You are invited to attend two exciting events in our synod! We rejoice with two of our candidates in ministry who have recently graduated from seminary or completed their theological training for ministry. We give thanks to God for leading them to rostered ministry in the ELCIC. COME CELEBRATE WITH THEM!

On Sunday June 14, 7 p.m. we will celebrate the consecration of our very first Diaconal Minister, Kris Taylor. Kris has received the call to WORD and SERVICE as Associate Minister at Faith Lutheran Church, Winnipeg. The Service of Consecration will be held at Faith Lutheran.

On Monday, June 15, 7 p.m. we will celebrate the ordination of Robert Grewe. Robert has received the call to WORD and SACRAMENT as pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Hanna, AB. The Service of Ordination will be held at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Winnipeg

All rostered leaders are invited to vest in RED for both services. Candidates in ministry are also invited to robe and join the procession. Participants should be at the appropriate congregations by 6:45 p.m.

In congregations, there is often a struggle between congregational leaders who considers themselves "visionary" and leaders who consider themselves "responsible and practical". This does not always present itself in a healthy tension in our congregation. Are there ways to get us to a place where it is healthy? The article "Green Eyeshades and Rose Colored Glasses" from the Alban Institute explores this tension in a wonderful way.
Click here to read the whole article.

From Survival to Sustainability

Centre for Rural Community Leadership and Ministry
Instructor: Marvin L. Anderson, Ph.D.
Dates: August 3-7, 2009
Location: Luther Theological Seminary, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Course Description:
This course will examine the theological significance of land in relation to the contemporary quest for community and a sense of place in the rural Canadian context. It will focus specifically on developing pastoral strategies and using congregational and community-based resources, as recommended in the United Church congregational resource Alive and Kicking: Revitalizing Rural Ministries, with particular emphasis on the final and seventh lens on “Sustainability.”

Alternative models of mission strategy and ministry as outlined in this lens will be discussed and studied, i.e., the cooperative parish and cluster models, as viable options for helping local Canadian rural congregations in decline make the paradigmatic shift from survival and maintenance to mission and sustainability.
Marvin L. Anderson, Ph.D. bio
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Brian Lorch will serve as CLWR’s interim Director of Communications and Education. His term, from June 2009 to April 2010, covers a parental leave being taken by the incumbent, Daranne Harris.

CLWR’s Director of Communications and Education is responsible for the development of tools and materials which will challenge and educate the constituency served by CLWR.

Lorch comes to CLWR after taking early retirement from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. He is an active member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and is currently serving a second term as vice-chair of the Manitoba/Northwestern Ontario Synod Council. Previous leadership roles include serving as a congregational council chair and youth leader, and membership on national and synod mission committees.

During church cleaning the crew ran across some old paraments; full sets of red, white, green, black and purple.

Anyone interested or who knows of a suitable organization please contact Pastor George Johnson: gn44john@mts.net

Job Posting
Executive Director, Mediation Services
Mediation Services is a community based organization providing victim/offender and community mediation and training in conflict resolution and mediation.

Position Summary
Mediation Services requires an Executive Director to provide leadership and support to the organization in a culture of cooperation and consensus decision-making. The candidate will work closely with the Board of Directors and an Advisory Committee operating within the values of Mediation Services. 

Salary range: $31,250 - $38,750 (based on education and experience), includes a full benefits package and retirement savings plan

There is a six month probationary period.

START DATE for position Fall 2009
CLOSING DATE for applications June 15, 2009.

Please forward your resume and cover letter (by mail, fax or email) to:
Staff Coordinator, Mediation Services
302-1200 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB  R3G 0T5
Fax: (204) 925-3414              
Email: mrobertson@mediationserviceswpg.ca
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The national church is preparing to meet in convention June 25-28 in Vancouver. Information updates were sent out to delegates in mid April and early May. All delegates should have received a copy of the Bulletin of Reports. This set of documents will guide delegates through convention but is also available on the ELCIC website for any members of the ELCIC.

Recently a special interest group called “Solid Ground” sent a mailing to congregations, marked with an envelope that said “ELCIC Convention Materials”. This is not an official mailing of the ELCIC in regards to convention materials. The group has misrepresented itself. I use these words because that is the common response I am getting from council chairs and pastors of congregations who have phoned me to discuss the mailing. Solid Ground is a special interest group made up of members of the ELCIC. They do not represent the ELCIC. Delegates to the convention represent the ELCIC.

Solid Ground members have every opportunity (as all members of ELCIC congregations do) to dialogue in regards to issues and concerns they have with the church and its leadership. That is every person’s right. When and if the conversation is a true dialogue between people and it is built on a relationship of trust and respect, it truly can affect change and be healthy for the system.  I welcome that kind of dialogue.

Just as in any group, even the church leadership, communication is usually the interpretation of one’s own understanding and may not represent the facts of a particular situation. I believe this is the case in the mailings recently sent by Solid Ground. The communication is based on their own interpretations of statements made or actions taken by national church leadership. I caution people not to read this material as if it is “the gospel truth”. It is interpretation, not fact.

For one to truly understand the work of the national church, one needs to be at convention. This is the place where people can be in the same room together, speaking and listening to reports and debate, before making their decisions in regards to the issues and concerns and motions facing the church at this time. I commend all those delegates who are becoming familiar with the Bulletin of Reports before convention and who are going with an open mind to listen and gain understanding. May the Holy Spirit guide the church, its leadership and members as they discern the will of God for the ELCIC.

Bishop Elaine

We celebrate and rejoice with our Pastor, Lanny Knutson, his retirement after forty years of faithful service.

The Church Council of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church is hosting a banquet to honour Pastor Lanny and his family on Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 6:00 P.M. in the Fellowship Hall of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 637 Buckingham Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Tickets are $15.00 each. Contact Gloria Dei Lutheran Church at 204.832.4564 or gdeiwpg@mts.net for tickets or more information.

Thera is the 4 year old daughter of Jody Goertzen. Jody was a single parent and a vibrant young mother who since birth struggled with a very serious congenital heart condition. Though not expected to live but a few weeks, Jody went on to live a worthy and meaningful life passing away on April 22 at the age of 30. Doing volunteer work for the Circle of Hearts Group through the Variety Heart Center she provided support and encouragement to many families and their loved ones (her Heart Hero’s) who were dealing with heart problems. She had a passion for life and compassion for the less fortunate no matter what their problem may have been.

To celebrate Jody’s life and to help insure a brighter future for her daughter Thera, St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church is holding a Benefit Concert on Saturday, June 20th from 1:30pm – 7:00 pm, featuring music by; The Lindsey White Band, Billious Pond, Ryelee, Brian & Larry Kunkel, Robbie Zaporzan and Jamie Rumley. Music will cover gospel, country, folk, rock, blues, and blue grass. The event is free and will be held outdoors on the church grounds at 2903 McPhillips Street North and will take place “Rain or Shine”. Please bring a lawn chair or blanket. There will be opportunity for donations, with all proceeds going to the Trust Fund set up for Thera!

Come out and support a wonderful cause and enjoy some great music!

Daily Bible study
As we countdown the weeks to Convention (just five as of this newsletter), we rejoice in our call to be a church In Mission for Others and the signs of hope all around us. Added to this year's convention agenda is the inclusion of daily Bible study which will draw us deeper into reflection and discernment. The three daily Bible studies will be led by The Most Rev. Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, The Rt. Rev. Dr. Munib A. Younan, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
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Back during the season of Lent Pastor Howard Burnie of Trinity Lutheran Church, Dauphin MB handed out marbles, asking members of the congregation to study them... REALLY study them... taking time to pray and thinking of the colourful inside as God's promise to each of us and the hard glass hard outer shell as all those things in our lives that stand in the way of our reaching out to accept it...

Well, in keeping with the, "green," theme so prevalent these days, they have been RECYCLED into this nifty new cross that now stands as a witness to Jesus Christ for all who pass by the church.

And in a very real sense, it is as if a little piece of everyone who is a part of the church family stands with welcoming arms, beckoning to a lost and hurting world, "Come join us, and see for yourself that the Lord is good."

Harry Greening with Pastor Howard Burnie

We have 3 albs here in good shape and freshly dry cleaned that we would like to donate to whoever could use them. They all appear to be mediums, are fairly long but could be hemmed if necessary.

One is from Gaspard and Sons, cream color, velcro closings and pocket slits on each side and is machine washable on warm/gentle, tumble dry low, 100% polyester.

One is from Castle Craft, cream color, chest 36, collar 15, length 64, velcro closings, pocket slits on each side. This one is a linen mix, machine wash separately on warm/gentle, tumble dry low, cool iron.

The third is from Gaspard and Sons, light grey color, velcro closings, pocket slits on each side, machine wash warm, tumble dry gentle, 50% polyester, 35% rayon and 15% flax.

If interested, please call St. John's Lutheran Church at 204.586.2207.

In consideration of the upcoming ELCIC convention in Vancouver:

Neil Hoare is looking to share transportation and costs, travelling from Winnipeg to Vancouver in early June.

Neil is a support worker with Lifeworks, and comes to CLWR twice weekly as the support worker for the person who packages the soap. Neil is a young man from Ireland, and will make an interesting and enjoyable travel companion.
His contact number is 204.296.8520.

When Ostenfeld Lutheran Church was broken into this winter, one of the items taken was a box of 20 "friendship flips" that were to be used for our August 2009 (Friendship Trek) VBS program.

These items were ordered from the 2008 Concordia Publishing House catalogue, and hence are no longer available. Is there a VBS-group out there that used this program last year, and has some left-over "friendship flips"? Please let me know. We could buy them at cost from you.

Please contact Susanne Wastle (wastle@prairie.ca)

Last year I reported to you the decision by Holy Cross, Newmarket, ON to “ordain” a practicing gay man as their pastor. It came to my attention last evening that I had not reported a follow up. Briefly, this is what I understand the situation to be at the present time.

The congregation invited some ELCIC bishops, including retirees, to preside at the ordination. All declined. The bishop of Eastern Synod made several visits to the congregation to inform them of the consequences of their actions. These actions were seen as contrary to the policies of the ELCIC. The bishop and Eastern Synod Council called for discipline action against the congregation and this was administered under the recommendations of an Advisory Committee. The individual who was designated as the newly ordained pastor remained in office for a number of months but has since resigned and no longer serves the congregation. The discipline actions have been removed as Holy Cross, Newmarket, ON no longer is in contravention of the ELCIC policies in regards to candidates for ordination.

Please report this information as you see appropriate.

Bishop Elaine