In ThIs Issue

After nearly two weeks of immer-sion in Hungarian culture and hos-pitality, members of the Northeast-ern Iowa Synod have returned home excited to continue developing the Companion Synod relationship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary (ELCH).

Five members of the Northeastern Iowa Synod traveled with Bishop Ullestad and his wife, Ruth, to Eastern Europe in May where they joined a Wartburg College travel seminar studying the reformation, led by the Rev. Dr. Kit Kleinhans, professor of religion at Wartburg

College. The synod group vis-ited Prague, Czech Republic, and Bratislava, Slovakia, before making their way to Hungary, where they connected with Bishop Tamas Fabiny and Szilvia Garai, both who have been guests of the Northeast-ern Iowa Synod.

The group’s tour included visits to Lutheran churches in the capital city of Budapest and day trips to a Roma village and college, as well as to the village of Mende to learn about the church in Hungary. They met two members of the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission

(YAGM) who are serv-ing in Hungary, along with local families and congregation members who welcomed the group with bountiful spreads of traditional Hungarian meals.

Pastor Mark Anderson, assistant to the Bishop, prepared for the trip by reading history books and travel guides, in-cluding The Struggle of Hungarian Lutherans Under Communism by H. David Baer, but Anderson says he didn’t realize how little he knew about Hun-gary until he was in the country.

“During the Cold War hardly any-thing was ever mentioned about the little countries within the Soviet Union—we only talked about Russia,” he said. “I didn’t realize how ignorant we were of Eastern European history and the Eastern church until we got there.”

Anderson was most surprised to see the varying attitudes toward com-munism that still exist in Eastern

JuLY/AuGuST 2013 • VoLume 26, ISSue 7NortheasterN Iowa

Evangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaStarstrengthening Ministry networks

synod trip to hungary reveals strong connections by Chelsea ecklund, Communications Intern

>> Continued on page 2

1 Synod trip to Hungary reveals strong connections

3 Rejoice in this church

6 Mission Investment Fund supports building projects

8 The What? Yes, the Tithe!

11 Congregations

12 Prayer Calendar

Bishop Tamas Fabiny (center), Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary (ELCH), leads Tanner Howard and Bishop Steven Ullestad of the Northeastern Iowa Synod on a tour of a farm sponsored by the ELCH to help members of the Roma community learn skills and earn income.

Visiting the Roma village was completely and utterly eye-opening.” —Tanner Howard

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Europe. The transition to democra-cy from a government that planned everything—such as where to live or what occupation to have—has been difficult for some older Hungarians who endured many years under communist rule, but Bishop Fabiny stressed that no one would want to go back to a communist govern-ment.

The Iowa group was impressed by a giant metronome with a swinging pendulum that sits in the center of Prague as a reminder of the “change in time” for the Czech people after the fall of communism. Erected in 1991, the metronome fills an empty space where a statue of Stalin once stood. “Everywhere you are in the city you can see it. They really are in a new time,” ex-plained Anderson.

Tanner Howard, a second year stu-dent at Wartburg Theological Semi-

nary in Dubuque, says that he was intrigued by the Hungarian sense of identity. Budapest flies the flags of other countries on buildings to rep-resent ostracized Hungarians who, through border changes, have lived in different countries without ever having moved from the houses and land that have been in their families for centuries.

“The government has changed so often that the Hungarians have no sense of permanency,” he said. Because of the ever-changing po-litical landscape, being Hungarian is based on nationality rather than geography. This political instability and uncertainty is something most in Iowa cannot comprehend.

While many aspects of Hungarian culture differ from Iowa, there are also many similarities. “Hungarian Lutherans are like us in that they are mostly small churches in small

towns with the same concerns,” Anderson said. “Congregants are growing older, there are fewer chil-dren in church, fewer pastors, more competition with modern society, expenses and so on.”

One issue faced by the ELCH is the trend of youth moving to cities. As more young people move to the cities, fewer people are available to run family farms in surrounding villages, which mirrors issues faced in Iowa.

Another issue is the attitudes toward minority groups. The Roma, also known as gypsies (though that term is considered derogatory), are a group of people who emigrated from India into Europe 1500 years ago. Groups of Roma settled in Hungary during the 14th and 15th centuries, establishing villages around the countryside. Roma in Hungary are among the poorest in the country, and they face discrimi-nation and hardships every day.

“Visiting the Roma village was com-pletely and utterly eye-opening,” Howard said. “I identified strongly with the Roma and related attitudes toward the Roma with issues con-cerning Latinos in Iowa.”

Howard said that he heard multiple times how the Roma “came in, lived off the state, and stole jobs.” Mem-bers of the Iowa group were able to engage in conversation about these issues and learn what Hungarian Lutherans are doing to combat them.

According to Anderson, every Roma had a job under communist rule, but when communism ended, many Roma jobs were lost. The Evangeli-cal Lutheran Church in Hungary

Synod trip to Hungary reveals strong connections << Continued from page 1

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary sponsors an on-campus program to help Roma students at the university in Budapest adjust to college life in the city.

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It is a joy and privilege to be a part of history.

Our assembly celebrated the presence of the first and second presiding bishop of the church and the first secretary of the church. No other synod has had this honor. We are also grateful that the first secretary of the synod was with us and continues to serve our synod.

What comes with this history? Gratitude.

Whenever a new organization is formed there are many anxieties and even struggles for power. The first leaders of our new church were called to keep us focused on the mission that the people have agreed to by means of votes that established our new constitution. We decided to be an interdepen-dent church where those who were affected by the decisions would

make the decisions. We decided to be a three-expression church and not a hierarchical church. Each expression—congregation, synod and churchwide—are fully the church, but not the whole church. Decisions are shared and not imposed. This is a visionary structure.

We are grateful for the mission that has been unleashed in this “new” church. We heard at this assembly how congregational witness has been empowered because of our ecumenical agreements. We celebrated our work through the World Hunger appeal that is supported by over $300,000 and our Malaria Campaign of over

$355,000 of support.

We heard of the Young Adults in Global Mission work that brings the good news of Jesus Christ around the world, including in our companion synod in Hungary.

We rejoice that “All things are being made new” by that old, old story of Jesus and his love.

Our synod is in a time of celebra-tion.

Rejoice!

− Steven L. Ullestad Bishop, Northeastern Iowa Synod

BIshop

Rejoice in this church Our synod is in a time

of celebration.

has been working to help the Roma people get on their feet by assisting in their education and helping them to become more self-sufficient.

“The Hungarian synod has built a preschool for Roma children to be school-ready, and has also estab-lished a small farm where Roma families can raise crops to sell,” Anderson explained. The farm helps the Roma people generate income and teaches them essential skills. The Hungarian synod has also set up a program at the local university to help the Roma transition to city life.

“Very few Roma get accepted into university, but if they do, they have to move to the city and live in a very different environment and culture,”

Anderson said. “The Lutheran program provides a place for Roma to live on campus to help them academically and socially fit into uni-versity life.”

Learning what the ELCH is doing to assist the Roma has given the group from the Northeastern Iowa Synod ideas for ministries to start back home. “It was exciting because I was able to connect what our churches are doing here and what they’re doing there,

Members of the Lutheran church in Erdokurt, Hungary, show the banner that Pastor Harold McMillin presented to them on behalf of the congregation of St. John, Luana, which has begun a companion synod partnership with the Erdokurt congregation.

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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 ELCA Director for Evangelical Mission Rev. Nancy J. Larson – larsonn@neiasynod.org or nancy.larson@elca.org Star Editor Marcia Hahn – hahnm@neiasynod.org

The Star is published 11 times a year by the Northeastern Iowa Synod, 201 20th Street SW, PO Box 804, Waverly, IA 50677-0804; www.neiasynod.org, phone 319-352-1414, FAX 319-352-1416.

Send news for the September issue to Marcia Hahn by Aug. 9. We welcome story ideas related to the 2013 theme, “Strengthening Ministry Networks.”

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. To receive an electronic version of the Star, rather than paper, send your request to hahnm@neiasynod.org. www.neiasynod.org

and how attitudes can affect minis-try.” Howard said. “The church is so similar no matter where you go.”

Harold McMillin, pastor at St. John, Luana, joined the trip to make a personal contact with the Lutheran congregation in Erdo-kurt, Hungary, which has begun a partnership with his church as part of the Northeastern Iowa Synod’s Companion Synod relationship with the ELCH. McMillin and the Iowa group attended a worship service at the Erdokurt church, were serenad-ed by the choir, and shared a meal prepared by members of the congre-gation. Bishop Ullestad preached during the service, and McMillin presented the congregation with a banner from St. John.

“The church is bigger than our four walls, than America,” McMillin said. “It’s a universal, international church, and it was rewarding to per-sonally meet who we’ll be working with and to bring back this experi-ence to our congregation.”

Anderson sees many opportunities to strengthen the Hungary Com-panion Synod relationship, espe-cially in the age of social media. “This companion synod is different from our connection to Namibia in that Hungarians have power and Internet all the time,” Anderson said. “This could be so unbelievably cool.”

Anderson gave an example of Sunday school kids doing a car wash in Iowa to support a YAGM, and then the YAGM using Skype, an online video calling service, to talk to the Sunday school class and show what they’re doing in Hun-gary. Anderson also talked about people becoming pen pals with Lu-

therans in Hungary and doing min-istry by video. The Internet makes congregation-to-congregation rela-tionships, such as the one McMil-lin’s congregation has established, a reality.

“St. John Lutheran in Farmersburg has connected with a Roma church and is doing ministry by sharing stories,” Anderson said. “The Inter-net has helped children and young adults think globally at a very young age. These connections make the world so small.”

McMillin encourages other Iowa congregations to partner with groups in Hungary. Congregations can connect with a congregation, college, high school or Roma com-munity and develop congregational relationships.

“It was very rewarding to visit so many sites and see the impact the church is having on facets of the community in Hungary,” Mc-Millin said.

The most moving ex-perience for Howard, which epitomized the entire trip, was when he met a woman in her 90s who spoke no English during a meal in the Mende town hall, where there was a three-table spread of des-serts.

“She spoke

no English, but I got that she had made almost all of the desserts on the table,” Howard said. “I was ex-cited to be there, and I could tell she was excited we were there as well.”

Howard and the woman talked for more than an hour, bonding over the food and the similarities be-tween cultures. “In that hour and half, I didn’t feel like I was a world away—I felt like I was in my home-town church in Dows, Iowa. Inter-acting with her was beautiful, and made everything worth it.”

Congregations interested in scheduling a presentation about the Hungary trip or in developing a partnership with a Hungarian congregation should con-tact the synod office at 319-352-1414.

Synod trip to Hungary reveals strong connections << Continued from page 3

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safeguarding God’s Children Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013 Immanuel Lutheran, Cresco A free session of the “Safeguarding God’s Children” training program will be offered Sunday, Aug. 4, 2-5 p.m., at Immanuel Lutheran, 305 2nd Ave. W., Cresco. The training provides information to help church staff and volunteers learn how to protect the children they know and care for in their personal lives and in the minis-tries in which they serve.

Call the Immanuel church office at 563-547-2108 to register.

assembly offeringThank you to the individuals and congregations that have contributed to the 2013 Synod Assembly offer-ings. As of the end of June, the of-ferings have brought in $7,299.03 to support WIYLDE, the annual Wholly Iowa Youth Leadership Discipling event to help build future church leaders, and the 100 Wells Challenge to support clean water projects around the world.

Gifts are still being accepted. Please make checks payable to the North-eastern Iowa Synod.

Saturday, Sept. 14 Redeemer Lutheran, Waverly

Members of the Northeastern Iowa Synod ministry networks and those who would like to join a network are invited to attend the third annual Fall Leadership Event Saturday, Sept. 14, 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., at Redeemer Lutheran, Waverly.

The event is an opportunity for members of the synod networks to meet in person, get reacquainted, welcome new members, review accomplishments, set goals, schedule meetings, confirm network facilitators, and learn about synod ministries and priorities for the coming year. The synod council liaisons will report about the networks to the synod council following the event.

The Northeastern Iowa Synod began the network system two years ago after the 2011 Synod Assembly adopted a resolution that allowed the creation of networks. Current networks are Care of Creation, Companion Synod-Hungary, Companion Synod-Namibia, Disaster Response, Global Mission, Home Life, Hunger, LYO Leadership Team and Ministry on Aging. Also meeting at the event will be the Compensation Committee, S.A.F.E. Ministry Team, and the Lifelong Learning for Lutherans work team.

To register, call the synod office, 319-352-1414, by Aug. 30, or send an email to boltec@neiasynod.org. Lunch is included. Download a flier at www.neiasynod.org/events.

Join a network at the Fall Leadership event

Barnabas uplift Graduates in postville

Eight students graduated in May from the Barnabas Uplift certified nurse aide training program at Postville. Pictured with their instructor, these are the first students to utilize the new training lab located in a converted classroom at St. Paul Lutheran.

health assessmentELCA-primary health plan members and spouses have until Sept. 30 to take the Mayo Clinic Health Assessment to earn $150 for out-of-pocket medical expenses. Follow-up activities must be completed by Nov. 30 to earn an additional $350 in wellness credit. Visit www.myPortico.PorticoBenefits.org.

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Some 426 voting members and guests commemorated the 25th anniversary of the ELCA and cel-ebrated shared ministries at the 2013 Northeastern Iowa Synod Assembly in June at Luther College. The Assembly theme, “Strengthen-ing Ministry Networks,” highlighted the variety of ways that North-eastern Iowa congregations are working together in ministry. Voting members adopted four resolutions, including a realignment of the synod’s Conferences for Coopera-tive ministry, which changes the number of conferences from 11 to nine (see insert).

Four special guests brought the be-ginnings of the ELCA alive through their messages, workshops, and presence at the assembly. The Rev. Dr. Lowell G. Almen, who served as the first ELCA secretary from May 1987 through October 2007, set the tone for the Assembly with his Friday evening worship message on how the church’s heritage connects congregations in mission today.

“We accomplish together what no individual in this room could achieve,” Almen told the Assembly.

The Rev. Lynn Groe, who served as the first secretary for the Northeast-ern Iowa Synod from 1977 to 1997 and from 2010 to the present, gave the Saturday morning message, reminding those present that God has placed within each person a vision—a dream for their life with purpose and meaning. “We can be confident that God is at work in the life and ministry of the church,” Groe said.

Two former ELCA presiding bishops participated in the Sunday morning

worship service: the Rev. Dr. Herbert W. Chilstrom, who served as the first presiding bishop from 1987 to 1995; and the Rev. Dr. H. George Anderson, who served as the second presiding bishop of the ELCA from 1995 to 2001. In his sermon, Chilstrom spoke about the joy of tithing and living a generous life. His simple appeal to the assembly, “Try it, you will like it.”

Beth Lewis, president and CEO of Augsburg Fortress, presented the keynote address with a historical overview of communication in the church, from the Gutenburg Bible to today’s Internet and social media tools. The Rev. Susan Engh, ELCA director for Synodical Partners in Mission and Congregation Based Organizing (CBO), brought a greeting and report from the churchwide organization.

In a “Hunger Moment,” Norbert Strasser announced that hunger giving in 2012 for this synod

increased by more than $22,000 over the previous year. Strasser, who has led the synod’s hunger efforts for 10 years, said farewell and thank you to the synod and introduced Alison Northrop as the new Hunger Network facilitator.

Pastor Mark Anderson, assistant to the Bishop, shared a “Mission Moment” with an invitation for con-gregations to consider supporting the Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program who serve in the Companion Synod of Hungary. Cost to support all five is $35,000.

Bishop Steven Ullestad’s report highlighted some of this synod’s congregational ministries. St. John, Dubuque, converted empty Sunday school rooms into a guest house for homeless men. Bethany, Iowa Falls, and St. Paul, Postville, continue to offer certified nurse aide training through the Barnabas Uplift ministry. Peace Lutheran in Ryan supports the overall mission of the

synod assembly marks eLCa anniversary and networking ministries By Marcia hahn

Left to right, Rev. Lynn Groe, Rev. Dr. Lowell G. Almen, Rev. Dr. Herbert Chilstrom, Rev. Dr. H. George Anderson, and Bishop Steven Ullestad help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ELCA at the Northeastern Iowa Synod Assembly in June.

7JULY/AUGUST 2013

church through generous mission support, special gifts, ecumeni-cal ministries, and congregational members who have been called to become pastors.

Youth from St. Petri, Story City, and St. John (Buck Creek), Sumner, found unique ways of raising money for the ELCA Malaria Campaign, helping this synod raise more than $355,000. A youth group from the Ridgeway Parish assembled cleaning supplies to fill “flood buckets,” which were delivered to Bethlehem, Cedar Falls, and then taken to the East Coast to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

This synod established a new companion synod with the Evangel-ical Lutheran Church in Hungary. Ullestad and a group of synod representatives visited Hungary in May and learned firsthand about some of the challenges the church faces there. Ullestad said that one of the powerful experiences was to meet with the Roma people who are hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ for the first time because of the Hungarians’ partnership with the ELCA’s global mission.

Trinity Lutheran, Waterloo, distrib-utes earnings from its endowment to various ministries, and this year they decided that a gift sent to the synod will benefit hundreds of min-istries around the world. Their gift supported missionaries, new-start congregations, youth ministries and more.

“Generous, mission-minded con-gregations are powerful, public symbols of our synod,” Ullestad said.

View reports, sermons, slide shows, resolutions, election results, photos and more at www.neiasynod.org/Assembly2013.asp.

At the Sunday morning plenary session, Synod Assembly participants had an opportunity to share about ministries their congregations are doing to reach out to the community or in partnership with other congregations or agencies. Here are some of the ministries shared by more than a dozen people who came forward to speak at the microphone:

• Bergen, Roland, and St. Petri, Story City, have formed a joint youth ministry and share a youth director.

• The pastor who serves Good Shepherd, Waterloo, on a part-time basis helps at Zion, Waterloo, where one pastor is now on staff instead of two.

• The Northeastern Iowa Synodical Women’s Organization designated a large portion of the offering collected at their June conven-tion to help cover expenses for a woman from Namibia to attend next summer’s Triennial Gathering in North Carolina.

• A participant of WIYLDE (Wholly Iowa Youth Leadership Discipling Event) shared how attending that event was one of the best experienc-es of her life. She expressed thanks for the synod’s matching funds that helped pay the registration fee.

• In honor of its 150th anniversary, St. Sebald, Strawberry Point, paid the tuition for a Navajo child to attend elementary school.

• St. Matthew Dubuque, shared how ecumenical agreements have enabled the congregation to share pastors and mission with Immanuel Congregational United Church of Christ and participate in vacation Bible school with four other churches of different denominations.

• St. Paul’s, Waverly, has joined the local Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and United Methodist churches to provide free community meals

through the Saints Café. An ELCA Domestic Hunger grant has helped pay for transportation to get people to the meals.

• The Gardens of Grace ministry of Holy Trinity, Dubuque, gives families an opportunity to adopt a garden to grow produce, which is given to local agencies to serve the hungry.

• Emanuel and St. Sebald, Strawberry Point, partner with Camp Ewalu and four other area churches in the ecumenical Seeds of Hope project, which raised just under $300,000 for the Foods Resource Bank to support sustainable agriculture in develop-ing countries.

• St. John, Dundee, uses revenue from a donation of land to help support the Seeds of Hope project.

• The St. Paul, Postville, congrega-tion has opened free space in their church for the past nine years for the local Pentecostal church to have worship services, and recently St. Paul converted a classroom into a training lab for the Barnabas Uplift certified nurse aide training course.

• Immanuel, Cresco, supported the Iowa Summer Food Service program offered through the Iowa Depart-ment of Education.

• St. Peter, Garnavillo, maintains a garden on land owned by the local Roman Catholic church and sells the produce in the town park to support the Foods Resource Bank. St. Peter also joins the other area churches in offering a monthly supper for anyone who wants to come.

• Zion, Oelwein, is in an ecumeni-cal partnership with Christ United Presbyterian in which the two congregations share a pastor and a new Sunday evening Sunday school program, which has grown in atten-dance from three to 27 students.

Congregations share about their ministries

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Congregations considering a building or renovation project can tap the resources of the Mission Investment Fund (MIF), a financial ministry of the Evangeli-cal Lutheran Church in America, to help ensure the project will serve their long-term ministry goals.

In the past 18 months, some 32 congregations from the Northeast-ern Iowa Synod have contacted MIF for advice on planning a building or renovation project. MIF consultants explain the steps involved in a building project, evaluate what improvements can best serve the congregation’s needs, suggest ways to encourage con-gregational support, and review financing options.

According to Anne Gerrietts, the MIF church building consultant who serves Iowa, the best place to start is with a walk-through of the congregation’s current buildings to evaluate their condition. Gerrietts looks at spatial needs, maintenance issues, and signage to see how easy is it for first-time visitors to find the

church and main entrance. “I tell a church almost every time, you can never over sign,” she says.

Gerrietts helped Trinity Lutheran, Mason City, plan and finance a $350,000 renovation project that included stained glass window res-toration and a new courtyard for outdoor worship services, complete with pavilion and labyrinth. “This was a good example of coupling maintenance issues with a new project that is visible and easy to see,” she says. “Lumping those projects together helps get the con-gregation excited.”

Paul Charlson, who served as council president and spearheaded the Trinity building project, recalls that the council had lots of ideas for improvements on the church, and Gerrietts offered to go through the whole planning process with them, including developing a capital campaign. Gerrietts also helped them apply for a MIF matching grant for $25,000.

“She suggested putting more focus on our inner city location and that it was going to be welcoming to all of our neighborhoods to use our courtyard,” Charlson says.

For the rest of this year, the grant program is being offered through the ELCA’s Congregational and Synodical Mission (CSM) unit to assist new-start congregations in the ELCA. MIF, however, continues to offer competitive loan rates and

financial assistance to support building projects for ELCA con-gregations and ministries. Unlike institutions that lend from purely a profit standpoint, Gerrietts says that MIF looks at how a loan will help a congregation’s whole ministry in a way that can be sustained.

“We are part of the church and our goal is your goal—to have a thriving ministry at that location,” Gerrietts says. “We don’t want your property or your land. We would rather have you not get into trouble continu-ing your ministry than be in debt with a building project. We want to help you be good stewards of your dollars.”

The Mission Investment Fund is made up of investments from con-gregations and individuals. At the 2013 Northeastern Iowa Synod Assembly, Gerrietts reported that 143 individuals and 86 congrega-tions from this synod have invested $8.5 million with MIF, and $7.7 million in loans has been provided to Northeastern Iowa Synod con-gregations and ministries. The remaining $800,000 supports new buildings, additions and mission congregations throughout the ELCA. MIF has maintained a low default rate on loans throughout its nearly 100 years of service due to its goal to work with congrega-tions and ministries to help them succeed.

“If a congregation has a problem with a loan payment, our first call is to the synod office,” Gerrietts says. “It might be that a pastor has left or there is a conflict in the church. We work with the synod to help them get back on their feet.”

To learn more, visit www.mif.elca.org.

Mission Investment Fund supports building projects

Workers repair a stained glass window in the sanctuary at Trinity, Mason City.

“we want to help you be good stewards of your dollars.” —anne Gerrietts

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Last month I began my article by identifying two key concepts of stewardship—tithe and first fruits—and then I proceeded to write about first fruits. Well, you got me figured out, this month I’m going to share some thoughts about the tithe. Tithe is a biblical term that is about giving a portion of what we have received or that for which we have responsibility.

Proportionate Share • Ten Percent Gift of Gratitude • God’s Blessings Returned

These are all phrases that define tithe. We acknowledge God’s goodness and grace toward us and respond according to our means. You can think about it like this, I have 10 one-dollar bills in my hand. I give one for God’s work in and through the church and keep nine for myself. That’s one for God and one for me, one for me, one for me, one for me, one for me, one for me, one for me, one for me, and one for me. We maintain control of nine out of 10 dollar bills. We do OK in that equation don’t we? However, many of us do not respond to God’s gracious generosity in quite this way.

Average giving in ELCA households is actually less than two percent. That means if I have 100 dollar bills in my hand it would be one for God and almost another one for God and one for me, one for me, one for me, one for me, one for me, one for me, one for me, and for

me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me plus 73 more for me!

When we talk tithe we are not talking about law or obligation; we are talking about opportunity. Tithing gives us the opportunity to discover the freedom and joy that comes from trusting in God’s presence and promises. In II Corinthians 8 and 9, Paul writes using the example of the Macedonians “…they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means ‘because they wanted to.’ ” It really is a matter of the heart. The heart of God and the heart of God’s people beating in rhythm with one another.

My prayer is that all God’s people could live in the “joyous freedom” of giving to God through the church an appropriate portion of the resources with which they’ve been blessed. God’s grace becomes our motivation for generosity. I’ve heard it said often at youth events, “God is good, all the time…All the time, God is good!” May we celebrate this truth with joyful generosity.

To download this article or for more stewardship and mission support resources, visit www.neiasynod.org/synod_resources/Stewardship-MissionSupport.asp.

The what? yes, the Tithe!By pastor nancy LarsonELCA Director for Evangelical Mission

synod to host steward Fest Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, St. John American, Cedar Falls Plan to join “Steward Fest” Sunday, Oct. 19, to learn new ideas and inspi-rations in stewardship, network with others, and hear from some of the top steward leaders in the ELCA. Presenters include Pastor Charles Lane, author; Mark Quade, stewardship consultant; Pastor Kurt Nordby, consul-tant with Generosity Coaching; Neil Bullock, Macedonia Project coordina-tor-ELCA; Pastor Sara Yotter, assistant to the Bishop, South-Central Synod of Wisconsin; and Pastor Lanny Westphal, ELCA director for Global Church Sponsorships.

The event will be from 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. at St. John, Cedar Falls. The registration fee is $5 per person or $15 per congregation group. Lunch is included. Watch for more information at www.neiasynod.org/events.

Middle school Lock-In Oct. 4-5, 2013 UNI Wellness Center Cedar Falls, Iowa Mark Oct. 4-5 for the annual Middle School Lock-In at the Uni-versity of Northern Iowa Wellness Center. Youth will gather for devotions, recreation, Bible study, group activities, food and fun.

Watch for more information at www.neiasynod.org/youth.

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Tri-synodical Conference Gospel Ethics Rooted in the Lutheran Confessions Sept. 22-24, 2013 Sheraton, West Des Moines, Iowa

Online registration for the Tri-Syn-odical Conference is now open, with the early bird discount avail-able until Sept. 1.

Following the theme “Gospel Ethics Rooted in the Lutheran Confessions,” this event will look at the Lutheran understanding of the Gospel and how to make “gospel ethics” a reality in the lives of our congregations. Presenters are Lutheran ethicists and theologians Dr. Per Anderson of Concordia College and Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda of Seattle University.

On Sunday evening, rostered leaders will split up by synods and meet with their own bishops, with opportunity to interact with leaders from across the state. Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson will give a presentation Monday morning and will preach that evening for the worship service at Faith Lutheran, Clive.

The conference takes place Sept. 22-24 at the Sheraton in West Des Moines. Rostered leaders and interns, along with their spouses, can register for $165 each prior to Sept. 1, or for $180 after that date. Retired rostered leaders and spouses may register for $150 per person. Registration includes the Sunday evening buffet supper, and breakfast and lunch on Monday and Tuesday.

To learn more and to register online, visit www.neiasynod.org/events/default.asp or call the Southeastern Iowa Synod, 319-338-1273.

‘God’s work. our hands.’ sunday set for sept. 8Congregations of the Northeastern Iowa Synod are invited to join the “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday on Sept. 8 for a dedicated day of service in celebration of the ELCA’s year-long 25th anniversary. Springboarding off the success of the ELCA Youth Gatherings, the service day is meant to emphasize the church’s commitment to sharing God’s love with our neighbors across the world.

“If 36,000 youth can make a big impact on one city in three days, imagine what four million Lutherans around the country can do in one,” explained Pastor Mark Anderson, assistant to the bishop.

Congregations are encouraged to serve in any way they can, such as serving meals, cleaning up neighborhoods, making quilts for refugees or visiting neighbors. More service ideas, bulletin inserts, fliers and other resources can be found at www.elca.org/25years.

Churchwide assembly to meet aug. 12-17The 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly will take place Aug. 12-17 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., with the theme “Always Being Made New,” which coincides with the ELCA’s 25th anniversary celebra-tion. Present at the assembly will be 952 voting members, representing more than four million baptized members of the ELCA. The Northeastern Iowa Synod will send 17 voting members who were elected at the 2012 Synod As-sembly.

Among the items to be considered by voting members will be the proposed ELCA social statement on criminal justice and the election of the presiding bishop and secretary. Recommendations regarding elections to the ELCA Church Council, boards and committees will also be discussed as the ELCA transitions from biennial to triennial assemblies.

An offering will be collected at each worship service throughout the week, with each daily offering supporting a different ELCA ministry—the ELCA Ma-laria Campaign, ELCA New Congregations, ELCA Fund for Leaders, ELCA Glob-al Church Sponsorship, ELCA World Hunger, and Anticipated Commitment to Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA.

The public will be able to follow the Churchwide Assembly online through various media channels, including live video, Facebook and Twitter. To view live video of plenary sessions and daily worship, visit www.elca.org/assem-bly. Updates about the assembly will be posted on the ELCA’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lutherans and released through Twitter at www.twitter.com/elca.

11JULY/AUGUST 2013

ConGReGaTIonsevenTs

JuLy evenTs3 Conference Event, Money Leadership Class, Our Savior’s, Waterloo, 6-8 p.m. 4 Office Closed, 4th of July Observance 10 Conference Event, Money Leadership Class, Our Savior’s, Waterloo, 6-8 p.m.11 Meeting, Interim Colleague Group, 9:30-11:30 a.m.11 Meeting, SAFE Team, 1:30-3 p.m.11-14 Event, ELCA World Hunger Leadership Gathering, St. John, Des Moines 17 Conference Event, Money Leadership Class, Our Savior’s, Waterloo, 6-8 p.m.20 Meeting, Churchwide Assembly Orientation, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.22-27 Event, WIYLDE, Luther College, Decorah25 Meeting, Visitor Training, 3-4:30 p.m.30 Meeting, Visitor Training, 3-4:30 p.m.

auGusT evenTs1 Meeting, Youth Ministry Network, First, Northwood, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.1 Meeting, Visitor Training, 5:30-7 p.m. 2 Meeting, Candidacy Committee4 Event, Safeguarding God’s Children, Immanuel, Cresco, 2-5 p.m.7 Meeting, Visitor Training, 5:30-7 p.m.8-9 Event, Global Leadership Summit, Orchard Hill, Cedar Falls12-18 Event, ELCA Churchwide Assembly, Pittsburg, Pa. 13 Meeting, Interim Colleague Group, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 27 Meeting, Tri-Synod Fall Conference Planning Committee, St. Petri, Story City, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.29 Meeting, Deans & Chaplains, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

sepTeMBeR evenTs2 Office Closed, Labor Day Observance5 Meeting, Youth Ministry Network, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. 5 Meeting, Fall Conference Planning, 10 a.m., teleconference 12 Meeting, Interim Colleague Group, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 12 Meeting, Cedar River Mission Support Conference Gathering, Good Shepherd, Waterloo, 7-8:30 p.m. 14 Event, Fall Leadership, Networks, LYO, Council, Redeemer, Waverly, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.14 Meeting, Synod Council, 1:15-3 p.m. 19 Conference Call, First Call Theological Education Executive Committee, 10-11:30 a.m. 22-24 Event, Tri-Synodical Fall Conference, West Des Moines, Sheraton29 Event, Global Mission, Nazareth, Cedar Falls, 1:30-6 p.m.

oCToBeR evenTs3 Meeting, First Call Theological Education, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.3 Meeting, Youth Ministry Network, Trinity, Mason City, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.4-5 Event, Middle School Lock-In, Wellness Center, UNI10 Meeting,Interim Ministry Colleague Group, 9:30-11:30 a.m.

InsTaLLaTIonRev. David Lenth, Ossian, Ossian, pending Rev. Erika J. Kielstrup, St. Paul, Monona, July 28 Rev. Daniel Gerrietts, Trinity, Mason City, Aug. 24-25

InTeRvIewInGClarksville, St. John, Rev. Irving Sandberg, interim Hawkeye, Trinity, Rev. David R. Nelson, interim Independence, Immanuel (senior)Ossian, Stavanger, Rev. Gene Hermeier, interim Radcliffe, Our Savior, Rev. Tom Jones, interim

seLF-sTudyAlta Vista, Zion and Lawler, Immanuel (Crane Creek), Rev. Vincent Fricke, interimCalmar, Calmar and Decorah, Springfield, Rev. Phillip Olson, interim Castalia, Zion Cedar Falls, St. John (staff), Rev. Duane Miller, interim associate Dubuque, Luther Manor Iowa Falls, BethanyMason City, Our Saviour’s, Rev. Tom Dettmer, interimMaynard, St. Paul, Rev. Jim Adix, interim Nashua, St. John, Rev. Alan Schulz, interim New Hampton, Trinity (staff) Stanhope, Our Savior Sumner, St. Peter (Richfield) & Waucoma, St. John (Stapleton) Tripoli, Grace & St. John (Crane Creek), Rev. Scott Duffus, interim Wellsburg, St. Paul West Union, Zion

RosTeR ChanGesRev. David Grant, transfer to Minneapolis Area SynodSusan Garbes, AIM, retiredRev. Diane Koschmeder, Harpers Ferry, on leave-disability, transfer from Western North Dakota Synod

17 Meeting, Colleague Group Leaders, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.19 Event, Steward Fest, St. John American, Cedar Falls, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

noveMBeR evenTs7 Meeting, Youth Ministry Network, St. Petri, Story City, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.14 Meeting, Interim Ministry Colleague Group, 9:30-11:30 a.m.14 Meeting, Deans and Chaplains, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.28-29 Office Closed, Thanksgiving Observance

pRayeR CaLendaR

aUgUst 2013sUN MoN tUe weD thU FrI sat

Rev. Robert C. Browne, Waterloo

Rev. John W. Gannett, Mason City

1

Rev. Bradley C. Hanson, Decorah

2

Rev. Chad M. Huebner, Decorah

3

Bethany, Iowa Falls

4Messiah, Janesville

5

Rev. Daniel R. Christensen, Elma

6

Rev. Dwight D. Albers, Monona

7

Zelpha Wilhelm, Mason City

8

Rev. Dr. Peter T. Nash, Waverly

9American, Jesup

10Rev. Randy S.

Nielsen, Mason CityRev. Nancy

Solomonson, Decorah

11Bethesda, Jewell

12

Rev. Dr. Marcus R. Kunz, Chicago, IL

13Bethany, Joice

14

Rev. James F. Harbaugh, Belmond

15Bethany, Kensett

16

Middle East Peace Rev. David P. Lerseth,

Gurnee, IL

17

Elk Creek, Kensett

18

Rev. Thomas C. Jones,

Independence

19

Rev. Gene Hermeier, Decorah

20

Zion (Jubilee), La Porte City

21

American, La Porte City

22

Rev. A. Dean Williams,

West Des Moines

23

Winnebago, Lake Mills

24

Salem, Lake Mills

25

Wanda M. Lightfield, Waubay, SD

26Our Savior’s, Lansing

27

Rev. Miles E. Renaas, Waterloo

28

Rev. Sidney W. Bohls, Mason City

29Our Savior, Leland

30

St. Paul, Lime Springs

31

oBITuaRyPastor Ted Maakestad died June 4, 2013, at the age of 102. He was ordained on June 16, 1940. He served as pastor for Freedom-St. Petri Parish, Ottawa, Ill.; Central, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; evangelist for the Dept. of Evangelism, ELC, St. Paul, Minn.; teacher for the Lutheran Bible Institute, New York Branch, Teaneck, N.J.; pastor for Estherville, Estherville, Iowa.; Trinity, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Our Savior, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada; and Nazareth, Cedar Falls. He retired Jan. 1, 1980.

A funeral service took place Monday, June 10, at Nazareth Evangelical Lutheran, Cedar Falls. Maakestad is survived by two daughters. Expressions of sympathy may be sent to Margit Coltvet, 13253 Highway 3, Upper La Have, NS Canada B4V7C4.

Learn about mission at the Global Mission Festival Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013 Nazareth Lutheran, Cedar Falls

Mission projects from around the world will be featured at the Global Mission Festival set for Sunday, Sept. 29, at Nazareth Evangelical Lutheran, Cedar Falls. The event, which will be from 2-5 p.m., is sponsored by the Global Mission Network of the Northeastern Iowa Synod. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m.

The festival will begin with worship and music from the AWE praise band from Redeemer Lutheran, Waverly. Presentations and workshops will focus on the Young Adult Global Mission program, Companion Synod Program, Lutheran World Relief, Church World Service, Lutheran Disaster Relief, Food Resource Bank, and more. Youth activities include assembly health kits for Syria.

Keynote speaker will be Mark Newsom, diversity issues coordinator, assistant athletic director and head coach of both men’s and women’s track and field at Wartburg College in Waverly. The award-winning coach’s presentation will emphasize the power one person has to affect others positively around the world.

Cost to attend is $10 per adult and $5 per student. Refreshments will be provided. People of all ages are welcome to attend, and confirmation classes are encouraged to participate. To learn more, call the Northeastern Iowa Synod at 319-352-1414, or visit www.neiasynod.org/events.