Synod Candidacy Committee Openings

The Northwest Washington Synod Candidacy Committee is seeking new members, particularly lay people, to support rostered minister candidates in their discernment.

See the document HERE for information or contact Pastor Jana Schofield, pastorjana@gmail.com.

Grace Grants

We are excited to be able to offer one final year of Grace Grants!

The 2023 Focus Areas:

Ministry Innovation

Equity and Justice for Marginalized Communities

Community, Inclusion and Belonging

Youth and Young Adult

Our online application form will close THIS WEDNESDAY, May 31. 

You will find information and the link for the online application form on the synod website HERE

We are proud to be a Reconciling in Christ synod and there are many opportunities for you and your church to join in and celebrate PRIDE this month.

Seattle PRIDE Parade - We will be marching in the Seattle PRIDE parade again on Sunday, June 25th. If there are folks in your congregation who would like to march with us, we ask that you find someone in your congregation to be a contact person who will keep track of those from your congregations who would like to march. The deadline for registering to march in the Seattle PRIDE Parade is June 7 -- find that info on our website!

Additional PRIDE Events Around the Synod – There are many different PRIDE events happening throughout June (and even July) across our Synod. For several of these events, there is a Lutheran contact identified -- find that info on our website!

• Snohomish – June 3          
• Stanwood/Camano Island – June 3
• Whatcom Youth – June 3
• Monroe – June 11
• Anacortes – June 17
• Everett Block Party– June 17
• Capitol Hill Trans-PRIDE Event – June 23
• Lake Stevens – June 24
• Mount Vernon Skagit Queer - June 24
• Seattle – June 25
• Bellingham – July 9

PRIDE T-shirts! This year, we will be ordering and selling NWWA PRIDE t-shirts! That way, wherever and whenever you are involved in a PRIDE event near you, you can represent your church and our synod. Cost is $15 per shirt and all proceeds will go to the synod LGBTQIA+ Ministry Fund. Orders must be in by June 7 to guarantee a shirt -- find that info on our website!

For bulletin inserts, contact for various parades, t-shirt link and more...

check out our synod website at https://www.lutheransnw.org/pages/pride

Truth and Healing Movement Events

--“Indian 101” - online class on June 1

-- Documentary Movie Screening of “Native Nations: Standing Together for Civil Rights” on June 7

-- A panel discussion about the National Indian Lutheran Board will be hosted on June 21

-- Introduction to the Truth & Healing Movement on June 23

Learn about these events and more here.

Head to Holden Village this summer!

New this year, we have two different ways for people to visit:

Cohort Stay

3, 5, or 7 night stay during the week

Enjoy structured programming: art classes, children's activities, classes with teaching faculty, Sacred Space gatherings, outdoor recreation, & more!

Weekend Stay

2 or 3 night stay during the weekend

No scheduled activities other than Sacred Space and meals. Try Holden Village for the first time or for a quick weekend getaway, and enjoy free time for outdoor recreation and rest!

Please see this PDF for more information - and/or include it in your church bulletins!

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Holden Evening Prayer Around The World

Help us kick-off summer programming by joining us on the first night that Holden Evening Prayer will be sung in the Village for the summer. This year, we will be celebrating Holden Evening Prayer Around the World on June 3rd. Find a Holden Evening Prayer service happening near you HERE.

NWWA Synod Trip to the Holy Land

January 14-25, 2024

You are invited to join with others in the Northwest Washington Synod for a life-changing trip to the Holy Land January 14-25, 2024. Not only will we visit holy sites, we will also meet with, talk with, and listen to those who live, work, laugh, worship, and struggle in this land. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) is one of our partners in the Lutheran World Federation. They are excited to share their stories with us. There is also an additional post-trip to Egypt that you are invited to sign up for, as well.

We want this to be a time for people to interact with and learn with the people of this land. Therefore, we are only taking twenty-four people. We hope that you will come and be a part of this important trip. Please click the link below to find out more information or reach out to me for any questions you might have.

https://www.eliastours.com/tours/northwest-washington-synod-holy-land-trip-with-bishop-shelley-bryan-wee-dr-rod-schofield

Lay Ministry Formation

Learn more at one of these upcoming info meetings:

May 31, 6:30-7:30pm - Zoom Link

June 14, 6:30-7:30pm - Zoom Link

Our synod's Lay Ministry Formation is a NEW two-year formation process for lay leaders to discern and deepen their calling as a minister in context. This paid certificate program allows participants, through learning retreats and online cohort groups, to grow in their own spiritual leadership alongside professionally trained scholars.  



This program is required for those seeking to become a Synodically Authorized Lay Minister (SALM), serving local churches as lay ministers authorized by the Bishop. However, the program is also open to any lay leaders wishing to discern or pursue growth in their ministry context.

Items for sharing - Open House

from Glendale Lutheran Church in Burien

With the closure of Glendale Lutheran Church, our friends there are making items are available to congregations...

OPEN HOUSE on June 3, 10am-4pm for the community to adopt additional items including: choir music, robes both adult and children, candles, including a paschal candle, processional cross, communion ware, paraments, banners, song books, hymnals, drums set, etc. Located at: 13455 2nd Ave SW, Burien.

Faith Action Network

Resource to share & final Spring Summit

We were honored to have Elise DeGooyer and Elizabeth Dickinson lead a forum at each of our Synod Gatherings. We are grateful for their leadership and partnership.

Here is a resource you might use in your congregation to help learning and growth in advocacy and social justice visioning: Tips for Congregational Advocacy

Final Spring Summit - June 4, 3pm-5pm online

Come network with others from your area and help us find the best ways to advocate for the change we want to see in our state! Sign up here: https://fanwa.org/regional-spring-summits/.

Installations Coming Up!

Edward Reyes will begin serving as a Synodically Authorized Minister (SALM) at Hope Lutheran Church in Lynden. All are welcome to attend the service of beginning on Sunday June 4 at 4pm.

Rev. Dr. Jana Schofield has accepted the call to serve as pastor at Christ the Servant in Bellingham. All are welcome to attend her service of installation on Sunday, June 11 at 7pm - rostered ministers invited to vest, color of the day is green.

Events for Rostered Ministers & SALMS:

Active Deacons

June 7, 7pm-8:30pm online

Deacons who are under call or on leave from call, please join your colleagues and Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee online for conversation & sharing with this Zoom link.

Retired Rostered Ministers Lunch

All retired deacons and pastors...and spouses, widows, widowers...are invited!

July 11, 11:30am-1:30pm at Advent Lutheran Church in Mill Creek. Join the bishop and her staff as you connect with friends.Please register by emailing Susan@lutheransnw.org by June 30.

Cluster Deans Dinner

Thursday, August 17, 4pm-8pm

Save the date - more info coming soon!

(Spouses/partners/families are invited, too)

New-to-the-Synod Dinner

October 5, 4pm-7:30pm

Rostered ministers and their spouses/partners who are new to the synod since Summer 2022, are invited to attend this dinner - look for more information mid summer!

Candidacy Leadership Development Group - Invitation to join a hearing



In March 2022 a diverse group was appointed to examine and improve the ELCA candidacy process that equips rostered ministers for service in our church. This team is the Candidacy Leadership Development Working Group

In the last year we have spent much of our time hosting virtual and in-person listening sessions to learn the needs of our church. We also completed a survey for those excluded by the candidacy process. As we move forward, the working group is prioritizing feedback from our church.

All members of the ELCA are invited to hearings at which the working group will share its findings. There will also be an opportunity for response. More details will be shared at the hearings; you can find an executive summary of the team’s work here.

The hearings will be hosted via Zoom. Please mark your calendars for one of the following:

June 20, 4 pm

June 22, 10 am

June 26, 11 am

June 28, 7 pm

Thank you for your prayers for this group as we seek to increase proclamation of the gospel.

Summer Family Camp

at Camp Casey Campground

July 14-16

Registration is OPEN!

We will be doing a multi-congregational family summer camp with our local Lutheran congregations! Come join the fun. Everyone is welcome! We are all FAMILY - So Family Camp means YOU!

We'll have music, camp games, crafts, free family time, evening vespers, closing worship, and much more! All nestled by the Fort Casey Campground beachfront. 

Registration is now - space is limited. RV's & tents sites available.

Come for the day or come for the whole event.

You do not reserve with Fort Casey individually. You must register using the QR link on the flyer. Spaces will fill fast, so register NOW!