Star. ELCA Colleges Prepare Students for a Life of Service. Strengthening Mission. Luther Develops Servant Leaders by Rev.

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1 Star Northeastern Iowa Evangelical July/August 2011 Volume 24, Issue 7 Lutheran Church in America Strengthening Mission ELCA Colleges Prepare Students for a Life of Service The two ELCA colleges of the Northeastern Iowa Synod offer hands-on opportunities for students to grow in their faith as servants and leaders in their communities and throughout the world. The Rev. Ramona Bouzard, Dean of the Chapel at Wartburg College, and the Rev. Mike Blair, Campus Pastor at Luther College, share about the enriching mission and volunteer experiences available to students on both campuses. Luther Develops Servant Leaders by Rev. Mike Blair Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind Romans 12:2 An old Jewish parable tells of a baker who lived in a village and had a good life, but felt a restless longing for something more. The baker left the village to take up a pilgrimage, determined that God was calling him to a new place. After hiking all day and deep into the night, the pilgrim found a tree to sleep beneath and laid out his bed roll. The pilgrim took off his hiking shoes, carefully pointing the toes in line with the day s journey away from the village to help the pilgrim remember the direction to follow the next morning. While the pilgrim was sleeping, an angel came and turned the hiking shoes around, pointing the toes back toward the village. The pilgrim awoke from a deep and restful sleep that included a refreshing dream of arriving in a Luther students put the finishing touches on a new home built by Mississippi Gulf Coast Habitat for Humanity in Pascagoula, Miss. new village. The pilgrim woke up, said morning prayers, had breakfast and put on the hiking shoes, eagerly following the direction they pointed. After walking all through the day and into the night, the pilgrim arrived at a village that seemed strangely familiar. The village had a beautiful streamside park where the pilgrim slept beneath a tree. In the morning light this new village looked wonderful, even better than the pilgrim s dream the night before. The hungry pilgrim set out for breakfast only to find a bakery in need of a baker. Surely this was the new place the pilgrim had been seeking all along. The pilgrim said a prayer of thanks and went to work again as a baker. In This Issue >> Continued on page 2 ELCA Colleges Prepare Students for a Life of Service Welcome to the White House Join a New Synod Network Synod Assembly Focuses on Mission and New Direction Synod is Itching to Beat Malaria God Shapes Our Lives by What We Give Events, Congregations Prayer Calendar

2 ELCA Colleges Prepare Students... << Continued from page 1 The parable of the baker/pilgrim invites us to reflect on how travel and service change the servant and help us see familiar things in new ways. St. Paul speaks of being transformed by the renewing of our minds, by an understanding that calls us to turn around or repent. Repentance has the two-fold dimension of turning away from something and turning toward something. Service and mission trips often help reflect on what we are turning toward and what we are intentionally embracing in a life of faith and service. Generosity, reflection, gratitude, community, hospitality, listening, abundance, and joy are some of the deep themes of faith that students embrace in their mission experiences. In traveling to serve and share the Gospel story, we often arrive to find ourselves learning the heart of the Gospel from those we join in service. One of the joys of this year s service and mission trips for Luther College was extended partnerships of students, faculty, staff and local congregations. In March 2011 Luther College sent three groups of students on service and mission trips. Luther students and Professor Rita Tejada traveled to serve in Panama, in partnership with the ongoing mission work of Decorah Lutheran Church and Operation Safe Drinking Water. panama.shtml Campus Pastor David Vasquez, Professor Luz Maria Hernandez and Pastor David Werges, (St. John Lutheran, Charles City) led a group of Luther students for a week of service in Antigua, Guatemala. The group partnered with Open Windows, an educational program in Dueñas, outside of Antigua Guatemala. Mission Guatemala worked on community service projects, helped develop a children s program, and connected with people in neighboring communities who were directly affected by the 2008 Postville immigration raid. luther.edu/ministries/getinvolved/ springbreaktrips/guatemala2011 Luther staff members Lisa Chensvold and Seth Miner, professor emeritus Dale Nimrod, Luther alumnus David Carlson, and I traveled with Luther students to Ocean Springs, Miss., for a week of service with Mississippi Gulf Coast Habitat for Humanity for Luther s fifth trip to assist rebuilding efforts from Hurricane Katrina. This group represented several Decorah area 2 Northeastern Iowa Synod Glenwood Lutheran, First Lutheran and Good Shepherd Lutheran, as well as the many home congregations of students on all three trips. When it was all said and done, the Luther College travelers to Guatemala, Panama and Mississippi returned home with new perspectives. Like the pilgrim/baker in the Jewish parable, we learned in various ways how the journey of faith transforms us and calls us to turn more fully to lives of service and gratitude. Wartburg Emphasizes Community Engagement by Rev. Ramona Bouzard Students at Wartburg are asked to regularly explore what it means to be leaders who serve the world. This active reflection on questions of meaning, purpose, and faith across campus is part of the living heritage of life-long learning at the college. As a result, students find themselves not only wondering what kind of job they might seek, but how their daily work, their spiritual life, and their personal gifts might help others have an abundant life. Wartburg alumni often report that when they leave college, their experiences with service and reflection help them recommit to faith communities and actively share their gifts in leadership. How do students become deeply involved in questions that allow them to connect their lives and faith to action, and their service and leadership to the needs of the world? There are many answers to that question, but all of them include a dedicated faculty and staff who model this kind of commitment to the world, and students who bring with them the formative care and love of faith Sophomore nursing major Hannah Marxhausen from Woodbury, Minn., takes a break from painting the elementary school in San Miguel Dueñas, Guatemala, to play with kids during recess. congregations, including >> Continued on page 6

3 Bishop Welcome to the White House Welcome to the White House. These simple words affirmed the ministry and mission of the Northeastern Iowa Synod. Ruth and I were honored to represent our synod at the White House State Dinner for Chancellor Angela Merkel in June. It was a celebration of partnership, friendship and hope for the future. Few experiences in our life have been filled with such joy. You may read more about the event at This joyous experience followed on the heels of our synod assembly. This assembly was a powerful experience of what it means to strengthen the mission of the whole church. At the end of the assembly I wish I had asked, How does it feel to be a part of the greatest church in the United States?! If anyone asks who we are, we respond with vigor. We are the church who makes Christ known. We tell others about the love of God in Christ. We feed hungry people, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned. We are the church that advocates for justice in the name of Him who justifies us. We are the Church. Thanks be to God. Steven L. Ullestad Bishop, Northeastern Iowa Synod Barnabas Uplift Reaches Milestone A two-year federal grant that enabled Barnabas Uplift to expand to new communities has helped place 154 people in health care jobs. The grant expires July 31, 2011, but other funding sources have already come forward to sustain the certified nursing assistant (CNA) training programs that Barnabas Uplift offers. The Help4Health grant helped set up 75-hour instruction and clinical courses to prepare students for the CNA certification exam and careers as nursing assistants in nursing homes. The training is offered free for qualified individuals whose income is at or below the poverty line, or up to 200 percent above the poverty line. The Help4Health grant communities are Postville, Oelwein, Ottumwa, Radcliffe, Ft. Dodge, Spencer, Iowa Falls, Waterloo and Des Moines. According to Pastor Vince Ramos, Barnabas Uplift coordinator, the original goal was to place 150 students in health-related jobs during the grant period. By June 1, 2011, we had surpassed that goal with 154 graduates working in health career jobs. With federal funding ended, Ramos says that financial support from congregations, individuals, local employers and organizations will be needed to continue the training programs. Partnerships between local employers and the faith communities have already brought needed funding to Oelwein and Iowa Falls. We try to work ecumenically to encourage the whole faith community in a town to support the program, Ramos says. To learn more about Barnabas Uplift and how to support its continued presence in Northeastern Iowa Synod communities, visit resources/barnabasuplift.asp or call July/August

4 Join a New Synod Network The Northeastern Iowa Synod is poised to begin a new collaborative approach to further the ministry and mission of the church. A resolution adopted at the 2011 Synod Assembly amended the synod bylaws, making it possible for most of the traditional boards, committees, task forces and work groups within the synod to transform into networks. This new generation of structure will make it easier for more people to participate in synod ministries, with savings in both costs and time commitments. Education, and Compensation. The self-sustaining ministries will also continue as in the past Continuing Education Forums, Fall Theological Conference, Living Waters Retreat Centers, Celebrate Life Together, and Life-long Learning for Lutherans. Ullestad says that creating networks opens more doors for synod members to participate in the ministries and will reduce the costs associated with attending meetings in person. People who couldn t drive to committee meetings in Waverly before will now have greater opportunities to be involved, and that will stimulate more creative energy. Those interested in attending the Sept. 17 event should register by Aug. 31, or boltec@neiasynod.org. Look for network updates on the synod website, Bishop Steven Ullestad leads a forum at the 2011 Synod Assembly about developing synod networks. The new networks will officially form at the Sept. 17 Fall Leadership Conference in Waverly where current members of committees, task forces and work groups are invited to form the core group of each network, establish a charter outlining the networks values, projects and purposes, and develop ways to invite others to join. We want to make this an orderly transition to honor the work of the past, says Bishop Steven Ullestad. The Board of Ministry in Mission and the Board of Leadership in Mission will be eliminated, and new networks will be formed Care of Creation, Companion Synod-Namibia, Companion Synod-Hungary, Home Life, Rural Life, Hunger, Global Mission, Colleague Group Leaders, Youth & Family Ministry, LYO Leadership Team, Ministry on Aging, Immigration, and Disaster Response. Network members will meet once a year to plan and evaluate goals, and will rely on technology the rest of the year to communicate with each other, accomplish tasks, support one another, and expand the network to new members. The networks will relate directly to the Synod Council through council members who will also serve as network liaisons. Some committees will retain their traditional structure SAFE Ministry, Candidacy, First Call Theological IRS 2011 Mileage Rate Change The Internal Revenue Service announced an increase in the optional standard mileage rates for the final six months of The rate has increased to 55.5 cents a mile for all business miles driven from July 1, 2011, through Dec. 31, This is an increase of 4.5 cents from the 51 cent rate in effect for the first six months of Medical/moving rates increased from 19 cents to 23.5 cents. Charitable rates remain at 14 cents. Northeastern Iowa Synod Bishop Rev. Dr. Steven L. Ullestad - ullestads@neiasynod.org Assistants to the Bishop Rev. Mark A. Anderson - andersonm@neiasynod.org Rev. Darrel W. Gerrietts - gerriettsd@neiasynod.org Linda J. Hudgins - hudginsl@neiasynod.org Rev. Nancy J. Larson - nancy_larson@elca.org STAR Editors Marcia Hahn - hahnm@neiasynod.org Julie Drewes - jdrewes@mchsi.com The STAR is published 11 times a year by the Northeastern Iowa Synod, th Street SW, PO Box 804, Waverly, IA ; phone , FAX Send news for the October issue to Marcia Hahn by September 2. We welcome story ideas related to the 2011 theme, Strengthening Mission. Articles in this newsletter may be duplicated for use in synod congregations and organizations, with credit to the Star newsletter. Please notify the synod office with name and address changes. 4 Northeastern Iowa Synod

5 Synod Assembly Focuses on Mission and New Direction More than 450 voting members and guests attended the 2011 Assembly of the Northeastern Iowa Synod at Luther College. With the theme Strengthening Mission, the assembly celebrated the gift of the mission of our church and presented ways to strengthen mission and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. Two keynote addresses focused on the mission of the church locally and abroad. Pastor Steve Brackett of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Postville, shared how renewed efforts to become involved in local mission and stewardship projects were invaluable when Postville experienced the immigration raid of 2008 and bankruptcy of the community s largest employer. Brackett offered suggestions for how other congregations can revitalize their sense of mission: tell the story of their history to remind members of mission they have done in the past; develop a good working relationship with the synod and understand that they are partners, not adversaries; educate members about the ministries of the ELCA; embrace change and challenge the congregation to strengthen local mission efforts; and attend the Glocal Mission Gathering in July. The Synod Assembly Choir performs at the Sunday morning Holy Communion service. Pastor Twila Schock, director for ELCA Global Mission Support, presented the other keynote address and the report from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Schock shared how global mission work has changed from the stereotypical white male pastor with a Bible to today s missions dominated by lay people accompanying others. Until you receive the gift of the culture, you re not ready to imprint, Schock told the assembly. Schock thanked the synod for its mission support, which amounted to $897,813 in 2010, or 42.5 percent of benevolent sharing. The Northeastern Iowa Synod raised $210, for World Hunger in 2010 and received two domestic hunger grants. Schock shared that in the recent past the synod has raised nearly $188,357 through extra mission sponsorships. In addition, 34 synod congregations or individuals have made written covenants to support ELCA missionaries through prayer, communication and financial gifts. In his report to the Assembly, Bishop Steven Ullestad shared a tribute to The Rev. L. David Brown who served as the first bishop of the Northeastern Iowa Synod and died April 2, Brown is best known for his commitment to racial justice, justice for women, the freedom of Namibia, and his work to alleviate world hunger. He started the Walk for Development program which later inspired the forming of CROP Walks. Brown was the first July/August 2011 executive director of the Division of Youth Ministries when the American Lutheran Church was formed. He spearheaded the first national youth gatherings and invited Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to speak at the 1961 gathering. Assembly members adopted six resolutions and one memorial for churchwide assembly (see insert). One of the adopted resolutions called for amendments to the synod bylaws to allow the synod to transform traditional committees, task forces and work groups into networks. The ELCA Malaria Campaign resolution set a goal for the people of the Northeastern Iowa Synod to raise $250,000 over a three-year period for the ELCA Malaria Campaign. The approved memorial that will go to the ELCA 2011 Churchwide Assembly in August calls for the ELCA to speak and act to prevent bullying, harassment and related violence. A related resolution calls for the synod to encourage new partnerships to speak and act to prevent bullying, harassment and related violence. The Assembly featured exhibits, forums and seminars with topics ranging from Are You Called to Share the Faith to Evangelism and the Internet. Assembly participants heard a video message from the Rev. Dr Tamás Fabiny, Bishop of the Northern District of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary (ELCH), to introduce the new Companion Synod relationship between the ELCH and the Northeastern Iowa Synod. Assembly participants also shared their mission stories. View reports, a video tribute and more at Assembly_2011.asp. 5

6 ELCA Colleges Prepare Students... << Continued from page 2 communities that look just like your own congregation. Add to that the organizational support of the Center for Community Engagement, a vibrant Spiritual Life and Campus Ministry program, and a coordinated effort across curricular and co-curricular life on campus, and you ll find the following outcomes: On a daily basis, the Volunteer Action Center, advised by Renee Sedlacek, service-learning coordinator, connects students, classes, and programs to community needs. Wartburg College was ranked #1 of 150 alternative Spring Break chapter schools (BreakAway, 2010) nationally for the percent of students involved in its service trip program. More than 15percent of Wartburg s student body participates in service trips. Wartburg College Service Trips are dedicated to providing opportunities that actively engage participants with communities through service, reflection and learning. The vision is to inspire participants to create Wartburg students on the winter term 2011 service trip to Harlan, Ky., Exploring Poverty in the Appalachians. social change by leading lives of continual learning and service. Each of the eight Spiritual Life and Campus Ministry faith expression groups are regularly involved in service activities. Many of these groups specifically serve congregations and faith related ministries. The annual MLK Day observances led by Krystal Madlock, director of student diversity, includes an afternoon of service to the community. More than 500 participated in Academic classes, research projects, internships, and residential life projects embed students in learning that is directed to serving the world. In May 2011 more than 940 college and community volunteers packed nearly 197,000 meals for hungry children at a three-day Feed My Starving Children mobile pack and raised more than $136,000 to pay for the meals and transportation. For the fifth consecutive year, Wartburg College has been named to the President s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll (administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service). This honor roll recognizes institutions of higher education for their support of volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. Many thanks for supporting the work of our ELCA colleges. To learn how to partner with Wartburg in its mission to challenge and nurture students for lives of leadership and service, contact Gail Sexton, coordinator of Church Relations and Faith Community Outreach, at or gail.sexton@wartburg.edu. Wartburg students join community members in packing meals for the Feed My Starving Children organization. 6 Northeastern Iowa Synod

7 Synod is Itching to Beat Malaria The Northeastern Iowa Synod has officially taken a leadership role to support the ELCA Malaria Campaign through a resolution passed at the 2011 Synod Assembly for the people of the Northeastern Iowa Synod to raise $250,000 over a three-year period to fight malaria. A cow and chicken representing the Hunger Work Group hold a net for synod assembly participants to place their donations and pledges for the ELCA Malaria Campaign. Synod members showed their support for the campaign during the synod assembly in June when they came forward with donations and pledges of $21,621. The ELCA Malaria Campaign has on record, as of July 20, a total of $31, in actual dollars received from individuals and congregations from the Northeastern Iowa Synod. That number does not include the many pledges that have been received by the synod office, which brings the total of gifts and pledges to around $65,000 more than a quarter of the way toward the synod s campaign goal. Congregational pledges range from $10 per baptized member to $20,000 for the whole congregation. A number of churches are sponsoring special projects to raise money, such as making and selling net corsages. Some churches are offering the corsages for $10 each, the same amount it costs to fund an insecticide-treated mosquito net, which is considered the most effective preventive measure for malaria. Immanuel Lutheran of Cresco hosted a display at the synod assembly to show others how to make the corsages. Trinity Lutheran of Mason City is planning a two-mile run in August to raise money for the campaign. Congregations can download a variety of free resources from the ELCA Malaria Campaign resource web page. Available items include fact sheets, bulletin inserts, litanies, prayers, devotions, brochures, reproducible stories, offering envelopes, youth activities, instructions to make the corsage nets, and more. A Friends of the ELCA Malaria Campaign Facebook page has also been created so that congregations can share and learn Volunteers from Immanuel Lutheran, Cresco, teach synod participants how to make net corsages to help promote the ELCA Malaria Campaign. new ideas about what churches are doing to support the campaign. To learn more or for Malaria Campaign links, visit the Northeastern Iowa Synod website, resources/malaria.asp. Guidelines for Hosting Safeguarding God s Children Events Congregations are encouraged to host the Safeguarding God s Children workshops designed for church members who work with youth to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse in everyday life and ministry. The host congregations will need to follow these protocols: mandatory publicity is sent by the host to surrounding congregations and conferences. A minimum of 10 registered people is necessary for the event to take place. Full attendance and evaluation is compulsory for participants to receive a certificate of completion. two synod-planned events will be offered each year in locations across the synod, with publicity provided by the synod. Two training sessions are currently scheduled: Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011, at Our Savior, Radcliffe, 3-6 p.m.; Sunday, March 18, 2012, at Zion, West Union, 2-5 p.m. Events are listed on the synod website, To host a Safeguarding event, contact a member of the S.A.F.E. committee or Pastor Darrel Gerrietts at July/August

8 View 2011 Churchwide Assembly online Members throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will be able to follow the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly Aug through a variety of online channels, including live video streaming and social media. The assembly will take place at the Marriott World Center in Orlando, Fla., with the theme Freed in Christ to Serve. About 1,500 people, including 1,025 voting members, plus staff and visitors will participate in the biennial assembly. Among the items to be considered by voting members will be the proposed ELCA social statement, Genetics, Faith and Responsibility; a possible fundraising campaign to support work to contain malaria through the ELCA Malaria Campaign; and a series of proposed implementing resolutions related to a comprehensive report about the ELCA s structure, its interrelationships and its future. To view live video of plenary sessions and daily worship, visit assembly. Updates about the assembly will be posted on the ELCA s Facebook page at and released through Twitter at Fall Theological Conference Oct , 2011 Best Western Midway, Dubuque, Iowa Understanding the What, Who, and How of Forgiveness: Theological and Pastoral Foundations Register by Sept. 30, Fresh Look for LSI Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) has unveiled a new tagline and logo, as part of its response to recent shifts in Iowa s human services industry. The new logo and tagline uplift LSI s faith-based mission and align it with today s human services realities. The new tagline People focused. Results driven. illustrates LSI s priority to balance a compassion-centered mission with a results-driven attitude. The logo s cross speaks to the agency s faith-based mission and affiliation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, positioned directly above the word Lutheran. The two intersecting white paths represent the journey of those LSI serves and how LSI and others partner with them on this path, such as caseworkers, donors, churches and community members. Fresh green and blue colors evoke the rolling fields and prairie sky of the Iowa landscape, where LSI s roots were planted nearly 150 years ago by a Lutheran pastor. LSI is a shared social ministry partner of many Lutheran churches across Iowa, including the three synods of the ELCA. As one of Iowa s largest human services agencies, LSI impacts tens of thousands of Iowans annually through child abuse prevention, services for families and youth in crisis, services for people with disabilities, refugee services, home health care, disaster response and poverty initiatives. To learn more, visit In the News Pastor Dan Christensen of St. Paul (Maple Leaf ), Elma, and United, Chester, and his worship service in a cornfield are featured on page eight of Wartburg Seminary s Life Together magazine. asp?id=102 The quick response of Bethany Lutheran, Elkader, to the earthquake disaster in Haiti is featured in the ELCA s Stories of Faith in Action magazine which was included in the synod assembly bags. 8 Northeastern Iowa Synod

9 God Shapes Our Lives by What We Give By Pastor Nancy Larson Director for Evangelical Mission and Assistant to the Bishop Have you given much thought to what it is that shapes your life? Is it your DNA or the environment? Is it your physical health or your mental capacity? Is it luck or fate, coincidence or God incidence? In reality, we could say it is all of the above and so much more. Recently, I ve been pondering a statement seen in an Amish country store. God shapes our lives by what we give. It isn t so much what we have or who we are, it is what we give. If we give only what s left over, we reveal so much about ourselves. What s left after we ve taken care of all our needs and wants, what s left when we ve done everything for ourselves, clearly says me first; it s all about me, my and mine! When I was a child, I was given a Barbie Doll and all kinds of clothes and accessories. It was one of my favorite toys. Many years later when I came home from college for the summer, my mother informed me that she d given all my Barbie stuff to some family friends going through a financial rough patch. They had two young daughters and my mom thought they would enjoy playing with the dolls. I was incensed that my stuff had been given away without my permission and I m embarrassed to admit that I threw a bit of a temper tantrum. My mother wasn t impressed by my claim of infringement on my property. She d finally had enough and blurted out that I was acting like a selfish, spoiled brat. You don t even want to share your cast offs! She continued, I thought you were a caring person, but I guess not. I ll remember never to touch your stuff again. Apparently you ve forgotten that all of the Barbie paraphernalia was given to you! Why can t you share it with two poor little girls? Well, she nailed it on the head. I had revealed my selfishness in all its glory. God shapes our lives by what we give, because in our giving or lack of it we reveal our real heart. Just as in God s giving Jesus for us God s heart of love and mercy is revealed. We are blessed with such abundance of grace and mercy, we have homes and food in the cupboard, we have family and friends and and and Our lives are shaped by God, and a heart of generosity will shape us in profound ways that we can t even imagine! May God shape you to be the beautiful person God wants you to be. Synod Members Join YAGM Program Three of the 50 volunteers participating in the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program this year are from the Northeastern Iowa Synod. The YAGM program is for young adults ages who have a relationship with the ELCA to volunteer in an international setting for mission service and learning opportunities. and share their gifts with others. These three young adults will have powerful and inspiring stories to share. Consider requesting their newsletters, e-letters or blogs to distribute with your congregations. Alma Gast of Immanuel Lutheran, Cresco, will serve in Jerusalem/West Bank; Lucas Peters of One in Christ Lutheran Parish, Lake Mills, will serve in Malaysia; and Britney Borchardt of Trinity Lutheran, Mason City, will serve in the United Kingdom. Each will serve in their assigned locations for one year. The mission experience helps the volunteers better understand their place in God s world, grow in their faith, Alma Gast Lucas Peters Britney Borchardt July/August

10 New Season of Tri-State Forum The Tri-State Forum begins its 11th year of offering lectures and fellowship opportunities for pastors, ministry professionals and others interested in life-long learning and growth in their common faith. Five day-long lectures are planned for the lecture series on the Wartburg Theological Seminary campus in Dubuque. Each event offers.5 continuing education units. Cost for all five lectures is $130. Individual lecture cost is $50 per lecture. For more information or to register, click on the Lifelong Learners link at or call Tri-State Forum Schedule Sept. 15, 2011 Where to now? The Future of Mission in the ELCA Presented by the Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director of the ELCA Division for Global Mission. The program will look at the need for a critical review of life together in the church in order to begin a missional vocation today and vision for a church in a post-modern context. Oct. 20, 2011 Reflections on the God of the Old Testament, presented by Terence Fretheim Nov. 10, 2011 Preaching Advent, presented by Dr. James L. Bailey Jan. 19, 2012 Cruciform Life Abundant, presented by Susan Briehl April 26, 2012 Presented by Stanley Olson, new president of Wartburg Theological Seminary St. Paul s Principal Receives National Award Congratulations to Christi Lines, principal of St. Paul s Lutheran School in Waverly, who was named the Evangelical Lutheran Education Association (ELEA) Principal of the Year. The ELEA promotes and supports quality, Christ-centered schools and early childhood programs of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and its full communion partners. The award recognizes Lines outstanding contributions to the growth of the educational community during her 13 years as St. Paul s principal. She will receive the award at the ELEA National Administrator and Pastor Conference in Minneapolis in February In addition, Lines recently learned that she has been selected to represent ELCA private schools as one of the 2011 National Distinguished Principals at an October 2011 program in Washington DC, sponsored by the National Association of Elementary School Principals. Sacred Practice Leadership Series The Sacred Practice Leadership Series (SPLaSh) is designed for those who lead congregations, both in ordained and lay roles. Six renewal events will be offered at the Shalom Retreat Center in Dubuque, from August 2011 through April 2013, with online resources available between events. Twelve prominent authors, theologians and practitioners will lead the series, focusing on the use of sacred practices like prayer, discernment, and service in the leadership of a congregation. Participants can expect to learn to use sacred practices as a means of shaping their congregation s life and ministry by intentionally allowing God to be a more active player in the life of the congregation. SPLaSh is a joint venture of the Center for Renewal at Grand View University, Des Moines, and Alban Institute of Herndon Va. To learn more, visit or contact Dwight DuBois at or dwight.cfr@me.com. 10 Northeastern Iowa Synod