FROM THE BISHOP

Source of Joy

I am writing this after my second in-person Bishop Formation event which was followed by my first Conference of Bishops in Chicago. It was a big week of receiving information, building and rekindling relationships, receiving more information, worship, prayer, and receiving additional information. I am grateful for and humbled by the entire experience. I am also thankful I decided to stay an extra night to see my old roommate and her family. There is something grounding in spending an afternoon with someone who has known me for twenty years and remains my dear friend.

The worship services and prayers this past week also kept me grounded. Three times other bishops proclaimed the Good News to our assembly. During regular prayers, our chaplain lifted our collective concerns to God but also reminded us of whose we are. I had moments of feeling slightly overwhelmed throughout the week, but these moments of worship and prayer anchored me and even gave me deep joy, the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit.

This e-news edition will go live when those of us following the three-year Revised Common Lectionary will be in the middle of a series of readings from Philippians, the Apostle Paul’s letter written from prison to early Christians facing their deep troubles. Your church may follow the Narrative Lectionary or read just one text each Sunday (both of which make good sense to me), but I invite everyone to revisit this short letter.

The overarching theme of Philippians is the joy we have in Jesus Christ. There is so much that is still broken in our communities and cosmos and sometimes both the small conflicts and large injustices can overwhelm. I cannot continue the work of witnessing to the love of Jesus Christ with words and actions without reminders that the good news is for me too, and that the joy Paul writes of is ours. In this very short letter (just four chapters) written from prison, the words joy and rejoice appear 12 times. Paul writes, “For me living is Christ, and dying is gain.” As with many of the dying that many of us have sat at bedsides with, it’s not that Paul has a death wish: he simply knows that death will allow him to “be with Christ” in closer fellowship (1:21). Identity in Christ is also the source of joy for the Philippian believers in hard times, together with the hope of resurrection from the dead and Christ’s return to earth.

I hope each of you are being reminded regularly of the deep joy and hope that comes in knowing Christ Jesus. Maybe the reminders will come at the Lord’s Supper, maybe through a sermon, maybe in prayer with your community, and maybe in a conversation with a sibling in Christ. There are burdens that come with following Jesus, but there is also deep joy and hope.

Peace,

Bishop Meggan Manlove

Hoping to See You This Saturday

BISHOP'S RESOURCE CORNER

Yale Bible Study (YBS)

In 2022 I wanted to do a Bible Study online for Trinity, Nampa members and other curious Chrisitans in the Treasure Valley. I had read somewhere about the Yale Bible Study resource. We used their resources for a six-week series on Galatians (source of the second lesson during that season). Participants were encouraged to read passages and watch the videos of scholars discussing the text before class. The YBS provided great discussion questions for our sessions. For some sessions I supplemented with readings from women’s Bible commentaries and African American Readings on Paul. More on the YBS, “Yale Bible Study is associated with The Center for Continuing Education at Yale Divinity School. We support Bible studies across the world with courses, resources, videos, podcasts and sermons. We hope this curriculum will help you and your community deepen your life of faith through small group study.”

- Bishop Meggan Manlove

AROUND THE SYNOD

Newly Updated Call Status

for NWIM Synod - link

(Background Photo by AJ Williams)

Holden Village's biggest annual fundraiser event is back for the fourth year! Join us virtually from Wednesday, October 4th – Sunday, October 8th. The all-online silent auction helps keep the daily operations and programs of the Village running.

Holden Village is a year-round remote wilderness retreat center, roIts oted in the Lutheran tradition, that welcomes all people into the North Cascade Mountains, above Lake Chelan, Washington.

Get ready to support Holden while bidding on some amazing items and experiences you won't find anywhere else. For more information, visit www.holdenvillage.org.

Its coming up this Wednesday thru Sunday. Please pass on to your congregations. Get FLYER

Byberg Preaching Workshop

January 22-24, 2024

Seaside, Oregon

Presenter: Dr. Shauna Hannan, Professor of Homiletics, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary

Chaplain: Rev. Liv Larson Andrews, DEM, Northwest Intermountain Synod

Hosted at: Best Western Seaside

Calling all preaching colleagues of the Pacific Northwest to join in the annual Byberg Preaching Workshop in beautiful Seaside, Oregon. We have invited Dr. Shauna Hannan back to lead us in conversations focused on preaching and communicating in our changed environment. We have also solicited the wonderful worship talents of Rev. Liv Larson Andrews to be our chaplain for the week.

Cost for the event is $195 ($100/interns) and hotel rooms range from $87-$197.

Registration will be open from September 1 – December 15, 2023. Cancelation requests need to be made by December 15, 2023. Please visit www.bybergpreachingworkshop.com for registration links and more information.

ELCA

Transterra Collective

Transforming faith-based land for community impact

Denominational Leadership Services | Executive Summary

Many mainline denominational churches are seeking faithful innovation amidst our changing ecclesial landscape. For example, 75% of churches in the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest have fewer than 100 members and are continuing to shrink. Inspired by the ecclesial imagination of other innovative congregations, some of these churches are seeking renewal and transformation by creating housing with their land to meet the needs of the community.

Administration Matters

Index of the September 2023 Issue

Registration opens at noon on Sept. 15 for the ELCA Youth Gathering and Young Adult Gathering, taking place in New Orleans, La., July 16-20, 2024, and for the two pre-events: the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE) and the tAble, for youth living with disabilities, both July 13-16, 2024. We’re thrilled to be back in such a vibrant city, filled with history, great food and inspiring music. This cycle we’re excited to announce that we will waive the pre-event registration fee for the first 1,000 people who register for the MYLE and the first 200 who register for the table.

To learn more, visit elca.org/Gathering. If you have any questions, email gathering@elca.org. We’ll see you in the bayou!

Update your Portico benefits enrollment

This August the board of trustees for Portico Benefit Services approved rate and benefit changes for 2024. Sponsoring organizations and plan members have been notified by email. If your organization provides Portico benefits, visit EmployerLink to review your organization’s Decision Guide and Custom Comparison Report. Then, from Oct. 2 to Oct. 13, select your organization’s 2024 ELCA-Primary health benefit. >More

Laws and rights for employers and employees

Q. I recently read that my congregation needs to put up posters explaining certain laws to the staff. Where can I get more information?

A. Here and at the ELCA’s legal page.

What’s Your Church’s Money Story?

Now that your congregation has passed the midpoint of 2023, this is a good time to examine your financial health. Many congregations are experiencing their first full year in a post-pandemic environment. How do your organization’s finances look today? >More

Don’t Be Left in the Cold — Inspect Your Heating Boiler

One of the biggest risks of boiler heating systems is that some problem might escalate the internal pressure to a point where the boiler explodes. This not only results in major physical damage to the facility but can be life-threatening if your members or employees are in the building. With proper maintenance you can greatly reduce the risk of this occurring. >More