Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. 
By your merciful protection awaken us 
to the threatening dangers of our sins 
and keep us blameless until the coming of your new day, 
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, 

one God now and forever. Amen  

 

Stir Us Up O Lord - Let's Have Some Advent Fun!

On our synod's Facebook page we would like to gather images of 

places and ways God is stirring you up. 

So add your images of how God is stirring you up on the synod's Facebook page.


Like us on Facebook
 

One way God stirs us up is with messengers.

When I see snow angels I love to think of the person having fun making it. It also reminds me to look for God's messages and messengers - angels are not always dressed in white. 
+Bishop Jon V. Anderson  

   
Synod News & Events 
December 2, 2014
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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

Advent Appeal
 Every year the prayers of Advent call for God to "stir up Christ's power and come." Come into our world and awaken us anew to God's holy and wonderful presence. This is a stirring season following our national time of Thanksgiving and not yet Christmas. This is a time when most of us recognize our abundant blessings and prepare to be generous gift givers. Our Synod Advent Appeal is a good example of the generous gift giving.  

 

In 2013, we received $8,380 from our Advent Appeal. Although it is true, congregational financial support has decreased in SW MN Synod, we have received increased support from generous individuals like you. This year because of an estate gift from Peace Lutheran in Cosmos and an individual donor, we have $8,000 of matching gift money for this Advent Appeal. This allows us to double your gift. For every $1 given, it will be matched with an additional $1 up to $8,000. 

 

Our goal this year is to double last year's generous gifts with the $8,000 of matching money. Please make a gift online or mail your gift to SW MN Synod, PO Box 499, Redwood Falls, MN 56283. 
Gift for you! 
We also have a gift for you during this Advent season. 14 reflections called "Blessed to be a Blessing," a new project created by Pr. Carolyn Pflibsen and Director for Evangelical Misison Pr. Larry Strenge. A series of audio reflections about stewardship linked to Advent. Below is an introduction video. Reflections will be posted daily on our website, blog and Facebook. We hope you will enjoy listening and praying with us.

Advent / Stewardship Reflections:

World Hunger 

+Pr. Tim Wrenn, American Lutheran, Windom

This rally Sunday we kicked off our world hunger appeal through God's Global Barnyard. Our hope was to raise the awareness of the need for food in the wider world and to collect some funds to help out. We invited the congregation to be a part of this drive as we raised funds until All Saints day. We collected, $3,835 of that $471 came from our Sunday school kids.  One of our sweet stories was from a man in our congregation named Matt, he set out to collect enough to buy a set of chicks. He was proud on the day of collection to bring in his barn letting everyone who asked know what he had collected.  We give thanks for Matt and the rest of American Lutheran Church of Windom for their ministry to the world.

Give gifts that grow the church,
fight hunger and transform lives.

www.ELCA.org/goodgifts

ELCA Good Gifts go beyond your regular congregational offering to support the ministries of the ELCA that mean the most to you and your loved ones. Together, we do more than we could ever do alone: grow the church, fight hunger and transform lives. Click here to choose your gift. 

Kids Fighting Hunger

+Bethlehem Lutheran, Saint Cloud

On Saturday, November 22 nearly 700 people helped package a whole shipping container of meals for parts of Liberia impacted by the Ebola epidemic. Bethlehem member, Sampson Sarclay, connected with Kids Fighting Hunger to ask that meals from their annual Thanksgiving event be shared with Liberians facing food insecurity because of Ebola quarantines. Bethlehem used children's noisy offerings and other gifts to help sponsor this event and is working to connect with relief organizations "on the ground" in Liberia who can help distribute the meals.


SW MN Synod Giving to ELCA Campaigns in the Last Five Years
+Bishop Jon V. Anderson
In this season of gratitude, I want to say how deeply touched by the giving to regular mission support that makes our churchwide, synodical and institutional life possible. I wanted to lift up this chart that shows that giving.  It is stunning to look at in number form, but imagine the people who have their children or family members yet because we fought malaria. Think of the people who have heard and joined the community that calls Jesus Lord because of the missionary sponsorship. Imagine the people who have food to eat because we are a church committed to fighting hunger in immediate but in longer term sustainable ways as well. As I look at the educational debt of our pastors, I know that your contributions to seminaries and the Fund for Leaders in our churchwide and synod are making a profound difference by setting leaders free to serve with greater joy because they are not swamped in debt. See the smiling and grateful faces behind these numbers.
As we look forward into the coming years I am confident that we will continue to support the work of Christ around the world and through our synod and your church body. Click here for the breakout of the ELCA Campaign Funds that people are contributing to.

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.