Path of growth

Ready for the day

The Assembly continues to be hard at work, with more voting business and a special guest.

As part of the New Connections campaign, the Rev. Phil Hirsch introduced a video from King of Kings, his home congregation, about their efforts and success in launching a new church and their journey on a path of growth. He suggested that congregations use this and other examples of success throughout the synod as inspiration as they embrace the New Connections campaign.

We stretched our parliamentary muscles as the Assembly considered a memorial to be sent to the ELCA Churchwide Assembly on welcoming people as members of churches. Under our parliamentarian’s careful guidance, the Assembly discussed, amended and passed the memorial.

Having braved an arduous journey of flight delays and a long night, our guest speaker, Dr. Reggie Williams, made it to the Assembly and addressed the members. He spoke about the roots of division in our faith communities, both historical and spiritual, and of what we can learn about race in Dietrich Bonheoffer’s theology. Dr. Williams challenged society’s idea of the “ideal human,” and how we understand Jesus as representing the ideal human.

With that, the Assembly went to have lunch. The gathering is almost over, but we still have a busy afternoon before we say goodbye to each other.