And all the people went forth ... to make great rejoicing (Nehemiah 8:12)

The 2012 Assembly, Celebrating DiscipleLife, is the climax of our six-year exploration into DiscipleLife. We will celebrate together! We will rejoice over all that we have done together in mission these six years, all that God has entrusted to us as we are God’s witnesses and hands in this world, and all that we want to do in the future as we “run the race that is set before us with perseverance”. It will be a busy assembly. We will celebrate our own plans for mission in the NT-NL as we hear of the power and progress of the DiscipleLife Alive! Initiative. We will celebrate the mission of the whole ELCA as we enjoy the stories and music of our global mission outreach. We will elect a bishop to shepherd us in the next six years. And we will see the future begin to unfold as we review the plans for the DiscipleLife Center for Mission at Briarwood, the Leadership Formation Fund and the Jubilee Centre in Sierra Leone. This will be a turning-point assembly.

Celebrate DiscipleLife Alive!

   Celebrate Our Mission Locally & Globally

Celebrate the Election of a Bishop for NT-NL

ASSEMBLY HIGHLIGHTS

ASSEMBLY SCHEDULE

The Official Proposed Agenda is Online

Before 2011 was even over, gifts and pledges toward the $3 million goal had surpassed $1 million.  Congregations will be conducting campaigns during the first four months of 2012 in anticipation of the Mission Assembly.  Working together we will realize the transformation of the NT-NL Mission Area as we bring our resources to bear on Leadership Formation for Mission, training our leaders and members to be missional, creative and insightful in the challenging environment and culture in which we find ourselves.  Learn more online: look for the new 2012 four-page brochure, Briarwood's new Master Site Plan, much more in information and resources.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

The Rev. Rafael Malpica-Padilla, Executive Director of ELCA's Global Mission Unit, oversees the ELCA’s worldwide program, international disaster response, sustainable development and global advocacy. Pastor Malpica-Padilla has also served as bishop of the ELCA’s Caribbean Synod from 1987-1993 and as a parish pastor in Puerto Rico.  He holds a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Puerto Rico (1977) and a Master of Divinity degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (1981).  He has been awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree by Newberry College in South Carolina in 1989, the Academy of Ecumenical Indian Theology and Church Administration in India in 2006 and by Trinity Lutheran Seminary in 2010.  Read an interview with Pr. Malpica-Padilla at www.faithandleadership.com/multimedia/rafael-malpica-padilla-particular-way-embracing-christianity?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=headline&utm_campaign=NI_feature.

Sunitha Mortha, Director for ELCA's Global Formation program, was ordained through the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church in India.  Sunitha has created programs and systems that have developed congregational capacities to critically explore worldviews, meta-narratives and cultures to motivate better practices of mission, globally and locally. She is committed to community-building, mobilizing, and providing safe environments for difficult, complex conversations. The Glocal Mission Gatherings (www.elca.org/glocal) and Accompaniment resources reflect her work.

The Rev. Kate Warn, NT-NL's missionary-in-residence in Sierra Leone, is bringing to conclusion a three-year time of service among the people of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone.  In that position Kate Warn has worked tirelessly to help improve the lives of the people (Sierra Leone is still listed as the poorest country on earth), to help expand the ELCSL, to develop worship resources for the church, to teach, preach and bring leadership to many projects involving women, children and the poor.  Read Pastor Kate's blog at http://onmissionsierraleone.wordpress.com/.

 The Committee for the Bishop Election, chaired by Pastor Yvonne Kiebler, is preparing for the unique and spiritual process that is used to elect a synodical bishop.  Pastor Rafael Malpica-Padilla, as ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson's designee, will serve as chairperson of the proceedings.  He will explain the process and lead the assembly in prayer prior to each vote.  The first ballot is a write-in ballot, requiring a 75% vote for election.  The second ballot is comprised of all those named on the first ballot who agree to continue in the process.  Thereafter, each ballot will reduce both the number of nominees and the plurality required.   

The committee urges everyone to prepare for this vital part of the assembly by (1) praying for the process, (2) entering into conversation with congregational leaders and members about their hopes and vision for the future of the NT-NL Mission Area, and (3) considering whom to nominate on the first ballot.  May God enliven our proceedings and confirm our decision!

MISSION ASSEMBLY PLANNING TEAM