The Sage Creek area in south-east Winnipeg, eventually expected to be home to 13,000 people, has been identified as a site for the possible development of a new faith community.  This is a joint Lutheran/Anglican venture, in which the MNO Synod is asked to give primary leadership.

The Mission researcher/developer will assist us to create a personal presence within the Sage Creek community, better identify needs, opportunities and resources in the community, work with the four sponsoring congregations in developing mission-mindedness and mission resources for themselves locally and for Sage Creek, and gather together residents of Sage Creek and Island Lakes with the goal of developing a self-sustaining faith community. 
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Dear Friends and Colleagues in Christ:

Recently, we were incredibly saddened to learn of the decision by the ELW national board to dissolve Evangelical Lutheran Women, Inc. and to immediately conclude their operations. This decision has come as a shock to many and left a host of unanswered questions regarding the future for women’s ministries in the ELCIC.

Since the time it was established, Evangelical Lutheran Women has played a significant role in the life of this church. They have been a valued partner, whose resources and programs have encouraged Lutheran women to grow in faith and mission. Moreover, ELW has also made a substantial contribution, each year, to the operation of the national church.

Perhaps ELW’s greatest gift, however, has been in the opportunity it provided for Lutheran women, from across Canada, to be joined together in common cause. Whether it was gathering for national, synodical, or conference ELW events, participating in ELW Bible Studies, or learning about social justice issues, ELW provided a network of relationships which knit Lutheran women together in a sense of common mission.

There is no denying that the national and synodical units of ELW have played an important role in nurturing the ministry of our church. However, ELW’s greatest strength has always been where it remains, in the women of local congregations who gather together for study, prayer, and ministries of service and hospitality.

While we join with the many women and men from across Canada who grieve the loss of ELW, it is our hope and prayer that the ministries of women in local congregations will continue as a bold and faithful witness to the faith we share!

The bishops of our church want to do all we can to support the ongoing ministry of women within our church, and we will work with the board and staff of ELW as they move through the dissolution process, and work with the continuing congregational expressions of Evangelical Lutheran Women to support them in their mission and ministry. This will be made possible, at least in part, by a fund that ELW is establishing, which will continue to encourage and facilitate the important ministry of women within our church.

Friends, these are not easy times to be “church”; these are not easy times to be about the mission and ministry of the church. Still, while we grieve the dissolution of ELW, we do not grieve as those who have no hope! In every community of the church, the work and witness of faithful women continues and evolves in response to the needs of God’s people.

Please be assured that the board, staff, and members of ELW and indeed our whole church are in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time of transition. Where we grieve what has been, let us nonetheless pledge ourselves to a faithful contemplation of what might be and a hope filled journey into God’s future, together!

Yours in Christ,

The Rev. Susan C. Johnson
National Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

The Rev. Gerhard Preibisch
Synod Bishop
BC Synod

The Rev. Ron Mayan
Synod Bishop
ABT Synod

The Rev. Cindy Halmarson
Synod Bishop
SK Synod

The Rev. Elaine Sauer
Synod Bishop
MNO Synod

The Rev. Michael Pryse
Synod Bishop
Eastern Synod

A pdf version of the letter is available online at: http://www.elcic.ca/Documents/PastoralletterJune2010.pdf

Registration details will follow in September's CrossWord.

Please phone Pearl from Steinbach @ 204.326.3758 if you think you might want to attend or need more information.

Who is Church?Roots Among the Rocks
Young actors break open deep truth and big questions.
How do we find life, faith and authenticity in an ever-changing world, where faith,religion and ‘going to church’ are questioned on every side? Who is Church? Why do we continue to gather in this way? Roots Among the Rocks, a brand new play, explores some of these questions and opens up a whole lot more.

The show has been built using a process called collective creation, where the performers gathered stories from over seventy people, ages 11 – 95 from all over Canada. The stories were gathered from people in church, out of church, people who have stayed or left or struggle to find answers to deeper questions in life. Five actors and two directors have spent a month in the collective theatre process listening and talking, praying and laughing to bring to you the stories that they have heard.

Each actor plays a wide variety of roles; no small feat for a company whose ages range from 19-22. The characters tell their stories around a kitchen table, friends whisper in church pews, get distracted while praying and bare their souls to us. Some choose to leave and others choose to stay. The performance journeys through the themes of Sunday Morning, Identity Crises, Resilience and Grace, Confession and Absolution, and Finding Home.

The company of Roots Among the Rocks is anchored by Jenny Salisbury, 26, and Peter Reinhardt, 30, who both work in youth ministry, and in performing arts; Salisbury as a director and playwright in Toronto and Reinhardt as a recording artist and composer based in Vancouver.

After the opening in Halifax on June 8th, the audience was buzzing with excitement. “It was fantastic,” commented one “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this blew me away.” The performance was also simultaneously webcast, and viewed by people across Canada and around the world, generating instant on line reviews and comments. Dawn Leger of Antigonish, NS wrote on the ‘twitter’ feed “Roots Among the Rocks. I have no words. Thank you.” Matthew Cutler, watching from his office in downtown Toronto tweeted “Major shout out to Roots Among the Rocks who did a fantastic job!”

Following the opening in Halifax, the company goes to Newfoundland for two performances, then travels from Montreal to Vancouver Island over the next several weeks for shows in churches, theatres and outdoor performance spaces.

It has been documented that today’s young adults (18-35) reflect a lifestyle of “collecting experiences” rather than “collecting stuff” as the baby boom generation did before them. It is the desire of this synod that one of those “experiences” might include building a relationship with a faith community, the body of Christ.

Building upon our experience in the MNO Synod of intentional outreach, nurture and leadership development with youth in the church through a part time staff position, it is our desire to create the same for young adult ministry, as a way to strengthen this ministry in our synod and the church.
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We thank everyone for their generosity and support of the Urban. We will be open for business next Monday, July 5/10. We now must unpack everything over the next few days.

Applicants and inquiries for a full position description, please contact Jeff Buhse at jeffbuhse@hotmail.com.

The Prairie Fire CD, which includes a variety of worship songs to sing along with or use in your worship service, was released at two recent events, the MNO Synod Convention, April 22-25 and at the "Amazing Race" Pre-Gathering Youth Service, May 16. CD's are now available from Debbie at the Synod Office (889-3760 or dbeyer@elcic.ca) for $20.00 plus the cost of shipping.

Prairie Fire is a young adult worship team who come from various Lutheran congregations in the MNO Synod.

Further information and highlights from the Eastern Synod Assembly are available online: http://www.easternsynod.org/index.php