Spotlight Ministry: Synod RIC Ministries

Since 1983, the Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Program has been a public way for faith communities to see, name, celebrate, and advocate for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions in the Lutheran church.

The RIC Program is made up of congregations, synods, colleges, seminaries, outdoor ministries, and other Lutheran organizations.

The purpose of the Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Program is to ensure the welcome, inclusion, celebration, and advocacy for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions; work for racial equity and commit to anti-racist work; and to support the national program.



To be recognized as a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Partner, a faith community will:

• Clearly state a welcome to people of “all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions” or “LGBTQIA+” and name its commitment to "racial equity" or "anti-racism" in a Welcome Statement.
• Be open to calling LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC (Black, Brown, Indigenous, Person of Color) Rostered Leaders.
• Allow sanctuary/community space to be used for LGBTQIA+ weddings and blessings.
• Make a meaningful contribution annually to support the national RIC program.

The Eastern North Dakota Synod currently has faith communities who are Reconciling in Christ:

• St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Fargo
• St. John Lutheran Church Fargo
• United Lutheran Church Grand Forks
• Christus Rex Campus Ministry Grand Forks
• Crossroads Campus Ministry Fargo
• Eastern North Dakota Synod

Learn more about becoming an RIC Congregation here: https://www.reconcilingworks.org/ric/becomeric/

Spotlight Person: Jen Engquist, Disaster Capacity Builder

Jen Engquist joyfully came back to North Dakota last fall to serve as the Disaster Capacity Builder, a role which includes advocacy. She works within both ND synods and can't wait to have you join her for a Lutheran Day at the Hill in the next ND legislative session! When last living in ND, Jen was a part of the "Hunger and Justice" team where she found incredible mentors and teammates, so she was delighted to be welcomed into Advocacy and Action. She lives in Fort Ransom with her sweet (but loud) doggy and is thankful to be near family in Southeast ND. She feels most called to work in the spaces where poverty and justice meet. She hopes you will join in the work of building a statewide resiliency team and to build our ND Lutheran voice in advocacy. The question leading this work is, "How can the church be a good neighbor?" She is likely to invite you to coffee if you send her an email at jen@wndsynod.org!

Together as Church Through Hard Conversations:

Immigration and Deportation

At this point, people are aware of federal agencies surging into Minnesota (and other areas) with intense and even violent tactics with the stated goal of removing "the worst of the worst." While many (most?) desire for immigration reform, the tactics being used today stand in conflict with the way the Gospel calls us to welcome the stranger and love our neighbor. Many people live in fear - and it is a fear that holds consequences for their lives and for our shared life. From our faith and our understanding of our communities, here are some baseline factors: 

• Fear is experienced by the documented and undocumented, especially as racial profiling is used to approach and detain people. 
• Incidents have led to death, including the deaths of at least 39 people in ICE custody as well as the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. 
• Common ground among many, many people is that the immigration system needs reform - thinking together about how we want leadership to handle immigration and immigration violations is a place where we may find more common ground across people from different political ideologies. 
• The losses of this time, as well as the frustration about US immigration processes that has brewed for years, will take time to heal. Our faith communities can heal together - and we may have to experience discomfort at times to bring us back to community if we are feeling divided.
• Living into our faith at this time may come in many forms including supporting people who experience high vulnerability, bearing public witness, educating about our rights, and learning more about the immigration system can be helpful at this time. Jen (jen@wndsynod.org) is able to help get you connected and to send you resources.

It is often scary to talk about topics that can be really divisive - and it is also important to name the harm that occurs when we are silent. The context in Minnesota is so important, AND, the kinds of conversations happening on this side of the Red River are often framed very differently. Minnesota pastors and bishops have made profound statements as a means to stand by their immigrant neighbors. In ND, may we also find a way to invite our neighbors to know that this issue is one to wrestle with in faith. May we invite the discomfort of hard conversations in order to cherish our relationships, truly hear each other, and seek wisdom from the Holy Spirit relentlessly. Below are a few links from our Minnesota pastors - and these are attached in this newsletter with the request that you listen and hear their experience and where they have come to in their ministry:

• A Letter from the Bishops in Minnesota
• There is another way video - MN Pastors

Palm Sunday Path

Three Moorhead ELCA Churches (Bethesda, Good Shephard, Trinity) and the Northwestern Minnesota Synod are organizing the Palm Sunday Path. Interested members from ELCA congregations and other denominations in Moorhead met on January 20th at Trinity Lutheran Church to learn more about this nationwide movement calling Christians to faithful, public witness rooted in the life and way of Jesus. This is not about partisanship—it is about discipleship. Two thousand years ago, Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, an image reflecting his humble, just leadership and his care for those in need. Emulating this image, people of faith from across the region will gather on March 29 at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead with a Processional at 3PM that takes us across the 1st Avenue bridge to Fargo City Hall for an Ecumenical and Interfaith Worship service.

Bishop Bill Tesch of the NWMN Synod opened the organizing session with reflections: “We know that thoughtful people—including faithful Christians—can disagree about immigration policy and enforcement. Yet followers of Jesus can all agree on this: fear must never be accepted as a legitimate tool of governance. Human beings must not be reduced to threats to be managed, and authority must be exercised only to protect life and uphold human dignity. Matthew’s account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:1–11) confronts this truth with clarity. Jesus enters the city in deliberate contrast to the imperial procession—a display of power designed to awe, intimidate, and secure order through fear. By choosing humility rather than force, Jesus exposes the hollowness of authoritarian power and its enchantment with intimidation and violence. In this moment, followers of Jesus are called to stand with those living in fear, and to refuse fear and intimidation as ruling principles. We pray for those who grieve and for all communities living in fear, and we call upon our elected officials and public servants to seek peace with justice—peace that includes accountability for violence and the consistent protection of human dignity in law enforcement. And we trust that Christ meets us in our fear not with condemnation, but with grace and mercy—so that fear does not have the final word, opening us instead to compassion for every neighbor and hope for a shared future rooted in justice and peace.'”

Please invite people to this event! In particular, we are hoping to invite some of our faith siblings around the synod to learn more about this important project; and invite interfaith communities and individuals who share these values of caring for the poor, helping the sick, and feeding the hungry.

• Palm Sunday Path Fargo/Moorhead Flyer
• Palm Sunday Path Bismarck Flyer

Upcoming Event: Grey Area Thinking

Date: Saturday, March 28, 2026

Time: 10am - 1pm

Location: St. John Lutheran Church, 1710 5th St. S., Fargo

Facilitator: Ellie Klug

Sponsored by: St. John Lutheran Church (Fargo), St. Mark's Lutheran Church (Fargo), Eastern North Dakota Synod Advocacy & Action Team

What does the phrase “diversity and inclusion” actually mean? How can we move beyond grouping and labeling of other humans to make an organization-- or even our personal lives--more diverse and inclusive? This training provides an easy-to-understand toolset on how to be more welcoming of anyone who is “Other” in our society.

There is no cost to this event, but pre-registration is required. Register here!

Region 3 Hunger & Justice Leaders Retreat

Join other Region 3 hunger and justice leaders for a time of retreat, renewal, and encouragement Sunday, March 15 through Monday, March 16 at Luther Crest Bible Camp near Alexandria, Minnesota! Retreat will include somatic practice, space to share our stories, healing worship, community building, singing, and time for learning about hunger and advocacy ministry and planning for it. To accommodate different needs, we are offering 3 different time frames. To learn more and to register, go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1cceSfSDsgD6tAT7srkZI1sIbWX8LxgLbknSDXsVHjnM/edit. Questions? Please contact Pastor Sarah Stadler at sarahleestadler@gmail.com.

Nominations Open: Care of Creation Award

The Care of Creation Award is given out at the Synod Assembly to recognize a congregation that has done outstanding work in caring for creation. The award was created in 2024 and St. John’s Lutheran in Fargo received the award that year. The 2025 church that was recognized with the award was Faith Lutheran Church in Valley City. They use clay pottery communion cups made by a local artisan, recycle, and added some solar panels to their church. (Pictured: Kayln Botz and Brenda Rohde from Faith Lutheran Church in Valley City accepting the 2025 award.)

The award itself is a story of caring for creation, recycling and repurposing. The base was made from a recycled oak timeberframe barn – a tree that started growing in the 1700’s. The clay hands were fashioned by an Eastern ND potter, and the globe was given to the Advocacy and Action team to be reused for this purpose. Congregations come in all sizes, and resources play a role in what a church can do, so the selection for the award will be based on what has been accomplished relative to those factors. Think about what your church has done to care for the beautiful creation God has given us and submit a nomination!

Download the nomination form here.

Book Spotlight: Transforming by Austen Hartke

Austen Hartke is the founder of Transmission Ministry Collective, an online community dedicated to the spiritual care, faith formation, and leadership potential of transgender and gender-expansive Christians. Their book transforming came on the scene at just the right time in 2018, and was updated and expanded in 2023 to include a study guide. Many on our team have read this book, and we thought it would be perfect to highlight for this spring.

One review states, “Transforming deftly weaves ancient and modern stories that will change the way readers think about gender, the Bible, and the faith to which Jesus calls us. Hartke helps readers visualize a more inclusive Christianity, equipping them with the language, understanding, confidence, and tools to change both the church and the world.”

A set of Hartke’s book will be available in the synod office. If you would like to borrow them to lead a book group in your community, please contact the office.

Previously Highlighted Books

As a reminder, there are also sets of our previously highlighted books available to borrow:  

• Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
• Man in the Dog Park by Cathy A Small