In This Issue
Featured Blog Post
Lectionary 20A Gospel and Sermon for August 16
Weekly Online Gatherings for ELCA Leaders
Conversations at Briarwood
Faith Leader Panel with Bishop Gronberg
Synod Assembly Updates
MEF Relief Funds
Upcoming Ordination
Upcoming Events
Featured Blog Post
As many congregations make plans for the fall, there is a realization that traditional in-person Sunday morning Sunday school is unlikely in many of our contexts. As such, online or socially distanced in-person gatherings are going to be reality. Synod wide, we have a number of congregations and leaders who are already doing creative things in Christian Education, and through Briarwood, we have a resource to share already created content available for your use. This blog will keep being updated throughout the fall with resources: Education Resources for NT-NL Congregations for Fall 2020. Access this link now for a starter list of resources for Youth and Families, as well as for Adults. You may want to bookmark this link for future access to additional resources.
Lectionary 20A Gospel and Sermon for August 16
Rev. Jim Rowe recorded a sermon for August 16. Jim is campus pastor at LCM-Denton, and as a service to the congregations who support this vital young adult ministry, he is providing this resource. Through the fall, we will have other synod related ministry leaders provide resources in gratitude for the work we do #InMissionTogether
Vimeo (download): https://vimeo.com/user118660328/download/444722026/9e6dae4426
Vimeo (watch): https://vimeo.com/444722026
YouTube: https://youtu.be/nqYJYWE_Hyk
Sermon transcript can be found here: https://www.ntnl.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Lectionary-20A-2020.pdf
Sermon transcript in Spanish can be found here: https://www.ntnl.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/August-16-Sermon-by-Rev-Jim-Rowe-Spanish.pdf
Weekly Online Gatherings for ELCA Leaders
Being Church
Wednesdays, 1PM Central
Join us TODAY for Naming our Laments and Recognizing our Resiliency with Rev. Robin McCullough-Bade (Executive Director of the Interfaith Federation of Greater Baton Rouge) and Rev. Brenda K. Smith (Program Director for Faith Practices and Book of Faith for the ELCA).
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.
You can find the login information and a list of upcoming topics and presenters on the home page of the ELCA Coaching website: https://www.
Conversations at Briarwood
Conversations at Briarwood resume in August on Thursdays at 7pm. See the synod calendar for the login details each week.
The Conversations provide a “deep dive” opportunity to engage topics of importance to both church and society. This second series will feature prominent Latina/o/x church leaders and scholars.
August 6 – Jennifer De Leon on “Building Movements, Mistakes & All”
August 13 – Rubén Rosario Rodríguez on “Liberation Theology for Today”
August 20 – Cláudio Carvalhaes on “Liturgy and the Care of Creation”
August 27 – Jacqueline Hidalgo on “Monuments, Memory, and Inclusive Justice”
More information about our featured guests will be shared in individual Briarwood Leadership Center Facebook events promoting each Conversation.
Faith Leader Panel with Bishop Gronberg
You are invited to “Faith in Democracy: Lifting Dallas Voices for Justice” Sunday, August 23 at 2:00pm for a faith and community leader panel, insider insights into the 2021 Texas Legislature, and panels with nuts and bolts strategies to promote safe, fair elections in 2020.
Registration is free but necessary to receive the links.
Speakers include:
2:00pm Faith Leader Panel
- Rev. Sheron Patterson, Hamilton Park United Methodist Church
- Dr. Omar Suleiman, Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research
- Bishop Gronberg, Northern-Texas Northern Louisiana Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
- Rabbi Nancy Kasten, Faith Commons
Moderated by Scott Atnip, Texas Impact Outreach Director
3:15pm Recruiting Election Workers Panel
4:15pm Mail in Voting Strategies Panel
5:15pm Insider Insights:Texas Impact’s 2021 Legislative Preview
Synod Assembly Updates
From Bishop Gronberg’s message to the full synod on July 28:
It has now been three months since we should have been gathered at Paul Quinn College for our annual NT-NL assembly. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we postponed with hope for a fall in-person gathering. Due to continued high rates of infection and hospitalizations, an in-person gathering even this fall is looking unlikely. As such, we are announcing today our first ever NT-NL online assembly to be held September 26, 2020 from 1-4:30pm. More information about registration and agenda will be forthcoming. I am excited for this opportunity in which we can utilize the resources of the Leadership Center at Briarwood. It will be a learning experience for us all, a hallmark of adaptive leadership.
— — —
Here is important information for you to know as leaders:
We will have a registration link ready and out to the synod by Monday, August 17.
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 meeting on September 26 with that same email address.
Each voting member will need to access the Zoom meeting 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 meetings 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 meeting, please contact jason@ntnl.org as soon as possible, and we will research options. We will need to know this by Monday, August 31.
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 gets a secure vote.
We will hold two orientations prior to Assembly. Those dates and times will be announced soon. 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.
MEF Relief Funds
Dear Partners in Mission:
The COVID-19 crisis continues to challenge and change our lives together. Many congregations have suspended in-person worship for over a month. In addition, daycares and other church ministries have been deeply impacted. Our leaders have proven themselves resilient, adaptable, and faithful to the work that we do together. While this crisis has brought challenge, it has also brought innovation and opportunity for our communities.
We are, however, only now beginning to get a fuller picture of the impact these changes are having on our congregations and their financial sustainability. Each congregation and ministry is, just like the people who make up the church, experiencing this differently. For some of our communities, the move to online worship and giving has been fairly seamless. Others are more dependent on weekly offerings from in-person worship. And within the communities, there are uneven experiences of job and income loss and stability.
Throughout this process, we have shared resources with you about how you might take advantage of governmental programs, as well as work with creditors to change loans or other obligations. Again, the experience across the synod has been uneven as each community and ministry works with their various financial institutions.
Recognizing that emergency cash flow problems might threaten benefits for employees or other vital bills, the board of the Mission Endowment Fund (MEF) of the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod has responded with an emergency loan program. Utilizing unrestricted funds and in concert with their financial advisors, they have available some funds to help communities in an emergency situation. I am grateful for their clarity of mission in that these funds are a gift for us to steward for mission and that carrying out mission and Word and Sacrament ministry in this time is critical. Information about applying for these funds are available on our website: https://www.ntnl.org/ministries/mef/.
A host of resources, including some guidelines on how communities might make decisions about coming back together, are available at https://www.ntnl.org/resources/covid-19/. I encourage you to make use of those.
In Mission Together,
Bishop Erik K. J. Gronberg
Upcoming Ordination
Adam Stockton, called to serve Rejoice, Frisco, will be ordained on August 9.
Upcoming Events
With the ever-changing guidelines and recommendations in our world right now, as we maintain physical distance in social solidarity, please keep in mind these events may be moved online, postponed, or cancelled:
- Aug. 5: Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders – Naming our Laments and Recognizing our Resiliency [Rev. Robin McCullough-Bade (Executive Director of the Interfaith Federation of Greater Baton Rouge) and Rev. Brenda K. Smith (Program Director for Faith Practices and Book of Faith for the ELCA)], Zoom
- Aug. 6: Weekly NT-NL Leadership Prayer, Check-in, Zoom
- Aug. 6: Conversations at Briarwood – Building Movements, Mistakes & All (Jennifer DeLeon), Zoom
- Aug. 8: ESET (SSTE) Módulo 8 (Día 2 de 5), Zoom
- Aug. 8: Public Witness Team meeting, Zoom
- Aug. 12: Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders (Pastor Mary Martha Kannass with young adults of Hephatha Lutheran, Milwaukee), Zoom
- Aug. 13: Weekly NT-NL Leadership Prayer, Check-in, Zoom
- Aug. 13: Interim Pastors monthly meeting, Zoom
- Aug. 13: Conversations at Briarwood – Liberation Theology for Today (Rubén Rosario Rodríguez, PhD), Zoom
- Aug. 15: ESET (SSTE) Módulo 8 (Día 3 de 5), Zoom
- Aug. 19: Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders, Zoom
- Aug. 20: Weekly NT-NL Leadership Prayer, Check-in, Zoom
- Aug. 20: Conversations at Briarwood – Liturgy and the Care of Creation (Cláudio Carvalhaes, PhD), Zoom
- Aug. 22: ESET (SSTE) Módulo 8 (Día 4 de 5), Zoom
- Aug. 22: Living Connected: The Spiritual Discipline of Creation Care (The Gift of Water), Zoom
- Aug. 25: Living Connected: The Spiritual Discipline of Creation Care (The Gift of Water), Zoom
- Aug. 26: Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders, Zoom
- Aug. 27: Weekly NT-NL Leadership Prayer, Check-in, Zoom
- Aug. 27: Conversations at Briarwood – Monuments, Memory, and Inclusive Justice (Jacqueline Hidalgo, PhD), Zoom
- Aug. 29: ESET (SSTE) Módulo 8 (Día 5 de 5), Zoom
For a complete list of upcoming events in, and important to, our Synod, you can access our Calendar of Events online.