eNewsletter - April 15, 2024
News & Events from the Western North Dakota Synod of the ELCA
Register Now for Synod Assembly
All 159 congregations of the Western North Dakota Synod of the ELCA will gather together for worship, education, celebration, and to do the business of this synod May 31 - June 2, 2024.
For the very first time, the 2024 Synod Assembly will be held in Watford City, ND in the beautiful Roughrider Center.
Who Can Serve as a Voting Member at Synod Assembly?
Rostered Ministers: All ELCA Rostered Ministers (pastors and deacons) under call by a congregation of the Western North Dakota Synod or Western North Dakota Synod Council as well as all retired ELCA Rostered Ministers (pastors and deacons) who are on the retired roster of the Western North Dakota Synod who register, and attend may serve as a voting member at Assembly. CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER GUIDANCE.
Lay Voting Members: The number of lay voting members allotted per congregation is based on the congregations’ baptized membership. CLICK HERE to view the chart which determines the number of lay voting members your congregation may bring.
Visitors Are Welcome: Anyone is welcome to attend the Synod Assembly by registering as a visitor and paying the visitor fee. Visitors do not have voice or vote at the Assembly.
Lodging for Assembly
We are blessed with a wide variety of hotels in the Watford City Area who are partnering with us for the 2024 WND Synod Assembly! Simply click on the hotel image for more information on partner locations.
When reserving your rooms, please let them know you are there for the Western North Dakota Synod Assembly for special pricing. Also note that some hotels are holding a block of rooms, for our event, until a certain date. After that date, the rooms are open to the public for reservations.
Footsteps of Paul Tour
The Eastern North Dakota Synod ELCA's Bishop Tessa Moon Leiseth and our own Bishop Craig Schweitzer are leading a tour of Greece and Turkey in October 2024. We invite you to join us on this journey in the footsteps of Paul.
On this life-changing adventure, we will explore the land of Greece and Turkey as the history of the New Testament comes alive. We will retrace the voyages of Paul and learn about the early church and the spread of the Gospel. Our journey will begin in Athens and Corinth, then into Ephesus, as we make our way to Patmos.
CLICK HERE for more info and to reserve your spot!
Join Ryan Panzer, author, former Google employee, and Christian ministry practitioner, as he teaches you to navigate the shifting cultural landscape with wisdom and skill.
An added bonus, this workshop will dive into practical coaching skills to help you learn to host conversations and foster curiosity, with time dedicated to small-group breakouts and coaching circles so you can apply that learning in real time! CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Vocation Gathering for High School Students - The Confluence
The Confluence is a week at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN where high school students are invited to explore their vocation -- that space where their personal story, God's story and the world's story converge. This year The Confluence will be held June 23rd-28th.
Faith Forward Grant Program - Grand View University
Faith Forward is a new grant program working alongside 20 rural pastors each year in family ministry. Led by David Lynn and Lyle Griner of Peer Ministry, rural pastors will learn to weave in various ways to engage, equip, and encourage parents, grandparents, and caregivers with ways to model and live faith in their own households and daily practices. The church becomes the learning lab for families to discover and practice ways to live faith in their homes. Young ones learn and value a faith that is practical and lived within their own family.
The cost-free program's kick-off event is April 29-30, 2024, in Des Moines at Grand View University. A summary of the components of Faith Forward are:
- Pastors will receive personal and group coaching and training sessions.
- Recruit parent and grandparent participants for your church
- Starter Kits for parents and grandparents to begin at-home faith conversations.
- Personalized resource Web site for families to download more activities.
- A $500 mini grant to carry out a kick-off event and implementation plan.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE and APPLY.
Best Practices for Recording and Livestreaming Church Services
The ELCA has published "Best Practices for Recording and Livestreaming." This document addresses notices to the congregation about live streaming and recording the worship service, recording moments during the service when children may appear on camera, parental consent for posting a video or photo of a child, the privacy of members who desire to not be recorded, and other key issues.
