By Bishop Ann Svennungsen

In the past seven months, what special event(s) have you missed because of COVID-19? In the synod, five new pastors were ordained recently – in worship services completely different from what they had anticipated. Some were outside, all were physically distanced, and all had smaller crowds. I’ve led installations that were recorded for showing later on Facebook and sent digital 100th anniversary greetings.

“We stand on the shoulders of all who worked to reform our church leading up to the historic votes in 1970.”

My grandson Noah’s baptism has been delayed several months and will now happen outside on Saturday. Still, I haven’t had to postpone a family wedding or conduct the funeral of loved one with just ten people gathered around a grave. There is real grief flowing from the loss of such gatherings.

And, we pray for one another as we grieve the large and small losses the pandemic brings to our lives.

 

I AM BOTH grieving, as well as feeling guilty about, how COVID-19 has interrupted our plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our church’s decision to ordain women. We stand on the shoulders of all who worked to reform our church leading up to the historic votes in 1970. We are grateful for pioneers like Elizabeth Platz and Barbara Andrews, the first women ordained in the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) and the American Lutheran Church (ALC); for the persistence of pioneers like Earleen Miller, the first woman of color ordained, albeit ten years after the historic vote; and for all our LGBTQ siblings who waited for 40 more years.

Our first celebration was scheduled for March 26, just a few weeks after COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. The synod didn’t even have a Zoom account yet.

“Fifty years ago, our church had the courage to reorder its understanding of ordination – breaking open a door that had been closed for millennia.”

Our second celebration was scheduled for April 24. We had planned a festive worship service with Bishop April Larson preaching, and a celebratory wine-and-cheese reception afterwards. These events would have opened the 2020 Synod Assembly.

Each of these gatherings were cancelled.

 

NOW, THE ROSTERED leaders of the Minneapolis Area Synod plan to celebrate this historic anniversary of women’s ordination at our Joint Ministerium with the rostered leaders of Saint Paul Area Synod on Thursday, October 29.  Although we will host it using Zoom, we will try our hardest to bring “recognition, celebration, and joy!” At the center of the morning will be a panel of pastors – Babette Chatman, Liz Eide, Marlene Helgemo, Jen Nagel, and Megan Torgerson. We will show video clips of the historic vote, sing songs of the journey, tells stories of innovation and resilience, and share hopes for the next fifty years.

“Jubilee Reclaimed: The Time is Now” is our synod focus for this year. Like the radical reordering of life described in Scripture’s description of the Jubilee Year; this year has challenged us to reconsider and reorder our relationships:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging us to reconsider our relationship to God’s creation.
  • The murder of George Floyd and the global cries for justice challenge us to reconsider our relationships with each other.
  • The recession and the disparities in healthcare cause us to reconsider our relationship in the global economy.

Fifty years ago, our church had the courage to reorder its understanding of ordination – breaking open a door that had been closed for millennia. We had the courage to make a way so that women – half of our church’s population – could be become pastors.

This year, we celebrate the Jubilee Anniversary of our church’s decision to ordain women. May it bring us courage, wisdom, and resilience as we reclaim God’s Jubilee for all God’s beloved relationships.