2008 Southeastern Minnesota Synod Assembly
A Synod at Table with the Hungry
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the Hungry’
Synod Assembly - ‘A Synod at Table
with the Hungry’
Highlights from the 2008
Southeastern Minnesota Synod Assembly: April 18-19
The Southeastern Minnesota
Synod Assembly gathered April 18-19 under the theme “A Synod at the Table
with the Hungry.” This theme flowed throughout every aspect of the assembly.
In Opening Worship Bishop Usgaard connected the story of the feeding of the
five thousand in John 6 with the theme saying, “They dared to share because
they knew some is there to provide.”
The Bible study, done in two
parts, was led by Bishop Peter Rogness, St. Paul Area Synod, who has been
very active in advocating for hunger issues. Regarding the task set before
us he said, “The call of God to us is not simply to feed the hungry but to
‘repair the breaches,’ to be a part of God’s holy work in the world.” This
call, coming from Isaiah 58:12, was the focus of his study.
Participants were also able to
delve deeper into the issues at the forefront of this assembly through
hearings and workshops.
The five hearings focused on
issues related to the synod’s work including the synod budget; synod Minimum
Compensation and Benefits Guidelines; the ELCA Bible Book of faith
initiative; the work of the synod’s Children, Youth and Family Ministry Task
Force, which was created as a result of a 2007 Synod Assembly resolution;
the work of the ELCA at the churchwide level; and the resolutions presented
for consideration for the 2008 Synod Assembly.
Assembly participants also
participated in nine workshops to learn more about hunger and justice
issues. These workshops, led by people who work to eradicate hunger at the
local, state, national, and global levels, included sessions on Channel One
Food Bank in Rochester, Minn.; preparing for international mission trips;
the Minnesota Hunger 101 simulation exercise; the work of Lutheran World
Relief; a discussion on sustainability; the advocacy work of Bread for the
World; national advocacy work of all kinds through the ELCA Washington
Office; ELCA World Hunger programs; and the variety of work, most notably
the CROP walks, by Church World Service.
Those gathered also were
treated to an insightful look at different ways to advocate for the hungry,
and the importance of that work, through a discussion panel featuring Bishop
Peter Rogness, St. Paul Area Synod; Mark Peters, Lutheran Social Service in
Minnesota; and Rev. Mark Peterson, Lutheran Coalition for Public Policy in
Minnesota.
A major highlight for 2008 was
the keynote address delivered by Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for
the World. He shared joy for the progress that is being made globally
against hunger, disease, and injustice and the part Bread for the World has
played and will continue to play in that work. He also expressed concern for
the amount of work left to be done, especially here in the United States.
Beckmann’s keynote followed a
cena, a Colombian evening meal. One of the lunches also featured
Tanzanian food, connecting participants with brothers and sisters in the
synod’s companion synods and what food is like in their lives.
Of course the assembly also
had much business to address. Early in event, Bishop Harold Usgaard,
Southeastern Minnesota Synod, reported on the work that has been done over
the last year. He also announced plans for developing a new strategic plan,
the last one having been completed in 2007, and for a three-month sabbatical
beginning July 2008.
There were three resolutions
brought before the assembly. The first, which passed unanimously, asked that
the synod become Bible Book of Faith synod and for the congregations to
carry out the mission of the initiative, which seeks to make Lutherans more
fluent in scripture.
The other two resolutions were
both submitted late and therefore needed to be voted on to be addressed by
the assembly. The first was addressed and passed. The resolution calls for
the synod, its congregations, and its members to work to advocate for peace.
The second late resolution regarding health benefits was discussed but was
not brought to vote by the assembly. It will be referred back to the author
and the synod council for clarification and discussion as suggested by the
synod’s Committee on Reference and Counsel.
Elections were also held for a
new synod council, 2009 Churchwide Assembly voting members, the Augsburg
College Corporation board, and the synod’s Committee on Consultation. As
there were no contested elections, the assembly voted to approve the ballot
unanimously.
Another act of the assembly
was to approve the proposed 2009 synod budget with one change. After some
discussion, the vote was taken and passed to increase gifts to Lutheran
Campus Ministry. To do this, the budget was decreased for Luther Seminary
and the church colleges.
One person speaking to the
change argued that the seminaries and colleges have more resources available
to them than Lutheran Campus Ministry, so the little money taken away from
the others does not compare in impact to that money in the hands of Lutheran
Campus Ministry.
Another individual argued
against the change, reminding participants of the debt incurred by attending
seminary and questioning the impact the reduction may have on those
students.
Each year the assembly is also
addressed by the presiding bishop. This year Bishop Mark Hanson’s greeting
was brought via DVD and the words of Andrew Genszler, director of the ELCA
Washington Office. Both spoke to the activity of God through the people,
which is being highlighted through the current ELCA theme: “God’s Work. Our
Hands.” They also reminded people of the Bible Book of Faith initiative and
other work occurring in the ELCA.
Cindy Johnson, working in
Minnesota for Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), also talked about the work
being done by Lutherans. Her updated specifically spoke to the work being
done in southeastern Minnesota in response to the floods of August 2007. LDR
is still present and has been doing very important work for people whose
lives were changed forever by the excessive rains.
The assembly also recognized
many individuals and congregations. The work of many pastors was recognized
including four who retired in the last year and those celebrating 25th,
40th, 50th, and 55th anniversaries of their ordinations. Several students
and first call pastors were also recognized for receiving scholarships and
first call debt retirement awards for assisting with the increasing costs of
seminary education.
Several congregations were
also recognized for their exemplary work. Christ the King, Mankato, was
recognized by Lutheran Social Service in Minnesota as a leader in social
ministries. Eleven other congregations were recognized for their outstanding
giving to ELCA World Hunger.
More Information
For more information about what happened at the 2008 Synod Assembly, visit
www.semnsynod.org/assembly.html for all the news. Information includes:
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Longer stories from throughout
the assembly
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Full text of Bishop Usgaard’s
report
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Full text of the resolutions
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Complete election results
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Links to websites of many
organizations and projects referenced throughout the assembly
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And more!
Mark Your Calendars
The 2009 Synod Assembly will be held
May 1-2 at the Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, Minn.
About Our Synod
The Southeastern Minnesota Synod is a faith community of 130,000 baptized
people in 184 congregations as well as related institutions of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Its geographic area includes
15 counties in the southeastern corner of Minnesota.
The Bridge is a monthly
publication of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA. For more information,
contact the synod office:
Southeastern Minnesota Synod,
ELCA
1001 14th St. NW, Suite 300
Rochester, MN 55901-2551
(507) 280-9457
www.semnsynod.org
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