05/28/2026
2026 Northwestern Ohio Synod Assembly ♥
The theme for the 2026 Northwestern Ohio Synod Assembly is the Way of Love, which is the Way of Jesus. In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus shares the Greatest Commandment. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Many of us remember learning this beautiful teaching of Jesus in Sunday School or catechism class. Many of us have committed these words to memory. But learning and quoting the words of love is not the same as living the Way of Love.
The love that Jesus calls us to is unconditional. This is a love that is not based on our worth or our ability to reciprocate. This is a love that shows up in deeds and not just words. In 1 John chapter 3, we read, “Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action”. The way of love is enduring, for as St. Paul reminds us in that well known passage from 1 Corinthians, “Love never ends”. Finally, the way of love is transformative, and calls us to reflect God’s love with and for the neighbor, the community, and the world. This is a love that when mobilized has the power to change the world.
And the way of love always begins with God. Here is God’s self-giving love, fully revealed in Jesus, poured into us by the Holy Spirit, and lived out in our lives for the sake of the other. As we read in our 2026 Way of Love Memory Verse from 1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us”. The entire letter of 1 John provides a beautiful glimpse into the Way of Love, which is a love that we are called to share with the world.
Please pray for us as we gather on Saturday, May 30 for the Northwestern Ohio Synod Assembly, that we may pursue the Way of Love, which is the Way of Jesus.
Blessings,
Bishop Daniel G. Beaudoin
Read the Bishop's Message and Learn About Saturday's Northwestern Ohio Synod Assembly Here or at the Link in our Bio: https://conta.cc/3ROGUAq
