Message from The. Rev. Lead Lawson, co-Chairperson for the DEM Advisory Team

Pastors and Lay Leaders from the NTNL Synod participated in the annual Stewardship Kaleidoscope

I’m so thankful for the opportunity to attend Stewardship Kaleidoscope 2025 in New Orleans, September 22-24. It was my first time attending this particular conference and I’m so glad I did! The speakers were engaging, the workshops were practical, and the worship was dynamic! I came away from this conference with some ideas and some inspiration. I’m incredibly thankful for all those who made this conference possible, our siblings in Christ, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and all the sponsors who provided the financial support. A special thank you to the ELCA, the NT-NL Synod, and Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church who provided financial support so I could attend the conference.

Money…it’s one of those things that we don’t like to talk about in the Church.  It’s personal, it’s messy, and it’s necessary! Money is one of those things that we can’t ignore in our journey as Jesus’ disciples. You may have noticed that many of our Gospel readings from Luke recently have been about wealth, possessions, and how we manage those things or maybe how we don’t manage them. Since I have been at Beautiful Savior, I have observed and celebrated the fact that stewardship and generosity is an important part of this congregation. To be honest, I’m not sure when was the last time the congregation had a stewardship campaign or even had a stewardship committee. As you all may remember, the Church Council no longer has a Stewardship Committee representative. Stewardship has fallen under my responsibilities as your pastor. This is one of the main reasons I wanted to attend this conference! Also, I try to preach about stewardship and generosity when the opportunity presents itself. The thing is, stewardship is everyone’s responsibility! Also, It’s not just about money. It’s about being a good steward of God’s creation, our time, our talents, and our money. We do the work of stewardship together, as God’s beloved children.

One of the most profound quotes I heard from the conference was this, “What people resist is not change, per se. People resist loss.” This is from the book, Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading by Ronald L. Heifetz and Marty Linksy. Change is hard, but it’s our reality. How do we embrace change? How do we learn to grieve the losses that may come due to change? What are we willing to give up in order to keep the ministry going? What are we will not willing to give up? What are we willing to try? What are will willing to do for the sake of the Good News? How do we let go and let God?

I wish I had some answers for all of these questions, but I don’t. We must keep asking the questions, keep praying, keep moving forward, and allow ourselves to lessen our grip on the things that are keeping us from doing a new thing.

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Experience the fifth annual Musical Advent Calendar from Lutheran Summer Music, November 30–December 24—daily musical meditations to inspire reflection throughout the Advent season. Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube, with all videos archived at LSMacademy.org/acal.

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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:

December 6: Texas Lutheran University: Verne Lundquist Athletic Center Dedication, Seguin
December 10: NT-NL Staff Christmas Lunch
December 17: Cantor Retirement Service, Trinity, Fort Worth
December 27-January 1: Family Vacation
January 4: Central, Dallas
January 5-7: Region 4 Bishops Gathering, Omaha, NE
January 18: Central, Dallas
January 24: Parish Lay Ministry Academy Graduation Service, Good Shepherd, Irving
January 31: Texas Lutheran University Corporation Board Meeting, Seguin

Pastora Bañales:

November 24-30: Vacation

Pastor Fitting-Snyder:

November 21-25: Vacation
November 30: Covenant, Temple
December 2: Roster Manuel Training, Zoom
December 3: Pathways Training with Luther Seminary, Zoom
December 7: Emmanuel, Granbury
December 14: Gloria Dei, Garland
December 21: Rejoice, Frisco