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Dear people of the Northwest Intermountain Synod,
Only a few weeks ago most of us across the country and all of us who reside within the boundaries of the Northwest Intermountain Synod took part in the biannual ritual of changing our clocks as we moved to Standard Time from Daylight Saving Time. Personally, the sun setting well before 5:00pm each day is the most noticeable and enduring consequence of this time-shift. The extended time of darkness in the evening is evident.
Oftentimes, darkness is seen in a negative connotation. This is true in Scripture as well. That said, there are also instances when darkness is seen in a more positive light (pun intended). There are occasions in the Bible that night and darkness are times of revelation, of divine presence, and of promise. Take, for instance, God appearing to Abram at night in Genesis 15 to affirm God’s promise to him by showing him the stars. Additionally, one could look to the dreams of Joseph or even Jesus’ parable of the 10 bridesmaids from Matthew 25. In that parable the bridegroom arrives in the middle of the night. These are only a few examples when darkness functions as an opportunity for blessing.
At this fall’s Bishop’s Convocation we had the opportunity to sing “Bless This Night” together. Bless This Night is a new setting of Vespers (Evening Prayer) created this past year in Holden Village. It is a lovely setting, and is described on the website as a “service [that] seeks to honor twilight, dusk, night, and darkness as times of blessing and renewal in our lives. The service also has themes of creation and justice, and recognizes all bodies as holy.” You can learn more about this setting, place orders, and even listen to the music here.
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As we continue to live through these days of longer evenings and nights, may this time of darkness also be a time of blessing, revelation, and assurance of God’s promise.
God’s peace be yours,
Pastor Phil Misner
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Bishop Elizabeth Eaton Takes Leave of Absence | |
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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Church Council Executive Committee approved Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s request for a 4-to-6-month leave of absence. Her leave starts Nov. 17, 2023.
The Church Council appointed former bishop of the Southeastern Iowa Synod, the Rev. Michael Burk, as Presiding Bishop Pro Tem to care for the responsibilities of the presiding bishop during her leave of absence. We give thanks for Bishop Eaton’s tireless dedication and leadership and pray for her during this time of rest and rejuvenation.
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Retirement Announcement
Beth Adams, Region 1 Gift Planner
After a decade of working with you all in support of the mission and ministries of synods, congregations, organizations, and wonderfully generous people, I am announcing my retirement, effective November 30, 2023.
This is a decision not made lightly, as these 10 years have been so blessed:
traveling across this broad and beautiful region, meeting awesome lay and rostered people whose call is to make this world a better place (in their context, of course!), enjoying hospitality that presented in a variety of ways—delectable vegetable, barley and moose-meat soup; tromping the Missouri River paths with excellent, local commentary; meeting the horses at the barn; worshipping in sanctuaries of grandeur, and profoundly moving services in gentle and humble churches; being in community over ever-present mugs of coffee, and breaking bread (or enjoying burritos) with committees as we worked together.
Thank you for allowing me the privilege to be a resource from the ELCA Foundation to you, your ministries, and your vision. May the endowments we together have established serve you well into the future, and may your understanding of the importance of Planned Giving be honed, and acted upon, to preserve the future of this church and its role in making this world a better place for all!
Your contact for future needs at this time is Josh Kerney, Interim Director of Gift Planning, ELCA Foundation. Josh.kerney@elca.org
Peace and blessings~
Beth
Beth Adams
Gift Planner, ELCA Foundation
Alaska, Washington, Oregon
Idaho, Montana
We are grateful for Beth’s ministry to congregations and individuals in Northwest Intermountain Synod and with our Region partners.
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Book Study via Zoom with DEM Liv Larson Andrews
December 5, 12, & 19, January 9, 16, 23, & 30.
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"For this land, God is red." Fifty years ago, Vine Deloria Jr. concluded his groundbreaking theological text with this claim. Join us for discussion of this powerful book that continues to challenge and educate its readers about native religion and native encounters with Christianity. We will meet for one hour via zoom at 7pm on Tuesday evenings in Advent and Epiphany.
We welcome everyone interested in learning to attend. Please use the link to register. DEM Liv Larson Andrews will facilitate discussion.
Books can be purchased at:
Indigenous Peoples Resources
or Fulcrum Books
or Amazon.com
Zoom link will be provided with registration.
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Summary of 2023 Bishop’s Convocation
October 16-18, Clarkston, Wa
Blessed with beautiful fall weather, we gathered for fall Convocation in Clarkston, Washington, on the lands of the Nez Perce (Niimipuu) peoples. We began with worship. Bishop Meggan Manlove preached and we installed Liv Larson Andrews as Director of Evangelical Mission. After sharing the Eucharist, we welcomed Vance Blackfox as our keynote speaker. He led us through some embodied work called the Blanket Exercise. This powerful, challenging experience set the tone for several meaningful days of learning. This learning continued the next day with a deeply informative lecture called Indian 101.
In addition to Vance Blackfox’s teaching time, we watched the Covenant of the Salmon People film, a movie made by the Nez Perce tribe about their story, salmon, and breaching the Snake River dams. Chairman Shannon Wheeler of the Nez Perce tribe joined us for discussion following the screening. Wednesday morning also featured time with a Nez Perce guest, Rachel Wilson. These local voices, along with field trips to educational sites in the area, helped us contextualize the information brought to us by Vance Blackfox.
On Tuesday evening, we enjoyed two different musical offerings. We sang Bless This Night, new evening prayer liturgy composed at Holden Village. Thank you, Holden! This liturgy is available to order through fireweedliturgies.com. We also witnessed an amazing rap by Pastor Joel Skindlov that celebrated our synod. (“Don’t forget Cathy, she’s the real Steiner!’) J Wednesday morning wrapped up our time with a sending Eucharist featuring a sermon by Vance Blackfox and a litany of the nations which sang the names of all the indigenous nations within our synod. Thank you to Pastor Kimmy Meinecke for working on that litany and leading it for us.
We are eagerly looking forward to Bishop’s Convocation 2024 at the Marcus Whitman hotel in Walla Walla, Washington on October 14-16.
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Installation Announcement | |
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Celebrate the installation of Rev. Emily Kuenker who has been called to serve Young Adults and Campus Ministry in the greater Spokane area. Rev. Emily will be installed by Bishop Manlove at 3:00 pm at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church on Sunday, November 26.
St. Mark's is located at 316 E. 24th Ave. Spokane, WA.
Clergy are invited to vest and process. The color of the day is white.
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Salem Lutheran Church - Spokane
Children’s Sunday School
Coordinator
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Recreation & Revelation
Annual Winter Theological Retreat
February 4 - 9, 2024
WINTER PARK, CO
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Recreation & Revelation is an annual winter theological retreat that takes place every February at Winter Park, Colorado, and has a rare approach to continuing education.
Recreation - Winter Park has something for everyone. Many participants spend the days downhill skiing, while others choose to cross-country ski at some of the local groomed trails. Snowshoeing and winter hiking are other popular alternatives. Daily worship and fellowship over meals also nourishes body and spirit.
Revelation - Each year, we feature two esteemed theologians. The week-long format and limited size of the retreat allows participants to build real relationships with our faculty and each other. The presenters for 2024 are Rev. Dr. Kimberly Wagner and Rev. Dr. Mary Hinkle Shore. More information can be found at http://www.recreationandrevelation.org/
February 4th through the 9th, 2024
81699 U.S. 40
Winter Park, CO 80482
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Youth Leadership Summit
November 2-5, 2023
ELCA Churchwide Office
Chicago, Illinois
The Youth Leadership Summit was a churchwide event to empower and inspire young people within their congregations, communities, and synods to embrace their calling and become influential leaders beyond their current context. This year's theme, “Called on The Way” focused on exploring the unique journeys that individuals take in response to their calling and how these journeys shape their leadership abilities through Biblical narratives and alongside our many ELCA advocacy partners.
Each synod was invited to send two youth leaders (in grades 9-12) and one adult to the ELCA Youth Leadership Summit. Here are short reflections on the trip by the two NWIM Synod youth.
"The Leadership Summit in Chicago was a once in a lifetime experience. It taught me to be more open minded and more accepting of others and their opinions. The deep conversations that took place really helped in building relationships with our peers. I hope to take the love and acceptance home with me and share them with the people I interact with."
-Savannah Ulner
"At the summit, my favorite part was the music. There were so many great songs and each one fills you with joy, comfort, and peace. This was a great way to get all the youth to get up and do something that makes them feel good. Great music is one of the things that make people forget they're troubles and relax, but it's not often that we use this great art form to create memories and experiences with people from many different places."
-EJ Preuschoff
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EJ Preuschoff, Savannah Ulner, and Casey Cross | | | | |
