The Fig Tree promotes communication among people in faith and nonprofit communities of the Inland Northwest. We seek to break through divisions among people of faith to build understanding, and to promote unity and action for the common good, especially by means of The Fig Tree newspaper, communication media, resource directory, programs and events.

Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp
Sunday, January 31 - Tuesday February 2, 2027
The Gospel of John, led by Prof. Karoline Lewis

Baseball Retreat in Arizona
March 16-20, 2027
Back by popular demand, Play Ball & Connect, Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center in Carefree, AZ. 

Speakers for 2027 are Dr. Mary J. Streufert and Rev. Dr. Rachel Wrenn!
Recreation & Revelation is an annual winter theological retreat that has a rare approach to continuing education.

You’re invited to nominate a student for LSM 2027! Lutheran Summer Music (LSM) is a faith-based residential music academy for high school students in grades 8-12.

Explore the Life of Faith Initiative’s resources and discover how your church can inspire, equip, and encourage people to put their faith into action through everyday acts of service.

What is an estate plan? Ready to start a conversation? An estate plan is a set of documents and decisions that outlines how you want your assets and responsibilities handled during your lifetime and after your death.

My heart was troubled by the recent proposal to livestream an execution in the United States.  I am thankful that this plan has now been cancelled. The deliberate taking of a human life should never become a public spectacle. Such actions risk deepening the wounds of victims’ families, loved ones and communities while further desensitizing us to violence. Our society is diminished when violence is conflated with entertainment. Because of our ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:16-21), this church opposes the death penalty and the recent plans for public display of the execution of Nidal Hasan.

Bishop Meggan has invited me to write liturgical texts for the season of Advent in response to deep grief and loss—from wildfire, from civic turmoil, and even from COVID. I plan to call this liturgy Kindled: Expectant prayers following grief and loss.

Join DEM Liv Larson for five weeks of discussion. We will meet on Wednesday evenings via zoom, 6:30pm Pacific/7:30pm Mountain. Beginning Wednesday October 21 and continuing through November 25.

You may submit a request for a Daily Bread Grant beginning October 1st. Feeding Ministry funding requests will be accepted through October 21st at midnight central time and they are for $500.

the Micro-Grant process is now closed.

Youth musicians in grades 8-12 are invited to Lutheran Summer Music (LSM) 2027 at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN! LSM is the nation’s premier faith-based music academy for high school students. Churches from around the country send students to LSM for an unforgettable summer of musical growth and connections in faith and community.

Have you downloaded our Registration Workbook yet? This resource walks you through the registration process, required forms and all the policies surrounding registration.

Wandering around El Cajon, Calif., you will be amazed that the common language is not English or Spanish but Arabic. The city’s immigrants and refugees are Muslim, Orthodox Catholic and even Lutheran. With such a rich cultural community, it seemed only natural to plant a new church to meet the need for Christian faith formation, so Bethlehem Arabic Lutheran Church was born this year.  

Synod Assembly over Zoom on May 25, 2027
5:30pm PDT/6:30pm MDT.

This coming spring the Northwest Intermountain Synod will be holding three Regional Gatherings spread across the Synod territory. The Regional Gatherings will be one day events, and provide opportunity to worship, learn, and deepen relationships together.

“The Joy of Generosity” is a new, free annual-appeal resource from the ELCA Stewardship office.
Its four-week program — with Scripture, stories, social media and projection slides — will be accessible to anyone and can be fully customized and implemented by a congregation of any size.

Saturday, October 24th from 9am-4pm
Wartburg offers you the opportunity to explore vocation and discernment with others.Housing and meals are on us! Help for travel expenses is also available.

October 13, 2026
4-6pm PST, 5-7pm MST

Learn to describe intergenerational trauma and how patterns of stress, loss, family experience, and coping can affect physical, livelihood, emotional, social, and spiritual needs across generations. Then be able to apply Spiritual First Aid Triage to identify a person’s most pressing unmet Primary Need rather than assuming what matters most.

I am pleased to announce that Pastor Tricia Christman has been hired as the NWIM Synod’s Candidacy Manager.

An informational session will be on Zoom, Tuesday, October 13
11:00-11:30am PST Noon-2:30pm MST.

I find myself returning to Jesus’ I Am statement that he is the vine and we are the branches. Most often I think of all of us followers of Jesus and the many ministry sites as the branches, but during the fall meeting season the metaphor is stretched to include our NWIM Synod Council and the Conference of Bishops and the work each of those bodies does—growing out of our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Register now for the Byberg Preaching Workshop in Seaside, Oregon.
January 25-27, 2027

Registration Workbook: Have you downloaded our Registration Workbook yet? This resource walks you through the registration process, required forms and all the policies surrounding registration

Fairfield Community Church will host a free Dementia Friends informational program on Sunday, October 25, from noon to 1:00 p.m. The hour-long presentation will be led by Rev. Brad Buff, a retired Presbyterian pastor with a special interest in older adult ministry.

Your donation towards the much-needed SOLAR KITCHEN at Tumaini Lutheran Seminary in Tanzania will be matched dollar-for-dollar by an anonymous donor up to a cumulative total of $20,000 through November 15, 2026!

Have you wondered about visiting our companions in Tanzania? Here is another opportunity to do so! October 26-November 11, 2027

This year’s event will be held January 5-8, 2027, in Scottsdale, AZ at the Franciscan Renewal Center. This event is designed for ALL leaders who work in faith-based ministry settings (not just pastors!).