Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
It has been a busy week since we were together at our Synod Assembly. Thank you for affirming my call to continue to serve as your bishop in the South Dakota Synod. Together we are living out our common vision “That All May Be Fed” feeding those that lack physical and spiritual nourishment. I look forward to our continued work and ministry together.
I give thanks for the Bishop Elections Committee for their work these past 18 months as they shepherded and introduced a new process for the calling of a bishop. It was a blessing to have Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla facilitating the bishop election process and for telling the story of God’s work in the ELCA. (And he wasn’t bad on the drums, either!)
Thank you to Rev. Dr. Anna Madsen for so ably bringing our Bible studies and for proclaiming the Gospel in worship. It was a delight to hear once again from Dakota Road as they shared their gift of music with us. Thank you also to our newly elected Vice President, Carla Borchardt, and to Susan Leddy, our new Secretary, for agreeing to serve you, the people of this Synod.
As we look to the future of our shared ministry together, it is important that we continue to lift up and support our current and future leaders of this church. As one small part of that support, I invite you to join me for an afternoon of golf on July 8 to have a good time and raise money for Answer the Call scholarships.
I invite and encourage our church council members and rostered leaders to attend Burgers with the Bishop this August as we share the most up-to-date changes to our major medical plan from Portico. We will also share stewardship practices, engage in Bible study around the Three Great Listenings (the text, one another, and the neighbor) and discuss ways we can utilize technology to share the Gospel with the world.
Over these last six years, I have deeply appreciated the support that we have received at the Synod Office. Through these past years we have focused on our congregations as centers of mission and I look forward to deepening that relationship with our congregations in this synod.
On a personal note, thank you for your words of congratulations on the birth of our granddaughter, Isabel Corrine Aguilar. Both mom and baby are doing well!
Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel and the ministry we share in South Dakota.
In Christ’s Love,
Bishop David Zellmer
South Dakota Synod, ELCA
To see photos from the 2013 Synod Assembly, visit the South Dakota Synod Facebook Page.
