Thursday June 30th I had the opportunity to spend some time in conversation and worship with NT-NL Synod, ELCA pastors in the first 3 years of their first calls. It was a fun conversation with a group that, except for one, where all ordained during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result this was the first time they had met fully in person. Unfortunately due to covid we missed Pr. Joel Hicks (St. Stephen, Shreveport).
The one who had a pre-covid ordination, Austin Nickel (First, Waco) was ordained in summer 2019 so this was his last retreat. As such at the end of worship we anointed him and blessed him.
This group, while not having gender diversity, is a very diverse cohort. They represent ministries from the far eastern end of our Synod (Shreveport) to the far west (Clovis, NM). They worship in English and Swahili and serve a variety of demographic and economic contexts. I am so very grateful for them and the time to be together.
I am also excited to note that in August we will be hosting at Briarwood Leadership Center the first ever ELCA Latinx Young Adult Retreat. This is going to be an exciting time and over 40 leaders are signed up for it.
Finally, in the collage I included a graphic I found fascinating. It shows the circulation of the top 20 newspapers in the United States in 2000 versus their 2022 print circulation. The declines are stunning and reflect the reality of our changed world and how information is shared and accessed. Worth considering how this has impacted our faith and life in these past decades and will going forward. #NTNL #InMissionTogether