Northern Texas - Northern Louisiana Synod, ELCA

Parish Lay Mission Academy, Fall 2017, Course 2
2017-10-21 09:00 - 15:30 (America/Chicago) | Briarwood Leadership Center, 670 Copper Canyon Rd., Argyle, TX, 76226, United States

MEF "Seeds That Change" Dinner / Fundraiser
2017-10-21 16:00 - 19:00 | Christ Lutheran Church – Dallas, 3001 Lovers Lane, Dallas, TX, 75225, United States
The MEF board is seeking donations for the live and silent auction at the dinner. Contact Sandra Gass, MEF board member, at gass@att.net.
More details will be provided as we have them.

LSTC Seminary Sampler
2017-10-22 - 2017-10-24 | Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC), 1100 East 55th St, Chicago, IL, 60615, United States
How is God Calling You Into the World?
Have you ever wondered about Public Ministry? Or Seminary? Or both?
Come visit the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and find out for yourself what life is like as a seminarian!
Seminary Sampler is a three-day event designed for those who want to immerse themselves in what it means to be a seminarian in Hyde Park. In addition to experiencing all the activities of an individual visit, Seminary Sampler participants meet other individuals discerning a call to ministry, enjoy a meal in Chicago’s vibrant Greektown neighborhood, engage in conversation with LSTC’s president, meet the faculty, sit in on classes, and spend time with current students.
Seminary Sampler begins at 3 p.m. on Sunday and ends at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Housing and meals during the event are provided; travel stipends are available. Spouses, partners, and parents are invited to attend.
For more information visit:
lstc.edu/admissions
Or contact us:
773.256.0727
admissions@lstc.edu

Hymn Festival
2017-10-22 15:00 - 17:00 | Trinity Lutheran Church – Fort Worth, 3621 Tulsa Way, Fort Worth, TX, 76107, United States
“Living Echoes: Your Love to Tell, Your Praise to Show”
In 2017, we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and the 75th anniversary of Trinity, Fort Worth. Join us as we celebrate the heritage of reformation in our music, but also our continued call to reform and respond to the world in which we live, and where the spirit of the music calls us into a new future God is helping us to imagine.
Featuring Guest Organist Dr. Scott Hyslop of St. Lorenz Lutheran Church, Frankenmuth, MI
Choir directed by Dr. Laurence Furr
Written reflections by Rev. Kendra Mohn

A Reformation for all the People: How Printed Works Spread the Reformation
2017-10-23 18:30 - 21:00 | SMU | Perkins School of Theology, PO Box 750133, Dallas, TX, 75275, United States
A lecture at Bridwell Library by Dr. Mary Jane Haemig, Professor of Church History, Director of the
Reformation Research Program, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Reception at 6:30 p.m. Lecture at 7:00 p.m.
RSVP by October 18: bridadmin@smu.edu or 214-768-3483.
Complimentary parking in Meadows Garage; enter the garage through the left entrance.

What Did Martin Luther Change, and Why?
2017-10-24 - 2017-10-25 | George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University, Waco, TX, 76798, United States
Dr. Robert Kolb, Mission Professor of Systematic Theology Emeritus at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, will be giving the 2017 Parchman Lectures at Truett Seminary, Baylor University, in Waco on the topic of “What Did Martin Luther Change, and Why?” The three lectures of the series will be held in Powell Chapel at Truett Seminary, on the Baylor campus, on October 24 (11 a.m. and 7 p.m.) and October 25 (11 a.m.), and will be FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

Chapel Service & Public Lecture with Kathleen Norris
2017-10-25 | Texas Lutheran University, 1000 West Court St, Seguin, TX, 78155, United States
Chapel Service at 10 a.m. in the Chapel of the Abiding Presence
Public Lecture at 7:30 p.m. in Jackson Auditorium
Kathleen Norris is an award-winning poet and a New York Times-bestselling memoirist on matters of Christian spirituality. Her many books include “The Cloister Walk,” “Acedia & Me: A Marriage Monks, and a Writer’s Life,” “Dakota: A Spiritual Geography,” “Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith,” and “The Virgin of Bennington”. After spending two decades of her adult life away from the Christianity of her childhood, Norris joined a Presbyterian congregation and began exploring ancient spiritual practices of silence and contemplation in association with Roman Catholic monks. Open to doubt and welcoming beauty, her writing brims with insight about the challenges of the spiritual life today.
This is a part of TLU’s year-long series of events recognizing 500 Years of Reformation.

Reformation Celebration & Festival
2017-10-27 - 2017-10-29 | King of Glory Lutheran Church – Dallas, 6411 LBJ Freeway ·, Dallas, TX, 75240, United States
As the church observes 500 years of the Reformation, the goal is not to remember an honored and distant past but to live the message of the Reformation in the present. The power of the word of God to save and transform lives is as important today as in Luther’s time.

Friday, October 27, 2017
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Faith: Does It Matter?
Award-winning and Amazon bestselling author Daniel D. Maurer, will share stories from his new book, Endure: The Power of Spiritual Assets for Resilience to Trauma & Stress.

Saturday, October 28, 2017
1:00- 3:00 pm
Your Story Is Not Yet Finished
As part of our Reformation weekend, you are invited to an Intersect Series event featuring Daniel Maurer’s personal story of transformation.

Reformation Festival
11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Join us for an afternoon of celebration with Music, Arts & Crafts, A Gutenberg Printing Press Presentation, German Dancers, Interactive Storytelling, Arts & Crafts, Vendor Booths, Food, & Fun!

A screening of "Luther"
2017-10-28 19:30 - 22:00 | Christ Lutheran Church – Dallas, 3001 Lovers Lane, Dallas, TX, 75225, United States
The Dallas Eric M. Warburg Chapter of the American Council on Germany
and
the Johanniter Humanitarian Group – Texas
at the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation cordially invite you to a
screening of
Luther
Saturday, October 28, 2017
7:30pm to 10:00pm
Christ Lutheran Church
3001 Lovers Lane
Dallas, TX 75225
There is no charge to attend this event, but RSVPs are requested.
RSVP (acceptances only) at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/screening-of-luther-a-dallas-warburg-chapter-event-tickets-38666744273

In 1516-17, Johann Tetzel, a Dominican friar and papal commissioner for indulgences, was sent to Germany to raise money to build St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther wrote to Albrecht, Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg, protesting against the sale of indulgences. He enclosed in his letter a copy of his “Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” which came to be known as Ninty-five Theses. Hans Hillerbrand writes that Luther had no intention of confronting the church, but saw his disputation as a scholarly objection to church practices, and the tone of the writing is accordingly “searching, rather than doctrinaire.” Hillerbrand further writes that there is nevertheless an undercurrent of challenge in several of the theses, particularly in Thesis 86, which asks: “Why does the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build the basilica of St. Peter with the money of poor believers rather than with his own money?” Luther objected to a saying attributed to Johann Tetzel that “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory [also attested as ‘into heaven’] springs.” He insisted that, since forgiveness was God’s alone to grant, those who claimed that indulgences absolved buyers from all punishments and granted them salvation were in error. Christians, he said, must not slacken in following Christ on account of such false assurances. The film Luther is a 2003 biopic about the life of Martin Luther. It begins during a thunderstorm in 1505, as Luther is returning to his home. For fear of losing his life in the storm, he commits his life to God and becomes an Augustinian monk…

Reformation Sunday Bilingual German-English Worship Service
2017-10-29 | First United Lutheran Church, 6202 E Mockingbird Ln, Dallas, TX, 75214, United States
Worship at 4pm
Fellowship to follow

Reformation Concert
2017-10-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Christ the Servant Lutheran Church – Allen, 821 S Greenville Ave, Allen, TX, 75002, United States
Christ the Servant Concert Series
Presents a Reformation Celebration with
DFW Brass & Organ
October 29, 2017, marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. What better way to celebrate than with an organ and brass concert, featuring one of the top brass ensembles in North Texas!
DFW Brass will perform alongside organist Jordan Smith in a concert that will include music for brass and organ as well as solo pieces. You can be sure to hear a little Bach and sing Martin Luther’s famous hymn, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, with organ and brass at full tilt!
Free Admission
Click here for a PDF flyer with details.

Looking Back & Called Forward: ELCA 500
2017-10-31 | Texas
An event commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation
Please plan to join ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton on Tuesday, October 31, as she co-hosts a commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
The event, which will include speakers and a service, will be at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Bishop Eaton will be joined by co-hosts Indiana-Kentucky Synod Bishop Bill Gafkjen, ELCA Vice President Bill Horne, and Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod Bishop Dick Graham.
The event is open to the public and will be available online via livestream. All are invited to participate and honor the Reformation anniversary as we bear public witness to Christ, who frees us to love and serve our neighbor, and as we look to the future to which God is calling us.

Reformation chapel service
2017-10-31 11:00 - 13:00 | Brite Divinity School, 2925 Princeton St, Fort Worth, TX, 76109, United States
Please join us at 11:00 a.m. in the Robert Carr Chapel for the Reformation chapel service, Bishop Erik Gronberg presiding. The service will be followed by a community meal and conversation in the Bass Conference Center in the Harrison Building.

North Texas Reformation Celebration
2017-11-04 - 2017-11-05 | Texas
Churches all over the world are commemorating the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. This is truly a “once in a lifetime event.” Celebrating this momentous era of the beginning of Protestantism will be a highlight for us as Lutherans.
Martin Luther said, “Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.” So, what better than to mark this anniversary with music?
Following the calling from Psalm 95:1, “Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” a number of churches in the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex have been planning the NORTH TEXAS REFORMATION CELEBRATION – a series of local church concerts culminating in two identical gala concerts in November.
The NORTH TEXAS REFORMATION CELEBRATION will take place on November 4 at Broadway Baptist Church, home of the Rildia Bee O’Bryan Cliburn Organ, in Fort Worth and on November 5 at Meyerson Symphony Center, home of the Lay Family Concert Organ, in Dallas. Make plans to join us on these joyous occasions of praising our Lord and Savior through beautiful music and songs performed by the spectacular CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO WIND SYMPHONY AND KAPELLE (choir) along with a regional mass choir including singers from Concordia High School, Austin, TX.
The internationally renowned Wind Symphony has performed in 43 states, Canada, Eastern Europe, China, and, this past spring, in South Africa. The group has a commitment to the finest traditional and contemporary sacred and secular repertoire, and has recorded 13 compact discs of sacred music.
Let us join together in remembering one of the most significant events of Christian lives; singing praises, giving thanks and renewing our spirit. Expect to hear, sing, and feel our most cherished hymns, as well as newly written pieces for this Reformation season, accompanied by the unique and dynamic pipe organs.
Tickets and more information are available at ReformationDFW.org or by emailing NailedIt@ReformationDFW.org. You may also follow the events on Facebook.
Click here if you are interested in Sponsorship.
“As long as we live there is never enough singing.” ― Martin Luther
Watch for Celebration Events throughout North Texas. For more information, email ReformationDFW@yahoo.com. Follow the events on Twitter @ReformationDFW.

(RE)FORMATION: a Film by Shannon Ivey
2017-11-10 19:30 - 21:30 | Texas Lutheran University, 1000 West Court St, Seguin, TX, 78155, United States
Location: Studio Theatre at Weston Center
Must the Christian church include stained glass windows, a marketing campaign, or a multi-million dollar media setup to spread the word of God? Do pastors need a brand? Jesus was a homeless Jew, a political radical, and a servant to the broken – would his “brand” even survive in 21st Century America? In 1517, Martin Luther challenged the Roman Catholic Church with a similar set of questions and it led to the Protestant Reformation. 500 years later, as a group of artists renovate a transition home for discarded youth, they explore the meaning of church, holy ground, and Jesus’ mission of love. Is the Christian Church in need of a new (re)Formation?
Shannon Ivey is a professor of dramatic media at TLU and the founder of Theatre For Change – a San Antonio-based nonprofit committed to linking the stories inherent within theatre, film, and new media to the needs and messages of nonprofit organizations.
This event is free and open to the public.

Public Witness Team for Peace and Justice monthly meeting
2017-11-11 10:00 - 12:00, 2017-12-09 10:00 - 12:00 | Shepherd of Life Lutheran Church, 715 E. Lamar Blvd., Arlington, TX, 76011, United States
2nd Saturday of each month
Open to all

The Power of the Story: Perkins Fall Convocation on Creative Communication
2017-11-13 - 2017-11-14 | SMU | Perkins School of Theology, PO Box 750133, Dallas, TX, 75275, United States
Calling all poets, actors, preachers, writers and communicators of every variety!
This thirty-hour experience with stellar presenters will stimulate your imagination and inspiration.

Registration for the entire day-and-a-half convocation includes plenary presentations by Anne Lamott, church leader and seminary president Marvin McMickle, Bible scholar and bestselling author N.T. Wright, Perkins preaching professors Alyce McKenzie and Wes Allen, and SMU playwright Will Power.
Develop your skills in creative communication by participating in a workshop of your choice on one of these topics:

Are Only Five People Reached by Your Social Media? Make Google Work for God with Michele Houston
The Liberation that Liberates: Preaching the Gospel that Transforms Us Inside and Out with George Mason and Maria Dixon Hall
Preaching the Parables with Wes Allen
Video Gaming the Gospel with Gary Brubaker
S.L.A.M. (Spoken Language Arts Methods) with Michael Guinn
Novel Preaching! Fiction Writing Strategies for Sermons with Alyce McKenzie
Prophetic Preaching in the 21st Century: How do Ancient Texts Speak to Issues of Economic Justice with Marvin McMickle

All conference events will take place at Perkins School of Theology on the SMU campus or at neighboring Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas.
Conference details and registration fees, workshop descriptions, and registration information are all available on the Perkins website. For additional information, please contact Mary Roberts.
Advanced registration July 28 – October 27 = $185
General registration October 28 – November 10 = $225
At-the-door registration November 13 = $265

Lecture with Anne Lamott
2017-11-13 19:30 - 21:30 | Texas
From our friends at SMU / Perkins:
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Inspire even more radical kindness in the life of your congregation! Read Anne Lamott’s Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy with your Bible study group or Sunday School class. Then come hear her speak about the book in person when she gives a free lecture during the Perkins Fall Convocation on November 13, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. in McFarlin Auditorium on the campus of SMU.
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“Mercy is radical kindness,” writes Lamott in her book, Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy. “Mercy means offering or being offered aid in desperate straits. Mercy is not deserved. It involves absolving the unabsolvable, forgiving the unforgivable.” Publishers Weekly says this about Lamott’s book, “As in previous works, Lamott’s courageous honesty and humility, laced with wit and compassion, offer wisdom and hope for difficult times.”
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Full registration for the conference includes a second lecture by Lamott, as well as workshops, worship, and presentations by Rev. Dr. Marvin McMickle of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School and N.T. Wright. Request updates regarding conference registration here.
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To learn more about Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy, and the work of Anne Lamott, visit the links below.
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https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-7352-1358-6
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/books/sc-spiritual-book-roundup-books-0412-20170410-story.html
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/anne-lamott-gives-us-hope-with-hallelujah-anyway-rediscovering_us_58e27481e4b0ca889ba1a84c
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http://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/bookreview/hallelujah-anyway-rediscovering-mercy

MEF Board meeting
2017-11-18 | Congregation as System

Parish Lay Mission Academy, Fall 2017, Course 3
2017-11-18 09:00 - 15:30 | Briarwood Leadership Center, 670 Copper Canyon Rd., Argyle, TX, 76226, United States

Lutheran Campus Ministry Trivia Challenge
2017-11-19 16:00 - 19:30 | Briarwood Leadership Center, 670 Copper Canyon Rd., Argyle, TX, 76226, United States
A fundraiser and fun-raiser benefitting the NT-NL Campus Ministry Mission Fund.
4:00pm Silent Auction
4:30pm Table Set-up & Decor Competition
5:00pm Meal
5:45pm Trivia Challenge
7:30pm Winners Announced
Entry Fee = $200 per table
To register, send your name, contact information, and congregation / team name…
By email: pastor@lcmdenton.org
By phone: 817-269-1229
By mail: LCM Trivia Challenge, c/o Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, 2121 E University Dr, Denton, TX 76209

Winter Retreat for 4th, 5th, & 6th graders
2017-12-01 - 2017-12-03 | Briarwood Leadership Center, 670 Copper Canyon Rd., Argyle, TX, 76226, United States
$90/camper; $60 for siblings
Start your Advent season off right with our new Upper Elementary Winter Retreat! Previously known just as the Advent Retreat, we will be exploring all aspects of the season, both Advent & Christmas, and maybe even beyond…
You can expect to be on our new High Ropes course, shoot some Archery, and we will have ourselves a snowball fight, with some imagination! You definitely won’t want to miss out on this spectacularly fun event, so register here today! For more information about the program, please contact Aaron Colwick at aaron@briarwoodretreat.org.

High School Service Day
2017-12-09 | Texas
DFW and Lubbock areas
Click here for the registration packet with more details.

NT-NL Christmas Break Young Adult Retreat
2017-12-27 - 2017-12-28 | Briarwood Leadership Center, 670 Copper Canyon Rd., Argyle, TX, 76226, United States
Salt and Light | Sal y Luz
Led by Bishop Gronberg and other NT-NL Leaders

Who: Young Adults 18-25 (post high school): Former LYLEs, Briarwood Camp Staff, College Students, Campus Ministry students, others interested in God’s call in their lives.
What: Conversation around scripture with other young people and leaders in NT-NL. Time to get away for a bit during Christmas break, enjoy fellowship, maybe take a ride on the zip line, worship around a campfire, and enjoy Briarwood’s beautiful campus.
Cost: Free to participants
Goal: Provide space for discernment and conversation around goals for future vocation for young people connected to NT-NL. Provide some time during Christmas break and a safe space for conversations about faith and life. Not specifically targeting church vocations, encouraging all to think about how God is working in their lives now.
Tentative Schedule
Wednesday, December 27
12noon Lunch
1pm Introductions
1:30pm Conversations around the Word
2pm Team Building Exercise
3pm Break and Personal Time
4:30pm Conversation with Young Adults in NT-NL from a variety of perspectives
6pm Dinner and continued conversations around the Word
7:15pm Worship at Campfire with Holy Communion
8:30pm Snacks and Fellowship
Thursday, December 28
8am Coffee and light food available (optional conversations with Bishop)
9am Morning Devotions
9:30am Conversations around the Word
10:30am Brunch
11:30am Sending Worship
12noon On our Way
Interested? Apply here.
Limited to 25 participants, so apply soon!
Funding provided by the NT-NL DLA Endowment Fund

Celebrating the Life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
2018-01-14 12:00 - 15:30 | St. John’s Lutheran Church – Dallas, 2939 Sunnyvale St, Dallas, TX, 75216, United States
St. John’s Lutheran Church
and
the NT-NL Public Witness for Peace and Justice Team
Celebrate the Life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Noon – 1:30pm Soul Food Pot Luck
1:30 -1:50pm Hymns and Praise
2:00pm Commemoration Program
Rev. Dr. Michael Walker, Keynote Speaker
Rev. Doris Dupree Harris, Presiding

Mikah Meyer's Stories & Songs Recital
2018-01-14 15:00 - 16:00 | Cathedral of Hope, 5910 Cedar Springs Rd, Dallas, TX, 75235, United States
Join NPR featured, National Cathedral countertenor singer, Mikah Meyer, as he shares stories and songs from his world record, 3-year road trip to all 417 National Park Service sites. He was featured in Living Lutheran in August 2016: Living on a prayer: One man’s cross-country journey in honor of his father.
Mikah has been living in a cargo van while traveling across the U.S. for the past 21 months becoming the youngest person to visit the entirety of the National Park System–using the media and platform to share a message of carpe diem, hope, and acceptance for LGBT Christians. To keep this project going, he “sings for his supper” and receives donations to fuel him to the next park. Come hear him speak/sing, learn more about his ministry “Queer For Christ,” and ask questions.

Junior High Gathering
2018-01-19 - 2018-01-21 | Texas
Click here for the registration packet with more details.

Hearing on the ELCA Draft Social Statement on Women and Justice
2018-01-20 | Shepherd of Life Lutheran Church, 715 E. Lamar Blvd., Arlington, TX, 76011, United States
The Draft Social Statement on Women and Justice was released on November 15. The task force hopes that every synod will have at least one hearing on the draft. Please find more information about hearings in the FAQ. A hearing for NT-NL has been scheduled for January 20 at 10am at Shepherd of Life, Arlington.
The ELCA Task Force on Women and Justice: One in Christ is releasing the draft as a crucial step in the development of a social statement that will be considered by the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. Task force members hope the next 11 months of comment and conversation among people of faith will be a widespread and instructive discernment on the timely themes and commitments in the draft. Your participation is desired and encouraged.
ELCA social statements are teaching and policy documents that provide broad frameworks to assist us in thinking about and discussing social issues in the context of faith and life. They are meant to help communities and individuals with moral formation, discernment and thoughtful engagement with current social issues as we participate in God’s work in the world. Social statements also set policy for the ELCA and guide its advocacy and work as a publicly engaged church.
The issue of women and justice is a long-standing struggle that pervades our society, our history, and our faith tradition. Currently, there has been much discussion of a social tipping point, highlighted by the current environment of the #MeToo movement. The Public Witness committee, Bishop Gronberg, and the One in Christ Task Force all hope you will participate in the review and affirmation of this document. This is a huge opportunity to guide the future of our faith. Please read this document and come with recommendations. All are welcome!
The entire statement can be found in the first 2,750 words of the draft, what is called the Basic Statement. The FAQ about the process and the two-page overview of the content also attached are designed to help explain the draft and the process that has led to it. Questions can be directed to womenandjustice@elca.org.
Find out more here: elca.org/womenandjustice.

Synod Council Meeting
2018-02-02 - 2018-02-03 | Christ Evangelical Lutheran Mission Center at Briarwood, 680 Copper Canyon Rd., Argyle, TX, 76226, United States
