2024 Assembly Highlights
April 19-20, 2024
Council Bluffs, Iowa

Friday afternoon: Pre-Assembly event at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Council Bluffs

  • Presenter: Paul Erbes, Morningside University, Sioux City, presented Opportunities for Stewardship 

Friday evening: St John’s Lutheran, Council Bluffs

  • Community Roast Pork dinner served
  • Opening worship at 6:30 pm
  • Land Acknowledgment presented by Mitch McCartney, St Paul Lutheran Church, Missouri Valley and member of ELCA Church Council
  • Bishop Lorna presented the Synod Assembly theme “Stir Us Up ToBe...”
  • The Credentials and Elections Committee reported registrations of 176 voters and 30 visitors for a total of 206 attendees
  • Finance Committee presented 2023 financial overview and budget highlights.
  • Churchwide report: Iain Chester, Director of Innovation at the ELCA plus greeting from ELCA Bishop Elizabeth Eaton
  • Recognition of 3 church anniversaries and 16 ordination anniversaries
  • Evening worship with Bishop Lorna Halaas presiding and Vicar Paige McGrath, St. Luke Lutheran, Sioux City preaching.

Saturday morning: PACE Center, Council Bluffs

  • Pr Judy Johnson, Synod Staff and Simon Nelson, St Mark Lutheran, Sioux City, led Thanksgiving for Baptism for morning prayer.
  • The Credentials and Elections Committee reported registrations of 184 voters and 31 visitors for a total of 215 attendees
  • Pr Chip Borgstadt, Synod Staff, presented report Candidacy report.
  • Keynote speaker: Rev Debra McKnight, Urban Abbey, UMC ministry in the Old Market, Omaha
  • Report on Youth Leadership Summit in Chicago attended by Ian Hertenstein, First Lutheran, Sioux City and Tucker Haitz, St John Lutheran, Council Bluffs. They were joined by Aaron Shoopa, ELCA Program Director for Youth Ministry and Deacon Eric Haitz.

Saturday afternoon: PACE Center, Council Bluffs

  • Elected 13 persons to Synod Council and synod committee
    positions*.
  • Elected 6 persons as voting members to the 2025 Churchwide Assembly*.
  •  Passed resolutions*:
       o #1 2025 Compensation and Care Guidelines
       o #2 Adopt the 2024 Revised Budget and the 2025 Proposed Budget
  • Assembly offering totaled $20,987.00, 75% for Western Iowa Synod youth to attend the ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans and 25% for the Western Iowa Synod Pig Project.
  • Bishop Lorna Halaas led the closing and installation of new synod council.

*Resolutions and other reports are available on the Western Iowa Synod website www.wisynod.org.  Click on Synod Assembly