Seminar presenter, Cathy Townley, will encourage “updating existing worship through missional and spiritual practices.” Topics covered include: increase worship attendance through spiritual practices; organize communities to plan and lead worship; welcome guests through relationships; and sustain numerical growth.

Pastors are asked to attend with a team of 3-5 persons including musicians, worship team members, or worship planners from their con- gregations. Register online (external link); Lunch included; cost – $179 per church by August 25. If you have questions, contact Carrie at (218) 233-2412 or oslc@oursaviorsmoorhead.org

Join us Friday beginning at 2:00 pm until 5:00 pm Saturday for the Glocal Mission Gathering!

What’s different about this event? The ELCA Glocal Mission Gathering brings together experts and resources on global and domestic ministry under one roof, for one weekend, in one convenient location so leadership teams can build the skills needed to be a part of God’s mission, no matter where service happens. Additionally, the dialogue initiated at this event will help ELCA Global Mission understand how to be of better service to you.

This event will feature a “God’s work. Our hands” wall displaying the past year’s mission activities of the congregations in the EaND Synod. All congregations are asked to submit a list of their mission accomplishments in the year beginning with the summer of 2009, sending them to Ruth Urdahl, 907 9th St SW, Jamestown, ND 58401-5104 or email urdahlkr@yahoo.com Identify submissions with the congregation’s name, city, and number of baptized members and sent by September 1.

More information:

• Registration (external link)
• Event Agenda (external link)
• Download brochure (download .pdf file)

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.

Vining Lutheran Church – Vining, MN
9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

- or -

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Milnor Lutheran Church – Milnor, ND
9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Update: The STaR event for May 1 has been canceled.

God’s Spirit is breathing new vitality into rural congregations and multi-point parishes! Come and learn about what effective rural congregations have to say about God’s activity in and through them. In their stories, multi-point parish and congregational leaders will explore the best practices for vital ministry and identify action steps for their own ministry setting.

Pastor Keith Zeh encourages you to have more than one person per congregation attend. He says, “When more than one person attends, the more likely they’ll bring something home that matters; they’ll bring enthusiasm and information back to their home congregation.”

The registration fee for each congregation is $25 for one person and $10 for each additional person who attends.

Don’t miss this great opportunity!

» Download: Event Information and Registration (download .pdf file)

Lutheran Men’s Ministry Team

A new team has taken to the field and has begun spring training “stretching”. Men from Eastern North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota Synods gathered together on March 5, 2010. They imagined how they could be a part of God’s mission with men in both synods, and decided to form a joint synod Lutheran Men’s Ministry Team.

As they stretched their imagination, they began to envision every man having a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ through an effective men’s ministry in every congregation in both synods. They stretched some more and began to think of ways to live into this vision by promoting men’s ministry events, helping to start new men’s groups, sponsoring men’s retreats, developing a “took kit” for men’s ministry, and celebrating and storytelling about the ministry happening!

Next Meeting: April 9, 2010
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
EaND Synod Conference Room

The Lutheran Men’s Ministry Team wants to add members to the team roster this spring. Join them for their second meeting on April 9, 2010. The Team will meet at the Eastern North Dakota Synod Conference Room from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

If you would like more information contact Pastor Keith Zeh by e-mail keith@eandsynod.org or by phone at 701-232-3381. If you would like to attend please RSVP.

Discovering Hope in Multipoint Parishes and Congregations

Saturday, April 24. 2010
Vining Lutheran Church – Vining, MN
- or -
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Milnor Lutheran Church – Milnor, ND

Mark your calendar for a Discovering Hope in Multipoint Parishes and Congregations Event. This event is in follow up to the Cultivating Vitality in Multipoint Parishes event in January and will be offered twice on Saturday, April 24 at Vining Lutheran Church, Vining, MN and again on Saturday, May 1 at Milnor Lutheran Church, Milnor, ND. The events will start at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at 4:00 p.m.

God’s Spirit is breathing new vitality into rural congregations and multipoint parishes! Come and learn about what effective rural congregations have to say about God’s activity in and through them. In their stories, multipoint parish and congregational leaders will explore the best practices for vital ministry and identify action steps for their own ministry setting.

Stay tuned for more details including a registration form and schedule.

» Download: Mission in Motion: March 2010 (download .pdf file)

with Mons Teig (external link), Professor Emeritus of Worship, Luther Seminary

“Worship: Windows to the World”

February 12-13, 2010
Grace Lutheran Church (external link)
213 Roosevelt Ave. – Detroit Lakes, Minn

This class that will focus on creative and practical ways to explore and implement the vital connections between what we do on Sunday and the rest of our lives. Don’t miss it!

Check-in will begin at 6:15 p.m. on Friday with class beginning at 7 p.m. (Please note there will be no supper.) Saturday morning rolls and coffee, Saturday lunch, and refreshments will be provided.

Registration

Please pre-register for this event.

• Cost is $50 / person
• Register online (external link) or call Bob Larson at the synod office, (218) 299-3019, or email <rlarson@cord.edu>

BeFriender Ministry Training Program Workshop

February 8-11, 2010
First Lutheran Church, Fargo (external link)

BeFriender Ministry, a listening ministry of lay pastoral care, is rooted in one’s Christian baptismal call to ministry. Lay ministers embody the caring presence of God and the faith community. Principles of BeFriender Ministry include:

1. Active listening
2. Non-judgmental presence
3. Caring, not curing
4. God is always present

The “Foundations for BeFriender Ministry” training program for leaders will be offered February 8-11, 2010 at First Lutheran Church, Fargo. The workshop will equip leaders who want to implement and maintain BeFriender Ministry in their church. The sessions run from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm each day. Morning and afternoon snacks are provided; lunches are not provided.

You may register online (external link) or by phone toll free at 1-866-468-8708; For more information about the workshop see the BeFriender Minsitry’s website (external link))

Cost

First person from congregation – $699;
additional attendees from the same congregation – $549

January 30 – 31, 2010
Red Willow Bible Camp – Rural Binford, ND

If you have ever wondered how a sermon is put together, if you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at writing a sermon, this upcoming event if for you!

This workshop is a continuing education event for Lay Disciples/GIFTS and clergy. Those attending will hear presentations on preaching, sermon preparation, and resources. At the end of the workshop, you will have the opportunity to preach and participate in a time of feedback and critique.

Presenters:

• Rev. Kari Bahe, Associate with the Bishop
• Rev. Keith Zeh, Director for Evangelical Mission, EaND & NW MN Synods
• Rev. Steve Minnema
• Rev. Marli Danielson, Pastor, Tri-County Ministry

» For more information download:
Seminary on the Prairie poster and registration form (download pdf file)

January 22 – 23, 2010
South Campus of Hope Lutheran Church
Fargo, ND

Take a look at your congregation this weekend and count how many men are at worship in comparison to how many women. If your congregation is like most ELCA congregations, women outnumber men by nearly 2 to 1. This is a great concern not only for men. Congregations with a higher percentage of men actively engaged also tend to have stronger worship attendance, stewardship and family and children ministries.

During the Master Builder’s workshop, congregational teams will explore what is happening with men and their relationship with the church today and how to build the congregations ministry with men around discipleship. Each team attending will go home with a concrete plan to do more effective ministry with men in their congregation and community.

Learn more about LMM… (external link)

» For more information download:
LMM Master Builders Registration From (download pdf file)

Join us for another great Hearts on Fire event sponsored by the EaND and Northwestern Minnesota Synods’ Mission Imagination Table.

Session Highlights:

• Grounded in the Word
• Discovering Hope for Multiple Point Parishes
• Missional Qualities for STaR Congregations
• Panel Presentation and Participant Reflection
• Worship

Registration:

Pre-Registration deadline is January 11, 2010. Registration fee will be due at the door. The registration fee per person is $15 and $10 per person when five or more persons from the parish attend. A special gift will be presented to each parish that has more than five people from the parish attend.

» Download Cultivating Vitality Registration Form (download pdf file)

If you have any questions, contact Rev. Keith Zeh, Director for Evangelical Mission, EaND & NW MN Synods, at 701-232-3381.

Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.
-John Wesley

The Mission Imagination Table represents a unique and exciting partnership between the Eastern North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota Synods. Leaders from both synods serving from this table will provide oversight for how the synods think creatively about our theology of mission and how we stir up a “culture for mission” in each synod. This table will also articulate the synods’ missional purpose, guiding principles and ways whereby congregations are invited into deeper partnerships with the synods and the churchwide organization. The table will also address unifying strategies and capacity-building for mission.

Bishop Bill Rindy, Ms Shar Gumke, Pastor Beth Peterson, Mr. Larry Thiele, and Pastor Kari Bahe from EaND Synod and Bishop Larry Wohlrabe, Mr. Jon Everett, Pastor Gretchen Anderson, Pastor Tessa Moon Leiseth, and Pastor Steve Peterson from NW MN Synod and Pastor Keith Zeh, Director for Evangelical Mission for EaND & NW MN Synods are currently serving from this Table.