We Form Communities:
Gathering as People of the Promise
April 30 – May 1, 2021
Virtual Assembly
We will be livestreaming Synod Assembly for the general public on Facebook Live starting at 5:45pm on Friday and 8:15am on Saturday:
Don’t have Facebook?
No problem! When you go to our Facebook Live page, you might see a ribbon at the bottom of your page prompting you to log in or create a new account– just ignore it and enjoy the livestream! If you’d like to hide the ribbon, either click the X in the upper right corner of the ribbon to close it (for mobile or tablet), or view the video fullscreen (for desktop or laptop) by hovering your mouse over the video and pressing the icon with two arrows pointing away from each other in the lower right corner.
Help Desk Number: 833-458-9998
Our dedicated help desk team is ready to assist you! Please be patient if you are placed on hold. The Help Desk will be open at these times:
- 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm on Thursday, April 29th*
- 5:30 pm – 9pm on Friday, April 30
- 7:30 am – 4pm on Saturday, May 1
(* During the day Thursday, feel free to call our office number (414.671.1212) for assistance. NOTE: Our office will NOT be open Friday and Saturday, and voicemails left on the office number may not be returned until next week.)
Where is my link? my user name? my password?
On the Wednesday prior to assembly (April 28,) the last of three pre-assembly emails were sent to the email address you provided when registering. This final email includes your user name and password for Saturday, as well as all links you will need.
The Thursday night ‘test my tech’ (optional) event has its own link, with user name and password required.
The Friday night opening worship for assembly has its own link. NO user name or password required.
The Saturday assembly has its own link, with user name and password required.
User name and password are ONLY necessary for Thursday’s and Saturday’s events.
Can’t find your email by the end of the day Wed April 28th? First, check your spam, trash, and ‘promotions’ email folders. Call our Help Desk (see above) if you still can’t find them.
Pre-assembly budget hearing – 7pm on April 28th
Our Synod Treasurer, Bob Reinders, will be available to answer any questions you may have about the proposed budget that evening. Please consider joining this zoom meeting. A link was sent to all registered voting members.
If you misplaced the link, please contact us at gmsoffice@gmselca.org with your first and last name and the email address you registered with. We’ll be happy to send the email to you again.
The financial documents on this page will assist you as you prepare for this meeting.
Test your Tech – 6:30 to 8:30 pm on Thursday, April 29th
During these hours you can log in, contact the help desk if necessary and make sure everything is ready to go for Friday and Saturday. A zoom link for Test Your Tech will be sent to all registered voting members shortly before April 29th.
Tips for joining Synod Assembly
Please read this section carefully now. If there is anything you don’t understand, contact gmsoffice@gmselca.org as soon as possible.
- We strongly recommend that you use the google chrome web browser and make sure your browser is up to date.
- Download and install the Google Chrome Browser: https://www.google.com/chrome/
- On your computer, open Chrome.If you already have Chrome on your computer, make sure your browser is up to date.
- To update Google Chrome:
- On your computer, open Chrome
- At the top right, click “More”. Important tip: If you can’t find this button, you’re on the latest version.
- Click update Google Chrome
- Click Relaunch
Equipment for the Meeting
- The easiest way to join assembly is for EACH person to use their own desktop or laptop computer. Do not share a device unless necessary.
- If you must share a desktop or laptop, you will either need to open two browser windows, or use a second device (smartphone or tablet) for the second person to vote with. We’ve included the following images to help you open a second browser window in Chrome. Please note that all devices are different and we’ve done our best to give you a helpful image.
- On your computer (click here for image download)
- If you do not have a desktop or laptop, you can use a smartphone or tablet. You will either need to open two browser windows on a single device or use two separate devices for watching and voting.
- On your tablet (click here for image download)
- On your smartphone (click here for image download)
Wednesday, April 28
7:00 pm Budget Hearing
Thursday, April 29
6:30 – 8:30 pm Test Your Tech
Friday, April 30
6:00 pm New to Assembly Orientation
7:00 pm Opening Worship
8:00 pm Detailed Announcements for Voting Members
8:15 pm Conference Caucuses
8:45 pm Closing Prayer
10:00 pm Floor Nominations Close
Saturday, May 1
8:30 am Plenary I
Welcome
Reflection
Introductions
Portico Welcome
Assembly Orientation
Report of Credentials
Assembly Appointments
Adoption of Agenda
Approval of Rules/Resolutions/Elections Procedure
Report of the Nominating Committee
Budget Presentation
ELCA Representative Report
Reference and Counsel Report
Lutheran Campus Ministry Report
10:15 am Break
10:30 am Resume Plenary 1
Bishop’s Report
Equipping the Saints Report
First Ballot
11:30 am Lunch
1:00 pm Plenary 2
Reflection
Report of Credentials
Report of the First Ballot
Second Ballot
Outreach for Hope Report
Vice President’s Report
Action on the Budget
Constitutional Changes
Opioid and Substance Use Disorder Task Force Report
Resolutions
Announcements, Thanks
3:50 pm Sending and Installation of Elected Persons
Synod Assembly Worship is open to everyone!
Please join us at 7pm on Friday, April 30. Our service will be live on zoom and streamed on Facebook.
Opening Worship Bulletin
Our offering benefits the ELCA International Women Leaders Fund. Learn more about this fund here.
Locate the dropdown arrow
Choose Synod Assembly offering.
Registration cancellations are non-refundable after April 15 and the deadline for registration is noon on Monday, April 26. Everyone is welcome to view the assembly on our Facebook Live stream, but only voting members registered by noon on Monday, April 26 will be able to speak from the floor and vote.
We will be using a platform for Synod Assembly that integrates the Zoom meeting and Lumi voting in one window. This system works best on a desktop or laptop computer. It is possible to join with a tablet or smart phone, however; the voting and zoom windows will be separate tabs and not integrated into one window.
We strongly encourage the use of a laptop or desktop computer for the best experience. Learn more by visiting the “Test Your Tech” tab.
If you have questions or need to make corrections to a registration, please contact us at 414.671.1212.
The positions listed below are open for nominations and will be elected at the 2021 Synod Assembly. You can also download a pdf of the Assembly Booklet (which contains a list of open positions), a brief job description for each position, and the new conference structure.
Please note: Floor Nominations deadline is April 30 at 10:00 pm
- Youth – age 18 and under at the time of election
- Young adult – age 30 and under at the time of election
- Churchwide Assembly will be held in Columbus, Ohio from August 8-12, 2022
- People interested in conference nominations should contact the acting dean of the conference
The pdf nomination form is available here. Please download and save this form to your computer before you fill it in. You can email the completed form as an attachment to Mary Romskog.
NOTE: The synod council has voted to change one of the designations for Churchwide Assembly voting membership. Previously, we had asked the North Conference to nominate a lay male person of color or primary language other than English, but they have been unable to identify such an individual. We have therefore changed one of the two at large lay male positions to a person of color or primary language other than English, thus allowing the North Conference to nominate someone while maintaining our representational principles.
Special Synod Assembly 2021 – January 23, 2021
Synod Assembly 2020 – Canceled due to COVID-19
Synod Assembly 2019 – For Everyone Born, A Place at the Table, May 31 – June 1, 2019
Synod Assembly 2018 – Trusting the Winds of the Spirit: Curiosity, Courage, and Compassion, May 31 – June 2, 2018
Synod Assembly 2017 – For the Healing of the Nations: Living Word, Living Water, Living Justice, June 1-3, 2017
Synod Assembly 2016 – Claimed to Be, June 2-4, 2016
Synod Assembly 2015 – Hope for a Broken World, May 29-30, 2015
Synod Assembly 2014 – Together at God’s Table, May 29-31, 2014
Synod Assembly 2013 – Why? May 30-June 1, 2013
Synod Assembly 2012 – You are Standing on Holy Ground, May 31-June 2, 2012
Synod Assembly 2011 – Going Public, June 24-26, 2011
Files
Reports
Report of the Treasurer (video)
Bishop Eaton’s 2021 Synod Assembly Letter: English, Spanish
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Worship
Videos
GMS: Treasurer’s Report
GMS: Equipping the Saints Mission Appeal Report
GMS: Task Force on Opioid and Substance Use Disorders Report
GMS: New to the Synod
ELCA Foundation: Make a plan. Change the world.
Lumi: Lumi Instructional Video
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service: Transform the World with LIRS
Portico: Building Resilience Through Benefits
Friday Evening Worship Videos:
Gathering Song (O Blessed Spring)
Hymn of the Day (God We Gather)
Assembly Booklet
This document contains all the materials you need for Synod Assembly including the full agenda, constitutional changes, financial reports, resolutions, nominations and more. It will also be available in the LUMI documents platform on Saturday. Please note that the table of contents on page 2 is hyperlinked so you can quickly move to the pages you need.