News & Events: We Are Church Together

October 5, 2026

We Are Church Together:

Joining in Word, Prayer and Music

Thank you for your congregation's faithful and generous sharing of mission support with the synod and churchwide expressions of the ELCA!

When we gathered for the Bishop’s Installation on Sept. 13, we gathered as church together. It was a great celebration of the Holy Spirit’s work in and among us. Bishop Curry’s sermon, the music, the representation from across the synod were all glimpses of this thing that is so much bigger than our individual congregations and unique ministries.…

“As long as we live, there is never enough singing,” Martin Luther wrote. Week in and out, as we gather in our individual congregations, we know this is true. But there is something particularly special about coming together in these synod-wide services when voices are gathered from across the synod—from Randoph to Rush City and from river to river. Voices from the gathered generations, breaking into harmonies that are only possible because we are not alone.

A bishop’s installation is not a regular occurrence in our life as synod. But we do come together for worship throughout the year—at Synod Assembly, ministeriums, Fall Theological Conference, and Tool Kit for Congregational Leaders and other events. Every time we gather for these synod-wide worship services, we are repeatedly blessed by the richness and diversity of the music ministries from around the synod. Our voices lifted, our souls inspired by music sung and played, our stories given harmonies, our breath syncing. We remember that we are not alone, but members, all together, of the body of Christ, alive and at work in the world.

Read the full message.

From the Presiding Bishop:

Celebrating Our Diversity

Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry has issued his fifth in a series of monthly messages that continue through the end of this year, titled "All Together in One Place."

Everyone matters in this church. I have celebrated with synods and congregations as they build communities that reflect the people and neighborhoods around them. I have worshiped in places where many languages are spoken and people from different backgrounds feel welcome. Together we have expanded our understanding of what it means to be church through relationships with companion churches around the world and through relationships between congregations in rural, urban and suburban settings here in the United States. We are joined together through holy baptism, through which God calls us to strive for justice and peace in all the earth. “Diversity,” “equity,” “inclusion” and “accessibility” are reflections of justice when it is fulfilled. Like many saints before us have said, justice is the form love takes in society.

Read Bishop Curry's full message.

Spiritual Gifts Retreat

Saturday, Oct. 10 - 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | Lutheran Church of Peace, Maplewood

There are still spots available for this Saturday's Spiritual Gifts Retreat, which can help you answer Who has God created me to be? The retreat is an opportunity to look deeply at who you are and how God has uniquely blessed you with certain gifts. Using spiritual gift inventories, conversation and other tools, you’ll go home with a better sense of who you are and how you might best serve your faith community and the world! Retreat leaders include Pastor Kirsten Fryer of the Saint Paul Area Synod, Deacon Nina Joygaard (Faith, Forest Lake) and Pastor Wendy Steger (All Saints, Eagan). The cost is $30 per person and includes lunch. Register by Oct. 6! Register here.

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.

Addressing Hunger:

Bread Body Spirit

by Vernita Kennen - Incarnation, Shoreview

As a retired librarian who always delights in finding a new title related to food, I think I have found a perfect title for me to suggest to you today. Bread Body Spirit: Finding the Sacred in Food, edited by Alice Peck, and published by SkyLight Paths, is not a new book. It was published in 2008, but it was new to me.…

This is a book designed to be read slowly and digested in small bites. The poetry, essays, and quotations included are wide-ranging in authors, backgrounds and faith connections.… As we read thoughtfully and consider the food we eat, how we eat, and who we invite to our tables to share food, we also find ourselves thinking of where the meal came from and who is eating or not. The introduction suggests that we consider “Where is God in the supermarket? Can we see the holy in a strawberry?”

Read Vernita's full blog post.

World Hunger Daily Bread Grants

All ELCA congregations with feeding ministries are invited to apply for a $500 Daily Bread Grant! ELCA World Hunger’s Daily Bread Grants support congregations and their partners as they work toward a just world where all are fed. These grants supplement existing food-based ministries, providing daily bread for neighbors who experience hunger. Applications opened Oct. 1 and will remain open until Wednesday, Oct. 21, at midnight. Learn more.

October CYF Leader Support

During the month of October, leader support gatherings for Children, Youth & Families workers will focus on the topic of child safety and vulnerable adult policies. Joy McElroy, executive director of Cherish All Children, will be present for all three of these gathering options:

Monday, Oct. 12 - 1-2 p.m. | Online (2nd Monday Zoom)
Thursday, Oct. 15 - 10-11:30 a.m. | Lord of Life, Maple Grove (3rd Thursday Church Meet-Up)
Tuesday, Oct. 27 - 3-4:30 p.m. | Urban Growler, St. Paul (4th Tuesday Brewery Meet-Up)

BKB Benefactors' Brunch

Saturday, Oct. 24 - 10 a.m. | Our Savior's, Stillwater

You are invited to an exclusive update on our collaborative global ministry and the Bega Kwa Bega Endowment Fund. Your leadership and vision will anchor the next generation of our companionship, securing sustainable futures for schools, clinics, and parishes across our companion diocese. Free charitable gift planning is available to ELCA members through a partnership between the ELCA Foundation and the Saint Paul Area Synod. Learn more and register.

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.

Portico Final Enrollment Webinar

Thursday, Oct. 8 - 1 p.m. | Online

Join the Portico regional representatives for a webinar covering annual enrollment and helpful contextual information about the Portico bundle of benefits (health insurance, retirement plan, disability insurance and survivor benefits). This webinar is designed for both plan members and sponsoring organizations (employers). This webinar will not be recorded. Register here.

Giving USA 2026 Unpacked:

What the Data Means for the ELCA and

Your Fundraising Strategy

Wednesday, Nov. 11 - 12:00 noon | Online

Charitable giving in the United States has reached a record high, but what does that mean for ELCA congregations, ministries and synods? The ELCA Foundation's Regional Gift Planning team invites you to learn about the new giving trends from Lynn M. Gaumer, J.D., CAP®, Senior Gift Planning Consultant, and Amber Moore, Strategist for the Religion Subsector at The Stelter Company. They will interpret the latest Giving USA data, highlight emerging trends in charitable giving, and share practical insights to help guide your fundraising strategy in the year ahead. Whether you serve as a pastor, bishop, development professional or ministry leader, this session will provide valuable context for understanding donor behavior and strengthening support for your mission. Register here.

EVENTS OF INTEREST

Addiction & Faith Conference

Thursday, Oct. 22 - 9 a.m.-3 p.m. | Online

The Center of Addiction & Faith is hosting A New Story of Addiction: Faith, Drugs, & the Search for Healing for clergy, people in recovery, congregational teams and professionals. Rev. Timothy McMahan King, Jennifer Carlier, and Rev. Dr. Ed Treat will explore addiction through the themes of transcendence, belonging, and truth. The conference is designed for faith leaders, people in recovery, families, congregational teams, and addiction and mental-health professionals. The fee is $50 per person with team registration for up to five people at $149. Limited scholarships are available. Learn more and register.

Free Community Naloxone Training

Addiction is in our neighborhoods, our pews, our families. Be ready to save a life! Naloxone can quickly reverse an opioid overdose and provide critical time for help to arrive. Participants will learn how to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose, how and when to administer naloxone, what to do until help arrives and how to store naloxone and keep it accessible. Those who register in advance will receive a free naloxone kit. Free training is available:

Saturday, Oct. 10 - 9:30 a.m. at Elim Lutheran Church in Scandia
Thursday, Nov. 12 - 6 p.m. at First Presbyterian in Stillwater

Spiritual First Aid for Intergenerational Trauma

Tuesday, Oct. 13 - 6-8 p.m. | Online

For faith community nurses, clergy, lay leaders and others. Learn the core Spiritual First Aid approach of Triage, Care, and Refer while exploring how the effects of trauma can sometimes extend across generations. Participants will learn to recognize whole person primary needs, offer compassionate and practical support, strengthen coping, connection, meaning, and hope, and help people take a next step toward additional care when needed. Presenter Jamie Aten, PhD, is co-founder of Spiritual First Aid, author/editor of nine books, and co-host of The Better Samaritan podcast. The cost is $40 for LFCNA members and $50 for nonmembers. Learn more.

Community Singing Workshop

Saturday, Oct. 17 - 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. | Saint Anne's Episcopal Church, St. Paul

Music that Makes Community invites all who love to sing, lay and skilled, to a one-day workshop to learn a way of singing together that can enliven worship in small and rural congregations and strengthen our commitments to welcome all people. Explore the riches of paperless singing and experience leadership practices and songs that build and strengthen the community! Learn more and register.

PREACH Conference

Oct. 18-21 | St. Andrew, Eden Prairie & Online

For rostered ministers. The world isn't waiting for the church to find its footing. Our communities are experiencing real strain, and leaders need spaces not just to be inspired, but to be equipped and sustained. PREACH 2026 is gathering pastors, deacons, lay preachers, and worship leaders for a multi-layered learning experience. Move beyond passive listening and step into interactive tracks on digital engagement, storytelling, and collaborative sermon planning with a phenomenal lineup of speakers. Brought to you in collaboration with Convergence and Church Anew. Among the impactful voices at the conference will be Winnie Varghese, Paul Drees, Eric Barreto, Michael Chan, Brian Evans, Mariah Tollgaard and many more. Learn more.

Stories That Heal

Sunday, Oct. 18 - 6:30-8:30 p.m. | St. Andrew, Eden Prairie & Online

Note: this public event will be held the evening prior to the PREACH Conference. Many call this time a "season of moral injury" with communities living in fear and uncertainty. We've also witnessed collective resistance, shared song and mutual aid with people of faith standing together to support neighbors. This evening event is a time of interfaith storytelling from local leaders, moments of music and reflection and a liturgy for healing led by New York Times bestselling author and poet Cole Arthur Riley. Learn more and register.

Neurodivergent Clergy+ Gathering

Wednesday, Oct. 21 - 9:30-11 a.m. | St. Clement's Episcopal Church, St. Paul

Join others to meet, connect, and talk over coffee and treats about the challenges and gifts of doing ministry while being Neurodivergent. "Clergy+" means open to all clergy, chaplains, youth ministers, church musicians, seminarians, and church leaders who are Neurodivergent or have Neurodivergent families. Register here. Contact Craig in advance with any food allergies, accommodation requests or accessibility needs. Note: another gathering will be offered on Nov. 18.

Whimsical Wigs - Making Smiles Workshop

Thursday, Oct. 29 - 6:30 p.m. | Our Savior's, Circle Pines

Bring smiles to kids by helping create wigs for children who are undergoing cancer treatment. This is a free event and no crochet experience is necessary! While some volunteers will crochet, there are plenty of other ways to help, including: bedazzling flowers, cutting yarn, and decorating envelopes. All wigs and beanies are provided free of charge to children staying in hospitals, bringing comfort, confidence, and a little extra joy during a difficult time. Learn more and register.

Other Events:

Seminary Sampler Weekend - Oct. 9-11 | Luther Seminary, St. Paul
Fall Theological Con ference - Oct. 11-13 | Cragun's Resort, Brainerd
ConNext Summit - Oct. 11-13 | Clearwater Retreat Center, Deerwood
Prayer Service for Rostered Ministers - Oct. 27 | Shepherd of the Valley, Apple Valley