UPCOMING INSTALLATIONS

(and there are more to be announced soon!)

Rev. Kristin-Luana Bauman & Rev. Olaf Baumann Installation

Saturday, February 24, 11am

at Our Savior Lutheran Church - 745 Front Street South, Issaquah

Pastors Kristin-Luana & Olaf have accepted the call to serve at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Issaquah. All are welcome to attend the service, with light lunch to follow. Rostered Ministers are invited to vest - please arrive by 10:40am. God bless this new ministry partnership!

Rachel San Diego Ordination & Installation

Rachel (former intern at Immanuel, Seattle) has accepted the call to serve as one of the pastors at St. Matthew's in Renton. Rachel will begin serving this week. The ordination service will be held at St. Andrew's in San Mateo, CA on March 9 at 3pm; the installation service will be held Sunday, March 17 at 2pm at St. Matthew's. Rostered Ministers are invited to vest - color of the day is red, please arrive by 1::30pm. God bless this new ministry partnership!

Horizon Apprenticeship Program

Nominations will be accepted for the 2024 Horizon Apprenticeship Program from Monday, February 12, through Tuesday, March 12, 2024.

The Horizon Apprenticeship Program aims to help young adults of color or those whose primary language is not English acquire a missional imagination to help them discern their future and the role that Jesus and the church have in their life. The program’s commitment is nearly two months and runs from Sunday, June 2, to Sunday, July 28, 2024.

ELCA congregations are invited to nominate young individuals demonstrating emerging leadership within their worshipping communities to participate in the program. By nominating a young person, congregation leaders commit to overseeing their apprentice's summer internship if accepted.

Nominees must be enrolled in high school or college and be between the ages of 16 and 20 for the entire program duration. Each apprentice accepted who successfully completes all of the program's requirements will receive a stipend of $1,800 for an eight-week commitment over the summer.

This year, we are transitioning to an online application process, which requires an initial registration. Registration isn’t automatic and may take a few hours or a day to process. You can register and complete applications following this link: https://elca.fluxx.io.

Due to limited availability, you are urged to submit applications as soon as possible, but no later than Tuesday, March 12. For further details, including program requirements and other important information, please refer to the attached program description. If you have any questions about the program, please don't hesitate to contact Cynthia Zamora at cynthia.zamora@elca.org.

Talks at the Desk - For Black History Month

African Descent Ministries of the ELCA celebrates Black History Month with “Talks at the Desk,” a four-part video series that will explore diverse expressions of the church. A new video will premiere each Wednesday in February at 7:30 pm Central time. Watch them live on Facebook, stream them on YouTube or download them at ELCA.org/ADM. Here is episode 1 of this Season 3!

TWO ANNOUNCEMENTS

Regarding the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering!

NEW PRIORITY PRICING OFFER!

Are you planning to attend the Gathering in New Orleans this summer? Are you trying to decide about registering for the Gathering? We have good news for you! The first five newly registering congregations to contact Becky Cole, our Synod Gathering Champion (email her at children@hslckirkland.org), will receive the priority pricing rate of $375 for anyone they register from their congregation by February 14!

The fine print: Only new registering congregations are eligible for this incentive. It does not apply to congregations who have already registered and are adding more participants. If you receive this incentive, you must register your congregation by February 14 at 11:59pm CST. Anyone who registers after that date/time will need to pay the current registration rate.

If you have questions or want more information, please reach out to Becky. She attended a 2-day training last week in New Orleans and is happy to answer any and all questions.

SERVANT COMPANIONS NEEDED!

Know anyone who would make a great servant companion this summer?

The Accompaniment team is still recruiting young adults for this role. The application is still live on the website https://www.elca.church/gathering/attend/volunteers), so please apply using these links.

If you have a recommendation or questions, please email Kristen Contos Krueger at accompaniment.elcayg@gmail.com.

Synod Assembly is coming up soon!

Saturday, May 18, 9am-4pm

at Grace Lutheran Church in Des Moines

Doors open for check in and hospitality time at 8am

Our theme is from Psalm 121:1-2 | I lift up my eyes to the hills - from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

We will gather to worship, hear reports and synod updates, vote on the upcoming budget, and to elect members to synod council, committees and the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.

Online registration will open March 15 and close April 15

Congregations/Rostered Ministers will receive information later this week to help get their voting members registered.

• Volunteers needed for our check-in tables (7:45am-11am) - contact Susan@lutheransnw.org
• Nominations for Synod Council, Committee on Discipline, Consultation Committee and Voting Members for the ELCA Churchwide Assembly are open now through April 15.
• Resolutions to be considered are being received now through April 15.
• Ministry Partners & Committee Chairs should have received an email about participating in the assembly last week. Find the details on our website here: https://www.lutheransnw.org/pages/synod-assembly

No Plastics for Lent

The #NoPlasticsforLent initiative, led by young adults across the church, calls us to prayer for creation, to lament the ways we have been complicit in the degradation of the earth, and to action to care for our neighbor in fasting from the things that are hurting our planet.



We want this initiative to be accessible to all, so we invite you to sustainability practices that make sense for you and are possible for you in your context or community. We encourage you to develop a commitment to practice during this 40-days that turns our attention towards caring for creation. This could be fasting from single-use plastics, eating locally, using eco-friendly cleaning supplies, shopping at farmer's markets, etc. Each Lent we publish a pledge where individuals, families, and communities can share whatever it is that they’ve pledged to do to fast from degradation of creation this Lenten season!

Over the course of Lent, we publish live videos, devotionals, resources, and host weekly discussion groups led by young adults who are passionate about their spirituality and about care for creation. ELCA Young Adults will host small groups for young adults 18-35, and Lutherans Restoring Creation will host a small group for adults 35+.

REGISTER HERE for 35+ group

or

REGISTER HERE for 18-35 Abide groups

Survey Invitation

The Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC) has designed a survey to be shared throughout the ELCA. There are questions that apply to churchwide, synods and congregations - you are invited to participate here: Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church Survey (google.com)

More information about the commission can be found here:

Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (elca.org)

Abide in the Word Bible Study - continues!

Tuesdays, 7-8pm via Zoom

This is a year-long, Synod-wide weekly Bible Study that takes participants on a deeper dive into the coming Sunday's Lectionary text. Participants will have the chance to experience diverse perspectives and voices from various guest facilitators from across the synod.



This is a FREE LiVE offering! No registration needed!

YES, you may join in any week at this link: HERE.

Stewardship Training Opportunities

You are invited to register for these courses to grow stewardship and cultivate large gifts with your local church. Here are the three opportunities:



Cultivating the Craft of Asking, a series of five bi-weekly webinars. You will be equipped to develop a donor base and large donations. Next cohort begins on February 13. Register today at: http://www.myteministries.org/webinars. 

African Descent and African National Financial Empowerment in Our Contexts

Next online session is Feb. 17 at 7am

Webinar: https://forms.gle/bLofos8MUqa9fZ3z6

One Day Seminar: Deepening Our Relationship with the Spirituality of Fundraising

March 7 (new date) 8am to 1pm

Designed to activate our courage and pastoral leadership for expanding partnerships, cultivating donors and funding your ministry, this day is packed with insightful exercises and engagement activities. Bring a team from your ministry setting! Seats are limited, so register promptly: Link to register

DEM Maristela Freiberg and the New Jersey Synod recently raised $34,000 in one day of this active seminar. In response to interest, this online version is open to all leaders and synods. For more info., contact Bonnie Marden at bonnie@myteministries.org or Tim Brown at Tim.Brown@elca.org

Financial Empowerment for Missional Leaders, a monthly webinar series covering church financial stewardship responsibilities, tailored-to you, and starting again later in 2024. The cost for 9 monthly sessions for one pastoral and one lay leader is only $200 total. Nominate participants today at https://forms.gle/SetAeLvw5sc5yZgx9

The courses are directed by Bonnie Ives Marden, Bonnie@myteministries.org author of “Church Finances for Missional Leaders: Best Practices for Faithful Stewardship” in partnership with the ELCA New Ministry Development and Evangelism Team.

Join the next LiVE Project online course!

Lent with Baldwin & Bonhoeffer

6-week Course via zoom

Thursdays in Lent, 7-8:30pm, begins this week- February 15

What might Dietrich Bonhoeffer (a Lutheran German theologian) and James Baldwin (a Black, 20th century author and novelist) together have to prophetically speak to our current time? Through a combination of presentations, and brief selected readings, this co-facilitated course will invite a conversation for how these particular perspectives inform our lives as persons and communities of faith. Come join the conversation!

This 6-week course will meet via zoom Thursday nights during Lent (Feb 15th-March 21st), facilitated by Dr. Edward Donalson III and Dr. Dan Peterson. Registration: FREE for those whose church purchased the Congregational Bundle; $50 otherwise.

More info & to Register

An Evening Talk with John Philip Newell

In partnership with Seattle University, Saint Andrew's Lutheran Church in Bellevue is hosting John Philip Newell on Tuesday, February 20. He will give a lecture on his book Sacred Earth Sacred Soul. There will also be a time for Q&A, book signing, and a reception. Read more and register here:

An Evening Talk with John Philip Newell — Earth & Soul (earthandsoul.org)

Lutherans Restoring Creation and ELCA World Hunger are eager to share a resource faith communities can use to start discussions and inspire community-based-solutions to grow climate justice, as part of the One Home, One Future collaborative.



Regenerating Life: How to Cool the Planet, Feed the World, and Live Happily Ever After offers attainable solutions to the climate crisis through an ecological approach that unpacks the social and environmental crises confronting us.



Join us Tuesday Feb 27th at 5pm (Pacific) for film highlights & discussion with the filmmaker, John Feldman. You can view the trailer here.

Register HERE to gain free temporary access to this three-part documentary film, to watch at your convenience before we spend an hour meeting with the filmmaker and considering how best to share this multifaceted resource within our communities. You are also encouraged to start planning a screening for a larger group gathering in your own context to imagine together what your community’s next most faithful step can be. There is a curriculum in development to help us grow into answering the call from this remarkable collection of voices across the globe.

Once you register for this event, look for a follow-up email with your private link to stream the film. Please be sure to join the online discussion, even if you don’t get a chance to watch it in entirety before we meet. We will be watching a few minutes of highlights together for a shared experience before starting the conversation with the filmmaker.

SAVE THE DATE!

Join EDLARJ in Minneapolis for:

• community building
• racial justice education
• shaping the future of EDLARJ

Learn more and get registered HERE.

Women's Retreat

March 1-3 at Rainbow Lodge in North Bend

Join Saint Andrew's (Bellevue) and Our Savior (Issaquah) for this retreat.

Find the fillable form here

Check out the flyer:

Bishop's Convocation

April 21-24 at Seabeck Conference Center

Mindful that we are in an election cycle fraught with discord and danger, Rostered Ministers, SALMs and Interns will share learning and discussion around the theme of Christian Nationalism - what it is, the real threats it presents to us both as citizens of a democracy and as Christian disciples, and what our role is as faith leaders in the public arena. We are delighted to welcome Dr. Seth Dowland and Rev. Dr. Rick Rouse to lead our sessions. Learn more and get registered here!

May Youth Weekend at Holden!

May 17-19 (Friday - Sunday)

Theme: All Creation Groans Together: Love, Lament, and Action in a Climate Emergency

How can we live faithful lives when we are overloaded with climate grief and anxiety? How can we find motivation for meaningful action when the future is uncertain? Together we'll dive deep into our love for God's beloved creation, and learn how to find our way through the ruins.

Registration now! Find all the details here!

Want an item included?

Email Susan Berg, Communications Administrator

All items due by 2pm on the prior Thursday

Northwest Washington Synod / ELCA

5519 Phinney Avenue North

Seattle, WA 98103

206-783-9292