News & Events: Medicine Ball

October 26, 2026

Medicine Ball

by Pastor Liesl Spitz (St. Timothy, St. Paul)

On Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 30, I sat in the gym of Powderhorn Park Recreation Center on a folding chair to watch a movie. Almost everyone in the gym was wearing orange to mark the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools. The screening, put on by the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS), was of Medicine Ball, a short documentary about Native history as it intertwines with the development of basketball as a sport.…

I learned from this film that the sport of basketball was influenced heavily by Native sports in North America. The game was played widely at Indian boarding schools through programs of the YMCA. Indian boarding schools were a deliberate part of the U.S. government's goal to assimilate Native Americans and take their land. But filmmaker and Dakota historian Syd Beane (Flandreau Santee) notes that basketball, part of this deeply harmful era, also became a form of connection and resilience...and medicine.…

Telling the truth is only possible when there is access to the historical records themselves. This is precisely what the Truth Seeking and Truth Telling of the ELCA is about: finding, securing and digitizing our own records to make the history accessible. Not helping, not saving, not white savior-ing, not telling others’ stories, but taking responsibility for our own part in the grave harm done to Indigenous people in this country.…

I’m grateful that the Saint Paul Area Synod was a sponsor for this event, and that our synod was one of many that passed a resolution to commemorate the National Day of Remembrance, following approval at the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. As an institution, we are seeking to take responsibility for our role in history and encouraging our local churches to do the same. If you’d like to be part of the Truth Seeking and Truth Telling Initiative that is growing in our denomination, please contact me (pastorliesl@sttimothylutheran.org) or the synod office, and we will get you connected. There are plenty of proverbial folding chairs to go around. The story is still being told.

Read Pastor Liesl's full message.

Staffing Update

Leslie Ortiz, who has served as executive assistant to the bishop since 2022, is ending her time on the synod staff as of Oct. 31. One of Leslie's primary responsibilities has been directing the Lilly Grant program, with particular attention to the Second Act Cohorts. She also played a key role in planning for synod assembly, convening the Synod Council, coordinating the Fall Theological Conference, working with congregations on constitution updates and generally helping the office run smoothly.

I am grateful for the way Leslie has served and for the many lives she has impacted in these years as part of the synod staff. During the recent Fall Theological Conference, we took time to thank and bless Leslie, surrounded by cohort members she worked closely with in recent years. She will be missed. Notes of appreciation and well wishes may be sent to Leslie's email yet this week or to the synod office.

— Bishop Justin Grimm

We're Hiring: CYF Connector

The Saint Paul Area Synod is hiring a part-time Children, Youth and Family (CYF) Connector (22 hours per month/5 hours per week). This position focuses on and supports those who work in CYF ministry in congregations, a role that is both relational and administrative. This person will work with the joint CYF leadership team on events and programs, nurture relationships with new and continuing CYF leaders, encourage participation in ELCA youth events, help maintain records and communicate with CYF leaders and encourage collaboration. Applications are accepted until Nov. 9. Read the full job description here.

Compensation Guidelines

Thank you for your patience as we wrestle with final changes to the annual Salary & Compensation Guidelines for 2027. The recommended cost-of-living-adjustment will be 3%. This document is going through final review and will be made available later this week.

Equipping Storytellers

Saturday, Nov. 14 - 9 a.m.-2 p.m. | Gustavus Adolphus, St. Paul

For rostered ministers, worship leaders, and lay storytellers who want to use story more intentionally in congregational life—especially in worship!

Stories shape faith, build connection, and help the gospel come alive. Join pastor, speaker, comedian, and award-winning storyteller Nathan Mugaas for a playful and practical day designed to help leaders discover, shape, and share meaningful stories in worship. Through live examples, simple frameworks, and hands-on practice, participants will learn how to craft compelling stories, tell them with confidence, and explore how storytelling can be woven into congregational life—especially in the Lenten season.

This encouraging, low-pressure workshop invites first drafts (perfection not required!) and offers practical tools for equipping lay leaders and preachers alike. Participants will leave with a clear storytelling framework, a story outline to continue developing, and ideas for cultivating a joyful, supportive storytelling culture in their congregations. This session is brought to you by the synod's Vitality Team. The cost is $25 per person, which includes lunch. Register here. Watch a video preview by presenter Nathan below!

Safer Together: Beyond
the Gun Control Debate

Tuesday, Oct. 27 - 6:30-8:45 p.m. | Transfiguration Lutheran Church, Bloomington & Online

Minnesota and the U.S. continue to face an epidemic of violence and harm involving guns. Too often, public debates around firearms devolve into a standoff between personal rights and government control. This pattern fails to address the many ways that each of us can act to reduce gun-related violence and trauma in our homes, workplaces, schools and communities. As Lutherans, how do we respond to this ongoing reality? What does our social teaching say? How might we foster the kind of moral deliberation and call to action that can lead to meaningful change?

The Region 3 ELCA synods of Minnesota and North Dakota are offering a time of shared learning, discernment, and collective action toward solutions to the harms of gun misuse. We hope to move beyond the gun rights-gun control debate and to promote safer communities with the conviction that we are safer together. This event is for lay leaders and rostered ministers.

The presentation and conversation will be led by Dr. Jillian Pederson, professor of criminology and criminal justice at Hamline University and the executive director of The Violence Prevention Project. Dr. Pederson will reflect on her research into mass shootings as a public health concern. Following her presentation, participants will discuss the ELCA’s Social Message on Gun-Related Violence and Trauma and the unique ways their own communities are impacted by gun violence.

Congregations may wish to organize local gatherings and individuals are welcome to attend in person or online. We hope that this event can be part of a movement across our region for moral deliberation and collective action that will reduce gun violence in our communities and contribute to communal healing and the common good. Register here.

Fall Joint Ministerium

Thursday, Oct. 29 - 9 a.m. | Christ Lutheran, Blaine

Rostered leaders from the Minneapolis and Saint Paul Area synods are invited to gather for community, learning, and worship at this year's Joint Ministerium, Heaven Opened: Dreams for the Church. The Rev. Kenneth Wheeler, the featured speaker, will reflect on scripture, challenge us to confront white Christian nationalism, and look toward the dream of a new heaven and a new earth where all God’s people are seen, known, and loved. Rev. Wheeler, a retired ELCA pastor, is a guest lecturer on pastoral leadership in the 21st century at Wartburg Theological Seminary, where he received a Doctor of Divinity Degree honoris causa. He is also the author of US: The Resurrection of American Terror (2022). Register here.

Exploring Your Next Faithful Step

Saturday, Nov. 7 - 10-11:30 a.m. | Online

Wondering what's next? Wondering if God is calling you to something different? Wondering if there's something more? Explore these and other questions in the context of faith through storytelling, introspection and studying of Scripture. This online event will provide guidance and an intentional space for those who want to explore how God is calling them to serve in roles such as pastor, deacon, lay leader and more. Register by Oct. 30.

Boundary Training

Thursday, Nov. 5 - 9 a.m.-3 p.m. | Grace, St. Paul

Every five years, rostered ministers in the Saint Paul Area Synod are required to participate in a boundaries training. This six-hour training includes conversation about boundaries and behavior expectations for rostered ministers and resources for maintaining healthy leadership in ministry, along with insight into the work of implicit bias in our life and ministry. The cost is $25 and includes lunch. Learn more and r e gister.

Disaster Response and Preparation Webinar

Thursday, Nov. 5 - 6 p.m. | Online

Congregations and their buildings play an important role in disaster response and recovery. As environmental disasters become more frequent and severe, more congregations will be affected or called upon to support their communities. Join Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) for a conversation about how congregations can prepare for disasters and use their property to support response efforts. This free webinar is offered through the Church Property Resource Hub. Register here.

EVENTS OF INTEREST

Food Addiction and Anxiety Recovery

Wednesday, Oct. 28 - 12 noon | Online

Learn to recognize the warning signs, offer support, and connect individuals and families facing eating disorders, anxiety, and depression with life-changing resources. Many individuals silently struggle with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and addiction while remaining active in our churches, schools, and communities. Presenters Danielle Howard and Christine Lanzi, clinical leaders of the Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center, will offer hope, education, and clear pathways to care for those seeking healing. This session is offered through the Center of Addiction and Faith. Register here for the Zoom link.

Concert of Remembrance

Friday, Oct. 30 - 7:30 p.m. | St. Philip the Deacon, Plymouth

Sunday, Nov. 1 - 4 p.m. | St. Andrew's, Mahtomedi

During its fall concert, To Remember is to Begin, the National Lutheran Choir will pause to honor the saints in our lives—the people whose presence and memory continue to shape us. Honoring memory as a sacred practice and featuring Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, To Remember is to Begin will be performed with organ accompaniment by Celina Kobetitsch. You are invited to share the names of those who have recently entered this world and those whose lives we have recently mourned, so that they may be honored during the performance. Click here to submit a name. Visit the NLC website to learn more and get tickets.

Lutheran Summer Music Nominations

You’re invited to nominate a student for LSM 2027! Lutheran Summer Music (LSM) is a faith-based residential music academy for high school students in grades 8-12. Students come together from across the country to pursue musical excellence and build an intentional, supportive, and fun community. LSM 2027 takes place at St. Olaf College in Northfield June 27-July 25. Priority enrollment is open through Dec. 1, offering a $100 tuition discount and first access to financial aid. Nominate a student here. You can watch and share the LSM Experience Video for more details!

Other Events:

CYF Leader Support 4th Tuesday Meet-Up - Oct. 27 | Urban Growler, St. Paul
An Evening with Global Refuge Donors & Friends - Oct. 29 | Holy Trinity, Minneapolis
Giving USA 2026 Unpacked: What the Data Means for the ELCA and Your Fundraising Strategy - Nov. 11 | Online
Free Community Na l oxone Training - Nov. 12 | First Presbyterian, Stillwater
Tool Kit for Congregational Leaders & Conference Assemblies - Feb. 13 | Location TBD