Message from Bishop Gronberg
Dear Partners in Mission:
Over the weekend of November 25/26 we received word that the government of Sierra Leone had placed the nation under a curfew after armed men attacked and freed inmates from the Pademba Road Prison in Freetown. These individuals were then seen clashing with government police and military, exchanging gunfire and destroying property. The motive for the attack and freeing of the prisoners is not clear. Sierra Leone’s president, speaking yesterday evening stated the leaders of the attack have been arrested. He has also been very careful not to use the term coup. However, the political situation in the country is tense, the borders have been closed, and flights to and from the country have been cancelled.
When I heard of the situation I immediately reached out to Bishop Momoh of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone, our global partners. Through WhatsApp we were able to communicate with him as he sheltered in place to avoid being caught up in any of the violence. I shared that we in the NT-NL Synod would be keeping him and the ELCSL in prayer and pray for a peaceful end to this conflict. He expresses his gratitude to you for those prayers and for our continued commitment to supporting the work they are doing in Sierra Leone. As of Monday morning he reported that he is safe and that he has gotten no word of any members of the church being injured or of any damage to church property. I pray that will continue to be the case.
The NT-NL and the ELCSL have a long history of mutual commitment. I am grateful for the work Bishop Momoh has been about, particularly the work to create a sustainable, self-supporting church. This includes the water bottling project that we in NT-NL provided funds for and now provides both income for the church as well as employment for individuals in the community. The church has also made the decision to lease property they own in Freetown to again provide cash flow for the church. These moves are strong indicators of how Bishop Momoh’s vision for a sustainable church, working in partnership but not solely dependent on our financial support are coming together. In the fall of 2024 Bishop has called for a meeting with NT-NL, ELCA, and LWF partners and will likely mean a group from NT-NL will travel to Sierra Leone. Assuming of course the political situation is such that it is safe to do so.
Please continue to hold the people of Sierra Leone and particularly Bishop Momoh and the ELCSL in prayer. We are grateful for the work we do…
#InMissionTogether,
Bishop Gronberg
Annual German Church Service
You are invited to attend the traditional Annual German Church Service (in German) at Christ, Dallas. This church service has been arranged by the Johanniterorden, the Dallas Goethe Center and the Deutsche Kirche in Dallas and is being hosted by Christ Lutheran Church. This annual tradition offers English and German speakers a chance to experience a traditional church service in German with traditional Advent songs. The service will also include a special children’s sermon and it will be followed by a reception afterwards with German cookies, cake and Stollen!
Closing Liturgy for First Salem, Roscoe
December 3, 2023 at 11am
The congregation of First Salem-Roscoe has chosen to sell their property. The congregation will continue to worship for now with other congregations in Roscoe as they disburse their assets. Bishop Gronberg will be leading the service on Sunday Dec 3rd. All are welcome
Featured Resources for November
Lutheran women have a long history of Bible study, discipleship, and desire to deepen their spiritual life and learn about issues.
Women of the ELCA offers FREE downloadable program resources—including many in Spanish—to help you grow in faith and engage in ministry and action: https://www.womenoftheelca.org/resources
Where in the world is?
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:
Nov 28-30: Region 4 Bishops Gathering, San Antonio
Dec 3: First Salem, Roscoe, Service of Thanksgiving and Closure
Dec 7: Dallas Area Interfaith Witness Event
Dec 10: St. John, Bartlett, 140th Anniversary Celebration
Dec 20: Staff Christmas Lunch
Pastor Totzke:
Nov 28: First Call Pastors Check-in, Zoom
Dec 3: Abiding Grace, Southlake
Dec 8-13: Vacation
Dec 17: Grace, Abilene
Dec 20: Staff Christmas Lunch
Dec 24: Trinity, Sherman
Pastora Bañales:
Nov 30: Community of Hope, Fort Worth
Dec 5: Umoja, Fort Worth
Dec 8: Diocese of Dallas, Bishop Burns Annual Christmas Reception
Dec 10: First Sagrada Familia, Garland, Celebration of Virgin of Guadalupe
Dec 14: Christian Congregational Leadership ELCA, All Staff Meeting
Dec 20: Staff Christmas Lunch
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:
- Nov 28: First Call Pastors Check-in, Zoom
- Nov 30: Cultivating Compassion Session 11: Practice- Reparations, Online
- Dec 2: Upper Elementary Retreat, Abiding Grace, Southlake
- Dec 7: Transitional Pastors Meeting, Zoom
- Dec 9: Public Witness Team Meeting, 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.