South Dakota Synod News Blog

2010 Health Assessment Opens Tomorrow!

It's time again for the ELCA Board of Pensions-Mayo Clinic Health Assessment! The Assessment opens tomorrow, January 1, 2010, via the Mayo Clinic Embodyhealth portal.

As in the past, ELCA-primary plan members and their spouses will each earn a $150 personal wellness account credit for completing the Assessment. They also will be eligible for a further $300 credit for pursuing follow-up activities.

And as before, ELCA employers (congregations and other eligible organizations) in this synod will earn a 2% discount on 2010 health benefit contribution payments if 65% or more of plan members and eligible spouses in this synod take the Assessment before April 30.

Here are more details from the ELCA Board of Pensions website. Please complete the Assessment early so that you and others across this synod can benefit from the incentives, discounts, and improved health!

The basics     * Online tool helps you take stock of your health and lifestyle habits in less than 30 minutes     * Confidential; personal health information you enter is protected     * Available on the Mayo Clinic EmbodyHealth web portal January 1 - September 30, 2010     * Through a series of questions it:           o asks for your medical numbers or estimates – height, weight, waist measurement, cholesterol (HDL, LDL, total), triglycerides, blood sugar (glucose) and blood pressure           o identifies your health strengths and risks           o recommends strategies to maintain or improve health           o delivers a personal action plan     * Taking it:           o earns you a $150 personal wellness account credit (both plan member and eligible spouse can earn credit)           o is required before you can earn an additional $300 personal wellness account credit           o helps your employer come closer to earning a 2% health discount on health contributions if you take the health assessment by April 30, 2010 Step by step To get the most useful results, know your medical numbers (e.g., height, weight, blood pressure) before taking the health assessment. If you're due for a checkup, schedule one. If not, call your clinic for your numbers or enter an estimate. Log on on to the Mayo Clinic EmbodyHealth web portal using the e-mail address and password you used when you registered. If you didn't register on the portal in 2009, you'll need to register using your own individual e-mail, a password of your choosing and your Blue Cross ID card. Spouses must use separate e-mail addresses. Learn how to register on EmbodyHealth. Using one of several links offered on EmbodyHealth, take the health assessment (a 15 - 30 minute process). If you take it by April 30, you'll be helping your employer come closer to earning the 2% discount. Final health assessment deadline: September 30. An online form will appear. Complete it. Mayo Clinic will use your contact information to notify Blue Cross to give you a $150 personal wellness account credit. If your health risks qualify you to receive no-cost lifestyle coaching from Mayo Clinic, another form will appear. If you say yes to being contacted by an EmbodyHealth lifestyle coach, you'll be contacted regarding participation in this over-the-phone coaching program. Tip: EmbodyHealth coaching is a no-cost confidential way to bring some accountability to your health improvement efforts. Read through your health report; it highlights your health strengths and risks. Follow the links to learn more. If you have questions or concerns about your results, call ELCA NurseLineSM and/or schedule an appointment with your doctor. On the EmbodyHealth home page, go to Reward Program and select My Rewards to confirm that you've qualified for a $150 personal wellness account credit. Two weeks after taking the assessment, you'll be able to view the $150 personal wellness account credit on the Blue Cross web site. What Is the 2% Discount? The 2% discount on health contributions is offered by the Board of Pensions to reward seminaries, churchwide ministries and employers in synods with strong health assessment participation. Collectively, the ELCA can save $2.5 million if all synods (and employers within a synod), seminaries and churchwide ministries qualify for the discount.

Cameroon Electrical Project: Almost There!

As the year draws to its close, we are pleased to report that the urgent Cameroon electrical project that we wrote about a couple of weeks ago has nearly reached its $14,000 goal: We need another $4,000, preferably by January 5--this coming Tuesday!--to send with an American doctor who is traveling to Cameroon that week.

This has been a wonderful outporing of generosity on the part of many people across this synod, so we're confident that the full $14,000 can be met in time. The sooner the project can start, the sooner more lives can be saved in the hospital in Ngaoundéré. Thank you for your help!

If you have any questions about this project, please contact Kristi Lee (605/553-8268; klee@sdsynod.org). If you would like to support this project with your financial gifts, please send the gift to the South Dakota Synod, ELCA, Augustana College, Sioux Falls SD 57197 with Cameroon Electrical Project on the memo line.

The original e-mail describing the electrical project can be found here on the synod's News Blog.

This has been a wonderful outporing of generosity on the part of many people across this synod, so we're confident that the full $14,000 can be met in time. The sooner the project can start, the sooner more lives can be saved in the hospital in Ngaoundéré. Thank you for your help!

If you have any questions about this project, please contact Kristi Lee (605/553-8268; klee@sdsynod.org). If you would like to support this project with your financial gifts, please send the gift to the South Dakota Synod, ELCA, Augustana College, Sioux Falls SD 57197 with Cameroon Electrical Project on the memo line.

The original e-mail describing the electrical project can be found here on the synod's News Blog.

This has been a wonderful outporing of generosity on the part of many people across this synod, so we're confident that the full $14,000 can be met in time. The sooner the project can start, the sooner more lives can be saved in the hospital in Ngaoundéré. Thank you for your help!

If you have any questions about this project, please contact Kristi Lee (605/553-8268; klee@sdsynod.org). If you would like to support this project with your financial gifts, please send the gift to the South Dakota Synod, ELCA, Augustana College, Sioux Falls SD 57197 with Cameroon Electrical Project on the memo line.

The original e-mail describing the electrical project can be found here on the synod's News Blog.

Christmas Greetings from the South Dakota Synod!

South Dakota Synod, ELCA + Augustana College Campus + Sioux Falls SD 57197 + 605/274-4011 + 605/274-4028 (fax) + synod@sdsynod.org

www.southdakotasynod.org
www.sdsblog.com/

January Visit from Synod’s Missionary to Nicaragua

Annie Bjerke, the South Dakota Synod’s missionary to Nicaragua, will be in the state January 2 through 11. She will begin her week with us in Aberdeen, at the 8:30 and 10:45 Sunday morning services at Zion Lutheran on January 3. Annie also is speaking at the 9:45 education hour. Everyone is invited to attend the Zion services, or any of the events on the rest of Annie's schedule:

Monday, January 4	Pizza Ranch, Watertown: A supper and gathering at 6:00 p.m., with Annie speaking, sponsored by Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer.
Tuesday, January 5	First Lutheran Church, Volga, a gathering at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 6	St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls: An Epiphany Celebration at 7:00 p.m. featuring Annie as our missionary speaker and holiday music by the choir and others, followed by coffee and cider.
Thursday, January 7	Grace Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls: A supper and gathering at 6:00 p.m.
Friday, January 8	A day off for Annie!
Saturday, January 9	Synod office, Sioux Falls: Meeting with the Companion Synods Committee, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
	Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls: A greeting at the 5:00 p.m. service, followed by a trip-planning meeting.
Sunday, January 10	Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls: Greetings at the 8:00 and 8:45 services.
	First Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls: A greeting at the 9:45 service.
	Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls: Talk to youth study group, 11:00 a.m.
	Trinity Lutheran Church, Mitchell: Presentation to Prairie Rivers Conference gathering, 3:00 p.m.
Monday, January 11	Return to Minneapolis for the flight back to Nicaragua on January 13.

When Annie returns to Nicaragua she will help shepherd the visit of U.S. students to Nicaragua’s Lutheran Church of Faith and Hope. We are sorry that she could not visit the entire state this trip but the time was too squeezed between New Year’s Day and the student visit. If you live in the areas Annie will visit please make every effort to attend these events. Check with the churches to confirm times.

Gloria Dei medical mission travels to Nicaragua February 10 to 17. Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, including Bishop Dave’s first visit to Nicaragua, will travel February 20 to 27. If you would like to join a synod trip to Nicaragua please contact Cathy Larson (clarson@sdsynod.org; 605/335-0483).

If you know someone who speaks Spanish and would like to volunteer (with stipend) for two years of service as a missionary in Nicaragua starting in June, please contact the synod office (synod@sdsynod.org; 605/274-4011), Steve Nelson at ELCA Global Mission (1-800-638-3522) or Cathy Larson (clarson@sdsynod.org; 605/335-0483).

Joys and Concerns

Once again we are reminded that "here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come." (Hebrews 13:14)

We learned just this afternoon of the death last month of Mrs. Lorraine Brandt, Garretson, the wife of retired pastor Erwin Brandt of this synod. Mrs. Brandt died Sunday, November 22, with funeral on Wednesday, November 25, at Abiding Savior Free Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls. A full obituary is online at http://snipurl.com/tsh48.

Please join us in prayer for Mrs. Brandt's family and friends during this difficult time.

We learned just this afternoon of the death last month of Mrs. Lorraine Brandt, Garretson, the wife of retired pastor Erwin Brandt of this synod. Mrs. Brandt died Sunday, November 22, with funeral on Wednesday, November 25, at Abiding Savior Free Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls. A full obituary is online at http://snipurl.com/tsh48.

Please join us in prayer for Mrs. Brandt's family and friends during this difficult time.

We learned just this afternoon of the death last month of Mrs. Lorraine Brandt, Garretson, the wife of retired pastor Erwin Brandt of this synod. Mrs. Brandt died Sunday, November 22, with funeral on Wednesday, November 25, at Abiding Savior Free Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls. A full obituary is online at http://snipurl.com/tsh48.

Please join us in prayer for Mrs. Brandt's family and friends during this difficult time.

Joys and Concerns

Once again we are reminded that "here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come." (Hebrews 13:14)

Pastor Marlin Haugrud, Sioux Falls, has informed us of the death this past Friday, December 18, of his father, Marvin Haugrud. Mr. Haugrud, a resident of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, was 90 years old. His funeral will be held today, Monday, December 21, 11:00 a.m., at Grove Lake Lutheran Church, rural Pelican Rapids. A full obituary for Mr. Haugrud is online at www.inforum.com/event/obituary/id/263303/.

Please join us in prayer for Mr. Haugrud's family and friends in their time of mourning.

Once again we are reminded that "here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come." (Hebrews 13:14)

Pastor Marlin Haugrud, Sioux Falls, has informed us of the death this past Friday, December 18, of his father, Marvin Haugrud. Mr. Haugrud, a resident of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, was 90 years old. His funeral will be held today, Monday, December 21, 11:00 a.m., at Grove Lake Lutheran Church, rural Pelican Rapids. A full obituary for Mr. Haugrud is online at www.inforum.com/event/obituary/id/263303/.

Please join us in prayer for Mr. Haugrud's family and friends in their time of mourning.

Once again we are reminded that "here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come." (Hebrews 13:14)

Pastor Marlin Haugrud, Sioux Falls, has informed us of the death this past Friday, December 18, of his father, Marvin Haugrud. Mr. Haugrud, a resident of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, was 90 years old. His funeral will be held today, Monday, December 21, 11:00 a.m., at Grove Lake Lutheran Church, rural Pelican Rapids. A full obituary for Mr. Haugrud is online at www.inforum.com/event/obituary/id/263303/.

Please join us in prayer for Mr. Haugrud's family and friends in their time of mourning.

One Remaining Book of Faith Workshop!

Teaching the Bible, Hosting the Conversation
Workshops for rostered leaders and
lay leaders—all who teach or lead small groups.

Teaching and learning the Bible is one of the primary faith formation practices for Christians. For members of the ELCA, the Book of Faith Initiative calls us to encounter the Scriptures in a deep and powerful way. This course helps support the development of teaching skills.

Are you a...

Rostered leader · Book of Faith Advocate ·
Christian Education Director · Small group study leader

Are you looking for material to enhance your teaching skills or support others who are teachers?

We will watch the lectures together, have discussion locally and then open the discussion statewide through the videoconference network.

The lectures are by professors of Christian education, religion and the Bible at ELCA seminaries and colleges. This course explores the many facets of the church’s ministry of teaching, especially as it relates to the Bible. Focusing primarily on teaching adults, individual sessions examine the dynamics of adult learning, methodology, designing teaching/learning experiences, pastoral implications of teaching the Bible, multi-cultural considerations in exploring biblical texts, and the use of media in teaching.

These workshops will each be held twice, once on a Thursday and once on a Saturday, to maximize their availability. We will be showing the course lectures over the state videoconference system.

Workshop Cost: FREE! Bring lunch money, each site will have a food option arranged.  Please register ASAP so we know how much food to order for each location!

Thursday course locations:

Aberdeen, Northern State University
Rapid City, South Dakota School of Mines &Technology
Sioux Falls, University Center

Saturday course locations:

Aberdeen, Northern State University
Brookings, South Dakota State University
Pierre, Capitol building
Rapid City, South Dakota School of Mines &Technology
Sioux Falls, University Center

Vermillion, University of South Dakota

Register online via the South Dakota Synod website Events page (www.southdakotasynod.org).

Download a brochure with complete information and resource links.

Schedule
9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (Central Time)

October 22 or 24
Sessions 1-2
Teaching as Conversation: Where do we Begin?
Teachers and Learners: Relationships Matter

November 12 or 14
Sessions 3-4
Adults as Learners: What Does the Brain Tell Us?
How We Teach Matters as Much as What We Teach

January 14 and 16
Sessions 5-6
Hearing Other Voices: Multi-culture Encounters with the Bible
From Crèche to the World Wide Web: Using Visual Media to Teach the Bible

Questions? Contact the South Dakota Synod's Book of Faith Advocates:

Jodi Hanson, AIM (jhanson@sdsynod.org; 605/274-4031)
Suzanne Hansen, AIM (shansen@sdsynod.org; 605/274-4105)

Teaching the Bible, Hosting the Conversation
Workshops for rostered leaders and
lay leaders—all who teach or lead small groups.

Teaching and learning the Bible is one of the primary faith formation practices for Christians. For members of the ELCA, the Book of Faith Initiative calls us to encounter the Scriptures in a deep and powerful way. This course helps support the development of teaching skills.

Are you a...

Rostered leader · Book of Faith Advocate ·
Christian Education Director · Small group study leader

Are you looking for material to enhance your teaching skills or support others who are teachers?

We will watch the lectures together, have discussion locally and then open the discussion statewide through the videoconference network.

The lectures are by professors of Christian education, religion and the Bible at ELCA seminaries and colleges. This course explores the many facets of the church’s ministry of teaching, especially as it relates to the Bible. Focusing primarily on teaching adults, individual sessions examine the dynamics of adult learning, methodology, designing teaching/learning experiences, pastoral implications of teaching the Bible, multi-cultural considerations in exploring biblical texts, and the use of media in teaching.

These workshops will each be held twice, once on a Thursday and once on a Saturday, to maximize their availability. We will be showing the course lectures over the state videoconference system.

Workshop Cost: FREE! Bring lunch money, each site will have a food option arranged.  Please register ASAP so we know how much food to order for each location!

Thursday course locations:

Aberdeen, Northern State University
Rapid City, South Dakota School of Mines &Technology
Sioux Falls, University Center

Saturday course locations:

Aberdeen, Northern State University
Brookings, South Dakota State University
Pierre, Capitol building
Rapid City, South Dakota School of Mines &Technology
Sioux Falls, University Center

Vermillion, University of South Dakota

Register online via the South Dakota Synod website Events page (www.southdakotasynod.org).

Download a brochure with complete information and resource links.

Schedule
9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (Central Time)

October 22 or 24
Sessions 1-2
Teaching as Conversation: Where do we Begin?
Teachers and Learners: Relationships Matter

November 12 or 14
Sessions 3-4
Adults as Learners: What Does the Brain Tell Us?
How We Teach Matters as Much as What We Teach

January 14 and 16
Sessions 5-6
Hearing Other Voices: Multi-culture Encounters with the Bible
From Crèche to the World Wide Web: Using Visual Media to Teach the Bible

Questions? Contact the South Dakota Synod's Book of Faith Advocates:

Jodi Hanson, AIM (jhanson@sdsynod.org; 605/274-4031)
Suzanne Hansen, AIM (shansen@sdsynod.org; 605/274-4105)

Teaching the Bible, Hosting the Conversation
Workshops for rostered leaders and
lay leaders—all who teach or lead small groups.

Teaching and learning the Bible is one of the primary faith formation practices for Christians. For members of the ELCA, the Book of Faith Initiative calls us to encounter the Scriptures in a deep and powerful way. This course helps support the development of teaching skills.

Are you a...

Rostered leader · Book of Faith Advocate ·
Christian Education Director · Small group study leader

Are you looking for material to enhance your teaching skills or support others who are teachers?

We will watch the lectures together, have discussion locally and then open the discussion statewide through the videoconference network.

The lectures are by professors of Christian education, religion and the Bible at ELCA seminaries and colleges. This course explores the many facets of the church’s ministry of teaching, especially as it relates to the Bible. Focusing primarily on teaching adults, individual sessions examine the dynamics of adult learning, methodology, designing teaching/learning experiences, pastoral implications of teaching the Bible, multi-cultural considerations in exploring biblical texts, and the use of media in teaching.

These workshops will each be held twice, once on a Thursday and once on a Saturday, to maximize their availability. We will be showing the course lectures over the state videoconference system.

Workshop Cost: FREE! Bring lunch money, each site will have a food option arranged.  Please register ASAP so we know how much food to order for each location!

Thursday course locations:

Aberdeen, Northern State University
Rapid City, South Dakota School of Mines &Technology
Sioux Falls, University Center

Saturday course locations:

Aberdeen, Northern State University
Brookings, South Dakota State University
Pierre, Capitol building
Rapid City, South Dakota School of Mines &Technology
Sioux Falls, University Center

Vermillion, University of South Dakota

Register online via the South Dakota Synod website Events page (www.southdakotasynod.org).

Download a brochure with complete information and resource links.

Schedule
9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (Central Time)

October 22 or 24
Sessions 1-2
Teaching as Conversation: Where do we Begin?
Teachers and Learners: Relationships Matter

November 12 or 14
Sessions 3-4
Adults as Learners: What Does the Brain Tell Us?
How We Teach Matters as Much as What We Teach

January 14 and 16
Sessions 5-6
Hearing Other Voices: Multi-culture Encounters with the Bible
From Crèche to the World Wide Web: Using Visual Media to Teach the Bible

Questions? Contact the South Dakota Synod's Book of Faith Advocates:

Jodi Hanson, AIM (jhanson@sdsynod.org; 605/274-4031)
Suzanne Hansen, AIM (shansen@sdsynod.org; 605/274-4105)

Urgent — Cameroon Electrical Project

Dear Friends in Christ,

I recently returned from a trip to Cameroon where I, along with eight other South Dakotans, spent several days working with our brothers and sisters in West Africa. A highlight of the trip was being present at the installation of Bishop Nyiwe. We will be sending you a full report of our travels within the next couple of weeks.

More important, I wanted to reach out to all of you on behalf of our friends in Cameroon. As a part of our travels, we were given a tour of the hospital in Ngaoundéré. This hospital is the primary surgical center for north central Cameroon and serves hundreds of patients a year. The hospital has benefited from donations of new medical equipment through Global Health Ministries; however, several pieces of equipment have burned out due to electrical surges and brown-outs. And even more seriously, the hospital suffers from power outages, which in some cases leads to the death of patients who are undergoing surgery when an outage occurs.

In discussions with the hospital board, we learned that for $14,000 the hospital would be able to upgrade its electrical service with a dedicated line to the facility. This would alleviate the surges and outages to the hospital and would — first and foremost — save patients’ lives, and preserve the lifesaving medical equipment as well.

I believe that the people of South Dakota can make this dedicated electrical line a reality for the people of Cameroon. I ask that you prayerfully consider making a gift to help pay for this electrical upgrade, which would immediately help the patients of the Lutheran Church of Cameroon Hospital. We hope to have this money available by January 5 to send with an American doctor who is traveling to Cameroon that week.

If you have any questions about this project, please contact Kristi Lee (605/553-8268; klee@sdsynod.org). If you would like to support this project with your financial gifts, please send the gift to the South Dakota Synod, ELCA, Augustana College, Sioux Falls SD 57197 with Cameroon Electrical Project on the memo line.

Yours in Christ’s Mission,



Bishop David Zellmer

Dear Friends in Christ,

I recently returned from a trip to Cameroon where I, along with eight other South Dakotans, spent several days working with our brothers and sisters in West Africa. A highlight of the trip was being present at the installation of Bishop Nyiwe. We will be sending you a full report of our travels within the next couple of weeks.

More important, I wanted to reach out to all of you on behalf of our friends in Cameroon. As a part of our travels, we were given a tour of the hospital in Ngaoundéré. This hospital is the primary surgical center for north central Cameroon and serves hundreds of patients a year. The hospital has benefited from donations of new medical equipment through Global Health Ministries; however, several pieces of equipment have burned out due to electrical surges and brown-outs. And even more seriously, the hospital suffers from power outages, which in some cases leads to the death of patients who are undergoing surgery when an outage occurs.

In discussions with the hospital board, we learned that for $14,000 the hospital would be able to upgrade its electrical service with a dedicated line to the facility. This would alleviate the surges and outages to the hospital and would — first and foremost — save patients’ lives, and preserve the lifesaving medical equipment as well.

I believe that the people of South Dakota can make this dedicated electrical line a reality for the people of Cameroon. I ask that you prayerfully consider making a gift to help pay for this electrical upgrade, which would immediately help the patients of the Lutheran Church of Cameroon Hospital. We hope to have this money available by January 5 to send with an American doctor who is traveling to Cameroon that week.

If you have any questions about this project, please contact Kristi Lee (605/553-8268; klee@sdsynod.org). If you would like to support this project with your financial gifts, please send the gift to the South Dakota Synod, ELCA, Augustana College, Sioux Falls SD 57197 with Cameroon Electrical Project on the memo line.

Yours in Christ’s Mission,



Bishop David Zellmer

Dear Friends in Christ,

I recently returned from a trip to Cameroon where I, along with eight other South Dakotans, spent several days working with our brothers and sisters in West Africa. A highlight of the trip was being present at the installation of Bishop Nyiwe. We will be sending you a full report of our travels within the next couple of weeks.

More important, I wanted to reach out to all of you on behalf of our friends in Cameroon. As a part of our travels, we were given a tour of the hospital in Ngaoundéré. This hospital is the primary surgical center for north central Cameroon and serves hundreds of patients a year. The hospital has benefited from donations of new medical equipment through Global Health Ministries; however, several pieces of equipment have burned out due to electrical surges and brown-outs. And even more seriously, the hospital suffers from power outages, which in some cases leads to the death of patients who are undergoing surgery when an outage occurs.

In discussions with the hospital board, we learned that for $14,000 the hospital would be able to upgrade its electrical service with a dedicated line to the facility. This would alleviate the surges and outages to the hospital and would — first and foremost — save patients’ lives, and preserve the lifesaving medical equipment as well.

I believe that the people of South Dakota can make this dedicated electrical line a reality for the people of Cameroon. I ask that you prayerfully consider making a gift to help pay for this electrical upgrade, which would immediately help the patients of the Lutheran Church of Cameroon Hospital. We hope to have this money available by January 5 to send with an American doctor who is traveling to Cameroon that week.

If you have any questions about this project, please contact Kristi Lee (605/553-8268; klee@sdsynod.org). If you would like to support this project with your financial gifts, please send the gift to the South Dakota Synod, ELCA, Augustana College, Sioux Falls SD 57197 with Cameroon Electrical Project on the memo line.

Yours in Christ’s Mission,



Bishop David Zellmer

An Open Letter from Bishop David B. Zellmer

December 15, 2009

Dear Friends,

I write to you, one of the 123,000 members of our Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in South Dakota, knowing that you may be wondering about the recent news articles related to the decisions that were made at our churchwide assembly this summer.

First of all, let me clarify those decisions. We passed a social statement entitled “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust,” and then voted to allow congregations – if they so desire - to call a pastor who is living in a in a life long, monogamous, publicly accountable, same gender relationship. The document that was passed at the assembly outlines four positions on homosexuality that may be held by faithful Christians who have studied the Bible. The document states that we, as a church, do not agree on which of the four positions is “correct.” To say it simply, we have agreed to disagree. Each local congregation may call the pastor who they believe will best serve them.

So here we are in the midst of a churchwide body that doesn’t agree. You may find yourself in the middle of a congregation or even a family that cannot find agreement on these complex issues. I would offer you this: We are held together not by the correctness of our doctrine or the purity of our moral reasoning, but by Christ our King. Christ commands us to love one another not just when we agree, but especially when we don’t. I remain steadfast in my commitment to the ELCA and I would like to share with you a few of my thoughts about why I am staying in this church.

I choose to remain because there is a place in this church for people like me, who question the morality of homosexual behavior on the basis of God’s word. Our church acknowledges that on this particular issue, faithful believers have come to different positions. It does not hold any one position above the other. I find guidance in the following scripture, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35). This is a moral issue. It happens to be about sex and family, things that to us are precious, and about which we feel strong emotions. But God’s salvation does not depend on being right or wrong on this or any other moral issue. It depends only on Christ our King who died so that all who believe in him would not be condemned but have eternal life.

I choose to remain because the new policies place the authority to call a pastor where it belongs – with the local congregation. Congregations will be encouraged to continue to ask tough questions of pastors during the call process; this has not changed. Questions should be asked about moral issues including but not limited to sexuality. Congregations have always called and will continue to call the pastor who will best serve them.

My commitment to stay in our ELCA is rooted in the commands of Christ and in the fact that our church is about so much more than this disagreement. We are here to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

+ This church brings hope and healing to the suffering. One example is “Nothing but Net,” our church’s commitment to ending malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa.

+ This church shares the good news of God’s love with those in prison through our ministry at St. Dysmas.

+ This church shows God’s love by feeding the hungry in your community and throughout the world.

+ This church stands with the poorest among us, as evidenced by our Lutheran Lakota Shared Ministries in Pine Ridge.

+ This church goes where people are to share God’s love. Right here in South Dakota we have seven new ministries, including African, Latino, American Indian, and suburban mission starts.
All of us, together as the ELCA, stand together in God’s grace, focusing on sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is serious work that calls for a commitment from each one of us. We each bring everything we have, our gifts, our talents, our diversity, and even our disagreements to the service of God’s Mission.

Our church is not perfect. I will be working to change the polity of the ELCA so that congregations have more voice in this church. We need to find a way where all voices are heard throughout the decision making process. I will work with my colleagues here in South Dakota and in the Conference of Bishops to move forward on these changes.

I will remain faithful to the promises I made in my ordination and at my installation as the bishop of the South Dakota Synod. I promised to serve the whole church and to work for the life of the world. I will always keep the commands of Jesus at the center of our mission to “make disciples of all nations, teaching them all that I have commanded you” to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, tend the sick, and visit those in prison. We as a synod and as the whole ELCA have been faithful in living out those commands and I look forward to continuing this within the ELCA and with people across our synod and around the world.

Yours in Christ’s Mission


Bishop David B. Zellmer

One Remaining Book of Faith Workshop!

Teaching the Bible,
Hosting the Conversation

Workshops for rostered leaders and
lay leaders—all who teach or lead small groups.

Teaching and learning the Bible is one of the primary faith formation practices for Christians. For members of the ELCA, the Book of Faith Initiative calls us to encounter the Scriptures in a deep and powerful way. This course helps support the development of teaching skills.

Are you a...

Rostered leader · Book of Faith Advocate ·
Christian Education Director · Small group study leader

Are you looking for material to enhance your teaching skills or support others who are teachers?

We will watch the lectures together, have discussion locally and then open the discussion statewide through the videoconference network.

The lectures are by professors of Christian education, religion and the Bible at ELCA seminaries and colleges. This course explores the many facets of the church’s ministry of teaching, especially as it relates to the Bible. Focusing primarily on teaching adults, individual sessions examine the dynamics of adult learning, methodology, designing teaching/learning experiences, pastoral implications of teaching the Bible, multi-cultural considerations in exploring biblical texts, and the use of media in teaching.

These workshops will each be held twice, once on a Thursday and once on a Saturday, to maximize their availability. We will be showing the course lectures over the state videoconference system.

Workshop Cost: FREE! Bring lunch money, each site will have a food option arranged.  Please register ASAP so we know how much food to order for each location!

Thursday course locations:

Aberdeen, Northern State University
Rapid City, South Dakota School of Mines &Technology
Sioux Falls, University Center

Saturday course locations:

Aberdeen, Northern State University
Brookings, South Dakota State University
Pierre, Capitol building
Rapid City, South Dakota School of Mines &Technology
Sioux Falls, University Center

Vermillion, University of South Dakota

Register online via the South Dakota Synod website Events page (www.southdakotasynod.org).

Download a brochure with complete information and resource links.

Schedule
9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (Central Time)

October 22 or 24
Sessions 1-2
Teaching as Conversation: Where do we Begin?
Teachers and Learners: Relationships Matter

November 12 or 14
Sessions 3-4
Adults as Learners: What Does the Brain Tell Us?
How We Teach Matters as Much as What We Teach

January 14 and 16
Sessions 5-6
Hearing Other Voices: Multi-culture Encounters with the Bible
From Crèche to the World Wide Web: Using Visual Media to Teach the Bible

Questions? Contact the South Dakota Synod's Book of Faith Advocates:

Jodi Hanson, AIM (jhanson@sdsynod.org; 605/274-4031)
Suzanne Hansen, AIM (shansen@sdsynod.org; 605/274-4105)