Bishop’s Convocation
Early Registration Deadline is Sunday, Oct 19!
October 27-29
Briarwood Retreat Center
Turning Preaching Inside Out:
Preaching & Worship as Faith Formation
Guest Speaker Dr. Rolf Jacobson
2014 Convocation Brochure Registration packet with mail-in registration available here.
(Please note: we were not able to set up online registration this year. Please register by mail. Thank you!)
New life for children in Tanzania
Children in rural Tanzania are getting the medical care they need thanks to ELCA missionaries Dr. Stephen Friberg and his wife, Bethany Friberg. But “mission doctors know it is God who does the healing,” they say.
Share this inspiring story with your congregation. For a colorful Word document to display on a bulletin board or use in a newsletter or PowerPoint presentation, visit ELCA.org/resources/globalchurch.
Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders
This 32-hour training, offered by the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center, is useful for clergy who are looking for continuing education opportunities in addition to honing their mediation skills. The next MSTI will be in Georgetown, Texas, November 17-21, 2014 at First United Methodist Church. Download the registration brochure here.
Our complete calendar can be found on their website, LMPeaceCenter.org.
“Only Four Things Grow Churches” Tour
Losing sleep at night trying to figure out how to grow your church into the 21st Century? Join us at one of our Only Four Things Grow Churches event, get the tools you need, and sleep better!
Saturday, Nov. 1 • Central Christian Church
4711 Westside Dr., Dallas, TX 75209
This one-day seminar is based on the Four Core Processes outlined in the book Effective Staffing for Vital Churches: The Essential Guide for Finding and Keeping the Right People. This event will help you get the church growth ball rolling and provide the momentum to break through the barriers that are holding your church back.
For more information, visit effectivechurch.com/four-things/. To register for the November 1st event, click here.
2015 Tri-Synodical Theological Conference
January 26-28
New Braunfels, TX
The Story is our life blood, yet many have let it flat line.
Join us for theological conference this year as we get the blood pumping again!
Help Needed! 1st Annual Mosaic Halloween Party
Volunteers needed Friday, October 24 from 4:00-8:00 p.m. to help decorate the vocational center before the party and/or to help serve, play games, etc. during the party. If you can help, please contact Lori Baum at lori.baum@mosaicinfo.org or 972-866-9989 ext. 322.
West Africa Ebola Crisis: Donations Still Being Collected
There is still so much to be done to help our brothers and sisters in Sierra Leone and west Africa. Please visit ntnl.org/ebola-crisis for updates.
Please consider making a donation or taking a special offering in your congregation, and also sharing that link with friends and family. Donations can be made through PayPal or by mail: NT-NL Mission Office, P.O. Box 560587, Dallas TX 75356-0587.
Oportunidades para Hispanohablantes:
Retiro Espiritual: Festival de los Regalos de Dios
Acompáñenos en este Retiro Espiritual: Festival de los Regalos de Dios, presentado por el Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, el 31 de octubre-1° de noviembre en el Campamento Lutherhill en La Grange.
Venga con su familia a disfrutar un lugar de esparcimiento físico y espiritual con gente que le quiere. La colaboración sugerida es $10 por individual o $20 por familia que incluye alojamiento y comidas. Por favor, inscríbase en línea. El último día para inscribirse es el viernes 17 de octubre.
Entrenamiento con la Academia
La Academia Ecuménica de Liderazgo ofrece esta oportunidad de entrenamiento de facilitadoras y facilitadores el 24-25 de octubre en Houston.
Los participantes podrán familiarizarse con los cursos, el procedimiento, aclarar dudas, e interactuar con colegas facilitadoras y facilitadores.
El costo del entrenamiento es $55 por persona; cada participante es responsable por sus arreglos de hotel, comida, y viaje. Para más informatción, vea la página de eventos de Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod. Por favor, inscríbase en línea.
Volunteer Days at Briarwood: October 20-31
We will need volunteers to assist with painting the Streng and Trester Centers starting Monday!
The actual painting will be done by our two favorite handymen, Bruce Oslie and Buck Parker, but they will need volunteers to help with hoses and moving things around.
If you are available to help any weekday from Monday, Oct. 20-Friday, Oct. 31, please call Jean at 940.241.2099 or email her at jean@briarwoodretreat.org to let us know of your availability.
Thank you!
Mission Endowment Fund Grant Application Now Available!
The deadline for MEF grants is October 31. Please complete the application (save the fillable PDF to your computer, then open your local copy) and submit to Hattie Hammer at hattie.hammer@sbcglobal.net.
Please find the complete grant application guidelines and application forms at ntnl.org/mef-grants.
Briarwood Fall Festival
November 2 • 2:00-6:00
Join us for a fun-filled family day at Briarwood! There will be a games, treats, face painting, raffles, tours of the Streng and Trester Centers, and Briarwood’s Annual Meeting.
There will be a delicious cookout with hot dogs and hamburgers from 4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. plus cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn, and sodas throughout the afternoon.
The Annual Advisory Board meeting will be held at 4:00 p.m. Please see briarwoodretreat.org for more information.
Run for the Hills
Join us on Saturday, Nov. 8 for the Second Annual Run for the Hills, an exciting 1 mile and 5k Fun Run/Walk, benefiting Foster in Texas, Lutheran Social Services of the South and the animal services center in the City of Richland Hills. The run/walk is hosted by Calvary Lutheran Church in Richland Hills.
The race kicks off at 8 a.m. You can park at Calvary (7620 Baker Blvd. in Richland Hills) and catch a shuttle to the starting line. Stay after to enjoy music, food and fellowship!
Click here to register and for more event details.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
The ELCA Church Council has authorized a social message on gender-based violence. A Draft of a Social Message on Gender-based Violence is available for public comment and response. Please use this online feedback form. The comment period runs through November 26th, and you are invited to participate by sending your feedback by email.
Click here to learn more from an FAQ about the project. | en español
Please take a moment to read through some of the domestic violence resources available here. Consider including victims and survivors of domestic abuse, as well as their abusers, in your prayers during worship.
Texas Family Violence Centers and Organizations
Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence
The month of October is Spirit Month and contains three important dates in the lives of many LGBT people: Coming Out Day (October 11), Spirit Day (October 16), and Ally Week (October 12-18). The month of October also contains Reformation Sunday (October 26) which is important in our faith tradition as we allow God’s Spirit to continually reform and renew ourselves and our ministry from the inside out.
We have provided to our RIC communities prayer petitions which are rooted in that week’s readings and reflect the respective Spirit Month celebration on our web page: www.RWKS.org/Spirit
Check with the worship planner(s) in your congregation to see if they would like to add these four prayer petitions to the liturgy. A bulletin insert is also available for use.
Youth Events
The NT-NL Lutheran Youth Organization leaders are collecting preliminary information from congregations planning on attending the Gathering in Detroit. Please fill out this quick form to let us know your plans!
Registration for Rise Up Together: 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering is Now Open!
Peer Ministry Leadership Event (youth in grades 9-12)
February 20-22
Briarwood Retreat Center
Download the Peer Ministry Leadership Event registration brochure here!
Questions? Call Janelle Miller at 817-726-7031 or email NTNLYouthLeaders@yahoo.com.
500 Likes by Reformation Day—Almost there!
Yowza! We’re up to 474 likes on the NT-NL Mission Area Facebook Page. Just 26 more to get us to 500 by Reformation Day!
Thank you to all of you sharing our page, liking and commenting on posts, sharing posts and articles from the page! So far, you’ve raised $570 for Ebola relief via Facebook likes—remember, for every new “like” on our page from today until October 31st, I will donate $10 to Ebola relief.
And don’t forger the #SundaySelfieNTNL and #ntnlife hashtags!
Find us online! Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest
Upcoming Events in the NT-NL Mission Area and Beyond:
- Oct. 24-25: Entrenamiento con la Academia Ecuménica de Liderazgo
- Oct. 24-26: Lutheran Men in Mission’s “One Year to Live” Retreat
- Oct. 27-29: Bishop’s Convocation: Turning Preaching Inside Out
- Oct. 31-Nov. 1: Retiro Espiritual: Festival de los Regalos de Dios
- Nov. 1: Only Four Things Grow Churches
- Nov. 2: Briarwood’s Fall Festival
- Nov. 8: Run for the Hills 1 mile and 5K run
- Nov. 9: Lutheran Campus Ministries Trivia Night
- Nov. 14-16: Junior High Youth Gathering
- Dec. 7: Briarwood’s Christmas Brunch
- Dec. 13-14: Advent Retreat at Briarwood
- Jan 16-18: High School Extravaganza
- Jan. 24-25: Lumberjack Retreat at Briarwood
- Jan. 26-28, 2015: Tri-Synodical Theological Conference
- Feb. 20-22: Peer Ministry (for youth in grades 9-12)
- Apr. 21-May 8, 2015: In Search of Paul: An Aegean Odyssey A LEAD pilgrimage for rostered leaders and church professionals
- Apr. 24-26, 2015: NT-NL Mission Assembly
- May 24-29, 2015: LSPS’s Spanish Language and Hispanic Ministry Intensive
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!