Dear Partners in Mission,

When I was a candidate for the office of bishop in 1995, I naively proposed that if I were elected I would purchase or rent a mobile home and travel throughout the synod, spending two months in each conference visiting rostered persons and congregations.

I felt this was the best way to get to know the synod and connect with the people and ministries here. Bishop Kempski in his response commended me on the idea but said it would be difficult to accomplish this due to the frenetic nature of the bishop's schedule.

I learned what he meant three years later when I was elected bishop and the first thing that Presiding Bishop Anderson did after congratulating me was to hand me a schedule of meetings to attend in the coming months and years. I learned quickly that my idea could not be implemented.

The desire to make such visits never left my mind. Making strategically planned pastoral visits, such as anniversary celebrations, transitions for pastors and congregations, has been an important part of my eight years in the office of bishop. That idea has surfaced again for me as we face a time of great uncertainty in the life of the church.

I need to connect with the leaders of our congregations, to understand where they believe we are as a church. Together then, we can challenge and be challenged in the calling that we share in God's mission in the world.

The CALLED 2 CONNECT emphasis that I have begun will require a major portion of my time over the next two years. With this emphasis, I plan to visit every congregation and meet with the leaders of each congregation.

Obviously, I won't be arriving in a mobile home (neither my finances nor the synod's finances could afford such an extravagance) and I will need to schedule these visits around other visits or meetings already planned in order to make the best possible use of time and financial resources.

These visits will center on stewardship as it deals with the whole ministry of the church - local, synodical and churchwide. I will be asking you, as a stewardship leader in the church, to model for the whole church faithfulness in this area.

When I was a parish pastor, I felt it was important for me to know what my parishioners were giving through their offerings. I know that this makes some people uncomfortable, but often these gifts (or lack thereof) revealed an underlying spiritual health concern that I needed to address as their pastor.

As called and elected leaders of the church, we have a responsibility and opportunity to give strong leadership at this crucial time for the sake of mission and ministry.

I ask for your prayers as I continue to keep you in my prayers.