Re-rooting in God’s Mission is a renewal journey and process for congregations seeking to move from maintenance to mission and from survival to striving.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

9:30 am – 3:30 pm
Olivet Lutheran Church – Fargo, ND

About the Journey:

Re-rooting in God’s Mission is a process designed to unfold over an 18 to 24 month period of time. The process involves four or more Saturday equipping events (9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) sprinkled throughout these months. These equipping events will revolve around listening to God through prayer, scripture, each other, our neighbors, and three key ingredients for congregational 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

(an ELCA research study identified these 3 key ingredients for renewal)

This process of renewal seeks to engage and involve the whole congregation. It begins and continues with prayer and in-depth engagement with God’s word. A team of at least four, including pastor, selected by the congregation and pastor, attend the training opportunities in order to be equipped to engage their congregation in a renewal process focusing on:

• Attending to God in prayer and scripture
• Accompanying one another in following Jesus and being the church
• Asserting and agreeing on some mission action and implementing it
• Acting on the Great Commandment to love God and neighbor and the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations, using holy mission experiments
• Assessing and learning from setbacks and successes

The illustration (below), attempts to describe the cyclical, ebb and flow nature of this congregational renewal journey being facilitated by our Synods’ Renewal Team.

Preparing for the Journey:

• Prayer and discussion with congregational leaders involving an overview of the process and suggestions for how prayer and conversation might actually happen in the congregation
• Congregation commits to taking journey and allocates $300 to cover costs (e.g. materials, meals, etc.)
• Congregation and pastor assemble a team (at least four, including pas- tor) to accompany their congregation and shepherd the process
• Congregation’s team enters into a time of prayer and reflection on the Book of Acts in preparation for the first equipping event on February 25, 2012

Teams attending can expect to:

• Be immersed in prayer and God’s word
• Receive tools, best practices, resources, and be equipped to utilize and adapt them to their congregation’s context
• Be accompanied by a coach throughout the whole journey
• Receive additional training as needed, tailored to specific issues along the way

Registration Deadline: February 10, 2012

For more information contact: Pastor Keith Zeh @ 218-299-4447 or keith.zeh@elca.org

Download brochure: ReRooting in God’s Mision info

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. The events will lead off with time of reflection and conversation led by Bishop Rindy on the topic of money and the church:

• How we talk (or don’t talk) about money in the church
• How we relate money to faith and life and mission
• How we might develop better, healthier and even more fun ways of interacting with money as part of our personal and congregational faith lives

The second hour will offer you three workshops,  choosing one to attend. They will be led by stewardship leaders from within the synod on the following topics:

1. Raising Money
   Nuts & bolts of how to pay attention to developing and strengthening the congregation’s financial stewardship support for ministry and mission.
2. Handling Money
   Attention will be paid to best practices in the handling of church funds. Please note that this session will be especially helpful to offering counters, financial secretaries, treasurers and finance committee members – whoever helps handle congregational funds.
3. Spending Money
   Purposeful, life-giving, missional budgeting and spending.

Cost: $5 per person
(covers materials, refreshments, etc.)
Payment may be brought to the event, with checks payable to the Eastern North Dakota Synod-Fall Stewardship Event indicated in the memo line

Registration:
E-mail Jean Peterson at jean AT eandsynod DOT org with the name of your congregation and names of those attending.

Questions?  Contact Rev. Keith Zeh

from Bishop Rindy

My sister kept M&M‘s in her glove box as part of her winter survival gear. One day while giving our inquisitive niece a ride, our niece discovered the M&M‘s. “What are these for, Auntie?” she asked with big eyes. “They are for an emergency,” my sister replied with a smile. A few moments later, the little girl stated, “Auntie, I think I‘m having an emergency.”

This phrase is taking on a new meaning as the result of a wonderful project initiated by our sisters and brothers in the Western North Dakota Synod. My great wish is that EVERY member of our synod would have a new thought when they see M&M‘s in the CAR: Mission and Ministry in the Central African Republic.

[ Jump to congregational resources ]

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Central African Republic (EELRCA) is our companion synod; they minister to and are themselves among the poorest people on earth.

The great news is that we are making a difference. Dianne Billie, who has been to the C.A.R. on our behalf on two separate occasions, sees progress in that country. The president of the EELRCA, Pr. Andre Golike, has expressed sincere thanks for our extra mile gifts which have been used for motorcycles, roofs, schools, scholarships, water projects, clinics and more! We are making a difference.

Wouldn‘t it be awesome if every member of our congregations would take a tube of M&M‘s in the CAR with them, distribute them, fill the M&M tube with quarters ($14), return them to their congregation, and (through the synod) make a huge impact on/for the church in the CAR? (In the Western North Dakota Synod, the project brought in over $54,000!)

While it sounds simple, $14 times 100,000 members would generate $1,400,000!!!!

This would be enough:

• To equip the C.A.R. seminary
• To staff and supply the Emmanuel Clinic in Gallo (the region‘s only hospital)
• To provide spring boxes which supply fresh water for a whole village
• To put roofs on 30 churches (currently waiting)
• To build a Lutheran high school
• To provide basic, Christian education for the 1000‘s of children in the CAR schools

It‘s as easy as M&M‘s in the CAR. Can it possibly be that simple? Could it be that easy, that attainable? The ELCICAR is having an emergency… God is calling them and equipping them and we are part of the solution, the answer to their prayers. Are you up for the challenge?

Mission & Ministry for the Central African Republic is a “sweet deal” 

At the Fall Professional Leadership Conference at Fair Hills in September, the EaND Synod distributed candy boxes of Mini M&M tubes to each congregation. A reproducible bulletin insert is included with the candy which will detail collection information. It is also available for download below.

Congregations will share the sweets with its members. After the M&Ms have been eaten and enjoyed, individuals and families are asked to refill the tube with quarters. Each tube holds $14 worth of quarters.

This special M & M offering of quarters will make a significant impact on children and adults in the Central African Republic. In Bishop Rindy’s article (above) he outlines several positive effects of this project; in addition, your quarters will help: 

• Build schools through the Village Education Project and provide school supplies so children have access to education
• Provide scholarships so young women can receive education and vocational training
• Train new pastors and catechists to share the Good News of Jesus Christ
• Provide clean drinking water to rural villages
• Support youth and young adult ministry, as well as outreach to both urban and very rural areas of the C.A.R.
• Support an agricultural program to double the income of farm families by introducing teams of oxen, replacing hand held hoes

We ask you to enthusiastically embrace this project. Please publicize it in worship bulletins and congregational newsletters. What a creative, fun, and sweet way to help our brothers and sisters in Christ in one of the poorest countries in the world.

Deadline

The deadline for sending in the money collected is December 31, 2011; please send a check payable to EaND Synod with “M&Ms in the CAR” in the memo line.

You are welcome to raise funds for the CAR at any time. You may choose to use the mini M&M tubes some time other than this fall/winter, but for this particular campaign the deadline is Dec 31 and funds will be distributed in January.

Mission and Ministry in the C.A.R.

– It‘s eternally worth it!

Congregational Resources:

• M&Ms in the CAR Bulletin Insert
• M&Ms in the CAR Poster
• M&Ms in the CAR Tube Labels - Avery 5160 labels (30/sheet)

The synod gave each congregation/pastor one box of mini M&M tubes (24 count) to initiate their congregation’s drive. If you did not receive a box for your congregation, please call us at (701) 232-3381. Any additional mini M&M tubes need to be purchased by your congregation. Here are several suggestions where you may purchase tubes:

• Sam’s Club, Fargo – (701) 282-7997
• Sam’s Club, Grand Forks – (701) 795-9449
• Frank McKone Cigar Co, Fargo – (701) 235-4261
• Target, Wal-Mart, grocery stores…

Share Your Story!

Share your M&Ms in the CAR stories with us. We, in turn, would like to share how your congregation embraced the needs of our brothers and sisters in the Central African Republic. Send stories to Kristi at kristi@eandsynod.org

Download the pattern (download pdf file) and share it with others in your congregation.

Thanks Char!

Any group — big or small — can work together on a LWR Quilt or Kit project. It builds community within your congregation, serves as a faith witness to your community, and brings you closer to distant communities you’ll likely never visit but can positively affect. The work of your hearts and hands is an immeasurable blessing to families in need around the world!
Learn more at the LWR website (external link)

The people who physically made this project a reality are: John and Carol Bjornson, Carrie Byron, Pam Sondeland, Chuck and Rita Mielke, Lois Otto, Cathy Axvig, Wilma Gemmill, Lois Ydstie, Doris Haug, Bonnie Amundrud, Helen Sundvor, Jan Nygard, Marj Nygard, Toni Monsebroten and Loretta Monson. This truly was a labor of love, not only from those who worked on the quilts, but also from those who willingly helped defray the expenses. Everyone involved agreed this was really a fun and fulfilling project.

God in full view!

Update: June 21, 2011

Recently a group of Edinburg area residents, including members from Trinity Lutheran Church, made quilts to be distributed in Japan following the devastating earthquake and tsunami. Community support for the quilt project was wonderful as fabric donations and monetary donations were given. Thirty-two quilts were cut, pieced and tied within five days.

Pastor Darrel Cory, interim pastor at Trinity Lutheran, made arrangements for the quilts to be donated to Rev.Okofuna, Ishinomaki Eiko Church, and United Church of Christ, which was damaged by the tsunami. The quilts were being hand delivered to individual victims and also donated to parents of the Kindergarten.

God in full view!

The EaND Synod’s Extra Mile initiative helped make this a reality!

God in Full View!

Two children carrying water in cooking pots up the steep slope from the Kanga spring in Baboua, CAR.

Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides clean drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Their daughter, Christa, is in the 8th grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaounde, Cameroon.

Learn more about the C.A.R…

The whole Arab world is experiencing a major shift before our very eyes. As Epiphany gives way to Lent, like Jesus, we set our faces towards Jerusalem. Jesus’ world is about to be turned upside down.

On so many levels and in so many ways, we have been and continue to make a difference. We are living in a time when not only will we be determining who we will be as individuals, but as congregation, synod, and churchwide as well. On all four levels of what it means to be church we will be dealing with living with abundance in a hungry world. We will have the opportunity to make a difference.

Will Lutheran Disaster Response be there when we, whichever disaster we experience, need them/us to be there? We have the opportunity to make a difference. The ways in which we will be congregation are being explored in numerous area ministry conversations. The ways in which we have done ministry together as synod continue to be examined and prioritized by our synod council. Is it possible that Jesus works best in a world that has been turned upside down? (Personally, there are times when I wish that everything would be easy, good, and simple. However, there is no resurrection to eternal life without first dying with Christ. So we press on…)

Some things remain the same: seminary graduates get nervous as they are assigned to synods and begin interviewing with congregations; congregations continue with call processes seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance as they enter new chapters; members of the Body of Christ seek wisdom from God’s Word as to how we can be faithful in our generation.

Setting one’s face toward Jerusalem takes commitment, courage, and confidence. Commitment is needed to get us all the way to Jerusalem, lest we get distracted along the way. Courage is needed to face the cross we know awaits us, just as surely as it awaited Jesus. Confidence in the promises of God Almighty to be with us and in us every step of the way supply all of the above and more for God knows all we need.

So even if the world gets turned upside down, from one perspective, it just may be God’s way of preparing us, prodding us, and ultimately preventing us from going astray.

In some strange way, all of the above fits together. As we journey together, let us covenant to keep our eyes on Jesus as he leads the way. Let us keep our faces set toward Jerusalem, even as the cross stares us in the face, until we cross together to the other side of the tomb.

Thank God for the Church, that we might make this journey together.

Grace and peace to you in this Advent season!

I wish I could be with you on this special day. The longer I serve as your Bishop, the more I understand the reason the Apostle Paul always gave thanks for those with whom he was in mission. There are many ways in which people can respond to challenges. Many will choose to focus inwards, only taking care of themselves first. I am so glad to hear of your focus outward in/on mission. It has been said that the church is the only organization on earth that exists for the sole purpose of its non-members. While Jesus is preparing a place for all who belong to Him, he has so much more for us to do while we are on this Advent journey.

Over the past years, your faithful support of our shared ministries has impacted God’s so-loved world. Some of them are quite visible: Bible campers, students in campus ministry, seminary students preparing to serve as pastors, missionaries in the field, synod staff assisting congregations, etc.; some in ways that will only be made clear in eternity. These “first mile” ministries are greatly dependent upon your willingness to support them through your annual, synod mission support.

Each generation needs to learn the lessons learned by previous generations as to how these are “our” ministries, not “them.” Over the past years, we’ve begun to lose sight of the critical nature of our involvement in God’s broader mission. The 80′s was called the “me” decade, influencing a whole generation to think of themselves first. In contrast, Jesus calls us to lose our lives for His sake, for only then do we truly find them.

In this Advent season, as we continue to prepare for the coming of Christ, I have challenged the people of our synod to go the “extra mile” for mission. This is actually quite simple: if each worshiper (not member) were to give an “extra” $6 a month ($72 for the year) to our shared ministries, much of the support that used to be there for key ministry partners would be restored. Of the additional $2.1 million that would be generated through these combined gifts, over $1 million would go to the Central African Republic for Lutheran elementary schools, a Lutheran high school, seminary education for students God is raising up, expansion of our medical clinic, roofs for churches we promised 20 years ago, and motorcycles/ambulances. $750,000 would go to fund the missionaries and to fight malaria and hunger. The remaining $250,000 would support our more local partners mentioned above.

As with each one of us, your role is critical. Without you, there is no us. While each of us can try to walk this Advent journey alone, there are some things much easier to do together. This brings me back to why I am so thankful for you. Your partnership and presence with me and the rest of “us” on the journey encourages us all to finish the journey together.

… as you can tell, God has a purpose for the Church on earth. We have a great commission to make disciples of all nations and a great commandment to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. There are many such ways in which we do this. I am thankful for you as we do so much together.

May God grant you and your family an Advent filled with anticipation and a Christmas where not only are you blessed, but that you get to be a blessing to others, all to the glory of God!

Have a blessed Christmas!
Bishop Bill Rindy
Eastern North Dakota Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

• Hope is an amazing gift of God. It is not something we can generate from within.
• There is a path to hope. We arrive at hope through suffering, perseverance, and finally character.
• Hope comes from a promise made to us.
• The quality of hope is only as good as the ability of the promising one’s ability to fulfill that promise.
• Hope is a sign of God’s presence through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

There are many twists and turns along life’s path that can seek to destroy our hope. You know them all too well: disease, damaging weather, tough economic times, and divisions within our families or our congregations. The list could go on and on.

As I travel the synod celebrating ministry milestones, I’m becoming increasingly aware that we are the recipients/trustees of the hopes of our spiritual forbearers. They built the buildings in which we worship each week. They founded publishing houses to produce educational materials for our church. They built the Bible camps, the Lutheran colleges, the campus ministries, and the seminaries that shape us for Christian leadership in this God-so-loved world, whether lay or clergy. They built a network for and provided monies to send missionaries to the ends of the earth. In faithfulness to God’s leading, they trusted in God’s promise so much that none of the incredible obstacles they faced prevented them from doing all of the above.

Not only are we recipients of the hope, we are stewards/trustees of that life-giving hope. We live in a time when focusing inward seems the norm in our society. We live in a time when many of the “tap root” ministries of our church have been reduced to a word called benevolence, or the synod, or the ELCA. At times these ministries can seem secondary, unimportant, or even un-needed. Yet here’s where you and I can learn from our forbearers in the faith. They didn’t do all of the above for themselves… they did it for their children and their children’s children. They did it so that the hope they shared might be ours.

At the same time, the church is reforming. This is no surprise to trained theologians, but even Luther and the reformers knew the church must continually be reforming. Each generation needs to hear the Good News that has come to us, lest we be the last generation of the church on earth.

The housing market, the financial markets, the military, and agriculture are all reforming. Some would suggest our country, indeed our world is reforming. It should be no surprise that the ELCA is reforming. The Living In Faith Together (LIFT) taskforce (external link) is preparing recommendations for a reshaped ELCA for the 2011 Churchwide Assembly. Through millions of dollars in budget cuts, many of our ministries we have done together historically are already being reformed or pruned. At our synod level, we are hoping that congregations will be able to fulfill their commitments to mission for the sake of the ministries we do together as we navigate change.

Is it a challenging time to be the church? Yes. Is it a challenging time to be part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America? Yes. Has there ever been a time when God has not challenged the church? No. Every generation has had to rise to the challenges set before it. Was there suffering? No doubt. Was there perseverance? Our faith is the witness. Was character developed? I hope you’ve been blessed by giants of the faith. Was there hope? Just look around at what has been entrusted to us.

In hope, may we boldly witness to the resurrected Lord, that others might share in the hope of sharing the glory of God. This is our task. This is our challenge. With the promised presence of the Holy Spirit, may it be our children’s children’s reality.

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Romans 5:3-5 NIV

In hope,
Bill
Serving as Bishop of the Eastern North Dakota Synod, ELCA