July 11 & 18, 2022
Weekly Update
announcements & events
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THIS Weekly Update email is
covering items for the next two weeks!
The next edition of the Weekly Update will be on Monday, July 25.
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Do you have a heart for working with kids?
Fe y Esperanza (Faith and Hope) Remote Tutoring Program is looking for adults to assist with tutoring. No experience necessary!
We assist with tutoring or homework (via Zoom) to support students in elementary, middle and high school who need extra help in the areas of math, reading and writing.
The kids we currently assist come from families whose first language is Spanish. The time commitment is an hour and-a half a week via Zoom. We currently tutor on Monday afternoons and/or Saturday mornings. Volunteers who are able to commit to ongoing assistance OR on an occasional basis are welcome! For more information, please email Karen Curtis at curtkd1@gmail.com.
Thank you/gracias for considering supporting Latinx kids and their learning in our community.
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Land Acknowledgement Guide
The ELCA published “A Declaration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to American Indian and Alaska Native People,” in which the church confesses its sins toward Indigenous peoples and lists the commitments it will begin working toward as it responds to its original “Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery” from 2016.
One commitment found in each document is to formally acknowledge the original inhabitants of North America. The declaration states, “We commit to begin the practice of land acknowledgments at all expressions of the church.”
Vance Blackfox, Director for Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations with the ELCA, has prepared a guide for those who wish to begin a journey toward truth and healing by practicing land acknowledgements. It includes examples of statements that you can speak at the beginning of every worship service, print at the top of worship bulletins, use to create outdoor signage and more.
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Synod Events the next TWO WEEKS:
Mon, July 11, 4pm - Synod Finance Team
Tues, July 12, 10am-1pm - Synod Staff Meeting
Tues, July 12, 1pm - Building at Culture of Generosity Info Session (see below!)
Mon, July 18, 5:30pm - Churchwide Assembly Voting Member Meeting on Zoom (see your emails!)
Tues, July 19, 11am-1pm - Retired Rostered Minister BBQ (register by July 15 below!)
Tues, July 19, 4pm-6pm - BBQ for New-to-the-Synod Rostered Ministers (register by July 15 below!)
Wed, July 20, 6:30pm - LiVE Information Session (see below!)
Thurs, July 21, 12:30pm - Personnel Committee
Thurs, July 21, 6pm - Cluster Deans' Dinner (see your emails!)
Thurs, July 21 - Sat, July 23 - Multicultural Youth Justice Experience (see below!)
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Building a Culture of Generosity
This Fall there is an opportunity for congregations to participate in a cohort around “Building a Culture of Generosity.”
CURIOUS? Want to learn more before signing up?
There will be an information zoom meeting TOMORROW, Tuesday, July 12 at 1pm for you and and leaders in your congregation to learn more about it. Join that zoom meeting here:
READY to SIGN UP to PARTICIPATE?
The cost for the congregation will be $250, with the ELCA and Synod picking up the additional $200.
You can have several members of your Stewardship Committee participate in the program.
QUESTIONS?
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ELCA Coaching Network - Weekly Sessions
Wednesdays at 11am (Pacific)
ELCA Coaching will continue with the theme of COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP. ELCA Coaching has invited various ministries to host these gatherings each week. There will usually be time for small groups in breakout rooms so that leaders across the church can continue to learn from each other and leave each gathering with at least one action step.
Join Zoom Meetings here:
Meeting ID: 180 439 412 / Passcode: 648160
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“Embody the Word”
Online Bible Study Series
Each Sunday in July!
In preparation for the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, ALL ELCA members (not just voting members!) are encouraged to participate in a series of online Bible studies that will explore the assembly theme, “Embody the Word,” from Luke 24. The assembly, the highest legislative body of the ELCA, will meet in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 8-12. (Learn more about our synod's voting members here.)
The Bible study series will comprise four online sessions to be held Sundays in July from 1pm-3:45pm (Pacific). Each session will focus on the meaning of “embodiment,” open with a video presentation and continue with a moderated discussion. Members are encouraged to consider the double meaning of the assembly theme, “Embody the Word”: “embody” can mean both the incarnation of Jesus Christ and the life of the church emerging from a pandemic, whereas “word” can mean both Jesus Christ and Scripture.
Find out more about the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, including livestream information.
The sessions will also be available on demand from the ELCA YouTube Channel.
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Bethesda Lutheran Church
Block Party
Saturday, July 16 - begins at 1pm
A fabulous & fun community time!
All are welcome to stop by for live music, food trucks, dancing!
Bethesda Lutheran Church is located at 23406 56th Ave West in Mountlake Terrace.
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Mission to Seafarers Yard Sales!
Sunday, July 17, 1pm - 4pm
Tuesday, July 19, 3pm - 6pm
at the Seattle Seafarers’ Center (3568 W Marginal Way SW, Seattle,)
They are moving to a new (smaller!) office space - and will be giving away much of our current furniture (with requests for donations!)
Featured items: pool table, upright piano, BBQ grills, gardening tools, bookshelves, filing cabinets, kitchen equipment, and more! Come by on either day to check out our available furniture, and we will help move any items you are interested in to your car. Donations are encouraged!
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Summer Gatherings
for these TWO Rostered Minister Groups
Retired Rostered Minister BBQ
Tuesday, July 19, 11am-1pm at Advent Lutheran in Mill Creek
New-to-the Synod Rostered Minister BBQ
Tuesday, July 19, 4pm-6pm at Advent Lutheran in Mill Creek
ALL rostered ministers (and partners) who have been ordained or moved into the synod are invited since June 2019! (We are making up for a few COVID cancellations!)
We will be serving up grilled brats & hot dogs and side dishes.
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LiVE Information Sessions
(Living into Vocational Engagement)
Join one of our upcoming sessions:
July 20 or August 17 - 6:30-7:30pm on Zoom
Come and learn more about LiVE, get your questions answered, and see what this exciting opportunity holds in store for your own learning journey as a Christian public leader.
Please pre-register for one of these Zoom sessions here:
Learn more about our LiVE Project here:
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Multicultural Youth Justice (MYJ22)
July 21-23 at St. Matthew's in Renton
MYJ22 is a national virtual faith-forming experience July 21 – 23 where our NWWA synod youth will be together in-person at St. Matthew’s in Renton. Each day is filled with different activities and learning opportunities and we’ll end each day with a live virtual celebration with music, speakers, and worship.
This experience is crucial for BIPOC youth and their European Descent allies because of the ways in which they have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and because we so often hear them speak about how they feel disconnected from the wider church. For young people, especially BIPOC young people, it often feels as though the ELCA is the church of “old white folks.” It is crucial that we provide a space now, where they can feel at home in our faith traditions and know that they are seen, heard, wanted, and loved. While MYJ22 is only one piece of what we hope will be an ongoing effort to make connections between BIPOC youth and their allies, as well as the elders who have gone before them, and the wider church, we believe that it is a crucial piece that will enable us to do the desperately needed relationship-building required in order to nurture those long-lasting connections.
Groups can stay overnight onsite or travel to the event each day.
For more information about the regional gathering contact:
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Upcoming Zoom Sessions:
Tuesday, July 26, 4:30pm-6pm
Tuesday, August 23, 4:30pm-6pm
Tuesday, September 27,4:30pm-6pm
Connect with others, pray together, consider next steps in anti-racism work and share resources. Open to everyone on the journey to racial justice from newcomers and long-time movers.
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Stillaguamish Cluster Outdoor Worship & Picnic
Sunday, July 31 11am at the Silvana Fairgrounds
The Stillaguamish Cluster churches (in the Stanwood, Camano, Arlington, Marysville area) invite you to join them for an outdoor worship and picnic.
Worship begins at 11:00 with a picnic lunch following. Our goal is to bring our communities together to worship, have fellowship, and dream of ways to do God’s work together. Our offering that day will be shared between the three family resource centers in Stanwood/Camano, Marysville/Lakewood, and Arlington. Worship, food and fun is all provided! Bringing your own camp chair, a hat, sunscreen and a water bottle is suggested but not required. Please join us as we discover and recognize that our community can do great things when we come together.
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Kitsap Ride for Refugees
Saturday, August 20, begins at 9am
We are excited to be able to once again partner with Lutheran Community Services Northwest to bring back this great event for summer 2022. All proceeds go toward LCS Northwest and their refugee resettlement efforts.
Participants can choose between a 10- or 30-mile out-and-back course through beautiful Kitsap County, starting and ending at Silverdale Lutheran Church. This is an untimed, supported bike ride (not a race). Roads will still be open to vehicles and participants may need to stop at intersections.
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Spiritual Leadership Development Intensive
For Rostered Ministers and Lay Leaders
August 22-23 and 29-30 (four days total)
The Spiritual Leadership Development Intensive (SLDI) is an opportunity to engage with deep questions about your gifts, the challenges confronting you and your community, what God is calling you to, and how to be a spiritual force-to-be-reckoned-with in this turbulent world.
During these four days of leadership development and spiritual discernment in a safe and supportive environment, you have the opportunity to explore the dynamics of your life and ministry, how you got to where you are, and how to use fresh awareness and insights to enhance, strengthen and expand your ministry - and who you actually are.
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Webinar series: Building an Anti-Racism Team: Next Faithful Steps*
As with any team, having shared goals is really important for doing effective work. The team should decide what their function will be by identifying their goals. Each racial justice team is unique to a specific congregation and community context. The goals of the team should be defined keeping that in mind. The main areas that a team focuses on falls into three areas: internal team goals, congregational goals, and community goals.
Hosted by: The ELCA European Descent Lutheran Association for Racial Justice (EDLARJ)
Audience/For whom: Anybody in the ELCA, specifically interested in connecting with other folks building or working at a synod, campus or congregational anti-racist team.
Register in advance:
Flyer above.
September 7, 4:30 – 6 pm Pacific time: Internal Team Goals
Team goals are generally focused on one or more of the following:
• leadership development of team members - trainings, etc.
• cultural competency work as individuals and a team
• intentionally examining personal unconscious biases
October 5, 4:30 – 6 pm Pacific time: Congregational Goals
These goals involve the whole congregation and are usually focused on one or more of the following:
• hosting educational events (i.e. movie nights and discussions, book studies, etc.)
• writing (and then getting the congregation to pass) a Racial Justice Mission Statement
• examining the culture of the congregation
November 2, 4:30 – 6 pm Pacific time: Community Goals
Community goals put the internal pieces into action with goals like:
• connecting with local diverse community organizations or congregations in partnership
• engaging in local organizing and advocacy work that is meaningful to racially marginalized communities
• simply being present, active listeners to the voices of leaders of color in your context
* We thank and acknowledge the wisdom, experience and knowledge that Brenda Blackhawk put into creating this resource. She has offered it to us to use for our benefit. Our work will be better and stronger because of this resource…we acknowledge that as white-bodied people we cannot do this anti-racism work without siblings of color and culture. Please donate if you use this resource.
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God’s work. Our Hands. Sunday!
Sunday, September 11
Old Lutheran has T-shirts and other items available for purchase. The deadline for ordering your congregation’s personalized T-shirts is Aug. 19.
Don’t forget to share your congregation’s participation with us! Send stories and photos to LivingLutheran@elca.org so that together we can celebrate what God accomplishes through you.
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Sacred Spaces:
Opening the Holy Invitation Even Wider
September 24, 9:30am-2:30pm
at St. Andrews Lutheran Church (2650 148th Ave SE, Bellevue)
Sponsor: NW Washington Synod
Join Facilitators and Practitioners of unique gatherings and organic forms of church, for a day of stories, experiences, and workshops to explore together how we can open God’s holy invitation even wider.
There are so many ways to gather as faithful communities, whether it's outdoors, creating art, at the pub, or just eating around one big table. Why shouldn’t our gatherings reflect our uniqueness?
Let’s imagine how we can foster organic sacred spaces right in our own backyards. How can we create more inclusive gatherings for people to encounter God? How can we experiment with the gifts we have to meet the needs of those seeking the spirit in our own neighborhoods? What is sprouting up within you that is ready for germination?
Come with ideas, come with questions, come to dream about what sacred spaces can be!
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Want an item included?
All items due by 2pm on the prior Thursday
Northwest Washington Synod / ELCA
5519 Phinney Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98103
206-783-9292
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