Investment in Our 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.
Here is a testimonial from the Rev. Mark Hadley, pastor at Shepherd of Life, Arlington:
I was thrilled to receive a scholarship from the NT-NL Fund for Leaders in 2016. It couldn’t have come at a better time. I was in the third year of my three-year TEEM program, and to that point my seminary expenses had been covered by generous gifts from my congregation and other individuals. But that money was exhausted and I was faced with funding the remainder of my education on my own. That would have required me to pull money out of a savings account, right at a time when my wife and I were about to send our first child to college. Just then the NT-NL Fund for Leaders scholarship came as a brilliant blessing to me and my family. With that scholarship I was able to finish out my schooling without tapping into other funds. I thank God and the good folks working with the NT-NL Fund for Leaders for giving me this amazing blessing.
But I should mention one more thing, unrelated to the financial side of this gift. The act itself — of identifying a seminary student, acknowledging their hard work, and supporting them with a scholarship — is deeply meaningful as well. I knew I had the support of my congregation as I was going through my ordination journey, but this scholarship showed me that there was a wider group in the church who were also there for me. They, too, saw the work I was doing and they supported and sustained me in a concrete, important way. What a powerful message to someone who is being formed to be a leader in the church — to see firsthand how the church as a community can and should work.
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.
A.C.T. to End Racism Rally
The national A.C.T. to End Racism rally, organized by the National Council of Churches, took place in Washington, D.C., on April 4. The event brought together faith leaders from dozens of denominations across the country and coincided with the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination on April 4, 1968. The rally, aimed at raising awareness of racial disparities, came as new reports indicate that higher-income youth of color are more likely to become poor than their white counterparts, and African American homeownership rates have remained virtually unchanged since the 1960s.
Churches and houses of worship have a special call to tackle the barriers of racism. The ELCA social statement “Freed in Christ: Race, Ethnicity, and Culture” (1993) affirms the church’s commitment to proactively engage on just policies that curb inequity in society. Faith leaders across the religious community continue to be advocates on civil rights issues, criminal justice and safe policing communities. Read more about some of the goals and future initiatives of the march here.
Campus Minister Position Open
NEW Campus Minister position open at California Lutheran University! Pastor Scott Maxwell-Doherty is still their Campus Pastor. This position is in addition to him. Their campus has recently become a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), and they are looking for candidates with a demonstrated commitment to, and success working in, diverse multi-religious, multi-cultural, and multi-racial communities. Cal Lutheran encourages applicants who advocate for justice and fairness for all people.
Cal Lutheran is an accredited, private, comprehensive university that engages students in critical inquiry and is dedicated to education leaders for a global society. The campus is located midway between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles and is home to more than 2,800 undergraduate and 1,250 graduate students who come from 35+ countries and represent a variety of faiths. 45.2% of Cal Lutheran students are from underrepresented groups, and 34% of freshmen are first generation students.
The successful candidate will have:
· Direct experience in ministry among ethnic-specific communities of faith;
· Experience in community organizing;
· Demonstrated skills in young adult, emerging ministries, and faith formation;
· Commitment to religious pluralism, leadership development among underrepresented communities, support for LGTBQ+ communities, and cross-cultural community development;
· Experience as a minister in a congregational setting or leadership in campus ministry in higher education, outdoor ministry, social ministry, synodical ministry, or Churchwide ministry.
· Grounding in their own theological tradition and knowledge about and openness to the Lutheran theological tradition;
· Possess an understanding of the trends and currents affecting today’s communities of faith;
· Culturally agile and proficient, dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion;
· Creative and innovative worship designer and presider;
· Understand, support, and drive engagement through multi-faith dialogue and activity.
https://careers.callutheran.edu/postings/4286 (Application deadline: May 4)
#CLUconnect #ELCA
Featured Resource for April
Hungering for Justice: Luther and the Economy
New! This FREE ELCA World Hunger five-week study uncovers how our Lutheran faith shapes our perspective and role in the economy.
Save the Date
Join us as the Briarwood Gala is going… Fiesta!
Saturday, May 5
Texas Star Conference Centre, Euless, TX
DONATIONS STILL NEEDED FOR THE SILENT AUCTION. Contact bw@briarwoodretreat.org.
Where in the world is?
Bishop Gronberg:
- Apr. 26-28 – NT-NL Synod Council meeting and Synod Assembly, Temple, TX
- Apr. 29 – St. Matthew, Waco
Pr. Totzke:
- Apr. 26 – Immanuel, Killeen
- Apr. 26-28 – NT-NL Synod Council meeting and Synod Assembly, Temple, TX
- Apr. 29 – Zion, McGregor
Pra. Bañales:
- Apr. 24 – Meeting with Rev. Sileshi Borana at St. Luke’s, Richardson
- Apr. 26-28 – NT-NL Synod Council meeting and Synod Assembly, Temple, TX
- Apr. 29 – First, Waco
Upcoming Events
- Apr. 27-28: 2018 Synod Assembly, Temple, TX
- May 5: Briarwood Gala is going… Fiesta, Euless, TX
- May 14: Dr. Michael W. Waters to discuss Stakes Is High: Race, Faith, and Hope for America, Dallas, TX
- May 15: Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber: “Stop saying the church is dying!”, Fort Worth, TX
- May 19: MEF Board meeting, Grand Prairie, TX
- May 19: PLMA Spring 2018, Course 3, Briarwood
- May 19: NT-NL Eastern Conference W-ELCA 2018 Spring Gathering, Shreveport, LA
- May 27-Jun. 1: Spanish Language and Hispanic Ministry Intensive, Austin, TX
- Jun. 10-15: Building Congregational Capacity for Hispanic Ministry, Austin, TX
- Jun. 24-27: the tAble: an ELCA gathering of youth with disabilities, Houston, TX
- Jun. 24-27: The ELCA Multicultural Youth Leadership Event, Houston, TX
- Jun. 27-Jul. 1: ELCA Youth Gathering, Houston, TX
Access our full online Calendar here. Updates made regularly.
Do you have news or announcements to share? Please submit to the Synod office (office@ntnl.org) for consideration for upcoming NT-NL News.