Message from Bishop Gronberg
Dear Partners in Mission:
Last Sunday as we celebrated the feast of the Holy Trinity we were reminded of the essential interconnectedness of God and all creation. As I sat in the pew with my children listening to the first reading from Genesis I was struck again and again by the wonder of this holy story. The intentionality with which God acted to bring into a world that is full of abundance and life. A world the human being then is charged with stewarding. And also how the story ends with the importance of rest.
With graduations and other social rituals of the end of the school year now largely complete we are fully into summer. A summer season which provides us hopefully a change of pace. With rhythms of programming now different it is a good to take some time for reflection. To assess what has been fruitful, to prune perhaps those things that were not, and to look forward to the fall program year. This is all very good work that needs to be done, but it is also vital we take some time to rest. To enjoy God’s creation as we are able. To spend time with those who bring us life and energy. To explore new things.
So I pray for you a productive and restful summer season. Reminded that God in the very act of creating took time to rest, and we are called to do so as well. And in so doing remember how we are connected to one another and to God’s world which the Holy Spirit continues to sustain.
In Mission Together:
Bishop Gronberg
Request: Toiletries for Asylum Seeker Welcome Kits
Emanuel, Dallas is organizing welcome packages for asylum seekers to provide them with the support they need to start anew as they search for safety and a better life. These individuals have experienced difficult situations and have left behind their homes and loved ones due to conflicts and disasters in their home countries. Emanuel is accepting donations of items at their church office located at 4311 San Jacinto St, Dallas, TX 75204.
You can find more information and a list of requested items here. Puede encontrar más información y una lista de artículos solicitados aquí.
Please contact Blanca Illades at secretary@emanueldallas.org with any questions.
Lutheran Men in Mission Updates
The latest Lutheran Men in Mission Ambassador-Gram has been shared: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Spring-2023-Ambassador-Gram.html?soid=1120043891748&aid=TKBHYZW7qh8
Featured Resources for June
You can choose which date
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) invites you and your congregation to infuse new meaning into the phrase welcome the stranger. Join us in celebrating the resilience and courage of refugees and migrants in America — and in your own community!
World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe. It falls each year on June 20 and celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. World Refugee Day is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their plight and to recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives.
This year, the focus will be on the right to seek safety. Every person on this planet has a right to seek safety – whoever they are, wherever they come from and whenever they are forced to flee.
Whoever. Wherever. Whenever.
Everyone has the right to seek safety.
Where in the world is?
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:
Jun. 10: Lutheran Men in Mission Annual Meeting, Online
Jun. 11: Service of Holy Closure, Immanuel, Posey
Jun. 16-23: Family Vacation
Pastor Totzke:
Jun. 11: Council meeting, First, Temple
Jun. 13-14: First Call Pastors retreat, Fort Worth
Jun. 18: St. Paul, CrawfordJun. 25: Ordination of Jonathan Lys, Shepherd of Life, ArlingtonJul. 9: Trinity, ShermanJul. 17-20: Rostered Ministers Gathering, Phoenix, AZJul. 25: First call pastors check-in, ZoomAug. 3: Transitional/Interim pastors check-in, Zoom
Aug. 4-5: Candidacy committee and retreat
Aug. 22: First call pastors check-in, Zoom
Pastora Bañales:
Jun. 1-Aug. 31: On Sabbatical
Upcoming Events
With the ever-changing guidelines and recommendations in our world right now, as we maintain physical distance in social solidarity, please keep in mind these events may be moved online, postponed, or cancelled:
- Jun. 7: Courageous Leadership, Coaching – Choose Your Own Adventure (breakout rooms by topic), Zoom
- Jun. 10: Public Witness Team meeting, Hybrid
- Jun. 14: Courageous Leadership, Tammy Devine & Dwight DuBois – Life of Faith, Zoom
- Jun. 21: Courageous Leadership, Speaker(s) and Topic TBA, Zoom
- Jun. 22: Cultivating Compassion Session 6: Practice – Critical Race Theory, Online
- Jun. 27: First Call Pastors Check-in, Zoom
- Jun. 28: Courageous Leadership, Speaker(s) and Topic TBA, Zoom
Access our full online Calendar here. Updates made regularly.
Do you have news or announcements to share? Please submit to office@ntnl.org for consideration for upcoming editions of our weekly news.