Message from Bishop Gronberg

Partners in Ministry:

Throughout this pandemic I have encouraged our leaders to heed God’s command to sabbath rest. Rest is vital in every season, however, as we have worked in new and adaptive ways through continued uncertainty this gift of God’s law to take time for regular rest is ever more vital. To not wait and depend on a vacation or extended leave to renew us but build into our lives regular and measured margin and rest. I commend this article from the Living Lutheran to you.

Bishop Gronberg

Living Lutheran: The spiritual discipline of rest

“In Genesis, God rests on the seventh day and blesses it as holy. As people created in God’s image, we, too, need rest. Yet rest often evades us.” In Living Lutheran’s August lead feature, Erin Strybis speaks with experts on how the spiritual discipline of rest allows us to live healthy, balanced lives, and examines why making space for rest can be a challenge for so many of us. Read more and download the study guide.

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Deep Dive Word Study with Jack Levison

A Free Lunchtime Webinar
September 9, 2021
12 – 1 pm Central

When Christianity Today selected Jack Levison’s A Boundless God: The Spirit according to the Old Testament as one of two books focusing on the Bible to read in 2021, they asked, “Who knew that a word study could read like an adventure story?” If you yearn to have your own Bible study feel like an adventure, join Jack, W. J. A. Power Professor of Old Testament Interpretation and Biblical Hebrew at Southern Methodist University, for an exciting hour of discovery.

Register today to learn how to do your own exhilarating word searches based on the original Hebrew and Greek of The Bible. Attendance at this lunchtime webinar is FREE, but Zoom registration is required. Please email the SMU | Perkins School of Theology office with any questions you may have.

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Book of Remembrance

It has been a tradition at NT-NL synod assemblies to have a book of remembrance in which congregations are invited to share the names of those who have died in the past year so they can be remembered in the prayers of the community. In recent years, Bishop Gronberg has also invited us to share the names of those who have been baptized into Christ in the past year as well. We invite you to share those names through this online form, and they will be incorporated into our worship on Saturday, September 11. – Romans 14:8

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September 11 Gathering at Briarwood

From Bishop Gronberg: “The events of this day are scheduled to be outside and as such as safe as possible. Masks will be encouraged at all times and required to enter any building. I hope that you will plan to join us as we gather as synod for the first time since April 2019. To be encouraged by community, and fed by the bread of life.” Read his full message here.

Disclaimer: In the interest of safety and public health due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we reserve the right to enforce public health and safety measures, depending on the conditions at the time, at our discretion.

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Readiness for Retirement Savings Matching Program

Resourceful Servants, an initiative of the ELCA and its ministry partners, supports leaders and congregations in the ELCA by promoting the financial wellness of seminarians, rostered ministers, and congregations through direct financial assistance and resources for financial education. Leaders and congregations that are financially well experience greater health and vitality overall and are better able to carry out the Great Commission — making disciples for Jesus Christ. For many rostered ministers, financial stress caused by a lack of retirement savings is a barrier to effectiveness and satisfaction in ministry. To address this challenge, Resourceful Servants offers the Readiness for Retirement Savings Matching program. Learn more about the Readiness for Retirement program. Rostered ministers received an email about this on August 16. The due date to complete the process is September 23.

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Updates from Portico Benefit Services

Dear Partners in Ministry,

I’m pleased to announce good news coming out of Portico’s Board of Trustees meeting last month. Trustees approved several changes for 2022, including:

• A 3% ELCA-Primary health contribution baseline rate increase ― the lowest in eight years
• No change to current ELCA-Primary health deductibles, out-of-pocket limits, prescription drug cost-share, and coinsurance
• A significant decrease in the contribution cost of ELCA Medicare-Primary health coverage for retired and non-sponsored health plan members, and a rate decrease for nearly all organizations sponsoring members with this coverage
• A new hearing aid benefit for adults and voluntary vision care services ― both delivered in response to member feedback

We published our annual news article describing the coming year’s rate and benefit details.

With 2022 Annual Enrollment kicking off soon, I’d like to bring a few things to your attention:

• As you’ll recall from last year, the ELCA now recommends two health plan benefit options — Gold+, and Silver+ paired with a monthly contribution to the member’s health savings account (HSA). We’re working hard this year to remind sponsoring organizations that, to give their members a choice between these two recommended options, they’ll need to choose Silver+.
• The window for sponsoring organizations to make their selection this year will be earlier and shorter, Oct. 4 – 15, 2021. Please be intentional about scheduling any benefit discussions ahead of this window.
• We’re making a change to the Annual Enrollment process for sponsoring organizations. Those who don’t make their health benefit selection on EmployerLink by their deadline will be assigned Silver+ paired with the Level A health savings account (HSA) employer contribution for 2022. In the past, we spent significant time and resources following up on organizations who missed their deadline — which, in turn, often delayed their members’ enrollment.
• This year, in the three months leading up to Annual Enrollment, we’ve been sending sponsoring organizations new resources they can share with their benefit decision-making team to help them understand the value of our benefit program. Here’s an early look at our latest shareable resource focused on the benefit administration support they receive at no additional cost from Portico as a participant in this ELCA community benefits program.

In another year filled with uncertainty, we’re again proud to deliver cost stability to the thousands of ELCA ministries counting on Portico to deliver a solid benefits program. As always, you can reach out to me with questions at JThiemann@PorticoBenefits.org or by phone at 612.752.4051.

In Christ,

The Rev. Jeff Thiemann
President and CEO
Portico Benefit Services | A Ministry of the ELCA

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Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Training

Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) is like CPR training, in that the more people learn and practice these skills, the faster individuals struggling with thoughts of suicide can be supported and get appropriate help. QPR is a nationally used, evidenced based training that assists people in learning how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. These three steps can help save a life, and it’s the same technique first responders and educators use with individuals contemplating suicide. QPR is suicide prevention training designed to give every person in our community the confidence and competence to help someone at risk for suicide. Parents, friends, neighbors, teachers, ministers, doctors, nurses, office supervisors, squad leaders, foremen, police officers, advisors, caseworkers, firefighters and other community members – anyone can learn these 3 simple steps that teach you how to recognize the warning signs, offer hope, and get help.

Due to the Covid-19 Delta variant, we are planning to host this QPR workshop online on October 9 from 1pm – 3pm.

This is a FREE Continuing Education opportunity (usually $30) covered by Public Witness through a generous Mission Endowment Fund Grant. Donations accepted for future opportunities. (Please designate Public Witness in the Note / memo field.)

Registration required. Limited to first twelve (12) registrants. If you register and are unable to attend for any reason, please notify jason@ntnl.org ASAP so that we can open that spot back up for someone else. If you attempt to register and the course is full, please email jason@ntnl.org to be added to a wait list.

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MEF Seeds That Change

Will you join your fellow Lutherans in a Synod-wide uplifting opportunity to inspire our NT-NL community? The Mission Endowment Fund is excited to bring you our 2^nd virtual celebration and FUNd-raiser, Gifted and Giving … How Grace Works. Talented individuals and congregational groups will share their moving stories about how they see God’s grace at work through the gifts they have received. The campaign is already underway. More information can be found at our special website for this campaign: https://giftedandgiving.org/. We are featuring artists, actors, musicians, poets, advocates, generosity, and more to showcase the talent that God gives us to share. These are people in our Synod that you may know. They are telling their stories in a short video, which will also be featured collectively in the premiere celebration on October 16 at 10:00 a.m with a homily by Bishop Gronberg. Visit our special website and keep watching. Links to videos will shared soon.

How can you support the grant giving ministry of the Mission Endowment Fund?

Post this flyer in your church newsletter: MEF Gifted and Giving

Make a donation: https://giftedandgiving.org/donate/

Apply for a 2022 grant: https://www.ntnl.org/ministries/mef/grant-application/

Participate in the event: contact Linda Ness at mef@ntnl.org or 682-429-3446

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NT-NL Leadership Convocation

Briarwood Leadership Center, Argyle, TX

At this time, we are planning for this to be a hybrid event, offered both in person and online.

We will be focusing on how to capitalize on the new things you have been doing. How to turn our reactions and fast learnings in pandemic into more long term parts of our life. To live into the hybrid in person/online future that is a reality for us all.

To assist us in this work we will be led by Dr. Alicia Granholm. Dr. Granholm has two decades of experience in church leadership in mainline and non-denominational settings in the United States and abroad. Most recently she has been coaching four of our NT-NL congregations who are involved in the Leadership for Faithful Innovation Cohort that I highlighted in my 2021 synod assembly report. She will work with us on a theology of innovation as well as how to make new things become part of our life. Joining her will also be, living into our hybrid culture, online conversation partners that will enrich our time including Mikka McCracken, Executive Director for innovation with the ELCA Churchwide office.

Dr. Cláudio Carvalhaes is a professor of liturgy and worship at Union Seminary in New York. He will be joining us online to facilitate conversation about worship and life in our new reality. Carvalhaes, a native of Brazil, has both studied and is a cross cultural scholar. He will help us think theologically about our praxis of worship in person and online. To consider practices that engage all participants as much as possible in the liturgy, the “work of the people.” Dr. Carvalhaes is featured in this August 26 article: Ten Theology Books to Watch For.

It will be a good time for us to gather, think together, and learn. Click here for a tentative detailed schedule. (as of August 25)

Please register here: https://tithe.ly/event-registration/#/4182327. Early registration (half price = $25) ends September 15. Regular registration = $50.

If you need overnight lodging (additional fee), please email jason@ntnl.org with your request, and we’ll be in touch closer to the event date.

Disclaimer: In the interest of safety and public health due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we reserve the right to enforce public health and safety measures, depending on the conditions at the time, at our discretion.

Full details, and updates, can be found here: https://www.ntnl.org/event/leadership-convocation-2021/

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TLU Campus Pastor Search

Texas Lutheran University is re-launching its search for a campus pastor. If you are aware of potential candidates, or of those who can help us identify potential candidates, I welcome your being in touch.

The details of the position can be found below, and we will be advertising this opportunity nationally. The search committee plans to begin review of applications in early October and anticipates conducting interviews in October and November, aiming for a January start. If you have any suggestions about this opportunity, please contact my office by emailing president@tlu.edu or the chair of the search committee, Dr. Carl Hughes.

With many thanks for your ongoing support,

Dr. Debbie Cottrell, President

The Campus Pastor will be asked to provide spiritual leadership and direction for the whole campus community—students, faculty, and staff with many faith commitments or none at all. The Pastor will accompany students in their journey of faith development and vocational discernment; create a variety of worship opportunities and avenues for spiritual growth; facilitate ecumenical and interfaith dialogue; build community within a diverse and changing student body; and be a trusted mentor, confidant, and colleague. Click here for full details, including how to apply.

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Spiritual Direction Certification Program at LTSS

The Spiritual Direction Certification Program at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir-Rhyne University continues to flourish and grow. They will begin their sixth year of participants in January 2022. Each new cohort, which they call a cycle, has 16 participants and two mentors to support them. So far, their participants represent nine different denominations and 17 different states.

Spiritual direction is a centuries-old Christian tradition of listening to how God is moving toward healing and wholeness in people’s lives. This practice of holy listening has been reclaimed by Protestants after Vatican II in the Roman Catholic Church in the mid-20th century. Christians are increasingly hungry for authentic connection with God in the company of another, and seek the gift of spiritual direction in church leaders. Candidacy committees have responded to this spiritual hunger by suggesting that seminary candidates participate in spiritual direction. Seasoned clergy are also yearning for this depth of spiritual connection in their own lives and practice of ministry, and are seeking out programs for spiritual direction.

LTSS would like to begin to raise up new generations of spiritual directors through their two-year certification (non-degree) program. Their next cycle of participation begins with an intensive on January 5-8, 2022. Applications for this cycle are due on November 15, 2021. If you know of anyone – clergy or lay – who you think might have a calling as a spiritual director, they can learn more here (https://www.lr.edu/ltss/afl), then please have them contact Pastor Melanie Dobson at melanie.dobson@lr.edu or 919.724.3557

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Administration Matters

Greetings,

Thank you for the good work you do as congregation leaders. You bring a wealth of knowledge, vision, and experience to the great work of this church.

We would like to introduce you to Administration Matters, a bimonthly electronic newsletter for ELCA church leaders. It addresses common, practical issues including finance, governance, risk management, and tax and legal concerns, as well as other topics of interest about day-to-day operations and management in church settings.

If you wish to subscribe to the Administration Matters e-newsletter, you can do so by logging in to https://blogs.elca.org/adminmatters/ (see left side of page). Subscription is free, your name won’t be added to any other mailing lists, and you may unsubscribe at any time if you decide to opt out.

We anticipate that you will find Administration Matters to be a useful tool in managing the work you do for the church.

Blessings,

Lori Fedyk

Treasurer, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

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Courageous Leadership Series with ELCA Coaching

Dear ELCA Leaders,

You are invited to join ELCA Coaching at 1pm Central on the First and Third Wednesdays (through at least November) to learn some possibly surprising, and some definitely humorous, things about COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP. We are inviting you to bring a spirit of curiosity and openness to discerning how and where Spirit might be calling you forward as a leader in your life, family, work, ministry, community, and the world. There will also be time for small groups in breakout rooms so that leaders across the church can continue to learn from each other and leave each gathering with at least one action step.

Login information can be found on the ELCA Coaching website: https://www.elcacoaching.org/events/courageous-leadership