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

This summer, in our diverse settings of ministry and times of rest, we have joined in prayer for those living in the midst of natural disasters, economic uncertainty and famine. We also have been preparing for our twelfth Churchwide Assembly (external link), August 15-20. The assembly provides a marvelous opportunity for us to affirm our identity as the ELCA and celebrate God’s mission that flows from it.

Whether or not you are able to join us for the assembly in Orlando, I invite you and your congregation to watch the business sessions and worship via live video streaming at www.elca.org/assembly (external link). You will witness a church that shares a living, daring confidence in God’s grace and believes the good news that we are freed in Christ to serve our neighbors at home and around the globe.

Throughout the assembly it will be clear that as the ELCA, we are a church… 

• whose unity is in Jesus, who gathers us around word and water, bread and wine.
  Each day at the assembly, our work will be grounded in our time spent together in worship and Bible study. I encourage you to join us.
• called to discern together what the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ means for the world and our common life.
  As we consider the social statement on genetics, we stand together again at the intersection of faith and life, discerning how to live responsibly in a complex and rapidly changing world. In a culture plagued by incivility and willful misunderstanding, we believe that respectful dialogue not only is possible, but becomes our way of life.
• called to roll up our sleeves and get to work in the world.
  Malaria is a leading cause of death in Africa, claiming the life of a child every 45 seconds. We know what it takes to stop this disease — it’s preventable and treatable. A “yes” as a church to the challenge of the ELCA Malaria Campaign means that we will join with our global partners to ensure that a healthier future is possible for millions of people. You will also witness a church that remains engaged in Haiti and Japan, responding to the growing famine in Africa and rebuilding communities devastated by disasters at home. How good it is to recognize the awesome capacity we have when we work together.
• committed to vibrant congregations, both newly planted and long established.
  A key recommendation of the Living Into the Future Together (LIFT) task force is a priority that every ELCA congregation will be a growing community proclaiming Christ and becoming engaged in the world.
• recognized for our growing global, ecumenical and inter-religious relationships.
  A greeting at this assembly from Sayyid Syeed will be the first from a representative of the Islamic community. The presence of Bishop George Walker represents our growing relationship with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Martin Junge, general secretary of The Lutheran World Federation, will travel directly from famine-stricken Africa to bring a first-hand report of our shared work there.

Our identity as a church body is inseparable from our call to do God’s work in Christ’s name for the life of the world. I hope you will join us at the 2011 Churchwide Assembly in August via live streaming at www.elca.org/assembly (external link). Please pray that the Holy Spirit will anoint us with power as we witness to the good news of Jesus Christ.

For our partnership in the gospel, I thank God.

In God’s grace,
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

P.S. I encourage you to review the Pre-Assembly Report (external link) for details of all the agenda items we will cover during our week in Orlando. You will also find intercessory prayers (external link) to share with your congregation on the Sundays before and after the assembly.

Donations may be sent to ELCA Disaster Response, designated for the Pacific Earthquake & Tsunami, and will be used entirely (100%) in response to this disaster.

Donate Online (external link)

Other Ways to Give:

• Check or money orders sent to:
  ELCA Disaster Response
  39330 Treasury Center
  Chicago, IL 60694-9300
  write “Pacific Earthquake & Tsunami”
  on your check’s memo line.
• Credit card by phone: 800-638-3522

More information on elca.org (external link)

7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Christian Life Center at Trinity Lutheran Church – Moorhead, MN

Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson and Pastor Stephen Bouman of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America churchwide office will co-lead a Town Hall Meeting. The Town Hall Meeting will highlight ministries and initiatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Professor Hank Tkachuk of Concordia College will be the emcee for this interactive event.

ELCA members from congregations in the Eastern North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota Synods are invited to attend. In addition to making opening statements, Bishop Hanson and Pastor Bouman will address questions from participants. The Town Hall meeting will precede the annual assemblies of the two neighboring synods and is free for all participants.

Hanson will be in Moorhead for the Northwestern Minnesota Synod Assembly on May 14-15 at Concordia College. Bouman, who is the executive director of the ELCA’s unit for Congregational and Synodical Mission, will be participating in the Eastern North Dakota Synod Assembly on May 14-15 at the Ramada Plaza Suites, Fargo.

In January, the ELCA churchwide filming crew asked for names of congregations they might highlight in the video for upcoming synod assemblies. Calvary in Grand Forks (external link) won the prize!

Last week, Brett Nelson, Marianne Griebler, and Scott Hendrickson spent several days filming in Grand Forks. Rev. Troy Troftgruben was not only pleased with the process of highlighting Calvary’s ministry but also enjoyed their interest in the synod and surrounding area as well.  Members of Calvary are honored to be featured at all the assemblies this spring!

God in Full View!

If you could ask Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson a question about the ELCA, what would it be? Submit your question (external link) at our next live online Town Hall Forum with Bishop Hanson. Participating is easy and convenient. Whether or not you have a question to ask, you’ll be part of a nationwide conversation with other ELCA members about issues that matter to all of us.

Thursday, August 18, 2011
live-streamed from the 2011 Churchwide Assembly
(time TBD)

Sunday, November 20, 2011
4:00 pm Central Time

Watch the event live at www.elca.org/townhall (external link)

Participants can follow conversations on Facebook (external link) or tweet about the event using the hash tags #ELCA or #BishopHanson.
More information… (external link)

Host A Viewing Party

Are there members of your congregation without high-speed Internet access? Don’t leave them out. Host a viewing party at your congregation or home and be sure to invite them. View the viewing party took kit and promotional materials… (external link)

Archives

Videos and transcripts of previous Town Hall Forums are available on the ELCA website. View archive (external link)

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)

We are everyday evangelists – each of us. Congregations are re-rooting the church in their communities, listening and responding to the Spirit’s command to re-root the church. The video below shares some of these stories of everyday evangelists living out their faith in word and deed.

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

“Here I am, Lord.  Send me!”

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

Bill Rindy
Serving as Bishop of the Eastern North Dakota Synod

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

Downloads:

• Introduction (.wmv (download video file) | .mp4 (download video file))
  Introduction to the frequently asked questions regarding the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
• Social Statements (.wmv (download video file) | .mp4 (download video file))
  Why do we do social statements in the ELCA?
• Sexuality Statement (.wmv (download video file) | .mp4 (download video file))
  Why did we do a Human Sexuality statement?
• Vote Majorities (.wmv (download video file) | .mp4 (download video file))
  Can you say something about simple majorities or 2/3 majorities with votes?
• Rostering Vote (.wmv (download video file) | .mp4 (download video file))
  What about the vote to roster gay/lesbian pastors in publicly accountable, life-long, monogamous relationships?
• Scriptural Interpretation (.wmv (download video file) | .mp4 (download video file))
  How do we interpret scripture?
• Seeking to Understand (.wmv (download video file) | .mp4 (download video file))
  Why stay in conversation?
• Bound Conscience (.wmv (download video file) | .mp4 (download video file))
  What is a bound conscience?
• Responses (.wmv (download video file) | .mp4 (download video file))
  How do we respond to a vote with which we disagree?
• Undesignated Benevolence (.wmv (download video file) | .mp4 (download video file))
  What do we do with undesignated mission support/benevolence?
• Redirecting Benevolence (.wmv (download video file) | .mp4 (download video file))
  How do we redirect benevolence faithfully?
  • Unintended Consequences of Re-directing Mission Support (download .pdf)
    from the Western ND Synod (external link)
• Churchwide Impact (.wmv (download video file) | .mp4 (download video file))
  What is the impact on the ELCA Churchwide?
• How I’m Doing (.wmv (download video file) | .mp4 (download video file))
  How are you doing, Bishop Rindy?
• Future (.wmv (download video file) | .mp4 (download video file))
  Where do we go from here?

Bishop Rindy, Shar Gumke and EaND Synod voting members pray during the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly

The 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, this church’s highest legislative authority, has concluded. For summaries, photos, and vote results please visit www.elca.org/assembly (external link).

Highlights:

• Bishop Rindy’s pastoral letter to congregations (August 24)
• Presiding Bishop Hanson’s pastoral remarks (August 21): .pdf (download .pdf file) | watch video (external link)
• Presiding Bishop Hanson’s closing remarks (August 22) (external link)
• A greeting from Dr. Ishmael Noko, General Secretary-Lutheran World Federation: .pdf (download .pdf file) | watch video (external link)

Please regularly visit our website for updates and additional communication pieces regarding the churchwide assembly.