Synod Assembly Updates, Hotel Deadline
Our next Synod Assembly, April 26-27, 2019, is being hosted by, and will take place at, Calvary Lutheran Church, 7620 Baker Blvd, Richland Hills, TX – (817) 284-8724
Assembly will begin at 1pm on Friday and will end by 6pm on Saturday. Calvary will have Western Worship on Sunday. Everyone is welcome to stay over and join.
Here is the tentative agenda (as of March 7). Any updates to the agenda will be added to the page linked next.
Hotels being used – rate of $99 per night (plus taxes & fees) – Cut-off date for this guaranteed hotel rate is this Thursday, March 28!
Headquarters Hotel – LaQuinta and Suites* – THEY HAVE ADDED MORE ROOMS TO OUR ROOM BLOCK! (available only until March 28)
653 NE Loop 820, Richland Hills, TX 76118
817-595-4442
Comfort Suites*
643 NE Loop 820 Richland Hills, TX
817-595-3332
* shares a parking lot and are 1.5 miles from Calvary Lutheran, Richland Hills, just down the service road.
Hilton Garden Inn
1615 Campus Dr., Hurst, TX 76054
817-281-5800
3.5 miles from Calvary Lutheran, Richland Hills
ELCA Collaboration with Blessed Tomorrow
In line with its commitment to pursuing wholeness for creation, the ELCA has announced a collaboration with ecoAmerica and its Blessed Tomorrow program, which helps faith-based organizations elevate their leadership on the moral, religious, and justice issues surrounding climate change. The collaboration underscores this church’s commitment to raising awareness of climate change and taking action to mitigate its impact. In conjunction with this announcement, the ELCA has released a video that explains the Lutheran grounding for and prioritization of creation care and encourages ongoing dialogue and activity:
Read more about the collaboration.
Warm is the new cool
Most congregations are getting older on average, but believe it or not, some are growing young. The book Growing Young: Six Essential Strategies to Help Young People Discover and Love Your Church explores what those congregations are doing. It turns out that cool music and programs are not nearly as crucial as authentic relationships, warmth, and hospitality.
“In our analyses of the terms young people and adults use to describe their own churches or parishes, we noticed repeated words such as welcoming, accepting, belonging, authentic, hospitable, and caring. We began to call this the warmth cluster. Across the board in statistical analyses, the warmth cluster emerged as a stronger variable than any one program. And while 6 out of 10 interviewees mentioned group practices like small groups, youth group, and retreats when they talked about why their church is thriving, what seems important about those practices is that they create space for people to be together and nurture relationships.”
Check out the Growing Young website for related materials, assessment tools, and resources. For connections to ELCA efforts to grow young, contact Rachel Alley, ELCA Program Director for youth ministries.
Featured Resource for March
Now available as a FREE download, this resource is for white congregation members to learn about racial justice.
Save the Date
ELCA “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday
September 8
Our dedicated day of service provides us with an opportunity to be “church together” as we serve our communities in ways that share God’s love with all of God’s people.
Since 2013 our congregations have put their faith in action for “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday. Watch how volunteers from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Somerville, N.J., used their gifts during their day of service in 2018 and be inspired as you make your plans.
Earlier this year we announced a hymn contest for “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday. The chosen hymn will become a year-round worship resource and should reflect on service as one of our most basic convictions as Lutherans. We are pleased to have received a number of original compositions as the March 1 entry deadline approaches. Learn more about details and contest rules.
Save the date and visit ELCA.org/dayofservice for updates to our resources. And if your congregation cannot participate on Sept. 8, please consider another time.
Recent Blog Post
Pastor Totzke:
(https://www.ntnl.org/ldas-newest-deaconess/ – published Mar. 23)
Where in the world is?
Bishop Gronberg:
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Mar. 29: Stewardship Coaching Cohort
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Mar. 31: Family Sunday, Trinity, Fort Worth
Pastor Totzke:
- Mar. 24-27: Vacation
- Mar. 31: First United, Dallas
Pastora Bañales:
- Mar. 24-27: All Staff Domestic Mission Unit, Chicago
- Mar. 30: Taller de Justicial Racial (Spanish Racial Justice Workshop), San Gabriel, Alvarado
- Mar. 31: San Gabriel, Alvarado
Upcoming Events
- Mar. 28: Last day for Guaranteed Hotel Rates for Synod Assembly
- Mar. 28: Interfaith Advocacy Day, Austin, TX
- Mar. 28: Immigration Webinar, Session III: Theological Perspectives from the U.S. – Mexico Borderlands, Virtual
- Mar. 30: Taller de Justicial Racial, Alvarado, TX
- Mar. 30: WELCA Dallas Area Metro North conference retreat, Carrollton, TX
- Apr. 5-8: Ecumenical Advocacy Days, Washington, DC
- Apr. 5-14: Faith Climate Action Week
- Apr. 6: Heart of Texas conference W-ELCA Spring Gathering, Crawford, TX
- Apr. 9-11: Young at Heart Retreat, Briarwood
- Apr. 11-12: Rabbi Andrea L Weiss, PhD, speaking, Dallas, TX
- Apr. 13: PLMA, Spring 2019, Course 2, Briarwood
- Apr. 13: Public Witness Team monthly meeting, Arlington, TX
- Apr. 15: Last day to Register Online for Synod Assembly
- Apr. 26-27: 2019 Synod Assembly, Richland Hills, TX
- Apr. 26-28: Houston Gathering Reunion at Synod Assembly, Fort Worth, TX
Access our full online Calendar here. Updates made regularly.
Do you have news or announcements to share? Please submit to the Synod office (office@ntnl.org) for consideration for upcoming NT-NL News.