This week we pray for:
First Salem in Roscoe (the Rev. Howell Martin, SAWL)
St. Stephen in Shreveport (Dr. Harold Christensen, SAWL)
New & renewing congregations
The 2015 NT-NL Prayer Partners can be found at ntnl.org/2015PrayerPartners or you can download the PDF here.
2015 NT-NL Table Talk Schedule
February 24: Reviving the Congregation with the Rev. Dr. Michael W. Foss
September 15: The Use of the Means of Grace with the Rev. Kevin Strickland
Download a promotional flier for the 2015 Table Talks here. Register for the Reviving the Congregation here.
Global Mission
From Amy Gulliksen, Young Adult Global Mission from NT-NL currently serving in Jerusalem:
While many of you have probably started putting away the holiday decorations, Christmas is still in full swing here in Jerusalem. This Wednesday is the final celebration of the birth of Christ, observed by the Armenian Orthodox Church. I pray that each of you spent the Holy Days at peace with family and friends. May we pray that this feeling of peace and wholeness extends to all of God’s family- all of creation.
Ila-liqaa’ (Until we meet again),
Amy Gulliksen
Read Amy’s Christmas newsletter here!
Get your Global Church PlaceMaps for annual meetings and Lenten meals!
Inspire your members with a PlaceMap which shows where God is working through ELCA Missionaries, YAGMs, scholarships for International Leaders, and Global Ministries of outreach and education.
This FREE resource is perfect for dinner place mats, displays or coloring sheets.
Download an 11×17 copy at ELCA.org/resources/globalchurch (click on the General tab). Request 100 or 200 in pre-printed pads with free shipping and handling at 800-638-3522 or RIS@elca.org. Order larger quantities at ELCA.org/globalmission-resources; shipping and handling charges will apply.
Help build up Christ’s global church in 2015!
Share the excitement of building up Christ’s global church–together. Through ELCA Global Church Sponsorship, you can make a difference by directly responding to requests from our global companions in Christ for more:
- Missionaries and Young Adults in Global Mission
- Scholarships for International Leaders-Women, and
- Global Ministries of evangelism and education.
For more information, including 1-5 free brochures, contact globalchurch@elca.org or 800-638-3522, ext. 2657, or order up to 200 free brochures here.
Read the ELCA Global Links newsletter for January 2015
Read the ELCA Advocacy Update for January 2015
Read the ELCA World Hunger Go and Do News for December 2014
We are grateful for the good news we have heard coming from Liberia and Guinea, but the situation in Sierra Leone is getting worse. Please keep the people of Sierra Leone in your prayers, and remember them in your giving.
Find out more and make a donation at NTNL.org/ebola-crisis.
The Mission Office is moving!
Please be aware we are moving next week, and therefore will be in full packing-up-the-office mode this week. We may not be able to return phone calls and emails as quickly as we would like… we ask for your patience (and grace and forgiveness) during this time!
And speaking of moving… the 15 chapel chairs at the NT-NL Mission Office do not work for the new Anderson Chapel at Briarwood. Could you use them at your church building?
The chairs are in great shape! We would like to sell them, to help offset the cost of the new chapel chairs. Contact Tyna at 214-635-6865 or tyna@ntnl.org if you are interested!
As of January 20, the new address for the mission office will be:
680 Copper Canyon Rd.
Argyle, TX 76226
214-637-6865 • 940-241-2099
There are still giving opportunities available to finish out the landscaping around the building and to furnish the Streng Leadership Center.
Please visit NTNL.org/donate-now for more information on the new special gifting and naming opportunities for the Center for Mission at Briarwood.
Briarwood’s LumberJack Retreat
Join us for a weekend of fellowship and service to Briarwood.
Our lumberjack theme this year comes from a large need for firewood and maintenance work to be done on Saturday. Once Briarwood has restocked our supplies, leftover firewood cut from the weekend will be available to take home!
Cost: Free for those coming out for the day or $35 for those eating dinner and spending the night.
Registration is available on Briarwood’s website or you can contact our Program Director, Aaron Colwick, to register: aaron@briarwoodretreat.org
2015 Lutheran Legislative Event
Sponsored by the Poverty & Justice Task Force of the ELCA’s Southwestern Texas Synod; program planned by Texas Impact.
Participating synods: Southwestern Texas, Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana, Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast
February 15-17, 2015
Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Austin, Texas
Do you wonder why our Texas legislators sometimes don’t understand issues of importance to Lutherans? Would you like to help them understand those issues? If so, now’s your opportunity to impact the legislative process!
Download the 2015 Lutheran Legislative Event bulletin insert for more information.
You are invited to share in a day of challenge and opportunity for a lifetime!
Make Us Your Living Voice:
Faith-Based Organizing
to be held at
Texas Lutheran University
February 6 • 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Guest speaker: Alexia Salvatierra ♦ Guest preacher: Dr. Ray Pickett
This conference is organized through the Congregation Initiated Community Based Organizing Task Force of the Southwestern Texas Synod (ELCA), participating congregations, and sponsors.
For additional information visit the event page or contact Mary Lou Walther at way.mlwalther@gmail.com or Herb Palmer at herbpalmer@sbcglobal.net. Download the flier here.
February 15, 2:00-4:00
Preston Meadow Lutheran Church, Plano
The Center for Servant Leadership at Texas Lutheran University is once again offering its College Bound Workshop: Understanding College Admissions and Financial Aid. This workshop is free and open to all, walk-ins are welcome.
To guarantee a space you may sign up in advance by contacting the Center for Servant Leadership: RHruza@TLU.edu; 830.372.8160; www.TLU.edu/church
Download the 2015 College Bound event flier here
St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church – Youth Center
8011 Douglas Avenue
Dallas, TX 75225
How are faithful Christian disciples formed today? What sustains them through a lifetime? How can congregations make a real difference?
Find out in this 2-day training event from Vibrant Faith. Detailed info and registration at https://dowhatmatters-dallas.eventbrite.com.
¡SINAI!
Family Retreat: Mountains & Valleys
Friday, April 24-Sunday, April 26
Join us as we wander into the wilderness, climb onto the holy ground of Mount ¡SINAI!, and continue to journey with Jesus to discover who we are and whose we are.
Our journey to ¡SINAI! will also lead us to understand how to minister among and with youth, young adults, and families in the new generation.
Concurrent with the assembly, Briarwood will offer a family retreat. This be a time for families to explore together how they can support each other in their faith formation. The retreat will focus on Rich Melheim’s FAITH5 (Faith Action In The Home), and how those tools can help families as they embark on their faith journeys together.
Download a promotional flier for the ¡SINAI! Family Retreat here!
Registration for both events coming soon!
Upcoming Events in the NT-NL Mission Area and Beyond:
- Jan. 18-24: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
- Jan. 24-25: Lumberjack Retreat at Briarwood
- Jan. 26-28: Tri-Synodical Theological Conference
- Feb. 15: TLU’s College Bound Workshop
- Feb. 20-22: Peer Ministry (for youth in grades 9-12)
- Feb. 21: Mosaic in Dallas’s 18th Annual Heart & Soul Gala
- Feb. 21-22: Lenten Retreat at Briarwood
- Feb 24: Table Talk: Reviving the Congregation with Pastor Michael Foss
- Feb. 24-25: DO WHAT MATTERS! Faith Formation for a New Age
- Feb. 28: Eighth Annual North Texas Senior Fest
- Mar. 22: Brunch at Briarwood
- Mar. 27-29: Into The Wilderness: Men’s Family Retreat at Briarwood
- Apr. 7-9: Senior Citizen’s Retreat
- Apr. 21-May 8: In Search of Paul: An Aegean Odyssey A LEAD pilgrimage for rostered leaders and church professionals
- Apr. 24-26: NT-NL Mission Assembly
- Apr. 24-26: ¡SINAI! Family Retreat: Mountains & Valleys at Briarwood
- May 2: Briarwood Gala
- May 24-29: LSPS’s Spanish Language and Hispanic Ministry Intensive
- Sep. 13: “God’s Work. Our Hands.” Sunday
- Sept. 15: Table Talk: The Use of the Means of Grace with Pastor Kevin Strickland
- Oct. 17: MEF “Seeds that Change” Dinner
- Oct. 26-28: 2015 Bishop’s Convocation with special guest Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton!
- Nov. 2: Portico Pre-Retirement Seminar
- Nov. 3: Portico Early/Mid-Career Financial Wellness Seminar
Do you have news or announcements to share? Please submit them to Criss Forshay (criss@ntnl.org) for consideration for our next Briefings. Don’t forget to include a picture or logo!