every dollar you are able to share” … an abundance of graciousness and gratitude.

How we handle the abundance God has placed in our hands is not a mathematical problem. The math is so simple that it puts us to shame if we do not give generously. It is primarily a spiritual problem. It is also a matter of trust. We have been working hard to restore trust in the ministries we do together. I do not take your trust or support for granted, either. Thank you for every dollar that allows us to continue to make a difference in God’s so-loved world.

One of the ways in which we are most visibly present is through our social ministry arm, Lutheran Social Services (LSS). I am thankful that Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) (a ministry of LSS) is on the ground responding to disasters all over the state. Without your trust and support, LDR would have closed up shop a year ago. Know that long after the other helping organizations have moved on, you, through LDR, will be there until the job is completed. We are also present through the Great Plains Food Bank (another ministry of LSS) in providing the network for thousands of pounds of food to be distributed to those in need.

We have far more ability to shape the future than we know. The good work we’ve done together for so many years can continue to help God’s kingdom come and God’s will be done in our part of God’s earth. We are compelled, even commanded to continue to make disciples of all nations. Sometimes and in some ways, this is best done together. There are only so many things an individual or even a congregation can do alone.

It is truly a joy to serve you and along side of you and witness God’s abundance through you. There is an abundance of good ministry happening in our synod. One exiting, new ministry is the Congregational Leadership Academy (CLA) which has 26 lay people enrolled, passionate about evangelism. Please check out our website to learn more about the CLA. It is these proactive ministries that give life to our synod. Oh how I long to spend the majority of time to continue to equip the saints of God for ministry in the world.

I have a deep sense that God is providing us a future that claims and trusts God’s abundance. It is God’s deep desire for us to love the Lord our God through loving the neighbor. This needs to be our primary focus. The opportunities we have to serve, pray, and support ought to get our full attention. The opportunities to roll up our sleeves, dig deeper into our pockets, and share are… abundant.

Abundance… as God’s children, we are saved by grace, through faith, not by our works, so that none of us can boast. We face the ultimate question, as my beloved teacher, Dr. Gerhard Forde, used to ask, “Now that you don’t have to do any thing to be saved, what are you going to do?” Every day has an abundance of opportunities to love, to serve, to be the church.

What are you going to do with the abundance God has entrusted to you?

Why don’t we find out together?

» Download: Abundance Bulletin Insert (download .pdf file)

A sermon by Bishop Rindy for congregational use on May 15, 2011
Based on Matthew 25:34-40 (external link)

This weekend, the congregations of our synod are gathering in Fargo for our annual assembly. As we and they gather, we do so around the theme, God’s Work. Our Hands: Meeting the Needs of a Hungry World. This theme was adopted by our synod at last year’s assembly. Much of what they will be doing revolves around our care for the hungry.

The Bible is a big book. The Word of God comes to us through these Holy Scriptures. It comes bringing laws which accuse, restrict, guide, and shape us. The law even sentences us to death. These same Scriptures also reveal the Living Word to us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, who alone can raise us up to new life, where as it says in the Small Catechism, (and Romans 6) to serve him in righteousness and blessedness all of our days.

Living in North Dakota, we know about ditches. Ditches are actually good things. They help to move water. They help to point out the road. But when you are driving down the road, they are good to avoid. In times like we’ve been experiencing, ditches can even be fatal. It’s good to avoid the ditches.

In living out the Christian faith, there can be theological ditches as well. As good Lutherans, we know that we are not saved by good works. We are saved by grace, through faith, just as it says in Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (NASB)

But if we stop there at the end of verse 9, we can end up in a ditch. Not wanting to look like we are placing our trust on good works, at times we’ve avoided doing them altogether. After all, we wouldn’t want people to think that we’re working our way to heaven. We’re Lutheran! We know about grace!

If we read on to verse 10, we find out WHY we have been saved; our purpose in life: 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in
them.

While we are not saved by good works, we are saved for a life of God-given good works. As people who are so blessed, we are able to respond: we are response-able. As we live out this God-given life of good works, we are bearing good fruit, just as we were created to do. In so doing, we please God and put a smile on God’s face.

So while we are saved for good works, we are not saved by them. This is one ditch to avoid. Putting our trust in our own good works, thinking that God will somehow let us into heaven because we’ve been good, is in reality, putting our trust in something other than the saving work of Jesus Christ. Showing up in front of a Holy God with your own righteousness is a foolish thing to do. To be clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ through faith in Christ alone is not only the safest, but also the only blessed way in which to stand before God.

From time to time, the church has fought over the roles or importance of grace and faith vs. good works. The epistle of James reflects this well. Some people argue that we need to be a Matthew 28 church, a great commission church. This is true. Jesus’ commission couldn’t be clearer:

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB)

As Lutheran Christians, we are to be in the disciple making business: Going, Making, Baptizing, and Teaching. This is most certainly true. Yet we are not only people of the Great Commission, we are people of the Great Commandment:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “„Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.? This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: „Love your neighbor as yourself.? All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36-40 (New International Version, ©2011)

Our texts for today and the Great Commandment show that love is quite important to God as well: loving God intensely with all we are is important. We need to be a Matthew 22 church. Yet how does one love God? Scripture gives us hints at how we do that. One of the most clear comes from 1st John. While this whole letter compels us to love, these verses sum it up well:

We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
1 John 4:19-20 (NIV)

We know what love looks like because of Jesus’ modeling it for us: laying down one’s life for one’s friends… not only for Jesus friends, but for his enemies, those who killed him, and for the whole God-so-loved world. This is love in action, not in just words.

This brings us full circle to today’s text. In caring for the least of these, we care for Jesus. In welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick & imprisoned, and giving drink to the thirsty, we are loving our neighbor. We are loving Jesus in his many and varied, distressing disguises. We are loving God. We need to be a Matthew 25 church.

So today, let us not allow the ditches to grab us, but rather let the ditches keep us on the road of being saved by grace through faith, while at the same time doing the works of love God laid out for us as response-able, well-loved children of God.

May our lives reflect God’s love in such ways that others will see our good works and give glory to our Father in heaven. May we feed the hungry in such ways that people might see how we love, fulfilling the law of Christ.

Amen

Ah, Spring! The words sound so sweet… Yet the Lenten journey continues. The way of the Cross is still before us.

Dr. Harry Wendt, of Crossways International, says, “If we want to follow Jesus, we need to look good on wood.” I see the cross manifesting itself in the lives of those who give of themselves for the sake of others; often times for people they don’t even know. It’s what a child of God does in following Christ. Some are laying sandbags, others give of their life and time by feeding those doing the heavy lifting. The cross of Christ for each of us can take many shapes. Yet the mystery of it all is that when we lay down our lives for the sake of others, we truly find life. Sometimes we are even able to be joyful in our giving and in so doing, we reflect the image of the God by whom we were created. Imagine that.

Water may threaten buildings, but the Church stands strong. Even though water has threatened to destroy their community, the people of God at Zion Lutheran in Churchs Ferry are seeking to find a way to further the mission of God’s Church, even as they are facing the difficult task of bringing the ministry at that place to a close. The members of Maple-Sheyenne Lutheran are looking to help NDSU’s campus ministry even as they are canoeing in-and-out of their own homes. These, along with many others throughout our synod, are inspiring me and others as they keep the mission of God in front of them. Imagine that.

The “Extra Mile” continues through May. Thank you so much for going the extra mile for the sake of our ministry partners! We will wrap up this journey in May, with our mission partner ministries continuing on strong because of your support. Some goals have been reached (motorcycles for the C.A.R.), while others are ongoing. You are making a difference both locally and globally. In addition, keep Diane Billie and pastors Randy Schlecht and Chad Brucklacher in your prayers as they represent us in the Central African Republic. Upon their return, consider inviting them to share their stories of what God is doing through our ministry together.

Financial realities continue to shape the way in which we do ministry together. Our synod assembly will be very important in the life of our synod for the future. Keep our church, our synod, and our synod council in prayer. God is continuing to shape us into the image of Jesus. I look forward to the day when Christ is fully formed in all of us.

Even in the midst of many challenging things, God’s work through our hands is so evident. I thank God for the privilege of serving along side of you all; for the staff who serves you so well; for the grace and mercy you have shown me as I seek to live out this call faithfully. God is good; all of the time.

» Download: The Lenten Journey Continues Bulletin Insert (download .pdf file)

There are extremes in life which cause one to appreciate the amazing giftedness of life. They often come under the forms of opposites: pain/pleasure; toil/leisure; death/resurrection to eternal life. Cloudy days make us appreciate the sunny days more. Winter causes us to hope for the days of summer; the heat of summer causes us to reflect fondly on winter. These contrasts in life make life interesting for some, frustrating for others.

This month’s reflection follows this juxtaposition of our lives; times are good/difficult, times are filled with joy/sadness and in all of it… God is there ahead of us.

During my time with the Conference of Bishops, one of the tasks we undertake is the assigning of seminary graduates to the synods of our region. As Terry, Kari, and I pour over the paperwork of seminary students, we look for candidates who would be good fits for our congregations; we are also mindful of our congregations being good fits for our candidates. That’s when it works best, when both congregation and pastor are blessed by serving together. I am so happy to share with you that seven such seminary graduates are coming to our synod. Each and every one of them brings unique gifts and experiences to the congregations they will serve: two are a clergy couple; two of them did their internships in our synod; two of them are single, the others married. Each one of them has been called, equipped, and now sent by God to serve… I can’t wait to see how this all sorts out! With the Holy Spirit leading and guiding congregations and pastors, it is always a joy to see the Spirit’s handiwork.

But, life is a mixture of those joy-filled times and the difficult times. And, on the other end of the spectrum, our Synod Council Executive Committee has been engaged in difficult discussion surrounding our mission plan. The financial amount each congregation has committed to share is less than the mission plan we approved together at our last synod assembly. Adjustments must be made. The stress level of making cuts is not healthy for our church and all of the mission partners involved. There are no easy cuts… and they can’t be shallow.

As you already know, there are only three ways to balance a budget/mission plan: on the expense side or on the income side, or a combination of the two. I’m not entirely sure that all of us together want to be the church in the ways in which constantly cutting expenses would shape us. I’m also not sure if we are willing to share our relative abundance the way in which we have been blessed these past years.

In my state of the synod address from last year, I told you that I was more interested in seeing the synod we are becoming, rather than looking back at the synod we have been. Is the future hopeful or is it scary? That depends on how we live in to it together as God’s people.

God continues to raise up faithful leaders, both lay and clergy. God continues to bless, equip, and send us all. When the Holy Spirit gets into the mix, anything can happen. I think it is not only fun to watch, but know I am blessed to get to roll up my sleeves and help make the future happen. You are blessed to do the same. And, what a privilege/challenge, joy/difficulty, it is… especially since God is in the midst of it all!

Who will we be? I can’t wait to find out.

» Download: The Amazing Giftedness of Life Bulletin Insert (download .pdf file)