From Faith Action Network:

Take Action for Climate Care

There are (a few) days left in this legislative session with critical budget decisions yet to be made. House and Senate budget proposals essentially go along with the spirit of Governor Ferguson's proposed diversion of $569 million from the Climate Commitment Act for other programs. But climate change is here now, federal funding for clean energy has been slashed, and CCA investments are making a critical difference by increasing resilience, expanding clean transportation options, cutting emissions, and adding jobs for clean energy development.

As people of faith and conscience, we care deeply about the earth and vulnerable communities impacted by climate change. Please personalize and sign this Action Network letter asking our legislators to reduce the CCA diversion in the budget, commit in the budget language to repaying the diverted funds by 2029, and endorse progressive revenue sources so we do not continually face painful budget trade-offs.

REMINDER!

Complete Your Annual Ministry Reports - TODAY!

Each January congregations and rostered ministers/SALMs are to complete annual reports. Please take time to complete these important forms ASAP.

Rostered Minister / SALM reports go to the Synod Bishop - find and select the correct form here

Congregation Annual Reports are completed online for our Churchwide partner - go here to complete your form

The NW Washington Synod’s 

Draft 2027 Budget is available for review

Now is your opportunity to review the document and submit any proposed changes or amendments. The deadline for submitting proposed changes is March 31, 2026. This will allow time for reviews by the Synod Finance Committee and Synod Council.

After the Synod Finance Committee and Synod Council have completed their reviews, any changes will be incorporated into a Preliminary 2027 Budget, which will be released on April 15, and reviewed in an online budget presentation on April 30. Adoption of a final 2027 Budget will take place at our Special Meeting of the Assembly on May 16.

Find the draft budget and how to share your comments & proposed changes here: https://www.lutheransnw.org/news/draft-of-2027-synod-budget-available-for-review

2026 Bishop's Convocation:

For a Time Such as This

All active Rostered Ministers, SALMs, and Interns are encouraged to attend! We are delighted to welcome Rev. Carmelo Santos-Rolón, PhD. as our presenter. He will draw from neuroscience and liberation theology as we explore how systems of oppression are encoded in our emotions and behaviors and how the Word of God liberates us to bring healing, community, and transformation to the world.

Dr. Santos-Rolón serves as director for theological diversity and ecumenical and interreligious engagement in the Office of the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA. Learn more about him and his work here: www.godandthebrain.com (his book is also available for purchase on this site or on Amazon.)

Registration includes housing, meals, and program. Cost varies depending on room selection and length of stay. Choose 3-night stay (April 19-22) w/ extra night prior to the official event - dinner and breakfast included - evening & morning worship, no formal programming. OR choose 2-night stay (April 20-22) for official event.

Register Here by March 13

Global Refuge Introduces Faith Alliance

This Lent, Global Refuge is releasing a new training resource called Faith Alliance. Over nearly two years, we’ve gathered the voices and inputs of experts and immigrants from across the country in order to create a substantive training that deepens and informs the “welcome” we extend in our respective communities. No matter how long or how recently you’ve engaged in this work, Faith Alliance is designed to “meet you where you are,” and build up from what you already do. We invite you to join us in this effort.

The training is broken into four modules, and a retreat.

Learn more at: https://www.globalrefuge.org/faith-alliance/

ELCA Churchwide Launches New Website

The new ELCA.org has officially launched! This new website is the culmination of over a year of collaboration among the Churchwide Organization’s Strategic Communications, IT and Innovation teams to create a tool that will help us continuously create more impact with our constituents. These teams engaged in extensive user research and incorporated modern, accessible and dynamic digital design to build a space where current and potential members, church leaders and visitors can understand and act on their faith. This space includes the new enhanced search, which incorporates pages on ELCA.org, the ELCA's resource library, congregation profile information and Living Lutheran articles to provide a more comprehensive result. It also provides a guided exploration that curates answers based on individual needs. 

ELCA Resource - new congregational guide

ELCA Service and Justice, through the Middle East North Africa (MENA) Desk, Witness in Society, and the Arab and Middle East Heritage Desk, have created a new resource in response to the resolution passed at the 2025 Churchwide Assembly “Toward Ending the Occupation in Palestine.” This resolution provides grounding and guidance for congregational ministries, advocacy engagements, community education and church-to-church accompaniment for justice in Palestine and Israel.

The congregation guide linked below serves as a resource to shape understanding and inform ministry across ELCA congregations for justice in Palestine and Israel.

Find the resource here.

New Congregational Resource

from the Center of Addiction & Faith

Addiction affects every community, including our congregations. Churches care about addiction and want to respond but aren’t sure where to begin.

The Center of Addiction & Faith has released a new practical guide, Faith Communities and Addiction Recovery, to help congregations move from concern to meaningful action. This resource offers theological reflection, practical tools, and step-by-step guidance for building compassionate, sustainable recovery ministries.

Learn more about related training and ministry support at www.addictionandfaith.com

LiVE Project Lenten Course -

Mystics and Mysticism: Practicing Faith in the Wilderness

Continues on Thursdays 7-8:30pm - March 12, 19, 26 - Online via Zoom

This 6-part Lenten course journeys with a variety of Christian mystics who encountered God in the depths of solitude, silence, and struggle. Through Scripture, contemplative practices, and the voices of mystics across time, participants will engage the wilderness as a sacred space for transformation and deeper trust in God. This journey invites leaders to discover how mystical wisdom can shape faithful living in uncertain times.

Registration

• Register here - you will receive the Zoom link: https://nwwasynod.regfox.com/practicing-faith-in-the-wilderness-mystics-and-mysticism-a-live-lenten-online-course
• Cost is $50/person or FREE for members of congregations who purchased a bundle - contact your church office to get the code before you register!

Know Your Rights Training

March 11, 6pm-7:30pm - online

Register here

Join this virtual workshop to learn how to support yourself and your community during encounters with immigration enforcement agents. This Know Your Rights training covers what to do if Immigration and Customs Enforcement comes to your home or workplace, how to identify valid warrants, and how to assert your rights safely.

Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) Discernment Weekend

Are you wondering if seminary might be right for you? Consider joining PLTS visit and discernment weekend, Signs Along the Way, March 13 - 15 in Berkeley, California. This weekend is a great opportunity to connect with others in discernment, get to know PLTS faculty, and explore what it’s like to be an online student in the MDiv, MA in Spirituality and Social Change, or Lutheran Year programs. As PLTS transitions to solely offering online study with in-person intensives, this weekend is designed for folks interested in online seminary education. PLTS covers lodging and meals during the event and can offer travel assistance for those who need it.

Visit plts.edu/signs to learn more and sign up.

FIND MORE INFO ABOUT THE 7 SEMINARIES of the ELCA

-- and other upcoming discernement events in the March Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/24a9f07bce2e/elca-seminaries-september-newsletter-4871804?e=34ae3e4f16

Church Property Resource Hub:

Stewarding Property

You are invited to learn more about the Church Property Resource Hub, a new project of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), at one of three upcoming town halls. These webinars are an introduction to the project for congregations and all people connected to the management of church property. Join to explore support available to congregation leaders as they seek to steward property in faithful and practical ways.

Tuesday, March 17, 11am - Register today.

Thursday, March 19, 2pm - Register today.

Tuesday, March 24, 11am - Register today.



Developed in response to requests from synod and congregational leaders, the Church Property Resource Hub offers support in navigating the opportunities and challenges that buildings and land represent for congregational vitality and the wider mission of the church.  

Chaplaincy 101

March 19, 11am Online

An overview of the Chaplaincy process, led by the ELCA's Ecclesiastical Endorser, Chaplain Christopher Otten, to more effectively steward Rostered Ministers through the Candidacy, Ordination, and official Ecclesiastical Endorsement process for Rostered Ministers to apply for Chaplain positions with a strategic advantage as a job candidate. The overview includes Chaplain formation for Candidates, Ordination for Chaplains, the application process for an Ecclesiastical Endorsement (Synodical or Federal), Placement and Calls, Board Certification, and continuing support. The session will conclude with a time for questions for the Endorser and the Chaplain Corps Administrative Coordinator, Mr. Michael Sonnenberg.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86979316038

NW/SW Coach Community of Practice

Thursday, March 19th at 1:00 P.M. on Zoom

Are you an ELCA trained Coach in the NW Washington Synod? You are invited to join your coaching colleagues in the Northwest and Southwest Washington Synods for a Community of Practice time on Thursday, March 19th at 1:00 P.M. on Zoom! In this 90-minute session, we will briefly review ICF core competencies and then have time to practice our coaching skills in triads.

Please contact Sara Funkhouser at nwwacoaches@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Join the Zoom here

ELCA Youth Gathering Monthly Videos

March 19, 5pm - Recruiting the Right Adult Leaders!

Join us for our monthly webinar series, which highlights different topics related to the 2027 Gathering and gets your group ready! Last month we focused on Why the Gathering and this month we’re talking about Recruiting the Right Adult Leaders (and Avoiding the Wrong Ones!). Register for an upcoming webinar on the Gathering’s website. Can’t make it? A recording will come straight to your inbox a few days after the webinar. Learn more about this webinar (and others!) here: https://www.elca.org/gathering/gathering-2027/key-dates

Webinar From Paths to Understanding:

The Society We Deserve - Where Everyone Belongs and Everyone Can Thrive

Many of us feel it — division, exhaustion, and distrust are pulling us apart. In this public talk, Rev. Terry Kyllo explores what is happening beneath our political and cultural conflicts and why so many people feel vulnerable and alone. Drawing from social research, Scripture, and years of bridge-building work, he offers a hopeful and practical path forward. Instead of choosing fear or retreat, we can rebuild trust, strengthen our communities, and renew the social contract from the ground up.Join us for an honest, nonpartisan conversation about how we can build a society where everyone belongs and everyone can thrive.

Learn more and register here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-EVdQgP0QjCj6-roM6Z7dw#/registration

Standing with Migrants:

A day of prayer, information sharing, and conversation

Assumption Catholic Church is hosting a Stand with Migrants Day with migrant advocates Ms. Dora Rodriguez and Fr. Ray Riding, ST (Missionary Servant of the Most Holy Trinity) of Phoenix, Arizona.

Saturday, March 21 at Assumption Parish Social Hall - 6201 33rd Ave. NE, Seattle 

9 am - Gathering; 9:15 - Mass; 10:15 - Presentation and Conversation; 12:15 - Lunch (bring yours, drinks provided); 1:15 - Action Steps & Closure

Learn more about the speakers and the event here.

ICE and the Immigration Crisis: A Faith Response

Followed by Community Action Training

Sunday, March 22, 1:30–4:00pm

at Luther’s Table | 419 S 2nd St., Renton

Free event. Registration requested. Each attendee must register individually.

Register here: https://bit.ly/4qvyycz

The community is invited to gather for an afternoon of learning, reflection, and practical action in response to the growing impact of immigration enforcement in our region.

Rev. Dr. Rick Rouse, author of A Journey Called Hope, will explore the human cost of current immigration policies, how we arrived at this moment, and what a faithful response looks like in a time of fear and uncertainty for immigrant families.

Following his presentation, Leslie Brown, a leader with the Washington Immigration Solidarity Network (WAISN) and the Snohomish County Rapid Response Team, will lead a Community Action Training. Participants will learn how to respond to ICE activity in informed, grounded, and responsible ways. The training will include guidance on knowing your rights, documenting enforcement actions, hotline reporting, and discerning appropriate bystander response. Opportunities for deeper involvement will also be shared.

This gathering is designed for those who are concerned, curious, or ready to move toward meaningful action. There is space to listen, ask questions, and discern next steps together.

Finding God in the Basement

March 25, 2026 at 10am-11am online

Hosted by the Center of Addiction & Faith

This online webinar, led by Jennifer Carlier, author of Finding God in the Basement, invites churches to learn from recovery communities that often gather in their basements. She offers a sharp critique of theological models of sin and salvation that reinforce shame and render the church an inhospitable, even harmful place for those suffering from addiction.  She constructs a vision that affirms human dignity in brokenness and a hope for recovery and wholeness.  Drawing from her experiences, she offers a critique of how Christian doctrines of sin  and salvation fail to engage the lived realities of addiction and recovery. It is a compelling vision of what Christian communities might become when they center grace, authenticity and vulnerability.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Li1aMiXhTwqUkls6qX-tsQ?mc_cid=4bbe55d56a&mc_eid=900fec6975#/registration

Chrism Mass: Holy Eucharist with Renewal of Ordination Vows and Blessing of Chrism

A joint liturgy of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia and the Northwest Washington Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Tuesday, March 31, 11:00am worship; light lunch to follow

Presiding: Rev. Shelley Bryan Wee, Bishop of the NW Washington Synod, ELCA

Preaching: The Rt. Rev. Philip LaBelle, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia

Drag Church: REBIRTH

Saturday, April 4, 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Emmaus Table @ 7400 Woodlawn

7400 Woodlawn Avenue Northeast, Seattle

This event is rooted in the belief that new beginnings require release. Release of old stories, structures, and ways of being that no longer serve us. Through electrifying drag performances, a guided meditation, and intentional communal participation, REBIRTH invites us to envision something brand new and nurture the seeds of liberation and co-create the world we wish existed.

Hosted by Emmaus Table in partnership with Yassify Jesus and Haus of Sutra, this spiritually inclusive, family-friendly gathering also features a fundraiser supporting Lambert House, supporting LGBTQ+ youth in our region. All faiths, no faith, and all identities are welcome.

Tickets are available here: https://ticketbud.com/events/7672416e-00b5-11f1-bf6a-42010a717003

Save the Date:

Holden Village Evacuation & Recovery Update

Saturday, April 11 | 5–7 PM | Our Redeemer’s

Join us for an informative and reflective evening with Bjorn Peterson, Co-Director of Holden Village, as he shares the story of Holden’s evacuation and recovery following the December 2025 floods and landslides. Learn about the events leading up to the evacuation, the challenges faced by staff and caretakers, and plans for repairs to the road, intake pipe, and diversion dam.

The evening begins at 5:00 pm with a bread and soup dinner, followed by the presentation and slideshow at 6:00 pm, and will conclude with Holden Evening Prayer. This is a Synod-wide event, with Our Redeemer’s serving as host. While there will be an opportunity for an offering for Holden Village, the focus is on coming together as a community to hear, reflect, and support one another through this story of resilience and hope.

Mark your calendar and come hear firsthand how this community continues to rebuild, and discover the courage, compassion, and faith that guide Holden Village forward. 

MORE on the road events Holden events listed here: https://www.holdenvillage.org/calendar/

AND

Holden Village Jubilee Auction

Holden Village’s biggest fundraising event is back for the fifth year from March 25-29! The all-online auction proceeds keep the daily operations and programs of the Village running. This is especially important this year, with the Holden's temporary closure. To ensure the best auction experience, be sure to register now. Note: We're using a new auction platform. Registrations from previous Holden auctions will not carry over. Thanks for supporting Holden Village!

People of the Resistance:

Following Jesus in Times Such As This

New Hybrid Course at Our Savior’s Lutheran in Everett

Sundays at 11:15 am on April 12, 19, 26 and May 3

What happens when our core values are under attack? Rev. Dr. Rick Rouse and Guest Rev. Dr. Michael Trice (Seattle University) will help participants explore how this “Bonhoeffer moment” calls people of faith to resist an unjust State and stand with the oppressed. 

Find the syllabus here.

For more information contact Rick at rwrouse@comcast.net

The Traveler & the Bishop on American Democracy and Christian Nationalism

Sunday, April 26, 6:00pm at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, Seattle (1245 10th Ave. E., Seattle)

Free but registration required: HERE

Join Rick Steves for a European take on Trump and the state of American democracy (basically his “No Kings” rally speech, updated and with an indoor voice). Then, Lutheran Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee (ELCA) will share a hard look (inspired by scripture) at the perversion of Christianity called “Christian Nationalism.” Rick’s talk will share how history is speaking to us — and how, if we listen, we can better understand and meet the challenges facing democracy in the USA. And, whether you consider yourself a person of faith or not, Bishop Shelley’s message will bring a new dimension to your thinking about the place of religion in the political discourse of our country.

Want an item included?

Email Susan Berg, Dir. Communications & Events

All items due the prior Thursday by 12:00 noon

Northwest Washington Synod / ELCA

5519 Phinney Avenue North

Seattle, WA 98103

206-783-9292