ANNOUNCEMENTS
Deadlines approaching for our
Northwest Washington Synod Assembly!

Saturday, June 4, 9am - 4pm
at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood

  • Registration deadline is May 1
  • Nominations Due May 1
  • Resolutions Due May 1

Learn more about the assembly here: www.lutheransnw.org/synod-assembly

Would you like to lend a hand at the assembly?
We will need a couple more registration helpers on the day of the assembly!
Join the fun and we will buy you lunch!
Please reach out to [email protected] ASAP if you are interested!
May Youth Weekend at Holden Village
May 20-22

Registration will close APRIL 20!!

Find the UPDATED details about this gathering for high school aged youth in our region, forms needed, and how to register HERE.

Did you read the April Spirit?
 
Check out the latest articles written by our Synod Vice President, Kay Edgerton, and Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee here: www.lutheransnw.org/news/the-spirit
Easter Greetings from our Companion Synod

Dear sisters and brothers,
Christ is risen! and that means, that suffering and death do not have the final word. But hope and life. Jesus emptied the bitter cup of helplessness, desperation, humiliation, betrayal, torture, and execution. He took upon himself the hard blow of darkness and evil, so that we not despair and fall. But through faith in Christ, the Risen One, survive all tests and are victorious. Easter victory has been given to us all. If we declare sincerely: Christ is risen! and answer just the same: He is risen indeed!, then that means that we share the hope of the final victory of the good news. The good news of salvation of all people from the power of hell, despotism and death. If we proclaim in word and deed this Easter joy and victory, the light of Christ will not cease. It buns brightly wherever one prays from the heart and proclaims the good news. It is always present where the will of God comes to pass through our hands: peace is made and love is given. Christ is risen!
+ Dietrich Brauer, Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia
Upcoming Installation Services:
 
Pr. Charis Weathers Installation
Sunday, May 1 at 2pm at Burlington Lutheran
We give thanks to God as Pr. Weathers is installed as the new pastor at Burlington Lutheran Church! God bless this new ministry partnership!

Pastor John Schraan Installation
Sunday, June 5, 2pm at Our Saviour's Lutheran in Arlington
We give thanks to God as Pr. Schraan is installed as the new pastor at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church! God bless this new ministry partnership!

Pastor Pr. Rhonda Bostrom Installation
Sunday, June 19 at 2pm at Holy Trinity Lutheran on Mercer Island
We give thanks to God as Pr. Bostrom is installed as the new pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church! God bless this new ministry partnership!
UPCOMING ORDINATIONS

Dustin Hamren Ordination
Saturday, April 30, 2pm
at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Lynnwood
We are delighted to share that synod ministry candidate, Dustin, has accepted a call to serve as a Deacon at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. We give thanks to God as Dustin is ordained into Word and Service Ministry and installed as a deacon at Gloria Dei! God bless this new ministry partnership!

Paul Benz Ordination
Saturday, June 18, 2pm
at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Seattle
We are delighted to share that Paul Benz (son of Pr. Paul Benz - formerly of Faith Action Network!) has been called to serve as the Street Minister of Operation Nightwatch. God bless this new ministry partnership!

Synod Hunger Grants
Applications due by April 30!

Learn more and apply here:

Grace Grants:
Applications due by MAY 1st!

Learn more and apply here
UPCOMING EVENTS
Synod Events this week:

TODAY - Mon, April 18 - Synod Office Closed for Easter Monday

Tues, April 19, 10am-12noon - Synod Staff Meeting
Tues, April 19, 7pm - Living Stones Prison Ministry Check In Call
Wed, April 20, 3pm - Pride Parade Planning Meeting
Wed, April 20, 4pm - Bishop's Convocation Planning Team
National Prayer Breakfast
“So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” — Mark 11:24.

Tuesday, April 19, 9am
at Bethel Lutheran Church, Shoreline

Historically, the first prayer breakfast in our nation took place in Seattle on April 19, 1935. Just as the world was in great need then, the world surely is in need of our prayers today. This year, all throughout the King County (and beyond!) people are inviting neighbors, colleagues, family and friends to join in a simple meal in love and care. We are invited to pray for one another and the world that God so loves.
 
You are invited to participate in this event - to gather together in prayer with us at Bethel Lutheran Church, 17529 15th Ave NE, Shoreline. There will be coffee, tea, some pastries, and fruit provided!
Living Stones Meeting
Tuesday, April 19 at 7 pm Online

Much is happening in the Living Stones ministry! Join Pastor Chris to hear more details. He will tell how our men are doing at Washington Corrections Center (Shelton); report about his increased involvement at the Monroe Correctional Complex; update about the return of volunteers to the inside; and share ways to learn more about Living Stones this spring and summer.

Seattle Pride Parade Invite

The Synod is regsitered to march - and we are looking forward to participating with YOU in the Seattle Pride Parade this year on Sunday, June 26!
(The parade officially begins at 11am. Our actual walking start time is dependent upon where we are in the parade order. It generally takes two-three hours to complete the 1.75-mile parade route once we start moving.)
 
Our next planning meeting is scheduled for Wed., April 20 at 3pm – via Zoom.
We have gathered a team of leaders to help plan for our participation in this event, if you are interested in joining us, please contact [email protected].

This will be the first in-person Pride Parade in Seattle in a few years – and there are NEW requirements in place! In particular, these items are required by the Pride Planners in order for us to participate:
proof of vaccination, the wearing of masks, and a complete list of all group attendees a month prior to marching. With these requirements, we must plan ahead more than we are used to!

We are asking for you to discuss participating with your congregational leadership and then email [email protected] by April 19 if possible, with this info:
1) an RSVP that you would like to bring a group AND
2) name of a point person for your congregation/ministry site
(This point person will be the contact for your delegation of walkers… promoting the event, sharing information from the planning team, AND collecting names of all of your ministry’s participants to share with the planning team by MAY 25)
ELCA Coaching Network - Weekly Sessions
Wednesdays at 11am (Pacific)
 
ELCA Coaching will continue with the theme of COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP. We have invited various ministries to host these gatherings each week. There will usually be time for small groups in breakout rooms so that leaders across the church can continue to learn from each other and leave each gathering with at least one action step.

On April 20, we welcome two surprise presenters from Stanford's Graduate School of Business. There's a mistaken belief in today's world that leaders need to be serious all the time to be taken seriously. The research tells a different story. Based on the course they teach, they will delve into the surprising power of humor to build bonds, power, creativity, and resilience -- and how we can all have more of it.

Join Zoom Meetings here:
Meeting ID: 180 439 412 / Passcode: 648160
Recordings from prior gatherings can be found here: https://www.elcacoaching.org/podcasts/media/series/courageous-leadership
Earth Day Worship
April 22

Online Worship From Lutherans Restoring Creation:
We are honored to have the Rev. Dr. Carmelo Santos sharing the message of the day according to the Readings for April 24th. This service will have full translation in Spanish.

If you want to integrate the service in your own worship offerings we suggest you request the material to download ahead of time. The files will be available no later than April 9th. It will be available to all via our YouTube channel and Facebook live starting Friday April 22. Details here: https://lutheransrestoringcreation.org/register-for-the-2022-earth-day-worship/
Tamale Making Party
to benefit El Camino de Emaus

Saturday, April 23, 8am - 5pm
at Salem Lutheran Church in Mount Vernon

YOU are invited to help with assembling!
Our friends at El Camino de Emaus are looking to pay their way to Holden Village for a week of spiritual and physical nourishment.

They have more than 1300 tamales to make to fulfill the orders they have received!
They could use our help!

Their Latina project managers María and her daughter Jazmin Santos Munroy will guide us through the process. Come for a couple hours or stay all day. Learn how to make tamales, practice your Spanish if you’d like, work hard, have a great time. Hey, I’ll even share my tamale order with you Saturday, April 23rd at 5 o’clock (más o menos) if you come help out that day. And Mary Elkins, one of our members, will be making posole for our volunteers for lunch. (Yum!)
 
Need more info? Call Phoebe at 630.805.1491 or
Pr. Josh at 503-780-2501, [email protected].
Jared White in Concert
Saturday, April 23, 4pm
Faith Lutheran Church - 9041 166th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052

The Fine Arts Recital Series at Faith/Redmond is pleased to present vocalist Jared White in concert. Mr. White will be presenting a program titled Travel Songs: an exploration on the themes of travel and change through the lens of French and German Art Song. There is a suggested donation of $10 per person or $20 per family for this event. Faith Lutheran Church will follow current guidelines set forth by the governor's office of Washington State for this event. At this time, proof of vacation will not be required, and masks will be optional.

Four-week hybrid series invitation...
Indigenous Americans: In Search Of Truth And Reconciliation
 
Sundays, April 24 - May 15 at 10:45am

Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Everett is offering this hybrid adult learning course. You and your congregation are invited to join. (IF the 10:45am timing does not work for your setting, find recordings of the sessions on the OSLC YouTube channel each week.)   
 
The course is led by Rev. Dr. Rick Rouse with guests Marlene Whiterabbit Helgemo of the Ho Chunk Nation and Former Montana Synod Bishop Jessica Crist, Co-Chairs of the ELCA Task Force for the Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery, as well as members of the Upper Skagit Tribe. 

For more information, contact Rick at [email protected]. 
 
SESSION ONE (April 24)
“Confronting Our Violent Past: From the Doctrine of Discovery to the Trail of Tears”
SESSION TWO (May 1)
“Broken Promises, Broken Dreams: The Experience of Native Tribes in the Pacific Northwest”
Guest Speakers: Kay Knott and brother, Elders, Upper Skagit Tribe
SESSION THREE (May 8)
“In the White Man’s Image: The Tragedy of Indian Schools and Its Traumatic Legacy”
(Film and Discussion)
SESSION FOUR (May 15)
“Repentance and Redemption: Lutherans Offering Healing and Hope” 
Guest Speakers: Jessica Crist & Marlene Helgemo, Co-Chairs, ELCA Native American Task Force 
Arab American Heritage Month Celebration
Thursday, April 28, 4pm (Pacific) Online

April is Arab American Heritage Month! The Association of Lutheran of Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage (ALAMEH) is hosting an online celebration. The event will feature speakers Samer Khalaf, national president of the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee and Jonathan Kuttab, executive director of Friends of Sabeel North America.

Join us to discuss of Arab American heritage in the United States, advocacy, justice, combating discrimination and more. Register here: bit.ly/ALAMEHCelebration
What: ELCA Now is the Time study (5-part series):
A Study for ELCA Declaration to People of African Descent

Who: For those who want to do this study together in community

Why: Now is the time...for white members of the ELCA to face our own resistance and fear ...to name uncomfortable truths ...to let go of guilt and embrace responsibility ...to uncover silence and complicity ...to acknowledge the depths of systemic racism and white supremacist culture and thinking ...for repentance, and the time to trust God’s liberating grace, which gives us courage to face an uncomfortable past and walk boldly into a new future of racial justice and reconciliation, and of structural change. Join us to do this work together.

When: Thursdays April 28 – June 2, 9am – 11am (no meeting on 5/19)

Format: Zoom webinar (everyone on camera, sharing in small groups with large group time as well)

Must register in advance: bit.ly/NowIsTheTimeELCA

Questions: [email protected]

Facilitated by:
Pastor Kacey Hahn (St. Matthew’s in Renton) and Desta Goehner (Spiritual Director and
Director of Congregational Relations at California Lutheran University)
Lutheran Campus Ministry Sunday!
May 1, 2022
 
On Sunday, May 1, congregations of the NWWA Synod are invited to lift up Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM) in their prayers and help increase our visibility and presence within our congregations! 
 
Ways to participate:
  • Use the Intercessory Prayers written by LCM for worship 
  • Use or share Pastor Chelsea Globe's video sermon, based on lectionary texts for the day
  •  Put the attached graphic into your bulletin and eNews/newsletters
  • Download the discussion guides for your Adult Education and Youth Groups
  • Invite your congregation to participate in a Zoom Education Hour that day to hear all about campus ministry in NWWA!
  • Sun. May 1, 12:30-1:30 PM
  • Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86167201586
  • DOWNLOAD CONTENT HERE 

For more information or questions, contact Pastor Chelsea Globe ([email protected]). 
National Lutheran Choir Live Stream:
Lament of the Earth

Sunday, May 1, 2pm

The National Lutheran Choir will be live streaming their Minneapolis area concert of Lament of the Earth, a newly commissioned work combining the texts of celebrated Lutheran poet, the late Susan Palo Cherwien, with the music of Emmy Award-winning composer Steve Heitzig. Had Covid not intervened, this would have been a live concert with the world premiere on Earth Day in Seattle. This live stream allows us to continue to be a part of this magnificent moment, giving thanks for the life and ministry of Susan, the creativity of Steve, and the artistry of the National Lutheran Choir under the direction of David Cherwien.

The live stream is easily accessed on the National Lutheran Choir’s channel on YouTube.
Please share this announcement in all of your parish's publicity, and to others who might be interested!
Refugees Northwest
Foster Care Information Session

Thursday, May 5, from 5:30pm - 7pm Online

The need continues for foster homes for unaccompanied refugee youth from Afghanistan, Central America, and other countries around the world. Learn more at this online inforamtion session!

More info AND pre-register here: https://forms.gle/LLi2MfrMLFbKWfQEA
CIT and High School Retreat
May 6-7 at Camp Lutherwood

Come and reconnect before this summer!

All high schoolers are welcome!
For more information and questions please contact [email protected]
Join Hands Day at Camp Lutherwood!
Saturday, May 7

Join Hands Day is a National Volunteer Day. Come to camp and help make a difference as we get ready for Summer 2022! We have projects for all ages and availability. Fun for all ages! Lunch provided for all volunteers!

For more info or with any questions please contact [email protected].
Lutheran World Relief Fall Ingathering
Friday & Saturday, May 13 & 14 
at Our Redeemers' Lutheran (2400 NW 85th St, Seattle)

It is time to gather up quilts and kits for Lutheran World Relief in the Seattle area! Please deliver your boxes from 8am-2pm on Friday May 13th and 8am-11:30am on Saturday May 14th. If you would like to pick up fabric samples, please follow any state guidelines that apply.

We still need a few more volunteers to help load the boxes - if you would be willing to help for two hours, please contact Rich at 206-384-1183.

Save the Date for the Fall LWR Ingathering: Nov. 4/5 at Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church
Reparatory Justice Series
Tuesday, May 17

The ELCA is part of the group hosting this monthly Wednesday webinar series from the interreligious Reparatory Justice Working Group, bringing together denominations and religious advocates as they share common reflections and experiences around the issue.
Join this month's webinar with interreligious leaders as they discuss theological perspectives related to reparations for people of African Descent, and to ongoing advocacy opportunities to pass H.R. 40 to further study the issue in the US.

Register here: https://bit.ly/reparjust3 // Previous sessions available for viewing 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