Minnesota North District - LCMS

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Dear Friends in Christ;

During Lent, we focus our attention on the ransom that is paid for our salvation. The day after Transfiguration, when Jesus and His disciples came down from the mount, there was a man who pleaded for his son. Jesus performed a miracle of exorcism for the boy and the disciples marveled. Jesus turned to His disciples and said, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” (Luke 9:44) Immediately after, confused by His words and the things they witnessed – what did they talk about? They argued about which of them was the greatest.

Silly isn’t it? In our sinful nature, we compete with each other. While we debate who is the greatest. Who gets to sit at the right or the left? Who has more people in church on Sunday. How many baptisms, adult confirmations, how many continuing education credits we have accumulated, how many hours we spend in prayer and devotion, and how many times we have read through the Book of Concord, how many hours of work do we put in during the week. What does Jesus do? Jesus sets His face to Jerusalem. Jesus kept His mission before Him. He came into this world to suffer and die on the cross. On that journey, we see His love and His compassion as He deals with people in their need, but the journey was always to the cross. God is fulfilling His promise in sending a Savior. Jesus has mercy on the people of the world. Jesus comes so that the sins of the world may be forgiven for all who believe in Him. We are restored to His father in heaven by His sacrifice on the cross. Like John the Baptist, we point to Christ in this season and say; “Behold the Lamb of God who comes to take away the sins of the world.” For the joy set before Him, Jesus endures the cross.

During this Lent – our focus is on the cross. This is what God thinks of sin. The wage of sin is death. This is the punishment that we deserve. There is nothing there for me to brag about. We can’t fill enough pews to make God happy with anything that we do. It isn’t in any of our achievements or how great we may think we are in our own minds. This is the payment for my sins – the beaten, bloody body of our savior nailed to the cross in our place. We hear God speak through the prophet – “By His stripes we are healed.” He takes my place in death, that we may have life, eternal life with Him in heaven. So we see the cross and beyond to an empty tomb as we prepare to proclaim again, “He is Risen!”

In His Service,

Rev. Jeffrey Lee

Mission and Ministry Facilitator - MaCO

MN North District - LCMS

In Our Prayers...

The family of Rev. Richard Bolland, former DCE at Holy Cross in St. Cloud, who passed away on March 8, 2023.

The family of Jim Lange, brother to pastor Roger Lange (em. Fergus Falls), who passed away recently.

The family of Rev. Barrie Henke, former Oklahoma District President, who recently passed away.

The Pastors and Churches of the Iron Range Circuit.

District Prayer List

Call Update

Mark Your Calendar...

4/1 Bible Bowl @ CSP

5/8-10 State Pastors Conference @ Madden's

7/29-8/3 Synod Convention in Milwaukee, WI

9/28-30 Church Worker Wives Retreat @ LIC

10/1-3 Fall Pastors Conference @ POP, Baxter

10/6-7 Elders Training @ LIC

Minnesota North District LLL Meeting - April 22, 2023

The spring meeting of the MNN District LLL will be held at Lutheran Island Camp, Henning, MN on April 22, 2023. Rev. Don Fondow will be giving a presentation on his trip to the Holy Land. There will also be a presentation of LHM videos including Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler, Speaker for The Lutheran Hour® Devotion leader and “Gifted for More”. Registration begins at 9:30 am and a noon meal will be served. Cost is $12. Please RSVP to [email protected] or [email protected] if you are planning to attend.

REGISTRATIONS, RESERVATIONS AND FORMS

You have probably noticed there are a lot of registrations and forms we have shared lately. Here's a summary to help you make sure you're taking care of everything:

ALL Congregations

Voter registration for the upcoming Synod President ONLINE election. Every congregation/multiple parish should register their voters by March 19th. You received info on this in October... check your junk mail for the email from the Synod.

Congregational Assessments for the Synod Convention are due in the District Office by March 27th. Check with your Circuit Visitor if you aren't sure what this means.

Congregational Statistics report. Be sure to log in and complete your statistical report by the end of March. Don't forget to update email addresses.

Pastors

Register for the State Pastors Conference and Madden's. All active pastors must register, even if you aren't able to attend.

Make reservations at Madden's for the State Pastors Conference. Their guarantee date is April 6th.

If you are on Concordia Plans, sign up for the Biometric Screening event on Tuesday morning of the Pastors Conference.

Convention Delegates

Each Circuit elected Convention Delegates at their forums last fall. One pastor and one lay member from each circuit attends the convention in Milwaukee this summer.

Delegates should have recently received a form in the mail to indicate your travel and lodging preferences.

Please review and update the form at your earliest convenience and return it in the provided envelope to the District Office.

If you have questions, call Mike or Diana at 218-829-1781.

Registration for the 2023 MN State Pastors Conference at Madden’s in Brainerd is now open!

NEW: Biometric Screening for Concordia Plans members on Tuesday. You can click the link below to get started setting up your screening appointment. You will need to set up a Vitality account.

Registration for the conference is complicated because the MN North District accepts payment for registration fees and ala carte meals (individual meal tickets for participants NOT staying on site), while Madden’s accepts reservations and payment for lodging and meal packages directly. You will need to click on 2 links to register and THEN make reservations. Please only sign up for individual meals if you will NOT be staying at Madden's.

MADDEN'S RESERVATIONS

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

BIOMETRIC SCREENING

New Members at Zion, Little Falls

Jackie Keehr and Amira Morgan were received into membership at Zion, Little Falls on February 26th via Adult Confirmation. Amira was born deaf in Africa and is living with one of our female members who is proficient in ASL. Zion plans to provide a ASL signer at the first Sunday Worship of each month. Zion hopes to further reach out to the deaf community in the area. Pictured here are Jackie, Pastor Gary Hendrickson, and Amira.

Good Shepherd, Cotton Tree, Liberia

Children at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and School in Cotton Tree, Liberia received a special delivery from Orphan Grain Train. Students there were thankful for the gifts of clothing.

Pastor Kollie is in Fort Wayne working on completing his studies and shared these photos from "back home".

LEARN MORE ABOUT ORPHAN GRAIN TRAIN >

Project 24 - Lenkishon Boarding House

The North Dakota and Minnesota North Districts raised funds to help complete the Lenkishon facility. Representatives from the Districts were able to visit the facility recently. What an exciting opportunity to meet the students living and studying with Project 24 in Kenya. Follow Project 24 on Facebook for regular updates.

PROJECT 24 FACEBOOK PAGE >

Bible Bowl @ Concordia, St. Paul

For over 30 years youth from MN North District in grades 7-12 have participated in the MN State Bible Bowl. The topic for this year is on the life of Moses (Exodus 1-20, 32-34), competition will be held on Saturday, April 1 at Concordia University, St. Paul. Check the Bible Bowl sheet for registration and to address any additional questions. Registration deadline is March 19th!

DOWNLOAD THE BIBLE BOWL SHEET >

VISIT THE BIBLE BOWL WEBSITE >

News from the Mission Field

Catch up with:

The Jastrams in Japan >>

The Maitas in Puerto Rico >>

The Neuendorfs in Puerto Rico >>

More than a quarter of the U.S. population includes first-generation or foreign-born immigrants and their children — also known as the 1.5 and 2.0 generations. But who are the people behind the numbers? That’s the thematic emphasis of the 2023 Multiethnic Symposium, “Hope for the Church, Hope for the Future: 1.5 and 2.0 Generation Immigrants,” set for May 2-3 on the campus of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

The annual symposium brings together missional leaders including pastors, congregational lay leaders and others from across the LCMS. The symposium explores what it means and what it will take to become a truly multiethnic church.

LEARN MORE >

FREE RESOURCES: Do you know someone who doesn’t speak English as a first language, and you want to introduce them to the Savior? Check out the Lutheran Heritage Foundation’s database of free Lutheran books, translated into more than 140 languages of the world! Resources include children’s Bible storybooks (often also good for adults with lower literacy levels), Luther’s Small Catechism, and devotion booklets in languages like Spanish, Chinese, Hindi and Swahili – all available at no cost to the ministries, short-term mission teams, and individuals who need them. Search the LHF Publication List at www.LHFmissions.org/Publications.

Classifieds:

WANTED: WINTER HOSPITALITY PASTOR OR DEACONESS

Concordia LCMS, Sarasota Florida prayerfully seeks a winter pastor or deaconess. Following Jesus, lead us as you: welcome worship guests, follow up on guests and those drifting from worship, and disciple us in these tasks. Little or no preaching required. Serve November 1, 2023 through April 30, 2024, 20 to 30 hours per week. For details about this ministry, compensation and housing options contact Concordia at 941-365-0844 or [email protected]. Probably on a separate track, Concordia also seeks pulpit supply from August 19 through October 1, 2023. Visit ConcordiaSarasota.org.

Counseling Job Opportunity:

The Evansville East/West Circuits of the Indiana District are seeking a full-time counselor who can help establish a counseling center for our 11 congregations, a Lutheran grade school, and the community.

For more information about the position please contact the Rev. David Wiist at [email protected].

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Alexandria is in search of a Processional Cross to use during their worship services.

If you have something they might be interested in, contact the church office at [email protected]

Does your congregation have news to share? Send your photos and stories to our Lutheran Witness Editor, Rev. Travis Lauterbach at: [email protected]

MN North District | PO Box 604, Brainerd, MN 56401 | 218-829-1781 | [email protected] | www.mnnlcms.org