9:00 am – 4:00 pm
First Lutheran Church – Fargo, ND

This workshop is designed to help facilitators learn how to administer PREPARE/ENRICH and provide feedback to premarital and married couples using six core and over 20 supplemental exercises. Learn to help couples identify their strengths and growth areas in categories such as Communication, Conflict Resolution, Spiritual Beliefs and Financial Management. The cost is $175 (lunch included). Pam Hulstrand is the seminar director.

To register, contact Pam at (612) 741-6613 or pamhul@earthlink.net

April 10-12, 2012

Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer - Watertown, SD

Bishop David Zellmer is extending this invitation to leaders in our synod! Leaders from all of Region 3 are invited to participate. Steven Paulson from Luther Seminary is the featured speaker.

More information on the South Dakota Synod website

March 12-16, 2012

Luther Seminary – St. Paul, MN

The Parish Nurse Ministry Program at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN is offering a one week basic parish nurse preparation course in collaboration with Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. Based on the current IPNRC curriculum, the program topics include: the role of the parish nurse, biblical healing and the Church’s ministry, integrating faith and health, health promotion activities, and working with persons across the lifespan.

In addition, there is a pastor/nurse panel, mentoring session, service of healing, and dedication service. The program cost is $575 (includes resources, notebook and some meals for the week!) It is open to registered nurses interested in health and healing ministries. The deadline for registration for the Luther program is February 27th.

Visit cord.eu to view additional program dates, locate resources, and download the registration brochure.

For further information, please email parish-nurse@cord.edu or Jean Bokinskie, RN, PhD, PNM Director, 218-299-3825.

March 4-6, 2012

Wartburg Theological Seminary – Dubuque, IA

Join leaders in rural communities and congregations gather to gain insight and inspiration, to network and neighbor that our ministries might be strengthened and our opinions better informed.

Conference Leader:

Rev. Dr. Dwight Dubois
“Courage in the Country: Dying to Ourselves, For the Life of the World”

Plenary Speakers:
Dennis Campbell; Dr. Kris Stache

Workshop Leaders:
Dwight Dubois; Jim La Doux; Ginger Anderson-Larson; Joan Fumetti Jim Ennis

Bible Study Leader:
Dr. Craig L. Nessan

To learn more and register at wartburgseminary.edu

5:00 p.m.(Monday) – 12:00 p.m. (Wednesday)
St. Paul, MN

“Monkey Business.” That’s what Martin Luther called the rite of confirmation. And the numbers of young people that the church is losing after, and possibly through, the confirmation process, is rising annually.

Join Luther Seminary for this FirstThird Dialogue designed to both begin, as well as further, ongoing conversations about the deep and adaptive change in our churches in confirmation preparation and the rite itself.

Keynote speakers are:

• Nancy Going - Distributed Leaning, Children, Youth & Family Ministry, Luther Seminary
• Hans Wiersma - Assistant Professor of Youth & Family Ministry, Augsburg College.

This event is designed for pastors, confirmation directors and confirmation volunteers. Cost is $150 early-bird registration through Jan 31; $175 regular registration.

Learn more  and register at firstthird.org

People of faith along the Red River Valley are invited to come together for a Worship Service for the Family of God. The service will be an opportunity for persons who care about the five American Crystal Sugar plants along the Valley—farmers/growers, union workers, management, and their neighbors—to gather together simply for prayers, songs, and readings from Scripture. Two ecumenical worship services will be offered in Grand Forks, ND.

The first service will be held Sunday, December 18, at 2:00 p.m. at Holy Family Parish, 1018 18th Ave So, Grand Forks, ND (701.746.1454). Fr. Phil Ackerman, Holy Family Parish, will lead the worship service.

A second service will be held Wednesday, December 21, at 5:30 p.m. at United Lutheran Church, 324 Chestnut St, Grand Forks, ND (701-775-4279). Pastors from area Christian churches will lead the worship service. The service will be followed by a 6:30 p.m. catered dinner in the church’s Fellowship Hall, courtesy of a donor.

Red River Valley faith leaders who are planning this service and dinner believe this could be an important contribution from the faith community to help bring out the best in all members of the Crystal Sugar family as they work together toward finding a good settlement. If you are unable to attend, please remember all our friends affiliated with Crystal Sugar in your prayers.

Download bulletin insert

Re-rooting in God’s Mission is a renewal journey and process for congregations seeking to move from maintenance to mission and from survival to striving.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

9:30 am – 3:30 pm
Olivet Lutheran Church – Fargo, ND

About the Journey:

Re-rooting in God’s Mission is a process designed to unfold over an 18 to 24 month period of time. The process involves four or more Saturday equipping events (9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) sprinkled throughout these months. These equipping events will revolve around listening to God through prayer, scripture, each other, our neighbors, and three key ingredients for congregational renewal:

1. Discovering a shared purpose for participating in God’s mission locally and beyond
2. Willingness to change for the sake of the Gospel
3. Shared leadership between pastor and congregational leaders

(an ELCA research study identified these 3 key ingredients for renewal)

This process of renewal seeks to engage and involve the whole congregation. It begins and continues with prayer and in-depth engagement with God’s word. A team of at least four, including pastor, selected by the congregation and pastor, attend the training opportunities in order to be equipped to engage their congregation in a renewal process focusing on:

• Attending to God in prayer and scripture
• Accompanying one another in following Jesus and being the church
• Asserting and agreeing on some mission action and implementing it
• Acting on the Great Commandment to love God and neighbor and the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations, using holy mission experiments
• Assessing and learning from setbacks and successes

The illustration (below), attempts to describe the cyclical, ebb and flow nature of this congregational renewal journey being facilitated by our Synods’ Renewal Team.

Preparing for the Journey:

• Prayer and discussion with congregational leaders involving an overview of the process and suggestions for how prayer and conversation might actually happen in the congregation
• Congregation commits to taking journey and allocates $300 to cover costs (e.g. materials, meals, etc.)
• Congregation and pastor assemble a team (at least four, including pas- tor) to accompany their congregation and shepherd the process
• Congregation’s team enters into a time of prayer and reflection on the Book of Acts in preparation for the first equipping event on February 25, 2012

Teams attending can expect to:

• Be immersed in prayer and God’s word
• Receive tools, best practices, resources, and be equipped to utilize and adapt them to their congregation’s context
• Be accompanied by a coach throughout the whole journey
• Receive additional training as needed, tailored to specific issues along the way

Registration Deadline: February 10, 2012

For more information contact: Pastor Keith Zeh @ 218-299-4447 or keith.zeh@elca.org

Download brochure: ReRooting in God’s Mision info

Thursday, February 2, 2012

10:00 am – 4:00 pm
University Lutheran Church – Grand Forks, ND

Friday, February 3, 2012

9:00 am – 3:00 pm
St. John Lutheran Church – Fargo, ND

Both workshops will feature Barbara Keller, an ELCA consultant for prevention of sexual misconduct.

There is no registration fee; $10/person lunch, payable on site. Email kristi@eandsynod.org to register.

More information will be posted as available.

Messiah’s initial project produced 239 dresses and 51 britches (shorts) for boys. It began with gathering supplies, spending time together (or at home during the winter months), and producing the garments in love. The youth at Messiah tie-dyed donated white pillowcases. This became a multi-generational project for the church.

God used the hands of volunteers at Messiah, and the congregation was graced with beautiful clothing hanging on clotheslines in the sanctuary. The Hour of Worship televised service from Messiah Lutheran allowed us the opportunity to share this project with the viewers. We received donations of binding, elastic, ribbons, pillowcases, and money from people in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Pennsylvania and Canada. More importantly God worked through the Hour of Worship to share the excitement of this project, with 59 other churches contacting Messiah’s Parish Nurse, Sandi Kimmet, RN, forinformation on how to implement the project at their churches. God’s Hands led the hands of this congregation to reach out in an even greater way.

Sandi has maintained contact with Rachel O’Neill, the director of Little Dresses for Africa. She learned that some of the dresses from Messiah were sent to Haiti with medical volunteers following the earthquake and some were sent to Malawi for orphans who were left without clothing. These clothing items are light weight, easy to roll and pack up. This is a benefit for international travelers. God’s work. Our hands.

[The Messiah Health Ministry Team is planning on repeating the project in 2012. Sandi notes that this is an easy, short-term creative project and creates beautiful work to share with God's children in the world. The next "Pillowcase Sewing/Bandage Rolling Bee" will be held at Messiah on February 11, 2012 from 9am-3pm in the Activity Room. If you would like to hear more about this project, to have a speaker at your church or to ask any questions, please call for the Faith Community/Parish Nurse at Messiah Lutheran, 237-6770.]

» Download: God in Full View Nov 2011

God in Full View!

Rostered leaders in their first 3 years of call are required to attend FCTE. The ELCA recognizes that the transition from seminary to the parish is one of the most significant changes in a rostered leader’s life. The First Call Theological Education events are meant to spend time tending to that transition and assist in leadership formation. Join Luther Seminary Faculty, Concordia College, and Synod staffs as we gather to talk about your ministry and passions for ministry. Each afternoon we will be breaking into small groups to discuss the topics and contexts that are most relevant to you.

Dr. Rolf A. JacobsonAssociate Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary

Dr. Roland D. MartinsonAcademic Dean and the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Children, Youth, & Family Ministry at Luther Seminary

Speakers for the event include Dr. Rolf A. Jacobson and Dr. Roland D. Martinson. Special guests include: Pr. Twila Schock, Director – Global Mission Support; Pr. Adam Copeland, Mission Developer – Project FM; Dr. Michelle Lelwica, Associate Professor of Religion at Concordia College; Dr. Christian Scharen (tentative) Assistant Professor of Worship & Theology, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN.

Registration:

• $150 registration fee for commuter or double occupancy room;
  Register now
• $225 registration fee for single occupancy room (limited rooms available);
  Register now

The fees cover lunch and supper both Friday and Saturday.

2012 FCTE brochure

Brought to you by the Fabric of Mutual Ministry (FMM)