MNO Synod Convention 2024

MNO Synod Convention
Renewed and Transformed: The 19th Convention of the MNO Synod
Friday, May 24 – Sunday, May 26, 2024
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Selkirk, MB

Planning is underway for the upcoming MNO Synod Convention! Under the theme Renewed and Transformed, we will gather to worship, to share the ways we have been renewed and transformed as individuals, congregations and the wider church. Additionally, we will attend to passing important motions regarding the ongoing mission and ministry of our synod, and have elections for synod council positions, lay, youth and rostered delegates to the 2025 ELCIC National Convention, and synodical bishop. Information, including registration materials and full agenda, will be available soon on the convention website.

Please send the names of your congregation’s voting delegates to the synod office by March 22, 2024. Voting delegates need to be registered by April 12, 2024.

Congregations are to send in the name(s) of lay delegate(s) to the synod office no later than Monday, April 8, 2024.

World Day of Prayer Service and More

World Day of Prayer Service and More
Saturday, March 2, 2024 (10 am—12.30 pm)
Lutheran Church of the Cross
Lac Du Bonnet, Manitoba

Join us for a cooking experience, a slide presentation on Palestine and a worship service prepared by Palestinian Christian women, followed by a luncheon and time to visit.

World Day of Prayer 2024

I Beg You … Bear with One Another in Love – Ephesians 4:1-3

The invitation is out for everyone – men, women, and children of all ages – to join the 2024 World Day of Prayer at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Lac Du Bonnet, Manitoba.

Theme
The theme for this year is “I beg you … bear with one another in love” based on Ephesians 4: 1-3. A committee of Christian women of Palestine has prepared the service this year. We are encouraged to reflect on the history and challenges faced by this area as citizens struggle for security, peace and independence, as well as the efforts that women have made during changes in ruling influences over the last century. This is an opportunity to examine a geographical area that is home to the birth of Christianity.

World Day of Prayer is an international, inter-church event that began around 100 years ago, bridging social, geographic, and political barriers in 146 countries. Together, we pursue justice, peace, and reconciliation by standing together in prayer and action.

Offerings received through the World Day of Prayer transform our prayers into action in the form of project grants empowering women and children in Canada and throughout the world. All regions share in the grants, with consideration given to the greatest need. Through WDP offerings, WICC has distributed around 3 million dollars for small projects in the past 40 years. The vision is to restore hope to women and children touched by injustice.

Church of the Cross, the Brokenhead Shared Ministry Council, and The Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada (WICC) invite you, your friends and family to join us:

Saturday, March 2, 2024 (10 am—12.30 pm)
Lutheran Church of the Cross
253 McArthur Ave, Lac du Bonnet, MB R0E 1A0 (see map)

Feel free to watch this year’s promo video.

MNO Synod Youth WinterQuest – February 10, 2024

MNO Synod Youth WinterQuest

February 10, 2024
9:30 am-5:00 pm
Trinity Lutheran Church, Starbuck
This event will be primarily for youth who are in confirmation (in grades 6-12), but leaders can choose to share this invitation with all their youth.  The cost for this day is $10/person, payable by e-transfer to mnosynod@elcic.ca, cash or cheque to MNO Synod. Youth will attend with their leaders.  The leader can RSVP on behalf of the whole group.

Knowing that confirmation is structured differently in different congregations, the purpose of this event is to help students build relationship and community with other students, and do some learning together about the way our faith stories inform our individual and communal lives.   The day will involve some sessions led by Deacon Michelle and other pastors, as well as games and interactive activities–including a bonspiel at the Starbuck Arena. Lunch and snacks will be provided.  Please RSVP by Feb. 1.

2023 ELCIC National Convention – June 27—July 2, 223

Poverty, How Can You Help?

In our Gospel for this Sunday (Luke 16:19-31), Jesus tells the disciples a parable of a rich man and a very poor man named Lazarus. In the parable, the rich man dies and regrets not having helped the extremely poor man that lay at the gate of his house. The rich man urgently wants to get a message to his siblings (brothers) so that they don’t end up in the same anguish.

I can’t help but feel like I am one of this rich man’s siblings—a brother rich man. Now, most days I don’t feel like a rich man, especially on a pastor’s salary, ???? but when I compare my income to others around the world, it opens my eyes. According to to Giving What We Can.org, when I type in my post tax income, I am richer than 96.4% of the world. Sounds pretty rich to me.

This Gospel reminds us how Jesus and the early Christians were committed to the poor and making a difference for them. With this Gospel, I can’t help but feel so fortunate and blessed, like the rich man in the Gospel, but also extremely moved to help the poor. Not out of a sense of guilt or anguish, but out of joy, thanksgiving, and love. But I want to also make sure I do my research when I make a donation. I want to make sure the charity is going to make the most of of my dollars.

Effective Altruism on the Rise
Effective altruism is a movement devoted to improving the world in the most logical and evidence-based way. Peter Singer talked about it in his Ted Talk, The Why and How of Effective Altruism. I was also moved by a September 2020 Washington Post article effective altruism. When I read the article, I was inspired by Brian Ottens and his wife in the article:

Brian Ottens wished he could buy his 8-year-old daughter a better iPad. The first-generation one she’d inherited from her great-grandmother didn’t support the game she wanted to play. But Ottens has different priorities. “We just explain it to her: iPads are expensive, and this several hundreds of dollars could go toward helping a lot of animals.”… Every year, Ottens and his wife donate a large amount to charities, mainly ones that advocate for animals. In 2018, they gave… 27 percent of their combined salary.

With so many needs and charities around, how do you know which one to donate your money? Charity Intelligence Canada is one of my favourite websites. Charity Intelligence Canada uses evidence-based research to help guide Canadians in their giving decisions. If you are looking for a charity that addresses poverty, Manitoba’s own  Canadian Foodgrains Bank is listed as one of their “Top 10 Impact Charities based on demonstrated impact per dollar donated of 2021”.

So if you, like me, are feeling quite rich, blessed, and moved by this week’s Gospel lesson, I would encourage you to check out Charity Intelligence Canada. I was so impressed with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank’s rating that I made a donation to their Pakistan appeal. Apparently the Canadian Government is matching the donations until September 28th too.

10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation

Great Ted Talk on how to have better conversations.

When your job hinges on how well you talk to people, you learn a lot about how to have conversations — and that most of us don’t converse very well. Celeste Headlee has worked as a radio host for decades, and she knows the ingredients of a great conversation: Honesty, brevity, clarity and a healthy amount of listening. In this insightful talk, she shares 10 useful rules for having better conversations. “Go out, talk to people, listen to people,” she says. “And, most importantly, be prepared to be amazed.”