At our May 15 Synod Assembly, we will be holding elections for synod council, consultation committee, committee on discipline, and voting members for the churchwide assembly.

Read about all of the roles - and how to nominate yourself or another member of the synod here: www.lutheransw.org/synod-assembly. Forms need to be completed by March 31.

youth member and an unrestricted layperson (may be non-binary, male or female.)

CHURCHWIDE ASSEMBLY VOTING MEMBERS:

a male youth and a rostered minister who is a person of color/primary language is other than English

Please have the nominee complete an online nomination form HERE by March 31.

If you have questions, please reach out to our committee via email at: [email protected].

We give thanks to God as Pastor Todd Wright is installed at the Director of Spiritual Care at Bethany Northwest in Everett. His installation will take place during their 5:30pm online annual corporation meeting on Thursday, March 25.

At that time Pastor Caitlyn Melillo (who also serves at Seattle Children's Hospital) will also be installed as a part time chaplain. God bless these partners and this ministry!

Whether or not your congregation benefited from the first round of PPP loans, it may be eligible now to receive its first or second loan to sustain payroll and operating expenses during the pandemic. As a lender certified by the Small Business Administration, the ELCA Federal Credit Union (FCU) has administered nearly 300 PPP loans for ELCA ministries nationwide and is currently accepting new applications. The FCU can assist any eligible ELCA congregation or ministry, even if it received its first PPP loan though a different lender. Apply by Monday, March 22, to ensure processing time before the federal deadline on March 31.

Lutheran Outdoor Ministries is excited to be launching its new app, Camp MatchUp, which allows users to easily access information about camps looking for summer staff. Camp MatchUp connects camps with interested job applicants and assists applicants in their camp discernment process. Camps equip and empower young adults in many ways. Support Lutheran Outdoor Ministries and their life-changing faith formation work by sharing this app with young adults in your community. The app is available for download from the App Store and Google Play. Learn more.

Learn more and apply here: www.elca.org/domestichungergrants

Trinity Education Foundation is accepting scholarship applications. Please be sure to get your application in by midnight, March 31, 2021.

Learn more at https://www.tef-lbi.org/scholarships.

Contact Trinity Education Foundation at 425.249.4800 or email [email protected] for more information.

First, thanks to all who were able to provide quilts and kits last fall. Covid19 shut down not just worship services, but many of the quilting groups, kit-buying and kit-making activities due to social distancing, and even some (appropriate) fear of going shopping or being out in public. We held a “modified Covid19 Ingathering” where churches brought their boxes to First Lutheran Church in Bothell over three days; later the boxes were brought back out to load a container. LWR hired a professional moving crew to work inside the small - 425 square feet - (floor space) container. The items shipped, in one 53’ container, included: 2,394 quilts and blankets; 2,932 school kits; 1,780 personal care kits; 1,165 baby care kits; 86 fabric kits; 250 masks; and 11 blankets. WOW!

The Spring Ingathering will be a repeat of the modified Covid19 Ingathering process.

Churches/quilting groups need to reserve a delivery spot by calling/emailing Rich Mathes at 206-384-1183, or email [email protected]. The incoming cars and trucks will be staggered; drivers and passengers must wear masks and are to remain in their vehicles as much as possible. The church building is not open for use by drivers or passengers.

HELP US KEEP YOU IN THE LOOP: If your quilting group, or church, or kit-assembly group has not received your instructions, loading form, or newsletter, please notify Rich at either contact above.

Stress is a pain in the neck: If you’re literally feeling the effects of too many hours staring at a computer screen, sitting in a not-so-ergonomically-correct chair, or carrying a year’s worth of pandemic worries in your shoulders, Members with ELCA-primary health benefits now have access to SWORD, a virtual therapy program for joint pain available at no out-of-pocket cost. Watch this short video for an introduction, and learn more about SWORD on myPortico.

Get the best rest. Good sleep is as much a factor of whole-person well-being as diet, exercise, and prayer. Check out the small steps you can take to set yourself up for healthy sleep on 2021 Live Well. Focusing on sleep for part of your Lent journey? ELCA-Primary members, both Being and Learn to Live offer more in-depth coaching and tracking that can help you make meaningful, lasting change.

Find the April Newsletter HERE.

Subscribe to the Newsletter HERE

Learn more here: www.region1beprepared.org/

Come and celebrate a Virtual Easter Vigil via Zoom on Saturday, April 3 at 7pm! A collection of faith communities (including Emmaus Table, University Lutheran Church, Lutheran Campus Ministry at UW, Echoes, and Living Stones Prison Ministry) will lead an immersive, imaginative experience of remembrance, hope, longing, and new creation. Gathered around a new fire, we will revisit stories and songs of God's deliverance from the Hebrew Scriptures and our lives. We will also remember our Baptisms and celebrate Holy Communion together. Join the zoom event here.

Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary invites you to join its Easter Vigil worship watch party on Saturday, April 3, at 7 pm on the PLTS Facebook page. The worship service includes a liturgy of Word, music, readings, reflections, and prayers, led by PLTS students, pastors, and faculty with plenty of water and fire for all! You don’t need a Facebook account to participate. A recording of the service will also be available on the PLTS Worship YouTube channel.

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1157738254676043

Join the Easter Vigil Watch Party here: https://www.facebook.com/pltsofclu

Our neighbors in the Southwestern Washington Synod are inviting Hunger Teams from around ELCA Region 1 to learn about ELCA World Hunger, Lutheran Disaster Response, the ELCA Domestic Hunger Grant application process and other possible funding sources. We will be joined by a professional grant writer who works with non-profit clients, to learn the top things any successful program needs. Register for this free event here: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=magpslfab&oeidk=a07eho1rde5d57ab82f

Questions? Email [email protected] or call the Southwestern Washington Synod at 253-535-8300.

Lutheran Men in Mission will be hosting another online event featuring six speakers discussing matters that men know matter. Register now at boldgathering.com There you can find more information and see all the archived videos from past Bold Gatherings.