Dementia 101 for Congregations
Join Adult Lutherans Organized for Action (ALOA) for their next FREE webinar on May 26, 12noon Eastern. Advance registration required: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GHv3JDkjSX6nC_HkkYoc6w.
Certified Dementia Practitioner Debbie Selsavage will start off with a brief overview and discussion of characteristics of dementia. Then she’ll share tips and techniques used to train churches on how to support members and families dealing with dementia and how to become Dementia Friendly.
Social Media Platforms for Church 101
Offered by our friends in the Southeastern Synod of the ELCA on Thursday, May 26, 7pm Eastern:
Wondering what social media you can be tapping into to help UNMUTE your congregation and share the Gospel message? Want to know the when, the how, and the why of social media use for your congregation? Then join us for a course on basics of social media use led by Pastor Colleen Montgomery, Director for Digital Ministries, Virginia Synod.
Advance registration required: https://se-reg.brtapp.com/SocialMediaPlatforms101
Featured Resources for May
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. During May, we join the national movement to raise awareness about mental health.
Resources from National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):
https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Awareness-Events/Mental-Health-Awareness-Month
Resources from Mental Health America (MHA):
https://www.mhanational.org/mental-health-month
Resources from American Hospital Association (AHA):
https://www.aha.org/mental-health-awareness-month
May 4 is World Maternal Mental Health (Awareness) Day
Women of every culture, age, income level, and race can develop perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Symptoms can appear any time during pregnancy and the first 12 months after childbirth.
Resources from Postpartum Support International (PSI):
Save the Date
NT-NL Youth Gathering 2022
NT-NL Youth will be gathering at Briarwood, July 7-10, for 4 days of fun, fellowship, and service! This event is for any youth who were eligible for the 2022 National Youth Gathering. We will be using the 2022 Gathering Materials to center our time together. While we know we can’t replicate the experience of a National Youth Gathering, we still want to provide a space for our synod youth to gather together.
Each congregation must have at least 1 adult for every 8 youth attending.
Meals will be provided starting with dinner on Thursday through breakfast on Sunday as well as overnight accommodations. Events will start Thursday in the late afternoon and end with worship on Sunday morning.
Cost per youth: $50
This event is subsidized by the NT-NL Youth and Young Adult Leadership Funds.
Indicate your interest here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjAf7DJSQdSR3rsSinegmXE8qtfBhxXVbjB_7lPsCTUgcElg/viewform
Recent Blog Posts
Bishop Gronberg:
(https://www.ntnl.org/south-dakota-storm-damage/ – published May 13)
(https://www.ntnl.org/project-12-lutheran-men-in-mission/ – published May 13)
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:
May 22: Hope, Springtown 40th Anniversary
Pastor Totzke:
May 21: Candidacy Committee, Briarwood
Pastora Bañales:
May 17: Region 4 DEM’s gathering
May 19: NT-NL Renewal Team
May 22: Santa Maria, Irving, and First Sagrada Familia, Garland
May 23: #4 Secondary School of Theological Education Facilitators training
May 24: Conversation Brazilian Evangelical Church
May 26: DEM’s planning team
May 27: ELCA candidacy working group
May 28: First Sagrada Familia, Garland
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 18: Courageous Leadership – Sara Cutter – Navigating the Gottman’s Four Horsemen
- May 19-21: 21st Annual Bonhoeffer Lectures in Public Ethics: Everyday Ethics for Exceptional Times, Various locations
- May 25: Courageous Leadership – John Martinson – Leading in a Multi-Systems World (& Staying Healthy)
- Jun. 1: Courageous Leadership – Coaching – Choose Your Own Adventure (breakout rooms by topic)
- Jun. 2: Transitional Pastors monthly meeting, Zoom
- Jun. 8: Courageous Leadership – Matthew Cobb – Together Here Ministries
- Jun. 11: Public Witness Team meeting, Zoom
- Jun. 15: Courageous Leadership – Dianne Johnson – Wild Church
- Jun. 22: Courageous Leadership – Dan Bowman – On the Spectrum: Austism, Faith, & the Gifts of Neurodiversity
- Jun. 29: Courageous Leadership – TBA
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.