In This Edition
Message from Bishop Gronberg
2025 Prayer Partners
2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly Actions: Your Opportunity to Comment
Lutheran Ethicists Gathering
Latine Ministry Competency Workshop 202
Dancing Day: A Festival of Lessons and Carols
Dallas Area Interfaith: A Cry for Justice, a Call to Action
ELCA Schools and Learning Centers Open Enrollment Period
Lutheran Men in Mission Fall Ambassador-Gram
NT-NL Synodical Women’s Organization’s November Newsletter
Longest Night Service at Christ, Dallas
Annual German Church Service at Christ, Dallas
Central, Dallas seeking Music Director
Lutheran Summer Music Musical Advent Calendar
NT-NL Youth Weekend for Junior High and High Schoolers
NT-NL Youth Leaders Thursday Conversation & Lunch
Upcoming Events
Prayer Requests
Roster Changes
Message from Bishop Gronberg
Dear Partners in Mission:
Happy New Year!
December 1st we celebrated Advent 1 and begin our preparation for Christ’s coming at Christmas. This is a season with many traditions and celebrations. It is also often a difficult season for those who are lonely, particularly those who have experienced loss in this time. So it is important that we be celebrative but also take seriously the needs of our neighbors.
On Sunday December 8th the bishops of ELCA Region 4 will be joining me as we participate in the annual celebration at San Gabriel-Alvarado to honor the celebrations of the Virgin of Guadalupe. This festival is an important cultural and spiritual event in the life of San Gabriel and the community there. I am glad to host my bishop colleagues so they can experience this event.
As we move into the Advent season and towards Christmas I pray your hearts will be moved by the biblical narrative as we hear of God’s great action in the world. And as we sing the magnificat may its challenge remind us that God has come to humble the proud and powerful, to lift of the lowly, and that is also our work as well.
#TogetherInMission,
Bishop Gronberg
2025 Prayer Partners
We have updated the synod Prayer Partners list for next year and uploaded it to the website. You can find that here: https://www.ntnl.org/resources/prayer-partners/.
2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly Actions: Your Opportunity to Comment
The 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly proposed reconsiderations to the 2009 social statement, Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust. The materials related to this reconsideration were posted on November 7 at www.elca.org/
For leaders there is an updated FAQ (https://www.ntnl.org/resources/human-sexuality-gift-and-trust-reconsideration-faq/) about the process. If you have questions visit www.elca.org/
Lutheran Ethicists Gathering
The 2025 theme is Polarization: Discerning a Path Forward. At the global, national, and local levels, the forces that divide us from one another seem stronger than ever. Rising political polarization challenges our ability to dialogue, compromise, and collaborate toward the common good, even within faith communities. What does it mean for the church to live out its vocation as a community of moral deliberation amid this stark polarization? How might the theological, ethical, liturgical, or pastoral resources of the Lutheran church point a way forward? At the 2025 Lutheran Ethicists’ Gathering, we will explore these and other questions related to polarization, in hopes of discerning theo-ethical approaches that help us understand and mitigate deep divides in communities.
Presenters Include:
- Dr. Amy Carr, professor of religious studies, Western Illinois University
- Rev. Benjamin Dueholm, pastor, Christ Lutheran Church, Dallas
- Dr. Christine Helmer, Peter B. Ritzma Professor of the Humanities, Professor of German and Religious Studies, Northwestern University.
- Silas Kulkarni, Director of Strategy and Advocacy, ELCA Witness in Society, Washington, D.C.
There are options to attend in person or virtually. You can register or find more information here.
Latine Ministry Competency Workshop 202
Find more information and register here.
Dancing Day: A Festival of Lessons and Carols
Join Zion Lutheran Church, Dallas on Sunday, December 8th at 6:00pm for a Lessons and Carols festival.
Dallas Area Interfaith: A Cry for Justice, a Call to Action
Join hundreds of faith leaders from across Dallas, to build a way for ordinary people to take action on the issues we have in common. A registration form and more information can be found here.
ELCA Schools and Learning Centers Open Enrollment Period
As a member of the ELEA, you get access to many benefits, one of which is insurance! In the ELEA member group, it’s now Open Enrollment for the ELEA Insurance Benefits program! The program provides valuable options like Life Insurance, Long-Term Disability, Dental, and Vision coverage exclusively for employees of ELEA member organizations including church staff!
Key Details:
- Who qualifies? Any staff member working 20 hours or more per week (year-round or seasonal).
- Enrollment Information: All instructions and plan details are available on the ELEA website here: ELEA Insurance – Open Enrollment
- Deadline: Applications are due by December 6th, 2024. Be sure to distribute the information to your team and start reviewing the options early!
If an employee is enrolling new, please have them fill out the Insurance Application (first-timers only). If an employee is making changes to their existing plan, they’ll need to complete the Change Form (existing only).
If no changes are needed, there’s nothing to do no forms required.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out directly to Jennifer Bond at Nancy Bond Insurance Services or her colleague Monica Cordeiro.
Lutheran Men in Mission Fall Ambassador-Gram
Find updates about Lutheran Men in Mission and upcoming events here.
NT-NL Synodical Women’s Organization’s November Newsletter
You can read about the happenings of our Synodical Women’s Organization here.
Longest Night Service at Christ, Dallas
You are invited to join Christ, Dallas on Friday, December 20th at 6:30pm for a service of reflection, hope and healing. No RSVP required.
Annual German Church Service at Christ, Dallas
This church service is being arranged by the Johanniterorden, the Dallas Goethe Center and the Deutsche Kirche in Dallas and is being hosted by Christ Lutheran Church on Saturday, December 14th at 4:00pm. This service offers for English and German speakers a chance to experience a traditional church service in German language with traditional Advent songs. The service will also include a special children’s sermon and it will be followed by a reception afterwards with German cookies, cake and Stollen!
The service will be accompanied by singing performances of children of the German International School of Dallas and the Dallas Frohsinn Singer. The service will be presided by Rev. Ben Dueholm and Rev, Kurt Maerschel, Master of Divinity, MA who will also provide a special welcome for participating children.
Central, Dallas seeking Music Director
Central, Dallas is seeking a part-time Music Director to lead and coordinate music for worship services. If you would like to apply, you can email a resume and cover letter to central.lutheran.dallas@gmail.com.
More information can be found on the Central, Dallas website.
Lutheran Summer Music Musical Advent Calendar
Since the nineteenth century, households and congregations have marked the days before Christmastide with many types of Advent calendars. The season of waiting and longing for the “already-but-not-yet” incarnation of Jesus unfolds amidst waning daylight in the Northern Hemisphere, a time of yearning for hope, joy, and peace.
Join LSM for a moment of music and reflection each day from December 1 to 24. Selections will be posted to the LSM Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube accounts and archived on their website.
NT-NL Youth Weekend for Junior High and High Schoolers
Join youth from around the synod for a weekend of fellowship, learning, serving, playing, worship and fun at King of Glory, Dallas February 28-March 2. Accommodations will be at a local hotel. You can find more information here. Super Early Bird registration runs until December 1st, Early Bird registration runs from December 1-31.
NT-NL Youth Leaders Thursday Conversation & Lunch
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:
- December 14: Public Witness Team Meeting
- January 3-5: Peer Ministry Retreat, Calvary, Richland Hills
- January 11: Public Witness Team Meeting
- January 28: First Call Pastors Check-In, Zoom
For a complete list of upcoming events, you can access our Calendar of Events online.