This week we pray for:
Our Redeemer in Grand Prairie (the Rev. Kathi Johnson)
Kyrie Pub Church in Fort Worth (the Rev. Ethan Beiler)
The 2015 Tri-Synodical Conference
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.
Annual Reports to the Bishop
This year’s annual reports for rostered and lay leaders are finally ready! Go to ntnl.org/annualreports to access them.
The reports are no longer on Formatta Filler—they are now fillable Adobe PDFs. Click on the link to the report you need to open the document, then save the document to your computer (or right-clink on the link to save). Open your saved document to complete the form (if you enter your information on the form that opens online, your entries will not save!)
(All links to the Annual Reports page have been updated! Sorry for the confusion for those of you who were looking for the reports this last week.)
Chrismon Tree in the new Anderson Chapel
We will have a Chrismon tree in the Anderson Chapel at the new Center for Mission at Briarwood. Would your congregation consider sharing an ornament from your Chrismon tree, so we have a truly all-Mission Area tree?
NT-NL Vice President Stephanie Varnum is overseeing this opportunity. If you would like to participate, or if you have any questions or comments, please contact her at Stephanie@ntnl.org. Ornaments can be mailed to the mission office at 680 Copper Canyon Rd, Argyle, TX 76226.
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.
We have moved!
Thank you for your patience this week as we move from the Dallas office to the new Center for Mission at Briarwood!
The computer server was successfully moved Monday, and email is back online. Email will be the best way to reach the mission office staff this week, as we get settled in.
Phone lines will be transferred to the new building Thursday; the old mission office number (214-637-6865) will be forwarded to Briarwood for a few months, but please update your contact information to include Briarwood’s phone number as the main one for both Briarwood and NT-NL: 940-241-2099.
The new address for all mail is:
680 Copper Canyon Rd.
Argyle, TX 76226
Please note we will also be discontinuing the use of the P.O. Box! All mail will need to come directly to the above address.
Make sure you mark your calendars to come celebrate the dedication of the new building on Saturday, April 25!
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. 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!