Dear Partners in Mission:

On Sunday April 18, 2021 we marked an important date in the life of our church and our particular Lutheran witness. 500 years ago, on April 18, 1521, Martin Luther had his “Here I Stand” moment at the Imperial Diet of Worms in front of Emperor Charles V. On that day Luther made a bold and dangerous decision that both further sparked the protestant reformation as well as set in motion historical events that changed the world.

While I do not expect anything quite so dramatic at our 2021 NT-NL Synod Assembly this Saturday, April 24th, I am looking forward to being with you online (registered voting members will receive a link to participate; visitors can observe on our Facebook page). At this assembly we will do some vital work of our church and we want you to be involved in that work. One of the great opportunities members of ELCA congregations have is to participate in the governance of their church body. While this can be messy at times it is a commitment that we have made, as descendants of the reformation, in how we conduct our business. Appointed leaders and private counsels do not make our decisions but instead we lay out before you the work of the church, what we have been working to accomplish in the previous year, how we have stewarded God’s resources of time and finance. All this we do to ensure we are being open and transparent in our mission.

So I invite you to join us online this weekend. Our theme is Entrusted, and we will take time in education and in prayer to discern how we are faithful to that with which we have been Entrusted, including our reformation heritage.

In the Risen Christ,

Bishop Gronberg