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)

Visit the ELCA Disaster Response (external link) to find resources including bulletin inserts and prayer petitions for use in your congregations. There are ways you can financially help your brothers and sisters in Haiti. If gifts are given through the ELCA Disaster Response, 100% of your gift goes to relief efforts. If your congregation wishes to donate funds through the synod office, make your check payable to Eastern North Dakota Synod with “Haiti Relief” in the memo line. We encourage individuals to give directly through the ELCA.

Other links of interest:

1. Lutheran World Federation (external link)
2. Lutheran World Relief (external link)
3. Church World Service (external link)
4. Thrivent Financial: Helping Haiti (external link)

Thank you for your continued prayers and additional gifts of financial support for the relief effort. Lutheran Disaster Relief of Lutheran Social Service, ND (external link) has compiled a list of suggestions for raising funds for Haiti relief:

Suggestions from Lutheran Disaster Response for Haiti Relief

In this early stage of response it is critical to remember that money is the most needed and the versatile resource.

Ideas for Raising Funds:

• Penny challenges between Youth Groups, Sunday School Classes and other groups or individuals.
• Spare change – empty pockets of change at the end of each day for a specified period of time
• Forego the treats – coffee, candy, movie, eating out, pop, etc.
• Hold a no-bake bake sale (donate $$ = to ingredients/time to make baked goods)
• Random acts of PAID kindness – shovel neighbor’s snow, grocery shopping for elderly neighbor, babysitting, etc.
• Grandma challenge – challenge other grandmothers to have their grandchildren do chores for $
• Give up a week’s allowance
• Holding a silent auction
• Have a pancake, chili, soup & sandwich supper, spaghetti feed, etc.
• Designate offerings or special collections
• Jeans Day
• Candy Sale
• Quilt Auction
• Rummage Sale (don’t send clothes or other items but donate the proceeds)
• Hold a special event: carnival or game night

If you have questions or other great ideas, please share them with Lutheran Disaster Response of Lutheran Social Service of ND so that we can forward them to others. Contact: Sarah Willgohs at 800-950-2901 or e-mail swillgohs@lssnd.org.

In Christ,

Bill Rindy
Bishop of the Eastern North Dakota Synod, ELCA

Download:

• A Word from the Bishop: Haiti Relief (download .pdf file)
• LDR Fundraising Ideas (download .pdf file)

The two main stories on the title page of the DVD convey the mission of the Synod and that of the greater ELCA. There are 12 chapter story videos detailing some of the ministries of the Eastern North Dakota Synod. Enjoy viewing them. We want you to know the ‘Synod Stories’ to feel good about enthusiastically supporting our work together. Each congregational president has received a copy of this DVD for use in their local congregation.

Video Chapters

• EaND “Us” :: Overview
• EaND “Us” :: Bible Camp
• EaND “Us” :: Call Process
• EaND “Us” :: Campus Ministry
• EaND “Us” :: Central African Republic
• EaND “Us” :: Dacotah O’yate
• EaND “Us” :: Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch
• EaND “Us” :: Lutheran Social Services
• EaND “Us” :: Planned Giving Partnership
• EaND “Us” :: the Project F-M
• EaND “Us” :: Resource Center
• EaND “Us” :: Seminarians
• EaND “Us” :: Synod Endowment
• EaND “Us” :: ELCA Churchwide
• EaND “Us” :: Bishop’s Thank You