A Covid-19 Update

It has been a little while since I’ve given you all an update on the Synod’s response to COVID-19. 

The Synod office (housed in with the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane) will remain closed as long as the Diocese is closed. Following a conversation with Bishop Rehberg, we are in agreement that this will be in Phase 4 at the earliest—possibly later than that if the numbers are still going up. Once again, the Phase process is closely connected to economic realities—not necessarily the realities of the case numbers in a given county, so we will be looking to those numbers to make our final decisions. Because NWIM is a tenant of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane, we will respect their boundaries around the health and well being of our employees. 

The Synod staff continues to take travel cautiously. I live in Benton County, where the number of new cases per week is skyrocketing. Because of this, I will not be traveling anywhere for the foreseeable future. I do not want to be the individual that introduces or re-introduces COVID to an area that has been lightly impacted by the virus. In deciding whether or not travel is an acceptable risk, a synod staff member will be taking into account the numbers of new cases in the area they are traveling FROM as well as the number of new cases in the area they have been asked to travel TO—and given the size of our synod, possibly number of new cases along the travel route. No synod staff member is planning to fly at this time. Given these realities, we ask that you ask for a staff member to be physically present ONLY in cases of emergency, and after exhausting all other options. 

Some of our congregations are resuming in-person worship with recommended protocols in place. Please keep in mind that what is an acceptable level of risk in one county may not be possible in others. There won’t be a triumphal return to worship in one fell swoop. I continue to encourage leadership to monitor county health numbers. The benchmark you are looking for is DECREASING cases of COVID-19 for a minimum of 2 weeks. I want to stress that until a vaccine is developed, or 60-70% of the population has had COVID-19: we are not talking about gathering safely. Without a vaccine or herd immunity the best we can hope for is the lowest level of acceptable risk. Please encourage people to stop talking about “safe” and instead make the shift to “lowest level of acceptable risk” because until we’ve met certain benchmarks OR have a vaccine: worship will continue to be a risky behavior. Perhaps a risk we are willing to take, perhaps not. 
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Juneteenth: We Will Breathe · by Joe Davis
ELCA Youth Gathering blog

Juneteenth commemorates a day when my ancestors could breath a little more freely. On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, enslaved Africans were read federal orders that they were freed, even though the Emancipation Proclamation was signed over two years prior. They didn’t know they were free because, in spite of the law, they were still brutalized by those who weaponized power. This was this liberatory announcement that initiated the joyful reunion of long-separated loved ones and the work of reconstructing after centuries of being held down by the harsh American slave system. 

Today, families of African descent throughout the United States celebrate this Freedom Day, which gave us a brief moment to inhale deeper than before. However, as a Black artist and educator living in Minneapolis, MN during an uprising that has sparked freedom demonstrations around the world, I know that oppressive powers have only shifted their weight on the necks of vulnerable Black bodies as we cried out to breathe. 

I can only imagine how profoundly the Giver of all life and breath (1) must become enraged and grief-stricken every time the breath in our bodies is snuffed out by violent power. But I needn’t imagine this response, as Jesus incarnated this reality when he protested abusive authority decrying those holding power through violence as hypocrites and snakes (2) and damaged temple property when it was being valued more than the humanity of his people (3).
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Upcoming Events

Thursdays
NWIM Synod Weekly Check In

Each Thursday morning at 9:30am PDT/10:30am MDT, lay and rostered leaders are invited to a Zoom meeting to check in with one another during these pandemic days. Time will be spent dwelling in the Word with one another and reflecting together on what it is to be the church during this time... and how we imagine the Holy Spirit is moving among us.

If you’re not already receiving the meeting details each week and you would like to, click here to add yourself to our Weekly Check In distribution list.

Virtual Event
8 Lakes Leg Aches Bike Ride | July 11—18, 2020

Due to social distancing guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID-19, we made the difficult decision to change our 8 Lakes Leg Aches Bike Ride to a Virtual event to protect participants, event partners, volunteers, and staff. While none of us can enjoy large gatherings, keeping active and exercising is a key element in staying healthy.

This is a self-guided, self-supported bike ride.  Ride a stationary bike, ride around town, or ride the 8 Lakes course. You can participate in your own area at your own comfort. Each participant receives a Goody Bag with snacks, water, and Gatorade, a certificate for 2-slices of David’s Pizza, and purchased swag. We will mail swag to out-of-town participants purchasing t-shirts, jersey, or socks.

Click here for more information.

“God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday | September 13, 2020

This day is an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – one church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor.

Service activities offer an opportunity for us to explore one of our most basic convictions as Lutherans: that all of life in Jesus Christ – every act of service, in every daily calling, in every corner of life – flows freely from a living, daring confidence in God’s grace.

• View resources to guide your congregation’s planning, promotion and more.

• For more information, click here.

Resources

Update and resources for summer 2020

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, all Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (LOM) camps and retreat centers have been closed since mid-March. Now, many LOM staff have decided that their sites will be closed this summer camp season. This is causing sadness for the thousands of campers who would have spent time at ELCA camps this summer. LOM, the association of 120 camps and retreat centers affiliated with the ELCA, has a new resource to support parents as they talk with their children about camp experiences that are now canceled. “No! They Can’t Cancel Camp! – Guidelines for Parents” is available at the LOM website, along with many other communications related to COVID-19 and outdoor ministry.