Synod Assembly: the Beauty of Being Church Together

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Bishop Gonia presides at closing eucharist.

For any new bishop, the first Synod Assembly is an important milestone. That was certainly my experience as we—the people of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on the territory of the Rocky Mountain Synod—gathered in Loveland from May 2-4 under the theme, Deeply Rooted – Bearing Fruit.  It is an awesome thing, indeed, to look out over a room of 540 people seated around a breath-taking sculpture of the Tree of Life and to catch a glimpse of the Church—the Body of Christ—in all its variety and complexity and connectedness.

As I read reports from other Synod Assemblies around the ELCA, I am more convinced than ever that while one purpose of our gathering is to do the “business” of the church, the most important reason we get together each year is to experience our connected community, to affirm our commitment to a life of discipleship together rather than in isolation, and to let our relationships across our vast geographic and cultural territory inspire us to new visions for participating in God’s mission. Given that fact, a few of my many Assembly highlights included:
  • worshipping together—and especially welcoming two new congregations in the context of our closing worship:  Peace in Christ Lutheran Episcopal Ministry (Elizabeth, CO) and Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey (Denver, CO)
  •  the Friday night 25th Anniversary Festival—how great to see kids playing and dancing, people painting and having fun with games, fellow disciples mixing and visiting
  • our Saturday morning Skype conversation with our companions in Madagascar... to be serenaded by a choir halfway around the world was a heavenly experience indeed!
  • watching people who didn’t know each other before talking and sharing about their lives, their communities of faith, their ministries—at meals, in the hallways, during workshops and excursions...

Two new congregations received into the ELCA
I am grateful to all those who worked so very hard to make our Assembly possible. I’m equally thankful to all who committed three days and the necessary resources to experience life as a people who are deeply rooted, bearing fruit, always being made new... together!

Yours in Faith,

Bishop Jim Gonia

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