Synod News & Events

November 20, 2014

Quick Links

www.swmnelca.org

Synod Events

Below is a list of all the upcoming synod events.

JANUARY

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Service
January 18
Zion, Litchfield

Cross Cultural Conversations
January 22, Location TBA
January 23, Location TBA
January 24 - Worthington

FEBRUARY

All Conference Assemblies
February 8
February 22 - Backup Day

Equipping
Congregations Day
February 28
Willmar MN

MARCH

Sr. High Youth Gathering
March 13-14
Mankato

Lutheran Men in Mission Retreat
March 13-14
Green Lake Bible Camp, Spicer

APRIL

PSST Retreat
April 16-17
Green Lake Bible Camp, Spicer

First Call Retreat
April 27-29
Location TBA

SAVE THE DATE

Synod Assembly
June 12-14
Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter

Fall theological Conference

September 27-29
Arrowwood Resort,
Okoboji, IA

As our youth gather this weekend for the

Jr. High Youth Gathering in Willmar, let us pray

God of all good gifts, your Son gathered children into his arms and blessed them. Help us to understand our youth as they grow in years and in knowledge of your work. Give us compassion when they face temptations and experience failures. Teach us to encourage their search for truth and value in their lives. Help us to appreciate their ideals and sympathize with their frustrations; that with them we may look for a better world than either we or they have known; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Montevideo Area Confirmation Program

+ Pr. Kathryn Skoglund
For quite some time the pastors of Salem, Saron & Baxter, Maynard, Our Savior's, Jevnaker and Trinity Lutheran churches have been looking for opportunities to do ministry together, particularly with the youth in our area. As we talked about possibilities we began to look at our confirmation programs. Trinity, Maynard, Saron and Baxter had combined programs 2 years ago with great success and the question was asked, what would it be like if we used the variety of gifts each of the pastors has and worked together to combine all 7 churches and create a new program? We decided on a program that uses non-traditional teaching methods that focus not so much on merely information and memorization, but more on faith growth and development that respects and honors the youth and their families where they are currently at in their faith journeys.

We currently have a program that involves 3 levels of classes, taught by 6 pastors, on 3 campuses, with about 100 students from 6 different school districts attending every week. Because each of the churches has a different age range for confirmation, we have students from 6th through 10th grades grouped into levels based on their previous confirmation experience. Each of the levels builds on the previous one. Level One focuses on the Old Testament and parts of the catechism, and Level 2 on the New Testament, baptism and communion. Level 3 is more experiential as the students get out of the classroom and into the community doing service projects, visiting various churches, and participating in activities that help them connect their faith with their lives as disciples. They actually put into practice what they have been learning the last two years.

As Christians worship is central to everything we do, so every week each group of students and pastors worship together in various settings and styles such as outdoor, taize', and contemporary worship services, all of which consist of scripture, prayer, communion and anointing with oil for healing, . We believe it is important for the students to learn and grow in their worship experience. Level One students are learning to listen to all parts of worship and be engaged in the worship experience. Level Two students are learning to lead worship in a small class environment, and Level Three students are learning to be leaders in their own churches on Sunday morning. Throughout this process we...click here to read more.

Protection Policy

Pr. John Gabrielson, Our Savior's, New Ulm

There are, I think, only three things you need to know about putting a policy in place to protect children, youth and vulnerable adults (because children aren't the only victims of abuse) in your congregation:

It is necessary. If trust makes ministry possible, then breaking trust has pretty horrid consequences. Your congregation is filled with well-meaning, trustworthy people. And the vast, vast majority of them would sooner cut off their own hands than harm a child or any person with a disability. But one violation of the sacred trust that we have in caring for and ministering to people who are vulnerable to abuse is an infinity too many. Having a policy and procedures in place to reduce that risk is not a silver bullet to prevent all abuse, but if it makes a difference in one instance, or if it makes the healing process one millionth of a degree easier if abuse does occur, then it is worth it.
Your congregation and leadership will support you. Your people know that abuse can happen, and they want to prevent it and will give you the time and support to help prevent abuse in their church. Background checks are pretty affordable now (under $10). If they have any questions about what the process requires, or the costs, or deeper explanations of why it's important, I would recommend that you contact Sarah Hausken at the synod office. Sarah came to give a talk to my congregation at the start of our process that was great for building trust and explaining the need. She also had great recommendations for background check and volunteer screening materials (we went with Group/Shepherd's Watch).
You don't have to start from scratch. There are lots of good policies in place, and lots of people to guide you. The afore-mentioned Sarah Hausken wrote an exemplary model policy that you can get at swmnelca.org. We used that policy along with policies from University Lutheran Church of Hope (Mpls) and a few other congregations as the models for our policy at Our Savior's. Our policy is posted on our website (oursaviorsnewulm.org) along with some supporting documents. Look at our policy. If you want, copy it word for word, or change some details to make it fit your setting better.

Conference Assemblies

All conferences will meet on February 8 at 2 p.m. in their conference. We will be posting event locations on the synod's webpage when available.

Please visit the 2015 Bishop Election webpage for information regarding the process of nomination by conference assemblies.

Snow Date: February 22, 2014.

SW MN Synod Weekly Devotion

+Pr Josh Enderson, Grace Lutheran Church, Luverne, MN

Every week we will be posting a devotion from a pastor who serves in the SW MN Synod. If you are interested in recording a devotion please contact Kristin Bakeberg at kristin.bakeberg@swmnelca.org or 507-637-3904.

Amakuru? Learning a New Language

Sarah Brock, Young Adults in Global Mission

sarahyagm.blogspot.com

My first three weeks in Rwanda were spent in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, with my fellow YAGMs as we tried to master the language of Kinyarwanda. We were blessed with a feisty Kinyarwanda teacher who was determined to equip us the best he could before we all ventured off into the country on our own. He graced us with nonsensical songs and much needed laughter whenever our brains began to feel fried. Now at my placement site, I continue this language learning venture on my own. I work at an English-speaking school and live with an American roommate, so learning Kinyarwanda is not vitally imperative. However, one of my favorite parts of the day is my walk home from school. Each day I look forward to what kind of interactions the thirtyminute journey will bring. Many people greet me with eager curiosity as the newest member of the community. I savor these opportunities to practice my Kinyarwanda as I get to know my new neighbors. I often still need to utilize my "Smile and Nod" technique when the conversations begin to divert from my comprehension. However, as my vocabulary grows, each day my conversations get a little longer. It is these small connections...click here to read more.

Sarah Brock from Zion Lutheran in Litchfield.
If you want to learn more about Young Adults in Global Mission Click here.

Storytelling

If you wish to write or share a story in the enews about what God has been up to in your congregation. Email Kristin Bakeberg at kristin.bakeberg@swmnelca.org.

"God is the Storyteller, He is writing the Story of Life and

we are the characters in that Story.

Day to day we see His story unfold as He turns the pages"