Message from Bishop Gronberg

Partners in Mission:

For the next several weeks my posts will be discussing and sharing about the trip to Germany that my spouse, the Rev. Kendra Mohn, PhD and I hosted May 26-June 6, 2024. This trip included members of her congregation, NT-NL lay leaders, and 7 rostered leaders from NT-NL with a total of 35 in our traveling party. Traveling abroad and seeing these historic sites is a gift and we are grateful to share and learn about our heritage of faith…

Landing in Frankfort we drove immediately to Mainz for a tour of this historic city. Here we saw the Cathedral and were reminded it was Albrecht von Brandenberg, Archbishop of Mainz, to whom Martin Luther addressed the 95 theses. Those theses intended for a debate about the use and sale of indulgences of which Albrecht was prolific. Mainz was at that time a powerful bishopric within the Holy Roman Empire .

Mainz was also the home of Johannes Gutenberg, who printing press revolutionized as well the way that documents such as the 95 theses, and the indulgences they protested, were spread.

The Gutenberg Museum in Mainz provided a wonderful lesson on how the printing press worked as well as a collection of beautiful original texts. It was also a reminder that while we tend to lump Luther and Gutenberg into the same time period in fact Gutenberg lived almost 100 years before Luther.

We then traveled to Worms where Luther had his famous “Here I Stand” moment before Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. While the building where the Imperial Diet took place no longer stands a remembrance of Luther has been placed where he might have stood. Allowing us, even a bishop from Texas-Louisiana, to put our feet into Luther’s shoes for a moment. It was powerful to walk the streets of Worms, visit the churches, and think about the power and privilege that Luther and his supporters were opposing. Rome may have been far off, but the power of the archbishop here was very real, particularly with the Holy Roman Emperor in town.

We also took time to enjoy the hospitality and abundance of this section of Germany. Our dinner was at a local family owned winery which produces fine white wine. We enjoyed an outdoor meal before heading back to our hotel.

Travel, particular international travel, is a distinct privilege and should never be taken for granted. It also gives us new perspectives. Being in Mainz and seeing how powerful Albrecht was. The wealth of the community, the ability to spread news through the printed word, was educational again to realize what Luther and those who supported him were up against. They were not the majority nor did they have the political or ecclesial power, yet they trusted in the Word of God. That temporal estates, be they of their time or ours, are not the last word. God’s Word, the living Word of Jesus, Alpha and Omega, is both the beginning and the ending Word.

We had a wonderful first couple days, if a bit rainy at times, as we witnessed this heritage. Our conversations centering on how having seen these places does it influence ourselves as we live into our faith and life today in our synod and beyond.

More to come…

Bishop Gronberg

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Update from Pastor Kris Totzke

My call process is now complete and official so I can let y’all know where I will be going next. I have accepted the call to be Senior Pastor at St. John Lutheran Church in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. This is an excellent call for my gifts and experiences as I am going to a vibrant, active congregation in a great location. It’s closer to my family back home, while also close to the location for my sister’s ALS clinic visits. Bonus that it’s also a good location for proximity to my friends back in Wisconsin too. I will be in the South Central Synod of Wisconsin, where they are already thinking of ways to utilize my synodical experiences. I’m excited to begin my call there in mid-August so I can hit the ground running for fall programs.

My last day on the job here in NT-NL will be July 22, after Bishop Gronberg returns from the National Youth Gathering. Movers are coming to pick up my things on July 24 and I will then be ready to head north to Wisconsin. The next few weeks will be busy for me with packing and preparing for the move so I am not taking on any congregational visits for the month of July. But I will still be working on current processes and trying to wrap up loose ends. After July 22nd, my work phone number will be going away too. The next Bishop’s Associate will have a new phone number to be announced at a later date.

Thank you all for the many, many words of affirmation that I have been receiving in these last weeks. The abundance of emails, phone calls, and support has been amazing! You will all be missed, but I will take all your warmth and love with me!

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June Mission Support Memo

The June 2024 ELCA Mission Support Memo goes back to U.P. Wild Church, in Northern Great Lake Synod: “a spiritual home for the seekers of beauty, wonder, & awe; where the ‘church goers’ supplement their journey and the ‘misfits’ finally feel connected within the congregation of paper birch trees & squawking geese via the Mystery which creates all things.” Everyone can engage by connecting to virtual walks that include a cemetery stroll, prayer by the beach, following deer tracks, even finding Christ in the compost, and so much more at www.upwild.org/media/.

Additionally find free access to ELCA Stewardship recordings on “The Spirituality of Capital Campaigns,” “Creating a Year-Round Stewardship Calendar,” “Narrative Budget Construction,” “Donor Motivations” or “Four Mindset Shifts” which are perfect for stewardship teams wanting to do some continuing education or for councils curious about what’s happening in the realm of stewardship.

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Featured Resources for July

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:

July 11-20: Leading Bishop’s Group, ELCA Youth Gathering, New Orleans
August 4: Trinity, Sherman
August 18: First United, Dallas
August 25: Rev Phil Heinz Retirement, Calvary, Richland Hills

Pastor Totzke:

July 22: Last Day on NT-NL Staff

Pastora Bañales:

July 8: Youth Gathering Servant Companion Meeting, Zoom
July 9: New Life in Christ, Duncanville
July 12-14: First Sagrada Familia Annual Women’s Retreat, Galveston
July 14-19: Servant Companion, ELCA Youth Gathering, New Orleans
July 23: First Sagrada Familia, Garland
July 27: 2nd Congregations Lead Initiative Gathering, St. Matthew’s, Fort Worth
July 30: Santa Maria, Irving