Message from Bishop Gronberg

Dear Partners in Mission:

Greetings to you on this 10th day of the Christmas festival. While secular Christmas has long been over, and Valentine’s treats have now come to dominate the store shelves, I pray you are taking time to continue to reflect on what Christmas means to us as followers of Jesus. In the incarnation, God has come to us to be for us in a way that should stun and challenge us every year. Stun us that God would take human form. Challenge us in the value that puts on human life, and what that means for our responsibility to our neighbor.

As we continue Christmas, we also though must look forward. The first full weekend of 2023 in NT-NL will be a busy time, and I want to be sure you have noted these events:

–Ordination of Darlene Hopkins, Saturday, January 7, 4pm at Trinity-Fort Worth. Rostered leaders are invited to vest and participate. The color is red.

–Funeral of the Rev. Yvonne Kiebler, Saturday, January 7, 1pm at Advent-Arlington. Pastor Joel Burkholder presiding. Please contact Advent for more information.

-Closing Worship of King of Glory-Fort Worth (1pm Saturday, January 7) and Walnut Hill-Farmers Branch (3pm Sunday, January 8). All are invited to be present as these communities make the faithful decision to end Word and Sacrament ministry at these physical locations so they can share their community and assets for mission across the church.

–Registration is now open for our 2023 Synod Assembly in Shreveport, LA, April 28-29th. Please note there will be NO on-site registration this year. So make it a priority to get registered early. Our speakers will be the Rev. Joe and Deacon Jessica Lyles from The Neighborhood Church in Rogers, Ark. This ELCA congregation, planted in 2012, is a growing community of faith, and Joe and Jessica will share with us their passion for reaching those disconnected from faith community and how God is continuously changing and challenging their leadership.

A busy start to 2023. As we move into a new calendar year, know that your synod staff is here to support and walk with you. May God bless you and your communities in 2023.

In Mission Together:

Bishop Gronberg

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A Spiritual Feast for the Journey

A Spiritual Feast for the Journey

Saturday, January 28, 2023

The NT-NL Congregational Vitality and Renewal Team invites you to a warm and relaxing gathering to be with colleagues for fun and time away for spiritual self-reflection and renewal.

Includes lunch.

Purpose: To reconnect with God’s Spirit, Ourselves, and One Another

Goals:

• To rekindle continuous listening for and to God’s Spirit.
• To reconnect with colleagues and to better connect with our wider communities
• To engage ongoing ministry with new spiritual insight.

RSVP by January 9 to Pastor Jeff Borgwardt pastorjeff@firstlutheran.us or Pastor Irma Bañales, DEM irma@ntnl.org

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Lutheran Faith Community Nurse Association

The Lutheran Faith Community Nurse Association (LFCNA), formerly the Evangelical Lutheran Parish Nurse Association (ELPNA), is in the process of implementing a name change to be consistent with the more current title of “Faith Community Nurse” (FCN).

If you are unfamiliar with LFCNA/ELPNA, it began as a local FCN association in the Twin Cities of Minnesota in the mid-2000s. In 2010, working with the ELCA Churchwide office, the organization became a 501(c)3 entity under the ELCA group tax exemption. LFCNA/ELPNA is considered an Independent Lutheran organization recognized by churchwide in their annual yearbook. LFCNA/ELPNA has strived to have a presence at Churchwide gatherings since the Minneapolis Churchwide Assembly (CWA) in 2009, including at the CWA in Columbus, OH, last year.

Helpful resources:

• Roles of a Parish / Faith Community Nurse (2022)
• How to Call a Parish / Faith Community Nurse (2022)

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:

Jan. 7: Closing Worship, King of Glory, Fort Worth
Jan. 8: Closing Worship, Walnut Hill, Farmers Branch
Jan. 21: PLMA Graduation, Emanuel, Dallas
Jan. 24: First Call Pastors Check-in, Zoom
Jan. 28: TLU Corporation Board
Feb. 4: Synod Council, Online

Pastor Totzke:

Dec. 1-Feb. 28: On Sabbatical

Pastora Bañales:

Jan. 3: Walnut Hill, Farmers Branch
Jan. 4: Santa Maria, Irving
Jan. 7: Closing Worship, King of Glory, Fort Worth
Jan. 8: Closing Worship, Walnut Hill, Farmers Branch
Jan. 9: Latinx Young Adults, Online
Jan. 10: Central, Dallas, followed by NT-NL Renewal Team meeting
Jan. 12-15: ELCA Spanish Coach Training, San Diego, CA / Tijuana, Mexico
Jan. 19: Christian Unity Ecumenical Worship Service, Custer Road UMC, Plano
Jan. 21: Visioning Retreat, Central, Dallas, followed by PLMA Graduation, Emanuel, Dallas
Jan. 24: Transformational Border Ministry
Jan. 28: A Spiritual Feast for the Journey, Advent, Arlington