Message from Bishop Gronberg
Dear Partners in Mission:
Happy June! We have already made it to the 6th month of 2026! It has been an eventful year and for your faithful work in this year I give you thanks. Especially this past month of May full of activities like confirmations and graduation. I pray in these summer months you can find some time to disconnect and recharge for the work you do both in your congregation and in the world.
During these next three months as our synod administrator Anna Thompson is on parental leave we will be only sending the NT-NL news once a month on the first Tuesday of the month. Leader News will be sent as usual on the first Wednesday of the month. There is much to do and learn in these newsletters so I pray you will take the time to see what is happening in our midst.
In Mission Together,
Bishop Gronberg
Synod Assembly Keynote Presentation
Watch the 2026 Synod Assembly Keynote presentation given by Synod Attorney Craig Ongley here.
Drawing Water: Leadership Reflections from Pastor Nathan Swenson-Reinhold
Drawing Water is a short monthly reflection for congregational leaders across the Northern Texas–Northern Louisiana Synod. These reflections attend to the lived realities of leadership—clarity, fatigue, conflict, discernment, and resilience. Like windmills on the plains that quietly draw life from below the surface, this series invites leaders to slow down, reflect, and remember that leadership was never meant to be carried alone.
June’s article is “Leadership on the Road to Emmaus”. You can read the reflections in English and Spanish here.
Featured Resources for June
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS) is now Global Refuge. Their mission to welcome the stranger is still the same. To learn more about the name change, their work, and their plans for enhanced faith and mobilization work, watch their webinar.
In response to requests for resources to have difficult conversations about immigration and how to counter disinformation, Global Refuge hosted a webinar for faith leaders from across the country. In this webinar, they shared a toolkit for countering disinformation and gave tips for having these conversations. Download the Disinformation Toolkit to explore common myths and facts as well as talking points and stories to share with your community. To learn more about these resources, watch a live Recording of the Webinar.
World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honor refugees around the globe. It falls each year on June 20th and celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. World Refugee Day is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their plight and to recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives.
Whoever. Wherever. Whenever.
Everyone has the right to seek safety.
Closer to home join Messiah Lutheran Church and our Public Witness Team in their program “Bridges No More: Strangers No More
Learn how you can answer God’s call to welcome and accompany refugees.” One Wednesday, June 10, 2026 10:00 – 11:30 am. See this link for more information. https://messiahmission.org/events/strangers-no-more/2026-06-10
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:
June 7: 15th Anniversary, Abiding Grace, Southlake
June 12-19: Family Vacation
June 28: Faith, Flower Mound
July 5: Trinity, Fort Worth
July 12: Taking campers to Camp Chrysalis, Kerrville
August 15-18: Family Vacation
August 23: Christ, Dallas
Pastora Bañales:
April 28: Latinx Pastors Meeting
Pastor Fitting-Snyder:
April 26-May 1: Vacation
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:
- June 13: Public Witness Team Meeting
- July 6-9: Rostered Ministers Gathering, Indianapolis, Indiana
- July 11: Public Witness Team Meeting
- August 8: Public Witness Team Meeting
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.