The suffering of Christ can be seen in many places, in the turmoil of flooding rivers and cut off communities, in the pink slips of unemployment due to our economic downturn, in homelessness and destruction from an earthquake, and so on.

Most of us can easily identify with Mary, who early on that first Easter feels the incredible burden of having lost Jesus twice, first to death, a horrible, undeserved death on Friday, and then two days later, having lost track of Jesus' earthly remains, which are no longer in the tomb where they had been laid. It looks like suffering and death have the powerful last word in Mary's life, until she hears Jesus speak her name.

This Holy Week and Easter, our prayer is that each of you will clearly hear Jesus speak your name, so that like for Mary, the fear and suffering of the Fridays of life are trumped with the Sundays of Easter life and new possibilities.

A CELEBRATION OF FAITH- an inspirational event for all the family, all ages, modeled on our national youth gathering- with music, art, drama, scripture study and key note speaker. In this time of uncertainty and economic unrest, it is good to gather as a faith community, to support and strengthen one another and build up our faith. We hope that congregations will come as whole group participants. Begin encouraging friends, family, congregational members and others to gather with us as a community of Christians. The event is open to anyone.

Set aside Friday, OCTOBER 23 and Saturday, OCTOBER 24. More information will follow each month in Crossword.

Ten years ago Pastor Ron Nelson and Trinity Lutheran Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba, realized God was not searching for wise and wealthy people but was just asking people to follow God. So they went to the lakeshore, gave up their small boats and started looking for new seas.

Trinity Food Pantry, First Nations Family Worship Centre, Secret Place Ministry, Aberdeen Mennonite Church, Urban Plunge, and Aberdeen Food Pantry have done the same and Trinity Place was born.

There are still some small boats [habit, traditions etc.] that need to be given up and we will continue to seek new seas.

Christian Youth Leaders Gathering at St. John’s College on Saturday, April 25th from 9:00am to 4:00pm

Youth Ministry Leaders from Winnipeg will meet for “Out of the Whirlwind of Youth Ministry” gathering.  Ecumenical gatherings, such as this, are a rare and powerful testament to the ways that Christians work together to build unity and support the youth in their Church.  The gathering consists of a talk “God’s Call in the Whirlwind” which will be given by John Berard, author and National Training Coordinator for Youth Unlimited.  A “Whirlwind Tour of Youth Ministry” will also occur where Youth Leaders will be given tools and resources on Youth Ministry.  The day will be a great opportunity for leaders to meet others involved in Youth Ministry and be strengthened in their ministry.  The Ecumenical Youth Ministry Leaders coordinators hope this will become an annual event for Youth Leaders.

The Ecumenical Youth Ministry Leaders who coordinated the event met bi-weekly to discuss and reflect upon the needs of youth and those who lead them.  The group consists of Youth Ministry Leaders from various Christian denominations, which includes Anglican, Lutheran, Mennonite, Roman Catholic, Ukrainian Catholic, and the United Church of Canada, but is not limited to just these particular denominations.   Our purpose as a group has been to find ways to further develop Youth Ministry in Winnipeg by sharing our resources and knowledge.  As we continued to meet, each member of the group saw a need to assist those individuals who work or volunteer their time as a Youth Leader.  To support these individuals, the Ecumenical Youth Ministry Leaders decided to put together this gathering.

When:            Saturday April 25th 2009 from 9:00am to 4:00pm  

Where:           St. John’s College
                        at the University of Manitoba
                        92 Dysart Road,
                        Winnipeg, Manitoba

Open invitation

Members of the public interested in joining Mayor Sam Katz, representatives of community organizations, and a panel of invited speakers who wish to share their views of a sustainable Winnipeg are reminded that registration for the Mayor’s Symposium on Sustainability will commence on Monday, April 6th, at 9:00 a.m. through the City’s website www.winnipeg.ca/MayorsSymposium or by phone at 986-7367. Citizens are also reminded to act quickly as there is a limit of 100 registrations due to capacity restrictions of the venue.

Mayor Katz will host the Symposium on Sustainability from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 25th, 2009 at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, as a kick off to a year-long planning and public consultation process to develop a new official plan for the City of Winnipeg.

Interested in learning about the human rights of migrant workers in Manitoba and around the world?

Interested in building connections between migrant workers and allies? Want to hear about local education and action? Join us!

Resource people: You! And: Flor Marcelino, MLA for Wellington; agricultural workers and live-in caregivers; others TBA.

Where: St. Ignatius Church Hall, Corydon Ave at Stafford (Use the Jessie Avenue entrance on the south side of the building.)

When: Saturday May 30 2009, 9:00AM-5:00PM

Who: All are welcome. FREE. Please sign up in advance so we can plan for lunch.

Contact/ sign up: Alfredo at hrwwpg@gmail.com or 204.272.3996

KAIROS Gathering 2009
What: The KAIROS Gathering (KAIROS being the social justice organization of the Canadian churches). A four-day gathering of justice and peace-focused worship, work, play, workshops, music, conversation, learning and networking.

When: June 17-20 2009.

Where: U of Waterloo, Ontario

SUBSIDIES are available.

Who: YOU! And 499 other creative people from a wide range of communities coast to coast to coast, with resource people from around the world.

Why? To learn, pray, act, reflect, and build community for education and action together with the many communities that make up KAIROS. Our theme: It's the end of the world as we know it-- thank God!

We are also hosting a pre-event for young adults aged 18-30 on June 17th and a gathering for low-income communities on the same day.
Both are opportunities to explore issues that you are concerned about, connect with others from across the country, and mobilize for change!

For info about all of this, including costs, subsidies, program and speakers:

Gathering page: http://www.kairoscanada.org/en/get-involved/gathering/

Application form: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm
=XpmqLFF242RpP9GIjl3kdQ_3d_3d

Or contact Sheilagh McGlynn: 1 877 403 8933 x 246 or smcglynn@kairoscanada.org

This year, 2009, marks the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) between the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church. In Winnipeg, we experienced an intense period of preparation for the celebration of this historical event in 1999: education and formation (for laity and clergy), twinning of congregations for bible-study, and opportunities for joint worship. Its fifth anniversary was marked with a very well attended joint Lutheran-Catholic worship service in 2004. Our
continued efforts aim at fostering the ongoing reception of this significant ecclesial breakthrough and, in particular, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the JDDJ here in Winnipeg.

LAMP’s e-newsletter LAMPPost. April 2009 edition is now online. Check out these stories:

· LAMP’s first official prayer flight -- Edmonton
· Youth in Pelican Narrows Saskatchewan on fire for Jesus
· Jesus in the public schools – Shammattawa
· Lamp Unto My Feet devotion

Plus lots of new links and downloads, and a look at what’s coming up!!

Check it out now! Click here.

Coordinator of Youth Ministry
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Selkirk
     
    -8 hours/ week

Job Summary:

To coordinate and facilitate programs for youth which offer
times of spiritual growth, service and fellowship.

Willing to work with youth from the age of ten to young adult.

Must be willing to undergo both a criminal record check and
A child abuse registry check.

Deadline for Applications:   April 23, 2009

Please forward applications to:

        Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
          Box 448    Selkirk, MB.
                R1A 2B3

c/o Youth and Family Committee

Church Administrator
40 hours per week – 13 month term. Faith Lutheran Church in St. Vital is seeking a Church Administrator to manage the human resources, financial and business administration of the church. Start date is June 8, 2009. A full job description is available online at www.faithlc.ca.

Please submit resumes by e-mail to faithjobs@mts.net or by mail to Faith Lutheran Church, 1311 Dakota Street, R2N 1V8 before April 16, 2009.

Lutheran Theological Seminary Saskatoon is currently accepting applications for the position of Major Gifts Officer.

The Major Gifts Officer will be engaged in securing planned and immediate gifts for the general fund, the endowment, and student aid. This person will also attend functions held across the Western provinces as a representative of LTS in order to establish networks and engage prospects.

Ministers with parish experience are particularly encouraged to apply.

For more details about the position and application process, please visit http://www.usask.ca/stu/luther/openings/index.htm#MajorGift

As many of our communities are preparing for or dealing with flood issues at the present time, we want to raise a coordinated effort to assist our sisters and brothers as their needs are identified. If you or your congregation is in need of assistance (anything from prayers to food to sandbagging, etc.) please contact the Synod Office at 204.889.3760 or by email to dbeyer@elcic.ca  and we will coordinate efforts to assist you. If you or your congregation is willing to assist with disaster relief in any way, please contact the synod office as well.

Attached is a copy of a disaster response document that has been made available to us by the ELCA and adapted for our context. Feel free to use it as necessary. If you have questions or comments about the document please direct them to me. Your reflections would be most helpful as we learn of new ways to be in mission for others.

Please continue to keep these communities in your prayers.
Bishop Elaine

Our faith calls us to advocate for justice and on behalf of others. As in times such as today, organizations need to be able to reach out beyond their community to make the general public, elected politicians and other like minded communities aware of goals for advocacy and invite them to support these goals.  An opportunity to learn skills in this regard is available in an evening workshop provided in partnership between the MNO Synod Office and the Canadian Labour Congress- Manitoba division.

On Thursday, May 14th, beginning at 5:30 p.m. with a light supper participants will:

• Learn what lobbying and advocacy is about
• Practice differing types of lobbying and advocacy techniques, i.e. letter writing, face to face meetings, group meetings, etc.
• Learn how to select a subject for advocacy and develop portfolio’s of information about them in the best possible way
• Learn how to set up a meeting with target groups and individuals and do follow up after such a meeting
• Become aware of resources that create an effective lobby/advocacy
• Build a Network from the community to help in your campaign or advocacy strategy

Two facilitators from the Labour Congress will lead our sessions.  As well, Pastor Mark Koenker, retired SK MLA now serving in Rural Beausejour will present the faith perspective and assist in our small group sessions.

Place to be determined. Look for further information in Crossword.

To register by May 6, please send an email to Bishop Elaine at esauer@elcic.ca
This event is open to anyone and you do not need to belong to the ELCIC.

Saying Thanks in April
As suggested in the MNO 2009 Year Long Stewardship resource, (click here) Sunday, April 19 or 25 may be a good time to recognize congregational servants (volunteers) for their ministry in this past year, since the active part of the ministry year usually takes us from the September long weekend to the May long weekend, and also because April 19-25 is designated as National Volunteer Week in Canada. If these dates do not work in your congregation, plan for another time before the May long weekend.

This thank you event need not be complex. What about a thank you cake for coffee time following service, and the inclusion of a prayer petition in the Prayers of the People. Or perhaps a Temple Talk would do it, or thank you cards from your Stewardship committee. The important thing is to say thanks. April is also a good time to put out your Time and Talent Survey. Let your people know that you will take the results in May and June to help you plan and staff the fall programming.

Click here for a sample Time and Talent survey that you can adapt.

George Malmstrom of Faith Life Financial presents matching grants to some council and chapter members of Trinity Lutheran Church, Dauphin MB after the congregation raised more than their targeted goals of $1250 towards upgrades for the manse and another $250 for Terry Gudmundson's seminary fund. Terry and his family are members of the congregation, and he is currently finishing up his second year of studies at Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon.

Left to right: George Malmstrom, Doreen Szczerski, Karen Trush, Pastor Howard Burnie, Winnie Baumung, Joe Norwich, and Robert Otke.

At the March 19-22, 2009 meeting of the National ELW board, decisions were made providing some hopeful revitalization to the organization. Throughout the decision making process the board acknowledged the joy of former ways of operating and at the same time knew it needed to make bold decisions to be relevant to today’s operating realities. Those realities include fiscal responsibility and program development that meets the needs and interest of a diverse demographic of women.

The following are the decisions that will begin to alter the course of ELW.

Esprit and the Bible study
The 2010 Esprit will be published solely as a magazine. The Bible study will be published as a separate 9-session volume. This decision was made for several reasons.
There are people who love the magazine for the articles.
There are people who just want to do Bible study.
There are increased opportunities to market both better separately, as they both serve different functions.

There will be opportunities to link Esprit articles with the Bible study, create discussion articles, link with an increasingly interactive website and encourage gatherings of women who will use all these resource options.

Although the distribution method for the Bible study is not fully determined at this time, it is hoped that it will be sent with the first mailing of the 2010 Esprit in December 2009. In this way, the majority of people who want the Bible study and the magazine will indicate such on the subscription renewal sent out in August. There will be some price adjustments to reflect costs more accurately.

It is hoped that people will embrace and support this change. All efforts are intended to move forward, faithful to our mission and as good stewards of the organizational and personal resources available.

ELW is a Christ-centered community committed to nurturing faith and spiritual strength to enable us to be people of God in mission.
The above is the revised ELW mission statement. The word ‘women’ has been removed to be inclusive. However, the mandate remains that this is a women’s organization programming primarily for women.

Event-based organizational structure
Being committed to its mission, ELW will place emphasis on its gatherings of women at events that will be diverse in type, style and content. Using the current structure of gathering (Conference Spring Conventions/Fall Leadership events and congregational events), different kinds of events will be phased in over the next few years that will not conform to the same structure. Perhaps this seems confusing, however it will become clearer as we begin to unveil the vision, consult with leadership across the country and begin implementing the ideas.

Board Goals to be monitored until 2012
a. To increase revenue to achieve a balanced budget by 2011.
b. To implement a communication strategy.
c. To develop structures and processes to support an event-based organizational model.

Financial Gifts from ELW to ELCIC and CLWR
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada received $100,000 Praise Offering for 2008. This gift is used for the overall mission and ministry of the ELCIC which covers all areas from stewardship to global mission.

Don’t forget to use the 2009 Praise Offering Service, which was sent to all Co-ELW’s and is also available at www.elw.ca. The sermon and children’s message were written by National Bishop Susan Johnson to highlight the five pillars of the ELCIC.

ELW contributed just over $13,000 to the Human Rights and Health Project, Chamanculo, Mozambique. Canadian Lutheran World Relief is a partner in this project that has been realizing positive change in the lives of the residents of the slum. People living with or affected by HIV/AIDS receive counselling and care while others receive small business training and leadership development. We give thanks for all those who work out of the Lutheran World Federation office in Maputo, Mozambique to care for the people in Chamanculo and to all who so faithfully contribute to this project.

Appreciation extended
Small gifts of appreciation were presented to the outgoing S-ELW Presidents whose terms on the National board expire this biennial year.
Board members also expressed their thanks to Bishop Susan Johnson for attending the Board meeting on Friday and Saturday and recognized the enormous effort made by the ELW staff, Ruth Vince, Catherine Pate and Gerlinde Berglund for providing the information necessary to support the board’s decision making.

Mike Tennant, co-creator and co-producer of the popular CBC Radio One show The Age of Persuasion, will be the keynote speaker at the May 15, 2009 Going Barefoot II conference for communicators at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) in Winnipeg.

Tennant, a veteran writer and broadcaster based in Kitchener, Ont. will address the conference theme of Reaching the Facebook Generation. He will be joined by Gayle Goosen, founder and owner of Barefoot Creative, also in Kitchener, Ont., who will share the results of a survey of youth media habits conducted for the Going Barefoot II conference.

For more information, or to register, go to www.mennonitechurch.ca

Going Barefoot II Youth Survey
Do you use Facebook? Do you read any magazines or newspapers? What subjects are you interested in? Is the church and faith important to you?

The organizers of Going Barefoot II, a May 15 conference for church-related communicators, would like to know more about the media habits of youth today. Can you take a few minutes to fill out this survey? One person will be selected to win an iPod Touch as an expression of our thanks.

To participate in the survey, and be eligible to win the iPod Touch, go to http://goingbarefoot.ca/
To learn more about Going Barefoot II, go to http://www.mennonitechurch.ca/events/GBII/

Pastor Ken and Marie Kuhn to Host Tour to Germany
Have you ever wanted to go to the places like Wittenberg, where Luther taught and preached, or the Wartburg castle, where he translated the Bible? If so, decide now to set aside August 6 - 19 in 2010 to join Pastor Ken and Marie Kuhn on this exciting and enlightening tour organized by Craig Travel.

This 14-day tour features first class hotels, 25 meals, all gratuities, two-or three day stopovers in key cities, and the magnificent Oberammergau Passion Play, performed in a picturesque Bavarian village only every ten years.

The tour will visit Berlin, Wittenberg, Leipzig, Dresden, Erfurt, Wartburg, Buchenwald, Nuremburg and other beautiful and historic sites. It will relive the lives of Luther, Bach and Bonhoeffer while enjoying the wunderbar! experience of German culture.

For more information or a brochure, please contact Pastor Ken or Marie at 1.204.885.2821 or kenkuhn@mts.net or the travel agent at www.craigtravel.com or tours@craigtravel.com. These tours fill up quickly so don't miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity!

Pastor Ken and Marie are holding an open house on Sunday, April 19 at 3:00 pm to share additional information about this enjoyable and faith-building travel experience. Please join them for coffee and refreshments at their home at 515 Headmaster Row in North Kildonan. Give them a call if you wish additional information.

Pastor Tom Campbell of Zion Apostolic Church, 305 Machray Avenue has invited rostered and lay leaders ministering in and to the Northend to a prayer meeting that takes place once a month on the 3rd Thursday at Zion Apostolic at 9.30 am. Everyone is welcome.

Pastor Sabine Milewski attended the prayer meeting on March 19. She said it was a really good experience and she can see herself singing, praying and chatting with colleagues from different denominations and churches again on April 16. 

Pastor Tom welcomes on behalf of the people attending this meeting and Zion Apostolic Church as host everyone who would like to come and have a look.

For more information, call 1.204.589.6341

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