What is Lay Ministry Formation?



Lay Ministry Formation (LMF) is a NEW 2-year, cohort-based educational and training program of the Northwest Washington Synod. It is especially designed for lay leaders who wish to deepen their sense of God’s call to ministry. Participants will identify their own passionate call to ministry, and will be invited into spiritual reflection of it through four modules within the 2-year curriculum: (1) Living in the Spirit, (2) Living in the Church, (3) Living in the World, and (4) Leadership in God’s World. 

Who might participate in LMF? 

This is a Certificate program that prepares participants to learn, discuss, experiment, and wrestle with what it means to be lay leaders in their church or vocational context. Whether their leadership context is within children/youth ministry, music ministry, social justice, equity and inclusion, small group leadership, care giving, chaplaincy, evangelism, etc...this program will better prepare participants to discern the movement of God in that context, and to join in God's mission.

Applications are due AUGSUT 31. Find all the details here.

Lutherwood Executive Director Search has begun!

We continue to hold Lutherwood in prayer as the board seeks to identify this new ministry leader! Find the position description HERE. Prayerfully consider folks you know who would bring the gifts and energy needed for this vital role!

You can find additional employment opportunities around the synod HERE!   

Lutheran Community Services Northwest

Congregation Connection - bulletin insert

You are invited to use this bulletin insert to share about our partners!

Tutors Needed!

Fe y Esperanza (Faith and Hope) Remote Tutoring Program was a ministry of our former mission start, Iglesia Luterana Fe y Esperanza in Everett, and is now "housed" at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Lynnwood. 

Adults are needed to assist with tutoring or homework for students in all grade levels who need extra help in the areas of math, reading, and writing. Current students come from families whose first language is Spanish but all tutoring is conducted in English and over Zoom. 

The time commitment is 90 minutes on Monday afternoons during the school year (Sept. - May). No experience is necessary. If you are interested in serving on an ongoing or occasional basis, or for more information, please contact Karen Curtis at curtkd1@gmail.com   

Truth and Healing Movement Events

Find opportunities to learn the true history and current realities of our Indigenous neighbors. It is these truths, truths that have been ignored by most for hundreds of years, that will bring healing for both Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people.

Find webinars, book lists, and more HERE!

NWWA Synod Trip to the Holy Land

January 14-25, 2024

You are invited to join with others in the NWWA Synod for a life-changing trip to the Holy Land. 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

Refugees NW – Foster Care Info Session

Tuesday, August 15 at 5:30pm Online



Register HERE

For over 40 years, the Refugees Northwest Foster Care program of Lutheran Community Services Northwest has partnered with a dedicated community of caregivers to welcome and support refugee and immigrant youth. These youth cannot return to their home countries, have no available adults to care for them, and are in need of stable, loving, long-term caregivers here in the U.S. Until a caregiver is available, youth remain in refugee camps overseas, or in facilities within the U.S., waiting. You can end their wait by becoming a foster parent or host home.

At these online sessions, Refugees Northwest Foster Care staff will share an overview of the youth we serve, the supports we offer foster families, and the basics of the licensing process and host home approval process. There will be time for your questions, too.

Refugees Northwest Foster Care actively seeks individuals and couples from diverse backgrounds to join our program as foster parents or host homes. We welcome adults of all sexual orientations, gender identities, marital statuses, and faiths, and we value the strengths a diverse foster parent community brings to help meet the diverse needs of our youth. Our program currently licenses households and approves host homes in King County and some south Snohomish County areas only. Due to the sensitive nature of the material shared, we ask that children do not attend this event. Teens are welcome.

Holden Village Retreat - register now!

September 10-15

A partnership with Music That Makes a Difference!

Learn more HERE.



The planning team will be posting regularly on this substack

It is a collaboration gathering for all people who are working toward wholeness, justice, and all those good things.

RECLAIM - register now!

September 14-17 in Minneapolis

RECLAIM is a gathering for people of African descent, brought to you by African Descent Ministries. Participants will build a tool kit for ministry as we move through a pandemic, climate change and an era of preserving healers' spiritual and emotional wellness.

The church needs healthy and whole preachers, teachers, professionals and young adults, all well-equipped with culturally relevant approaches to the word. Grounded in Scripture, RECLAIM will help participants feel embodied, emboldened and liberated in their identities.

Learn more HERE! Register by August 15!