by: Bishop Tessa Moon Leiseth May 20, 2024 O Lord, how manifold are your works! (Psalm 104:24a)  Manifold – this is not a word we use commonly. Many, varied, and numerous are good synonyms. Many are your works, O Lord. Numerous and varied are your works, O Lord.  Last Sunday was Pentecost Sunday. I celebrated with Viking and North Viking Lutheran Churches of Maddock. It was a glorious morning with festive worship, a confirmation, a trumpet duet, and a full house. Glorious.   After worship we marveled at the wonders of buildings and hospitality as a new addition and elevato ..read more

“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.” – Philippians 1:3-4 A companion synod relationship is rooted and grounded in relationships. As we accompany each other, we share with each other. In this relationship, the ELCA companions, including the Eastern North Dakota Synod, are able to share financially in ways that benefit the well-being of our companions. On this trip, I was able to see and learn about some of the work your dollars have been doing. Yaloke ..read more

“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.” – Philippians 1:3-4 A companion synod relationship is rooted and grounded in relationship. I was especially looking forward to this visit because I had not met President Ngoe in person and I hoped for that as part of forming our relationship.  Even though the Centennial celebrations were very busy, President Ngoe was able to make time to meet with the visiting bishops (including myself) and additional compani ..read more

“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.” – Philippians 1:3-4 Centennial Celebration! This was the primary purpose for our travels. We enjoyed 3 worship services (in two different towns/cities), learning more history, meeting with the president of the church, lots of road time, many shared meals, lots of French and Sango (official languages of CAR) as well as Gbaya (none of which I speak), and visiting ELCA-supported projects (upcoming blog post). It was ..read more

By: Bishop Tessa Moon Leiseth November 3, 2023 CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION IN CAR On November 5th, a cohort of travelers will begin the multi-day journey to the Central African Republic in order to celebrate with our Lutheran siblings their Centennial as a church. The Eastern North Dakota Synod, along with the Western North Dakota Synod and the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, are companions to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Central African Republic (ELC-CAR). As companions, we pray for each other and encourage each other in our ministry. Through our relationship together, we are stre ..read more