Message from Bishop Gronberg
Partners in Mission:
In the worship I attended on Sunday the congregation, like many across NT-NL, participated in a palm procession and then, at the close of the service, listened as the passion story according to St. Matthew was read. As those appointed to read the story did so, I must admit my mind wandered for a moment thinking of how countercultural this experience was. To sit, in community, attending to the reading of scripture.
Our world today prides itself on instant and deeply visual entertainment. Just this weekend in Arlington, Taylor Swift drew over 200,000 people to three sold out concerts. Swift is an amazing artist, songwriter, and performer. And while I have never attended one of her shows, I have seen enough to know they are well crafted and intended to keep the audience engaged in our TikTok world. And many churches have learned from this and have worship experiences that, while not achieving the level of a Swift concert, approximate the experience of a rock concert.
My point in this isn’t to say that one way of engaging is necessarily better than another. Both have their place, and — and this is the important point — both are needed and valid. And frankly Easter is a great time to pull out the stops of music and worship. But before we get there, we need to take time to listen to the story again. To sit quietly with these words, passed on to us through millennia, that tell us of our God doing the exact opposite of what the world would expect. Our God, who could call down legions of angels, instead suffering as a thief on a cross. The victim of the empire desiring to maintain power and control. Ultimately going to the one place we all will go, death.
Then, having taken all that in, we can rejoice because we know that death is not the last word. I encourage you to engage the liturgies of the church this week. To volunteer to help, and to pray for your leaders and actively encourage and support them. For all who will lead the church this week I give thanks, and you are in my prayers. A blessed Holy Week to you all.
In Mission Together:
Bishop Gronberg
Kindling Faith: United and Ignited
A Forum for LGBTQIA+ Ministry Leaders, Affirming Worshippers, and Community Partners
April 15, 8:30am-4:30pm Eastern
Livestream. Register here.
Region 8 invites you to join us for a day of LGBTQIA+ Equipping for Affirming and Inclusion work within congregation and community with participation by representatives from regional community partner organizations. This day of interactive learning, discussion, and resource is also highly suitable and welcoming to lay leaders and congregational teams. Newly revised for 2023, this training includes updated best practice vocabulary for healthy discussions, history of both LGBTQIA+ progress and historical trauma within the church, where to find the most up-to-date resources and how congregations have used them in successful growth and vitality movement, help to have challenging conversations even through resistance, and practical next steps for active allyship including discernment on becoming a Reconciling in Christ congregation or living into your RiC designation.
Sponsored by Kindling Faith and the Lower Susquehanna Synod, ELCA
Briarwood Service of Thanksgiving and Transition
As Briarwood transitions, it will continue to fulfill its mission. And it is important to take time to give thanks for all the years and memories on the property at 670 Copper Canyon Rd, Argyle, TX 76226.
Sunday, April 16 – Worship begins at 3pm
Rain or Shine. Bishop Erik Gronberg preaching. Aaron Colwick and others providing music.
Please RSVP by April 10 so that we can prepare refreshments.
#InMissionTogether
Bishop Erik Gronberg
Featured Resources for April
Climate Action for Tired People: A Toolkit and Quiz for Parents and Others
Do you want to “do something about climate change” but not know where to start, or where the time and energy to start would come from?
Shannon Brescher Shea and Kate Schapira wrote this because you’re tired, busy, stressed, lonely, distracted, ashamed and/or overwhelmed. Between us, we know what it’s like to face the morning with a newborn in the house who won’t sleep, juggle school and homework and chores and a job, stare around at a messy room or house that you don’t have it in you to clean, and worry late into the night about your future and how you’ll live.
We also know what it’s like to both give and receive community support, and participate in public actions and campaigns in a variety of ways (including some that you might not think of at all when you think of “climate action”), and take care of our neighborhoods and our neighbors, also in a variety of ways. We know what it’s like to succeed, to fail, to learn and regroup, and to relish the pleasures and satisfactions of working toward a better world together.
This toolkit focuses on organizing to improve climate and environmental policy and regulation, but many of the methods within it and the relationships you’ll strengthen through it, you can also apply to other forms of climate action and activism, from disaster preparedness and response to nonviolent direct action.
Where in the world is?
Across a context as wide and different as NT-NL, the reality of Covid-19 is very different. As such, NT-NL synod staff are doing more in-person Sunday visits for worship and occasional meetings. However, as good stewards of time and travel dollars, we will be utilizing online meeting formats into our new hybrid future. Given the rise of breakthrough infections and in order to protect those gathered, the synod staff will choose to wear masks as is deemed appropriate unless preaching or presiding and sufficient social distancing can be provided.
Bishop Gronberg:
Apr. 15: Parish Lay Ministry Academy (PLMA)
Apr. 16: Briarwood Service of Thanksgiving and Transition, Argyle, TX
Apr. 21-22: Lutheran Men in Mission Annual Meeting
Apr. 23: 100th Anniversary Celebration, First United, Dallas
Apr. 28-29: NT-NL Synod Assembly, Shreveport, LA
Pastor Totzke:
Apr. 2: St. Peter, Malone
Apr. 6: Interim / Transitional Pastors monthly meeting, Zoom
Apr. 16: Christ the Servant, Allen, then Briarwood Service of Thanksgiving and Transition, Argyle, TX
Apr. 20: Youth Leaders lunch, Rejoice, Coppell
Apr. 22: WELCA retreat, St. Luke’s, Richardson
Apr. 25: First Call Pastors check-in, Zoom
Apr. 28-29: NT-NL Synod Assembly, Shreveport, LA
Apr. 30: St. Stephen, Shreveport, LA
May 4: Transitional / Interim pastors monthly meeting and Region 4 consultation meeting, both via Zoom
May 5-9: Vacation
May 18: Youth Leaders lunch, Rejoice, Coppell
May 20: Candidacy committee meeting
May 23: First Call Pastors check-in, Zoom
Pastora Bañales:
Apr. 4: Community of Hope and Umoja, Ft. Worth, then ELCA Spanish Coaching Team
Apr. 5: Council Worship workshop, Santa Maria de Guadalupe, Irving
Apr. 6: Central, Dallas, then Holy Thursday service, First Sagrada Familia, Garland
Apr. 7: Holy Friday service, Santa Maria de Guadalupe, Irving
Apr. 9: Santa Maria de Guadalupe, Irving, and First Sagrada Familia, Garland
Apr. 11: NT-NL Renewal team meeting, Advent, Arlington
Apr. 12: Stewardship workshop, Santa Maria de Guadalupe, Irving
Apr. 13: ELCA Candidacy Working Group
Apr. 15: Teaching for Spanish PLMA, Adviento, Arlington
Apr. 17: Clergy Latina Conference meeting
Apr. 18: ELCA Latino Strategy Team
Apr. 19: New Latinx Young Adult exploration ministry
Apr. 20: Meeting with NT-NL pastor, then SSTE Summit with Region 4 Bishops
Apr. 21-22: Christian Education Workshop with Puppets, Latina Conference
Apr. 24: DEMs of Color meeting, then NT-NL Renewal Team meeting
Apr. 25: Stewardship Preaching, ULS Gettysburg Campus Livestream
Apr. 28-29: NT-NL Synod Assembly, Shreveport, LA
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:
- Apr. 5: Courageous Leadership – Choose Your Own Adventure (breakout rooms by topic), Zoom
- Apr. 6: Transitional Pastors monthly meeting, Zoom
- Apr. 8: Public Witness Team meeting, Hybrid
- Apr. 10: LAST DAY to RSVP for Briarwood Service of Thanksgiving and Transition
- Apr. 12: Courageous Leadership – Presenter(s) and Topic TBA – Zoom
- Apr. 15: Parish Lay Ministry Academy (PLMA), Spring 1, Course 2, Hybrid
- Apr. 16: Briarwood Service of Thanksgiving and Transition, Argyle, TX
- Apr. 16: LAST DAY to register for Synod Assembly, Online (NO registrations will be accepted on site)
- Apr. 16: LAST DAY to book Synod Assembly hotel rooms at the guaranteed reduced rate, Online
- Apr. 19: Courageous Leadership – Kelly McGonigal – Surprising Facts About Stress – Zoom
- Apr. 25: First Call Pastors check-in, Zoom
- Apr. 26: Courageous Leadership – Presenter(s) and Topic TBA – Zoom
- Apr. 27: Cultivating Compassion Session 4: Think Again, Online
- Apr. 28-29: 2023 NT-NL Synod Assembly, Shreveport, LA
Access our full online Calendar here. Updates made regularly.
Do you have news or announcements to share? Please submit to Jason (jason@ntnl.org) for consideration for upcoming editions of our weekly news.