Living out baptism in daily vocations.
In Mid-October, 8 of our Synod-Authorized Ministers (SAMs) and 10 mentors gathered at St. John’s Guesthouse in Collegeville, MN to grow in fellowship and understanding of lay ministry together. Synod-Authorized Ministers serve in congregations without a rostered leader and are authorized by the Bishop to preach and preside for the sacraments in a specific congregation. Our synod has been blessed to be a grant recipient from Wartburg Seminary and Lilly Endowment, Inc. The Wartburg grant is called The CaSTLE (Country and Small Town Lived Ecclesiology) Project.
In our time on retreat together, Bishop Dee, Pastor Heather, mentors, and many of our SAMs gathered with theologians Prof. Ben Durheim, Prof. Anna Mercedes, and Prof. Hollie Holt-Woehl- all on the faculty of St. Ben’s / St. John’s. Topics for learning and discussion included: Baptismal Theology, Boundaries and Healthy Ministries, and Understanding Ministry Contexts. Each day included time to worship together, get to know each other, and learn about the St. John’s Bible Project. The theme and visual focus for the program is the illumination from the St. John’s Bible, “The Sower Sows the Word,” from Mark 4.
At the conclusion of the retreat, the group collaborated on a poem that summarized the thoughts of our participants:
Let us begin with you.
The Lord is working us together.
How do we make turns, pivot and turn around?
Breaking down old boundaries,
we don't know where God's going to take us!
Harvest Time:
preparing a new seed for the future!
How do we dig deeper,
learn more about culture, character, congregations, communities?
Let us meet the next SAM:
SAM I am!
We're being woven together, in ministry,
with the whole people of God.
It's time to try things:
we've been given this holy experiment.
We've been given the same recipe a long time,
and now we're going to change it.
Faith and trust are part of that recipe.
Leading worship and preaching is a significant responsibility and honor. As ELCA Lutherans, we bring a very specific theological perspective to our preaching that values God’s word and focuses on grace and the welcome of all people. If you are curious about Lay Ministry or hearing God's call, please reach out to Pastor Heather Culuris at the synod office. We would love to hear how God is calling you and help you along your vocation journey!
Rev. Heather Culuris, Synod Minister
Southwestern Minnesota Synod
PO Box 499
Redwood Falls, MN 56283
(507) 637-3904
