E-News, Educational, Event
Lin Carlson
Not-Your-Average Boundaries Training

LeaderWise’s online boundaries training workshop is lively and interactive, full of reflection and conversation. Attendees have given us feedback that our boundaries training was a great experience, AND caused them to re-evaluate some of their own practices.

E-News, Educational, Special Announcement
Lin Carlson
NWIM Synod and Faith+Lead

The Northwest Intermountain Synod and Luther Seminary's Faith+Lead are joining together to provide our entire synod with free access to theological resources and training designed to equip disciples and leaders for today's ministry challenges.

Event, E-News
Lin Carlson
2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly

The ELCA Churchwide Assembly, the primary decision-making body of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is a process of communal spiritual discernment. When the ELCA Churchwide Assembly convenes, its voting members meet with confidence in God’s grace around word and water, wine and bread, to carry on their work on behalf of the entire church.

E-News, Event
Lin Carlson
College for Congregational Development

A 2-year program that focuses on (1) creating faithful, healthy & effective communities of faith, regardless of size, condition, or location (2) understanding & developing the congregation’s internal organizational life and leadership (3) the congregation’s relationship with the people and world outside of itself: potential visitors, the neighborhood, the broader world/culture (4) lay and clergy teams

E-News, Employment, Event
Lin Carlson
Volunteer & Register at Outdoor Ministries

You can still volunteer and register for outdoor ministries: Holden Village, Luther Heights, and Lutherhaven

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Communion in Extreme Circumstances

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To the People of God in Northwest Intermountain Synod,

There are those who like to say that we are living in “unprecedented” times. They certainly feel unprecedented. However, for anyone with a knowledge of history there is nothing “unprecedented” about the time of pandemic due to COVID-19. The scale is, perhaps, larger than epidemics that have come before. But perhaps it is not. Perhaps it is our increased global connectedness through technology that has given us the sense of this being an unprecedented pandemic event—because we are seeing this virus unfold in real-time, not simply receiving reports of devastation months or years after the fact.

NWIM Synod E-News · 3/27/2020

Featured NEWS: How COVID-19 is Affecting UKD

Dear Northwest Intermountain Synod,

I send you greetings on behalf of our sisters and brothers in the Ulanga-Kilombero Diocese. Our companions have been watching the news and hear how seriously our area has been affected by COVID-19. Both Pr Moses and Pr Eliud have been in contact regularly and wish to express their concern. Bishop Mtenji also sends his prayers. Our partners in Tanzania have kept us all in daily prayer over the past few weeks.

Unfortunately, on March 18 this virus hit Tanzania as well.

NWIM Synod E-News · 3/20/2020

Featured News: Building Use & Insurance in the time of COVID-19

I know that many of our congregations host recovery groups in their buildings and are conflicted over whether or not to close the building entirely, given the fact that isolation and stress are some of the key factors in an individual breaking their sobriety.

Please check with your insurance carriers if you choose to continue to allow recovery groups to use your buildings. There could be insurance penalties if you decide to do so.

A Letter Regarding the Executive Committee Meeting on 3/17/2020

Please click “Read More” below to see the letter from Bishop Kristen summarizing the NWIM Synod Executive Committee meeting on March 17, 2020.

Highlights include:

  1. An update on the Regional Gatherings.

  2. An update on the Synod Staff travel ban.

  3. The Committee’s current considerations regarding how the 8-week ban affects Holy Week and Easter.

  4. How to contact synod staff via email and phone as we work from home.

  5. And more.

A copy of the letter is also available for download & printing.

COVID 19 Message · 3/15/2020

New CDC recommendation: Starting immediately and for the next 8 weeks, CDC recommends cancelling all events of 50 or more people.

If you have not yet made the decision to suspend worship, please contact Bishop Kristen here.

Ongoing guidance recommends that, in areas where there is even minimal COVID-19, events likely to include 10 or more people at high-risk for serious issues should be cancelled. People at higher risk include older adults and people who have chronic medical conditions such as lung and heart disease, as well as diabetes.

If there is substantial spread in your area, all gatherings should be cancelled.
https://bit.ly/2xyUfDQ

COVID 19 Message · 3/13/2020

To God’s Beloveds in the Northwest Intermountain Synod,

We are living in interesting times. Any one of the issues we are actively dealing with would warrant the label “chaotic” and we are dealing with multiple issues at the same time. We are frazzled. We are fragile. We are forlorn.

Many of our congregational leaders are considering whether to suspend holding services for a time. Let me assure you that this is for the safety of the members of your congregational community. Let me further assure you that not one of these decisions is made lightly or without a great deal of emotional conflict and fervent prayer.

COVID 19 Message · 3/6/2020

We have received a few inquiries regarding COVID-19, or Novel Coronavirus.

We currently have only a few folks in the synod (as far as I am aware) who have been affected by this, but I anticipate that number will rise.

Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee has done a LOT of work around this, as Seattle is Ground Zero for the coronavirus in the United States. I didn't see a reason to reinvent the wheel when she's done such a great job already.

Please remember: the very best way to protect yourself from this virus is to wash your hands as frequently as you can. If you cannot use soap and warm water, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is a good option. FYI: Vodka does NOT have the appropriate level of alcohol to effectively kill the virus, so be cautious of any "make your own hand sanitizer" recipes that are are floating around on social media.

Untitled Facebook Post | March 5, 2020

It's getting to be the time of year when synods electing new bishops start to identify candidates they think might be a good fit for the call. Since 2018, I've been approached by young women seeking to know how I balance this work with the demands of motherhood. The good news is that there are many young women contacting me--it means that people are looking beyond the "typical" bishop candidate to individuals who have historically been overlooked. But it means I spend a lot of time answering individual emails with the same information--and while I'm deeply honored to be consulted as part of a discernment process, I am also aware that due to my schedule: sometimes I don't respond as quickly as I would like.

I thought a Facebook post might be a good vehicle to share my perspectives as someone who entered into this work almost four years ago as a very non-traditional bishop.