2024 WND Synod Assembly Workshops
May 31-June 2, 2024 | Watford City, ND
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Hearing on Draft Social Statement on Civic Life and Faith
Location: Diamond Room
Susan Wefald, ELCA Task Force members on Faith and Civic Engagement Social Statement
Session is at 4:15 and 5:15 PM
This is your chance to share your thoughts on the DRAFT Social Statement on Civic Life and Faith. An ELCA Task Force has been working on this very interesting social statement for 3 years. These Hearings provide an opportunity for participants to share with the ELCA task force their concerns, appreciations and suggestions about this draft social statement. Hearings are a critical step in the social statement process because it provides comprehensive feedback from across our church during the formative state of statement development. It is important that each person read either the draft “Short Statement” of 48 Articles (8 pages) or the draft “Full Statement” of 48 Articles (55 pages) before offering comments. Please be prepared to offer “line” comments (lines are numbered in the draft) or general comments about specific Articles in the text.
ELCA Task Force Member Susan Wefald, member of the Western ND Synod and Trinity Lutheran Church in Bismarck, will be conducting these hearings.
Questions and Conversation with Bishop Craig
Location:
Session is at 4:15 PM ONLY
Join Bishop Craig for conversation about all things life, faith, and church. Think less “stump the bishop” and more “how are we doing in this faith journey together.”
Essential Best Practices Concerning Management of the Church Corporation
Location: Emerald Room
Murray G. Sagsveen, Synod Attorney
4:15 and 5:15 PM
This workshop will cover all things related to good congregational governance and policy, review of the responsibilities of being a member of a congregation, the role the congregation council plays in a congregation's mission and ministry, and updates on risk management and tax issues for 501(c)(3) organizations.
It’s a Birthday Party! 100 Years of Gospel-Sharing in the Central African Republic
Location: Gold Room
The Rev. Mark Nygard
4:15 and 5:15 PM
From 1923, when a Lutheran layperson from Wisconsin and his party hiked 26 days unarmed into the African interior to share Jesus..., to 2023, when the resulting Lutheran World Federation church body in Central African Republic regularly gathers 120,000 vibrant members and more each Sunday..., marvel with us how the Spirit of the Living God did this. Ponder what it means that we in the Western North Dakota Synod have a companion synod so hyperactive after such a short history. Think together about how your own North American congregation here can be blessed by this lively African sibling in Christ 7,000 miles away.
The Rev. Dr. Mark Nygard is a retired missionary pastor of the ELCA who served twelve years in neighboring Cameroon, besides ministry in Senegal, North Dakota, and Egypt. He was chair of the missionary committee that led the stateside centennial celebration in the Twin Cities last summer, and he joined WND staff who attended the Africa-side celebrations in Cameroon and C.A.R. last fall. His history of the founding of the mission in C.A.R. is available in Lutheran Quarterly, 36:4 (2022) 398-423 — “The Sudan Mission, Midwife to Two African Churches.”
Building a Culture of Generosity
Location: Opal Room
Paul Marsh, GSB Fundraising
4:15 ONLY
Would you like tips and tricks to strengthen your stewardship program? Join Paul Marsh, our Stewardship Specialist from GSB Fundraising, for a workshop that covers foundational principles of successful fundraising as well as foreshadows Stewardship for All Seasons, a year-long program available each year to congregations of the Western North Dakota Synod.
Mission and Vision Planning for Congregations
Location: Opal Room
Paul Marsh, GSB Fundraising
5:15 ONLY
The WND Synod has engaged in a long-term planning process, the results of which will be shared during this assembly. Planning is a crucial exercise for congregational vitality, as well. Join Paul Marsh from GSB Fundraising to discover how the planning process unfolds, the results of such a plan and the benefits of planning to your congregation and your members.
Witnessing Jesus: Finding Your Voice
Location: Arena – Meeting Side
The Rev. Rachel Simonson
Session is at 4:15 and 5:15 PM
As Christians we are called to witness to others, sharing our experiences about the power of Jesus in our own lives. As the old hymn proclaims, ‘I love to tell the story of unseen things above, of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love...’ But not many of us have had practice in putting our own experiences of Jesus and his love into words. Now is your chance! In this workshop we will reflect together and do some personal writing to get us thinking about how we would articulate our experiences of God’s action in our lives.
The Rev. Rachel Simonson serves as pastor at Lutheran Campus Ministry at Minot State University. Originally from Moorhead, MN, she, her husband, and two children have lived in Minot since 2020. Before this call, Rachel also served within the Western ND Synod at the Dunn County Lutheran Parish in Killdeer, Dunn Center, and Halliday with her husband, and as an interim pastor at Hope Lutheran Church in Surrey. It is her strong belief that one of the ways that the Holy Spirit is at work in our synod is through encouraging more lay people to pursue their sense of call into ministry areas in new ways within our churches and in our larger communities