Assembly Happenings

• 
  The Daily Assembly Friday Edition
  Plenary 1
  Opening Worship: Read Bishop Dave's sermon
  Rostered leaders new to the synod
  The Daily Assemby Saturday Edition
  The Daily Assembly Sunday Edition
  Closing Worship: Read Assistant to the Bishop Susan's sermon
  Photos from the Assembly
  Resolutions
  
  
  "Wellness Moments" were offered during the assembly
  by Northwest Parish Nurse Ministries.
  Here members participate in a "Stretch and Pray."

Plenary 1
The 2009 Oregon Synod Assembly began its annual gathering to both work on the business of the synod and to gather as community to celebrate its work together. Registration at the Hilton Hotel in Eugene proceeded efficiently, allowing assembly attendees plenty of opportunity to browse the various displays and to place bids on quilts being auctioned off to help alleviate world hunger.

The business portion of the 1st Plenary continued after a presentation by The Rev. Eric Law (coming related article). Several reports and announcements included: reports from the bishop, vice president and treasurer; introduction of rostered leaders new to the synod; celebration of 10 year anniversaries of ordination and Pastor Jeff Kallevig's 40th birthday. Churcwide and regional representatives Margie Fiedler, Mission Investment Fund Representative and Dan Lehman, Editor of The Lutheran Magazine shared their greetings with the assembly.

Rounding out an already full afternoon, voting members got to work on Resolutions, beginning with 2009-01: Hunger – A Community Priority, which passed.

Opening Worship began at 5:00 pm. Read the sermon from Bishop Dave.

Leading us in discussion
By Pastor Matthew Eagan,Calvary Hillsboro

Keynote Speaker Eric Law is an Episcopal Priest and director of the Kaleidoscope Institute for Competent Leadership in a diverse and changing world.

He opened the first plenary session of the assembly on Friday afternoon. He began with a meditative video. Noisy scenes of a crowded hall gave way to a quiet lakeside. The video was based on Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” You can find this video by Googling the “graceincyberspace channel.” Law expressed his goal “to seed cyberspace with grace and prayer.”

The world we live in is changing quickly and is becoming more complex in the areas of race, ethnicity, economics, gender and theology. As people of God, we need to become more competent in the way we lead. Eric Law outlined several areas of competency that are both helpful and trainable for leadership in this fast changing world:

Self Awareness— developing a deeper understanding of cultural values, privileges and power.

Difference as Opportunity—seeing problems as opportunities for learning and growth.

Commitment to Pluralism—appreciating the differences.

Theological Reflection—Where is God in this fast changing world? What is God calling us to be and to do?

Skills, Models and Theories—practicing disciplined and intentional skills that will increase our ability to guide a community toward inclusiveness.

People come to community with different assumptions. They come with different communication styles. Some listen. Others convince. When the convincers don’t agree, the listeners watch the ‘ping pong” match ensue; left out of the conversation.

In a diverse world we need to remind people how to communicate. Eric offered some guidelines for respectful and community building conversations using the word R-E-S-P-E-C-T as an acronym.

R – Take responsibility for what you say and feel (without blaming or judging.) Use “I” statements.

E – Empathetic listening. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. You don’t have to agree. The goal is mutual understanding.

S- Sensitive – Be aware of other peoples’ communication styles which may include stories, succinct points, spirals, and silence.

P – Ponder – Think and Ponder what you hear and feel before you speak.

E – Examine your assumptions and perceptions. Why did I react this way? What do I want to say?

C – Confidentiality – this is different than keeping a secret. Secrets may be divisive and are often used to wield power or to protect someone. Confidentiality means to keep in mind one’s love and care for someone so that you will know what to say and not to say.

T-Trust– Tolerate ambiguity for awhile so that the community can arrive at the truth.

Using the story of the five blind persons and the elephant to illustrate the need for these communication skills, he urged us to use these guidelines and leadership skills in our discussions of sexuality, money and other issues that we discuss throughout our synod assembly.

Then we can make decisions based on love and trust.

Opening worship –
Rules for living in the absence of Jesus
Submitted by Paul Admudson, Atonement, Newport

Opening worship was a joyful and enthusiastic experience shared by the assembly attendees on Friday afternoon.  Assistant to the Bishop Susan Kintner presided; Bishop Dave Brauer-Rieke delivered the sermon.

Bishop Dave reflected on the Apostolic Creed in light  of Jesus’ absence.  Brauer-Rieke recited the creed  to the point where Christ ascended into heaven -- he was on Earth for the disciples, he is in heaven for us now, and  will return for us.

Bishop Dave spoke of the inclusiveness of Jesus and how that  is wooing us from one state of being to another. Jesus leads us from hopelessness to hope, from exclusion to home, and from darkness to light.

Bishop Dave stated, “Now my fantasy is that if Jesus were present, rather than absent, life would be easier.”  Bishop Dave said he had fantasized about Jesus being alive today so we could ask him about genetic engineering, global warming, gay lesbian relations and parenting situations.  But in the absence of Jesus we have to do something or we just grind to a halt.  In worship we generally throw our coins into the offering plate and yell “Amen, come Lord Jesus!” and continue to do our best.

But such is the calling we have been given.  And we remember that Jesus will come – future tense, maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe not for a long time, but someday – Jesus will come to judge us on our performance.  

So here are Bishop Dave’s rules for living in the absence of Jesus:
Remember that Jesus Christ, through his life, death and resurrection, has moved us from death into life – as a gift, without warrant or reason, certainly without my earning or deserving it.  For this always give thanks.

Remembering that our lives are secure in Christ, I know everything else is secondary. That would include things like financial security, social status, gender and sexual orientation, marital status, the church budget and the behavior of our children.  We are free to discern and deal with life as the Spirit directs and we are able.

And finally, knowing our lives are secure in Christ and that everything else is secondary, we seek to serve. We are called to feed the hungry, house the homeless, proclaim liberty to the captive, welcome the outcast, honor the weak and despised, respect our elders and care for this planet. No small task this, but we do not do it alone. We do it together in the power and pleasure of the Spirit of Christ who makes us one.

So as we remember the ascension of our Lord this day we confess that Jesus has ascended. We confess that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the father and that Jesus will come again. Today, though, the privilege and the power of being the hands that do God’s work has been given to us. It is we, in the power of the Spirit, as the Body of Christ, who are responsibility to reconcile, redeem and renew all that God has given us. Thanks be to God!