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Staff Bishop Richard E. Jaech Rev. Kim Latterell bishop’s associate Rev. Melanie Wallschlaeger director for evangelical mission (ELCA staff) Allison Ramsey office manager Phone (253) 535-8300 Address 420 121st St. S Tacoma, WA 98444 E-mail swwsynod@plu.edu Blog http://swwsynodelca.blogspot.com Websites www.lutheranssw.org www.elca.org Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Southwestern-Washington-Synod/1290477871337786 Twitter @SWWASynod

Lent is the time to reflect and return by Bishop Richard Jaech

Moments for Mission Southwestern Washington Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ by empowering congregations and church leaders to grow in worship, education, outreach, stewardship and other ministries. March 2018

Dear Friends in Christ, I enjoy investigating where words originate. I discovered that a lot of our calendar months are named after gods. January is named after Janus, the Roman god of gates and doorways, beginnings and endings. February is named after Februus, an Etruscan god of purification. March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. Other months are named after powerful rulers: July after Julius Caesar and August after Augustus Caesar. Of course, in Roman society, Julius and Augustus

were also considered gods. I imagine that the ancient calendar makers pictured each month as being under the control and influence of specific divine powers. In order for a month to go well, you had to follow the influence of Janus in January, Mars in March, and Julius in July. It makes me wonder about what gods or dominant powers rule our lives these days. Most of us don’t operate with a collection of divine gods and goddesses, but there are other powers in our lives and they also can dominate us for a day or a month or a lifetime. There are the emotional powers of depression, resentment or fear. There are the workplace powers of deadlines, office politics or boredom. There are the addictive powers of drugs, alcohol, and food. When we look at our nation and the world, we see the powers of hatred, violence, and greed. They all have a way of capturing and controlling our days and lives. This year, the month of March is part of the season of Lent. What power comes to capture and control us in this Lenten March? To ask it much more accurately, what power comes, not to capture, but to set us free from all other powers and fill us with life? Obviously, the One who comes to us is God, our Life-Giver, the One revealed in Jesus Christ. Lent is the time to reflect and return. During Lent we reflect on our lives and look to see what powers control us? What are the needs and addictions that drive us? Continued on next page

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Reflect and Return, continued from page 1

What are the fears, hatreds and dividing powers that dominate our nation and the world day after day? Why are our children murdered at school again and again? What moves us to insult, attack and push away those who seem different? Why are we a shattered people? During Lent, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we confess, “We are drying up and dying under these other controlling powers. We are going to return to God. That is where our lives are fed and our community is restored.” For centuries and centuries, the month of March was considered the first month of the year, when the calendar would change from one year to the next. (This was true in Great Britain until 1752.) March was considered the first month because March contains the first day of Spring, when life begins again (at least in the northern hemisphere!) For those of us in the North, life starts over again in March. Life starts over again this Lenten March, as well. Lent prepares and opens us for Easter. As we return to the power, grace, and trustworthiness of God, God raises us from death to life, from violence to healing, from war-makers to peace-makers, from competing enemies to the community of God’s beloved. Therefore, a Blessed March to you and a healing and challenging Lent! “Return to God, with all your heart, the Source of grace and mercy! Come, seek the tender faithfulness of God.”

Yours in Christ, Bishop Rick Jaech

Congregations in Transition – March 2018 Lord, we pray for your wisdom, insight and peace for the congregations and the leaders in our synod who are working through a time of pastoral transition. Amen.

Congregations Position Status Pastoral Care Evang Luth Church of Chinook, Chinook/Naselle Lutheran, Naselle

P NV Jeannine Daggett

Dungeness Valley, Sequim P I Beth Orling Emanuel, Yelm P TR David Monsen Gloria Dei, Kelso P TR Elten Zerby Mountain View, Edgewood AP I John Vaswig St. Andrew, Vancouver AP I Jim Stender St. Paul, Vancouver P TR Joe Aalbue St. Paul, Winlock P TR Melissa Johnson

Synod Call Sister Karie Hamilton, Deacon, has been called to serve as Chaplain at MultiCare Health System and will be installed at Christ Lutheran, Lakewood on June 24th at 10:45am.

Mobility position key P – Pastor AP – Associate Pastor D- Deacon Mobility status key: NV – New Vacancy TR – Transition I – Interviewing C – Calling

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Page Three – Matters of Faith By Rev. Kim Latterell, Bishop’s Associate

It’s been said a picture is worth a thousand words. That visual images can have a tremendous impact upon a person’s thoughts, perceptions, attitudes, behaviors. That images often teach what words fail to do. For my generation, examples of the power of the visual are photos of a distraught woman kneeling over the body of a Kent State student shot to death by the National Guard during a constitutionally protected student protest. Or the image of a South Vietnamese officer shooting a North Vietnamese spy in the head with a pistol. Or the image of a little Vietnamese girl running naked from her napalmed village with horror writ large upon her face.

Those images helped wake up a slumbering populace. They helped turn opinion and perception into action, resistance and change. They brought an end to senseless slaughter. So I offer the following radical, sure to upset many, proposal. Given the continual mass shooting of children and youth and revelers and concert goers by assault weapons meant not for the public but only the military and police, it seems time to show on TV, in newspapers, on-line the horrific aftermath pictures of children blown away, blown to bits by gunman. No more sanitizing the slaughter. No more hiding behind platitudes of prayer and warm cozy thoughts. It’s time to show the horror of things truly horrible. Hundreds dead. Hundreds of families shattered. Dozens of communities torn apart. And all that ever gets offered and never acted upon are empty, pious, dismissive, partisan words. It seems for politicians and public both, it’s never the right time, never a good time to talk and act in regards to commonsense gun safety regulations and laws. Perhaps graphic pictures would help burn the need for change now deep into the psyche and memory of complacent Americans. Words don’t seem to cut it. Words seem to float away into the ether or get buried by hollow rhetoric. But perhaps images of children’s bodies with gaping holes, missing limbs, empty skulls, shattered faces and gallons upon gallons of spilled innocent blood on the walls and floors might stand a chance of turning complacency into action. When criticized often by the Christian community for her shocking, startling, upsetting stories of faith at its rawest, most broken and yet most hallowed, Flannery O’Connor replied to the effect that truth and change often calls for artists to draw their stories in letters and images writ large as a way to call attention. It seems past time to look directly into the belly of the beast of weaponry we’ve created in hopes that those awful images will create the change pious and partisan words fail to do. Perhaps those images could save a thousand innocent lives. Frederick Buechner: If governments don’t reflect the dreams of the people they govern or serve their wills, you wonder what on earth governments are for. It’s we ourselves who have given them the power to pull the whole world down around our heads, but we are not powerless to stop them (from their partisan, self-interested, sold-out gamesmanship.)

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February 6 Attending the Lutheran Community Services NW breakfast with staff and pastors from throughout Pierce County. LCSNW does a great ministry with seniors, families, marginalized people, refugees and immigrants. Shown below, Rev. Sigi Helgeson (far left) is now the LCSNW Church Relations Pastor for Pierce County and the Olympic Peninsula. Trudy Sorensen (second from left) is Regional Director and a member at Christ Lutheran in Federal Way.

February 6 Meeting with our Synod Native American Task Force in Olympia to plan upcoming events, including a sacred site visit to the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe in Pt. Angeles on March 21 and a workshop on the Doctrine of Discovery at our Regional Educational Gatherings in April and May. See “There is So Much to Learn”, page 6.

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On the Road with the Bishop

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On the Road continued from page 4 February 8-10 Attending the Pacific Lutheran University Board of Regents meeting, shown below.

February 14 Worshipping on Ash Wednesday with the PLU community, led by University Pastor Jen Rude, shown below in Tower Chapel.

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On the Road continued from page 5 February 20 Participating in the Faith Action Network Interfaith Advocacy Day in Olympia, together with hundreds of Lutherans and ecumenical partners.

There is so Much to Learn! Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Port Angeles and the Synod Native American Synod Taskforce are visiting the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe - Wednesday, March 21, 11 am – 3 pm @ Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Center, Room tbd, 2851 Lower Elwha Road, Port Angeles, WA 98363. Part of the mission of the Native American Synod Task Force is to provide resources relevant to Native American Culture and History within the geographical area of the Southwestern Washington Synod. We can only teach, if we first learn. To learn about the history and culture of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe is the main goal of this visit. Raelyn Bowechop, the Community Cultural Outreach Specialist of the Lower Elwha Klallam People will organize teaching about the history of the tribe, especially the Point-No-Point Treaty and the č̕ixʷícən (Tse-whit-zen) village located at the base of Ediz Hook in Port Angeles, Washington. After a Potluck Lunch provided by the members of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, our journey of learning will continue with information about the cutting edge Klallam Language Learning Program and the unfolding story of the restoration of the Elwha River after the removal of two dams in 2011.

We are so grateful for this opportunity to learn more from the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and we are honored to welcome Bishop Rick Jaech in our midst on that day. We ask your prayers for this encounter to be a positive experience for all who will be present.

If you would like to participate in this visit, please contact:

• Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe: Raelyn.Bowechop@elwha.org • Southwestern Washington Synod: swwsynod@plu.edu • Holy Trinity Lutheran Church: kristinluana@gmail.com

If you would like to learn more about the participating nation and church, please go to:

• www.elwha.org • www.go2trinity.org • The 2018 Synod Native American Resource Guide can be found online at

http://www.lutheranssw.org/wp-content/uploads/2018-Synod-Native-American-Task-Force-Resources.pdf

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God’s Irresistible Call By ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton

When first elected presiding bishop, I was often asked what it meant to be the first woman entrusted with this call. I didn’t like that question then. I’m still ambivalent about it now. Why, in the 21st century, did my gender matter? Why, in 2013, was the election of a woman historic? I didn’t understand all the fuss. My parents had raised me to believe that if I worked hard enough I could be whatever I wanted to be when I grew up. My maternal grandmother was a businesswoman in the 1930s. My pediatrician was a woman. My high school biology teacher had her doctorate. All in the last century. However, “the question” does draw me to reflect on my journey in Word and Sacrament ministry.

We had a faithful home. Church was an important part of our lives. Sunday school, Sunday worship, vacation Bible school (I’m pretty adept at illustrating salvation history with pipe cleaners and Popsicle sticks), the seasons of the church year all shaped my life. God was real and close. So, when asked by my junior high guidance counselor what I wanted to be when I grew up, I answered: “A Lutheran pastor.” Women can’t be pastors, he told me, and that was that. During my senior year in high school, my father had open-heart surgery. In 1973 this was a serious and risky procedure. My faith was shaken, and it caused me to ask all of the existential questions: Why do bad things happen to good people? If God is omnipotent and loving, why is there suffering? Is there a God? What does life mean? I presented these questions to my pastor, John Evans, and waited for answers. Instead of lecturing me, he gave me the space and the grace to think even more deeply. Then I went off to college. College isn’t always conducive to church attendance. Having Sunday morning come after Saturday night on a college campus is not the best arrangement. I drifted, but I still had my list of questions. Then something unexpected happened—I went to a fine Presbyterian college and the assistant campus chaplain was a woman! So I sent her my list, and she also encouraged me to question, doubt and explore. I wasn’t the only one. She invited several of us to meet with her. We called ourselves the Heretics Group. By my senior year I knew I didn’t want to be a band director. I applied to divinity school and was accepted! By now the Lutheran Church in America (an ELCA predecessor) had been ordaining women for seven years. By the end of my first year of div school I felt deeply called to Word and Sacrament ministry. I contacted my bishop and let him know. That’s not how the Continued next page

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God’s Irresistible Call, continued from page 7 process works. One meets with one’s bishop before one attends seminary. Oops. Nevertheless, Kenneth Sauer, then bishop of the Southern Ohio Synod, brought me into the fold and I was a model candidate after that. I was ordained in 1981. The 37 years I have served have been a blessing. I was encouraged by my pastors, supported by my church, and have been extended calls from congregations. But the 37 years have not been without difficulty. Early on I was often the only woman at clergy gatherings. The legitimacy of my call was challenged. My compensation was less than my male colleagues. In every congregation I served, people left because they couldn’t accept a woman pastor. Once, while pumping gas in my clerics, a shocked man exclaimed, “I’ve never seen a woman before!” A pastor told me that I was no bishop of his. In this issue of Living Lutheran, you have read the stories of remarkable women living out their baptismal vocation as laypeople, pastors and deacons. We didn’t say yes to God’s call because we wanted to be pioneers, or trailblazers or to make some kind of a statement. We said yes because God’s call was irresistible, because of the joy of serving the gospel, because of the great privilege of walking with people as the deep love of Jesus becomes real for them. These are our call stories.

A monthly message from the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Her email address: bishop@elca.org. This article originally appeared in Living Lutheran’s March 2018 issue. Reprinted with permission.

ELCA seminaries look to identify, nurture and sustain new leaders CHICAGO (Feb. 22, 2018) – In partnership with Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s Leadership Initiative, the seven seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will launch a combined effort to encourage new candidates for ministry in the ELCA. The program, “Do you want to change the world?” is being promoted through a series of videos, the first of which will be released Feb. 22. The video addresses the current leadership shortage of the ELCA and the effort to seek more candidates for ministry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=i9hQVPfKWsA Decreased seminary enrollment combined with a record number of ELCA rostered ministers who are retiring, has resulted in not enough ministers to fill the open calls or to provide creative leadership in this time of rapid change in our church and in the world. The ELCA seminaries have addressed this need by working independently and in collaboration to Continued next page

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ELCA seminaries continued from page 8 increase the number of candidates. According to the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Strandjord, director of ELCA seminaries, this has resulted in a modest increase in fall starts for Master of Divinity candidates in 2017. Building on these efforts to invite and encourage future leaders, this program will help seminaries identify new candidates and provide resources that promote the vocation of public ministry, while providing marketing pieces for the good of the whole church. The program is made possible by a grant from the Richard Hay Barkalow Charitable Seminary Fund of the inFaith Community Foundation. All are invited to share the following information: Watch and share on your social media networks how spoken-word poetry encourages candidates to attend seminary. Learn more about the ELCA seminaries. Explore ELCA Presiding Bishop Eaton’s Leadership Initiative. For more information on the initiative: Matthew D. O’Rear , Director, InFaith ELCA Seminary Grant Morear@WartburgSeminary.edu Deep Roots New Life Speaking to Us – Why We Support Deep Roots New Life Rev. Megan Filer, Pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church, Longview WA

Southwestern Washington has been my synod for the majority of my life. I actually grew up in an ELCA church in Bonney Lake. It was there that I grew in faith, there that I left faith, and there that God brought me back. And it was at that church where I had first felt called to ministry. Now, six years since the moment I called Allison at the Synod Office to ask about candidacy, I’m a pastor in the same synod that I grew up in. I am so thankful to be doing ministry in the same synod that walked alongside me through so much of my life. I am forever grateful for the relationships I have with the leadership of our region, and for the support I received when I was just trying to figure out why exactly I needed to learn Greek.

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Deep Roots, New Life, continued from page 9 Unfortunately, although I was supported emotionally and spiritually throughout the process, our synod was not able to support me in my seminary education financially at the time. I was grateful for the financial support of my home congregation, but even their generous giving just barely covered the cost of my books. I managed to finish my Master’s of Divinity in three years, but it was three years that had me working multiple jobs while participating in classes and field work, as well as a surprising amount of student loan debt. My three jobs helped me to pay for my apartment and my bills. My church helped me to pay for my books. But a postgraduate education, seminary or not, does not come with a small price tag. And so last year during our annual “Bishop’s Eucharist” (a worship service with Bishop Jaech and the pastors in our area), we were first introduced to the Deep Roots New Life campaign, and honestly I felt a sense of hope. I am thankful that our synod is recognizing our call as a region to lift up and support our leaders and our congregations, not just emotionally and spiritually, but financially as well. The congregation I serve is already experiencing benefit from our Synod’s Deep Roots New Life focus. We have been part of our synod’s “Imagine Project” since last year. We have been participating in this season of renewal within our church, and have been excited to see all the surprising and unimaginable ways God has been at work here. So, after some conversations with my spouse, we decided that as a family, we wanted to pledge and to give monthly to the campaign along with our other regular giving. Because the goals, the mission of this campaign, speaks to us. The mission of Deep Roots New Life speaks to us as seminary graduates, who hope that candidates in our community can receive support that wasn’t available to us. Knowing that these scholarships might make the difference for those who feel called but are unsure if they can take on the debt. Deep Roots New Life speaks to us as a family, because we know all too well the financial stress of student loan payments, and are hopeful that our synod may help to spare leaders of those additional pressures. And honestly this campaign speaks to us simply as people who love our church, and who love the ways in which God is working in our single congregation, in our larger conference, and in our larger synod. We are hopeful and excited to see the way our monthly pledge can be used to bring new life to the churches in our area. Continued next page

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Deep Roots, New Life, continued from page 10 We chose to give to this campaign as a family, because our experiences, our ministry, call us to participate in this mission, and as we are drawn to the deep roots of God’s love for us and for the congregations and leaders in our synod, we are excited to see what new life our financial giving might help bring.

Synod Educational Gatherings coming this Spring

“Who Is My Neighbor and To Whom Am I Being a Good Neighbor?”

The Southwestern Washington Synod invites you join us for our 2018 Educational Gatherings

All locations 10am-3pm Open to all! Choose the date and location that works best for you.

Saturday, April 21, 2018 at First Lutheran, Poulsbo Saturday, April 28, 2018 at Christ Lutheran, Lakewood Saturday, May 19, 2018 at St. Andrew Lutheran, Vancouver Cost: $30

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Martha and Mary By Jennifer Bailey Martha & Mary, a social ministry organization of Lutheran Services in America, is a familiar entity to most residents in Kitsap County. This non-profit organization has been extending their mission of caring to children, seniors and families in the community since 1891. Many think of Martha & Mary as “the little nursing home on the hill in Downtown Poulsbo.” Indeed their skilled, long term care program, known for providing an outstanding quality of life for aging seniors, including those with cognitive impairment, remains a cornerstone business for the organization. But, Martha & Mary’s care services far exceed this program and Poulsbo’s city limits. Martha & Mary extends exceptional short-term stay, post-acute rehabilitation care to community members. Offering patients therapy seven days a week, their program boasts an excellent reputation for speedy recoveries that get patients home sooner than other providers while reducing their likelihood of re-admittance to the hospital. Several affordable and desirable senior housing options are offered by Martha & Mary, including independent living apartment communities in Poulsbo (The Ebenezer Senior Retirement Apartments) and Kingston (The Village Green), and an assisted living facility with memory care services in Bremerton (Bay Vista Commons). Home care services are also offered through Martha & Mary AT HOME. This program sends highly-trained, compassionate caregivers into the homes of adults and seniors throughout the region, supporting their continued independence and allowing them to remain safely in their own residence for as long as possible. Many Kitsap families depend on Martha & Mary KIDS for high-quality, child-centered care services. They offer early learning programs for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and Pre-K students at three locations in Poulsbo and Silverdale, in addition to before and after school programming at all six North Kitsap School District elementary schools and Cougar Valley Elementary in Silverdale. Those familiar with Martha & Mary will confirm that their care is ‘like family,’ that their staff are extraordinary people and that they place strong emphasis on enriching the lives of those entrusted with their care. Their signature Intergenerational Program exemplifies the special care they extend to the community by bringing the generations together almost daily for enrichment activities that bring understanding and joy to both young and aging hearts. What many people don’t know is that Martha & Mary plays a crucial role as an important safety net for low-income families in Kitsap. In keeping with their mission, and the spirit of their faith-based roots, 67% of the aging seniors cared for at Martha & Mary in 2016 were Continued next page

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Martha & Mary, continued from page 12 Medicaid-covered. Additionally, 30% of the families served by Martha & Mary KIDS were provided subsidized child care in 2016. Martha & Mary remains eternally grateful to the ten Kitsap Lutheran churches that support the organization. Our Synod ELCA congregations supporting Martha and Mary as Member Congregations are: Family of God Lutheran Church, Bremerton, First Lutheran Church, Poulsbo, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Bremerton, Silverdale Lutheran Church, Silverdale, Vinland Lutheran Church, Poulsbo. Year after year these congregations provide much needed prayers and meaningful funding to Martha & Mary, helping them to continue their important mission of caring for the Greater Kitsap community.

Wellness

Changing Direction By Rev. Scott Stoner, Dir of Living Compass Wellness

Several years ago I was paddling my canoe around the bend of a fast moving Canadian river. I felt prepared because I had studied my map closely, which showed that a series of rapids was just around the corner. Fortunately, the map also showed a place to pull ashore just before the rapids, so that one could get out and portage their canoe safely around the rough waters. This was my plan, but you know what they say about the best-made plans. I missed the pull off for the portage, and the current was too strong for me to do anything except allow it to pull me into and through the rapids. With a combination of high water and luck, I was fortunate to

negotiate around the rocks without capsizing, white knuckles and all. I remembered this heart-pounding experience recently when I came across the Chinese proverb found in the box at the top of this column, "If you don't change direction, you may end up where you are heading." On that day in Canada I missed my chance to change directions when I passed the pull-off for the portage, and so I did, indeed, end up exactly where I was heading. We are in the Christian season of Lent, a time when many Christians make time to reflect on the direction their lives are heading. Most religions offer similar times during the year that Continued next page

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Changing Direction continued from page 13 serve as an invitation for self-examination. During such times, it is common to ask oneself, "Are the choices I am making in my life right now aligned with my faith-with my core values and beliefs?" and, "If so, how might I continue and strengthen those choices? If not, what can I do differently, what change can I make to more fully align my life with my beliefs and values?" The season of Lent has traditionally been a time to reflect on one's spiritual life. In our Living Compass programs, we invite people to expand this process of self-reflection to all aspects of our lives, not just our spiritual lives. How are we caring for our bodies? How are we managing our finances? How are we caring for the meaningful relationships in our lives? How are we caring for our emotional wellness? Where are our lives in or out of balance? How are we managing stress? Just as with my canoeing experience, sometimes the current of life makes it hard for us to change directions. We can easily miss opportunities that present themselves to pull off the river, to take some time to consider our options or to make a safe portage around difficult waters. The season of Lent provides just such a time, a time to stop and reflect on the direction our lives are heading. I highly recommend taking some of the coming weeks to do so, because after all.... if you don't change direction, you may end up where you are heading. Upcoming Programs at The Priory Spirituality Center in Lacey To register for a program or retreat, call 360-438-2595, email prioryprograms@stplacid.org or

go to www.stplacid.org. In Conversation with Our Deepest Selves Saturday April 7, 9:00am-3:00pm Our truest voices are often obscured in these demanding times of rapid change and uncertainly. Through stories and poetry, we’ll begin to re-engage our deepest selves in conversation and creative expression so as to awaken us more fully to the great mystery of creation and our role in it. Register by Prior Friday: $60,Bring a sack lunch, a notebook, and a small favorite object. Janice Lawry is a developmental psychologist . Creating a Home Worship Center Saturday April 14, 9:00am-3:00pm We will explore creating sacred spaces in the home. These may include an icon corner, crosses, incense, sacred objects and bibles, prayer books, hymnals, or other sacred books. We Continued next page

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Priory Programs, continued from page 14 will also create a portable sacred space for travel. Ideas presented can also be used with prayer groups or bible studies. Register by Prior Friday: $60,Bring a sack lunch and items you wish to include (i.e. icons or sacred images, cross, other 3D items, etc.) Bee Jay Mar has been using visual cues in personal devotions for many years. Leaving a Legacy for Those You Love Saturday April 21, 9:00am-3:00pm A Last Will and Testament tells family and friends what is to become of our property. But what about the spiritual gifts and memories we want to leave the people we love? Come spend a day reflecting on leaving a spiritual legacy. Register by Prior Friday: $60, Bring a sack lunch and journal. Amelia Carroll works and studies in the healing arts professions as a counselor, chaplain, death educator, spiritual director, and interfaith celebrant. Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary Saturday April 28, 9:00am-3:00pm Each day is a multitude of moments that shimmer and beckon - a universe in a raindrop; the liquid notes of the hidden thrush; the fragrant evergreen. Through guided imagery, lectio divina with poetry, guided journal reflections and experiential exercises, we will increase our appreciative capacity for mindful presence, clear seeing, and deep listening. Register by Prior Friday: $50,Bring a sack lunch and journal. Melissa Layer, M.A., serves as a psychospiritual therapist and interfaith spiritual director.

Luther: The Rock Opera Hear and see the story of Martin Luther and the start of the Reformation, like you've never experienced it before. A stormy monk uttered three words, as the medieval world ended and the modern world began. Martin Luther spoke truth to power when, in 1517, he posted 95 theses on a church door in Wittenberg, in 1521 when, at the Imperial Diet at Worms, he stood up against injustice, and many other times throughout his influential life. The viral social media of Luther's day (pamphlets) met cutting-edge technology (moveable type) to power the movement. Although much has changed over the last 500 years, this is a story that could have been written repeatedly in our own time: A progressive movement, a charismatic leader, and viral social media powered by new technology, come together to challenge injustice and usher in a new era. Yet, the right to be heard -- what we might today take for granted as inalienable -- was not part of the culture Continued next page

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Luther: The Rock Opera, continued from page 15 when Luther took the bold step to stand up to the authorities of his day. He set off a chain of events, and inspired a series of followers to mold the next five centuries of western civilization. In Luther: The Rock Opera, Lost And Found tell the story of the start of the Reformation through 24 songs with projected images directly from the pages of Luther, the graphic novel, by Rich Melheim. After Michael and George gave up full-time touring in 2015, Rich asked them to write some music to tell the story in the novel. The songs they wrote became this show. The show debuted in Wittenberg, Germany in 2017 and now Michael and George, though not back to touring, are performing it at select locations in the US in 2018. Like all Lost And Found shows, Luther: the Rock Opera, is family-friendly, interactive, and casual. Luther:The Rock Opera based on Luther, the graphic novel, by Dr. Rich Melheim Words and Music by Lost And Found Illustrations by Jonathan Koelsch and Sherwin Schwartzrock The Reformation continues. All are welcome. www.luthertherockopera.com www.luther500festival.com www.speedwood.com

News and Events from our Synod Congregations Practicing Inter-faith Ministry By Pastor Jan Ruud, Co-Pastor at St Mark’s Lutheran Church by the Narrows, Tacoma

A few years ago, leaders from Bethany Presbyterian Church, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church by the Narrows, and Temple Beth El in Tacoma created a monthly interfaith Bible Study opportunity for their congregations. During that time, they were also deepening relationships with the new Imam at the Islamic Center in Tacoma, who was expressing great openness to interfaith encounters. It was not long before members of the Islamic Center joined the monthly gatherings, and the name was changed from Interfaith Bible Study to Interfaith Encounters. The group still looks at sacred texts together, but they also engage

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Inter-faith Ministry, continued from page 16 in lively storytelling and sharing around subjects such as initiation rites, marriage, funerals, faith formation, conversion, and other key milestones in their three faith traditions. In the upcoming months, they will also have interfaith gatherings to learn more about Lent, Passover, and Ramadan, including a Seder Dinner and an Iftar meal to break the fast during Ramadan. In her reflections about the experience, Diane Herforth of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church by The Narrows writes: “This is the story of how one small spark can create community. Our group is growing in numbers and in understanding. We can understand how others see their faith while challenging our own understanding of our faith. We are constantly amazed at how similar we are while we can celebrate our differences. Other people are asking how they can join the dialogue. I say ‘just come’. This is only half the story. During one of our first meetings with the Islamic center, two women had such a fun talk, they did not want to stop. The women from the Islamic Center decided to have a Women’s Tea. Many of the women from St Mark’s invited their friends. We so enjoyed the experience, St Mark’s hosted the second tea and asked the women from Temple Beth El, as well as the other Christian churches. We meet at University Place Library on the first Monday of the month. Again, the spark has developed into a warming fire. There are times when we wonder if we will have enough room for everyone, which is a wonderful problem to have. We have learned so much from each other. We have also been a wonderful support to each other. One of my new Muslim friends prayed with me when my daughter-in-law was taken to the hospital with a brain aneurism, and later the whole group supported me when she died. During our small group time, we find out about each other’s struggles. An Islamic sister was having problems finding someone to walk with and feel safe. Some of the women formed a group to walk together. This is truly God’s work in the world.” Elim students raise funds for Namibia hostels

Sunday school students at Elim Lutheran Church of Port Orchard raised $1,284 through Christmas tree sales to support children's hostels in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN). ELCRN is one of three Lutheran synods in Namibia that are in official ELCA companion relationship with the Southwestern Washington Synod. ELCRN owns and operates 19 children's hostels, many in and around Namibia's capital city of Windhoek. Young children, Continued next page

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Namibia Hostels, continued from page 17 some of them disabled and some of the orphans, live in these hostels, where they receive schooling and some sustenance. The hostels are severely underfunded and rely in part on contributions to continue. Under the direction Adele Fisher, Elim's Sunday school teacher and superint f endent, pictured, the Elim students made ornaments as part of a free-will offering for the hostels.The ornaments were hung on a tree in the narthex. Members took an ornament in exchange or an offering. In addition, profits from tree sales at Fisher's family's Christmas tree farm went toward the hostels. "Week by week the offering grew," Stephanie Armstrong, a member of the synod's Namibia Task Force, said. "We are very grateful to the children of Elim and Adele for their compassion and work," Rachel Pritchett, chair of the Task Force, said. Photo pg 17 of Elim Sunday school superintendent Adele Fisher, credit Rachel Pritchett

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Bremerton is celebrating their 125th anniversary this year. They have anniversary celebration apparel and mugs, too. They have a goal to raise $1250 for each of the three areas of the ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving campaign (Food and Agriculture in India, Health and Wellness in Malawi and Assisting Refugees in the US)

St. Mark Lutheran in Lacey has taken on the ministry of serving as the Fiscal Agent for Living Stones Prison Congregation. All donations for Living Stones may now be sent c/o St. Mark Lutheran Church, 2109 College St SE, Lacey, WA 98503.

The Synod Office will be closed on Wednesday, March 14th so that all of the staff may attend a full day of cultural competency training and also on Good Friday, March 30th. Gloria Dei, Tacoma is holding a Korean Cooking Class on March 21st . Congregation Job Postings are online at http://www.lutheranssw.org/congregations-2/renewing-congregations

Calendar • WELCA Spring Retreat- April 20-22, 2018 at Black Diamond Camp in

Auburn

• Synod Educational Gatherings- all locations 10am-3pm Open to all! Saturday, April 21, 2018 at First Lutheran, Poulsbo Saturday, April 28, 2018 at Christ Lutheran, Lakewood Saturday, May 19, 2018 at St. Andrew Lutheran, Vancouver WA//