Mpls Area Synod ELCA

St. Olaf Conference on Worship, Theology and the Arts - Mini-Conference
2021-07-20 15:30 - 21:30 (America/Chicago) | Virtual
St. Olaf College in Northfield annually hosts a Conference on Worship, Theology, and the Arts (CWTA), but postponed its 2020 gathering until 2022. However, CWTA is offering a virtual mini-conference to preview next year’s event. This mini-conference invites participants to explore the ways we have been scattered in body, mind and spirit by COVID-19 and structural racism and how we might be brought back together as people of God for the good of the world. There will be ideas and practices to readily incorporate into worship and it’s a great opportunity for rostered leaders at all stages of ministry to continue their learning.
Presentations include:

Building Worshipping Communities of Respect, Trust and Love (Anton Armstrong, Deanna Thompson)
“I’ve been meaning to ask…” – Fostering Curiosity, Courage and Connection (A Sanctified Art)
Radical Joy! Finding Your Freedom Practice and Deepening Healing (Joe Davis)
The Tulsa Massacre and Our Calling 100 Years Later (Tesfa Wondemagegnehu)

The event concludes with a social hour at 8:30 p.m. Registration is free and open to all. Learn more.

Worship, Theology, and the Arts Virtual Mini-Conference
2021-07-20 15:30 - 20:30 | Virtual
CWTA Virtual Mini-Conference
The St. Olaf Conference on Worship, Theology, and the Arts is offering a virtual preview to our upcoming in-person conference! Registration is free.
Tuesday, July 20
3:30-8:30 p.m.
Virtual
For more information: https://wp.stolaf.edu/cwta/

Preserving Your Savings for Future Generations
2021-07-19 11:00 - 12:00 | Virtual
Learn about the components of an estate plan, including information on wills and probate, powers of attorney, healthcare proxies, and the importance of gifting and insurance replacement strategies. This webinar is exclusively for Portico ELCA Retirement Plan members.
Hosted by Portico Benefit Services
Monday, July 19
11:00 am – 12: 00 pm Central Time
Register Now

MAS/SPAS ELCA Youth Gathering Info Meetings
2021-07-15 19:00 - 20:00, 2021-07-13 14:00 - 15:00 | Virtual
The St. Paul Gathering Synod Coordinator (Tashina Good) and the the Minneapolis Gathering Synod Coordinator (Elizabeth Pederson) will lead two identical training sessions via Zoom for leaders in our synods. Attend to learn about the Gathering, timeline, registration and tips for getting started in your planning.
Register here.

Army Chaplain Webinar
2021-07-14 09:30 - 10:30 | Virtual
The Chaplain Recruiting Station of the U.S. Army is hosting a webinar with CH(COL) Tony Petros, senior command chaplain for Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Div. CH Petros will share about his life in ministry and God’s call on his life to serve God and Country in the U.S. Army. Register here.
Those interested in the Army chaplaincy are invited to experience a day in the life of an active duty chaplain. The Army Chaplain Experience will be held Sept. 2 at Fort Campbell, Ky. Participants will hear from active duty chaplains, spouses will hear from Chaplain spouses, and participants will have the opportunity rappel down the 101st Air Assault tower. Learn more.

Prepare for the Reality of Health Care in Retirement
2021-07-12 11:00 - 12:00 | Virtual
Learn about health care costs in retirement and how you can prepare for them. This webinar is exclusively for Portico ELCA Retirement Plan members.
Hosted by Portico Benefit Services
Monday, July 12
11:00 am -12:00 pm Central time
Register Now

Ecumenical Water Service
2021-07-11 15:00 - 17:00 | Redeemer Lutheran Church, 8100 Glenwood Ave, MN, United States
The Ecumenical Water Initiative is a collaboration of leaders from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA, Minneapolis Area Synod), the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME, 4th District), the United Methodist Church (UMC, MN Conference), and the Minnesota Council of Churches (MCC). The collaborative is hosting a family-friendly, community event to share stories about water and watersheds in our lives. Join us on July 11 at 3:00 pm at Redeemer Lutheran Church (1800 Glenwood Avenue, Minneapolis, MN) or on Facebook Live at MN Ecumenical Water Initiative as we celebrate and are refreshed by the water we all share. We ask that you wear a mask at this event and bring your own chair if possible. Questions can be directed to Madeline Troyer.

Tough Conversations: How to Have Them in Church and Keep Talking to Each Other
2021-07-08 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
How well does your congregation discuss difficult issues? Conversation about tough topics can be stressful, divisive and counterproductive. This free webinar will offer an authentic framework for entering into (and staying in) difficult conversations; fresh perspectives; a deeper way of thinking about your church’s role in navigating discussions; and new ways of showing hospitality. Presenters are authors Elizabeth Hagen (Brave Church: Tackling Tough Topics Together) and Rosalind C. Hughes (Whom Shall I Fear?). Admission is free! The session is offered through Faith+Lead at Luther Seminary. Register here.

Maximize Social Security in Your Retirement Strategy
2021-06-28 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Learn about strategies for claiming your Social Security benefit and how it will fit with other income sources in creating your retirement paycheck. This webinar is exclusively for Portico ELCA Retirement Plan members.
Hosted by Portico Benefit Services
Monday, June 28
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Central Time
Register Now

Learn the Basics of When and How to Claim Social Security
2021-06-28 11:00 - 12:00 | Virtual
If you anticipate Social Security will be a significant income source in retirement, learn when and how to claim your benefit. This webinar is exclusively for Portico ELCA Retirement Plan members.
Hosted by Portico Benefit Services
Monday, June 28
11:00 am – 12:00 pm Central Time
Register Now

Cherish All Children 2021 Virtual 5K
2021-06-25 00:30 - 2021-06-27 23:30 | Anywhere
Cherish All Children 2021 Virtual 5K

Join Cherish All Children supporters in its Virtual 5K. Enjoy a walk or run at a location you choose, enlisting friends and family to sponsor your 5K.
When you sign up for this free event, Cherish All Children volunteers will send a 5K race t-shirt, making you an important member of its fundraising team.
June 25-27
A time of your own choosing
A location of your own choosing
You can make a significant difference in supporting the work of Cherish All Children — to keep children and youth safe from sexual exploitation and trafficking.
Those unable to participate may visit the event page to make a donation.
For more information, visit www.cherishallchildren.org/race

Addiction, Grief, and Loss
2021-06-24 11:00 - 12:00 | Zoom
Addiction, Grief, and Loss
A one-hour free webinar, “Addiction, Grief, and Loss,” from 11:00 a.m.-Noon, Central Time, with a follow-up 30-minute Zoom discussion hosted by the Center of Addiction & Faith. Presenters are Kelli Nielsen, Founder @The Grief Guru, and Gloria Englund, Founder @Recovering u. Many of us have lost a friend, family member, or other loved one to addiction. That loss may have been slow or sudden, but the sense of grief and loss is always deep. The ongoing stigma around addiction and overdose can make a difficult grieving process even harder and lonelier.
Thursday, June 24
11:00 a.m.-Noon
Zoom

Zoom link: https://addictionandfaith.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4849c2b74e5d7454d4f29bb0d&id=5067212ec6&e=900fec6975

Join the Center of Addiciton & Faith via Zoom for a panel discussion with those who have lost loved ones and learn how to support others who are grieving.

Retirement Income Planning for Her
2021-06-23 11:00 - 12:00 | Virtual
Designed for women, this workshop will help you learn more about your retirement savings and plan for future income. This webinar is exclusively for Portico ELCA Retirement Plan members.
Hosted by Portico Benefit Services
Wednesday, June 23
11:00 am – 12:00 Central Time
Register Now

Reimagining Public Safety
2021-06-22 19:00 - 20:30 | United Theological Seminary
Faith and community leaders to lead public forum:
“Reimagining Public Safety: Confronting the Problem of Policing”
Plymouth Congregational Church of Minneapolis and United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities invite the public to a virtual dialogue, “Reimagining Public Safety: Confronting the Problem of Policing.” Scheduled three days before Derek Chauvin’s sentencing, faith and community leaders will seek to understand the ways Black and African immigrant communities in the Twin Cities can ensure public safety for the most vulnerable amid patterns of police brutality.
Tuesday, June 22
7:00 p.m.
Panelists include local leading voices that bring a wealth of experience and expertise to issues of policing, policy, and public safety in these communities:

Rev. Dr. DeWayne Davis, lead minister at Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis
Rev. Nekima Levy Armstrong, JD, civil rights attorney-activist, scholar, and former Minneapolis mayoral candidate
Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN)
Moderated by Rev. Dr. Gary F. Green II, assistant professor of pastoral theology and social transformation at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, St. Paul

“In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd and protests about police brutality, there is a new sense of urgency about re-thinking policing and community safety, especially for the most vulnerable,” said Rev. Dr. DeWayne Davis, lead minister at Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis. “We are at a critical moment in the Twin Cities and in Minnesota where all of us have to come together and think about how we can create safe communities that work for every resident regardless of where they live.”
“We now stand at a historic inflection point, on the precipice of new possibilities, but we must be willing to deal seriously with the foundations of this structural issue of white supremacist violence toward Black humanity if we are going to live into a future that doesn’t recreate the mistakes of our racialized past,” said Rev. Dr. Gary Green II, assistant professor of pastoral theology and social transformation at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.
The event is hosted in partnership with the Minnesota Council of Churches and the Hennepin History Museum.
The suggested ticket price is $10, but donations of all sizes or none are accepted to ensure the event is accessible to everyone.
Register here: https://content.unitedseminary.edu/confronting-the-problem-of-policing

Turn Your Savings into Retirement Income
2021-06-21 11:00 - 12:00 | Virtual
Learn the benefits of a retirement income plan, factors to consider when transitioning your savings into income, and ways to develop a retirement plan that suits your goals and lifestyle. This webinar is exclusively for Portico ELCA Retirement Plan members.
Monday, June 21
11:00 am – 12:00 CT (12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Eastern)
Register Now

Augsburg Youth Theology Institute: "And It was Very Good"
2021-06-20 12:00 - 2021-06-25 17:00 | Virtual
2021 VIRTUAL AUGSBURG YOUTH THEOLOGY INSTITUTE
AND IT WAS VERY GOOD:
Affirming and Advocating for Gender and Sexual Diversity in God’s Creation
Sunday, June 20–Friday, June 25, 2021
In the interest of safety for our participants, mentors, and staff due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have decided along with university events, to gather in a virtual format for the 2021 Institute. Specific questions about this format can directed to ayti@augsburg.edu.
2021 THEME
What is the rightful place for LGBTQIA+ people in God’s creation? After decades of fights over human sexuality, LGBTQIA+ people, gender, and gender roles, the church is moving to a place of acceptance, and even advocacy. This year at the institute we are going to look at the role of LGBTQIA+ people in scripture, in our church history, and the faithful advocacy to allow LGBTQIA+ people to be full members of society. We are looking at the events of the past several years through a theological lens, asking what God is doing, and where our discernment can lead us.
2021 INSTRUCTOR
Ross Murray (he/him) is the founding director of The Naming Project, a faith-based youth ministry and summer camp for LGBTQIA+ youth and their allies. He has worked with youth and families in a variety of settings, and presented LGBTQIA+ youth ministry around the country.
In his day job, Ross is the Senior Director of Education & Training at The GLAAD Media Institute, providing activist, spokesperson, and media engagement training and education for the LGBTQIA+ community members, corporations, the media industry and advocacy organizations desiring to accelerate acceptance for the LGBTQIA+ community. Ross has secured national media interest in stories that bring examples of LGBTQIA+ equality across diverse communities in America, with a speciality in the relationship between religion and LGBTQIA+ people.
Ross is a consecrated Deacon in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, with a specific calling to advocate for LGBTQIA+ people and to bridge the LGBTQIA+ and faith communities. He is a producer for the “Yass, Jesus!” podcast, a faith and sexuality affirming podcast that believes you don’t have to pick between gay and God. In 2014, he was named one of Mashable’s “10 LGBT-Rights Activists to Follow on Twitter.”
To apply

Voices Rising: A Choral Affirmation of Black Lives
2021-06-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Virtual
Voices Rising: A Choral Affirmation of Black Lives is a united artistic response to the murders of George Floyd and Daunte Wright that have placed the Twin Cities at the heart of our nation’s racial reckoning.
Voices Rising will feature nearly 200 singers from 12 local choral organizations, including The National Lutheran Choir, and is curated and led by G. Phillip Shoultz III, Associate Conductor and Director of Learning and Engagement at VocalEssence. This performance will amplify the perspectives of spoken word, dance, and visual artists and activists from the Twin Cities’ Black community.
This concert will be live-streamed free of charge on June 16 at 7pm CDT from Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis on the Chorus America Youtube Channel as well as broadcasted on YourClassical MPR (99.5 FM locally or YourClassical.org). The concert will be the opening night concert of Chorus America’s 2021 Summer Conference, which was originally scheduled to take place in Minneapolis. The NLC is a member of Chorus America.
To learn more, see the press release here and visit VocalEssence.org.

"Leading the Church in a Lingering Pandemic" Webinar
2021-06-16 18:30 - 19:30 | Virtual
Ecumenical Consultation on Protocols for Worship, Fellowship, and Sacraments is hosting a roundtable discussion with public health experts and pastors in a time of progress and uncertainty concerning the Covid-19 pandemic. How will congregations minister to those who are vaccinated and those who are not vaccinated in multigenerational settings? What church activities should we continue to adapt or avoid, such as congregational singing or shaking hands?
Direct Registration link
Facebook Event invitation

Women Church Leaders' Retreat led by Rev. Dr. Karoline Lewis
2021-06-16 16:00 - 2021-06-18 13:00 | Mount Olivet Conference and Retreat Center
Women Church Leaders’ Retreat led by Rev. Dr. Karoline Lewis
Women Church Leaders’ Retreat
“Women’s Leadership in the Church: Ongoing Challenges and Unspoken Joys”
Monday, August 16, 4:00 p.m. — Wednesday, August 18, 1:00 p.m.
Mount Olivet Conference & Retreat Center
Farmington, Minnesota
A retreat for women clergy and women working on staff in churches, led by the Reverend Dr. Karoline Lewis. Based on her books, SHE: Five Keys to Unlock the Power of Ministry and EMBODY: Five Keys to Leading With Integrity, Karoline will guide participants in discussing the particular opportunities and obstacles faced by women church leaders. How can we navigate lingering sexism and patriarchy as we return to a new normal? How can we be replenished and empowered for ministry? This retreat will focus on theological issues and practical strategies to embolden authentic and embodied leadership in the church today.
Rev. Dr. Karoline Lewis is the Marbury E. Anderson chair in Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, innesota, and an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. An accomplished author and widely-sought-after preacher and teacher, Karoline also is the host of Working Preacher.
Single occupancy cost: $500; Double occupancy cost: $450; Dorm room cost: $375. Cost includes two overnight stays, six meals, programming and activities, complimentary book (EMBODY: Five Keys to Leading with Integrity by Karoline Lewis), use of amenities, and tax.

International Women Leaders Graduation Celebration
2021-06-16 10:00 - 11:30 | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVuoGj_35M5Bb9p5pjU2-Qw
International Women Leaders Graduation Celebration
When: Wednesday, June 16, at 10 a.m. Central time
Where: Premiered on the ELCA Facebook Page

You are cordially invited to celebrate the 2021 graduating class of International Women Leaders scholars. The International Women Leaders scholarship program was established in 2014. This will be the third full graduating class to complete their undergraduate degrees at ELCA colleges and universities.
Class of 2021

Rebeca Amaro Treviño, Wartburg College
Mexican Lutheran Church
Marina Fomgbami, St. Olaf College
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cameroon
Tamar Haddad, California Lutheran University
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land
Salinla Manowong, Luther College
Church of Christ in Thailand
Dinah Murekatete, Lenoir-Rhyne University
Lutheran Church of Rwanda
Dora Pomdooh Houma, Concordia College
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cameroon

Keynote Speaker

Christine Mangale, program director for the Lutheran Office for World Community; former International Leaders Program scholarship recipient

Through the International Women Leaders program, we are boldly investing in established and emerging women leaders from our global companion churches. Gifts to this program help support the education of 200 additional international women through educational seminars, south-to-south exchanges, in-country study programs, and degree programs at ELCA colleges and universities.

RSVP at our Facebook event (suggested but not required). Visit Facebook.com/Lutherans when the event begins to view the virtual celebration. This event will be rebroadcast on the ELCA YouTube channel at 8 p.m. Central time. Facebook account not required to watch event.
