Message from Pastora Bañales

Spanish Coaching “Acomañame” Training Caribbean Synod, Puerto Rico!

The Spanish coaching team led a training on January 17-18, 2025 in Puerto Rico. Bishop Vivian Davila and DEM Ricardo Rivera plus seven other leaders participated at this first Spanish coaching training “Acompañame”. They were grateful and enthusiastic about learning and practicing new ways to support one another in their personal lives and ministries. 

ELCA partnership; Jim Beverlin program manager and Sonja Ware National coordinator of Mission Development Congregational Vitality were present via zoom. Thanks to my colleagues Rev Ruben Duran, DEM Rev Maristela Freiberg and Rev Maria Paiva. In addition, Revs Jaime Dubon, Walter Baires, Miguel Gomez-Acosta are part of the Spanish Coaching team. 

We are witnessing how we can share the gospel across United States to the Caribbean, the NTNL synod keep claiming “we are Together in Mission/Juntos en Mision”. 

Coaching increases the possibilities for change and empowers leaders in their role and tasks by defining desired outcomes, developing small, attainable, effective steps to move the project forward, and addressing roadblocks along the way. An effective dynamic between result coaching and growth coaching deepens the developmental process.

Coaching: Coaching is a relational alliance that leverages the art of deep listening, powerful questions and intentional exploration to produce awareness, change, and transformation for the client. In coaching, the client has agency, is the one naming the goals, designs action plans to meet those goals, and does 80% of the talking.  Faith-based coaching (from a Christian lens) looks at each individual as beloved of God, believes that person has been specifically gifted by God, and helps the person discover how they are being invited by God to use these gifts in God’s work of loving and healing the world.

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Synod Assembly Registration Opens February 3rd

Synod Assembly registration will open on February 3rd.

Assembly will be hosted at the MCM Elegante Conference Center and Hotel in Lubbock Texas on April 25-26. 

For more information, fee schedule and registration link go to our Assembly event page https://www.ntnl.org/event/2025-nt-nl-synod-assembly/.

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NT-NL synod staff are excited to engage in-person on Sundays for worship. As good stewards of time and travel dollars, we will be utilizing online meeting formats in our new hybrid reality when possible. If you would like to schedule a meeting with the bishop or Synod staff please contact them directly.

Bishop Gronberg:

January 30: Dallas Area Interfaith Gathering, Golden Gate Missionary Baptist Church
February 2: Emanuel, Dallas
February 9: Synod Council

Pastora Bañales:

January 28: First Sagrada Familia, Garland
January 30: Community of Hope, Fort Worth

Pastor Fitting-Snyder:

January 28: First Call Pastors Check-In, Zoom
February 2: Emmanuel, Granbury
February 9: Synod Council, Zoom
February 16: Our Savior’s, Durant
February 23: Faith, Flower Mound
February 25: First Call Pastors Check-In, Zoom