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)

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?