Parochial Reports Due by Saturday, February 15
Bishop Gronberg set as a goal that every congregation in NT-NL would submit its annual parochial report. Last year, only one congregation did not accomplish this task. As of February 7, we have 84 congregations that have not yet submitted their reports. With the season of annual meetings and reporting coming to an end in many of our congregations, please submit that report as soon as possible. If you have questions or need assistance, our synod statistician, the Rev. Charles Meyer, would be happy to assist you: cwem@aol.com.
We are broken | Estamos quebrantados
In the February issue of Living Lutheran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us of our uniquely Lutheran understanding of the gospel and renews her call for studying Martin Luther’s Small Catechism. “Luther said he needed to study it every day—and he wrote it! Let’s do the same.” Read her column in English: We are broken o lee su columna en español: Estamos quebrantados.
Stewardship as an Act of Worship
Bishop Kevin Strickland of the Southeastern Synod discusses the changing nature of the offering in worship in this new stewardship video from the South Carolina Synod:
Bold Women’s Day—observed annually on the fourth Sunday of February—celebrates all Lutheran women who have acted or are acting boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ. Some women are bold in their unceasing prayers. Other women are bold in their service to those in need. Still other women are bold in their advocacy or through their hospitality. Whether we live out our bold story of faith in the workplace, family home or community, our faith compels us to make a difference in the lives of others. It’s all about living out our baptismal call, about being a disciple of Christ.
International Women’s Day, observed on March 8, 2020, is powered by the collective efforts of all. Collective action and shared ownership for driving gender parity is what makes International Women’s Day successful. Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist, and activist, once explained “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.” So make International Women’s Day your day and do what you can to truly make a positive difference for women.
An equal world is an enabled world. How will you help forge a gender equal world?
Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.
#IWD2020 #EachforEqual
Recent Blog Posts
Bishop Gronberg:
(https://www.ntnl.org/synod-council-deans-and-mef-meet-re-stewardship/ – published Feb. 7)
Pastor Totzke:
(https://www.ntnl.org/ericksdahl-smorgasbord/ – published Feb. 8)
(https://www.ntnl.org/grace-abilene/ – published Feb. 9)
Where in the world is?
Bishop Gronberg:
- Feb. 3-17: Briarwood Leadership Journey to Turkey/Greece: Paul and Beyond, Early Church Leadership
Pastor Totzke:
- Feb. 15: Candidacy Committee meeting, Briarwood
- Feb. 16: St. Matthew Council retreat, Waco
Pastora Bañales:
- Feb. 2-10: Inter-American and Caribbean Conference, Bogota, Colombia
- Feb. 12: First Sagrada Familia, Garland
- Feb. 13: Meeting with African American congregations, Community of Hope, Fort Worth
- Feb. 14-21: ELCA Congregational Vitality Training, San Diego, CA
Upcoming Events
- Feb. 15: ESET (SSTE) Módulo 6 (Día 3 de 5), Argyle, TX
- Feb. 16-18: Texas Interfaith Advocacy Days, Austin, TX
- Feb. 22: ESET (SSTE) Módulo 6 (Día 4 de 5), Argyle, TX
- Feb. 22: Discovering Hope: Building Vitality in Your Congregation, Lubbock, TX
- Feb. 22: Engaging the Border: Theology and Practice, Arlington, TX
- Feb. 28-Mar. 1: NT-NL Peer Ministry Leadership Training, TBA
- Feb. 29: ESET (SSTE) Módulo 6 (Día 5 de 5), Argyle, TX
- Mar. 14: Public Witness Team meeting, Arlington, TX
- Mar. 14: PLMA, Spring 2020, Course 1, Argyle, TX
- Mar. 21: Briarwood Gala, Argyle, TX
- Mar. 22: ConFest 2020: Confirmands’ Afternoon with the Bishop, Dallas, TX
- Apr. 4: ESET (SSTE) Módulo 7 (Día 1 de 5), Argyle, TX
- Apr. 11: ESET (SSTE) Módulo 7 (Día 2 de 5), Argyle, TX
- Apr. 11: Public Witness Team meeting, Arlington, TX
- Apr. 18: PLMA, Spring 2020, Course 2, Argyle, TX
- Apr. 19-24: Ministerial Flourishing: Exploring the Meaning, Means and Practices, Navasota, TX
- Apr. 24-25: 2020 Synod Assembly, Dallas, TX
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 NT-NL News.