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Transition Team Survey

Thank you.
God’s Peace be With You.

We are asking for a $5 donation per child for VBS with a $10 maximum per familly. If you would like to help with a donation for scholarships, or to help defray the $25 per child cost, Please make check payable to St Johns and identify it for Vacation Bible School. Thank you!

Registration for VBS 2010 is Closed.

As we walk the Christian life, we seek to live in God-pleasing ways. In my prayer life, I have made it a point NOT to tell the Creator of the universe how to run it. However, as I have been observing and conversing with those who till the soil, I have been reflecting on a core theological conviction I live by: God would never call us to do something without equipping us to do it. This goes for farmers as well as pastors (not to mention EVERY child of God). So I have been praying for daily bread, mindful of Martin Luther’s inclusion of “favorable weather” as part of the daily bread which God provides. As I write this, I am thanking God for the favorable weather of the past two weeks, allowing God’s children to do that which they are called to do: feed the world. May you sense God’s providence of daily bread in this season of Thanksgiving, that our hearts and lives may be filled with gratitude for all of God’s goodness. May we also be moved to share with those who find themselves in need.

On a related note, I want to extend my most sincere and heartfelt thanks for your continued support of all those ministries we do together. It is my hope and prayer that we can continue doing the good work God is calling us to do together.

The 2010 Synod Assembly is scheduled for April 17-18 at the Jamestown Civic Center. God’s Work. Our Hands: Together in Mission will be our theme. As we prepare to gather in Jamestown, I am so excited. Instead of just talking about doing mission/ministry, we’re going to follow the example of our youth who made such an impact on the city of New Orleans at the national youth gathering this past summer. Instead of the usual work-shops that are part of the afternoon, I have challenged the Jamestown and Carrington conferences to come up with enough service opportunities in the area to engage all of the voting members in service of neighbor to the extent they are able. Imagine the impact we could have in that area. Christians living out their faith in loving service of the neighbor in need!

It has been satisfying to hear faithful conversations, even those around difficult topics, at our fall conference assemblies. The church in which we live as ELCA Lutherans in eastern North Dakota is an amazing, interconnected web of ministry. I have learned much in this call as I have the privilege to see the church at work from a new perspective. Everything we do together matters. The funds that you offer back to God through your local congregation make a difference, quite literally, all over the world. Decisions we make personally and as congregations greatly impact ministries all across our synod, country, and world. Some decisions have consequences which are easy to measure. Others are more like the first domino falling in a row of dominoes, one small movement can have a major effect. If you find yourself in a position where you feel compelled to modify your support of our church, please visit with your pastor. She or he may be able to help you think through the far-reaching consequences so that you can support ministries you feel good about without hurting ministries you care about. The same would hold true for congregations/councils. We are more than willing to walk with you as you ponder potential actions, so that when you make your decisions, you will feel good about the end results. Regarding the newspaper headlines you may have been reading about Fargo congregations and the ELCA, I would encourage you to speak with the congregational presidents… you may find that not all newspaper headlines are what they seem to be. My overwhelming sense is that all the people with whom I’ve had conversations are seeking to be faithful in their responses. This is a good thing.

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NASB

Bishop Bill Rindy

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Fall is upon us. Sometimes I feel like a victim of fall; it comes upon me, it does not respect my sense of timing, and it does not follow my schedule. Perhaps it points to a deeper problem: I want to be in control. I find comfort in a world that I can control. Having a family quickly cured me of my illusion of control. At times the world beyond my control is a bit scary, because if there is anyone else in control, it isn’t me. Into this seemingly chaotic world a bumper sticker, of all things, gives me some comfort. It reads, “Remember two things: There is a God; It is not you.”

In a world where so much seems beyond our control, we can find great comfort in knowing “This is My Father’s World.” There is a story regarding the Pope and his bedtime ritual. As he prepares to go to sleep for the night, he removes his hat, then entrusts the Roman Catholic church and the rest of the world to God’s care and keeping for the night. I would take the story one step further—I wouldn’t put the hat back on,
tempted to think that I would be in control for the daylight hours!

Today there are many feeling that the Church is beyond their control… and they are right. However, individuals and congregations are still able to be people of conviction, to have “bound consciences.” Some simple truths remain: congregations still choose their pastors, choose their Sunday school curriculum, and experience bound consciences. The more conversations overheard around the synod the more one realizes that the human sexuality task force was probably right when they said there was no consensus on this issue and that there would not be consensus anytime soon. While talking with a group around this issue on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I realized that some farmers were thanking God for the gift of a beautiful day that would allow them to complete their harvest before the coming rain… an answer to prayer. Other farmers would not consider farming that day, because it was the Lord ’s Day. Yet both found a way of respecting each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, without being in agreement as to how they would fulfill the third commandment on that Sunday. All analogies eventually break down, yet this may give some insight as to how people of faith might continue to walk the road together, in spite of disagreements.

While we figure this journey out together, I want to encourage you to study the scriptures. Be in conversation with others, especially seeking to understand one another (not trying to change each other). Explain your neighbors’ actions in the kindest possible ways. As you are in conversation, find your voice, so that you can stand for what you believe in, while at the same time speaking the truth in love.

Stay focused on mission as it may be the very thing that draws us together. Remember Jesus, the Christ, who gives us our identity and holds us together… now and forever.

There’s so much I want to say and hear from you… that means we’ll need to stay in conversation. I’m beginning to understand why the Apostle Paul ended his letters the way he did… he really loved and cared for the church. As I’ve been serving you this past year, I continue to grow deeper in both love and care for you. On behalf of your synod staff, I pledge that we will walk this journey with you… as long as God can be in control.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!

Bill

We are asking for a $5 donation per child for VBS with a $10 maximum per familly. If you would like to help with a donation for scholarships, or to help defray the $25 per child cost, Please make check payable to St Johns and identify it for Vacation Bible School.  Thank you!

Registration for VBS 2009 is Closed.

Congratulations again to Jamestown on a stupendous occasion and many thanks to the volunteers of St. Johns Lutheran for putting together such a great float and making all the church’s displays and events a success!

We are asking for a $5 donation per child for VBS with a $10 maximum per familly. If you would like to help with a donation for scholarships, or to help defray the $25 per child cost, Please make check payable to St Johns and identify it for Vacation Bible School.  Thank you!