NT-NL Leaders:

We have now entered the last quarter of 2024. What a year this has been thus far. New ministries have been blessed. We had a great time in New Orleans at the ELCA gathering. We have said goodbye to Pastor Kris Totzke and welcomed Pastor Kelsey Fitting-Snyder on our synod staff. Your synod council has met and we had a powerful assembly at Santa Maria in Irving. Through it all you and your communities have been faithful in your support of our mission together.

As we begin October I am very aware that in our context anxiety is high. As we get ever closer to our local, state, and national elections it will frankly get even higher. And in the midst of this anxiety the 8th commandment and the truth are often ignored in the grasping for power.

At our Conference of Bishop’s meeting this past week (Sept 24-28) we agreed to sign on to an encouragement to all of us to speak the truth. To refuse to normalize lies, deceit, and hate speech. To check our facts and most of all to remember that as followers of Jesus Christ, we know that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. In so doing we have freedom to seek to understand our neighbors, to listen and learn, and live into being followers of the our Lord who was crucified by empire but by God’s power was raised to life and sends us forth. The servant leader who calls us to lives of discipleship.

In this month I encourage you as leaders in NT-NL to be people of the truth. To rest in the promise of your baptism and know that in Christ your future is secured. And having that security we seek the welfare of our neighbor and resist those ideologies that would claim any worldly leader can provide that promise for us. To know that we are sent into this broken world to bring peace and we do so #Juntosenmision #Togetherinmission

Bishop Gronberg