Quote by Walter Brueggemann:
 We are people who must sing you,

for the sake of our very lives.

You are a God who must be sung by us,

for the sake of your majesty and honor.

And so we thank you,

for lyrics that push us past our reasons,

for melodies that break open our givens,

for cadences that locate us home,

beyond all our safe places,

for tones and tunes that open our lives beyond control

and our futures beyond despair.

We thank you for the long parade of mothers and fathers

who have sung you deep and true;

We thank you for the good company

of artists, poets, musicians, cantors, and instruments

that sing for us and with us, toward you.

We are witnesses to your mercy and splendor;

We will not keep silent . . . ever again.  Amen.

Mission Interpretation Videos

While these videos below were made for the synod assembly, they also were made to be used by congregations. These videos are great for social media material or offering a Mission Minute during congregation announcements.

You can find all the videos by click here. 

We are Church Together - Synod Videos:

• Youth Ministry
• Lutheran Campus Ministry
• Luther Seminary
• Lutheran Advocacy
• Minnesota Council of Churches
• Shalom Hill Farm 
• Bible Camps 

The videos were made possible by a grant from your synod's endowment in response to requests from leaders and congregations in our synod.

We Only Need 45 More!

As of today, 201 congregations have turned in their Forms A & C. THANK YOU!  Click here to see the list of completed congregations. We still need 45 congregations to complete their 2014 Congregational Report. It is not too late!

The 2014 Congregational Reports were sent to each congregation from the ELCA office in December 2014. They were due by February 15, 2015 to be included in the reported statistical data but it is never too late to submit it. If your congregation is not one of the 201 congregations to already accomplish this please complete the forms online by clicking here or mail it in to the synod office NOW. You will need your congregational ID and password. They are both listed at the top of the form that was sent from the ELCA office. Your congregational ID stays the same but your password will change every year. If you need your password or help completing the forms please call Caitlin Kodet at the synod office (507) 637-3904 or email  caitlin.kodet@swmnelca.org.

These reports provide valuable information for our work together. Here are just a few ways that this data benefits this church and its members:

• Congregation trend reports may be used by pastors in the call process and prospective members looking for more information about a congregation
• Demographics are useful for congregations when planning mission-outreach opportunities
• Financial data is used by ELCA Mission Investment Fund to help congregations seeking loans for building projects
• Synods use data to determine new ministry starts and to plan mission strategy

Friday, July 24, 2015

Includes GOLF CART, green fees, meal, prizes and
a donation to LMM.

Donations to the Rural Ministry Fund are appreciated even if you are not able to participate in the Golf Tournament.