Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church

Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church: Make your voice heard!

The Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church wants to hear from you!   What is the Commision for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC)? The Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church is comprised of leaders of diverse representation from all three expressions. This group, working in consultation with the Conference of Bishops and the Church Council, shall reconsider the statements of purpose for each of the expressions of this church, the principles of its organizational structure, and all matters pertaining thereunto, being particularly attentive to our shared commitment to dismantle racism, and will present its findings and recommendations to the 2025 Churchwide Assembly in preparation for a possible reconstituting convention to be called under the rules for a special meeting of the Churchwide Assembly.   Click here to learn more about the CRLC!   How can you be a part of this important work?

Take the Survey!

Take the survey! The survey is designed to assist the work of the ELCA's Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church. Your responses will be kept strictly confidential and any data collected will be stored securely and only accessed by the CRLC for analysis purposes. Questions can be directed to crlc@elca.org.

Attend the Listening Session!

March 7 6:30 p.m. St. Paul, Jenera 9340 Township Rd 32 Jenera, OH 45841   Join us as we gather together to discuss what a renewed Church looks like and what it means to you! To RSVP please email stpaullutheran6@yahoo.com or call (419) 326-3535.

NWOS E-News February 2024

NWOS E-News Events and Opportunities in northwest Ohio and beyond What's Included:   How Things Work at the Ohio Statehouse (April 14) From Micah’s Mountaintop: Seeds of Change in Action (April 7) Prepare-Enrich Training (April 23) Following the Way of Jesus: A Lenten Holy Land Journey (February and March) Puenta de Esperanza (Bridge of Hope) Welcome Basket Collection Addiction & Ending It for Good (February 28) Signs Along the Way: PLTS Seminary Discernment Weekend (April 5-7) Faith Leader’s Luncheon: Home in Ohio (April 16) Hunger Network in Ohio’s Monthly Advocate Check-in (2nd Thursdays) Understanding How Loneliness Influences Health and What Nurses Can Do to Help Lonely People (March 14) Urban Servant Corps Job Postings   How Things Work at the Ohio Statehouse Sunday, April 14, 1 - 3 p.m. Olivet Lutheran Church, Sylvania 5800 Monroe St., Sylvania, OH   Presented by Rachel Coyle, this popular training covers how a bill becomes a law in Ohio, how Ohians can get involved in state legislative advocacy, and some key tips and resources. It will be followed by a Q&A session, and an overview of Ohio's pending gun-related bills. RSVP Here From Micah's Mountaintop: Seeds of Change in Action Sunday, April 7, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. Olivet Lutheran Church, Sylvania 5800 Monroe St., Sylvania, OH   You're invited to come explore Social Justice through the lens of Micah 6:8. Four diverse speakers will discuss how they carry out this work in their lives, followed by breakouts for more discussion. Sign up by emailing Amy Dixon (amydixon436@gmail.com) or Donna Mens (donnamens011@gmail.com) or call Olivet's church office at (419) 882-2077. Event Flyer Prepare-Enrich Training 4/23 Tuesday, April 23, 9:00 a.m. Grace Lutheran Church, Fremont Cost: $95 (includes training materials, lifetime Prepare Facilitator status, and lunch)   Prepare-Enrich is a tool used by pastors to prepare couples for marriage, and to enrich existing marriages. This workshop will teach participants how to administer the survey, interpret the results, and provide meaningful feedback to a couple. For more information or to register for the workshop, email Pastor Mark Bogen at mark@bogen.org. Learn more about Prepare-Enrich Following the Way of Jesus: A Lenten Holy Land Journey Tuesdays, 11:45 - 12:45 p.m. Zoom Join us for a Lenten lunch-break series as we virtually journey through the Holy Land with ELCA Sumud: Justice for Palestine and Israel.   This six week study is rooted in scripture passages connected with weekly video reflections by Palestinian pastors and leaders in the Lutheran community who teach on the theology of sumud, the Arabic word for steadfastness. One video and scripture will be provided each week and discussed together over zoom during lunchtime.   If you are interested in joining this Lenten lunch-break, or if you’d be interested in using these materials in your congregational context please contact calla.gilson@nwos-elca.org.   Watch the Intro Video! Puente de Esperanza (Bridge of Hope) Food Pantry: Welcome Basket Collection Puente de Esperanza Food Pantry is preparing to serve the immigrants that come to work in the fields of Sandusky County every April. To provide hospitality, they are collecting donations for Welcome Baskets. Donations may be sent to Hayes Memorial UMC, 1441 Fangboner Road, Fremont. Welcome Basket Information Addiction & Ending It For Good February 28, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. EST   Christina Dent is the founder of End it for Good, a nonprofit which invites people to support approaches to drugs and addiction that prioritize life, preserve families, and promote public safety. She supported a criminal justice approach to drugs for most of her life until she became a foster parent and saw how it negatively affected children and families. Her new book, Curious, is the story of her journey about how she changed her mind in favor of health-centered approaches to drugs and addiction. The host of webinar is George A Wood, Author, Speaker, Pastor at Sober Truth Project. Click here to register Signs Along the Way: PLTS Seminary Discernment Weekend April 5 - 7, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary   Signs Along the Way is a great opportunity for folks to connect with current seminarians and other people in discernment, spend some time exploring their sense of call, and learn more about what seminary at PLTS might be like for them. People at all stages of discernment are welcome.   PLTS covers two nights of lodging in a hotel, most meals throughout the weekend, and can provide some travel assistance for those who need it. Click here for more information! Faith Leader's Luncheon: Home in Ohio April 16, 11:00 - 1:00 p.m. 1 Capitol Sq, Columbus, OH 43215, USA   The Ohio Council of Churches, Dominican Sister's of Peace, and the Hunger Network are excited to host our 2nd Annual Faith Leaders Legislative Luncheon, where people of faith, legislative leaders, and policy experts will come together to discuss the affordable housing crisis in Ohio.    As people of faith and good conscious, we believe every Ohioan deserves a place to call home. Presenters will share policy solutions to help us get there and attendees will have an opportunity to talk with legislative leaders and staff about this important issue.  Click here to buy tickets Hunger Network in Ohio's Monthly Advocate Check-In Second Thursdays, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.   Join fellow advocates from across Ohio to hear what is going on at the Ohio Statehouse, ways to get involved, ask questions, and share what is going on in your community. All are welcome! Sign-up Here Understanding How Loneliness Influences Health and What Nurses Can Do to Help Lonely People March 14, 7:00 - 9:00 CostL $30 for LFCNA members/$50 for non-members    This presentation will include information about loneliness as a unique health stressor. We will delve into the relationship between belonging and loneliness, with information on how unmet need to belong and experience of loneliness can lead to poor psychological, behavioral, physical and social health outcomes. A description of LISTEN as an intervention for loneliness along with other potential interventions will be provided and discussed.    Click here for more information! Urban Servant Corps A place to belong. A welcoming and affirming community. An opportunity to serve. If these values are important to you, consider joining the Urban Servant Corps community in Denver, CO.   At USC, we believe that service is transformational -- it creates the opportunity for shared humanity and to faithfully respond to one another's needs. We also believe that in community, we are able to live more faithful, simple lives that are in service to one another. Our full-time volunteers live in an intentional community house in downtown Denver with others who are committed to social justice, racial justice, and accompanying vulnerable populations. Food, housing, health insurance, a monthly stipend, student loan debt reduction (up to $7000) and an annual "growth and development" allotment are provided. Additionally, Spiritual Direction, alumni mentorship, and professional development opportunities are offered as part of this experience.   Are you a young adult dedicated to social justice and a simpler way of life? Are you someone who hopes to explore or deepen your faith? Are you seeking experience in the non-profit/social service field? Deadline for Applications: March 1 for Priority or on a rolling basis after.   Click here for more information! Job Postings Click below for job postings from around the synod. If you have a job posting, please email all information to web@nwos-elca.org. Job Postings

Northwestern Ohio Synod (419) 423-3664 | 1701 Tiffin Ave, Findlay, OH 45840

Interim Grace Notes for February 16, 2024

Report on Colorado R&R

I had a good week of R&R (Recreation and Revelation) at Winter Park, Colorado from Sunday through Thursday, February 4-8. I returned to Ohio on Friday, February 9. We always have excellent speakers, good food and fellowship, and (sometimes) challenging recreation on the slopes of Winter Park Ski Resort, across Route US40 from Winter Park Mountain Lodage, our home for the week. Our speakers were Dr. Kimberly Wagner, currently Associate Professor of Preaching at Princeton Theological Seminary, who spoke on the issue of Trauma, and Dr. Mary Hinkle Shore, who spoke on the theme "Seeking Jesus Together." You can read more about Kim and Mary HERE, more about R&R HERE, and one page summaries of Dr.'s Kim and Mary's presentations HERE and HERE.

Organ MIDI Progress

Greg Jess continues to work diligently on getting our organ "mapped" to receive signals from SOS to play hymns on the organ instead of through the church sound system. To give you an idea of what this entails, I am copying Greg's recent email to Lynea, who is from SOS helping us make this connection.

Good afternoon, I wanted to inform everyone that with Lynea’s support, we have successfully mapped our organ. If I understand correctly, the next step is to take the digital file that was created today and convert that data to match as closely as possible to the corresponding stop, key, pedal on the organ used at Church Music Solutions. This process is estimated to take three weeks. Once that is completed, then any song in their library that has already been played/recorded from the red ELW can be coded to play on our organ rather simply via software. In the event a song is selected that has not yet been requested, an organist would play the hymn and add it to the library. There is also some behind the scenes work with Apple that needs to be done to allow Grace’s digital data to work properly within their app. The app will need to be downloaded to the iPad we will be using. Lynea will be keeping us informed and will share what cables and or apps we will need when we get closer to a trial run.

The urgency for this is a bit diminished since we will now have in-person organists to play our services, but the SOS and the hoped for pipe organ connection will be used as a substitute organist (Hyo will go gone for three weeks in May and June to visit elderly parents in Korea) when one is needed, and for some midweek and special services..

Organists Hired - Starting This Weekend

Our prayers for (a) new organist(s) have been answered! As it turns out, the new organists is actually two organists! One for Saturday, and one for Sunday. And so, withoug any further ado, I am happy to introduce to you:

• Hyo Jung Kim, Saturday Organist. Mrs. Kim lives in the Toledo area with her husband, who is the pastor at Hanmi Covenant Presbyterian Church. She has an extensive background of professional organist and pianist experience.
• Susan Barker, Sunday Organist. Mrs. Barker and her husband live in the Bowling Green area. She comes highly qualified with an extensive background in organist, choir director, and orchestra experience.

Susan has also expressed an interest in directing the choir, but this possibility is still in the planning stages. Hope you can be present this weekend to help welcome Hyo and Susan to Grace!

Grace Youth Attending Retreat at St. Mark's Bowling Green

By this time last year, our confirmation youth had attended a weekend retreat at Hopewood Pines (formerly Lutheran Memorial Camp, or LMC). Heather and I considered doing that again this year, until we were offered the opportunity of joining a more local group for a retreat at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Bowling Green. So, beginning today, Friday, Heather, I, and three youth from Grace will join youth and adult leaders from St. Mark's Bowling Green and Solomon in Woodville for a scheduled activities of learning fellowship and fun beginning at 5pm on Friday and concluding at 6pm on Saturday. You can view the retreat schedule HERE. We are expecting a total of about 20 youth, which will be a good number.

I'm looking forward to working again with Pr. Ken Pollitz, who will be one of the leaders from St. Mark's along with Pr. Robin Small. Pr. Alan Brown from Solomon will also be one of the leaders. Pr. Ken and I worked together for many years along with a group of other pastors to plan and lead four-day confirmation camps, mostly at Camp Luther near Conneaut, now known as Hopewood Shores. He recently retired after 31 years as the founding pastor of New Creation Lutheran Church in Ottawa, and is now serving St. Mark's Bowling Green on a part-time basis. I will need to leave early on Saturday to get back to Fremont for 4:00 pm worship.

Links for You

• March Message on Syod theme of Rest
• Go and Do News - a newsletter from ELCA World Hunger

 

March Rest Calendar

"After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." 1 Kings 19:12 Time and time again God calls us into rest through scripture. We read stories of Jesus retreating into the hills, journeys being paused, and creation being celebrated with rest. So what does it mean for God's people to engage in rest? Throughout 2024 we will explore this question, not just through sleep or vacation time, but through little moments each day that nourish and renew us. Instead of our traditional daily Bible reading guide we invite you to engage in daily rest practices, using the seven types of active rest. By grounding these practices in a weekly Bible verse, we pray this guide will help you discover moments of rest and peace.

Our grounding verses for March are brought to us by Father Jeff Bunke, retired Episcopal priest, former interim pastor, and current member of the NWOS Transition team. Here's what he had to say when asked how he rests:

March 2024 Rest Calendar

Meet Father Jeff Bunke

The most important note in a musical score is the “rest.” The open aural space punctuates, gives light and a “lift” to the cascade of other notes in the song/composition. Failure to observe these rests results in lots of sound, but a presentation devoid of character and life – not a bad metaphor when considering the place of rest and silence in our spiritual pilgrimage. A decade ago, I was privileged to chaperone our parish youth confirmands’ out-of-country pilgrimage to the isle of Iona (Inner Hebrides, Scotland). Taking responsibility for twenty-six teens and five other adults on a ten-day international trip isn’t a picture of peaceful retreat – yet for one afternoon’s free time, I stole away to climb a rock outcropping in the middle of a cow pasture adjacent the old abbey chapel. As I gazed across the pasture and the Straits of Iona toward Mull, the voices of Patrick, Columba, and the generations who kept this mission outpost seemed to swirl about and uplift me – truly providing a “thin place” experience. The struggle of discernment with which I’d been actively engaged (the call to a new congregation) gently dropped into place, and a deep and gentle peace surrounded me. Rest and quiet is perhaps the most important (and often-overlooked) element in the crowded “score” of my habitually Type AA, ADHD daily life. The open physical and spiritual space punctuates, gives light and a lift to the competing demands and distractions composing a priest/pastor’s daily life. Failure to observe these “breaths” results in lots of spinning activity, but all too often a product and presence devoid of authentic and deep character and life. As a spiritual director once responded when I was whining about my annoyance at being wakened at 2:30 am every night, “When else do you shut up long enough for God to get a word in edgewise?” Raised as the youngest in a NW Ohio German-American dairy-farming family, the notion of rest resided primarily in Sunday afternoon visits with maternal grandparents, very rare vacations (I recall two in eighteen years), and the well-earned embrace of a firm mattress after the shower that followed nightly milking chores. However, two arenas emerged during those formative years that continue to provide for me God’s gift of rest – the natural order and music. Both are a sort of “tongue,” permitting the Spirit to enfold me in God’s presence and tease me into laying aside the agenda, work, and busy-ness to become immersed in a deeper reality – awe and peace. The Iona story provides one instance of seeking and finding God’s still small voice present in the “silence” of the natural order. Resting in the embrace of music, in many of its forms, also opens me to God’s embrace. Scripture citations and links to some diverse music selections follow. I hope you find rest for your spirit’s refreshment and recharging – perhaps in surprising places!

March 2024 Rest Calendar

Interim Grace Notes for February 2, 2024

Annual Meeting Sunday

Don't forget - the Annual Meeting is Sunday after worship! If you don't have the hardcopy of the Annual Report at your fingertips, you can review and read it HERE. The Zoom link is posted in Just Three Things.

Happy Groundhog Day!

Perhaps you have seen this story. If you haven't, here you go.

Can anybody tell me what Easter is all about?” asked the Sunday school teacher. The kids had been particularly restless and goofy that morning, and she was hoping for one good Bible lesson before they all went home.

One little hand shot up into the air, and the teacher gratefully called on the eager child. “Yes?” she said. “What is Easter all about?”

“Easter,” the child said confidently, “is the day that Jesus rose up from the grave …” “Yes?” the teacher encouraged. “And came out of the tomb …” “Yes?” she prodded. “But then he saw his shadow and went back into the tomb for another six weeks!”

Aaargh! So close. And yet, so far.

Today is Groundhog Day, when a fictional furry rodent is said to climb out of his hole in the ground, and if he sees his shadow, we all supposedly get another six weeks of winter. It’s a 137-year-old legend, told in the U.S. and Canada, and according to Wikipedia, delivers accurate weather results about 35-40% of the time.

Let's hope this is a correct year for the not at all fictional Buckeye Chuck and Punxatawney Phil, neither of which saw their shadow today.

Congrats and Prayers for Maureen and Duane

Much joy, celebration, but also concern for Maureen and Duane this February. On Wednesday, Maureen celebrated her birthday, and yesterday, Maureen and Duane celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary! Congrats on these milestones, and we wish many more for you. Prayers also, as Duane goes in for major surgery on Wednesday, which will be followed by up to a week in the hospital, and then continued recovery at home. You are very much in our prayers!!

Getting Packed

Well, not really. But I will need to soon. My United flight (nonstop - yayy!) to Denver departs Sunday at 8:35 am. Then a 2-hour afternoon van ride from the airport to the Winter Park Mountain Lodge. First session is Sunday evening, then sessions Monday through Thursday in the morning and evening, and during the day up the mountain for skiing. I fly back to Ohio on Friday morning, and should be back home by late afternoon. Looking forward to a good week. For more info on this unique continuing education event, you can go HERE.

Pastor Paul Will Cover On February 7, 8 and 9

With both Maureen and I out next week, Pastor Paul has agreed to cover any emergencies that may arise on February 7, 8 and 9.

Organ Will Soon Get MIDI Connection to SOS

Our SOS (Substitute Organists Service) has really gone a long way in getting us through the interim to a new organist. The next step is to "map" the MIDI interface which we have on our organ to work with the SOS app on the iPad that I have been using to play digital tracks of an organ playing through the sound system. The new method will have the SOS actually playing our organ. Greg Jess is our point man for this process, and has been diligently and enthusiastically working to get this connection made. We will receive special cables to program the MIDI and connect to the iPad, and a special program installed on Greg's laptop will enable an SOS connection to "map" our organ so the service can play the right notes.

Sunday Organist Candidate Will Play on February 18

I received a phone call yesterday (Thursday) from a person interested in the Sunday organist position, and possibly also the choir director position. She has agreed to play for the Sunday service on February 18 in a substitute role, with the hope that she would be hired as the regular Sunday organist. She is a professional musician who (found this on the web)

has served two large Presbyterian congregations as Music Director/Organist over the last thirty-five years. She knew from an early age that her calling was church music. (She) holds a Bachelor's Degree in Organ Performance from Occidental College in Los Angeles and a Master of Music degree in Church Music from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey.

She will be sending a resume, which I will forward to Executive Committee. I have been working on job descriptions and employment agreements for these positions, which I will share with Exec on the 12th.

A reminder that the weekend of February 17-18 is also our Saturday organist Hyo's first time playing. With our candidate playing on Sunday, we will have no need of SOS and the iPad. Yayy! If our candidate is indeed hired, we will continue to retain SOS (soon playing our organ) to use for Lent Midweek, Holy Week, and other special occasions.

"A Time to Rest" is Theme of 2024 Synod Bible Study

"Our focus this year is to receive and practice God's sacred gift of rest." You can learn more about our synod's 2024 theme HERE. The linked Bible study was created by the entire ministry staff at NWOS.

Healthy Congregations Facilitator Training Continues

On Thursday I attended the third of seven weekly two-hour Zoom sessions to receive training as a Healthy Congregations Workshop Facilitator. This week we learned more about Bowen Family Systems and how it applies to congregational life, and then how to lead Workshop Two of the six that are in this series. The title of the the Workshop 2 is "Healthy Congregations Respond to Anxiety and Change." From the intro to the Workshop manual

These Workshops enable participants to

• Gain a renewed sense of purpose and mission
• Cultivate strong leadership capacities to challenge the congregation
• Learn how to develop healthy patterns of living together in community
• Learn to focus on strengths, resources, and options for the future
• Boost confidence in responding to challenges and opportunities
• Learn how to lead calmly and with thoughtfulness
• Reflect theologically about relationships
• Move the congregation toward healthy functioning

All congregations, including Grace, could benefit from one or more of these workshops!

Links for You

• Where Your Heart Is A newsletter from ELCA Stewardship Support
• LIFT Notes
• Just Three Things

2024 Synod Bible Study Rest

 

A Time to Rest The Year of Rest Bible Study (Updated Bible Study Link Below)

Welcome to 2024: The Year of Rest. Our focus this year is to receive and practice God's sacred gift of rest. To help us discover what rest means and how we might embody it we offer up this seven-session Bible study. Guided by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, this study focuses on the seven types of active rest: physical, mental, sensory, creative, emotional, social, and spiritual. How do followers of Jesus take time to rest in ways that are holistic and soul-nourishing? We invite you to join us in attempting to answer this question as we learn to embrace God's gift of rest. Updated Bible Study Link:

A Time to Rest: 2024 Bible Study