During the Pentecost season, the color of our altar paraments and pastors’ stoles is green. It is a season of growth, not only for nature, but for us as children of God. Many of our scripture lessons during the Pentecost season are teaching lessons or parables. Jesus used every day, common examples to help us understand and be more aware of the Kingdom of God that is at hand. For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, we are being taught lessons every day.

At our synod assembly, I was overwhelmed by the amazing response to the “extra mile” for mission challenge; for example, individuals and groups are donating roofs for churches and motorcycles for clergy in the C.A.R. Remember, the “extra mile” is over and above regular giving and encompasses all the ministries we do together. Visit our synod website for information about our shared ministries; continue to watch for additional resources about the “extra mile” effort.

At assembly we adopted a faithful, yet frugal, “first mile” mission plan. The first mile is our initial commitment to the ministries we do together (the “extra mile” is the bold invitation to go an “extra mile” in our giving). We pledged our support, not just to “the synod”, but to all of the ministries we do together. As you experience your own seasonal challenges as congregations, with summer reductions in cash flow, the synod experiences the same reductions. It is human nature to worry and/or fret about our circumstances, perhaps even prudent to do so at times. Yet I have chosen to believe in the people and congregations of eastern North Dakota to be able to face the future, not with dread, but with confidence!

As I visited with Willie and Ann, two of our missionaries, and with Greg, one of our campus pastors, I reminded them (in the face of financial challenges) not only of the faithfulness of the God whom we serve, but also of the faithfulness of the people of God with whom we journey. Sure, money is tight. But the lesson I need to continually learn is that God is faithful. As we put our trust in God, (and our money where our mouth is) God is able to work with us and accomplish “abundantly more than we are able to ask or even imagine,” as the Apostle Paul said.    If you or your congregation find yourselves in a position where you are able to share of your blessings with the ministries we do together now, great.    If you find yourself in a position where you are going to need to adjust your commitment, please let us know so that we can most faithfully adjust support to the mission partners who depend on us.

I hope that you will join me in trust in this growing season as we continue to learn what it truly means to be on this road together.

Pastor Bill Rindy
Serving as Bishop of the Eastern North Dakota Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

» Download: A Word from Bishop Rindy (July 2010) (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)

• 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.

Bishop Rindy outlines the current state of our synod and the need for significant changes in our mission. He also passionately outlines the “Extra Mile for Mission” challenge, a charge to each of us to be active witnesses in our congregations, synod, and world.  Video and PowerPoint resources attached.

To watch the State of the Synod Address from the beginning, select “01″ and click the play button

What is the state of our synod? If we look solely at our budget, the outlook isn’t positive. The 2011 proposed Mission plan budget is about 38% of the 1989 Mission plan, when adjusted for inflation. Because of this, there is not much left in our dwindling budget to inspire exciting evangelical imagination. I was talking to someone just the other day, he was looking at the support of our ministry partners and commented “That’s pathetic.” I replied, “Yeah it is.” And so, I thought we need to look at our mission and support a little differently.

What would it look like if our church met our previous giving 2009 goal? What would the state of the synod be if we were to get back to 1989 giving and generosity? What unites in passionate mission? God has a vision for us as individuals, as congregations, as a synod, and as a churchwide ELCA, using our gifts and talents to make a difference in God’s world. Let’s look to Jesus and heed is commission to be witnesses and bear fruit in this world. Together we are shaping the future: to go the extra mile; to do the work God has set before us!

» Download and Share:

• Video:
  These video files are compressed with .zip but still quite large.  A high speed internet connection is required.  Please contact the synod office if you would like a copy of the video mailed to you.
  .wmv (~396 MB) (download video file) | .mov (~835 MB) (download video file)
• Audio Only:
  .mp3 (~32MB) (download .mp3 file)
• PowerPoint Presentation:
  .ppt (download .ppt file) | .pdf (download .pdf file) | View online (external link)

More information:

Extra Mile for Mission

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

What topics will be covered?

1. Stewardship as responsible management of accumulated resources.
2. Tax laws affecting estates.
3. What happens if a person does not have a will?
4. Importance of choosing guardians, personal representatives, trustees.
5. What are trusts, who are they for, and how do they work?
6. Ownership of property and its effect on estates.
7. Ways to plan gifts to your heirs that share your values and meet their needs.
8. Ways to consider giving gifts to favorite ministries.

How do we organize the program?

1. Have the church council approve a “Wills, Estates and Gift Planning Seminar” for your congregation. Make clear that this program opens up a new avenue to your members to give support for the ministries of the church.
2. Appoint a chairperson who firmly believes in the value of this program. This person then enlists 3 to 4 persons to work with them.
3. The committee, with the pastor, implements the program promotion and arrangements as called for in the publicity packet provided by the Planned Giving Partnership for the Eastern North Dakota Synod of the ELCA. This process can take 2-4 months.

What are the first steps I should take?

Contact Julie Johnson, Coordinator for the Planned Giving Partnership at the Eastern North Dakota Synod office for the ELCA for answers to any questions you may have about the format or scheduling of the seminar. Samples of printed materials are included in the Publicity Packet.

» Download: 3 Reasons to Host a “Wills, Estates, and Gift Planning” Seminar (download .pdf file)

» 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.

Last year, we made a bold commitment as a synod to increase our financial support of ministries we do together, about which we care deeply. Multiple events of the past year have contributed to our falling short of that goal. As your synod council once again was charged with the task of reducing expenditures/cutting ministries, it proved to be a painful event once more.

I began reflecting on the expectations of this synod when I was elected two years ago to serve you in this capacity. Over the past 20 years, our synod has seen a reduction of over 60% support when adjusted for inflation. Reflecting on the resolution passed last year caused me to wonder, “What would our synod mission plan (budget) look like if we achieved the 10% goal?” So I started dreaming with our mission partners in mind.

They have been experiencing reduced funding for years. What would a step forward look like? Realizing that there is a need for the people of God to pull together around the mission of God we do together, I wondered what it might look like to go the “extra mile” for the sake of mission…

I put together a draft to share with our synod council. I didn’t know if they would excitedly embrace this vision or move to have me removed from office. :) I saw excitement in their eyes. One council member stated, “Now that’s the church I want to be a part of!”

As this vision was shared with more people, it took on a life of its own. Realizing that it might actually come to life and wanting to be a good partner with our Churchwide ministries, I had a great visit with Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson and ELCA Treasurer Christina Jackson-Skelton. They both thought it well worth doing as a pilot program for our synod and for the whole ELCA. More tweaking and shaping took place as we lived with this exciting possibility where all members of our synod could feel good about supporting.

It’s quite simple. Each worshipper is encouraged/challenged to commit and give a minimum of $6/month or $72 for the year to make all of the changes on the other side of this sheet happen.

What am I asking you to do? Take this information to share with the people of your congregation. It’s contagious! When I shared this with a group out at Herby Lutheran, one young father said, “Make sure our congregation gets to be a part of this. I want my family to help this happen.”

Until the day when our shared mission support through the synod reaches 10%, this “Extra Mile for Mission” will help us to make these ministries happen. I look forward to next year’s assembly, when we announce all that happened because we faithfully went the “Extra Mile for Mission.”

The only question remaining is: Will you go the extra mile and encourage others to do the same?

Your co-worker in the Kingdom of God,

Pr. Bill Rindy Bishop, EaND Synod, ELCA

» Download: Going the “Extra Mile” Congregation Insert (download .pdf file)
To support the “Extra Mile for Mission,” simply write on your check’s memo line: EaND Synod – Extra Mile

Watch the website for more resources, information, and stories about the “Exta Mile for Mission!”

Watch Bishop Rindy’s State of the Synod Address for more information on the “Extra Mile”

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)

Over the centuries, the Church has undergone many challenges and changes. If we were all able to back out a few notches, we would have a God’s eye perspective on the transitions our world, our nation, and our church are experiencing. That perspective presents both challenge and opportunity for us. As I reflected on our synod mission plan/budget, a question came to mind: What does our mission plan say about our perspective of ministry?

I am looking forward to being with you at the synod assembly. God is both refining and redefining our mission in the world. Some parts of this mission will never change. Other ways of “being church” will have to give way to God’s renewed mission for the eastern North Dakota “US.” The question is changing from “How do we keep doing what we’ve been doing?” to “What would God have us do in this time and place to do God’s will?” These are radically different questions. The question we choose to answer will make all of the difference, not only in the world, but in the Kingdom of God.

My hope, serving as your Bishop, is to keep this part of God’s church focused on the mission God has set before us. Anytime a person/congregation/synod begins to turn its focus inward, seeking to save its life, it begins to lose it. When we are turned outward to the mission of God and love of the neighbor, losing our lives for Christ’s sake, we are renewed.

As I have spent time with President Andre Golike of our companion synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Central African Republic, wondering and praying about our role as “companion”, my world view is being both challenged and changed. Last year, the C.A.R. was the 7th poorest nation on earth. This year, it is THE poorest. As I looked at our synod mission plan, there probably wouldn’t be enough evidence to convict us of being their companion synod if we were to be put on trial.

What about our brothers and sisters in the C.A.R.? They have the ability to help us gain perspective, to help turn our eyes, our lives, our sense of mission outward, where we can both lose our lives and begin to find them. Every time I have tried to give God something, God has given me more joy and purpose than I ever could have imagined in return. We have much to offer them, but I have a strong feeling that they have much more to offer us, if we are willing to live deeper into our God-given relationship.

Stay tuned in to be a part of God’s challenge and change!

» Download: Challenge and Change (download .pdf file)