This week we pray for:
Joy in Rockwall (Pr. Paul Appel)
Central in Dallas (Pr. Richard Pounds)
NT-NL Mission Council
The 2015 NT-NL Prayer Partners can be found at ntnl.org/2015PrayerPartners or you can download the PDF here.
Looking for a last-minute gift to fill up that Easter basket?
ELCA Good Gifts—adorable and meaningful!
Take the Purple Hair Challenge!
You make a donation or pledge to help us reach the $3 million goal for the DiscipleLife Alive! campaign before April 25, and Bishop Kanouse, Briarwood Executive Director Phil Geleske, Mission Council Vice-President Stephanie Varnum and other NT-NL leaders will dye their hair purple for the 2015 Assembly!
Are you ready to take the Purple Hair Challenge and make a donation to help us meet (and exceed!) the $3 million goal for the DiscipleLife Alive! campaign?
A Special Invitation to All Choir Members in the NT-NL Mission Area
Would you like to be a part of the Dedication Celebration at Briarwood on April 25? We want you to help us make a joyful noise!
For more information, please see the full invitation here.
The NT-NL Public Witness Team presents Daoud Nasser
April 19, 6:30 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Fort Worth
April 21, 7:00 p.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church in Dallas
Palestinian Lutheran Daoud Nasser will share the message of Tent of Nations at two events:
- April 19, at 6:30 p.m., at Trinity Lutheran Church (3621 Tulsa Way, Fort Worth) Contact Ann Hafften at 817-613-7906 or Laura Hunt at 817-705-6282
- April 21, at 7:00 p.m., at Bethany Lutheran Church (10101 Walnut Hill, Dallas) Contact Terry Guy at 214-348-9690 or churchoffice@bethany.net
Mr. Nasser is from Bethlehem and a member of Christmas Lutheran Church there. He is a leader in the Tent of Nations organization.
Tent of Nations seeks to prepare young people in Palestine to make positive contributions to their society through the values of understanding and peaceful coexistence. The organic farm where the education and work camps take place is under threat of confiscation by the Israeli military. It is about 33 miles southwest of Bethlehem.
In May 2014, the Israeli military bulldozed 1,500 productive fruit trees growing on the Nasser farm. Daoud Nasser will explain the challenges facing his family’s farming efforts from the military and surrounding Israeli settlements. Read more here.
Daoud Nasser’s presentation is part of NT-NL’s participation in the ELCA strategy Peace Not Walls: Stand for Justice in the Holy Land.
The NT-NL Public Witness Team presents
Texas Impact Legislative Briefing
April 11, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Shepherd of Life Lutheran Church
715 East Lamar Boulevard, Arlington
Contact: Pastor Franz Schemmel (franzschemmel@gmail.com or 817-613-7906) or Pastor Chuck Hubbard (214-395-6978)
Do you wonder if our Texas legislators are aware of the issues important to Lutherans? Would you like to help them out? Here is your opportunity learn how to have an impact on the legislative process!
Texas Impact will present a briefing event at Shepherd of Life Lutheran Church in Arlington on April 11. The briefing will begin at 10:00 a.m. Cost for the event is $10; lunch will be provided.
Since the 2015 session is underway, we will start with an update on the nature and progress of bills currently under consideration. Director Bee Moorhead and the Texas Impact staff will focus on five key areas: immigration, education, criminal justice, medical care, and water management.
Participants will learn how they can make an impact during this legislative session and what should be done to prepare for the 2017 session. It is important to be thinking about 2017 now, so we hope to see you on April 11.
Texas Impact is a statewide religious grassroots network whose members include church bodies, congregations and individuals of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths. The NT-NL Mission Area has a longstanding membership in the organization. For more about Texas Impact, see their website: texasimpact.org.
Mosaic celebrates Earth Day
Please RSVP to Lori Baum at lori.baum@mosaicinfo.org or 972-866-9989.
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is excited to announce a great opportunity for resettled refugees, migrants, and Lutheran allies from across the country to participate in our 2015 Migrant & Refugee Leadership Academy in Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC from June 16-18. Click here for more information.
Join us Saturday, May 2 at the new Mission Center for Briarwood’s annual Run for the Roses Gala! Click here for details.
Families with children of all ages are invited to Briarwood for the ¡SINAI! Family Retreat: Mountains & Valleys.
This retreat will take place the same weekend as the Mission Assembly, April 24-26; while assembly participants will hear the theory and philosophy of Rich Melheim’s Faith5 (Faith Action In The Home) practice, families at Briarwood will put it all to practice, exploring together how they can support each other in their faith formation and stick together through life’s mountains and valleys.
Want to find out more? Go here.
Want to register? Go here! (Need help with Briarwood’s new registration website? Read this!)
2015 Mission Assembly
Registration | Hotel & Lodging Information
Did you know you do not have to be a voting member to come to the assembly? Visitors are welcome! Join us to hear our amazing keynote speakers, the Rev. Dr. Rich Melheim and the Rev. Dr. David Lose, and to find out more about what is happening across the mission area.
Download the ELCA Organizations and Events Guidebook app!
This year we will once again use an electronic guide app for the Assembly. To download the ELCA Organizations and Events app, click here. If you already have the app, search for 2015 Assembly of the NT-NL Mission Area, ELCA to find our guide.
View the assembly schedule, read about our keynote speakers, access the Book of Reports and more!
Looking for the mail-in registration form? Download it form here!
Saturday, May 2 • 5:30 p.m.
Mission Center at Briarwood
Come enjoy an elegant evening at Briarwood (valet parking will be provided) and celebrate with us the growing ministries and bright future of Briarwood!
Reservations can be made online at www.bidpal.net/briarwoodgala2015.
If you would like to donate an item for our auction please contact Jean at 940.241.2099 or jean@briarwoodretreat.org.
The Institute for Ecumenical Research in Strasbourg, a close affiliate of the Lutheran World Federation, has just launched the Luther Reading Challenge.
It’s an online community for reading and discussion Luther’s theological writings as a preparation for the Reformation anniversary. From now until October 2017, a wide range of Luther’s works will be made available online. Anyone can sign up for a free account to join the conversation!
It’s been almost 500 years since Martin Luther posted his “Ninety-Five Theses” or “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517 (where does the time go? Doesn’t it seem like it was only yesterday?)
Churchwide has created some resources to help congregations, ELCA seminaries, colleges and universities, and other agencies pool ideas and resources to enrich anniversary observances throughout the ELCA and beyond:
- An ELCA Reformation Observance website (this is in addition to the ELCA.org/500 landing page on the ELCA website)
- A Facebook group called ELCA Reformation 500
- A Facebook page also called ELCA Reformation 500
Senior Citizens’ Retreat:
What a Wonderful World
April 7-9
Briarwood Retreat Center
At this retreat we will be studying the beauty of nature and music as well as examining how to see our world in a wonderful light no matter what our age or circumstance.
Our traditional Bible studies will be led by Bishop Kevin Kanouse. The retreat will also include bird watching and nature walks, as well as some exciting new fellowship activities and entertainment acts in the works!
Find more information here. | Click here to register.
North Texas Senior Fest 2015
Adult Lutherans Organized for Action’s Eighth Annual Senior Fest has been rescheduled for Saturday, May 9. See more details here.
Please note the mission office’s new address:
680 Copper Canyon Rd.
Argyle, TX 76226
Phone: 940-241-2099
Please note we will be discontinuing the use of the P.O. Box; all mail will need to come directly to the above address.
There are still giving opportunities available! Please visit NTNL.org/donate-now for more information on the new special gifting and naming opportunities for the Mission Center at Briarwood.
Upcoming Events in the NT-NL Mission Area and Beyond:
- Apr. 7-9: Senior Citizen’s Retreat
- Apr. 14: RESCHEDULED Table Talk: Reviving the Congregation with Pastor Michael Foss
- 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’s 2015 Run for the Roses Gala
- May 9: ALOA Senior Fest
- May 24-29: LSPS’s Spanish Language and Hispanic Ministry Intensive
- Jul. 15-19: 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering: Rise Up Together!
- Sep. 13: “God’s Work. Our Hands.” Sunday
- Sep. 29: 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!