2019 Nebraska Synod Assembly
"Disciples for All the World"
The 2019 Nebraska Synod Assembly will be held Thursday, May 30- Saturday, June 1, 2019 at the Younes Center in Kearney, NE.
Please check back for schedule & presenter information.
Registration deadlines (see registration link below):
Early Bird ends March 8.
Regular rate ends April 12.
Registration closes May 7.
Tentative Agenda
Thursday, May 30, 2019 (Pre-Assembly Day)
9:00am – 4:30pm Pre-Assembly Day Workshops
· 9:00am – 12:00pm TBD
· 10:00am – 4:00pm What’s Next? Going Deeper – Embracing Stewardship by Rev. Charles “Chick” Lane and Mrs. Grace Duddy Pomroy. What is stewardship? What might it look like in your context and faith community? What might be new and possible resources available to consider? How do pastors and lay leaders serve together as stewards and in leading stewardship ministries? What are new tools and strategies for offering? How might you evaluate your congregation’s stewardship ministry effectiveness and needs? If you have ever wondered any of these or similar questions, then this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss.
· 1:00pm – 3:00pm Sow the Seeds: Inviter Training. Did you know there are approximately 1,000 more open full-time calls for pastors in the ELCA than there are pastors available for those calls and that this gap is increasing? What can you and the people of your congregation do to help reverse this trend? Sow the Seeds is an initiative of the Nebraska Synod that invites people to identify potential pastoral leaders and encourage them to consider if God is calling them to serve as a pastor, deacon or parish ministry associate (PMA). Participants will receive free resources and be trained to identify and encourage those who may be called to rostered ministry or the PMA program.
· 1:00pm – 4:00pm Reconciling Works: Lutherans for Full Participation has advocated for the full welcome, inclusion, and equity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Lutherans in all aspects of the life of their Church, congregations, and community. Through their Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Program, ministries, resources, events and alliances, ReconcilingWorks builds community for worship, education and support; fosters welcome and acceptance in all Lutheran settings; and advocates for the ecclesial changes necessary to ensure full participation in all sacraments, inclusive liturgical resources, and ministries of the Church, inviting all people into Gospel lives of authenticity, integrity, and wholeness. In this workshop, we will learn about the organization and its RIC program, participate in a brief Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Training, and discuss the ways in which you can bring all of this information back into your ministry setting, extending radical hospitality to all of your siblings in Christ.
10:00am – 4:00pm Synod Council
12:00pm – 7:30pm Registration
5:00pm – 8:00pm Reception and Partners in Ministry Banquet
- 5:00pm Reception (Cash Bar)
- 5:30pm Partners in Ministry Banquet
Friday, May 31, 2019
7:30am – 8:30am Registration
8:30am – 9:45am Opening Worship with Glocal Musicians
9:45am Welcome and Announcements
Assembly Business Session I (10:00am – 11:30am)
· 10:00am - Formal Opening of Assembly
· 10:10am - Report of Committee on Registration & Attendance
· 10:15am - Synod Council Resolution 1 - Assembly Agenda
· 10:25am - Synod Council Resolution 2 - Assembly Rules of Procedure
· 10:35am - Action on En Bloc Items
Receipt of the Reports of the Vice President and the Synod Council
- Synod Council Resolution 3 - Authorization for Specified Agencies and Causes to Present Their Needs to the Congregations of the Nebraska Synod and for Special Offerings
- Synod Council Resolution 4 - Authorization for Synodically-Authorized Worship Communities
- Synod Council Resolution 5 - Proposed Compensation Guidelines
- Synod Council Resolution 6 - Approval of the Audit Report
· 10:45am – Placeholder for Introduced Proposed Resolutions
· 10:55am – World Hunger Committee 3 Minute Video while Dan Friedlund and Pr. Bob Hayden come forward
· 11:00am - Report of the Treasurer by Dan Friedlund
· 11:10am - Introduction of Synod Council Resolution 7 - Proposed 2020 Budget by Pr. Bob Hayden and Dan Friedlund
11:30am – 1:00pm – Willing Witness Luncheon / General Luncheon
Assembly Festival Session I (1:00pm – 5:15pm)
· 1:00pm – Immanuel Vision Foundation
· 1:10pm – Bishop’s Report by Bishop Brian Maas
· 2:00pm - World Hunger Committee 3 Minute Video
· 2:05pm – Introduce We Are Church for the Sake of the World
· 2:15pm – 4:15pm Workshops
- 2:15pm – 3:00pm Workshops
- 3:15pm – 4:00pm Workshops
· 4:15pm - World Hunger Committee 3 Minute Video
· 4:20pm – ELCA Churchwide Report by Rev. David Wunsch
· 5:05pm – Behold I Do a New Thing: The Nebraska Synod Theological Education Initiative
5:30pm – 6:30pm Dinner
Assembly Festival Session II (6:30pm – 9:30pm)
· 6:30pm – 7:15pm Keynote Address – Accompaniment by Glocal Musicians
· 7:15pm – 8:00pm Keynote Address – Bishop Shoo
· 8:00pm – 9:30pm Brews and Hymns (Cash Bar with local Microbreweries)
Deacon Timothy Siburg, Accompanist
Saturday, June 1, 2019
7:15am – Synod 5K Run & Walk
Assembly Festival Session III (8:15am – 10:15am)
8:15am – 10:15am Workshops
- 8:15am – 9:00am Workshops
- 9:15am – 10:00am Workshops
Assembly Business Session II (10:15am - 11:30am)
· 10:15am - Synod Council Resolution 7 - Proposed 2020 Budget
· 10:30am - Late Assembly Resolutions
· 10:40am – Bible Study
· 11:20am - Report of the Committee on Minutes
· 11:25am – Resolution to Receive Spirit of Grace Congregation into Nebraska Synod
11:30am – 12:30pm General Luncheon
Assembly Business Session III (12:30pm – 1:00pm)
12:30pm – 1:00pm – Placeholder for Further Discussion on Introduced Resolutions
Assembly Festival Session IV (1:00pm – 2:45pm)
1:00pm – 1:15pm – Transition to Closing Worship - Spirit of Grace Lutheran Church Musicians
1:30pm – 2:45pm - Closing Worship (with Glocal Musicians)
· Worship Service includes Reception of Spirit of Grace Lutheran Church, Holdrege, NE, into NE Synod ELCA
There will be a separate registration for Pre-Assembly workshops. Please check back for Workshop & registration link.
Healthy Leader's Walk & Run:
Saturday, June 1st
Registration opens at 7:00am
Walk & Run begin at 7:15am
For more information see link at the bottom of the page
Guest Speakers and Musicians
Presiding Bishop Dr. Fredrick Shoo is this year’s assembly keynote speaker. He was elected Bishop at the August 2015 Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania General Assembly.
Rev. David Wunsch is our ELCA Representative for this year’s Assembly. He will be providing learning opportunities about accompaniment and how we live our out baptismal call as Lutherans for the sake of the world.
We welcome ELCA’s Glocal Musicians as our Assembly musicians this year. This group features global and local voices leading joyful songs from our world as well as providing learning opportunities and workshops for assembly attendees.
Hotel Information
