ELCA Draft Inter-Religious Policy Statement

A Declaration of Our Inter-Religious Commitment:
A Draft Policy Statement of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

You are invited to participate in responding to the Draft ELCA policy statement, “A Declaration of Our Inter-Religious Commitment.” Background information about this statement can also be found at this link. The comment period on the Draft is open through Saturday, June 30, 2018.

To participate, please download the draft document here, and respond to the online survey here. You are welcome to participate as individuals or groups.

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Always Being Made New

February 1 marked the beginning of Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA‘s fifth and final year. Together, through the generosity of ELCA members and congregations like yours, we have accomplished amazing things. We have enabled new programs with international women, young adults and renewing congregations to begin, heightened our support of long-running programs like ELCA World Hunger, successfully completed the ELCA Malaria Campaign, and much more.

Now, as we enter the final year of this first-ever effort, we look to the future of this church by highlighting the campaign’s Leadership priority, including the ELCA Fund for Leaders and Youth and Young Adults. Please join us!

In early January, your congregation received a packet including additional information on the Leadership priority, as well as a bulletin insert and poster you may use to start sharing the work of the campaign and these programs. The upcoming seasons of Epiphany and Lent are excellent times to clearly state how important leadership is in our congregations. A new video, also linked below, is another way to show your congregation the impact of Leadership ministries, specifically the ELCA Fund for Leaders.

In the spring, you will receive information on a new initiative, launching in September, to help us celebrate the leaders in our congregations while supporting the next generation of leaders through the ELCA Fund for Leaders and Youth and Young Adults ministry.

The NT-NL has an account with the Fund for Leaders from which scholarships may be granted. This past year, Pastor Edy Santos and SAWL Frank Salvador were recipients of those scholarship funds. 

During the Easter Season, Bishop Gronberg is making an appeal to congregations to consider making a special gift to the ELCA Fund for Leaders for the NT-NL account. Matching funds have been secured for this appeal and more information will be coming out soon. 

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Free Hymnals

St. John, Wilson, recently discovered 7 cases of Lutheran Book of Worship (green) hymnals that they would like to give away. They could transport them to the Synod Assembly in Temple if someone could use them. Please contact Tonda Freitag by email, dtfreitag@windstream.net, if interested.

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Save the Date

The Role of the Church in Undoing Racism

March 9-10

Shepherd of Life, Arlington

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Recent Blog Posts

Bishop Gronberg:

100 Years of St. John, Wilson

(https://www.ntnl.org/100-years-of-st-john-wilson/ – published Jan. 31)

Dessert Church in Fort Worth

(https://www.ntnl.org/dessert-church-in-fort-worth/ – published Feb. 2)

Pr. Totzke:

Surprising Odessa

(https://www.ntnl.org/surprising-odessa/ – published Jan. 30)

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Where in the world is?

Bishop Gronberg:

• Feb. 5-7 – Brite Divinity Ministers Week
• Feb. 6 – Highland Springs Care Facility, Plano Chapel (with Pastor Jamie Bruning)
• Feb. 10 – NT-NL African American History Celebration, Community of Hope, Fort Worth
• Feb. 11 – Immanuel, Killeen
• Feb. 11 – Lutheran Legislative Event, Austin

Pr. Totzke:

• Feb. 5-6 – Region 4 Bishop’s Associates gathering, Briarwood
• Feb. 8-13 – Vacation

Pra. Bañales:

• Feb. 10 – NT-NL African American History Celebration, Community of Hope, Fort Worth