Northeastern Minnesota Synod
Online Reflections
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week of July 31, 2016  
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Synod Office Summer Hours

This summer the synod office will have amended hours to accommodate the overlap of staff vacations. Staff will still fulfill their designated hours June-August, however, the phone will be answered by voicemail, and the office will be closed to meetings and drop-in visits on Fridays.

synod logo"Welcome to the Synod" Event
 
Welcome to the Synod is an opportunity to meet other people who are relatively new to service in the synod, the bishop and the synod staff, your conference dean, and others involved in the mission of the church in the Northeastern Minnesota Synod. Welcome to the Synod is a time for leaders to introduce themselves, their work, and the many ministries of the synod including: outdoor ministries, campus ministries, hunger, justice, rural life, creation care ... and many more! Following lunch, there will be an open house at the synod office across the street from First Lutheran Church: come to take a tour of the building or to sit down with a staff member to begin or continue a conversation!
 
If you are within the first five years of serving in the synod as a rostered leader; within the first five years of serving as a synodically authorized minister; the dean of your conference; a lay youth and family minister working in a congregation of the synod; or a candidate/ seminarian/ intern in the territory of this synod, then you are invited to the 2016 Welcome to the Synod event!
 
Join us at 9:30 am - 1:30 pm, Tuesday, August 16, 2016 at First Lutheran Church - Duluth (1100 E. Superior St, Duluth, MN 55802). Please call the synod office (218-724-4424) or email Pastor John Dietz at [email protected] to let us know we will be seeing you there! (Please RSVP by August 7 so we can order food - and let us know of any dietary restrictions at that time!)
 
Find more information on this link: http://tinyurl.com/NEMNWelcome
 
Pastor John Dietz
Assistant to the Bishop
Director for Evangelical Mission
Bulletin Board
October Honduras Trip Openings
There are still a few openings on the synod's October trip to our Companion Synod, the Honduras Lutheran Church. The trip will be October 11-20, 2016 and the cost is $1700 which includes airfare, lodging, and all meals in the country. The team will be hosting a Worship & Learning Workshop for the lay leaders of the Iglesia Cristiana Luterana de Honduras (ICLH), the Honduran Lutheran Church. The team will also visit the Lutheran Pre-Kindergarten in La Canada as well as visit congregations and accompany Honduran church leaders on home visits to parishioners. Knowledge of Spanish is not necessary as there will be translators with the group. For more information or an application, contact Pastor Dave Mesner at [email protected]. Our Honduran brothers and sisters are Spirit-filled and welcoming ... you are invited to walk together with them and the rest of the team in faith!
As the 2016 Churchwide Assembly nears, you are invited to participate in 6 weeks of prayer prior to the Assembly, Daily Prayers for each day of the Assembly, and a Prayer for the Sunday after the Assembly.

The prayer for Week 6 (August 7 - Sunday before the Assembly) is:

Let us pray for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and its members who gather this week in its Churchwide Assembly. Inspire the celebration of God's varied works throughout the church. Instill your peace in the midst of the work you have called us to and the deliberations that will take place. Shape the work of the church according to your will for the whole world. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For those traveling to the Assembly:
O God, our beginning and our end, you kept Abraham and Sarah in safety throughout the days of their pilgrimage. You led the children of Israel through the midst of the sea, and by a star, you led the magi to the infant Jesus. Protect and guide us now as we set out to travel. Make the ways safe and the homecomings joyful for those traveling to the Churchwide Assembly and bring us all at last to our heavenly home, where you dwell in glory with our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the l ife-giving Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.


Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Northeastern MN Synod's School of Lay Ministry!
Are you hungry to learn more about scripture and the Lutheran tradition? The School of Lay Ministry offers a wonderful 2 year opportunity to dig deeper for personal spiritual enrichment.  See the nemnsynod.org website for more info and for an application form.  Deadline for applications and a $50 registration fee for the 2016-2017 year are due by Aug. 15.
Events Around the Synod

We have recently changed the policy regarding the inclusion of congregational fundraising events in the Online Reflections. If you would like to have your event included, please send a brief press release, including the Who, What, Where, When & Why of your event, in an email to [email protected]. No PDF flyers please
. Only the text information will be included.
  

Benefit breakfast at Bethany, Cushing
The public is invited to a benefit pancake breakfast beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday, August 7, at Bethany Lutheran Church in Cushing. A free will offering will be taken, with pancakes, sausage and eggs, plus beverages, being served in the Bethany dining hall. All proceeds from the breakfast will benefit the Iringa Hope micro-financing cooperative in Tanzania's Iringa province. Four members from Bethany, Lois Brenner, Tom Crawford, Norm Siekman and Peggy (Edeburn) Howell are among the Tanzanian 10 mission group, which will be headed to Tanzania in October.  One of several projects they will be working on is continued growth of the micro-financing co-op within the several villages that make up their sister parish in Tanzania. Bethany is at 25430 Bison Road (County Road 11), Cushing, just south of Highway 10.  For further information, contact Tom Crawford at 218-575-2845.
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Employment Opportunities

NE MN Synod's School of Lay Ministry Coordinator
The Northeastern MN Synod's School of Lay Ministry Advisory Board is now accepting applications for the position of SLM Coordinator. Requirements: Must have completed the 2 year SLM program, good organizational & communication skills,work with the Advisory Board and attend 2 Advisory Board meetings, plan & host 2 yearly retreats, keep track of student progress & payments, order materials, promote & recruit students for the School of Lay Ministry at various Synod events. Modest stipend. Interested persons may send a Letter of Intent along with a resume to Brenda Tibbetts, Assistant to the Bishop, 1105 E. Superior St., Duluth, MN 55802. Please include the date of completion of the SLM program. Deadline for applicants is August 31, 2016.

Youth and Family Minister
First Lutheran Church in Little Falls, MN is looking to fill a position for a full time Youth and Family Minister. The Youth and Family Minister of First Lutheran Church will develop and carry out ministries of faith formation for children, youth and families to live a life centered in Christ.The Youth and Family Minister will lead by example, work creatively and collaboratively, and provide dynamic leadership, vision and organization. Experience in youth ministry is preferred but not required. Previous experience in a similar role could apply. Intended start date is September 1, 2016. For more information, contact Pastor Jake Dyrhaug at [email protected]
or (320) 632-6667.

Director of Youth, Families & Christian Education
Faith Lutheran Church in Staples, Minnesota is seeking a full time position as Director of Youth, Families and Christian Education. The position includes coordinating high school, middle school (including participation in Confirmation) and elementary school groups and vacation Bible school and Sunday school as well as providing intergenerational opportunities for the entire congregation. It is desired that the applicant be prepared to take initiative, become involved in sharing the faith with youth and their families at church, school and in the community, and be a vital participant in the life of the congregation. Support and mentoring will be available for a person filling this position. For a complete job description and application form you may contact our church office at: Faith Lutheran main office (218-894-1546); [email protected]. For other question or more information about the job and compensation, please contact: Joyce Anderson (218-894-1574); [email protected]

High School Ministry Leader
St. Mark's Lutheran Church in North St. Paul, MN is looking for a High School Ministry Leader! This position encompasses leading a ministry of accompaniment, compassionate action, and faith formation with high school youth. You must be able to coordinate a year round ministry to foster an atmosphere of faith and learning with a diverse group of young people and dedicated adult leaders as well as collaborate with other staff on inter-generational events. Part-time-25 hours/week. For more information contact Pastor Ivy Huston at 
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Northeastern Minnesota
Synod, ELCA

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The purpose of our

synod is to nurture a

Christ-centered climate

conducive to healthy,

mission-focused

congregations and

their ministries

throughout the world!

Staff Listing
Phone: 218.724.4424
 
  Bishop
Brenda Tibbetts, AiM - 122
  Assistant to the Bishop
  Call process
   Director for Evangelical Mission
   Assistant to the Bishop
   Candidacy 
   Youth Ministry 
 Kathy Wimer - 126
   Bookkeeper/Receptionist
Tammy Segel-Crilly - 127
   Communications/Office Support

   
NE MN Synod, ELCA
1105 E. Superior St.,
Upper Suite
Duluth, MN  55802

FAX: 218.724.4393    
Online Reflections Editor

Anne Laechel
218-828-9374

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