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NT-NL Leader News: February 2017

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In This Issue

Letter from the Bishop

Annual Reports

Candidacy Portal and the Mobility Database System

Important Events

Request from Briarwood

Upcoming Events

Reminders

Letter from the Bishop

Dear NT-NL Leaders,

O mortal, what is good;

and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God.

– Micah 6:8

For those who attended last week’s Tri-Synodical Theological Conference in Austin, thank you. It was a stimulating and engaging time. The “RED” talks by our own Cheryl Gorvie and Kyle Rouze were inspiring, as were the conversations with Bishop Eaton and LWF General Secretary Martin Junge. It was a good and prescient reminder that as the ELCA, we are connected globally to over 75 million Lutherans around the world — Lutherans increasingly gathered in the Southern Hemisphere, many in countries with significant Muslim presence or Muslim majorities (including our partners in Sierra Leone).

The Trump administration’s executive order regarding immigration delays or bans for refugees from certain nations with Muslim majorities has raised significant anxiety and action within our communities. There is a great deal of information and misinformation being shared through social media and various news outlets. Most are heavily biased, based on their political and economic interests.

In these challenging times, I would encourage you to be educating yourself and your community on what these executive orders mean and their potential ramifications moving forward. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services is one of the most well-respected organizations worldwide. They are a resource for you and for your community, as is the ELCA Advocacy website. Both also have an active presence on Facebook and Twitter.

In addition to our concerns for our global neighbors, the very pointed rhetoric and targeting of particular communities is emboldening many whose agenda is not the love and grace of God but division and hatred. At least one congregation in our synod arrived to worship this week with white nationalist propaganda posted on their door. If this or other acts of intimidation should happen to your congregation or in your communities, please contact me immediately and also local law enforcement.

God bless you all as you engage your communities in the coming weeks. Know that you are in my prayers each day, and I give thanks for your faithful proclamation of the good news of God’s love poured out in Christ Jesus.

In Mission Together,

Bishop Erik K. J. Gronberg

Annual Reports

If you have not already, please submit your Mission Support and Parochial report forms. These can be found on our Annual Reports page. You may now submit your Rostered / Authorized Leader Report online (found at the same link). Please submit all forms ASAP.

Candidacy Portal and the Mobility Database System

The Candidacy Portal and the Mobility Database System have been updated and are now available. If you completed work on your RLP or MSP offline from December 15 until January 17, you can now log in and update your forms. As a reminder, here is what you will see:

  1. The Rostered Leader Profile will be the Rostered Minister Profile.
  2. Those of you on the roster of ordained ministers will be referred to as a minister of word and sacrament.
  3. Those of you on a lay roster will be referred to as a minister of word and service.

Important Events

2017 Lutheran Legislative Event (February 12-14)

Creation Care and Climate Change: It’s About the Kids! (February 25)
Bulletin Inserts now available.

“Go Baptize, Make Disciples” Catechumenate Training Institute (May 4-6)

Spanish Language and Hispanic Ministry Intensive I (May 28-Jun 2)
Register by February 28
Building Congregational Capacity for Hispanic Ministry (Level II Intensive) (Jun 11-16)

Request from Briarwood

The Ministry Team at Briarwood Retreat Center is striving to grow and enhance its ministry to better serve the congregations of NT-NL and the surrounding community. To guide this growth and development, the Briarwood Board of Directors authorized a team to develop a Long Range Strategic Plan.

The Briarwood Planning Team is made up of Pastor Phil Geleske (Executive Director), Pastor Kathi Johnson (Board Chair), Pastor Julio Cruz, Jerry Gray, John Parsons, and Julie Sullivan. Evan Moilan, a consultant with GSB, is providing professional assistance for this planning initiative.

To help with the planning process, a short online survey has been created, and you are invited to complete the survey at your earliest convenience. Your feedback is important, and your participation in this survey will help shape our future. All answers will be compiled by a third party and reported anonymously to the leadership of Briarwood.

Feel free to share this link with your congregation, your family, and friends.  The greater the number of survey participants, the greater the value of the information provided by the survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BriarwoodFutureDirections

We are very excited about the future development of Briarwood’s ministry, and we thank everyone for participating in the survey.

Upcoming Events

Here are leadership highlights:

For a complete list of upcoming events in, and important to, our Synod, you can access our Calendar of Events online.

Reminders

Looking for information in past Leader News emails? Find our Leader News archives here!