2004 Synod Assembly
Synod Assembly Recap -
Short
Added 4:45 p.m., Saturday,
April 24, 2004
The Southeastern Minnesota
Synod met in assembly April 23-24 at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester,
Minn. Bishop Harold Usgaard led the gathering as it approached the work of
the church in Southeastern Minnesota. The theme was "Called into God's
Marvelous Light." Those gathered worked and worshipped, prayed and praised,
studied and celebrated together as the body of Christ.
The highlight of the assembly
was the unveiling of the new strategic plan for the synod, also themed
"Called into God's Marvelous Light." Based on the input of over 5,000
members of the synod, the plan includes three visions: "To be joyful
witnesses," "To be Christ-centered disciples," and "To be strong leaders."
Within each vision are several specific goals, and these, as well as a
timetable encapsulating the years of 2005-2007, were explained to the
assembly, who unanimously supported the plan.
As keynote speaker, the Rev.
Carmala Aderman, assistant to the bishop in the Northwest Synod of
Wisconsin, said churches are being challenged to grow in the new century,
but that this makes the work exciting. "We get to find new means to open up
ways for people to be grasped by this amazing faith that the Holy Spirit has
blessed us with," she said. "If you like adventures, this is a fascinating
time to be a part of the church of Jesus Christ."
The Rev. Dr. Kathryn
Bradley-Love, in her Bible studies, led the voting members through Paul's
journey to Damascus, when he experienced the marvelous light of Christ.
Participants also were able to
participate in workshops. Eight workshops were offered covering many
different facts of evangelism.
The assembly voted to:
-
raise synod-wide contributions
to the Missionary Fund of the ELCA to $200,000 for the year 2005;
-
encourage congregations to
include financial support for the Morogoro District Support Fund in their
mission planning efforts;
-
invite Bishop Sijifredo
Buitrago, IELCO to next year's synod assembly;
-
make recommended amendments to
the synod constitution that included renaming the Leadership Development
Committee back to "Nominating Committee," and changes recommended by the
Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA for synod constitutions;
-
accept the "2005 Minimum
Compensation and Benefits Guidelines";
-
refer to the synod council a
resolution recommending each of the synod's five conferences start a new
mission congregation within their conferences by 2007;
-
ask the synod council to
consider establishing a fund which would assist pastors in paying the cost
for moving to a new location immediately following their retirement;
-
encourage each congregation to
consider bringing at least one person, age 30 or less, to the synod assembly
as a voting member in future years.
During the week of the
assembly, volunteers from across the synod gathered to work on a Habitat for
Humanity house. The project, called "Building in God's Marvelous Light," was
a means of taking the assembly theme beyond the walls of the assembly hall.
Renovating a house downtown, the volunteers helped to provide an affordable
house to a family in need. The house will be completed in June.
MUCH more information, as well as photos, is available at
www.semnsynod.org.
|
