Announcements

As congregations and communities navigate the growing complexities of pastoral care, it is not always clear how to respond to the complex mental health challenges that exist in our congregations and in our surrounding communities. Join the Future Communities Lab and the Congregational Collective on April 21 from 12–1 p.m. CT for a virtual conversation with practical theologian and registered mental health nurse John Swinton. Register for the free webinar here.

Join the Community Fellows with Kathryn Schifferdecker and Jonathan Paradise for an educational event about the Seder dinner: a structured, ritual-filled Jewish feast held on the first one or two nights of Passover. It commemorates the Exodus—the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery—through storytelling, songs, prayers, and specific symbolic foods, such as matzah and bitter herbs, following a 15-step tradition. There will be traditional seder dishes, readings from the Haggadah, and a seder plate displayed by our chef Sam Lauerer to show also his family’s traditions! The dinner will be on April 16, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the OCC Dining Room. Please sign up through links on the Community Fellows social media page or using this online form.

Luther staff are invited to an upcoming space to hold conversation with one another about the relocation of the seminary. This is not a program-oriented conversation nor one that has in view any logistical, architectural, or real estate decisions. It is a conversation space to process what we’re holding—personally and as a community—as we approach the move. Likely, many of us are experiencing everything from deep grief to hopeful anticipation, often intermingled and with a lot in between. We invite you to bring all of this into a spacious conversation with one another.
Tuesday, April 7 at 12 p.m. Join us on Zoom (link in email)
Chris Jacobsen (cjacobsen003@luthersem.edu) and Cody Sanders (csanders001@luthersem.edu), both members of the Future Space Working Group, will be holding this space and helping to facilitate conversation. If you have questions, please contact them.

Construction and closures to highway 280 will begin April 13. Starting at 5 a.m. on Monday, April 13 and continuing through late August, crews will fully close northbound Hwy 280 from I-94 in Sain Paul to Hwy 36/I-35W to begin construction improvements. Access to Broadway Street will also be closed during this time. The ramps from I-94 to University Avenue will also be closed. Southbound Hwy 280 from I-94 in Saint Paul to Hwy 36/I-35W will close later in April. Hwy 280 is anticipated to reopen in both directions prior to the start of the Minnesota State Fair in late August. Read more on the MN-DoT website.

Wisdom Ways Center for Spirituality is seeking presentations on ecology, environmental justice, and interdependence for their Stronger Together: Community and Resilience in a Changing Climate conference this June 27-28. Submissions are due April 15. Topics include climate grief and resilience, food sovereignty, disability and ecojustice, Indigenous religion and the earth, and more. Panels, workshops, and immersive teaching formats are welcome. Students are encouraged to submit. To submit a proposal or ask questions, contact Danielle Clausnitzer at dclausnitzer@accolamn.org or 651-758-1370.

In this devotion, Karoline Lewis ’94 M.Div., Professor and Marbury E. Anderson Chair of Biblical Preaching, thanks Jesus for loving us no matter what and prays for the help we need to lean into God’s love as we face the hardest times of faith. Read today’s God Pause.