Friday, February 25, 2022

Interim Grace Notes for February 25, 2022

Tom's Organ Concert on Sunday

Tom, our organist and music director, will present a musical program of African-American Heritage this Sunday, February 27 at 3:00 p.m. The concert will feature the music of African-American composers. All are invited and encouraged to come and enjoy!

Lent Begins Wednesday

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday worship at 6:30 pm in the Grace sanctuary. Prior to the service, a supper will be served in the Dining Room beginning at 5:30 pm. A Lenten Meditation Prayer Service will be held at 12 noon in the Sanctuary on each Wednesday in Lent.  The Ash Wednesday service will include Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes.

"Continuing in the Covenant of Baptism" will be Lenten Midweek Theme

Following Ash Wednesday on March 2, we will meet at 6:30 pm in the sanctuary for midweek worship using Holden Evening Prayer on March 9, 16, 23, 30, and April 6. The focus for each week is a portion of the baptismal covenant from the order for Affirmation of Baptism, which is not only used in the Rite of Confirmation, but can also be used on special days in the church year and life of the congregation. Those promises will provide the themes for our five services:

  • March 9 - To live among God's faithful people
  • March 16 - To hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper
  • March 23 - To proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed
  • March 30 - To serve all people, following the example of Jesus
  • April 6 - To strive for justice and peace in all the earth

Last Call for Mission and Vision Workshop

Several weeks ago I posted information about a Mission and Vision 101 workshop on Thursday, March 3, from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. As I said before, this could be a helpful resource, especially to the Call Committee as they will be articulating Grace's mission and vision to pastoral candidates whom they will interview. I have registered for the event and reserved six spaces. Let me know if you'd like to participate, so I can either reduce or increase our reserved spaces.

LIFT VBS Meeting

The LIFT VBS Leadership Team met on Tuesday, 4pm to do initial planning for our week of VBS, July 11 - 14, with daily evening sessions. We did some initial assigning of the many and various responsibilities that make for a successful VBS. Our next meeting will be April 26, 4:00 pm.

Call Committee Update

The Call Committee has met severa times over the past few weeks, most recently on Tuesday evening. The Committee has reviewed the MSP, and are fact-checking a few items in preparation for moving forward as a confident, united committee as they prepare for their "practice interview." The next meeting will be Thursday, March 10, with the agenda of updating the MSP as necessary, solidifying first round questions for candidates, and finalizing plans for the practice interview. Keep the Call Committee in your prayers. Thanks to all Committee members, and especially Kristen for her excellent leadership.

A Good Week of R&R

I'm sure you've all familiar with the term R&R - of course it could mean Rock n Roll, or Rules n Regulations, but mostly we understand it as Rest n Relaxation or Rest n Recuperation or Rest n Recreation. Or in the case of the continuing education event I attended last week (February 13-18) at Winter Park Mountain Lodge in Winter Park, Colorado, the meaning is "Revelation and Recreation." The "Revelation" part included learning sessions with two presenters in morning and evening sessions:

  • Dr. David Lose - currently senior pastor at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church in south Minneapolis, currently the largest ELCA congregation, and former president of United Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, and Professor of Homiletics (preaching) at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. Dr. Lose's topic was preaching and congregational leadership after Covid-19
  • Dr. Anthony Bateza - currently a religion professor at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. Dr. Bateza's presentations focused on blame, reconciliation, and the meaning of forgiveness, using the parable of the prodigal son as a focus point.

The "Recreation" part for most of us was hitting the slopes at Winter Park Ski area Monday through Thursday. We had good skiing days, including some inches of new snow on Wednesady afternoon

Boundaries Training

Every few years, rostered leaders in the ELCA are expected, if not required, to attend what is called "Boundaries Training." This is usually done in a one-day workshop which reminds leaders of the importance of maintaining healthy boundaries in life and ministry. I have registered for the training that will be held on Thursday, March 10, from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm via Zoom. Led by Pastor Heather Apel, Assistant to the Bishop for Leadership in the Indiana-Kentucky Synod, this training will explore the importance of healthy boundaries in ministry. Topics covered will include: the purpose of boundaries, personal/professional boundaries, understanding power, blurred boundaries, strategies for self-care and positive boundary practices, social media, and more.

Religious Underpinnings to Ukraine Crisis

Putin's invasion of Ukraine has been tragic and horrifying. We must continue to condemn the Russian government’s unjustified attacks on its neighbor Ukraine and pray for a peaceful end to this horrible action. Church historian Diana Butler Bass offers some insight on the religious significance and underpinnings of Putin's actions. You can read her intersting analysis HERE.

Latest Osterholm Update

Dr. Michael Osterholm, founder and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, continues to deliver solid scientific analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic in his weekly podcasts. The latest episode, posted on Thursday, February 24, is entitled "Shifting Baselines." In this episode, Dr. Osterholm covers the trajectory of the pandemic amid a decline in cases, the BA.2 subvariant, hospitalizations in children, and his decision to return to the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

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Friday, February 11, 2022

Interim Grace Notes for February 11, 2022

Worship Committee Notes

The Worship Committee met on Tuesday and we had lots to talk about and consider.

  • We decided that Ash Wednesday would mark a transition from Holy Communion in the pews to a return to coming forward to receive the elements. Those distributing will wear masks -- those distributing bread will use hand sanitizer, those distributing wine/grape juice will allow communicants to pick up their own glasses from the tray, with cups spaced out. Also, beginning on Ash Wednesday, and continuing through Lent, worshipers will be given the option of kneeling for the confession.
  • Becky will lead a review of procedures for Altar Guild members on Friday, February 25 at 10:00 am. Know of someone who might enjoy helping with altar and sacristy things?
  • Palm Sunday -- after the announcements, I will invite worshipers to the narthex, including outside if weather cooperates, for the reading of the Processional Gospel and blessing of the palms. Then we'll re-enter the sanctuary singing "All Glory Laud and Honor." Those for whom movement is difficult will be invited to stay in the pews. I was told that Grace hasn't done Palm Sunday this way before, so this will be a new experience. I have used it in all my called and interim congregations.
  • Wednesday suppers will resume on Ash Wednesday, but at 5:30 instead of 5:00, continuing this schedule through the following five Wednesdays in Lent.
  • Ash Wednesday worship and and five Lenten Wednesday evening services will all begin at 6:30 p.m The five Lenten services will center around Holden Evening Prayer and the theme "Continuing in the Covenant of Baptism." For more info about weekly themes, you can go HERE.

Stewardship Team Evaluates Communications

In my January 28 post, I reported on the Stewardship Team's first Zoom meeting with Mitzi Schafer, leading us in a Storytelling and Communications track. You can read that again HERE. Mitzi spoke of deposits and withdrawals, and you may remember that she said the ideal balance between deposits and withdrawals is 80-20 -- 80% deposits and 20% withdrawals, and that most congregations get that reversed. Our homework was to look at our newsletters, social media, and other communications to the congregation to see where we stand. And, sure enough, ours came out just as Mitzi said most congregations do -- 20% deposits and 80% withdrawals.

At our next Zoom learning event on February 28, Mitzi will teach us how to interview Grace members and write their story in such a way that a "join me" culture is cultivated. Speaking of "join me," could you join us in finding members of Grace who might be willing to interview other Grace members so that we can write these stories? Send us your suggestions, and we'll send them an invitation!

ELCA Video

It's important to tell the congregation how their gifts impact lives at Grace, and by the same token, it's important for us to learn as much as we can about how our gifts for Mission Support (offering sent to synod, half of which is sent on Churchwide for our ELCA sponsored ministries and Outreach. Pastor Henry sent us a link to a 4-minute video that helps to shed some light on the ministry that happens because of our Mission Support.. You can view that video HERE.

Latest Osterholm Update

Dr. Michael Osterholm, founder and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, continues to deliver solid scientific analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic in his weekly podcasts. The latest episode, posted on Thursday, February 10, is entitled "A Pandemic of Lost Trust." In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the decline in Omicron cases in the US and internationally, what we know about the BA2 subvariant, and the mistakes that have been made in communicating about masks and vaccines to the public. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

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Friday, February 4, 2022

Interim Grace Notes for February 4, 2022

ELCA Youth Gathering Canceled

Word was received this past week that the 2022 (already postponed from 2021) ELCA Youth Gathering scheduled for July 24-28 in Minneapolis has been canceled due to uncertainty regarding covid and low registration. You can read the official Gathering announcement HERE. However, the Extravaganza, the continuing education event for ELCA Youth Leaders, and for which Heather has registered, scheduled for February 10-15, is still on. You can read more about the Extravaganza HERE.

Changes for Stewardship Team

I reported in last week's update how the Stewardship Team had begun work on a January through May learning track on Storytelling and Communication. This was part of what we thought would be our enrollment in the first year of a two-year program called Stewardship for All Seasons sponsored by GSB Fundraising, the firm which provided the resources and direction for our fall stewardship campaign, and which has partnered with our NWOS in cost sharing with congregations for their services.

The synod, together with GSB, also offered Stewardship for All Seasons, a year-round program of both a learning track from January to May, and tailored assistance for the fall stewardship campaign. This was offered with the understanding that costs would be shared half and half between the synod and the participating congregations.

At Grace, we raised the $2,000 that represented Grace's share of the cost, and registered for the program, including the Storytelling and Communications track that we began attending on January 24. This was done after asking several times for clarification (as early as November of last year) from synod staff that synod funding would cover the other half of our participation.

This past week I received an email from Jacob Henry, synod administrator, who informed us that cost sharing for this program was no longer available. Oops. I shared this info with Jennie Wolf Smith, our GSB consultant, and here is what she said:

I'm sorry to hear the timing for SAS doesn't work out for Grace Lutheran this year. You're laying good groundwork for the congregation which will benefit them well if they continue those stewardship appeal practices.

Regarding Mitzie's storytelling track: stay in it. I'll sort things out on GSB's end. Grace can be NW Ohio's pilot congregation in this way. When you've completed the track, I'd love to see how the team has improved Grace's storytelling and hear about what they've learned.

I'm working with Sarah & Jacob to offer a storytelling session for NWOS congregations later this year, but we haven't worked out a date for that yet. I'm not anticipating it to be nearly as comprehensive as this SAS track. Perhaps you or some of your team will be able to join that session to share from a perspective of having begun to implement these strategies. I'll let you know when we finalize that date.

I certainly was relieved to receive this message from Jennie. It means that we can continue in our Storytelling and Communications track, and that we even have a bit of additional accountability to serve as an example for other congregations in the synod. It also means that we'll be on our own for the fall Stewardship Campaign, but we should be able to handle that. And it means that we can hopefully use that $2,000 that we raised for a future year of participation in Stewardship for All Seasons.

Mission and Vision 101 Workshop

For the past two weeks I've posted information about a Mission and Vision 101 workshop on Thursday, March 3, from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. As I said before, this could be a helpful resource, especially to the Call Committee as they will be articulating Grace's mission and vision to pastoral candidates whom they will interview. I have registered for the event and reserved six spaces. Let me know if you'd like to participate, so I can either reduce or increase our reserved spaces.

Dave's resignation

We received word this past week that Dave Shoub, Youth and Family Ministry Leader at St. John's, has resigned his position. The immediate effect for us and for LIFT will be in our joint youth ministries, including Confirmation, which all the leaders will step up to fill in. Thanks, Dave, for your ministry at St. John's. We wish you well and God's blessings in your new endeavors.

Congregational and Rostered Leader Reports Due Soon

The month of February means congregational and rostered leader reports. The Grace office completes the annual congregation reports, which include information provided in the recent Annual Report, along with congregational finances. This is sent to the ELCA office. The Rostered Leader Report, which pastors and decons complete, provides information on our ministry activities over the past year. These reports are submitted to the bishop, and are sometimes shared with conference deans. The normal deadline for this reports is February 15.

Call Committee Doing Preparatory Work

The Call Committee will be meeting again on February 10 at 6:30 pm. Agenda items for this meeting will include a review of questions that Call Committee members will ask candidates, and plans for a "mock interview" with a local pastor serving as an "interviewee."

Message from Bishop Daniel

Received this message from Bishop Daniel this week:

Dear Friends in Christ,

"What shall I return to the LORD for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people” (Psalm 116:12-14).

During these last few months, I have found peace and encouragement in the words of the Psalms. I am grateful for the goodness of God and for the opportunity to serve these last 5 ½ years as the Bishop of the Northwestern Ohio Synod.

On June 3-4, 2022, this Synod will gather in Assembly to do the work of God, and that work will include the election and call of a synodical bishop. As my wife Rachel and I have talked and prayed, and as I have shared with our Synod Council, I have discerned that God is calling me to remain open to the call of serving as your bishop. I continue to have a strong sense of call to this office, and I believe that there is still so much for us to do together.

This past week, I was at Solomon Lutheran School, in Woodville, to lead chapel for the students and teachers. There was a sweet moment of questions and answers at the end. A little girl asked me, “Do you like being Bishop?” “I love it!”, I replied. “Because I get to talk about Jesus in lots of different places.”

Over the next few months, I invite you to prayerfully discern where God is calling and leading us.

Let us pray.
Lord Jesus, we are grateful for your call to come and see and to go and serve. Send your Holy Spirit to lead us out into the community and the world. Guide us to do your will and to share your love. This we pray in the name of Jesus, crucified and risen for the world. Amen.

Bless you,

Bishop Daniel G. Beaudoin
Northwestern Ohio Synod

Bishop Daniel Publishes 2022 Bible Study

Every year since he was elected, Bishop Daniel has published a Bible Study that corresponds with our synod's annual theme. The 2022 theme is Vision, and the Bible Study from the Book of Revelation has now been published on the NWOS website. You can read more about the theme and the study, including download link for leader and particiaptant resources HERE.

Bishop Daniel's latest email

You can read it HERE.

Keep abreast of the global reach of the ELCA's ministry with ELCA Global Links. You can read the latest issue HERE.

Latest Osterholm Update

Dr. Michael Osterholm, founder and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, continues to deliver solid scientific analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic in his weekly podcasts. The latest episode, posted on Thursday, February 3, is entitled "Understanding Immunity." In this episode, Chris Dall and Dr. Osterholm discuss the BA2 subvariant, the data on booster dose effectiveness, and the challenges with understanding what immunity from vaccination and natural infection really means. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.

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