Northern Texas - Northern Louisiana Synod, ELCA

ELCA Extravaganza 2021
2021-02-04 - 2021-02-06
The Extravaganza is the annual gathering of children, youth, and family ministry leaders from across the ELCA. It is so much more than a conference: it’s space to be stretched, it’s worship, it’s inspiring speakers, it’s learning from colleagues across the country, it’s sharing your insights with others, it’s informative and transformative. The Extravaganza is renewing, educational, and connects you with others…then sends you home strengthened for the ministry to which you have been called.
The Extravaganza is for the professional and the volunteer. It is for the old and the young. It is for the urban, the suburban, and the rural. It is for pastors, it is for lay people. It is for all adult leaders who share in the adventure we call children, youth, and family ministry!
Location: Online

For 2021:
The scriptures are full of stories of God’s people holding loosely to their plans and learning to trust in the grace and the mission of God.
And so, as God’s people, we are reminded that grace is a gift of God, and trust follows grace. God calls on God’s people to trust in God’s abundance, love and promise. Too often, we try and maintain our own sense of control. But if ministry in 2020 has taught us anything, it has taught us that we are not in control. The world is a broken, turbulent place and we cannot navigate these troubled waters by ourselves.
And so, obediently, we trust in the work of the Holy Spirit in the midst of turbulent times. And we partner with God, serving as God’s hands doing God’s work in a world that is in need of hope.
We hold loosely, letting go of our need to control, creating space for the Spirit to work, and trusting in God, who has a vision for the world.
Extravaganza 2021 will explore God’s call to hold loosely to our own plans, and our need to control, and to trust in the one who comes to create, to redeem and to sustain. God’s call for us to “Hold Loosely” and trust is more important now than ever, as we live and do ministry in a time of pandemic, of racial injustice and unrest, of social division and political turmoil.
Our conversations at #ext21 will center around five questions:

How do we help those we work with navigate the grief of losing “normal?” How do we navigate that same grief for ourselves?
How do we care for ourselves in the midst of accompanying others in their pain?
How do we navigate change?
What should we do next?
How do we find hope in the midst of chaos?

It is in the words of Ephesians 2:8 that we are reminded that we place our trust in God’s grace, which provides guidance and direction during these hard days. And that this grace is a gift that we discover when we hold loosely.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” – Ephesians 2:8

2021 Tri-Theological Conference
2021-01-25 - 2021-01-26
The 2021 Tri-Theological Conference with Professor Michael DeJonge
Co-sponsored by the Southwestern Texas Synod, Gulf Coast Synod, Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod, and Briarwood Leadership Center
This is an online event.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer in conversation with his twin sister, Sabine

Bonhoeffer, Struggle, and Resistance
Monday, January 25, 2–4pm (all times Central)
The life of Lutheran pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945) is often interpreted through his participation in plots to assassinate Adolf Hitler. While his prayer and discernment led him to that point, his call for direct resistance to unjust actions of the state began much earlier. This session will introduce Bonhoeffer, his context, and his increasing calls for resistance, both within the church and in direct word and action against the state.

Bonhoeffer the Lutheran
Tuesday, January 26, 10am–Noon
Bonhoeffer has become a broadly popular figure throughout western Christianity. His stance against Adolf Hitler, the Third Reich, and accommodating elements within German Christianity cost him his life. Studies of his life and thought, however, have not always taken into account the specificity of his Lutheran commitments. How, for instance, does Lutheranism inform Bonhoeffer’s approach to pacifism and violence? What can that teach Lutherans about our tradition today?

Bonhoeffer’s Politics and Our Own
Tuesday, January 26, 2–4pm
Bonhoeffer is often referenced when people are seeking faithful responses to political crises. All sides of the US political spectrum have wondered if we are in a “Bonhoeffer moment.” Bonhoeffer’s historical, political, and cultural context was quite distinct from the early 21st-Century United States. In what ways can Bonhoeffer’s theological commitments help interpret political realities today? How can those insights inform faithful leadership and proclamation in the midst of current struggles?

Cost: $75 ($50 early-bird special until December 18)
Registration closes at 10am Central on January 25
REGISTER HERE.
Download a flyer here to share.

Michael P. DeJonge is Professor and Chair of Religious Studies at the University of South Florida. He researches the history of Christian thought and issues involving religion and politics.
DeJonge has been a Fulbright Scholar, a Fellow of the Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies, a Volkswagen/Mellon Fellow at the Leibniz-Institute for European History in Mainz, Germany, and Visiting Dietrich Bonhoeffer Professor of Theology and Ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York.
His scholarship has focused on the twentieth-century German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, with monographs including Bonhoeffer’s Theological Formation (Oxford, 2012), Bonhoeffer’s Reception of Luther (Oxford, 2017), and Bonhoeffer on Resistance: The Word Against the Wheel (Oxford, 2018).

Event Structure
The conference organizers intend for this event to be directly relevant to your daily vocation and service in church and society. We are seeking to foster sustained, engaged conversation in addition to providing important content in Prof. DeJonge’s presentations.
Each of the conference’s scheduled sessions will include a breakout opportunity. In order to facilitate focused conversation, our request is that you come to the breakout session with one overarching question and one significant quote from the text assigned for that session.
Feel free to emphasize your personal responses and commitments as you engage the text. Our conversations will be enriched if you choose quotes that resonate with you and craft questions that are open-ended (questions that can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”).
Like you, Bonhoeffer was a Christian leader deeply engaged with and challenged by his context. Your personal reflections on your life of service will carry us forward throughout our time together.

Intended Audience
This gathering is open for all people interested in the overarching topic, both lay and rostered. Our two-hour sessions will be structured to include a significant presentation from Prof. Michael DeJonge, ample time for discussion in breakout sessions, and time for sharing in plenary. Each session will have options for compact but in-depth reading intended to enrich conversation throughout the event.

Recommended Readings
Michael P. DeJonge, Bonhoeffer’s Theological Formation: Berlin, Barth, and Protestant Theology (Oxford University Press)
Michael P. DeJonge, Bonhoeffer’s Reception of Luther (Oxford University Press)
Michael P. DeJonge, Bonhoeffer on Resistance: The Word Against the Wheel (Oxford University Press)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (Reader’s Edition, Fortress Press)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship (Reader’s Edition, Fortress Press)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics (Reader’s Edition, Fortress Press)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison (Reader’s Edition, Fortress Press)
Clifford J. Green and Michael P. DeJonge, eds., The Bonhoeffer Reader (Fortress Press)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Holocaust Encyclopedia By Victoria J. Barnett
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/dietrich-bonhoeffer
Exploring Bonhoeffer’s Writings By Clifford Green
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/exploring-bonhoeffers-writings
Is This a Bonhoeffer Moment? Lessons for American Christians from the Confessing Church in Germany By Lori Brandt Hale and Reggie L. Williams
https://sojo.net/magazine/february-2018/bonhoeffer-moment
Hijacking Bonhoeffer (review of Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer) By Clifford Green
https://www.christiancentury.org/reviews/2010-09/hijacking-bonhoeffer
Bonhoeffer Co-Opted (review of Charles Marsh, Strange Glory: A Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer) By Joel Looper
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/bonhoeffer-co-opted/
A More Intimate Portrait of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (review of Diane Reynolds, The Doubled Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Women, Sexuality, and Nazi Germany) By Lisa E. Dahill
https://www.christiancentury.org/review/books/more-intimate-portrait-bonhoeffer
Christian Complicity? Changing Views on German Churches and the Holocaust By Robert P. Ericksen
https://www.ushmm.org/m/pdfs/Publication_OP_2009-11.pdf
Special Focus: Dietrich Bonhoeffer (online exhibit) By Victoria J. Barnett
https://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/online-exhibitions/special-focus/dietrich-bonhoeffer
The Church Struggle and the Confessing Church: An Introduction to Bonhoeffer’s Context By Matthew D. Hockenos
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/28799641_The_Church_Struggle_and_the_Confessing_Church_An_Introduction_to_Bonhoeffer’s_Context

For some creative history on Bonhoeffer, check out this Lego short created 10 years ago by NT-NL young adult Tom Blaney! He has lived and regularly attended church services in all three Texas ELCA Synods (Frisco, Austin, and Houston). Tom was active in campus ministry at UTexas, a Briarwood summer camp counselor, and a 2019 ELCA Churchwide Voting Member representing NT-NL. (This video was done as a school project and won second place in the Texas Coalition for Holocaust Education’s Yom HaShoah “Upstanders in the Holocaust” Art, Writing, and Video contest.)

Living Connected Workshop on Creation’s Gift of Waste
2021-01-23 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Chicago)
Waste as a gift may sound strange, but throughout creation, the waste of one creature becomes the life of another in a continuous cycle. The exception is our species, which declares things useless and buries or incinerates them. This Living Connected workshop will:

Reflect on the way our systems make it easy to be wasteful;
Discuss spiritual practices for viewing waste differently; and
Provide resources for making faith-based choices about waste.

NT-NL Public Witness is offering this workshop online twice in January 2021. The presenter is Katrina Martich, a Lutheran Deaconess and licensed environmental engineer in Texas.
Saturday, January 23, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM CST
Tuesday, January 26, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM CST
Register at katrinamartich.com for the Zoom link.
Living Connected presents creation care as a spiritual discipline, formed by using the gifts of creation in just and loving ways. Workshops are offered at a reduced cost thanks to a grant from the NT-NL Synod Mission Endowment Fund. For more information, send an email to Katrina at contact@katrinamartich.com

2021 ELCA World Hunger Leadership Gathering
2021-01-20 - 2021-01-23
Greetings from ELCA World Hunger! Whether you are a newly connected or longtime advocate of our shared work, we are grateful for your partnership in seeking a just world where all are fed.
This signature event gathers ELCA World Hunger’s leaders for a time of networking, idea sharing, learning and planning for our shared ministry to address hunger and its root causes in our local and global communities. Next year’s event, January 20 through 23, we will center on John 6:11-12 and the theme “And All Were Satisfied.” For the first time in the event’s history, we will gather virtually!
We celebrate the new opportunities this gathering brings, including the chance to welcome more participants than ever before. As we look forward, we know that our future church is younger and more diverse; who do you want to invite to be part of the conversation and our ministry together?
Register here: https://community.elca.org/online-registration/2021-elca-world-hunger-leadership-gathering-january. The event fee is $20, with sponsorship opportunities available to those for whom the cost would be a barrier to attending. Once you register, you will receive the information needed to join in the event.
Let us know if you have any questions: hunger@elca.org or 773-380-1749.
Until all are fed,
Juliana Glassco and the ELCA World Hunger Team

Systems Theory and Anxiety workshop
2021-01-07 13:00 - 14:00
When: January 7th, 1-2pm Central
Cost: Free
Venue: Zoom (see link below)

Deacon Mary Ann Schwabe’s presentation will give a refresher course on System Theory and dig into how anxiety affects all of our relationships and the systems – family, congregation, society. Discussing the difference between chronic and acute anxiety, this presentation is intended to give us language for ongoing conversations throughout 2021.
Throughout 2020 church leaders have experienced new and different forms of pressure. 2021 will bring another set of these pressures as we continue to engage an environment of pandemic, political challenges and division in society. Anxiety increases tension, understanding your role as leader in that anxiety, owning that, and processing it will make you a more effective leader.
Mary Ann Schwabe is a Deacon who serves as the Natural Systems Coordinator in the Office of the Presiding Bishop for the churchwide office in Chicago.

Join Zoom Meeting
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Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders
2020-12-30 13:00 - 14:00, 2020-12-23 13:00 - 14:00, 2020-12-09 13:00 - 14:00, 2020-12-02 13:00 - 14:00
Being Church
Wednesdays, 1:00 PM Central
You are invited to join this weekly online gathering designed to provide encouragement and support for ELCA leaders across the church. Participants will hear topical presentations related to how we are called to be Church, as well as have an opportunity to be in small group discussions with an ELCA group coach facilitating the conversation. This is where the magic happens. All of this is designed to help us process our emotions and thus create a space where we can each name our next most faithful step forward in our unique context. You are welcome to share this invitation with any other ELCA leader, rostered or lay. #ELCAChurchTogether
How have we been church, with individuals and with communities? How are we being church? How are we called to be church with all people, with creation, and in an ever-changing world?
We understand a number of folks are unable to make this day and time each week. We record the main session and the wrap-up time. We share each recording with supporting documents here by the following week: https://www.elcacoaching.org/podcasts/media.
You can also find a list of upcoming topics and presenters on the home page of our website: https://www.elcacoaching.org/.
ELCA Coaching is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Being Church – Weekly Gathering for ELCA Leaders
Time: Wednesdays 01:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/180439412?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 180 439 412
Password: [REDACTED]
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,180439412#,,#,648160# US (Houston)
+16699006833,,180439412#,,#,648160# US (San Jose)
Dial by your location
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US
+1 301 715 8592 US
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 180 439 412
Password: [REDACTED]

Longest Night / Blue Christmas Service
2020-12-21 19:00 - 20:00
On December 21st at 7pm, the NT-NL synod will be hosting an online Longest Night / Blue Christmas worship opportunity. This service is a time of reflection, prayer, music, and draws attention to the reality that while Christmas is a joyful time we also know it can and does bring many griefs. In 2020 in particular it is wise to take time to grieve the many losses we have experienced and continue to experience due to the Covid-19 pandemic while also reflecting on the promise of Immanuel, God with Us, coming in the Christ child.
In this year when we will have a Christmas unlike any other we invite you to share a time of worship and reflection acknowledging our griefs and losses, taking seriously those feelings and hurts, while also hearing words of hope shared in community.
Bishop Gronberg preaching. Rev. Phil Heinz presiding, and Calvary, Richland Hills, musicians providing worship leadership.
The service will be livestreamed from Calvary, Richland Hills, and shared on our NT-NL Facebook page.
Here’s a link to the bulletin for the service.

Stars and Promises Christmas concert featuring Peter Mayer, lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffett
2020-12-09
December 9, 7pm Central
Benefiting ELCA World Hunger
Facebook Premiere (accessible without a facebook account)
In the first ever event of its kind, ELCA World Hunger presents an online Christmas benefit concert featuring Peter Mayer, who is a longtime Lutheran and the lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffett.
Although we are in the midst of a difficult winter due to COVID-19, we know that, through God’s abundance, you have shown incredible generosity by supporting the necessary work of the church. This concert is a gift to you this Advent season. It is a way for us to say thank you and provide a place for you to gather online with the church community as we prepare for the birth of our Savior.
The concert is free and will premiere on the ELCA Facebook page with a live chat so you can engage with the audience, ELCA staff, and Peter Mayer himself. Donations to ELCA World Hunger are encouraged and will support our church’s work to respond to hunger and poverty in more than 60 countries around the world.
Registration opens on November 18! Register to receive a free exclusive Peter Mayer Christmas album download, created just for this event!
Make sure to share this event with your friends and join the fun on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtags #ELCAChurchTogether and #StarsAndPromises, and ELCA World Hunger with be re-sharing your posts.
We hope to see you there!

Parish Lay Ministry Academy, Fall 2020, Course 3
2020-11-14 09:00 - 15:30
To register and for full details: https://www.ntnl.org/ministries/plma/

ESET (SSTE) Módulo 10 (Día 5 de 5)
2020-10-31 09:00 - 12:00
Teología Sistemática, Credos y Confesiones Luteranas (Día 5 de 5)
via Zoom

Conversations at Briarwood: Public Faith, Part 2
2020-10-29 19:00 - 20:30 | Briarwood Leadership Center, 670 Copper Canyon Rd., Argyle, TX, 76226, United States
How can politics be faithful? Christians in the United States are of many different minds. Sometimes, church can feel hyper-partisan. Other church folk want to disengage from politics. Are there really only two sides to community issues, and do we always have to disagree? How do faith and fear shape our response to the world as we seek to live in love as followers of Jesus? How can our participation in civic life be grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
As the US approaches “Election Day” in the election season already underway, these upcoming “Conversations at Briarwood” with prominent Evangelical leaders Hunter Baker and Shane Claiborne will help us explore these questions together. The divide between evangelical and mainline Christians in the US can sometimes seem like we’re the Republican and Democratic parties at prayer. How can we get beyond partisanship to the task of crafting new forms of public faith?
Conversations will be online, using Zoom. For full details and to register for October 29: https://www.facebook.com/events/3934109916618770/

Living Connected: Creation’s Gift of Material Goods
2020-10-27 19:00 - 20:30, 2020-10-24 10:00 - 11:30
Workshop on Creation’s Gift of Material Goods
The Living Connected project presents creation care as a spiritual discipline, formed by using the gifts of creation in just and loving ways. The NT-NL Public Witness Team for Peace and Justice is offering Living Connected: Material Goods online twice in October.
The workshop presenter is Katrina Martich, a Lutheran deaconess and environmental engineer. She currently serves as a green shepherd for Lutherans Restoring Creation and on the ELCA Sustainability Table.
Saturday, October 24, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM CDT
Tuesday, October 27, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM CDT
Register at katrinamartich.com to receive the Zoom link.
Material goods we use daily connect us to others and all creation through the world’s economy and ecology. The workshop will look at ways our choices make a difference in the world and can be an expression of our faith. It offers ideas and resources for spiritual practices in our use of material goods. Over time, these practices build upon each other and become the spiritual discipline of creation care.
The workshops are offered at a reduced cost thanks to a grant from the NT-NL Synod Mission Endowment Fund. For more information, or to discuss ways your congregation can transform its use of creation’s gifts, send an email to Deaconess Katrina Martich at contact@katrinamartich.com.
Click here for a bulletin insert for October.

ESET (SSTE) Módulo 10 (Día 4 de 5)
2020-10-24 09:00 - 12:00
Teología Sistemática, Credos y Confesiones Luteranas (Día 4 de 5)
via Zoom

LCM Denton Presents: Socially Distant Oktoberfest
2020-10-24
The Board of Lutheran Campus Ministry at Denton has decided that our annual trivia challenge and silent auction this fall will be a virtual event. We typically gather at Briarwood for a festive dinner with themed table decorations, Lutheran-themed trivia, and tables of auction items.

Since caring for our neighbors is an integral part of putting our faith into action, we know that it is our duty to hold a virtual Trivia challenge and silent auction this year. We will have more details coming soon about how the trivia challenge and auction will work, but we can share with you that the trivia challenge will expand beyond the traditional Lutheran-themed questions to include other trivia questions and that our overall theme will be Oktoberfest. And if you have any items to donate for an online silent auction, please contact Brandon Parsons (brandonparsons@mac.com) or Pastor Jim Rowe (pastor@lcmdenton.org).
The date of the Trivia challenge will be Saturday, October 24, at 7:00 pm. Start organizing your teams and get ready for a night of fun!
You may send a text with the phrase LuminDenton to the phone # 243725 to learn more and register for the event.

Conversations at Briarwood: Public Faith, Part 1
2020-10-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Briarwood Leadership Center, 670 Copper Canyon Rd., Argyle, TX, 76226, United States
How can politics be faithful? Christians in the United States are of many different minds. Sometimes, church can feel hyper-partisan. Other church folk want to disengage from politics. Are there really only two sides to community issues, and do we always have to disagree? How do faith and fear shape our response to the world as we seek to live in love as followers of Jesus? How can our participation in civic life be grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
As the US approaches “Election Day” in the election season already underway, these upcoming “Conversations at Briarwood” with prominent Evangelical leaders Hunter Baker and Shane Claiborne will help us explore these questions together. The divide between evangelical and mainline Christians in the US can sometimes seem like we’re the Republican and Democratic parties at prayer. How can we get beyond partisanship to the task of crafting new forms of public faith?
Conversations will be online, using Zoom. For full details and to register for October 22: https://www.facebook.com/events/330047694962676

"¡Adelante! The Future of Latinx Lutheran Leadership" Panel
2020-10-22 16:00 - 17:30
English
In honor of Latinx Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15), the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, Asociación de Ministerios Latinos de la ELCA, and Domestic Mission – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have partnered together to offer a dynamic panel presentation.
The presentation, entitled Adelante! The Future of Latinx Lutheran Leadership, will be moderated by LSTC Adjunct Professor Rev. Dr. Rubén Durán. Panelists will include:

Jen DeLeon, Director of Justice for the WELCA; President of Asociación de Ministerios Latinos de la E.L.C.A.
Joseph Castañeda Carrera, Mission Developer, Adore LA; Assistant to the Bishop for Authentic Diversity and Ethnic Specific Ministries, SW California Synod
Aura M. Suarez, Deacon, ELCA Florida-Bahamas Synod; Director, Latino Lutheran Lay Academy
Erik Gronberg, Bishop, ELCA Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod

Espanol
Honrando el Mes de la Herencia Latinx (del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre de 2020), la Escuela Luterana de Teología en Chicago, la Asociación de Ministerios Latinos de la ELCA, y Misión Doméstica de la ELCA se han unido para ofrecer una presentación dinámica en un panel de discusión programado para el 22 de octubre desde las 4 – 5:30 pm.
Bajo el tema: Adelante! El Futuro del Liderazgo Luterano Latinx este panel de discusión será moderado por el profesor adjunto de LSTC y Director para Vitalidad Congregacional, ELCA, el Rev. Dr. Rubén Durán.
Los panelistas serán:

Jen DeLeón, Directora de Justicia de WELCA; presidenta de la Asociación de Ministerios Latinos de la ELCA
Joseph Castañeda Carrera, Pastor Desarrollador de Misión, Adore LA; Asistente de la obispa para Diversidad Auténtica y Ministerios étnicos específicos del Sínodo del suroeste de California
Aura M. Suarez, Diácona del Sínodo de la ELCA de Florida-Bahamas; Directora de la Academia Laica Latina Luterana
Erik Gronberg, obispo del Sínodo Norte Texas-Norte Louisiana de la ELCA

Event Flyers: English and Spanish
Advance registration required: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=MOpVQX9vnUeNLt395eZpth9g2P2Whx1HjN5oEIqED1NUNldCQUJaOUVZRDYzODVZVFEyWUg1OExLSi4u
Or you may access the livestream: https://www.facebook.com/LSTChicago (no facebook account required)

2020 Leadership Convocation
2020-10-19 - 2020-10-20
Topic: “Religious Freedom in America: Past, Present, and Future”
Speaker: Dr. Stephen Stookey, Wayland Baptist University

Dr. Stephen Stookey serves as Dean of the School of Religion and Philosophy at Wayland Baptist University (Plainview, TX).
An ordained Baptist minister, Stookey earned his Ph.D. and MDiv from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth and his undergraduate degree in religion from Baylor University. He has taught at Southwestern, Dallas Baptist University, the B.H. Carroll Theological Institute, and the Evangelical College of Theology in Sierra Leone. An expert in American Church History and particularly concepts of religious freedom in American history, Dr. Stookey serves on the Board of Directors of the Baptist History and Heritage Society. He also has a deep passion for Luther studies and particularly Lutheran/Anabaptist relationships.
A passionate Texas Rangers and Baylor Bears fan, Stookey also is an avid photographer. His combination of expertise and rootedness in the context of the territory of NT-NL make his presentations particularly relevant for our time.
Event will be online in three sessions:
Monday, October 19, 2-4pm: Where We Are: The Climate Today
Tuesday, October 20, 10am-Noon: How Did We Get Here? History of Religious Freedom in America
Tuesday, October 20, 2-4pm: How Do We Respond? As the Body of Christ, How Do We Live and Engage This Climate
REGISTER HERE.
Login information will be sent to paid registrants on Monday morning.
Regular Registration (September 21-October 18):
General: $75
Continuing Education: $100 (includes follow-up conversation and certificate of completion of 8 hours of CE)
* For Continuing Education credit, attendance at all three sessions + follow-up conversation (details forthcoming) is expected. *
As an introduction to these sessions, we highly recommend you watch this recent presentation by Rev. George Mason.
Custodians of the Gospel: A Public Faith
https://www.elcacoaching.org/podcasts/media/2020-09-30-custodians-of-the-gospel-a-public-faith

Young Adults Pumpkin Party
2020-10-17 09:30 - 11:30 | Briarwood Leadership Center, 670 Copper Canyon Rd., Argyle, TX, 76226, United States
Are you between the ages of 15 and 25? Do you love the spooky season? We have an event for you! Join NT-NL Young Adults for their first socially distanced Halloween Event! Dress up in your favorite costume, and come out to Briarwood on Saturday, October 17th from 9:30am-11:30am. We will be carving pumpkins, listening to spooky music, and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation!
This is a free event; pumpkins and tools will be provided! Donations are welcome and will go towards Briarwood’s continued ministry and programs for fun events just like this one! Registration required at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pumpkin-party-for-young-adults-tickets-123517428955.
Join us if you have the guts!

Parish Lay Ministry Academy, Fall 2020, Course 2
2020-10-17 09:00 - 15:30

ESET (SSTE) Módulo 10 (Día 3 de 5)
2020-10-17 09:00 - 12:00
Teología Sistemática, Credos y Confesiones Luteranas (Día 3 de 5)
via Zoom

Mission Endowment Fund (MEF) Online Fundraiser
2020-10-17
Mission Endowment Fund
GATHER IN THANKFULNESS – 2020 SEEDS THAT CHANGE
Seeds that Change: “… only God makes it grow.” I Cor. 3:7
An Online Worship Event premiering on Saturday, October 17, at 10:00am on the NT-NL Facebook page
The worship service will be available after that for watching at your convenience, as well as on the NT-NL YouTube and Vimeo pages.
Access a flyer with details here.
With Covid-19 and social distancing restrictions, the Mission Endowment Fund 2020 Seeds That Change event will be unique in many respects. The campaign will be online, with the opportunity to participate remotely across the NT-NL Synod. Plans are underway for a special worship service, GATHER IN THANKFULNESS, that celebrates the 25th anniversary of the MEF. The campaign will include newsletter articles, video stories, raffle items, and include a worship service with multiple NT-NL congregations and individuals participating.
While we will not actually be selling “tickets” as we would to an in-person live event, we will continue with the popular option of purchasing virtual tickets and/or a table for 8 attendees.
You may support this campaign online with a PLEDGE or a DONATION. You may also donate by texting “give” to 833-501-3856.

ESET (SSTE) Módulo 10 (Día 2 de 5)
2020-10-10 09:00 - 12:00
Teología Sistemática, Credos y Confesiones Luteranas (Día 2 de 5)
via Zoom

ESET (SSTE) Módulo 10 (Día 1 de 5)
2020-10-03 09:00 - 12:00
Teología Sistemática, Credos y Confesiones Luteranas (Día 1 de 5)
via Zoom

Online Synod Assembly
2020-09-26 13:00 - 16:30
Saturday, September 26, 1:00-4:30pm
*For Voting Members attending today, friendly reminder we will need to occasionally lock the webinar (meaning you will not be able to join) when we need to produce credentialing reports and do voting. You can find the approximate times in the proposed agenda.*
REGISTRATION DETAILS:

Voting Members registered in advance (by Friday, September 18) to be able to attend and vote in this year’s Assembly. You will receive a reminder email from Zoom containing information about joining the webinar the day before, and one hour before, Assembly. You may need to check your junk / spam folder. Once you log into the Zoom webinar, be sure your name reflects how you registered so that you can be confirmed and allowed to vote.
We will be live streaming to the NT-NL Facebook page (no account required) and recording this event for all other attendees.

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To access the Assembly Reference Materials: https://www.ntnl.org/2020-assembly-reference-materials/ (more items to be added in the coming weeks)
Important notes for this year’s Assembly:
Thanks to our good stewardship in previous years, we can offer this online experience at no cost to congregations.
Each voting member will need their own email address to register, and they will need to log into the Zoom webinar on September 26 with that same email address.
Each voting member will need to access the Zoom webinar with their own device to be able to vote. Ideally, this would be a computer so that polling (our voting option this year) is easily seen and accessed. If a tablet or phone is the only option, we highly recommend practicing before Assembly on how to access all the functions of Zoom webinars on each device, specifically where to find the poll option in a timely manner when that opens for each ballot.
If any voting member does not have access to any type of device to be able to login into (not call into) the Zoom webinar, please contact jason@ntnl.org as soon as possible, and we will research options. We will need to know this by Monday, August 31.
If any voting member needs translation in Spanish (there is a language interpretation option within Zoom webinars), please contact jason@ntnl.org by Monday, August 31, and we’ll do our best to get that set up.
Every voting member must be registered by Friday, September 18. No exceptions, no late registrations, and no “walk-ins” will be allowed this year. There are more requirements for online voting than in person, and we need time to implement them to ensure every voting member can be confirmed and their votes are secure.
We will hold two orientations (30-45 minutes each) prior to Assembly: Tuesday, September 22, 7pm, and Wednesday, September 23, 11am. If you are new to Zoom or have ever had issues with Zoom or your device, please plan to log in up to 30 minutes prior to the orientation to troubleshoot with Jason beforehand. We highly recommend every voting member attend at least one orientation to help us avoid being overwhelmed with requests the day of Assembly.
We ask that all Assembly, including technology-related, questions be routed to jason@ntnl.org. Especially starting Friday, September 18, and through Assembly on Saturday, September 26, the rest of synod staff and the Council executive team will be largely unavailable to answer questions as we plan for this new way of doing Assembly. Jason will be available to answer questions for you. We highly recommend each voting member start now on learning their device with Zoom and ask questions sooner rather than later. Please know we will do our best to support everyone, and if folks wait until the day of, we cannot guarantee their full participation (including being able to vote) in this year’s Assembly if we are inundated with requests.
Let’s have fun with this. We’re all experimenting and learning. We appreciate your grace, and we are praying for each of you.
More details forthcoming about this online experience.
To read Bishop’s announcement from July 28: https://www.ntnl.org/bishops-message-tuesday-july-28th-assembly-news/
To review details from our original Assembly event page: https://www.ntnl.org/event/2020-synod-assembly/

Synod Council and Conference Deans meetings
2020-09-25 - 2020-09-26
These meetings will be held online.
Friday, September 25, 1:00-3:30pm Synod Council and Conference Deans
1pm: Gather, Bible Study, Prayer
1:45pm: Discussion regarding PWT Statement on Anti-Racism
2:30pm: Break
2:40pm: Discussion regarding Synod investment in Briarwood and next steps
3:30pm: Adjourn
Saturday, September 26, 9:00am-12noon Synod Council

Orientation for Online Synod Assembly
2020-09-23 11:00 - 12:00
Save the Date for this orientation or the one the day before (Tuesday, September 22, 7pm). If you are new to Zoom or have ever had issues with Zoom or your device, please plan to log in up to 30 minutes prior to the orientation to troubleshoot with Jason beforehand. We highly recommend every Voting Member attend at least one orientation to help us avoid being overwhelmed with requests the day of Assembly.
You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: Sep 23, 2020 11:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Orientation for Online Synod Assembly
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://zoom.us/j/98462906939?pwd=[REDACTED]
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +13462487799,,98462906939#,,,,,,0#,,074312# or +16699006833,,98462906939#,,,,,,0#,,074312#
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592
Webinar ID: 984 6290 6939
Passcode: [REDACTED]
