September 2025 - IN THIS ISSUE:



• Message from the President
• Join Our Online Bible Study!
• Lutherans United to Serve & Registration Forms
• Cross Trails Ministry Accepting Quilt Donations
• Lutheran World Relief InGathering
• ELCA Churchwide Assembly
• Triennial Convention & Gathering 2026 Information
• 2025 Churchwide Representative for business Meeting
• PRH
• 2026 Triennial
• Treasurers Tidbits
• Churchwide WELCA SALT Appeal
• Synod Prayer Requests
• Be a Featured Unit!

Greetings to you my siblings in Christ!

Recently on Facebook a SWO Board member posted an impactful message. It reads: You will not impact the world by faithfully going to church. You will impact the world by faithfully BEING the church when you go out into the world. This is an amazing and meaningful statement. About 5-6 years ago your WELCA SWO Board set goals to actively engage in our Synod. To be the church in the world. Jesus taught this. He never looked away! In the Gospels we learn Jesus models engaged, present and intentional interactions with others. These stories demonstrate Jesus’s empathy and ability to connect with diverse individuals.  He was radical in his ministry.

Leadership in WELCA is more than a role – it is a calling. It is not just about overseeing meetings or making decisions. It is about engagement. True spiritual leadership requires each of us to be present – not just in body, but in spirit, intention, and relationship. Engagement is not always easy. It takes time, energy, vulnerability, and a heart tuned to God. People do not just need direction they also need connection. An organization led by engaged leaders becomes an organization that thrives, loves deeply, and reflects the heart of Christ.

In this newsletter you will read about opportunities to become engaged in all three expressions of the Women of the ELCA. Units are preparing to send a voting member to our annual business meeting and bible study. We pray every Unit will be represented in Seguin on October 18^th. Please register now to take advantage of Early Bird Registration. At the Synod level WELCA sponsor’s on-line Bible Study, Second Saturday Learning Experiences and Border Immersion weekends. In November, we will gather at St. John’s in Marion for the Lutheran World Relief In-Gathering. Our churchwide WELCA Board has many exciting opportunities to be more fully engaged within the WELCA organization. I encourage each of you to dive deeper into the website (www.welca.org) to learn more and to enhance the work and learning opportunities within your own Unit. The Triennial Gathering scheduled for July 2026 in Des Moines, Iowa promises to be an amazing experience for each of us.

The ways we choose to engage- whether through conversation, creativity, activism, or quiet acts of kindness- may look different, but each has the power to ripple outward and shape the world. Our impact isn’t measured by uniformity, but by the authenticity and intention behind our actions.

Your sister in Christ,

Lisa Lopez

Join our Online Bible Study!

Led by WELCA synod board members Holly Heinsohn and Leslie Ahrens, the Listening to God, A Guide to Discernment! on-line Bible study helps women deepen their faith by learning to listen for God’s guidance in decision-making and daily life.

You're invited to my new group 'WELCA Women's Bible Study Group' on GroupMe. Click here to join: https://groupme.com/join_group/107096325/nnZQ1tyV

When:   November 5th

Where:  St. John, Marion, Texas

Time:     9:00 to 2:00 pm

Please be certain your boxes are full and won’t crush! Cover any openings with tape. Follow the weight guidelines and bring your patience. We will be ready to greet you! Your donations make a difference for individuals and families around the world.

One Day Synod Business Meeting and Bible Study

October 18, 2025

“Shine Your Light”

Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church, Seguin Texas

Four years ago, your Synodical Women’s Board voted to alternate our 3 day convention with a one day business meeting. This decision was not made lightly and was driven by the need to reduce expenses and stress. What have we learned so far? We have learned not to cram an entire convention into one day! We tried that in Cuero and wore you out!

In 2025, we will gather for the annual business meeting. The business meeting will be the primary mission of the day. Pastor Megan Elliott will lead us in bible study and afternoon worship. We have important elections ahead of us. We will elect a new President and Treasurer. Voting Members for the Triennial Business Meeting for Churchwide WELCA will be elected and we will elect SWT SWO Board members and a nominating committee for 2026.

We need your help. The Board prays every unit will be represented at the business meeting. Plan to elect your voting member during the next several months. The SWO Board has allocated 5 scholarships to cover the cost of registration. A registration form will be published soon.

Tune up Your Singing Voice!

Come one, come all!!! I want you to share your beautiful voice and “make a joyful noise unto the Lord” at our upcoming Convention. I am inviting you to be a part of the choir. I have a couple of songs I would like us to sing, and I will need to send you a copy of the music ahead of time because of time constraints (since this is only a one-day convention this year).

If possible, would you please let me know you want to be a part of the choir by contacting me at csemper@yisd.org or by calling me at 361-935-6914. I will need your mailing address to send you copies of the songs.

Together, we will “MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE!”  

Miranda Searcy (they/them)

Previous executive board member (2021-2023)

Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Miranda Searcy was elected to the churchwide Executive Board at the Eleventh Triennial Convention (2021) where they served on the Constitutional Review Committee. Miranda currently chairs the churchwide WELCA 2SLGBTQIA+ task force.

Miranda is a born and bred Okie who currently resides in Weatherford, Oklahoma with their partner, David and their four children: Geoffrey (17), Elisabeth (13), Margaret (12), and William (10). They are also an enrolled member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.

Miranda is currently on their internship year and painfully close to finishing their M.Div. from Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA. They anticipate graduating in May 2026. Their internship site is Trinity Lutheran in south Oklahoma City which is part of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod (4C).

Miranda is also involved in several other activities including: Girl Scout troop leader and Service Unit leader, as well as volunteering with the Weatherford Public Schools Native American club, JOM program and Title VI committee. They also participate in the greater Oklahoma City progressive clergy group.

Miranda continues to enjoy participating in all aspects of WELCA as time and God allow.  

Project Radical Hospitality’s next Second Saturday Educational Offering will be held via Zoom on November 8, 2025. Crossing the Line by Sarah Towle will be the focus. This book is an easy, yet lengthy read. The cover promo states: “It was family separation and ‘Kids in Cages’ that drove Sarah Towle to the US southern border. On discovering the many-headed hyrda that is the US immigration system – and the heroic determination of those caught under its knee –she could never look away again. Crossing the Line charts Sarah’s journey from outrage to activism to abolition as she exposes, lay by ‘broken’ layer, the global deterrence-to-detention-to-deportation complex that is failing everyone—save the profiteers and demagogues who benefit from it.” Buy this book. Mark your calendars. This is a study/discussion you won’t want to miss!

November 11 (evening) – November 14 (morning) is Project Radical Hospitality’s next Border Experience in the RGV. Plans are well underway to offer an updated Immigration Experience that will challenge participants to Experience, Process and Commit to Faithful, Christ-like Actions in addressing the immigration problems of our society today. Visits with Border Patrol, Community Service Agencies, Immigration Court, Immigration Activists, Immigration Advocates and Legal Services will be featured. Registration costs, that include 6 meals and housing, will be $200/person. Save the dates. More information will be forthcoming in the next newsletter.

If you are interested in staying in touch with us, please follow us on the Project Radical Hospitality Facebook page or email us at prh.be2025@gmail.com.

Important Dates:

• Triennial Convention via Zoom: July 13-14 2026

• Triennial Gathering in Des Moines, Iowa: July 16-19, 2026

Registration opens July 2025

We will elect three women from our Synod to attend the Convention via zoom. If you are interested in attending this event please contact us at swtwelca.org and we will submit your name to the nominating committee.

Treasurer Tidbits

         In this issue, I’d like to discuss scholarships. Our Synod offers scholarships for women to use to attend our Synod Conventions. We also offer scholarships every three years for women to use if they want to attend the churchwide Triennial Convention.

         The scholarship available for our Synod Convention covers the cost of registration. (There are five (5) available.) Because this year’s convention is just one day, all you would be out financially is the cost of traveling. (Unless you are coming from some distance and need to book a room for the night before, then you would have that expense.) Hopefully, your local unit can help with some of your expenses. I sincerely hope the cost is NOT what would keep you from participating.

         The scholarship available for the Triennial Convention next year (up to $1,000.00 each for a total of three (3) scholarships available) will also be available for any woman wishing to participate in the Gathering portion of the Triennial Convention. If you’ve never been to a Triennial Convention/Gathering, just know that it is an experience you will never forget!

         One other issue I want to make you aware of is how we will be handling offerings at this year’s one-day convention/business meeting. Because we will only be collecting the offerings at one time (during the closing worship), and because most of you will be bringing offerings from your units as well as your own “personal” offerings, PLEASE be sure to note – either on the check or on the envelope – whether what you have turned in is a “personal” or “unit” offering. Also, you should fill out a Form A with your unit offering if possible!!

         Last, but not least, we are not doing a Silent Auction this year. If your unit or you have contributed to this worthy cause in the past, please consider giving an additional “special” offering. The board has not determined where this “special” offering might go yet, but we are discussing it and will let you know well before convention time!!

 I hope this information has been informative and helpful, and I hope you know you can always call me if you have any questions or concerns.

Your synodical treasurer,

Carol Semper

Churchwide WELCA SALT Appeal



The SALT Appeal is a fundraising effort by the Women of the ELCA to boost their churchwide operating budgeted revenue from 2024. This appeal is grounded in Leviticus 2:13 which reminds individuals to “add salt to all your offerings”. In this context, SALT is a verb that describes generosity in response to a need, standing for Share Abundance, Love, and Thanks!

The SALT Appeal aims to address the funding gap of $250,000 from the previous year. Donations will be designated to “Where Needed Most” and are required by the end of the fiscal year, January 21, 2026. Individuals can make gifts online or by check, and congregational units are also encouraged to participate.

For more information or to make a donation, visit the Women of the ELCA website or contact them directly.

Thank you for your generosity!

Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying

Please Pray for:

Texas Hill Country

The Families affected by the violence in Minnesota

Elected officials 

Pearl Saucedo

Rebecca Vela Bishop

The family of Rebecca Arias

Barbie Johnson

Carmen Hawkins

Pastors, Deacons and Synod Staff

Sonia Murray





*** Can we support you through prayer? 

Please send your prayer requests to: swtwelca@gmail.com

If you are receiving the Grapevine, fantastic!  We encourage you to spread the word. Help us by collecting names and email addresses from your church. Send those additions to: swtwelca@gmail.com. We will add names and addresses to our contact list!

Please type both the name and email address of each individual such as:

Lisa Lopez       lopezfamily10@gmail.com

Thanks!