LiVE PROJECT - time to get registered!

We are excited to embark on the next year of the LiVE Project of the Northwest Washington Synod! YOU are invited!

There are a host of learning opportunities for lay, life-long learners. The theme for this year is Spirit Stirring. How is the Spirit stirring in your life? How is the Spirit informing your sense of call? 

All mini-courses (5-8 weeks) and the four one-day retreats explore how the Holy Spirit is igniting curiosity and fresh ways to integrate life, faith, and the public witness of the church. 

Individuals and Congregations have a few options to register.

Sign up (and save!) for the unlimited bundle and have access to ALL the 2022-2023 offerings - or register for each one class/retreat individually.

• The various fall mini-courses and day retreats are listed below in the events section!
• Check out the full 2022-2023 offerings in the catalog.
• Learn more about the LiVE Project HERE.
• Register yourself or your congregation group soon - HERE

2023 Update on Portico Health Rates and Plan Changes

What's changing for 2023:

• ELCA-Primary health contribution baseline rate will increase 3%¹, the same rate increase as last year, which was the lowest in eight years. The 3% increase also applies to sponsored members receiving the ELCA Medicare-Primary health benefit Standard option.
• ELCA-Primary Gold+ option deductibles will increase to $1,500 for member only, $2,250 for member and child(ren) and $3,000 for member and spouse or member, spouse, and child(ren). Coinsurance, out-of-pocket limits, and prescription drug cost-share will not change.

Prepare for 2023 Annual Enrollment

As you prepare to make selections in October, keep these things in mind:

• The ELCA recommends two ELCA-Primary health benefit options: (1) Gold+, or (2) Silver+ with a monthly employer contribution to the member’s health savings account (HSA). Sponsoring employers (congregations and organizations) will selection the option they will offer their employees Oct. 3-14. Your registered EmployerLink user can access the 2023 Decision Guide and their Custom Comparison Report to help determine 2023 costs and options. Note: any organization that does not make a selection will be assigned Silver+ (A) to offer their plan members the ability to choose the coverage that works best for them.
• Sponsored members, watch for an email from Portico with specific information about 2023 Annual Enrollment, including when your selection period will be open. Most – but not all – plan members will make their selection between Oct. 20-27.

Invest in Your Emotional Health

Boost your emotional health this fall by joining live webinar led by Learn to Live’s clinical team. September’s sessions – which run 15- or 30-minutes – focus on Time Management; Staying Refreshed and Preventing Burnout; and Avoiding Negative Thinking Traps. Learn more about the webinars, and use the code PORTICO to register.

• If you have any questions, please reach out to Andrea Arey, Regional Representative from Portico. She can be reached at AArey@porticobenefits.org or 949-338-9573.

September is Suicide Prevention Month

This Suicide Prevention Month, we highlight the Suicide Prevention Ministry, whose mission is “to call on faith communities and equip them to reduce stigma, promote awareness, and provide training and resources to prevent suicide, and to help those who struggle with mental illness, their family, and their friends.” This ministry, based on the ELCA social message on suicide prevention, became a passion project for the late Jerry and Elsie Weyrauch after the suicide of their daughter Terri.

Read more HERE about this vital ministry and what we can do to prevent suicide.

Please also see the awareness training event being offered on Sept. 24, listed below.

Time for You

Thursday, September 15, 12-2pm

at Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Kirkland

ALL Children, Youth and Family Ministry Leaders are invited to attend this monthly gathering to connect and collaborate! Whether you are full-time or part-time, paid or volunteer - this meet up is for YOU! 

If you have questions about this gathering and or wish to get connected with other leaders around our synod, please reach out to Bryant Williams (Synod CYF Committee Chair) and the others on the leadership team here: cyflutheransnw@gmail.com

From Holy Rage to Holy Hope:

The Pastor as Public Leader and

Congregation as Healing Community

This course is led by our synod’s own Rev. Dr. Rick Rouse.

It is part of Luther Seminary’s “Faith+Lead” and offers an important learning opportunity for pastors and judicatory leaders prior to the 2022 Mid-Term election. Overcome the polarization that exists in American religion and politics by learning how you and your congregation can help bridge the divide. 

Offered Thursdays, 11am-12:30pm (Pacific) on Sept. 15, 22, and Oct 6-27. 

The cost is $125 and scholarships are available.

For more information and to register click on the following link today:

https://faithlead.luthersem.edu/from-holy-rage-to-holy-hope/

4 Simple Steps for Increasing Stewardship

A webinar is offered by Vanco, an ELCA-preferred eGiving vendor

Thursday, September 15, at 12noon (Pacific)

Register here.

How to improve your financial call and compel people to greater generosity.

How to incorporate storytelling to strengthen your ask.

How to encourage donations through Vanco Online.

How easy it is for your congregation to use Vanco Online to meet giving goals.

Upcoming Faith Action Network Events:

Global Interfaith Compassion Challenge

Sunday, September 11 to Saturday, October 22, online.  

Join people from many faith communities in exploring ways to bring the timeless virtue of compassion into our lives and work toward bringing about large-scale social change through compassion. Find out more here.

2022 Labor & Immigration Summit

hosted by the Washington State Labor Council and the AFL-CIO Labor & Immigration Committee. 

Saturday, September 17, 10am-5pm, Skagit Valley College, Mount Vernon.

FAN is pleased to co-sponsor this year’s event with the theme “Immigrant and Refugee Workers Rising and The Future of the Labor Movement.” There will be workshops, a guest speakers' breakfast, lunch, and free parking. Register here. For more information, email Dgutierrez@wslc.org.

Seattle Rally and March for Nuclear Abolition,

sponsored by Citizens for the Universal Abolition of Nuclear Weapons.

Saturday, September 24, noon, Cal Anderson Park to the Federal Building.  Find out more here.

Save the Date for the Annual FAN Dinner - Sunday evening, November 20!

More info coming soon.

Installation Service

The Rev. Paul Eldred will be installed as the Pastor at Central Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity on Friday, September 16 at 7pm. Rostered leaders are invited to vest and process, plan to arrive by 6:20 to find parking and vest (or consider taking public transportation!)

Camp Lutherwood Middle School Retreat

Friday-Saturday, September 16-17

Calling all middle schoolers (students grades 6-8)! Join us for an awesome weekend to be in fellowship with food, games, and community! We will have campfire, worship, s'mores and more!  Cost is $65.00 

Learn more and register here: www.camplutherwood.org/events

Sacred Spaces:

Opening the Holy Invitation Even Wider

September 24, 9:30am-2:30pm

at Saint 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!

Please register HERE: https://tithe.ly/event-registration/#/5557479

safeTALK (suicide alert) Training

Saturday, September 24, 9am-12:30pm

at Zion Lutheran Church, Ferndale

Shirley and Rev John Swanson will be leading this event. There is a $15 fee to cover the cost of materials. See this flyer for all pertinent information. Deadline for sign up is September 8! 

Learn more about this training HERE.

Email Office@ZionLutheranwhatcom.org to register

(NOTE: The Swansons are available to provide this training for organizations and churches throughout the Synod, contact John for more info - jaswanson899@gmail.com)

Installation Service

The Rev. Leslie Mahraun will be installed as Chaplain at The Hearthstone in Seattle on Tuesday, September 27 at 2pm at Hearthstone in the Gardens at the Cove. (Located in the alley behind the Cove East Apartments, of the Hearthstone Campus: 6850 Woodlawn Ave NE, Seattle. This event will only be open to public if weather permits it to be outdoors!)

ELCA Vital Congregations Training – Fall 2022

Is your congregation ready to take some steps (even small steps) toward renewal or revitalization? Are you ready to try some new things, share some ideas, gain a greater understanding of the broader mission, bring clarity about your own congregation’s mission, acquire knowledge on how to live that out in community, gain confidence to share what you have learned with the world, and find new allies from within a cohort of congregations? Then, you are invited to attend the 2022 Fall Session of the ELCA Vital Congregations Training! 

Rostered Ministers and congregation leaders are encouraged to attend as a team of 3–5 people for a 4-session training series. This will be a time of inspiration, learning, planning, sharing, experimenting, visioning, and implementing. This fast paced co-creative and co-experimental training is facilitated by leaders with experience in redeveloping congregations as well as added guest presenters from a variety of settings with a wealth of knowledge. These principles and more will be explored: focusing on Jesus and justice; being expectant of the Holy Spirit; living as disciples of Jesus; multiplying leaders who are young, diverse and bring fresh insights; and aligning with purpose and core values.

This FREE 4-session training series will be held on these Thursdays: October 6, October 20, November 3, and November 17. You may choose to attend either in the morning or the afternoon – whatever time works best for your team. The morning session is 10:30am-12noon (pacific time); the afternoon session is 4:30-6:00pm (pacific time.) All sessions will be recorded and available to all registered participants. NOTE: This training is for people who did NOT attend the Vital Congregations Re-BOOT Camp in Spring 2022 or 2021.

Get registered for FREE here!

Questions? Please reach out to one or our synod's Director for Evangelical Mission, Rev. Herb Shao - dem2@lutheransnw.org

Online Boundaries Training

for Rostered Ministers

LeaderWise’s online boundaries training workshop is lively and interactive, full of reflection and conversation. Attendees have given us feedback that our boundaries training was a great experience, AND caused them to re-evaluate some of their own practices.

This live online boundaries training is 5 total hours split over 2 consecutive days (2.5 hours each day). Following the first session, participants are asked to engage in a bit of reflection work in preparation for the second session. This online boundaries training will be conducted via secure Zoom video conferencing. Cost is $78.

Two upcoming training sessions are scheduled for:

• October 12 and 13
• January 31 and Feb 1, 2023

Learn more and get registered here: https://www.leaderwise.org/boundaries-training

YES! This counts for the required periodic training (every three years)

Be sure to ask for the certificate of completion and email to laura@lutheransnw.org

SAVE THE DATE!!

Bright Stars of Bethlehem

Fundraising Evening

with Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb & Rick Steves

Wednesday, October 5, 7pm-9pm

at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood

Bright Stars of Bethlehem is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the health, education, and cultural and spiritual development of the people in the Middle East in order to promote peace and harmony in the region. Bright Stars impacts the lives of over 60,000 men, women, and children in Palestine. Born out of the vision of Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb and his outreach ministry in Bethlehem, Bright Stars is now more than fifteen years old. The staff and volunteer leadership work together to provide support to the Palestinian people to help grow hope in the midst of occupation.

REGISTER NOW for this special evening of updates and stories with founder of Dar a-Kalima University and co-founder of Bright Stars of Bethlehem, Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, and travel expert Rick Steves!

Planning Your Legacy

FREE webinar from ELCA Foundation

Wednesday, October 19, 2pm (Pacific)



Register Here

The current economic landscape may influence your estate planning and charitable giving. This free session will highlight a few key details of the current economic climate, give an overview of what you need for a solid estate plan, learn how you can leave a legacy to support ELCA-related ministries and save on taxes.  Learning Objectives:

• Learn about the current economic climate
• Discover what you need for a solid estate plan
• Explore the most popular ways you can leave a legacy to support ELCA-related ministries
• Learn how to save on taxes and be charitable