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Words from the Bishop: 
“Give to us peace in our time, O Lord.” ​

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One hundred years ago “the war to end all wars” ended. It was November 11, 1918. Soon thereafter the President declared November 11 to be Armistice Day, in honor of the peace that was to follow. In the 1950’s, the name changed to Veterans Day, but the emphasis stayed on honoring veterans and promoting peace.
 
We have not managed to do away with war in the last hundred years. Currently our country is embroiled in our longest war ever, with no apparent end in sight. And yet we still hope and pray for peace, and we honor those who serve. 
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Our church, the ELCA, has a social statement on peace, “For Peace in God’s World.” adopted in 1995. The statement was written after the Cold War and before 9/11. “At the end of a tumultuous and violent century, we share with people everywhere hope for a more peaceful and just world….As our world discards the mind-set of the Cold War and faces the new threats and opportunities of a changing time, we join with others in searching for what makes for peace.” 

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Convocation 2018: Preparing to Elect a Bishop
The 2018 Bishop’s Convocation will take place on Friday, October 26, from 10 am until 3 pm at Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church, 3580 N. Benton Avenue, Helena. ELCA Secretary Chris Boerger will join us to talk about the election process, and the constitutional provisions about the duties of a bishop. 

​There will be table conversations about the hopes and dreams for the Montana Synod. The day will end with a panel consisting of experienced bishops answering questions: Chris Boerger, Mark Ramseth, Jessica Crist.

Pastors, Deacons, LPAs and other leaders are welcome to this event that will help us meet the future boldly!

Registration for the event is $25, which includes lunch.

Registration closes Monday, October 22nd and late registration will be $35.

You can register online today! 

Our calling to care for creation

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) members pray and care for God’s marvelous creation every day. We also join the global Christian community each Sept. 1 to Oct. 4 to mark the Season of Creation. This season starts with a World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation, an invitation to focus our worship, our stewardship and action on honoring God by honoring and caring for God's handiwork. 
 
As members of the ELCA, we share a love and a responsibility for all that God has made. In our social statement “Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice,” we affirm that “made in the image of God, we are called to care for the earth as God cares for the earth. God’s command to have dominion and subdue the earth is not a license to dominate and exploit. Human dominion, a special responsibility, should reflect God’s way of ruling as a shepherd king who takes the form of a servant, wearing a crown of thorns.” We confess the ways in which we have been negligent in our responsibility to God and to all of creation and commit ourselves to exercising our stewardship by upholding the integrity of creation and safeguarding those most vulnerable to environmental degradation. 
 
On this year’s World Day of Prayer, I am mindful that our warming climate is creating unprecedented crises for millions. These include increased food insecurity, forced migration, natural disasters, civil conflict and water scarcity. From across all communities most affected by climate change, women and girls are disproportionately affected. According to ACT Alliance, these communities suffer huge losses that extend beyond monetary losses to noneconomic impacts such as loss of lives, land, territory, language and culture.  Our response to these losses has focused on the neglect and carelessness, both in private industry and in government regulation, that have contributed to these changes. An honest accounting also recognizes that we all participate, both as consumers and investors, in economies that make intensive and insistent demands for energy. We are part of the solution. 
 
In September, the ELCA will mark the Season of Creation by taking a leadership role during the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco. Together with The Lutheran World Federation and other partners, we will host a Talanoa Dialogue to accompany those most affected by climate change. The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change states: "Talanoa is a traditional word used in Fiji and across the Pacific to reflect a process of inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue. The purpose of Talanoa is to share stories, build empathy and to make wise decisions for the collective good ... sharing of ideas, skills and experience through storytelling.”
 
The focus of these dialogues will be “Loss and Damage” and “Just Transition” related to climate change. The former will explore the suffering that climate change is causing right now and seek new ways to learn from and accompany those most affected. The latter recognizes that we must also accompany those whose livelihoods are dependent on extractive industries, making sure they are not left behind during the transition to renewable energy sources. These dialogues will equip us in the planetary movement toward climate solutions with initiatives that reflect God’s concern for the sufficiency and sustainability of all people. 
 
Our ELCA ministries are making an impact as we as a church take hold of our common responsibility to creation and to God. We know that transitioning to lifestyles that eliminate the causes of global warming is critical and must be done now. In response to the 2016 Churchwide Assembly resolution “Toward a Responsible Energy Future,” ELCA members answer the call to care for all of God’s creation in our churches and homes through stewardship, education and advocacy. These efforts include establishing environmental stewardship committees, building awareness around energy efficiency, evaluating investments in fossil fuels, and learning more about sustainable farming and development.
All who care for the earth and work for the restoration of its vitality can be confident in the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us as we serve in concert with God’s creative and renewing power and the indwelling Spirit of Christ to give us hope, courage and direction.
 
Almighty God, in giving us dominion over things on earth, you made us coworkers in your creation. Give us wisdom and reverence to use the resources of nature so that no one may suffer from our abuse of them, and that generations yet to come may continue to praise you for your bounty; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (prayer for stewardship of natural resources, ELW p. 80).
 
In Christ,

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
 
http://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/7945
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Montana Synod Strategic Benchmarks

Our Mission: "Marked by the cross of Christ forever, abundantly blessed, we faithfully serve God and neighbor."

Our Vision: "Every person a witness, Every minister equipping witness, Every congregation and ministry, empowered for witness, serving faithfully."

The Montana Synod will measure its own faithfulness to our mission and vision and to the task of providing leadership to the Montana Synod by the following benchmarks:
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1. Meet the future boldly.
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart. (Jer 29:11-13)

We will take risks for the sake of the Gospel, remembering that Jesus said that whoever wants to save your life will lose it, and the only way to be a disciple is to pick up a cross and follow. We will learn from our conversations with  congregations and we will model faithful, visionary ministry that is more prophetic than safe.
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2. Serve the world, especially the poor and those who are in need.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)

We will be able to articulate how everything that we do, everything that we advocate, everything that we commit time and money to will serve the world, remembering that the Gospel of John tells us that God so loved the world as to give Jesus, for the whole world. Through direct action, advocacy and cooperative work, we will minister to the poor, the poor in spirit, the forgotten and neglected. Realizing that this mission field is limitless, we will encourage coalitions, cooperation and establishment of meaningful priorities.
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3. Deepen faith and witness.
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have
commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matt 28:18-20)

We remember that Jesus called us to go and make disciples of all nations. We will support and encourage congregations to remain faithful in worship, Word and Sacrament. We will support congregations as they encourage their members to grow in faith and to broaden their witness in their communities and beyond.
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4. Promote unity.
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do  nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus (Phil 2:1-5)

We remember Paul’s image of the body of Christ. We will maintain a clear sense of who we are and whose we are. We will celebrate our diversity within the unity that is ours in Christ. We will give thanks for our many gifts of the Spirit as we  explore our different responsibilities within the body.
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5. Strengthen congregations
For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another
(Gal 5:13)

We are a resource to congregations and pastors. The Synod leadership, staff and volunteer, will provide support to congregations to empower them to live out their calling as centers of mission. We will encourage and support the development of networks among clergy, lay leaders and congregations.