Investing in Leaders

The Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA is now in its fifth and final year. The emphasis for this year is on growing gifts for the Fund for Leaders in Mission. This fund provides 50 full-time scholarships each year for seminarians in the ELCA. Additionally, the NT-NL has its own Fund for Leaders, which allows us to give scholarships locally as well. NT-NL has benefited from these gifts in many and various ways.

Bishop Gronberg and the NT-NL Synod Council invite congregations to support the NT-NL Fund for Leaders by considering a special offering this Easter season. Giving thanks for the hope of the resurrection, we encourage congregations to support those discerning a call to ministry and help us keep student debt to a minimum. A matching challenge grant has been given to match dollar-for-dollar the first $10,000 given to this Easter Appeal. Thank you for considering support for the ELCA Campaign and Fund for Leaders. (Gifts may be brought with you to Synod Assembly or directed to the Synod office; please specify Fund for Leaders).

Together, we can invest in leaders for Christ’s church on a scale and scope we never could otherwise. Your gifts to the Fund for Leaders program empowers those whom God calls into ministry to go and serve as the church needs and the Holy Spirit leads.

---

Leading The Way

How will your congregation celebrate Earth Day? Faith communities across the nation will be participating in Faith Climate Action Week, April 14-22, ending on Earth Day. The theme for this year  is “Charged with Faith: Leading the Way to a Clean Energy Future.” Texas local Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) affiliates are planning events in Houston and Fort Worth. For more information, visit txipl.org or email Katrina Martich at katrina@texasinterfaith.org.

---

Fill Your Church Building Every Day

4 Ways to Fill Your Church Building Every Day

“Many churches view their building as the #1 financial liability of their ministry. What if, instead, they were used for additional community engagement and provided funds to further your ministry?

Church facilities have long been a vastly under-utilized ministry tool, with most spaces left vacant during the week besides an occasional evening meeting or Bible study. The average church only uses its building 15 percent of the week!

Many ministry leaders spend an incredible amount of time and money reaching out to neighbors and hosting events that newcomers would find interesting. But if you were to host a business, not only would hundreds of first-time visitors come through the doors every week, but you would reduce the overhead costs of the building.

By stewarding these unused spaces more effectively, ministries can create a sustainable income stream and an incredible avenue for evangelism and outreach to the surrounding community.

As you begin to dream about what this might look like, we encourage you to consider your greatest passions and how they might line up with a business model.” Continue reading.

---

Save the Date

Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber: “Stop saying the church is dying!”

May 15

Arborlawn UMC, Fort Worth

---

Where in the world is?

Bishop Gronberg:

• Apr. 6-8 – NT-NL Youth Pre-National Gathering event, Merkel, TX

Pr. Totzke:

• Apr. 8 – Good Shepherd, Irving, TX

Pra. Bañales:

• Apr. 3-5 – Pathways to Generosity: Signs of Hope (Ecumenical Stewardship conference), King of Glory, Dallas, TX
• Apr. 6 – Jacksboro Prison Ministry & House of Mercy Enterprises, Olney, TX
• Apr. 8 – 22nd Anniversary Celebration with Joy, Rockwall, TX