It is time to register for United at the Font: Partnering for the Future!, our rural ecumenical gatherings made possible by our Wartburg Seminary CaSTLE Project grant, funded by the Lilly Endowment.
Click here to register for Moses Lake, October 25
Click here to register for Clarkson, November 1
Click here to register for Pocatello, November 15
FREE Exploration Workshop
Come join the Northwest Intermountain and the Northern Great Lakes Synods in this extraordinary opportunity to focus the efforts of your congregation and clarify your mission. The entire series by congregational experts with Living the Resurrection will begin in January and has a $2000 value, but thanks to a generous gift from each synod, the series will only cost each congregation $50. Join this exploration workshop Nov. 13 to see what's possible.
This two-part series designed specifically for The CaSTLE Project will equip leaders with practical, faith- rooted tools to lead and adapt through change. Each session blends research-based frameworks with a lens of faith and includes actionable resources that can be used immediately across diverse ministry settings.
Register here https://forms.o-ice.com/r/LtWaE2PYL5
I am deeply troubled by incidents of racial profiling* that are happening across this country in the name of law enforcement and national security. Such inhumane treatment is being employed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in wanton immigration stops, targeting individuals based on race, ethnicity, language, occupation or location. In particular, I and many in this church lament the Supreme Court action of Sept. 8 in which the court granted a stay of a lower court's restraining order that had limited such enforcement practices in Los Angeles while judicial action is pending.
Earlier this summer, the Senate Banking Committee advanced a bipartisan housing reform bill by an overwhelming 24-0 margin. The ROAD to Housing Act (S. 2651), introduced by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), comprehensively bundled together many bipartisan solutions to addressing the housing crisis affecting millions of Americans.
Mission Possible is the annual servant learning opportunity of this congregation. It started in 2005 under the ministry of our retired Deacon Heidi Cryer. Mission Possible uses an accompaniment model of service, where we seek to learn from those in need, to be part of what is already being done, and to interact with agencies that provide direct services to the poor and vulnerable in our community. We recognize that joining together is the best way to address our community’s challenges.
The Blessing of Animals is a fun way to engage people of all ages and to have conversations about our responsibilities to all creatures who share Earth with us. Some people may bring their animals to church to be blessed, while others bring photos to avoid unnecessary stress on their pets. Through photos or stuffed toys, congregations may celebrate and bless all types of creatures beyond pets. An appropriate hymn for the blessing of animals is number 1064 in All Creation Sings, “Earth is Full of Wit and Wisdom,” which sings of roly polies, giraffes, geckos, monkeys, mice, and many other creatures!
We are preparing to open registration for our three one-day United at the Font: Partnering for the Future events this fall. As I wrote in our grant application to Wartburg Seminary, these three locations were chosen in conversation with ecumenical partners. However, I see no reason why the entire synod cannot join in on the learning and growing.
ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has issued a letter to President Donald Trump and members of Congress expressing support of “our Jewish-American and Israeli siblings who have suffered because of the Oct. 7 attacks,” yet voicing “profound horror regarding the catastrophe in Gaza and the wider crisis in the Holy Land.”