And then comes the challenge. How do I condense all of it into a five minute report at the end of the worship service immediately before the dismissal?
Fortunately, I took notes while the speakers were speaking and pastors were preaching. This helped me retain the thrust of each message and I was able to see the common thread that linked everything together, The message was for all congregations to be a public church. I then built on what they said and lifted one or two of their sentences and raised it before the Peace Lutheran Congregation.
This is how it came out.
I stand before you with the challenge of condensing three days of Synod Assembly into a five-minute presentation. The repeated message we received was a challenge to be the Public Church. This was visually clear to us on opening night with an event called The Festival. Rather than having Workshop Sessions as in the past, this was a celebration of New and Renewing Missions in our Synod. I will touch on three of these. Trinity Lutheran in Hillsdale still supports the homeless and working poor with a community food pantry called Kings Kupbord. Trinity Lutheran in Battle Creek keeps their doors open everyday with a buzz of activity in their participation of the Joint-Religious Organizing Network for Action and Hope (JONAH). In Saginaw, all eight ELCA congregations formed the Saginaw Metro Ministries, which support a food pantry, kitchen, and youth center in Saginaw.
The Rev. Dr Cheryl Peterson, who teaches Systematic Theology at Trinity Seminary in Ohio, spoke to us on the theme, “On Earth as in Heaven.” She urged us all to seriously consider the words we use in the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday, “Your Will be done,” and to think of how God breaks into our lives. We, the Church have a mission to break into the lives in our community. She ended her sessions with these words. God has a mission and His mission has a Church.
Andrew (Drew) Genszler, Director of the Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs challenged us with this additional perspective, that perhaps it is all our “stuff” that keeps us from focusing mission before us, Every speaker and pastor who preached, reiterated our Synod’s mission statement: Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered and sent for the sake of the world.
It took me about a half hour to write my report as I reflected on what I heard and what I should say. Perhaps it was easier for me to do, than for someone else. If that is the case then indeed I have a gift and I used it in a small way to benefit Peace Lutheran. I do not attend Synod Assembly with an agenda. I go their and empty myself of my ego. I see and listen and find information that will apply to the activities already happening at Peace Lutheran. The only agenda I set for myself, if that is what it is called, is to be present and participate.
