from Bishop Rindy
As a parish pastor, one is sometimes asked to be with a family when a loved one is to be disconnected from life support. If the person is a donor, the family is asked if they would be willing to honor the wishes of their loved one by donating his/her organs.
In June, Zion Lutheran Church, Oriska, experienced a church building fire from which very little was able to be saved. While they could have simply closed their church and joined other area congregations, the members felt compelled to rebuild; not for their sake, but for the sake of the Gospel and their 23 active Sunday School children.
Meanwhile, Blanchard Lutheran Church, Blanchard, lived and served as a congregation for over seventy-five years. Because of local demographics in their rural community, they decided that their mission was complete and that it was time to close.
Continue reading…
Valley City State students help farmer pick over 28 tons of produce for food bank
reprinted with permission, Amy Dalrymple, The Forum, 09/28/11
Dan Faust raved Tuesday that he had a problem every farmer dreams about. Faust had a squash harvest so plentiful that he ran out of boxes. The 28 tons of produce – which he donated to the Great Plains Food Bank on Tuesday – took less than two hours to harvest with the help of more than 200 Valley City State University students and other volunteers. “If I had known that you were going to be as efficient as you were, I would have planted twice or three times as much,” Faust told the students. Continue reading…
The first week in October signals the beginning of a new school year in the Central African Republic, our companion synod, according to Deborah and Joe Troester, ELCA missionaries in Baboua, in the CAR. The Village Education Program of the ELCA serves over 4,000 students in 20 small village schools. With schools located within the village, parents are encouraged to send their children to school where there are no other educational opportunities. Continue reading…
The Eastern North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota synods are in the midst of preparation for the Congregational Leadership Academy’s November 5 launch of Focus 2- Stewardship. This focus is an opportunity for pastors to seek out congregation members with gifts for leadership in the area of stewardship; and to offer them tools/resources to use their gifts for the congregation’s ministry. Continue reading…
Updated 8/31/2011
40% Tax Credit Brings Outstanding Tax Incentive for Gifts by Businesses to EaND Synod Endowment Fund
The last Sunday in September has once again been designated as “Synod Endowment Offering Sunday”. By supporting this fund, you are helping future pastors and other church workers with their costs of seminary training. In addition, this fund assists pastors in our synod with their student loan debt and also subsidizes annual payments to their pension funds when their compensation is below certain levels. We encourage your support to the Synod Endowment Fund on this special Sunday in September. Continue reading…
September 22, 2011
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Calvary Lutheran – Grand Forks, ND
September 25, 2011
2:00 – 4:00 pm
Our Savior’s Lutheran – Valley City, ND
September 27, 2011
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Milnor Lutheran – Milnor, ND
October 6, 2011
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Pontoppidan Lutheran – Fargo, ND
Bring a group of folks from your congregation (stewardship leaders, church council, finance leaders) to attend the event which is most convenient for you. Continue reading…
Bishop Mark Narum and the Western North Dakota Synod have established a Flood of Love Fund to help with the cleanup and rebuilding of ELCA congregations affected by flooding in Minot. Those who live in these communities have experienced the destructive powers a flood of water can bring, we invite you to be a part of helping them experience God’s healing power as the people of God respond with a powerful Flood of Love. Continue reading…
from Bishop Rindy
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!” Continue reading…
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