2021 Southwestern Minnesota Synod Assembly
June 6, 11 & 12, 2021
Virtual Assembly - Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN
We are grateful you will be joining us on June 6, 11 & 12th, when we will gather virtually on Zoom videoconferencing platform as a synod to worship, conduct the business of the assembly, and elect a new bishop. While this year’s gathering may look a little different, we are coming to you with the same excitement to gather in faith and gratitude as we all experience the assembly in a new way! We want all participants to have an enjoyable, positive experience and we have worked hard and sought excellent advice from the brave synods who have gone before us. Please the whole pre-assembly book, participate in all pre-assembly meetings, practice sessions, and ballots. Most importantly, pray. Now more than ever, we are called to show up and remember that church is more than a building, it is a community. The work of our synod takes all of us. Though we might wish we could gather in person, we are committed to making this assembly the next best thing! We ask for your grace as we navigate this exciting adventure together!
The Synod Assembly Worship Team would like to invite you to take a picture of your rostered minister with your synod assembly voting members so we can use it as part of our worship service on Friday, June 11th. Preferably we would like it taken at your church, either inside or outside the building. Please send a copy to Kristin Bakeberg @ kristin.bakeberg@swmnelca.org by no later than March 5th. Thanks for help with this project.
Quick Links:
Save the Dates!
Practice Tech Sessions:
- Tuesday, May 25 - 7 pm
- Wednesday, May 26 – 4 pm
- Wednesday, May 26 – 7 pm
Voting members will vote via Election Runner, a web-based ballot on Sunday and the Zoom platform. For Election Runner, those credentialed for that session will be emailed the invitation to vote when the voting window has opened. For the Zoom-based balloting, those credentialed will participate in real-time.
All voting members are strongly encouraged to participate in at least ONE practice tech-session. During the session, voting members will practice voting on both platforms, learn more about the rules of procedure and how to request speaking privileges during the assembly.
Links for these sessions will be emailed to registered voting members.
Each session will be identical, so if your practice runs smoothly there is no need to participate in more than one session. A video will also be available soon.
Participating in this session will help ensure everyone has a quality and efficient experience during the assembly. While we will have tech assistance available during the assembly, these sessions will help us identify most issues and resolve them in advance!
- Tuesday, May 18 – 7pm
- Wednesday, May 19 – 7pm
We will be hosting two forums for the 2022 Proposed SW MN Synod Budget and the 2022 Proposed Compensation Guidelines. These forums will be led by our synod treasurer and our compensation guidelines team. Both forums will be similar in nature so you only need to attend one. Assembly voting member participation is encouraged if you have questions or feedback pertaining to these documents. We are planning ahead to make all resources available during our virtual assembly. You will NOT be voting during these forums. The proposed budget and compensation guidelines will be available at the end of April, after the synod council meeting. They will be posted on our synod’s website and mailed to each assembly voting member.
Questions:
Please contact:
Tamara Schacher
Admin. Assistant to Bishop Jon V. Anderson
tammy.schacher@swmnelca.org
507.627.9041 (Direct Line) 507.430.2367 (Cell)
