Dear Friends in Christ,

I am excited to share with you that 2019 will be the Year of Scripture in the Northwestern Ohio Synod. What follows is a quick outline of Coming Attractions.

The Year of Scripture will have a 3-fold focus :
  1. Bible Reading as a daily discipline and habit
  2. Bible Reflection to help us become fluent in the language of sacred scripture
  3. Bible Study: to lead us to discover the depths of who God is and the breadth of what God does.

Our Year of Scripture Memory Verse is Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path ". I encourage you to start committing this Bible verse to memory right away.

A Year of Scripture Bible Study will be available on the Synod Website on January 1, 2019 . This year’s 6-session study will focus on the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7. Learn how Jesus reads and reflects on Scripture. Hear Jesus’ call that as disciples we are to be hearers and doers of God’s Word. This 6-session Sermon on the Mount Bible study will make a great Lenten Study / Sermon Series.

Our Year of Scripture Book of the Year is A Compact Guide to the Whole Bible: Learning to Read Scripture’s Story . 2015. Edited by Robert W. Wall and   David R. Neinhuis (Baker Academic Publishing). This very accessible book  takes the reader through the entire narrative of God’s Word, with an emphasis on the “metanarrative” of the Biblical story. This small guide will be a great companion during the Year of Scripture, and a great resource for pastors, deacons, and lay leaders. 
Check out the Bible Project website for inspiring videos and podcasts. Here is the place where Visual Storytelling Meets the Bible . Click here to explore the site:
Synod Wide Read through the Bible in One Year. I want to encourage and challenge you to join with the rest of the Northwestern Ohio Synod and read through the entire Bible in One Year . Back in 2004 and 2012, the parishes I was serving read through the Bible in One Year as a community spiritual practice. Scripture is meant to be read in community, so please don’t do this alone.

Between now and December 31, 2018, I want to invite you to form a number of small groups in your parish, who will gather weekly, 2x a month, or monthly (it’s really up to you), and commit to doing this spiritual practice together . If you do it alone, you’re going to get halfway into Leviticus, give up, and get mad at me. Don’t do that. Read together. Reflect together. Learn together. It is the best way. And I promise that when you do this together, it will change the conversation and the culture of your parish.

During my weekly e-mails, I will be offering teachings and tips that focus on the Daily Bible Reading Schedule . I plan to join you in 2019 as we Read through the Bible in One Year.
Click here for the 2019 Year of Scripture Daily Bible Reading Schedule. It is available in both Word and PDF format.

Finally, all pastors and deacons will be receiving 2 special Christmas gifts from the Northwestern Ohio Synod in December to help you to lead the 2019 Year of Scripture . These gifts were made possible through the Zion Lutheran Church’s (Waterville) Endowment Fund. Thank you Zion!

I look forward to reading, reflecting, studying, and walking with you through 2019, the Year of Scripture. 

Bible Study

The 2018 Year of Prayer Bible Study on the Book of Nehemiah is available on our web site. Please click on the link below
A Few Comings and Goings
 
This morning, I was blessed to worship with Pastor Ken Pollitz and the people of God at New Creation in Ottawa, Ohio .

On Tuesday, December 4 , the staff of the Northwestern Ohio Synod and the Conference Deans will be meeting.

On Wednesday and Thursday, December 5-6 , I will be meeting with the Region 6 Bishops in Angola, Indiana, for our annual planning retreat. The Bishops of Region 6 include:
           Bishop Craig Satterlee of the Northwest Lower Michigan Synod
           Bishop Don Kreiss of the Southeast Michigan Synod
           Bishop Abraham Allende of the Northeastern Ohio Synod
           Bishop Suzanne Dillahunt of the Southern Ohio Synod
           Bishop Bill Gafkjen of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod
           Bishop Daniel G. Beaudoin of the Northwestern Ohio Synod

On Sunday, December 9 , I will be worshiping with Pastor Mary Beth Smith-Webb , Deacon Jean Wise and the people of God at Trinity in Bryan, Ohio . Folks from St. Peter’s in Edon , and First in Bryan , will also gather as we worship God and celebrate Pastor Mary Beth Smith-Webb’s 25 th Anniversary of Ordination. Trinity, First, and St. Peter’s have recently formed the Williams County ELCA Parish . 

 
Philippians 4:6 “ Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God”. 
Bless you,

Bishop Daniel G. Beaudoin
First Sunday in Advent