Synod Hearings (external link) provide an opportunity for participants to share with the task force their concerns, appreciation, and suggestions about the draft of a social statement. A record of comments from each hearing is shared with the task force, who will consider this feedback while developing a revised document called a “proposed” social statement. The proposed statement is scheduled to be finished in February of 2011, which will be considered by the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly (external link).

Hearings are a very important step in the social statement process because the goal is broad participation in the development of social teaching and policy documents. Please encourage farmers and other interested folks to attend.  We often complain about “not being heard”; hearings give us a chance to offer the task force a North Dakota perspective!

EaND Synod Hearings on Genetics:

Emmanuel Lutheran Church – Gackle, ND (directions (external link))
Sunday, August 8, 2010
10:30 am
All are invited to worship at 9:30 a.m.

Mountain Lutheran Church – Adams, ND (directions (external link))
Sunday, August 8, 2010
5:30 pm

More Information:

• A Social Statement on Genetics from the ELCA portal (external link)
• Draft Social Statement on Genetics Information (external link)
• Download: Draft Socail Statement on Genetics (download .pdf file)
• Download: FAQs (download .pdf file)
• Download: Executive Summary (download .pdf file)

October 7-10, 2010
Green Lake Bible Camp (external link)
Spicer, MN

Is your congregation yearning for renewal? A major study done by the ELCA research unit has identified three key ingredients for 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.

The Unit for Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission – ELCA (external link) has designed a renewal journey called Transformational Ministry that may cultivate new life to congregations.

About the Process:

This is not a program or a project. Rather it is an intense process of renewal that involves the whole congregation. The process begins with prayer and in depth study of the Book of Acts. Leaders selected by the congregation attend a ministry transformation training event. The training experience planned in Region 3 is supported by Synods and EOCM in Region 3 to prepare leaders for engaging their congregations into a new future.

Teams Attending Can Expect To:

1. Experience great worship and digging into the Bible.
2. Get tools for getting to know and engage their community.
3. Make a six month mission action plan.
4. Bring the spirit of transformation back into your congregation.

Would you like more information?

Contact Pastor Keith Zeh at the Synod Office

Download event information (download .pdf file)

Seminar presenter, Cathy Townley, will encourage “updating existing worship through missional and spiritual practices.” Topics covered include: increase worship attendance through spiritual practices; organize communities to plan and lead worship; welcome guests through relationships; and sustain numerical growth.

Pastors are asked to attend with a team of 3-5 persons including musicians, worship team members, or worship planners from their con- gregations. Register online (external link); Lunch included; cost – $179 per church by August 25. If you have questions, contact Carrie at (218) 233-2412 or oslc@oursaviorsmoorhead.org

Join us Friday beginning at 2:00 pm until 5:00 pm Saturday for the Glocal Mission Gathering!

What’s different about this event? The ELCA Glocal Mission Gathering brings together experts and resources on global and domestic ministry under one roof, for one weekend, in one convenient location so leadership teams can build the skills needed to be a part of God’s mission, no matter where service happens. Additionally, the dialogue initiated at this event will help ELCA Global Mission understand how to be of better service to you.

This event will feature a “God’s work. Our hands” wall displaying the past year’s mission activities of the congregations in the EaND Synod. All congregations are asked to submit a list of their mission accomplishments in the year beginning with the summer of 2009, sending them to Ruth Urdahl, 907 9th St SW, Jamestown, ND 58401-5104 or email urdahlkr@yahoo.com Identify submissions with the congregation’s name, city, and number of baptized members and sent by September 1.

More information:

• Registration (external link)
• Event Agenda (external link)
• Download brochure (download .pdf file)

• August 19 at Our Savior’s Lutheran, Valley City, ND
• September 1 at University Lutheran Church, Grand Forks, ND
• September 26 Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Fargo, ND

News from the Nelson’s:

“… exciting to see the clinic in operation and already had 12 babies born there … still many odds and ends to get going but it is indeed a joy to see the Emmanuel Clinic of Gallo healing the sick and doing things in that town that had never been done there before … Thanks for all your gifts and offerings to make this a reality.”

10:30 am – 3:00 pm
Climax Lutheran Church – Climax, MN

Don’t miss this hands-on work day, focusing on stewardship issues such as pledging, tithing, cottage meetings, and more!

The event will have 2 tracks:

1. For congregations needing a jump start in planning their fall stewardship
2. For congregations in the planning process but needing a tune up before the fall

Each congregation must have a minimum of 3 people attend. Cost is $30 per congregation and $5 for each additional participant. August 6 is the deadline for registration. If you have any questions, please contact Rev. Kari Bahe.

To register for the event, download the registration form (download .pdf file) and mail it to:
EaND Synod, 1703
32nd Ave S
Fargo, ND 58103

This event is sponsored by the Eastern North Dakota & Northwestern Minnesota Synods.

Vining Lutheran Church – Vining, MN
9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

- or -

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Milnor Lutheran Church – Milnor, ND
9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Update: The STaR event for May 1 has been canceled.

God’s Spirit is breathing new vitality into rural congregations and multi-point parishes! Come and learn about what effective rural congregations have to say about God’s activity in and through them. In their stories, multi-point parish and congregational leaders will explore the best practices for vital ministry and identify action steps for their own ministry setting.

Pastor Keith Zeh encourages you to have more than one person per congregation attend. He says, “When more than one person attends, the more likely they’ll bring something home that matters; they’ll bring enthusiasm and information back to their home congregation.”

The registration fee for each congregation is $25 for one person and $10 for each additional person who attends.

Don’t miss this great opportunity!

» Download: Event Information and Registration (download .pdf file)

New Life for Your Church: a Workshop with Paul Nixon

March 22-23, 2010
Quality Inn in Jamestown, ND

Nixon is the author of I Refuse to lead A Dying Church. This workshop, sponsored by the North Dakota Conference of Churches (external link), will challenge church leaders (lay and clergy) to refuse to accept the status quo for our churches and our faith, and to intentionally move to rebuild the church, its membership and its faith. Register online (external link) at or call Elisha at (701) 226-8037. Registration is $40.

Volunteer for Hospice

Hospice of the Red River Valley (external link) is in need of volunteers to visit patients in your area! Volunteering for Hospice is a powerful way to help friends and neighbors at a critical time. Volunteers would provide companionship by reminiscing and sharing stories, giving wheelchair rides, writing letters or cards, running errands, helping with a meal, and sitting with a patient so caregivers may have a break. Please consider this opportunity by contacting Muriel Leach, Volunteer Coordinator, at (701) 356-1565 or mleach@hrrv.org

“Bucks for Bags” Sandbagging for Caring for Children

Make sandbagging money for the Caring for Children program by volunteering to fill bags in Fargo (external link). The city of Fargo is currently offering $75 to registered non-profit agencies (external link) for every 100 hours a group spends filling sandbags. If you volunteer, you can choose the Caring for Children program as the agency to receive the money for your hours worked. Sandbags are being filled from 8 am-8 pm Monday through Saturday at Sandbag Central; park at the Coliseum, 807 17th Ave No, Fargo and take a bus to Sandbag Central. Buses run every half hour. Before going, groups of 5 or more should call FirstLink at (701) 476-4000 to sign up.

Caring for Children (external link) provides access to health, dental and mental health care services for eligible North Dakota children, ages birth to 19. These children are from working families who do not qualify for government funded programs but whose parents cannot afford private health insurance. Blue Cross Blue Shield of ND initiated the program in 1989 and provides all administrative costs as an in kind donation. Therefore, 100% of all donations go directly to provide care for children enrolled in the program.

Lutheran Social Service Quilt and Kit Collection

Lutheran Social Service of North Dakota (external link) continues to collect quilts and kits for various programs:

• New American Services is collecting quilts for new arrivals. Contact Darci Asche or Lynette Seminole at (701) 271-1604 to make arrangements for delivery.
• Great Plains Food Bank is collecting quilts for Haiti relief. Call Joann Matthews at (701) 476-9102 for details. The Fargo Food bank is open 8-12 and 1-5 pm Monday to Friday.
• Lutheran Disaster Response is collecting quilts, health kits, school kits, sewing kits and layettes for the annual LWR drive. Pick up is at LSS, 1325 11th St S, Fargo the week of May 17-21, 2010 and at Midwest Motor Express, 2215 No Washington, Grand Forks the week of May 20-21, 2010.

Human Sexuality and Faith Dialogue

“For the Bible Tells Me So” (external link), a 90-minute documentary film addressing human sexuality with stories of real people as they have struggled with concerns in the context of their faith, is available for showing in your congregation. Discussion leaders who are members of Lutherans Concerned (external link) are available to come and lead in discussion and dialogue. All are invited to share in this educational opportunity, sponsored by the Hunger and Justice committee of the EaND Synod. If you would like this program brought to your congregation, contact Vicki Schmidt (701) 282-0480 or veschmidt45@msn.com.

» Download: Synod Opportunities: March 2010 (download .pdf file)

Lutheran Men’s Ministry Team

A new team has taken to the field and has begun spring training “stretching”. Men from Eastern North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota Synods gathered together on March 5, 2010. They imagined how they could be a part of God’s mission with men in both synods, and decided to form a joint synod Lutheran Men’s Ministry Team.

As they stretched their imagination, they began to envision every man having a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ through an effective men’s ministry in every congregation in both synods. They stretched some more and began to think of ways to live into this vision by promoting men’s ministry events, helping to start new men’s groups, sponsoring men’s retreats, developing a “took kit” for men’s ministry, and celebrating and storytelling about the ministry happening!

Next Meeting: April 9, 2010
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
EaND Synod Conference Room

The Lutheran Men’s Ministry Team wants to add members to the team roster this spring. Join them for their second meeting on April 9, 2010. The Team will meet at the Eastern North Dakota Synod Conference Room from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

If you would like more information contact Pastor Keith Zeh by e-mail keith@eandsynod.org or by phone at 701-232-3381. If you would like to attend please RSVP.

Discovering Hope in Multipoint Parishes and Congregations

Saturday, April 24. 2010
Vining Lutheran Church – Vining, MN
- or -
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Milnor Lutheran Church – Milnor, ND

Mark your calendar for a Discovering Hope in Multipoint Parishes and Congregations Event. This event is in follow up to the Cultivating Vitality in Multipoint Parishes event in January and will be offered twice on Saturday, April 24 at Vining Lutheran Church, Vining, MN and again on Saturday, May 1 at Milnor Lutheran Church, Milnor, ND. The events will start at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at 4:00 p.m.

God’s Spirit is breathing new vitality into rural congregations and multipoint parishes! Come and learn about what effective rural congregations have to say about God’s activity in and through them. In their stories, multipoint parish and congregational leaders will explore the best practices for vital ministry and identify action steps for their own ministry setting.

Stay tuned for more details including a registration form and schedule.

» Download: Mission in Motion: March 2010 (download .pdf file)

Cultivating Vitality in Multipoint Parishes was an equipping and energizing experience held January 16 at Climax Lutheran Church. Over 70 pastoral and lay leaders from both synods, representing 22 parishes and involving 62 congregations, participated in this catalytic event. Encore events (one in each synod in the southern region) are planned for later this year. A sampling of resources for that day, is available below. For more information about Cultivating Vitality for Multipoint Parishes, contact Rev. Keith Zeh at the synod office at (701) 232-3381 or keith@eandsynod.org

Twenty-three men from seven congregations attended a Building Men for Christ training event for congregational leaders January 22-23 at Hope Lutheran Church in Fargo. This event, facilitated by the ELCA’s Lutheran Men in Mission in partnership with both synods, expressed a compelling vision of every man having a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

Insights shared included data about men’s involvement in the life of the church and the profound effect their faith has in the lives of their children.

• The ratio of men to women in mainline congregations was 48% in 1952 compared to less than 38% today.
• Each week more than 5 million wives worship without their husbands. Most males begin to disengage from the church as early as 9 years of age.
• When both father and mother are actively engaged in their faith, the children are more likely to become people of faith.
• Men ages 18-34 are the most un-churched group in America. Congregations with a higher percentage of men involved tend to be faster growing, stronger in stewardship and have more children and youth involved.

Among the positive outcomes resulting from this significant event was the “setting in motion” the formation of a joint-synod Building Men for Christ task force or team. On Friday, March 5, 2010 men from both synods will meet to follow up the January Building Men for Christ event. We will meet from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm in the conference room at the Northwestern Minnesota Synod office, 310 14th Ave So, Moorhead, MN. Lunch will be provided. If you are interested in participating, contact Rev. Keith Zeh at (701) 232-3381 or (218) 299-4447.

»Download: Mission in Motion – February 2010 (download pdf file)

Multipoint Parishes Resources:

• What Makes Multipoint Parishes Work? (download pdf file)
• What is a Multipoint Parish? (download pdf file)/a>
• Multipoint Parishes Table Talk (download pdf file)
• Multipoint Parishes Suggested Reading List (download pdf file)
• Forming Multipoint Parishes (download pdf file)
• Attitudes, Beliefs, & Behavior Patterns of Missional STaR Congregations
  PowerPoint Presentation (download PowerPoint file) | PDF (download pdf file)