Dear Partners in Ministry,

For last month’s synod assembly I prepared a long (sorry!) written report, at the suggestion of someone who asked what a bishop does. Now, between the assembly and the beginning of summer (and sabbatical leave), I did some similar musing for our synod council meeting on June 1. I share here some of those thoughts looking back on the assembly and forward to our ministry together.

Synod Council
Welcome to new council members
We welcomed at this meeting two newly elected members of the synod council: Carol Hood, the new treasurer of the synod, is director of central services for Catholic Charities and a member of Mount Calvary in Eagan. She is an experienced synod treasurer (!), having served as treasurer of the Metro New York Synod when she lived there. Pastor William Siong serves Hmong Central Lutheran Church in St. Paul, his first call since being ordained (William was serving in youth ministry at Hmong Central prior to ordination as well.) Two “deans-pro-tem” joined us for this meeting, filling in while the permanent deans are on sabbatical: Mark Becker for Ted Vanderpan, and Marty Erickson for Carol Tomer. In addition, three current council members were elected by the conferences in February to full terms: Lynne Nelson, Janel Kuester, and Lynne Lorenzen.

And election of new council members
The synod council elected two new people to fill vacancies on the council. Roy Henderson, a member of Bethlehem Lutheran in Bayport, was nominated by his pastor, Rich Larson, for the at-large, lay male person of color position that has been vacant for over a year. He can be elected by the synod assembly to a full term next year. Last February, Pastor Tim Nelson was elected to the North Central Conference position on the synod council. Since then Tim has taken a position as a hospice chaplain with HealthEast and has joined a congregation in St. Paul. The synod council elected Pastor Steve Sampson, St. Mark, Circle Pines, to serve as the replacement until the assembly meets next year.

Reflections on the Synod Assembly
Many of you who read this attended the synod assembly. Others of you didn’t. Our staff and synod council both spent time carefully debriefing the actions, the whole gathering, and the evaluations of all who attended. These are two very important days for our work together, so we treat them that way.

Gratitude for those who worked on behalf of us all
This year nearly 200 persons from more than 50 congregations were asked and agreed to do something in this assembly effort—shopping for fabric in Guatemala and Tanzania; serving on committees, as hosts, and as worship leaders; registering voting members; stuffing registration packets; and on and on. (Being church is not simply the business of the assembly; it’s woven into the very doing of the assembly!). At the center of nearly everything is the attention and work of the synod staff, which I hope doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated: Nancy Maeker carried a key role this year, since she serves as staff for each of the three leadership teams for the synod’s threefold vision. She planned the theme and gave oversight to the road shows and plenary presentations; Nancy Johnson has continued to refine and revise registration to make it more efficient and called many volunteers; Shelly Saunders worked with the nominating committee in the Herculean task of identifying nominees, overseeing ballot preparation, and counting; Cyndi Berg, brand new on staff, flung herself into the arrangements to help with everything from workshops to tick removal (really!); Ralph Baumgartner hosted keynoter Kenn Inskeep and organized the presentations on new mission initiatives; Myrna Lamberton oversaw the financial arrangements and assisted in the tech booth; Susan Miller hosted Andrea DeGroot-Nesdahl and gave an extremely well-received workshop on stewardship; Noreen Stevens coordinated hospitality efforts and stepped in to help in other areas whenever asked; Beth Helgen this year took on the role of managing the whole works. I say it often and hope you know it is not gratuitous, that this is a very talented and faithful staff. And if “synod” is at its center simply our life together as church in this place, then permit me to expand this gratefulness for wonderful staff work to the staff at Prince of Peace as well. Their technical and professional competence was matched by exemplary hospitality and helpfulness. They have been a joy to work with these past two years.

Crossing Bridges
The launch at the assembly seems to have gotten people’s attention. With two congregational commitments and personal pledges from the staff and Crossing Bridges steering committee, we have received commitments of over $200,000 already! Two days after the assembly, we opened a letter with a $5,000 personal check. The mission-focused effort to launch new ministries, prepare pastors for the future, strengthen ministries with the poor, and take even further steps in Africa are all efforts for which many people in this synod have great passion. Now we point to key events in the fall to give energy to local congregational efforts, which I presume will vary widely in their approach and creativity. Such is life in the Saint Paul Area Synod!! Gary Anderson, director of Cross Bridges, is a wonderful gift to us in the leadership he’s giving this effort. Please add these fall events to your calendar and watch for more information:

Crossing Bridges Events for Rostered Leaders
Tuesday, August 29, 6:30 p.m., dinner cruise on the St. Croix
Wednesday, August 30, 1:00 p.m. lunch cruise on the St. Croix

Crossing Bridges Events for Rostered and Congregational Leaders
Thursday, September 28, 7:30 p.m., Incarnation Lutheran Church, Shoreview
Sunday, October 1, 6:30 p.m., Gloria Dei, St. Paul
Tuesday, October 3, 7:30 p.m., Shepherd of the Valley, Apple Valley

Revisiting the threefold vision
The language of our synod’s threefold vision is used often. Now five years into this vision, it was fruitful to have our assembly time be an occasion for both hearing and experiencing the work that has been done. Nearly 500 people experienced one of the three road shows that are now poised to be used in congregations or clusters of congregations. The poverty work, which has now gone statewide, became the occasion for LSS breaking with its tradition of honoring one congregation in a synod with the Servant of Christ award, in order to honor all congregations of this synod for our common commitment to end poverty. I picked up comments from some who spoke of the helpfulness of the Inviting road show in giving insight into their own congregation’s culture as a welcoming place. The threefold vision isn’t simply on paper; it’s being lived, in many ways and places.

Mission Starts: The power of collaboration
It was nice to give much higher visibility and face to the new East Side and southern Dakota County mission starts that are already underway. Both represent promising departures from past patterns. The collaborative model in southern Dakota County will launch not only the work Steve Gartland is doing, but within a year or so another congregation. (Also, we shouldn’t lose sight of the new mission start that is just over our border in the Elko/New Market/Credit River area just west of I-35, launched collaboratively by Prince of Peace in Burnsville and Shepherd of the Lake in Prior Lake.) It will be a Minneapolis Area Synod congregation once organized—a healthy sign that even synod borders not need be a hindrance. (The Minneapolis Area Synod has begun another mission start in Blaine, in which Christ the King, New Brighton, is a key partner.) The East Side Latino start, called Pueblo de Esperanza, is using a model new to ELCA work, using house church and cell-group meetings, rather than door-knocking/meet-at-a-school model that was the former dominant model. That East Side team is an excited bunch.

And More Collaborations
The power of partnership
One of the reasons I’ve tried to give strong encouragement to the mission partner effort in this synod (the topic of one of our assembly resolutions) is that I’ve come to know the power of partnerships, especially as congregations move from their own internal life into the world around them. I name a few that have emerged in the last several months:

We noted at the assembly that the ending poverty work of our synod has now been taken statewide through a collaboration with Lutheran Social Service and Lutheran Coalition for Public Policy in Minnesota; and several of the area clusters of congregations are themselves collaborations that are ecumenical. (The Common Foundation document that anchors this work has now become the basis for the creation of a Legislative Commission on Ending Poverty, passed with bipartisan support in the recently completed legislative session.)

Lutheran Social Service, Thrivent, four East Side congregations (First, Gustavus Adolphus, Arlington Hills, and Eastside Community) and the East Side Neighborhood Development Company are working on the development of an outreach project around finances for low income people on Payne Ave. These same congregations sponsored a staff appreciation lunch for the teachers and staff of Johnson High School, thanking them for making the community better (many of the 30-plus volunteers from the churches told the teachers of their time as students at Johnson!)

North Emmanuel on St. Paul’s north end will call Sean Whelan to do a residency/internship. Pastor Jonathan Zielske of Hope, St. Paul, will serve as Sean’s supervisor and Pastor Sue Tjornehoj, Christ Lutheran on Capitol Hill, St. Paul, will give leadership to the intern committee, a collaboration that will draw the seminary and these three congregations into collaboration for the next chapter of ministry there.

This list isn’t anywhere near exhaustive, but called to mind from the last few weeks, and, I suspect, can be matched by your stories of collaborations in your neck of the woods.

Mission Support
Mission support down in the first quarter from last year
Strange…the tension level around issues (sexuality, ecumenism, etc.) seems to have lessened. We have fewer congregations in serious conflict than usual (knock on wood, hard!). I haven’t heard dire stories of fuel bills wreaking havoc as many predicted. Recent synod events and ministries have been very well received and appreciated. So why, I ask myself, is our first three months of mission support down a full 13.8% from last year’s first three months? I don’t know. Ideas? But it is, and I trust will begin moving up as congregations play catch-up. Your support helps to support the ministry we do with the whole church around the world and with the ministry we do together as congregations in the Saint Paul Area Synod!

Sabbatical Plans
On June 15, I will begin a three-month sabbatical. When I brought my request for a sabbatical to the synod council earlier this year, I described what I wanted to do this way: Many parish pastors use sabbatical leaves to do two things: (a) hear speakers and attend workshops, and (b) visit ministry and mission settings different from their own—both wonderful uses of these leaves. In my case, however, I’m blessed to do lots of both in the work I do carrying out this office. What I yearn for most is withdrawal, and, in particular, reading. I had one other sabbatical in 1995 and used ten of the twelve weeks tucked away in the north woods to read 35 books. My list for this year has grown, and 35 might be a lofty goal since this year I’ll have grandkids underfoot for a few of those weeks. Many of you have made suggestions. (I’m still taking them!) Thank you!

We have worked out with other staff how coverage will work, and how I will remain in contact with the office and the activities of the synod. I’m grateful for this time away, and am confident I will look forward to returning in September!

As always, I am grateful for all you do, and for our partnership in the life of the church!!

Peter Rogness