Six-Month Notice for 2022 Synod Assembly
This is the official six-month notice for our next Synod Assembly, scheduled for April 29-30, 2022. It is our hope and prayer that we can gather in person at Paul Quinn College in Dallas, TX, as we originally planned in 2020 (and at the same registration rates!). Mark your calendars, as 2022 is also a Bishop election year for our synod. Registration will open in January 2022. For registration rates (currently posted) and full details (with updates made as we confirm them), watch the event page on the NT-NL website: https://www.ntnl.org/event/2022-ntnl-synod-assembly/
I’m a Lutheran: Selena Wilkes
Selena Wilkes is an entrepreneur with several businesses, CEO of Elmwood Farm Hospitality Group and Port 44, retired Ladies Professional Golf Association Futures Tour golfer, motivational speaker, former council president of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Williamsport, Md., board member on several community nonprofits including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.“I was born profoundly deaf. My parents were both schoolteachers. Taking the advice of the doctors, they wanted me to be mainstreamed in public school. I had speech therapy for years and learned by lip-reading. I wore hearing aids to assist with sound awareness.” Read the full article here.
Featured Resources for October
October is National Clergy Appreciation Month
Clergy Appreciation Day is always the second Sunday in October (October 10 in 2021), and all of October is celebrated as Clergy Appreciation Month. The celebration was established in 1992 with a mission of uplifting and encouraging pastors, missionaries, and religious workers.
Here are just a couple of sites with recommendations for celebrating and honoring our faith leaders:
Recent Blog Posts
Bishop Gronberg:
(https://www.ntnl.org/conference-youth-hangout/ – published Oct. 22)
(https://www.ntnl.org/briarwood-nt-nl-congregational-leaders-trainings/ – published Oct. 22)
(https://www.ntnl.org/nt-nl-synodical-womens-organization-gathering/ – published Oct. 25)
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:
Oct. 31: Confirmation Celebration, Abiding Grace, Southlake
Nov. 7: Installation Service at Zion, McGregor
Nov. 9: Speaker for White’s Chapel United Methodist, Southlake Men’s Group
Nov. 21: Retirement celebration for Rev. Gordon Illausky (Christ the Servant, Allen)
Nov. 28: Gloria Dei, Garland
Pastor Totzke:
Oct. 31: Walnut Hill, Farmers Branch
Nov. 1-3: Region 4 Bishops’ Associates Retreat, Galveston
Nov. 7: Installation of Pr. J. T. Miller, Zion, McGregor
Nov. 13-14: Lubbock for meetings at both Shepherd King and Gloria Dei
Nov. 21: Hope, Comanche
Pastora Bañales:
Oct. 26: DEM Meeting
Oct. 28: ELCA Mission Developers Training, and NT-NL Congregational Council Session
Oct. 30: Quinceańera (XV) at First Sagrada Familia, Garland
Oct. 31: Reformation Sunday, Emmanuel, Granbury
Nov. 1-3: Region 4 DEM’s Retreat hosted by NT-NL Synod
Nov. 4: NT-NL Congregational Council Session
Nov. 5-8: Personal Days
Nov. 11: NT-NL Congregational Council Session
Nov. 13: Quinceanera (XV) at First Sagrada Familia, Garland
Nov. 14: New Start, Adviento, Arlington
Nov. 16: Latinx Conference Gathering, Adviento, Arlington
Nov. 18: NT-NL Congregational Council Session
Nov. 20: PLMA
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:
- Oct. 28: Leading for God’s Future: Service on the Congregational Council – Session 2, Zoom
- Nov. 4: Transitional (Interim) Pastors monthly meeting, Zoom
- Nov. 4: Leading for God’s Future: Service on the Congregational Council – Session 3, Zoom
- Nov. 11: Leading for God’s Future: Service on the Congregational Council – Session 4, Zoom
- Nov. 13: Public Witness Team meeting, Zoom
- Nov. 18: Leading for God’s Future: Service on the Congregational Council – Session 5, Zoom
- Nov. 20: Parish Lay Ministry Academy, Fall 2021, Course 3, Zoom
- Dec. 2: Transitional (Interim) Pastors monthly meeting, Zoom
- Dec. 11: 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 Jason (jason@ntnl.org) for consideration for upcoming editions of our weekly news.