• We rejoice as we see the results of silent growth as crops do what they were created to do. We trust God to provide daily bread, all that is needed for life, that we might glorify the one who created us for the glory of God.
• We rejoice (and sometimes cry) as our young people grow into the people they are created to become… some graduate, some get married, others leave to begin their careers or time of military service. We trust that God will watch over them (as God always does) as they live their lives, making decisions which hopefully put a smile on God’s face.
• We grieve as some of life’s unwelcomed changes come our way. The unexpected death of a loved one, of a marriage, or of a friendship can take years of God’s gentle care to bring the healing that once again leads us back into a season of healthy growth.
• We wrestle (as people of God) with how we can truly love God and our neighbor with the love of Jesus Christ. During this Pentecost season, we look to Jesus to see how to love the sometimes difficult-to-love neighbor.
• We rejoice as new seminary graduates begin their service as pastors in our synod. You all have a wonderful reputation for shaping excellent pastors for service in the Church.
• We rejoice for Valley City high school as they welcome a new principal, Kristi Brandt. (which means we welcome back on a full-time basis Pastor Terry Brandt to serve as Associate with the Bishop). We rejoice to have the whole Brandt family as a part of our synod.

We do a lot of things together during a season of growth. Believing and trusting in the communion of saints and the forgiveness of sins is easy when life is moving smoothly. It can be more trying at other times. I want to thank you for the faith and trust you have placed in me and in all those who serve you through your synod office. I understand that for many reasons, congregations can face challenging times, especially during the summer months. I want to thank you for your support, even when it isn’t always easy to do with tight finances. It allows us to provide much needed support to those congregations/pastors who happen to find themselves in need. If you haven’t needed intensive support from the synod office lately, I’m happy to know things are going well. If you have needed the support of this office, I’m happy you have reached out to us for support.

Thank you also for your efforts to go the “Extra Mile” for mission. You are already making a difference. Whether it is a youth group from Clifford-Galesburg tithing of their fundraising efforts or an individual moved to put a roof on a church in the Central African Republic, every effort of faithfulness inspires and encourages not only me, but every other traveler on the journey.

Thanks for allowing me to grow with you. The Apostle Paul put it this way, “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. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:3-5 NRSV

Pr. Bill Rindy
Serving as your Bishop

» Download: A Word from Bishop Rindy (June 2010) (download .pdf file)

The Mayville Lutheran Foundation voted to match contributions that members of Mayville and Gran Lutheran Churches (external link) give to the “Extra Mile” at the rate of $1 for every $4 given. When individuals reach their goal of $72 (above & beyond regular giving), the Mayville Lutheran Foundation will give an additional $18 (an extra lap around the track) for a total of $90. If 140 members gave $72 and the Foundation gave $18, the total (140 X $90) would equal $12,600—more than enough for a church roof and a motorcycle for the C.A.R. That would be a marvelous accomplishment!

Paul’s words from Philippians 3 “…but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Lutheran Disaster Response named “Member Organization of the Year”

The National Voluntary organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) (external link) named Lutheran Disaster Response (external link) the 2010 Member Organization of the Year. LDR is a collaborative ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Founded in 1970, VOAD is a coalition of non-profit organizations that respond to disasters and/or develop disaster preparedness and recovery programs. “This award is in recognition of all Lutherans who love and serve their neighbors affected by disaster and also recognizes the more than 20 year history of Lutherans helping serve in communities from Grand Forks, ND to New Orleans and in countless other places. We are all LDR because we all chip in and care for our neighbors when we see our neighbors experience any misfortune,” said Rev. Kevin Massey, director or LDR and ELCA Domestic Disaster Response.

Find out more and download resources for the “Extra Mile for Mission”…

In April the group met for supper and discussion – and the topic was “mission”. The meeting date fell shortly after the Eastern North Dakota Synod Assembly; one of the group’s members had attended assembly as a voting member. He was excited about the “Extra Mile for Mission” Bishop Bill Rindy proposed during his State of the Synod address. Excitement grew within the group and it was decided the group would initiate an “Extra Mile for Mission” challenge within the 9 churches of the Tri-County Ministry parish.

The Test Kitchen plans to challenge each member of the 9 congregations to give above and beyond their normal weekly offering. The money given will be averaged out among the number of members of each congregation. Each week congregations will receive a challenge update, indicating which congregation is currently ahead in the “Extra Mile” giving, via worship bulletins.

At the end of this 6 week challenge, there will be a parish-wide celebration! The winning congregation will host a potluck/pie social at their church and the other congregations in the parish will provide the food!

We look forward to seeing how the Holy Spirit works in and among the congregations of the Tri-County Ministry Parish to move us to support mission in new and exciting ways. We’ll keep you updated!

Submitted by Trichelle Kirchenwitz, Intern at Tri-County Ministry Parish

… and continues to spread!

• an individual gift of $10,000 for a roof in the C.A.R. (Central African Republic)
• a congregational gift of $8,500 for the C.A.R.

We rejoice and give thanks to God for these and other “Extra Mile” gifts received!

Paul’s words from Philippians 3 “…but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Renewing the Ecology of the ELCA Task Force

Living into the Future Together (LIFT) (external link) is a task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) (external link) commissioned by the ELCA Church Council to develop and recommend options for the future of the ELCA in light of its identity, changes in its environment and its call to God’s mission.

Understanding the path this church has journeyed on will serve as a platform to embrace new opportunities for God’s mission.

What is God calling this church to be and to do in the future?
What changes are in order to help us respond most faithfully?

Background

At its November 2009 meeting, the ELCA Church Council approved a charter for the project, “Living into the Future Together: Renewing the Ecology of the ELCA.” The project task force will study social and economic changes in the 20 years since this church was formed and “evaluate the organization, governance and interrelationships among this church’s expressions,” according to the project charter.

In January 2010, a 12-member task force of the ELCA, plus observers from other church bodies and staff, met for the first time to develop and recommend options for the future of the ELCA. Task force members seek input for their work from ELCA leaders and members leading up to their report to the ELCA Church Council in April 2011. The LIFT task force reaches out to anyone and everyone interested in advancing “God’s work. Our hands.”

The task force is expected to develop a report and recommendations “that will position this church for the future and explore new possibilities for participating in God’s mission,” the charter states. The report and recommendations will be presented to the ELCA Church Council, which can transmit recommendations to the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly (external link).

Your input is welcome!

We cannot faithfully address these items without the input of all ELCA members. Go to http://liftelca.org/get-involved (external link) where you will see the various ways members of this church can get involved in LIFT.
Here are some options:

For individuals

1. Find LIFT on Facebook (external link) and Twitter (external link) to offer your comments
2. Complete the individual questionnaire online (external link)
3. You can also download the individual questionnaire (download .pdf file), print it and provide us your written comments on these specific questions via  e-mail to Daniel.Taylor@elca.org or via fax at 773-380-2932

For groups

Download the LIFT group discussion questions (download .pdf file) as and discuss the questions with a group at your church (an adult forum, congregation council, etc.) After the discussion, please summarize the responses. Though these questions are intended for group use, individuals are welcome to answer these open-ended questions as well.

Return the summary to us in one of the following ways:

1. Enter the responses online (external link)
2. E-mail responses to Daniel.Taylor@elca.org
3. Fax responses to 773-380-2932
4. Mail responses to RE-ELCA, 8765 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631

LIFT – Living into the Future Together! (external link)

» Download and Share: .wmv (download video file) | .mp4 (download video file)

“As we celebrate this outpouring of gifts and prayers, we also know that we have a long road to travel together. There is so much more to be done. This church is committed to walking with our brothers and sisters in Haiti for years to come; your continued support is needed to provide ongoing care.”

- Rev. Mark S. Hanson, Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Your help and support is still needed!

Find out more about the continuing Haitian relief effort, including stories, videos, and congregational resources, on the ELCA website (external link), ELCA Disaster Response (external link), and Lutheran World Relief (external link).

If you have trouble viewing the embedded video or downloading the video files, please contact the webmaster.

More than 500 voting members and visitors gathered April 17-18 in Jamestown to focus on mission. From recycling to working in a “safe shelter” to assisting at the Salvation Army, rolling bandages and sewing bags for Lutheran World Relief (external link) health and school kits, assembly attendees spent Saturday afternoon “blitzing” surrounding communities and working together to make a difference. It truly was a “mission blitz” about God’s work, our hands. In addition, Nothing But Nets (external link), an opportunity to give to the Lutheran Malaria Initiative (external link), was highlighted.

Plenary sessions dealt with five resolutions, three of which were related to the decisions of the Churchwide Assembly in August, 2009. Resolution 1 called for reconsideration and removal of the social statement, “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust.” (external link) With 179 yes votes and 249 no votes, it was defeated. Resolution 3 asked to rescind actions on the ministry policies adopted last August. Voting members voted 190 for and 213 against, defeating this resolution. The assembly also rejected a third resolution recommending a policy that would require some Churchwide Assembly decisions to be approved by two- thirds of ELCA churches.

Bishop William Rindy asked the assembly to participate in a “God-sized” vision for the church reminding voting members that “we are more than what we have become.” He encouraged members of the synod to give a minimum of $6 a month for a year as part of the “Extra Mile for Mission” challenge.

The Rev. Gemechis Buba, director for African National Ministries (external link), spoke on behalf of the Churchwide expression of the ELCA. Buba emphasized the global church and the ELCA as a church that focuses on mission, discipleship, and justice.

The spirit of this gathering of people from across the Eastern North Dakota Synod can best be shared in a number of stories:

• Synod council member Orville Kjelland from Park River joined a group going to the Anne Carlsen School, a residential center in Jamestown for children and others with disabilities. Their assignment was to help spade a garden plot. Several conversations followed among the group about their own lives, their children, and the work they were doing together.    Just then, Kjelland’s twin grandsons came around a corner with their mother. When little Sander, who came to the Anne Carlsen Center just a few weeks ago, spotted his grandfather working in the garden, it was hard to know who—grandchild or grandfather—was most overjoyed! Orville Kjelland described the mission projects and the spirit of the assembly as tangible examples of “God at work.”
• Back at the Civic Center, a group of basketball players from Jamestown College helped with the Lutheran Malaria Initiative. Their eagerness and willingness to help contributors shoot hoops resulted in nearly $1000 for the purchase of malaria nets to help eradicate malaria. LMI is an unprecedented collaborative effort among the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, The Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod and Lutheran World Relief to mobilize nearly 8 million Lutherans in the United States to join the battle against malaria—a preventable and treatable disease that kills more than one million people a year.
• Coming next: two young cousins from Tokio who give their savings . . .

Mission Blitz!

• Baby hats crocheted – 36
• Baby blankets made – 220
• School bags sewn – 27
• Bandages rolled – 200
• Trash bags filled – 100+
• Dogs washed & walked – 8
• Red Cross vehicles stocked – 3
• Food baskets filled – many
• People who visited the elderly and hospitalized – 115
• Homes improved – 3
• Shelving unit constructed – 1
• Gardens prepared at Anne Carlsen Center – 6
• Justice letters written – dozens
• Other service projects – many more
• Prayers offered – too many to count
• Number of people’s lives touched by the EaND Synod Assembly’s Mission Blitz – priceless!

Julie Aageson, EaND Synod Resource Center Director

» Download: Report for the 2010 Synod Assembly (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)

Pres. Golike and Bishop Rindy

Andre Golike, President
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic,
visits Eastern North Dakota Companion Synod

During the week of February 10-15, 2010 President Golike visited eastern North Dakota including Dacotah O’Yate, Park River Bible Camp (external link), Christus Rex campus ministry (external link), rural and city churches. It was a blessing to welcome him to our part of the world.

Download the following PowerPoint presentation or pdf for a few photo highlights from his visit.  Please feel free to share this presentation and article with your congregation.

» Download:

• President Golike Visit (download PowerPoint file)
• President Golike Visit (download pdf file)

During the week of February 10-15 President Andre Golike experienced snow (and lots of it), cold temperatures, ice fishing, and snowmobiling during his first visit to America. He spent time in frozen eastern North Dakota, but expressed how he felt the welcoming warmth of the people he met. Golike, president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic, visited his companion synods, Western North Dakota and Eastern North Dakota, meeting many people across the state where more than 1/3 of the population is Lutheran . He also visited a third companion synod, Texas-Louisiana Gulf Synod.

In the Central African Republic (C.A.R.) there are about 70,000 Lutherans, only 1.5% of the 4.4 million people. In the midst of severe poverty, corrupt government and civil unrest, the Lutheran church is growing – doubling in membership the past 20 years! There are 67 pastors in the C.A.R., many of them serving 10 to 15 congregations, walking between villages and churches!

Noel Tade, who grew up with President Golike in the C.A.R., accompanied him around the synod; they both speak four languages including French, English, Sangho and Baya. Noel is married to Sarah Larson-Tade, pastor of Shepherd of the Prairie parish, Walcott.

President Golike experienced a “oneness in Christ” while visiting Dacotah O’Yate, Park River Bible Camp, Christus Rex campus ministry, a Grand Forks homeless shelter and a Rural Medicine program and more. He also participated in worship and enjoyed food and fellowship in several EaND Synod congregations, both rural and city. In addition to preaching at Messiah and Hope Lutheran churches in Fargo, he preached and baptized a new child of God at Faith in West Fargo!

Before he departed for home, he stopped by the EaND Synod office for “coffee.” Bishop Rindy presented him with a handmade stole, created by Sandy Branstiter, complete with North Dakota symbols of wheat and sunflowers!

The Synod Council voted to share $12,000 of a generous bequest from the estate of Melvin Olson with the church in the C.A.R.; it will be used for ministries as President Golike sees fit. In addition, he flew home with a gift of a new laptop computer to assist in God’s work.

It was a blessing to all who met and shared Christ’s love with our partner in mission, President Andre Golike. Remember to hold him and the church in the Central African Republic in prayer and support.

The Central African Republic (C.A.R.), located in the heart of Africa, is one of the poorest, least developed countries in the world. It is surrounded by unstable, and sometimes violent countries. Many of its people live daily lives of struggle and bare subsistence; however, Christians in the C.A.R. have joy in worshiping their Savior and in sharing that joy with others. While visiting the C.A.R. in February of 2008, Dianne Billey observed, “I have never been in a situation where there was such joy in being Christian and absolute joy in worshiping with other Christians.” Here is an update on the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic:

Joe and Debra Troester, the only American missionaries living and working in the C.A.R., were on home assignment this past summer. Now back in the C.A.R., Joe, an engineer, works with local village people on water projects and Deborah, a pastor, is teaching at the seminary. Visit Joe and Deborah’s blog http://africanwaterlog.blogspot.com (external link).  You may subscribe to their blog by email (josephtroester@earthlink.net) and will automatically receive their newsletter.

June and Phil Nelson live and work in the Cameroon serving missionaries with logistical coordination. They served for more than a decade in the C.A.R. and returned to the Central African region in 2008. Phil grew up in the Cameroon, the son of retired Pastor Ron & Ruth Nelson of Hettinger, ND. Pastor Sarah Larsen-Tade writes, “Their experience…love of the church, the people, culture and languages are gifts that serve to build up the kingdom of God in that place.” (Read a recent letter from Phil)

Through the shared action of Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry (external link), Global Health Ministry (external link), and Companion Synods (external link) (like EaND) a medical facility, the Gallo Clinic, is being built. Teresa Obaya, a Kenyan midwife and health administrator, was called to oversee the project. The cornerstone was laid in March 2009 and a shipping container full of medical supplies was sent May 30. Soon the center will be completed, and the good work will begin!

As we pray for the people, the village schools, missionaries, and for understanding we can also financially support the ministries of the C.A.R. and learn more about the Central African Republic! You are encouraged to learn more by visiting the ELCA C.A.R. page (external link) and the EaND Synod C.A.R. Global Ministry page.

We continue our journey of being the body of Christ in the world—at home, at work, near and far—and by continuing to walk hand in maboko na maboko with our synod companion, the Central African Republic.

Adapted from Rev. Sarah Larsen Tade’s Shepherd of the Prairie newsletter; the ELCA website; and the EaND Synod C.A.R. brochure