In This Issue
Featured Blog Post
MEF “Good Faith Loan” Relief Fund
ELCA Youth Gathering Informational Meetings for NT-NL
ELCA Rostered Ministers Gathering CANCELLED
FREE “More Time for Ministry” Webinar
Feedback Requested on ELCA “Sanctuary Denomination”
Feedback Requested on ELCA Draft Social Message
LFSW Regional Gift Planner Opening
Congratulations to the Bergerons
Upcoming Events
Featured Blog Post
NT-NL Leaders:
Earlier this week I had the chance to participate in the ELCA Larger Church gathering. Because of COVID-19 this gathering, like so many others, had to move online. While no doubt disappointing to the organizers (including NT-NL’s own Rev. Paul Mussachio, Preston Meadow, Plano) this move online enabled many others, including myself, to gain insights from speaker Carey Nieuwhof. Nieuwhof spoke at length about leading in crisis and in this particular crisis. I appreciated his insights particularly as my academic interest, and dissertation, was written about adaptive leadership in crisis. In a recent blogpost he speaks a challenging word to us as church looking beyond the current crisis. How are we preparing for the future and are we being honest that the world is changing right now? Assuming we will go back to “normal” in a few weeks, months, or even a year+ is no longer an option, the world has and will continue to adapt as must our leadership.
One of the core messages Nieuwhof presented was the need in crisis to lead pro-actively and not re-actively. To face the reality of crisis, be realistic in our assessment, and also look towards the future. For Lutherans this resonates well with theological language of Law and Gospel. We face the truth of the situation (the Law) but live into the hope of future because we know the future is God (the Gospel).
We are in the midst of a crisis that continues to challenge and change us. As I noted in my Monday May 4th message the situation changes daily and we must be prepared to respond to these conditions. We also must prepare for and live into the future. This is an excellent and important time for us as church to assess our role in society, who are we, how are our vocations expanding, and ultimately what word do we have to speak to this world. As synod, part of our role is to resource you for this work and walk with you and your community in this time. Continue reading Bishop Gronberg’s “Resources for You” message, which includes four categories of resources.
MEF “Good Faith Loan” Relief Fund
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
ELCA Youth Gathering Informational Meetings for NT-NL
See Bishop Gronberg’s recent blog post, ELCA Youth Gathering Information Meetings: May 2020, which includes a video message.
ELCA Rostered Ministers Gathering CANCELLED
Given the ongoing uncertainty regarding travel and large gatherings in the coming months, the decision has been made to cancel the 2020 Rostered Ministers Gathering. Please visit ELCA.org/RMG for more information.
FREE “More Time for Ministry” Webinar
From practical tools to encouraging advice and everything in between, join The Graduate School at DBU for this upcoming webinar as they hope to equip you to make an impact wherever you work, serve, & lead.
Tuesday, May 12, 12:00n
Your ministry can thrive. You just need the proper tools. Learn how to manage your ministry priorities while working remotely. Register here.
Feedback Requested on ELCA “Sanctuary Denomination”
Last summer, the ELCA voted to become a “Sanctuary Denomination” and gave the ELCA church council the task of defining what that means. We had planned on using the Synod Assembly season as a time to hear feedback and be engaged in conversation with members from all over our church, but unfortunately those assemblies have been cancelled or postponed. We still want to hear from you!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PMWFTY6
We have created this survey so that we can hear your feedback. Please take this survey, and share it with any member of our church who would like to be part of the conversation. We need your input. We decided to make this a simple and short survey, so that it would not take long. If the survey does not ask a question that gets at your thoughts, just share your thoughts in the places provided, or email our church council rep directly at nick@abidinggracedfw.org.
Feedback Requested on ELCA Draft Social Message
“For baptized Christians, civic engagement is a vital means of discipleship.”
Dear church,
The idea of government was already very much in focus because this was an election year, and the pandemic has focused it more so. But what does the ELCA teach about the nature and function of government in relation to God’s purposes? What is a faithful Lutheran response regarding citizenship and civic engagement?
To help guide our church on these questions, the 2019 Churchwide Assembly asked for the preparation of a social message. At this time, the message is in draft form. Through May 27, you are invited to provide feedback on how to strengthen the message.
I invite you to click here to read “A Draft Social Message on Government and Civic Engagement: Discipleship in a Democracy.” To offer feedback, please fill out the survey. You may also choose to email comments to draftsocialmessage@elca.org. The comment period ends May 27. To learn more about what social messages are, go to elca.org/socialmessages.
In light of the feedback, the message will be revised and presented to the ELCA Church Council for a vote in June. Upon its adoption, the message and a study guide will be released over the summer, along with a Spanish translation.
To learn more about this social message and the process of its creation, please visit its webpage, which features “Frequently Asked Questions.”
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this project—it’s through the wisdom of the full church that a strong message will be created.
God’s peace,
Rev. Roger A. Willer, Ph.D.
Director for Theological Ethics
Office of the Presiding Bishop
LFSW Regional Gift Planner Opening
The Lutheran Foundation of the Southwest is searching for a Regional Gift Planner. This position will support the NT-NL Synod; the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is a significant piece of this territory.
The Regional Gift Planner is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and securing new and ongoing gifts from individuals in support of churchwide ministries, congregations, synods, and related ELCA and LFSW ministries. This position is part of a nationwide network of twenty-two professional Regional Gift Planners. Each Gift Planner lives and works within their assigned territory (home office). You can find a copy of the complete Position Profile here.
Applications (resume and cover letter) and inquiries about the position may be directed, in confidence, to Gaye Lindfors of Significant Solutions, Inc., the consultant assisting with this search: Gaye@SignificantSolutionsInc.com or 651-490-9550.
Congratulations to the Bergerons
Congratulations to the Rev. Jeffery and Ashley Bergeron on the birth of their daughter, Elia, on March 26.
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:
- May 6: Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders, Zoom
- May 7: Weekly NT-NL Leadership Prayer, Check-in, Zoom
- May 9: ESET (SSTE) Módulo 7 (Día 4 de 5), Zoom
- May 9: Public Witness Team meeting, Zoom
- May 12: Holy Hollywood for NT-NL Young Adults, Zoom
- May 13: Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders, Zoom
- May 13: Webinar 1 of 2: Theological Perspectives on Immigration from the U.S. Mexico Borderlands
- May 14: Weekly NT-NL Leadership Prayer, Check-in, Zoom
- May 14: Webinar 2 of 2: Living in Third Spaces: Where the church meets asylum seekers
- May 16: PLMA, Spring 2020, Course 3, Zoom
- May 16: Briarwood 2020 Gala: Adventure Awaits, Online Experience
- May 20: Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders, Zoom
- May 21: Weekly NT-NL Leadership Prayer, Check-in, Zoom
- May 23: ESET (SSTE) Módulo 7 (Día 5 de 5), Zoom
- May 24-29: Spanish Language and Hispanic Ministry Intensive I, Austin, TX
- May 26: Holy Hollywood for NT-NL Young Adults, Zoom
- May 27: Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders, Zoom
- May 28: Weekly NT-NL Leadership Prayer, Check-in, Zoom
- Jun. 7-11: Vital Congregations – Vital Communities: Building Leadership Capacity for Latinx Ministries, Austin, TX
- Jun. 13: Public Witness Team meeting, Arlington, TX
For a complete list of upcoming events in, and important to, our Synod, you can access our Calendar of Events online.