The Thirteen Biennial National Convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) will take place July 14-17, 2011, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The call to be In Mission for Others articulates the mission and ministry for the ELCIC and is lifted up in this year’s convention theme which is Covenant People: In Mission for Others.
The convention theme is drawn from Isaiah 56:6–8 and focuses on our identity as God’s servants, and on the responsibility we bear toward each other and collectively toward others by virtue of this covenant. We are joined together in the covenant of baptism and called to live our lives as disciples of Jesus. ELCIC National Bishop Susan Johnson has been encouraging the ELCIC community to engage in a call to spiritual renewal and to be a more visible witness to our neighbours. At National Convention, we will explore aspects of this call to read, pray, worship, study, serve, give and tell.
The word “covenant” is also a synonym for “treaty,” so the theme Covenant People: In Mission for Others gives us the opportunity to explore how we as a church and as Canadians are treaty people, and challenge ourselves to renewed relationships between indigenous and non-indigenous people.
The 2011 ELCIC National Convention logo is comprised of the visual elements of a pitcher and water, signs of the baptism that gathers and connects us. This life-giving water is ever weaving around and through God’s covenant people.
The logo and further information on the 2011 ELCIC National Convention can be viewed online at www.elcic.ca/In-Convention/2011-Saskatoon/default.cfm.
