REMINDER - Purchase your LiVE Congregational Bundle!

A Bundle allows an unlimited number of church members to attend an unlimited number of courses and retreats at NO COST to them!

A GREAT value for $500!

Once you register for a Congregational Bundle, your church office will be given a promo code to pass on to your members so they can register for any LiVE offering for FREE! Purchase your bundle here

Youth Gathering Scholarships!

The NWWA Synod Children, Youth, and Family Committee is excited to announce that due to a generous donation from Shepherd of the Hills in Sammamish following their closure, each youth who registers for the ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans July 16-20, 2024, will receive $100 to offset the cost of registration.

Once congregations are registered and priority registration closes, someone from the Children, Youth, and Family Committee will reach out to the contact person to begin the process of getting this money distributed.

If you have any questions about the ECLA Youth Gathering or this generous gift, please contact our Synod Gathering Champion, Becky Cole at children@hslckirkland.org.

Month of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools

September is a month of remembrance for those who experienced Indian boarding schools. The ELCA’s Truth and Healing Movement will provide opportunities to learn about federal Indian boarding school policies and address the ongoing trauma those policies have caused.

As a church, we are committed to understanding our role in this tragic and sinful history so that we can journey toward healing together. On Sept. 30, the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools, you are encouraged to wear an orange shirt and/or raise an orange flag and post a photo on social media.

Learn more about this effort and the Movement at ELCA.org/TruthAndHealing. 

Sept. 30 is National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools - and an invitation to wear orange as a sign of solidarity and the continued need for learning and healing.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

Native Americans and the Church:

Working Towards Truth and Healing

Saturday, October 14, 9am-2pm at Holy Spirit, Kirkland

Lunch included!

We are excited to welcome Vance Blackfox, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and the ELCA director for Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations. He will be leading a one-day seminar about the history and struggles of Native American peoples, as well as conversations around working towards healing relationships with indigenous peoples and learning from them about their relationship to Mother Earth.

This event is open to the entire synod – all are welcome! We are asking for a donation of $25 per person, but scholarships are available, so don’t let cost dissuade you from coming!

Click here to register.

For more information, contact Pastor Gina Herman at pastorgina@hslckirkland.org. 

Bulletin Insert for you to share with your congregation!

Synod Women's Organization News

The September ECHO Newsletter is available!

READ IT HERE!

AND in the newsletter is more info and how to register for the upcoming Saturday, October 21, 9am-3:30m NWWA SWO Convention - Theme for the day is Got Faith? - with guest presenter, Beth Lewis!

October is Clergy Appreciation Month!

There are many ways to show your appreciation for and care of your deacons and pastors - gift card for a dinner out, gift certificate for a special outing or a weekend away, special treat basket, celebration party, etc.!

Here is one more delightful way:

ConseCrate Subscription Box has been sending out fun, encouraging, inspiring boxes to ministers around the world since 2020. Many congregations give a ConseCrate subscription to their ministers as a way of saying “thank you” to them with a monthly surprise. The items included in the ConseCrates are always a surprise and curated from creative ministers and other small businesses. Examples of items we have included over the years:

• Coffee roasted by a pastor/coffee roaster in Oregon
• Honey from a pastor/beekeeper in Kansas
• Hand poured candles from a youth minister/candlemaker in Georgia
• Book from a pastor/author in Minneapolis
• Earrings from a deacon/jewelry-maker in Oklahoma

The ConseCrates always include 4-6 items and correspond with the church season. They often also include special offers from spiritual directors, curriculum-creators, life coaches, and others who understand the unique calling of ministry. Find out more about ConseCrate and order something special for your ministers this Clergy Appreciation Month at consecrate.cratejoy.com.

“A Study Curriculum on Civic Life and Faith”

Your feedback is desired!

Feedback forms for “A Study Curriculum on Civic Life and Faith” are due Oct. 15. Your input is key to shaping a new social statement on church, state and civic participation.

The study’s six sessions are customizable and focus on topics such as the purpose of democracy and how we as Lutherans relate to government. To download the sessions, go to elca.org/civicsandfaithstudy. A Spanish translation is also available. 

Synod Events This Week:

Tues, Sept. 26, 10am-12noon - Synod Staff Meeting

Tues, Sept. 26, 7pm-8pm - LiVE Abide Bible Study - see below

Thurs, Sept. 28 - Candidacy Committee

Thurs, Sept. 28, 5:30pm - Synod Hunger Team

Sun, Oct. 1, 10:30am Closing Service &Celebration at Holy Cross, Bellevue - see below

Crossways Bible Study

Ever had reading the entire Bible on your bucket list? 

Let Crossways and Pastor Mike Anderson be your guide.

This two-year program, hosted by Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, begins this Sunday, October 1 with Genesis, and will include pre-recorded lectures sent on Sundays to your email address to be watched at your leisure. 

Optional Thursday evening Zoom discussions will follow each lecture’s release. The course is academic in nature and works well for those with or without Bible background. Click on this link to register and to read endorsements from former study participants. www.hslckirkland.org/crossways

Revival for Racial Reconciliation

A coalition of congregations and partners are hosting a 4 night revival. Our theme is “Reclaiming the Welfare of the City: A Revival for Racial Reconciliation,” based on the scripture Jeremiah 29. Our revival will include vibrant music, powerful preaching, creative expression, and multi-racial community building.

Our revival begins on October 3rd at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Seattle’s Central District. Rev. Yolanda Norton, founder of Global Arts and Theology Experience (GATE) and the curator of the Beyoncé Mass, is our opening night preacher. GATE’s Black Girl Magic Ensemble will lead music. This is the same worship team that brought the Beyoncé Mass to Seattle in the spring of 2021.

On October 4th, we will gather at Quest Church in Ballard. In partnership with Acts On Stage theater, we present a unique arts-based, interactive worship & workshop experience. This night of the revival invites attendees to witness and then discuss a theatrical presentation entitled, Story of An Off Brand Band. Written by Michelle Lang-Raymond, this one-act play is an art imitating life piece that centers us on the Micah 6:8 call to "do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God". Suitable for all ages. Discussion groups will be based on age with mild facilitation.  

On October 5th, we converge downtown at Plymouth United Church of Christ. Preaching this night is Rev. Steve Jerbi, Minister of Christian Formation, Love & Justice at University Congregation UCC in Seattle. The Chancel Choir from UCUCC will offer music and the Black Girl Magic Ensemble returns as our praise band. (Rev Jerbi is an ELCA pastor serving a UCC congregation)

Our closing night, October 6th, moves to the U-district at University Congregational United Church of Christ. Rev. Joe Kim, lead pastor at Bothell United Methodist Church, is our preacher this night. Musical selections will come from the Black Girl Magic Ensemble and the praise team at Kingdom Family Worship Center.

Each night we ask the community to bring material goods to support Immanuel Community Services.

Details and RSVPs are available at https://fb.me/e/6wES2uBgK.

The coalition of congregations and organizations for this revival are: Acts on Stage, Bothell UMC, The Global Arts & Theology Experience, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Kingdom Family Worship Center, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Plymouth UCC, Quest Church, University Congregational UCC, and University Gathering UMC. Seed money was provided by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, the Northwest Washington Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,  the Phyllis and Ralph Swanson Endowment, and the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Church of Christ’s Church Development Committee.

Holden Village is excited to announce that our biggest fundraiser event is back for the fourth year! We invite people to join us for the all-online Jubilee Auction from Wednesday, October 4th – Sunday, October 8th. 

Holden Village is a year-round remote wilderness retreat center, rooted in the Lutheran tradition, that welcomes all people into the North Cascade Mountains, above Lake Chelan, Washington.

Holden Village relies on donations to help cover costs of daily operations and programs. Help support our mission to welcome all people into the wilderness to form and renew their relationships with God, the earth, and each other.

You will also have the opportunity to fund other special projects and funds including supporting the Indigenous Artist-In-Residence program, new mattresses, and a portable cardiac monitor for the Holden medic station.

We are excited to feature stays and retreats at several Lutheran and Christian camps in the Pacific Northwest and West in our auction, including Luther Heights Bible Camp, Camp Lutherwood Bellingham, Camp Lutherwood Oregon, the Grunewald Guild, and Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp.

Whether you live close by or far away, whether you’ve recently visited or it has been a long time or you have never visited Holden, YOU can connect with the Holden community far and wide by participating in the Jubilee Auction.

All proceeds will support Holden Village, so you can enjoy bidding on fun items and experiences for yourself or as gifts, all while sustaining Holden's mission.

Share this event with your congregation:

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New to the Synod Dinner

Wednesday, October 4 at 4pm in Edmonds

All rostered ministers and SALMs (and their partners & families) who are new to the synod territory since August 2022 are encouraged to attend!

No need to bring a thing – BUT, please RSVP by Thurs, Sept. 28 to Susan@lutheransnw.org. Let her know how many will join us for dinner – and if you have any dietary restrictions. Address and parking instructions will be emailed following your RSVP!

Sovereignty Spirituality

Wednesdays, Oct. 4, 11, 18, Nov.1, 15, 6:30pm-8pm on Zoom

Dr. Beverly Wallace & Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy will lead this 5-session course. A robust understanding of spirituality embraces the whole and authentic person and their lived experience. Many in our world have been marginalized and not given room to live fully into their own self understanding of spirituality because of domination and colonizing systems of oppression. This course explores spirituality from a place of reclaiming one’s Christian identity in light of one’s ethnic identity (Indigenous and Womanist/black women), and how those particular identities, in fact, might help us to image life anew as Christians in todays’ complex world.   

Register via this link.

Cost for an individual registration is $50 unless your congregation has already purchased the Congregational Bundle. Ask your church office for the bundle code to receive FREE registration for this 5-week course. (Zoom link emailed upon registration)

(Church leaders, PURCHASE CONGREGATION BUNDLE HERE)

About the faculty:

Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy, a proud member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, has broken down barriers and opened the way for future generations of Indigenous scholars as the first Native woman to acquire a PhD in theology within the ELCA. Her unique theological perspective allows her to combine Lakota spirituality into a Christian context. Dr. Sherman-Conroy has taught for years about social justice, racial reparations, and spirituality's role in social change.   

Dr. Beverly Wallace, an ordained Lutheran clergywoman, most recently served as the Associate Professor of Congregation and Community Care at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. The ELCA’s Womanist Initiative, a pilot project for the engagement of ELCA seminaries in providing “womanist” course offerings to their students, is the brainchild of Dr. Wallace. A member of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., Dr. Wallace considers herself a “womanist” and so embraces the wholeness of all people – men and women.  

The College for Congregational Development

A lay/clergy leadership program beginning Saturday, October 14

Clergy and lay leaders alike are increasingly exhausted and struggling to find healthy and hopeful ways forward with their congregations. This program is designed to equip and empower leaders with skills and tools that are immediately helpful for doing ministry today and will help them lead congregations of all shapes and sizes in becoming more healthy, vibrant, and sustainable.

The College recently received a grant to revamp the materials to better address the particular challenges congregations are facing right now and to be more inclusive of a diversity of experiences. This is intended to be a two-year program with this year focused primarily on culture, change, congregational vocation, group facilitation skills, and neighborhood engagement.

We will be meeting six Saturdays from 8:30 to 4:30pm between October and April 2024 at the Diocesan House on Capitol Hill. A Lutheran theological/spiritual component will be added to the program this year.

Learn more about the College for Congregational Development and register here

(for the Olympia event!)

You may also email Rev. Ivar Hillesland (ivar@apostleschurch.org) for more information.

FAN Events Coming Up!

FAN staff are working with faith communities in our network to find dates this Fall for geographical cluster gatherings across our state. These meetings provide a way to get to know your neighbors and talk about local concerns and responses to needs in your community, and perhaps create new collaborations. 

EAST KING COUNTY: Wednesday October 25, 6:30-8:00 pm

Hosted by Newport Presbyterian Church, Bellevue – Register here.

BELLINGHAM AREA: Sunday November 5, 4:00-5:30 pm

Hosted by First Congregational & Christ the Servant Lutheran. Registration to come.

AND...

Save the Date for the FAN Annual Dinner on Sunday, November 19, and stay tuned for more details. We hope to offer an in-person gathering in two locations with online attendance as well.

AND...

Earlier this summer, our friends at Paths to Understanding and Challenge 2.0 released this video conversation with host Jeff Renner about the 2023 legislative session. (click on the link - or watch below...) It’s helpful to review at this time as we prepare to work with our coalition partners, policy committee, and Governing Board to develop a legislative agenda for 2024. We invite you to listen and always welcome your feedback!