Pastor Wayne Shipman
On behalf of your NWIM Global Mission Team
Our companion synod, the Ulanga Kilombero Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, has been greatly impacted by severe rains and flooding. Many of you have seen the pictures and video via Facebook posts of the flooding at Lugala Hospital, Tumanini Seminary, the city of Ifakara, and surrounding areas.
GOAL: The Northwest Intermountain Synod is working to raise $34,000 to assist our Companion Synod, the Ulanga Kilombero Diocese in Tanzania, as they recover from a severe flood that affected much of East Africa. Successive heavy rainstorms between March and early May 2024 led to “loss of lives, livelihoods, massive displacements, evacuations and destroyed homes, roads, school buildings, power outages, and outbreaks of disease.” (Report from Bishop Renard Mtenji)
We meet virtually on the second Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time. We value your interest and input.
If you would like more information or you wish to share your ideas or participate, email Deaconess Katrina Martich at contact@katrinamartich.com
Recently, Bishop Manlove asked me to serve as the synod’s ecumenical and interfaith representative with the tasks of naming, describing, highlighting the ecumenical and interfaith ministries which are in place throughout the Northwest Intermountain Synod, and encouraging the people of the synod to be engaged in them.
This Pulse Survey includes a total of 15 questions. The primary topic is congregational vitality, using the ELCA’s Gifts of Baptism – Five Gifts of Discipleship resource as a guide. Additionally, because congregations and worshiping communities frequently ask the churchwide organization to share a narrative about some aspect of their ministry, the Pulse Survey asks where your congregation or worshiping community finds joy in ministry.
No one is going to prescribe exactly how to be a cluster. I have told the deans that I expect them to pull together the active rostered leaders every other month online or in person to check in on one another. Many rostered leaders do meet weekly or monthly in person for text study. Lay and rostered people should come together before regular synod assemblies, as our constitution states, though I celebrate those clusters that come together more often for business or recreation or worship.