News and Events

News and Events

Saint Paul Area Synod
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Happy 2014!

January 6, 2014

Who will you be sending to the Open Forum this Sunday?

If your congregation has not yet identified voting members for the conference assemblies and the synod assembly, now is the time to name several who might attend the open forum on the synod profile from 8:30-11:30 a.m. this Sunday, Jan. 11 at Gloria Dei, St. Paul and share the information with others in your congregation in preparation for the nomination of potential candidates for bishop at the conference assemblies on Feb. 8. Download the 2014 Voting Member Allocation Chart (PDF) and register for the forum by Thursday, Jan. 9.

For more on the bishop election process, visit www.spas-elca.org/bishopelection2014.

Registration ends Tuesday, Jan. 7 for the Power and Boundaries Workshop

Thursday, Jan. 16, 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Roseville Lutheran, Roseville.

Bishop Rogness and the Rev. Susan Miller will facilitate a workshop on ethics in ministry for all rostered leaders. The training includes a discussion on power and gender issues, appropriate boundaries for rostered leaders, self-care and vulnerability, and a review of the synod's response procedure for accusations of sexual boundary violations. The cost is $25; lunch is included. Rostered leaders are particularly encouraged to attend this training if they:

Have never been part of such a training;
Are new to ministry;
Are serving in settings where some of these issues have surfaced; or
Have not attended one of these sessions for five years or more. (The last workshop for rostered leaders that we sponsored in the Saint Paul Area Synod was 2 1/2 years ago.)

"Multicultural Conversations: How do we build bridges across race, class, and culture?"

Jan. 25, 8:30 a.m-12:00 noon,

Luther Seminary Chapel, St. Paul

Congregations seeking to connect with their changing communities are invited to send teams of people to learn about resources for engaging in multicultural conversations. After opening comments by Bishop Peter Rogness, Saint Paul Area Synod, and Bishop Ann Svennungsen, Minneapolis Area Synod, we will be introduced to a variety of exercises designed to equip congregations to reach out and fully welcome persons whose race, culture, and class is different than their own. Judith Roberts, ELCA Program Director for Racial Justice Ministries, will guide the conversation.

There is no charge to register, but congregations are encouraged to sign up by contacting Paul Erickson in the Saint Paul Area Synod office, paul.erickson@elca.org.

Attention ELCA-Primary plan members:

The 2014 Health Assessmet is now open!

It's a new year which means it's time to take the Mayo Clinic Health Assessment! If 65% of ELCA-Primary members take the assessment by April 30, our entire synod will earn a 2% discount on 2014 health contributions. Woo hoo!

Don't wait--visit the Mayo Clinic Embody Health Portal at www.elcaforwellness.org and complete your confidential health assessment today!

Missionaries with Minnesota Roots

Young Adults in Global Mission with Saint Paul Area Synod roots

Through the Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program, ELCA Global Mission calls into the world over 60 young adults to a year of service in one of more than ten countries. Of those currently serving, about seven of them have roots in the Saint Paul Area Synod. These Minnesotan missionaries recently shared some of their stories of accompanying our brothers and sisters around the world in the January issue of FaithLink. Read their stories.

Read the complete issue of FaithLink (PDF)

In This Issue