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For the week before Sunday, July 1, 2007 Walking Together is a weekly e-mail newsletter of the Northern Illinois Synod best viewed in html. If you cannot read this e-mail or see the graphics, go to www.nisynod.org/pubs/wt . Additional news and information can be found at the Walking Together Annex	Sign up to join the  Walking Together mailing list
Visit the Walking Together Annex for more news and information from Walking Together. The in-kind offering at Synod Assembly brought in 117 gift cards to Lowes, Home Depot, Walgreens, CVS, plus a couple Walmart cards for a total of $3,200.00. They were hand-delivered by Pastor Kim Lee-Brown and the work group from St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Princeton to Camp Victor.   Synod Assembly highlights including videos, photos, print, and a PowerPoint presentation as well as election results and actions on resolutions are online at www.nisynod.org/assembly/2007/highlights . Dr. Powell's stewardship Bible studies, Carlos Peña's ELCA report, Bishop Wollersheim's report, the youth report, the ordination & commissionings, and the recognition of ordination anniversaries are all online in a low-resolution video form. High-quality DVDs of these or other parts of the assembly are available for a small donation to cover the cost of reproduction and shipping. Please contact Karin Graddy for more information.   Find more NISynod News & Events in the Annex Back to top
Pr. Bill & Mary Beth Dahlberg (Christ, Stockton) who will travel to Ethiopia July 13-22 to adopt a son and a daughter, Owen Yoseph Dahlberg, born April 10, 2004 and Hannah Tenaye Dahlberg, born October 20, 2005. Owen & Hannah are brother & sister.   Rostered leaders celebrating birthdays this week including: Rev. Michael Nelson 6/27, Rev. Stacie Fidlar 6/27, Rev. Thomas Rogers, Jr. 6/28, Rev. William Wittig 6/29, Rev. William Welk 7/2, Rev. Jonathan Black 7/3, Rev. Bruce Booher 7/5, Rev. Gary Erickson 7/5, Rev. Garry Briesacher 7/6, Rev. Philip Gronbach 7/7. (if we missed your birthday, please send it to Karin@nisynod.org)   Benjamin Ingelson, Thomas Jenkins, and the other NIS candidates for rostered ministry. Find the complete list of NIS Candidates at www.nisynod.org/candidates.htm .   Those not named here who need our prayers.   Send prayer requests to karin@nisynod.org.   Find more Prayer Requests in the Annex Back to top
Jesus * Justice * Jazz, The 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering will be in New Orleans July 22-26, followed by the Lutheran Youth Organization convention July 26-29 and preceded by the Multicultural and Definitely Abled leadership events July 19-22. The theme, "Jesus * Justice * Jazz," is rooted in the rich faith history, diverse cultures, and arts of New Orleans. The focus will be distinctly service and justice as high-school age youth live out their shared baptismal reality as Christians.   Do you identify with the ELCA? Does your congregation use the ELCA emblem on stationery, calling cards, brochures, Web site, bulletin inserts (maybe even bumper stickers)? The emblem is available in a wide variety of formats, in versions suitable for printing and enlarging, or for on-screen low-resolution uses, in English and Spanish, with and without text. It is a unifying symbol all members of the ELCA ought to recognize as theirs. Download it and use it in good health!   Coming up on Grace Matters July 1: Robert Seiple - Humbly Engaging the World. Bob Seiple has spent his life working to improve the lives of others around the world. Former president of World Vision, Inc. and one-time U.S. ambassador, this global educator now heads up an organization committed to expanding religious freedom in every country. Our task as Americans, he argues, is to model religious freedom by engaging spiritual humility on a national level, and by delighting in thoughtful forms of religious expression that may not be our own. This week's front page features from The Lutheran magazine Take your faith with you: From Sunday into the rest of the week. (Photo at left.) Awakened again: A teacher moves from empathy to prayer to gratitude. Finally congruent: Lawyer hears God say, 'You're working for me now.' A rocking witness: Office rocking chair invites spirit to work. Also: WordAlone: 'The Bible reads sinners.' Also: Sexuality, mission are front-burner issues. Also: Fire damages camp and retreat center.   Find more ELCA News & Events in the Annex Back to top
Continuing Education Ideas from Luther Seminary:   July 16-20, 2007: Christ and Culture Revisited: New Testament Perspectives on Church and Society H. Richard Niebuhr's classic text Christ and Culture provides helpful paradigms for understanding how Christians throughout history have understood their vocation vis a vis "the world." This class will examine and evaluate those models from an exegetical perspective and will seek to update Niebuhr's insights in light of modern biblical scholarship. Enroll now   Practical Skills August 20-22, 2007 Discover Your Call - Dependable Strengths® for Congregations Do you know folks asking the big questions-questions like "How do I know what I was created to be? Where are the places that I can make a difference in the world? Where can I experience a sense of belonging." "Discover Your Call" workshops use the Dependable Strengths® process to invite people to reflect on positive experiences from their lives, to tell their stories, and to discern together what God is calling them to be. Enroll now   Biblical and Theological Foundations Two Bible Course Package! July 9-13, 2007: Bondage, Freedom and Covenant: The Theology of the Book of Exodus July 16-20, 2007: Christ and Culture Revisited: New Perspectives on Church and Society Register for both classes at the package price of $400, and save $50.   Worth a Second Look! July 23-27, 2007 Faith and the Body: A Process-Relational Theology of Embodiment This course will explore some dimensions of the multifaceted mystery of embodiment using the tools of process-relational theology. Beginning with some connecting points between the biology and theology of bodies, we will look at the body in several aspects of worship and ministry, leading to a vision of the imago Dei in the body politic of justice and peace. Enroll now   From Luther Productions: Fretheim Explores Genesis This breakthrough series was produced with Luther Productions, and features an extensive leader's guide. Venture into the Scriptures with guide Dr. Terence Fretheim, a renowned Old Testament scholar and celebrated author from Luther Seminary. Order your copy   From Centered Life®: August 14: Centered Life Orientation Conference Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN The "myth of a balanced life"; the "unfinished Reformation"; What is a centered life? (one that is awakened, called, set free, and nurtured); How can knowing my callings in the world lead to a life of belonging, identity, and meaning?; What is Centered Life? (a congregational initiative in support of centered lives); How can the Centered Life process help people in our congregation claim lives of daily faithfulness, centered in Christ?; How do we introduce Centered Life to our congregation? Learn more and enroll   From the Center for Biblical Preaching In the Company of Preachers, A New Preaching Resource Good preaching is no easy task. Preachers need opportunities to hone their skills and hear other good preachers. In the Company of Preachers meets both of those needs. This new audio CD resource offers 15-20 minutes of teaching comments and four to five carefully selected sermons. Learn more   Find more Continuing Education Opportunities in the Annex Back to top
Find more News from Other Organizations in the Annex Back to top
Send your bulletin board items to NISNews@comcast.net.   Find more Bulletin Board Items in the Annex Back to top
...were updated 6/5/2007    ...are available online, and are updated on the first week of each month.  Click here to see vacancies Back to top
...is updated on the second week of each month. Click here to go to the Financial Snapshot - find out more about the Synod's current financial situation. Back to top
Looking for information from a previous Walking Together? Visit the ANNEX for more information OR visit www.nisynod.org/pubs/wt for all the back issues.   Walking Together is a weekly e-mail newsletter that brings you all the news you need to know to stay up to date on happenings in the Northern Illinois Synod. It is sent to rostered leaders, congregations, and others by request. To be added to the listserv, change your e-mail address or otherwise manage your subscription, please click the link on the right or e-mail Karin@NISynod.org Your submissions, comments, and suggestions are welcomed. Contact Karin Graddy, Communication Director for the Northern Illinois Synod at Karin@nisynod.org.   If you are changing your e-mail address please send your name, old e-mail address, and new e-mail address to karin@nisynod.org .   You can also change your e-mail address, subscribe, unsubscribe, or control other personal options by going to http://lists.faithgroups.net/mailman/listinfo/walkingtogether . If you have any questions about this service, or ever have any trouble with Walking Together, please don’t hesitate to contact Karin@nisynod.org .   Karin Graddy, Associate in Ministry Communication Director for the Northern Illinois Synod of the ELCA Karin@NISynod.org   www.nisynod.org 103 West State Street Rockford, IL 61101 815-964-9934 - office (Fridays only) 815-964-2295 - fax 815-762-0758 - cell   <>< Making Christ Known <>< Back to top

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Northern Illinois Synod, 103 West State Street, Rockford, IL 61101 Phone: 815-964-9934 Fax: 815-964-2295 welcome@nisynod.org Questions or comments about this website may be directed to Karin Graddy, Northern Illinois Synod Communication Director