eNewsletter - July 22, 2024
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Congregational Vitality Survey
A Tool for Congregations of the ELCA
An Assessment
The Congregational Vitality Survey is a simple 36 question survey tool to gain input from both leaders and participants on how they see key areas for both vitality and sustainability.
Questions use a 3-point scale to ask people to assess their understanding of 36 key issues in congregational life and mission. It also helps show how leaders see the ministry in comparison to how regular participants see it - a great help in seeing how perceptions and communication are happening.
A Conversation Starter
The main value in using this tool is not the numeric answers produced as each question is scored. Although those numbers will be very insightful, the biggest gains will happen when these results are used to frame a discussion to see why people see what they see and said what they said. Each congregation will receive a report and also some key insights for discussing them from their synod's Director for Evangelical Mission (DEM) or another key staff person.
Foundations for Planning
The benefits of insights are not for their own ends. Rather, the survey results and the ensuing dialog are to foster meaningful actions. So, each ministry will be able to develop contextually appropriate plans to move forward in their own settings. By knowing what key issues are and discussing what the root cause are as well, effective plans for ministry adjustments can be developed and implemented. The real goal of this survey is not information but informed action!
To get started, please email DEM, Tera Kossow, or contact the synod office and ask to speak with Tera, who can give you more information, begin a dialog with you about it and get you started.
WND Synod Women Elect New President
At the last WND SWO gathering, attendees elected Michelle Lauckner of Minot as the new President of their organization.
Outgoing President, Lois Schmalz, would like to send her thanks and appreciation to all that made her time as president a great experience, filled with consideration, kindness, and concern for our faith. "It has been an honor to have served and participated with this board as we walk with God in various ways to carry out his work", Schmalz said.
New President Lauckner can be reached here via email.
New Resource for "God's work. Our hands."
On Sunday, Sept. 8, ELCA congregations will join together for our annual day of service, “God’s work. Our hands.” This day continues to be an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the ELCA — one church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor. As you explore opportunities to participate in your community, ELCA.org/DayOfService has the resources you need to plan and promote your day, including a toolkit, worship materials, videos, posters, social media graphics and a special hymn. Click here to browse resources.
LWR Delivers Relief
On Monday, July 8th, Ukraine's largest children's hospital was struck by a Russian missile. Just hours later, LWR Quilts and Personal Care Kits were being distributed to patients, their families and others affected by the attack. Lutheran World Relief thanks the congregations in the Western North Dakota Synod for the generous care and support which has allowed their teams to be able to carry love throughout Ukraine.
Livestream LSM Through July
Lutheran Summer Music invites you to livestream over 30 inspiring concerts, recitals, and worship services throughout the entire month of July. Performances and services are shared by over 250 students, faculty, fellows, worship staff, and guest artists who come together to create a vibrant community of music-makers. Visit LSMacademy.org/2024 to explore the schedule and access the livestream and video archive. You won't want to miss this!
PORTICO BENEFIT SERVICES
Staying On Track with Retirement Planning
The idea of retirement can bring up many questions and emotions. Portico offers a series of 30-minute, prerecorded, online workshops called the Retirement Readiness Series to help ELCA Retirement Plan members feel confident about discerning their next steps.
Workshops are easily accessible on myPortico. There’s no need to preregister — just sign in and watch. What to go deeper?
Schedule a conversation with a Portico Financial Planner to understand more about where you are now and how to ensure you’ll reach your retirement goals.
Time for a Mid-Year Checkup?
One of the best ways to stay healthy is to get regular checkups, vaccinations, and screenings. Preventive care is not only essential for maintaining overall health, it’s also one of the best ways to catch unknown health issues early. An annual preventive exam is part of your ELCA-Primary health coverage and this video can help you maximize the time with your doctor so you can live, work, and serve well.
WATCH THIS
In her video addressing Christian nationalism, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us that “what binds us together is not ethnicity, but shared participation in our civic life springing out of our cultural heritages and working for the common good.”
SAVE THE DATE: Monday, August 26 @ 6PM
Come have free supper at Olive Garden and meet other incoming freshmen from our area ELCA congregations! Please let Rachel know if you plan to come so she knows what sized table to get (email Paster Rachel at Rachel.Simonson@MinotStateU.edu). This will be an easy way to meet people as school begins!
And remember, you have a chance to WIN FREE TEXTBOOKS for Spring 2025 semester! There are two opportunities to register. One, by following LCM on Instagram (@LCM.MSU) and another is by signing up to LCM's e-Newsletter.
JUSTmove: Becoming God's Breach Repairers in a Polarized World
How do we invite people into God’s Breach Repairing work of justice in a way that does not alienate them? While many diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts can utilize “guilt, blame, and shame”, there is a way to graciously invite people into a new vision of humanity that makes space for all people.
In these engaging educational modules, JUSTmove (David Scherer and Joe Davis) will give us tools and resources to start courageous conversations that bring us closer to Gospel inclusion (Every other Thursday through August 22nd @ 12pm Noon CST).
CLICK HERE to join the next discussion module.
“Confession and Repentance” (Jul 25) While we confess our own complicity in human suffering every week in church (“by what we have done and by what we have undone”), we often allow shame to paralyze us in anti-racism efforts. How do we move our understanding of racism beyond and individualistic “bad people trying to hurt others on purpose” toward a more communal understanding of racism that we can recognize and repair? This session will help us do this important work.
“Wounded Healers” (Aug 8) How do we metabolize the racialized trauma that each of us carry in our bodies? If we know so much about the system of oppression that harms people in our minds, why have our bodies not gotten the memo? This session will give practical tools and a methodology that can help us re member the body of Christ that we are a part of to create the change that we wish to see.
“Go and Do …” (Aug 22) As Martin Luther points out, our faith is active and living. How do we remain faithful to the next step toward God’s preferred and promised future? This last session together will help us deter mine our next faithful steps and create a plan for operationalizing the compassionate justice about which we are learning.
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.
