While TLU is located in the SW Texas Synod territory at Trinity she interacted with families who have multiple generations of TLU alums. We remembered the late Harold Johnson who endowed an aviation scholarship at TLU and gave thanks for recent grad and current NT-NL Synod, ELCA SAWL Sean McConathy, a student at Wartburg Theological Seminary and serving at Trinity Lutheran Church Lockney Texas. Multiple families have connections both to TLU and also to the former Clifton College in Bosque County which has transitioned now to Lutheran Sunset Ministries.

After worship I headed east to Mt. Olive Lutheran in Fair Park, Dallas to celebrate their 73rd anniversary. As I exited the freeway I was reminded that this was the opening weekend of the State Fair of Texas that happens just a couple blocks from Mt. Olive. The largest state fair in the country by attendance (over 2.25M annually) the fair was cancelled last fall due to covid-19. On a beautiful blue sky Texas fall day the fair was packed and so the mile from the freeway exit to Mt. Olive took about 15 minutes to traverse.

But it was worth the wait as we celebrated Mt. Olive as well as partnerships with other ELCA Dallas are ministries including Christ Lutheran Church and Preschool and Emanuel Lutheran Church; Iglesia Luterana Emanuel, Dallas. A service of music, prayer, and song left us all inspired and grateful for this historic Lutheran presence in South Dallas.

Our 2022 NT-NL Assembly will happen just a few miles south of Mt. Olive at Paul Quinn College. Emphasizing our resolve to cross over barriers to proclaim the good news. I was a wonderful day across our synod. NT-NL staff were present in multiple parishes and we continue the work of transitions and proclamation. And we do this #enmisionjuntos #InMissionTogether #NTNL #TLU