Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27 As ELCA bishops in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota we serve in contexts that stretch from the badlands to the […]
By Sharon Steinhoff Smith, council president at Holy Trinity, New Prague When Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New Prague, Minnesota, completed a fundraising drive to renovate their building, they vowed to fund the construction without debt. That meant making hard choices about what was and was not included. An expanded sanctuary, an upgraded kitchen, and […]
October 8, Minneapolis — Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church (OSLC), has been awarded a $1,244,440 grant by Lilly Endowment Inc. to support a new program “Praying in the Spirit: Nurturing Children in Three Communities, One Neighborhood,” which will work to be a model of collaboration and creativity in faith formation to benefit the wider church. The […]
By Lutheran World Federation Information Service From September 1 to October 4, Christians around the world will join together in prayer and action to honor and protect creation during the annual Season of Creation. This global observance begins on Sunday, September 1, with an ecumenical online prayer service. This year’s theme, “To Hope and Act with […]
Lutheran Social Service (LSS) Disaster Services have been monitoring the disaster response in Minnesota resulting from flooding this summer in areas across the state. This is an unusual and difficult disaster because of the many areas within the state that are impacted and it has put a strain on both national and local response teams […]
By John Mai Churches in the Minneapolis Area Synod are looking beyond traditional mission support to develop their congregations. The old funding sources just don’t always fill the gap anymore. Pastor Melissa Gonzalez of Tapestry offers, “I ask God: Why do I have to fundraise so much?” She believes that her job would look completely different […]
By Bishop Jen Nagel La carta está en español abajo. Beloved members of Minneapolis Area Synod congregations, grace and peace in the name of Jesus. August 1 has been a date “out there” through these months of discernment, a synod assembly vote, and transition. And now it’s here. I write today to offer an update […]
Editor’s note: This letter announces a new position established to support those individuals in discernment about a seminary education. Pastor Christine Belfrey will fill that role in the Minneapolis Area Synod. Dear Friends, As leaders of the ELCA, we all believe that God continues to call people into rostered ministry. As the church, and the […]
By Bob Hulteen Under the theme of “With Glad and Generous Hearts,” the Minneapolis Area Synod met in assembly May 2-4 at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Ramsey, Minnesota. Highlighting the business portion of the agenda, the Rev. Jen Nagel, pastor at University Lutheran Church of Hope in Minneapolis, was elected the fourth bishop […]
The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is adding its voice to the growing group of faith leaders urgently calling for a permanent bilateral cease-fire in Gaza. We urge President Joe Biden, our legislators, and all who lead and make decisions on behalf of the United States to do everything […]