June edition of The Spirit is available

Read the June issue of The Spirit HERE.

The Spirit is a monthly publication for members of the NW Washington Synod. In this edition Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee addresses community violence and our Synod VP, Kay Edgerton, thinks outside the binary:

Find previous editions here:

https://www.lutheransnw.org/news/the-spirit

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.

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!

• 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

-- 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.

News from Camp Lutherwood!

We at Lutherwood (YOUR camp) are gearing up for summer and covet your prayers and assistance. While we have hired many great staff members, we could still use the following:

+ Volunteer nurses for a few more weeks. Come for a week or more. WA RN license preferred. Training provided.

+ Lifeguards – all summer or just weekends/Saturdays

+ Boat drivers – must be WA certified

+ Saturday cook – Experience preferred and must have food handler’s permit

+ Grandparents of the week – no certifications required! 😊 Just come be a presence for the youth!

+ Lawnmower… come for a day or all summer!

+ Volunteers – come for a day or week!

+ Quilt donations for summer staff – to know they are loved, cared for, and being prayed for.

Also, our facilities director, Keith, just took a new job. We wish him well on his new adventure! Please spread the word that we will be hiring someone to fill that role as soon as we find someone qualified. It is year-round full-time and involves living on site and managing all the grounds and facilities. Some certifications will be required or can be obtained such as WTPO to manage our water system. 

Please keep Lutherwood in your prayers as we continue moving through this interim time of getting Lutherwood situated to serve ALL of the Lutherans of Western Washington well into the future! This is YOUR camp! Thank you for your ongoing support, both financial and prayerful! Come to camp and spread the word!

Judy Engh, Interim Executive Director

Lutherwood Camp & Retreat Center

www.camplutherwood.org

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

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!

Installation Coming Up!

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.

Lay Ministry Formation

Learn more at our next info meeting:

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.

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!