March 29, 2021
Weekly Update
announcements & events
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Holiday Closure

Please note:
Easter Monday, April 5, is a holiday for the synod staff.
Synod Assembly - Saturday May 15, 9am-4pm ONLINE
IMPORTANT DEADLINES APPROACHING!
TWO DAYS LEFT ...

Registration for Voting Members ends March 31. Congregation Leaders/Pastors/Deacons, please review how to register and get your crew registered by March 31 HERE.

Nominations for various positions are now being accepted. Read about the roles and how to nominate yourself or another synod member HERE.
Submit nominations by March 31.

Resolutions you wish to have considered by the assembly are now being accepted. Learn how to write and submit a resolution HERE. Submit resolutions by March 31.

Have questions?
Contact Susan Berg in the synod office - she can help direct you to the answers!
Recent Statements from ELCA Presiding Bishop Eaton:
March 26 - Bishop Eaton issued a statement on gun violence

March 19 - Bishop Eaton issued a statement on anti-Asian racism:

Read other news statements here:
Camp Lutherwood
Summer Camp Registration is Open!
Check out options for:
  • Summer 2021
  • Spring Lodge Rentals
  • Campground Use
ELCA Domestic Hunger Grants
Are you part of a ministry (or know of one) that draws on the strengths of its community to break the cycle of hunger and poverty for good?

Invite them to apply for a Domestic Hunger Grant!
Registration open NOW: March 17, 2021–May 5, 2021
Application: April 19, 2021–May 21, 2021
Learn more and apply here: www.elca.org/domestichungergrants
Trinity Education Foundation Scholarships
Scholarship Applications Available Now!
Trinity Education Foundation is accepting scholarship applications. Please be sure to get your application in by midnight, March 31, 2021.

  • Trinity Scholars Program for undergraduate students provides scholarship funds of $10,000 renewable up to four years, plus vocational guidance, and coaching.
  • Dave Ellingson Environmental Studies provides scholarship funds of $1,000.
  • Seminary provides scholarship funds of $5,000 renewable up to three years.
Contact Trinity Education Foundation at 425.249.4800 or email info@tef-lbi.org for more information.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Fifty and Better (FAB) at California Lutheran University

March Lectures
The two-hour lectures are $8 each and are open to everyone.
Learn more and register HERE (registration open now!)
  • Can the Golden State Be Made to Shine Again? with Herb Gooch on Monday, March 29 at 10am

Fifty and Better Spring Session
Weekly ELCA Coaching Event
Next Session is Wednesday, March 31 at 11am

Presenter will be the Rev. CeCee Mills, Associate DEM for the North Carolina Synod
All are invited to join this weekly online gathering designed to provide encouragement and support for ELCA leaders across the church. Join Zoom Meeting here:
Meeting ID: 180 439 412 - Password: 648160

We understand a number of folks are unable to make this day and time each week. We record the main session and debrief time. We share each recording with supporting documents here, typically by the following day: https://www.elcacoaching.org/podcasts/media.
Easter Vigil Opportunities
Saturday, April 3

A Local Invite:
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.

An invite from our friends at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary:
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.
Join the Easter Vigil Watch Party here: https://www.facebook.com/pltsofclu
Funding Your Hunger Ministry Workshop
Saturday, April 10, 10am-11:30am

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 swwsynod@plu.edu or call the Southwestern Washington Synod at 253-535-8300.
Synod Hunger Team Meeting
Tuesday, April 13, 7pm via Zoom
The team meets monthly to help congregations:
  • learn about hunger on the local and global level
  • inspire and work cooperatively in supporting hunger ministries locally on our synod territory
  • combat hunger globally by supporting our ELCA World Hunger Program
Reach out Committee Co-Chairs Carol & Bob Wall with questions and/or for the Zoom meeting link.
ADAPTING TO A NEW REALITY:
Living into a Fresh Vision for God’s Church
April 15, 11am – The Future is Now: Creative Expressions of Church

Go to www.IgniteTheChurch.net to learn more and get registered.
Pastors and congregational lay leaders can sign up for only a $25 donation to register for the entire series. All conference proceeds are donated to the ELCA Fund for Leaders.
Lutheran Men In Mission Bold Gathering
Saturday, April 17, 9am-12noon

Registration is Free but Required.
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.
Interrogating Privilege in Church & Our Lives

Wednesdays, 6:30-8pm
April 14 - May 19 
Cost: $50/person

The LiVE Project (Living into Vocational Engagement) is a new initiative of the NW WA Synod to accompany lay leaders in ways that encourage and deepen God’s calling for their lives. 
 
This six-week course is designed specifically for lay leaders to open up transparent, and honest conversation around the ways privilege shapes and impacts our lives and communities of faith. 
 
The learning facilitators for the course are Rev. Priscilla Paris Austin, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Seattle, and Dr. David Hahn, Dir. of Formation and Learning for the NW WA Synod. 

How Do I Read The Bible?

Sundays, 1pm-2:30pm
April 18 - June 13
Cost: $50/person

The LiVE Project, in partnership with Our Redeemer's Lutheran (Seattle) invites you into this 8-week course to come and curiously explore the Bible. To discover, hear, and be blessed directly. Individuals and congregational groups welcome!

Pacific Lutheran University – Knutson Lecture:
World Balance vs. Personal Salvation:
An American Indian Postcolonial Perspective

Tuesday, April 20, 7pm via Zoom Webinar

Rev. Dr. George “Tink” Tinker is Professor of American Indian Cultures and Religious Traditions at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Tinker will address the differences between the genuine equality of American Indian peoples and the hierarchical worldview of the eurochristian West. Given the eco-devastation threatening life today, and the historical trauma experienced by American Indian nations, the survival of American Indian cultures and values may make the difference for the survival of the Earth.

You are also invited to join PLU Chapel on Wednesday, April 21 at 10:30 a.m. via Zoom to hear Dr. Tinker deliver the message. For more information and to register for either opportunity, please visit plu.edu/religion/2021-knutson-lecture.


Learn about more excellent offerings from PLU here:
Joyfully Aging Is NOT an Oxymoron!
April 22, 2021 – 9am

Dr. Rich Bimler shares his positive outlook for the second half of life. In a culture that sees aging as a disease, Joyfully Aging means changing the way we perceive older people, ourselves and others. Let’s discuss how we can joyfully age together.
Find out more and check out our previous webinars & resources at aloaserves.org
Each webinar features an expert in a subject pertaining to older adult ministry land providing information on available resources. All webinars are free and last approximately 60 minutes. If you can't be available for the live webinar, sign up anyway and we'll email you a link to the recording and associated resources. 
Grünewald Guild in the City:
Seattle’s Olympic Sculpture Park
April 24th, 11am – 1pm
Olympic Sculpture Park
2901 Western Avenue, Seattle

Join the Grünewald Guild’s NEW director, Brian Johnson, for this event. He will lead this art outing and conversation focusing on poems and sacred texts paired with the park sculptures. Bring a bagged lunch or make plans for lunch in the area. Register here. Cost is $10 general / $ 2 students
Bishop's Spring Convocation
Living into Authentic Diversity: Sharing Our Stories
Monday-Wednesday, April 26-28, Online
Monday, 1-4pm | Tuesday, 9:30am-3:30pm | Wednesday: 9am-12noon

Rostered ministers, mission developers, and interns of the synod are invited to gather online over these days to explore diversity in the Church from the perspective of listening deeply to the uniqueness of our diverse journeys of faith. How do our familial/cultural/ denominational/personal identities and histories shape our experience of being Church Together? Following an introductory session with the Strategic Team For Authentic Diversity (STAD), we will be joined by keynote speaker the Rev. Lenny Duncan.
We will also hear stories of four local leaders (Rev. Diakonda Gurning, Rosario Aguilar, Rev. Sam Sseba, and Elizabeth Stitt). We will have time to reflect together on both the gifts and the challenges these stories bring to us. Learn more and register here.
Lutheran World Relief (LWR) Update & Seattle Spring Ingathering
April 29 - May 1 at First Lutheran Church in Bothell

The Spring Ingathering will be a modified Covid19 Ingathering process. Churches/quilting groups need to reserve a delivery spot by calling/emailing Rich Mathes at 206-384-1183, or email lwrmathes@aol.com. 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.
Lutheran Campus Ministry Sunday!
Sunday, May 2

First to Worship Planners: a pre-recorded video worship service will be made available - five Lutheran Campus Ministries, their pastors and students will be leading this service, as well as music contributed from 5 congregations from around the state.

Second - On Sunday, May 2 at 11:30am - join Pastor Chelsea Globe of UW Lutherans for a region-wide education time to discuss campus ministry, young adult ministry, and how your congregation can get involved!

Read the Koran in Four Weeks
Mondays in May (3, 10, 17, 24), 7pm-9pm via Zoom

Check out this unique class taught by Pastor Marshall, First of West Seattle, four times a year since 2003. The cost is $20 --- which covers sending you in the mail your own copy of an approved English translation of the Koran.

Call or email to register or ask questions. Pastor Marshall at (206) 935-6530 or deogloria@foxinternet.com. For more information on the class (including a half hour video interview) and some student recommendations, see flcws.org, “Reading the Koran with Pastor Marshall.” 
Faith Action Network Spring Summits!

Choose from Sunday, May 23 and
Sunday, June 6, 2pm-4pm Online

At the Summit you can gather virtually with advocates in your region and in your issue area of interest and begin to consider what steps we might take together in the year ahead. This event is open to advocates across the state, and the content and breakouts will be the same each Sunday. See the flyer here and register for one of the dates below:
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