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March 4, 2026
EaND News and Events
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Bishop Election Conference Assemblies
Spring Conference Assemblies are an important part of our synod's bishop election process. Voting members include: congregation council members, conference officers, rostered ministers under call, and synod authorized ministers under contract.
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Grand Forks Conference: March 22nd at 2:00pm, University Lutheran Church, Grand Forks
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Fargo Conference: March 22nd at 2:00pm, Faith + Journey Lutheran Church, West Fargo
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Mayville Conference: March 22nd at 3:00pm, Bruflat Lutheran Church
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Spirit Lake Conference: March 22nd at 3:00pm, St. Olaf Lutheran Church, Devils Lake
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Prairie Rose Conference: March 22nd at 6:30pm, Red Willow Bible Camp
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Wahpeton Conference: March 26th at 6:30pm, Milnor Lutheran Church, Milnor
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Jamestown Conference: March 28th at 10:00am, Atonement Lutheran Church, Jamestown
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Grafton Conference: March 29th at 3:00pm, Trinity Lutheran Church, Edinburg
Additional information is available on the Bishop Election page of our synod website: www.eandsynod.org/bishop-election
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Joint Theological Day 2026
April 16, 2026
9:00am - 3:00pm
Trinity Lutheran Church, Moorhead
Join us for a day of worship, learning, and conversation as we gather for our Joint Theological Day under the theme “Do Good. Better.”
Together, we will explore what it means to cultivate deeper discipleship, restorative community, and faithful presence in our congregations and neighborhoods. The day will include keynote teaching, a documentary viewing highlighting restorative writing and community transformation, and a panel conversation with leaders whose lives and churches have been shaped by this work.
We will begin and end grounded in worship, remembering that all our theological reflection flows from God’s goodness and grace.
Learn more and register at this link.
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We're Hiring: Endowment Manager
The EaND Synod is hiring an Endowment Manager. The Endowment Manager is a part-time contract position. Compensation is based on an average of 30 hours per month, while noting variation in the month-to-month workflow. This position is remote and requires one to be self-motivated and independent while also connecting appropriately with bishop, synod staff, and synod constituents. This contracted position is an extension of the Office of the Bishop, works strategically with the priorities of the synod, and reports directly to the bishop.
Apply by sending a cover letter and resume to Deacon Laura Carson at deaconlaura@eandsynod.org. Applications will be received until the position is filled. Download the job description here. View this posting on our website.
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2026 Mission Support Intent & Annual Report Resources
Thank you for your partnership in ministry! As you finalize your congregational spending plans for 2026, we ask you to give prayerful consideration to your congregation’s mission support for 2026, knowing that your generosity not only funds our work as a synod but contributes to the impact made by our vast churchwide ministries. In addition, a number of resources are available on our website to tell about the impact of your partnership and generosity.
Congregations are encouraged to share one or more of the resources below as part of worship, annual meetings, and annual reports. Let us know how you helped tell our shared story by sending in copies of your reports, emailing your reports, or just sharing via email what you did! All congregations who report back how they shared our stories and resources will receive a prize at Synod Assembly!
Find resources and learn more on our website or click on the individual resource links below.
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"When Healing Hurts" Text Study
How do look at stories in healing in scripture? How might we consider these stories in ways that are affirming of folks with disabilities? You are invited to join the EaND Disability Ministry Team for next month's text studies!
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March 10, 2026: John 9: 1-41 (Sight to the Blind Man)
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March 17, 2026: John 11:1-45 (Jesus Raises Lazarus)
Registration Required. Cost: $10; registration fee will provide a stipend to text study leaders. Click here to register.
Click here to learn more about the Healing Hurts text study series.
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Grey Area Thinking
Date: Saturday, March 28, 2026
Time: 10am - 1pm
Location: St. John Lutheran Church, 1710 5th St. S., Fargo
Facilitator: Ellie Klug
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!
Sponsored By: St. John Lutheran Church, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, & Eastern North Dakota Synod Advocacy & Action Team
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Ordination of Bryce Bommersbach
Bryce Bommersbach will be ordained to the Ministry of Word & Sacrament on March 28, 2026 at 3pm at Sharon Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND. Ministers are invited to vest and process, and the color of the day is red. Join us (and the whole Church) in celebration! Bryce has been called as Associate Pastor of Children's Ministries at Servant of Christ Lutheran Church in Champlin, MN.
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Call Process
Please pray for congregations and rostered ministers in the call process. You can find a list of congregations currently in the call process on our website.
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Church Property Resource Hub Town Halls
You are invited to learn more about the Church Property Resource Hub, a new project of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), at one of three upcoming town halls. These webinars are an introduction to the project for congregations and all people connected to the management of church property. Join to explore support available to congregation leaders as they seek to steward property in faithful and practical ways.
Developed in response to requests from synod and congregational leaders, the Church Property Resource Hub offers support in navigating the opportunities and challenges that buildings and land represent for congregational vitality and the wider mission of the church.
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Palm Sunday Path
You are invited to participate in the Palm Sunday Path, an ecumenical and interfaith worship and a processional walk in Bismarck and Fargo. Palm Sunday Path has centered on our call to love those who are hungry or vulnerable (including those who are ill) and the stranger, and to bear public witness to that call, and people from more than 15 states will be participating. Download the flyers below to learn more.
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Disaster Emotional and Spiritual Care Academy
Lutheran Disaster Response is excited to announce that registration is now open for the 2026 Disaster Emotional and Spiritual Care Academy!
We have partnered with other ecumenical partners to hold six weeks of live, free webinars that will offer pragmatic and informative sessions to help faith and community leaders address needs emerging from disasters and other crises. Webinars are scheduled for Tuesdays, March 24 through April 28, 2026, 10:00 am - 11:30 AM Central time and are appropriate for all levels of experience and expertise.
Click here to learn more and to register.
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Webinar: Equipping Baptismal Vocation for Daily Life
March 16, 2026 @ 7pm
Join The Castle Project for the next session of Equipping for Baptismal Vocation in Daily Life, designed specifically for rural and small-town church contexts. Learn more and register at www.thecastleproject.org
This session focuses on congregational leadership and helping the whole church live out faith in daily life. Miss a session? Recordings are available on our website.
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Prairie Fire Preaching Cohort
ELCA Rostered Ministers are invited to apply for the 2026-2027 Prairie Fire Preaching Cohort. The Prairie Fire Preaching Community is born out of Continuous Growth Pathway, a program created through a partnership between SW MN and SE MN ELCA Synods and Gustavus Adolphus College. This program consists of four in-person retreats at Mt. Olivet Retreat and Conference Center in Farmington, MN as well as online cohort meetings. The cost of participation is $600.
Learn more and apply at this link. Please contact Pr. Laura Aase with questions: aase@gustavus.edu
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Considering Your Call Weekend at Wartburg Seminary
March 20-22, 2026
- Explore vocation and discernment with others
- Learn about Wartburg’s degree programs and the various pathways to earn your degree
- Worship with the Wartburg Seminary community
- Meet current faculty, staff, and students, hearing their stories and experiences
- Share in meals and fellowship, including social events with the community
- Experience Wartburg Seminary through the convenience of a weekend visit
Join us at the Castle: 5pm Friday, March 20 through 12pm Sunday, March 22!
Learn more and register at this link.
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Seminary Sampler Weekend at Luther Seminary
March 20-22, 2026
Immerse yourself in the Luther Seminary community! You’ll join others interested in exploring seminary to spend time in conversation, study and discernment.
- Meet with current Luther Seminary staff, faculty, and students.
- Visit with local Twin Cities ministry leaders and hear about how they are living out their calls.
- Enjoy a weekend in Minneapolis and St. Paul as you wonder how God is calling you forward
Learn more and register at this link.
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National Lutheran Choir Concert in Moorhead
Sacred Refuge: From Light to Light: Join the National Lutheran Choir under Artistic Director Jennaya Robison for Sacred Refuge: From Light to Light at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead, Minnesota on Saturday, March 21, 2026. Presented in partnership with the Concordia Choir, this moving winter-to-spring concert traces the arc from winter's stillness to spring's awakening, featuring movements from Fanny Hensel's Lobgesang, Shavon Lloyd's So Breaks the Sun, Jake Runestad's Under This Tree and Nada te Turbe, and Aaron McDermid's From Light to Light, commissioned by NLC in 2008.
Date & Location:
3:00 pm, Saturday, March 21, 2026
Trinity Lutheran Church, 213 8th Street S., Moorhead, MN 56560
Tickets: Youth 18 and younger, FREE | Adults/Senior, $20 | Students pay what you will with valid ID
Tickets may be purchased online at NLCA.com or at the door on the day of the concert.
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Conference on Worship, Theology, and the Arts
July 20-22, 2026
St. Olaf College
The Lutheran Center for Faith, Values and Community and the Nourishing Vocation Projects at St. Olaf College would like to invite you to this year’s Conference on Worship, Theology and the Arts: Nourishing Vocation: Every Time, Every Age, Every Place, which takes place in July 2026 at St. Olaf College. The conference will combine signature CWTA musical experiences with innovative and imaginative work being done by both the Nourishing Vocation Project and Nourishing Vocation with Children, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Char Rachuy Cox.
Learn more and register at this link.
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Western States Youth Gathering
The 2026 Western States Youth Gathering (WSYG) is excited to announce a partnership with the ELCA Youth Gathering and California Lutheran University (CLU). We will be celebrating the strengths of this partnership by coming together June 28th - July 1st, 2026, at California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, CA. We are expecting hundreds of young people and their adult leaders from across the country to attend. As a Gathering Expedition, the event will include various components, including the Gathering, main-stage sessions, interactive experiences rooted in faith formation, service, connection, nightlife, and more. Youth graduating 8th grade through those graduating 12th grade, including their adult leaders, are encouraged to register. Learn more at this link.
| The February 2026 Mission Support memo persuades us to realize how closing a congregation can develop a new ministry, just as Memorial Lutheran let go to become Riverside Commons in Nashville, TN. Explore how Riverside Commons will be a “neighborhood space for the sake of the world,” aiming to serve as a spiritual, artistic and social hub for East Nashville. Remember here is a pdf version of the memo too! | |
Lutheran Men in Mission Winter Ambassador-Gram
The Lutheran Men in Mission 2026 Winter Ambassador-Gram is now available. Check it out online at this link or download a PDF here. Learn more about Lutheran Men in Mission here.
| Registration is now open for the ELCA Rostered Ministers Gathering. The gathering will take place July 6-9, 2026 in Indianapolis under the theme "Woven Together." The Rev. Leila Ortiz, former bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod, will serve as the event’s theologian-in-residence, working in tandem with the Rev. Lori Kochanski, a fiber artist, ELCA rostered minister and the event’s artist-in-residence. Click here to learn more. | |
Women of the ELCA Triennial Gathering
The Women of the ELCA (WELCA) Triennial Gathering will take place July 16-19, 2026 in Des Moines, IA.
Click here to read about this year's theme, see a list of speakers, browse this year's workshops, and more!
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Phone: 701.232.3381
Physical Address: 1555 43rd St S, Suite 100, Fargo, ND 58103
Mailing Address: PO Box 2019 Fargo, ND 58107
Office Hours:
Monday: by appointment; phones answered between 1-4pm
Tuesday: 9am-4pm
Wednesday: 9am-4pm
Thursday: by appointment; phones answered between 1-4pm
Friday: 9am-4pm
The physical office is only open by appointment on Mondays and Thursdays; however, the phone will be answered between 1pm-4pm.
We are a Reconciling in Christ Synod.
We, as the Eastern North Dakota Synod ELCA, welcome all into the fullness of God's boundless love, without exception. This welcome is inclusive of people of every race, national origin, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, physical or mental ability, sex, or station in life. United in Christ, we pledge to use and celebrate our differences as gifts for our work together in all things, including racial equity, intentional invitations, and radical hospitality. Inspired by Christ, we commit to advocate for justice, working for dignity, equity, and wholeness for all people.
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