From Bishop Gronberg
2022 ELCA Youth Gathering planning sessions. Please join us.
It is time to RESTART our planning for the 2022 ELCA YOUTH GATHERING! Please plan on attending one of these two informational meetings. If one of these times does not work, please contact me so we can set something up. – Janelle Miller, NT-NL ELCA Gathering Synod Coordinator, janellemiller@yahoo.com
Conversation with Bishop Younan
This Thursday morning, 9:00-10:30am Central, join Robert Smith, Director of Briarwood Leadership Center, in conversation with Bishop Munib Younan, former Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and former President of the Lutheran World Federation. They will discuss recent violent escalations in Israel and Palestine and the role western Christian theologies play in perpetuating the situation.
Click here to register via Zoom. The event is hosted by the Omnia Institute for Contextual Leadership, based in Chicago.
ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow Position Available in Texas
Texas Impact is in this year’s rotation for a Hunger Advocacy Fellow! The job posting can be found here: http://elca.atsondemand.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=512830.viewjobdetail&CID=512830&JID=773316. This is a World Hunger Program-funded position. It’s a one-year, full-time job with benefits, starting September 1. They are back working in the office and plan to have the Fellow work in their Austin office.
Featured Resources for May
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
Hospitals and health systems play an important role in providing behavioral health care and helping patients find resources available in their community. Hospitals create unique partnerships to address behavioral health issues in non-traditional ways. Many of our members are leading innovations in the way behavioral health disorders are identified and treated—through the integration of physical and behavioral health services, changes in their emergency departments and inpatient and outpatient settings, and via community partnerships. These strategies improve the overall value of health care and can lead to improvements in patient outcomes, quality of care and total costs. The AHA (American Hospital Association) has a long-standing commitment to support these efforts and advocate on issues related to behavioral health. AHA supports the integration of behavioral and physical health and helps hospitals play a key role in establishing partnerships to ensure access to a full continuum of behavioral health care.
Since 1949, MHA (Mental Health America) and our affiliates across the country have observed May is Mental Health Month by reaching out to millions of people through the media, local events, and screenings. We invite other organizations to join us in spreading the word that mental health is something everyone should care about by using the May is Mental Health Month toolkit materials and conducting awareness activities. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental health of people of all ages. Now, more than ever, it is critical to reduce the stigma around mental health struggles, because that stigma often prevents individuals from seeking help. Our 2021 toolkit includes sample materials for communications and social media as well as printable handouts on the following topics:
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- Adapting after trauma and stress
- Dealing with anger and frustration
- Getting out of thinking traps
- Processing big changes
- Taking time for yourself
- Radical acceptance
Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. During May, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) joins the national movement to raise awareness about mental health. Each year we fight stigma, provide support, educate the public and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families. For 2021’s Mental Health Awareness Month, NAMI will continue to amplify the message of “You Are Not Alone.” We will use this time to focus on the healing value of connecting in safe ways, prioritizing mental health and acknowledging that it’s okay to not be okay through NAMI’s blog, personal stories, videos, digital toolkits, social media engagements and national events. Together, we can realize our shared vision of a [world] where anyone affected by mental illness can get the appropriate support and quality of care to live healthy, fulfilling lives — a [world] where no one feels alone in their struggle. Share awareness information, images and graphics for #MHAM throughout May.
SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service) or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. Callers can also order free publications and other information. Also visit the online treatment locators.
World Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week is May 3-9, 2021
Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week is a week-long campaign dedicated to talking about mental health problems during and after pregnancy.
It’s all about raising public and professional awareness of perinatal mental health problems, advocating for women affected by it, changing attitudes and helping families access the information, care and support they need to recover.
The daily themes and resources can be found here: http://maternalmentalhealthalliance.org/news/maternal-mental-health-awareness-week-2021/
#JourneysToRecovery #MaternalMHMatters
World Maternal Mental Health Day is May 5, 2021
World Maternal Mental Health Day draws attention to essential mental health concerns for mothers and families. Life changes around pregnancy make women more vulnerable to mental illness. The negative cycle of poverty and mental illness impact on a woman’s ability to function and thrive. This may also directly affect her foetus or child, with long-lasting physical, cognitive and emotional outcomes. Mental health care provides the necessary support to empower women to identify resources and personal capabilities. This can enhance their resilience to difficult life circumstances and support them to nurture their children optimally. Caring for mothers is a positive intervention for long-term social development. #MaternalMHMatters
For full details and resources: https://wmmhday.postpartum.net/
Additional Maternal Health Resources
Save the Date
2021 Annual Herbener Lecture: Worship
Sunday, October 17
The Luther Center of North Texas, in coordination with the Church Music Institute, is now planning an event scheduled for the afternoon of Sunday, October 17. The Rev. Dr. Peter Marty will be the featured speaker. The theme of the event will be Worship. Early plans call for presentation, workshops, possible choir, food, and ending with Evening Prayer. Wilshire Baptist in Dallas has agreed to host.
Recent Blog Posts
Bishop Gronberg:
(https://www.ntnl.org/windstorm-in-freetown-jubilee-center-damage-report/ – published May 19)
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. Until we can assure everyone in attendance at a meeting are vaccinated, in order to protect those gathered, the synod staff will continue to wear masks unless preaching or presiding and sufficient social distancing can be provided.
Bishop Gronberg:
May 30 – Emanuel, Dallas
June 6 – Installation of Pr. Will Foster, Trinity, Fort Worth
June 20: Family Baptism, Milwaukee, WI
Pastor Totzke:
May 30 – Good Shepherd, Irving
June 1 – First Call Pastors retreat, Zoom
June 3 – Interim/Transitional Pastors meeting, Zoom
June 6 – Trinity, Wichita Falls, then to the Installation of Pr. Will Foster, Trinity, Fort Worth
June 17-22 – Vacation time
Pastora Bañales:
May 25 – Joy, Rockwall
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:
- May 25: White Supremacy & Racism: Facing Reality, Taking Responsibility – Selections from Isabel Wilkerson, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Zoom
- May 25: Living Connected Workshop on Creation’s Gift of Energy, Zoom
- May 26-29: 2021 John Hope Franklin Reconciliation in America National Symposium, Online
- May 27: Weekly NT-NL Leadership Prayer, Check-in, Zoom
- Jun. 3: Transitional (Interim) Pastors monthly meeting, Zoom
- Jun. 8: White Supremacy & Racism: Facing Reality, Taking Responsibility – Derrick Bell, “Chronicle of the Constitutional Contradiction,” Zoom
- Jun. 12: Public Witness Team meeting, Online
- Jun. 22: White Supremacy & Racism: Facing Reality, Taking Responsibility – Selections from Bernestine Singley, ed., When Race Becomes Real: Black and White Writers Confront Their Personal Histories, Zoom
Access our full online Calendar here. Updates made regularly.
Do you have news or announcements to share? Please submit to Jason (jason@ntnl.org) for consideration for upcoming editions of our weekly news.