July 25, 2022
Weekly Update
announcements & events
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Building a Culture of Generosity
This Fall there is an opportunity for congregations to participate in a cohort around “Building a Culture of Generosity.”
The cost for the congregation will be $250, with the ELCA and Synod picking up the additional $200.
You can have several members of your Stewardship Committee participate in the program.
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Free Items from Nativity Lutheran Church
Nativity Lutheran Church (Renton) is moving out of their current space while a new facility is being built and they have a number of items they will not be storing that they offer to other congregations in the area.
If you are interested in any of these items, please contact the church office (NativityLCoffice@gmail.com or 425-228-5464) for more information.
Items to be picked up ASAP.
- Baptismal Font, Altar, Pulpit
- Assorted Communion Ware: Chalices, Platters
- Two Pianos
- 100-cup coffee maker
- Spotlight [multi-color] and 2 overhead projectors
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Three 2-door cabinets, about 92" x 47" x 26" each.
- Big projector screen. (about 10' wide and a little over 8' tall.)
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Fire safety door available
Pointe of Grance Lutheran Church has a solid coard oak door (36x83.5) avilable for a new home. Contact the church office if you are interested: (425) 263-8730
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Do you have a heart for working with kids?
Fe y Esperanza (Faith and Hope) Remote Tutoring Program is looking for adults to assist with tutoring. No experience necessary!
We assist with tutoring or homework (via Zoom) to support students in elementary, middle and high school who need extra help in the areas of math, reading and writing.
The kids we currently assist come from families whose first language is Spanish. The time commitment is an hour and-a half a week via Zoom. We currently tutor on Monday afternoons and/or Saturday mornings. Volunteers who are able to commit to ongoing assistance OR on an occasional basis are welcome! For more information, please email Karen Curtis at curtkd1@gmail.com.
Thank you/gracias for considering supporting Latinx kids and their learning in our community.
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Land Acknowledgement Guide
The ELCA published “A Declaration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to American Indian and Alaska Native People,” in which the church confesses its sins toward Indigenous peoples and lists the commitments it will begin working toward as it responds to its original “Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery” from 2016.
One commitment found in each document is to formally acknowledge the original inhabitants of North America. The declaration states, “We commit to begin the practice of land acknowledgments at all expressions of the church.”
Vance Blackfox, Director for Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations with the ELCA, has prepared a guide for those who wish to begin a journey toward truth and healing by practicing land acknowledgements. It includes examples of statements that you can speak at the beginning of every worship service, print at the top of worship bulletins, use to create outdoor signage and more.
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Synod Events this week:
Tues, July 26, 10am-1pm - Synod Staff Meeting
Sat, July 30 - Evangelical Outreach Team Picnic
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Upcoming Zoom Sessions:
Tuesday, July 26, 4:30pm-6pm
Tuesday, August 23, 4:30pm-6pm
Tuesday, September 27,4:30pm-6pm
Connect with others, pray together, consider next steps in anti-racism work and share resources. Open to everyone on the journey to racial justice from newcomers and long-time movers.
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ELCA Coaching Network - Weekly Sessions
Every Wednesday at 11am (Pacific)
ELCA Coaching will continue with the theme of COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP. ELCA Coaching has 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 Wednesday, July 27, we welcome back Nathan Swenson-Reinhold, who will be facilitating conversation around harnessing the energy of groups to do the work of the Kingdom. Whether you are a coach or a leader in your community, you often find yourself challenged to bring disparate and divided rooms into social coherence. Come explore models of thought and practice that help make this daunting task possible.
Join Zoom Meetings here:
Meeting ID: 180 439 412 / Passcode: 648160
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Addiction & Faith Webinar
Thursday, July 28, 9am (Pacific) via Zoom
The Center of Addiction & Faith is presenting a one-hour free webinar on July 28 at 9am-10am with follow up 30-minute Q/A Zoom discussion.
Title of Webinar: The Jewish Jail Lady and The Holy Thief
Description: Join Rabbi Mark Borovitz and Harriet Rossetto for a story of love and transformation. We will hear their own exciting journey, gain insight into a Jewish perspective of addiction and recover, and learn how their work with Beit T'Shuvah has saved thousands of lives.
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Stillaguamish Cluster Outdoor Worship & Picnic
Sunday, July 31 11am at the Silvana Fairgrounds
The Stillaguamish Cluster churches (in the Stanwood, Camano, Arlington, Marysville area) invite you to join them for an outdoor worship and picnic.
Worship begins at 11:00 with a picnic lunch following. Our goal is to bring our communities together to worship, have fellowship, and dream of ways to do God’s work together. Our offering that day will be shared between the three family resource centers in Stanwood/Camano, Marysville/Lakewood, and Arlington. Worship, food and fun is all provided! Bringing your own camp chair, a hat, sunscreen and a water bottle is suggested but not required. Please join us as we discover and recognize that our community can do great things when we come together.
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“Embody the Word”
Online Bible Study Series
Each Sunday in July!
Final Session is July 31st!
In preparation for the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, ALL ELCA members (not just voting members!) are encouraged to participate in a series of online Bible studies that will explore the assembly theme, “Embody the Word,” from Luke 24. The assembly, the highest legislative body of the ELCA, will meet in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 8-12. (Learn more about our synod's voting members here.)
The Bible study series will comprise four online sessions to be held Sundays in July from 1pm-3:45pm (Pacific). Each session will focus on the meaning of “embodiment,” open with a video presentation and continue with a moderated discussion. Members are encouraged to consider the double meaning of the assembly theme, “Embody the Word”: “embody” can mean both the incarnation of Jesus Christ and the life of the church emerging from a pandemic, whereas “word” can mean both Jesus Christ and Scripture.
Find out more about the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, including livestream information.
The sessions will also be available on demand from the ELCA YouTube Channel.
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ELCA Advocacy Monthly Drop In Sessions
Drop by an Advocacy Cafe to hear from ELCA advocacy community leaders about timely topics on the last Tuesday of every month. (Next one is July 30th!)
Each Cafe session has a 30 minute presentation with daytime cafes hosting a 15 minute Q&A, and evening cafes having 25 minute for sharing. Register for the time that best fits you and learn more from https://blogs.elca.org/advocacy/advocacy-cafe/ |
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LiVE Information Sessions
(Living into Vocational Engagement)
Join our last info session of the summer:
August 17 - 6:30-7:30pm on Zoom
Come and learn more about LiVE, get your questions answered, and see what this exciting opportunity holds in store for your own learning journey as a Christian public leader.
Please pre-register here:
Learn more about our LiVE Project here:
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Kitsap Ride for Refugees
Saturday, August 20, begins at 9am
We are excited to be able to once again partner with Lutheran Community Services Northwest to bring back this great event for summer 2022. All proceeds go toward LCS Northwest and their refugee resettlement efforts.
Participants can choose between a 10- or 30-mile out-and-back course through beautiful Kitsap County, starting and ending at Silverdale Lutheran Church. This is an untimed, supported bike ride (not a race). Roads will still be open to vehicles and participants may need to stop at intersections.
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Spiritual Leadership Development Intensive
For Rostered Ministers and Lay Leaders
August 22-23 and 29-30 (four days total)
The Spiritual Leadership Development Intensive (SLDI) is an opportunity to engage with deep questions about your gifts, the challenges confronting you and your community, what God is calling you to, and how to be a spiritual force-to-be-reckoned-with in this turbulent world.
During these four days of leadership development and spiritual discernment in a safe and supportive environment, you have the opportunity to explore the dynamics of your life and ministry, how you got to where you are, and how to use fresh awareness and insights to enhance, strengthen and expand your ministry - and who you actually are.
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Webinar series: Building an Anti-Racism Team: Next Faithful Steps*
As with any team, having shared goals is really important for doing effective work. The team should decide what their function will be by identifying their goals. Each racial justice team is unique to a specific congregation and community context. The goals of the team should be defined keeping that in mind. The main areas that a team focuses on falls into three areas: internal team goals, congregational goals, and community goals.
Hosted by: The ELCA European Descent Lutheran Association for Racial Justice (EDLARJ)
Audience/For whom: Anybody in the ELCA, specifically interested in connecting with other folks building or working at a synod, campus or congregational anti-racist team.
Register in advance:
Flyer above.
September 7, 4:30 – 6 pm Pacific time: Internal Team Goals
Team goals are generally focused on one or more of the following:
• leadership development of team members - trainings, etc.
• cultural competency work as individuals and a team
• intentionally examining personal unconscious biases
October 5, 4:30 – 6 pm Pacific time: Congregational Goals
These goals involve the whole congregation and are usually focused on one or more of the following:
• hosting educational events (i.e. movie nights and discussions, book studies, etc.)
• writing (and then getting the congregation to pass) a Racial Justice Mission Statement
• examining the culture of the congregation
November 2, 4:30 – 6 pm Pacific time: Community Goals
Community goals put the internal pieces into action with goals like:
• connecting with local diverse community organizations or congregations in partnership
• engaging in local organizing and advocacy work that is meaningful to racially marginalized communities
• simply being present, active listeners to the voices of leaders of color in your context
* We thank and acknowledge the wisdom, experience and knowledge that Brenda Blackhawk put into creating this resource. She has offered it to us to use for our benefit. Our work will be better and stronger because of this resource…we acknowledge that as white-bodied people we cannot do this anti-racism work without siblings of color and culture. Please donate if you use this resource.
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God’s work. Our Hands. Sunday!
Sunday, September 11
Old Lutheran has T-shirts and other items available for purchase. The deadline for ordering your congregation’s personalized T-shirts is Aug. 19.
Don’t forget to share your congregation’s participation with us! Send stories and photos to LivingLutheran@elca.org so that together we can celebrate what God accomplishes through you.
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Sacred Spaces:
Opening the Holy Invitation Even Wider
September 24, 9:30am-2:30pm
at St. Andrews Lutheran Church (2650 148th Ave SE, Bellevue)
Sponsor: NW Washington Synod
Join Facilitators and Practitioners of unique gatherings and organic forms of church, for a day of stories, experiences, and workshops to explore together how we can open God’s holy invitation even wider.
There are so many ways to gather as faithful communities, whether it's outdoors, creating art, at the pub, or just eating around one big table. Why shouldn’t our gatherings reflect our uniqueness?
Let’s imagine how we can foster organic sacred spaces right in our own backyards. How can we create more inclusive gatherings for people to encounter God? How can we experiment with the gifts we have to meet the needs of those seeking the spirit in our own neighborhoods? What is sprouting up within you that is ready for germination?
Come with ideas, come with questions, come to dream about what sacred spaces can be!
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Want an item included?
All items due by 2pm on the prior Thursday
Northwest Washington Synod / ELCA
5519 Phinney Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98103
206-783-9292
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