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Minnesota North District - LCMS | |
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Hope for the next generation | |
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” I Peter 1:3
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I recently went to the funeral for Pastor Jim Meichsner. Pastor Meichsner served in ministry over 40 years, mainly in the MN North District. He was an ardent proclaimer of Law/Gospel, understood the need for repentance, and cherished the full comfort of the forgiveness of sins he had in Christ. The funeral service, which he organized, was chalk full of the Gospel as we were soaked in God’s Word. The service had 8 Scripture readings, not short readings either. We sang five hymns and the TeDeum from Matins which equaled 34 total stanzas. It was his last chance to proclaim the living hope we have in Christ to his family and those who knew him. One of his sons said to me, “This was dad’s way of serving us one last time.”
The LORD grant that we may serve the next generation with that same hope in Christ. The saints before us were committed to serving us by setting apart a place to receive His gifts by starting churches (over 135 of our 197 congregations are over 100 years old), bringing God’s Word in the home through resources like Portals of Prayer (since 1937), and extending mercy to others knowing that Christ had first served them. Before we portray the past as some sort of “golden age”, we only need to look as far as the headstones of the cemetery next to many of our churches. The headstones indicate dramatic increases of death during traumatic times like cholera, smallpox, yellow fever, and the Spanish flu. You see multiple family members with similar dates, heartbreakingly many of them children. You almost feel the grief and hear the laments of Christian loved ones. Yet, those saints still serve us today. Many of the headstones possessed an inscription of Scripture or part of a hymn that points us to hope. Hope in Christ alone. My favorite inscription I have read on my travels was of a headstone from the 1920’s of a child that read, “Jesus shed his blood for me.”
How can you serve the next generation by giving them hope in Christ?
“My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus' name (My Hope is Built on nothing less, LSB 576).”
In Christ (I Timothy 6:12)
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Rev. Brady Finnern, District President | |
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We are ready to begin registering delegates, guests and exhibitors and other preparations have begun! Things to think about:
CIRCUIT FORUMS
Your Circuit Visitor will schedule a Circuit Forum to elect the Circuit Visitor this fall. Each congregation is encouraged to send a pastor and lay person to participate. Circuit visitor nominating ballots can be found at the Convention Website.
CONVENTION DELEGATES
Each parish should elect one pastoral and one lay voting delegate for the convention. Delegates are invited to register for the convention using the links below. A unique email address is required for each registrant to assist us with continued convention related communication. You are encouraged to elect and alternate delegate as well. If it becomes necessary to register your alternate, please contact the District Office.
OVERTURES
Congregations, circuit forums, District and school boards may submit overtures to the convention. Please use the Formulation of an Overture document found at the Convention Website for guidelines on formatting and submission.
NOMINATIONS
Pastors and Congregations can nominate candidates for President, Vice President and Lay Members of the District Board of Directors. The nominating ballot can be found at the Convention Website. You are also encouraged to offer suggestions of candidates for other district offices (secretary, treasurer, lay and ordained members of the Lutheran Island Camp board) to the District Nominating Committee. Send names with contact information to the committee via email to mnndist@mnnlcsm.org
LODGING RESERVATIONS
The 2025 Convention Registration fee includes 3 meals as well as beverages and snacks, but attendees are on their own for lodging and a few meals. Review the lodging information document for information on blocks of rooms at the convention venue and nearby properties.
The links below provide guidance to help you prepare for convention:
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Church Worker Recruitment Funds Available
One of the best ways to encourage members of your congregation to consider a career in church work is through a visit to one of our Concordia Universities. We would like to encourage these visits by helping with a portion of the expense. The Campus Visit Expense reimbursement form is available on the forms section of our website. Prospective students can be reimbursed for up to $300 in travel expenses when they visit a Concordia campus. This is a great way to begin the conversation with someone you believe has the skills and gifts to serve the church!
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Rev. Joel Kosberg was installed at Love of Christ, St. Cloud on September 15, 2024.
Pictured are Rev. Don Kirsch, Rev. Joshua Reber, Rev. Zachary Hoffmann, Rev. Bruce Timm, Rev. Kevin Kosberg, Rev. David Buchs, Rev. Joel Kosberg, Rev. Benjamin Hollingsead, Rev. Brady Finnern, Rev. Jeff Tucker, Rev. Steve Kosberg, and Rev. Mark Tewes.
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Rev. Terry Yahr was installed at Redeemer, Menahga and Christ, Wolf Lake on September 22, 2024.
Pictured are Rev. Matthew Vrudny, Rev. Karl Yahr, Rev. Randy Stroming, Rev. Terry Yahr, Rev. Don Fondow, Rev. Brady Finnern, Rev. Dr. Larry Harvala, Rev. Jordan DeBoer and Rev. Chad Berg.
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In a continuing effort to protect children in LCMS churches and schools, the LCMS has partnered with MinistrySafe to provide access to their child protection training and resources. Through MinistrySafe you will learn about the characteristics of an abuser, the grooming process, how to interview and screen applicants, criminal background checks, how to create handbooks and policies, and many other useful tools. | |
Lent Preparation
January 6-8, 2025
At St. Andrew Lutheran, West Fargo
A Lenten Series on:
The Book of Job:
Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
Presenter: Rev. Dr. R. Reed Lessing
Ash Wed is March 5, 2025
Easter is April 20, 2025
Time to Rest, Reflect, and Re-create.
LEARN MORE >>
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For more than 30 years MN North has had Bible Bowl Competition. The 2025 topic for Bible Bowl will be:
Life of David (1 Sam. 16-1 Kings 2); Saturday, April 5
@ Concordia University.
Competition is between grades 7-12.
LEARN MORE >>
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PROCLAIMING CHRIST 2024: LET US SING OF JESUS
St. James Lutheran Church would like to invite you to join them for a conference celebrating 500 years of the first Lutheran hymnals and the Lutheran chorale. Entitled “Proclaiming Christ 2024: Let Us Sing of Jesus,” the conference will begin at 7:00 PM on Friday, October 25 with A Hymn Festival of Reformation Hymns. On Saturday, October 26 presentations will be offered from 9:00-3:00 PM on various aspects of the Lutheran chorale by Dr. Martin Dicke, Rev. Kantor Richard C. Resch, Rev. Dr. Lowell Sorenson, and Rev. Kantor Timothy Frank of David’s Harp. A special choir is being convened for the hymn festival. Singers from partner churches, schools, and the community are invited to join. The conference will be held at St. James Lutheran Church, 460 Annapolis St. W., West St. Paul, MN 55118. For more information and a Registration Form, please call (651) 457-9232, write to us at stjlc@saintjameslutheran.com or visit www.saintjameslutheran.com.
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INTERIM LCEF REPRESENTATIVE
Effective September 6, 2024, Kai Larson is no longer serving as the LCEF District Vice President supporting the Minnesota North, Minnesota South and South Dakota Districts. We thank him for his years of service wish him God's richest blessings in his next chapter.
To provide you with continuation and support to serve your ministry needs, Carole White has been assigned, Team Lead - District Solutions, as the interim to support the district.
Carole White has been faithfully serving at LCEF since 1999 and is excited to provide excellent support to you and your ministry. Carole can be reached via email or phone as provided below. In addition, there are additional staff available to ensure your needs are met during this transition.
NEW The position description for the MN LCEF District VP can be found here. It can also be found on the LCMS Careers page, LinkedIn, and Indeed.com. If you know of anyone who may be interested, please share these links. Thank you!
Carole White | Team Lead - District Solutions | 515-240-2229 carole.white@lcef.org
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Does your congregation have news to share? Send your photos and stories to our Lutheran Witness Editor, Rev. Travis Lauterbach at: the.lutheran.witness@mnnlcms.org | | |
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MSL Northland has moved. Find them on My9 or 6.3 in the Duluth Market. | | | | |
