Opportunity coming to learn about synod's companion relationship with Namibia

Greetings,

Starting with its October edition and continuing through the end of the year and into next year, The Lutheran magazine will run a series of articles and photographs featuring the Southwestern Washington Synod's companion relationship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia. The series is based on a synod-delegation visit that took place this spring that was led by Bishop Robert D. Hofstad.

To subscribe to The Lutheran either online or by mail, visit www.thelutheran.org. The series will appear on the synod's new website at http:/swwsynodelca.blogspot.com/ after publication in The Lutheran. A related article will appear this fall in The Little Lutheran.

Please consider sharing with your congregations and friends in your newsletters.

Thank you,

Rachel Pritchett, Southwestern Washington Synod communicator
rachelpritchett@msn.com

Synod's newest worshipping community elects officers

EAST JEFFERSON COUNTY -- Peace Lutheran Fellowship of Port Hadlock, the Southwestern Washington Synod’s newest synodically authorized worshiping community, elected new steering-committee officers on Sept. 19, just three months after first convening.
They include President Dave Witsoe, Vice President Mark Getzendanner, Treasurer Jack Randall, Secretary Janet Getzendanner and Members at Large Jerry Larson, Linda DeLeo and Harold Jensen.
The fellowship formed after Lutheran Church of the Redeemer of Chimacum left the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American following the 2009 churchwide vote on sexuality. It was one of five congregations in the synod to leave.
Some 35 Redeemer members, however, wanted to continue together as an ELCA congregation, and began meeting first in a restaurant and currently in a picturesque lodge on Beaver Valley Road near Chimacum.
"It’s amazing to me we’ve come this far this fast," said Mark Getzendanner.
The congregation now is working toward forming a constitution and vision statement.
Pastors from nearby ELCA congregations have been preaching each Sunday. The Rev. Kent Shane of First Lutheran Church of Pousbo preached during the inaugural service on the Fourth of July. On Sept. 19, the Rev. Julie Kanarr of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church of Port Angeles came.
"We give thanks to God for you," Kanarr told the worshippers, adding she looks forward to her congregation partnering in many endeavors with Peace in the future.
The synod gave the congregation a $10,000 grant, and participants now are beginning to talk about a pastor.
"We need to have a pastoral leader," said Joe Wagner.
Witsoe, the newly elected president, said the fellowship has come about because every person in it has helped in their own way.
"I don’t see one person witting here who hasn’t help Peace Lutheran Fellowship evolve to where it is today," he said.
The fellowship meets at 10 a.m. Sundays at Beaver Springs Lodge, 2924 Beaver Valley Road. To learn more, visit the community’s website at www.peacelutheranfellowship.org.

Messiah Lutheran Church - North County Campus begins worship

RIDGEFIELD, CLARK COUNTY – More than 100 worshippers crammed into new space in the second floor of a Ridgefield office building for the Sept. 12 kick-off of Messiah Lutheran Church – North County Campus.

Welcoming worshippers were the Revs. Peter and Kathleen Braafladt of Messiah. Kathleen Braafladt delivered a moving sermon about willingness to let God take control.
Also starting just before worship was an intergenerational education hour called G.R.A.C.E., God Reaches All In Christian Education.

Lynda Laird, the new site’s outreach coordinator, gave an orientation, and the Rev. Melanie Wallschlaeger, director for evangelical mission for the Southwestern Washington Synod, was on hand.

The new worshipping group is an expansion of Messiah Lutheran Church of Vancouver, and was supported by a $100,000 grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and a $150,000 grant from the Evangelical Outreach and Congressional Mission unit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Organizers found the new worshippers through doorbelling and advertising. The new group continues to contact persons who work in the office building during the week.

Messiah – North Campus meets at 2 South 56th Place, Suite 204, close to Interstate 5 at Exit 114. The education hour begins at 9 a.m. and worship starts at 10 a.m. For more information, visit http://www.messiahvancouver.org/.

Speaker: Stewardship calls for being in life of congregation

TACOMA – Keith Mundy, ELCA assistant director for stewardship, was the keynoter for five recent events at synod congregations.
Some 40 persons attended one at Peace Lutheran Church of Tacoma on Aug. 28, where he explained that while 90 percent of people believe all that they have belongs to God, only a few live that out.
"Stewardship is about connecting what we believe with our lifestyle," he said.
Yet our culture teaches us to accumulate and hold onto everything, he continued.
"We have to turn things upside down and look at things differently," he said.
Rather than inviting newcomers to first give generously, congregations should first work to make them part of the life of congregations, he said. Giving follows later.
When congregation members are asked to plan on giving a specific dollar amount, giving increases 70 percent, he said. When they’re asked to give a percent of their total income, giving increases much more, he said.
Lutherans give 1.5 percent of their income, on average, the lowest of any mainline denomination. "There is room to grow," he said.
Mundy said congregation members sharing stories about their history of giving is effective.
In a workshop that followed, Margie Fiedler, vice president of marketing for the ELCA Mission Investment Fund and Jim Leistikow, director of Lutheran Planned Giving Consortium of Western Washington, focused on teaching children about stewardship.
A good place to start is sharing the 10-10-80 rule, they advised. That means putting 10 percent of their money toward savings, 10 percent toward giving, and spending the rest.
The pair suggested getting children involved early in stewardship opportunities at church, including taking part in collecting offering. The Mission Investment Fund has many other opportunities to save and to learn the practice of giving. Fiedler is available to help parents find those paths. She can be reached at (208) 664-7973 or margie.fiedler@elca.org.
Other congregations that hosted the stewardship event include Dungeness Valley Lutheran Church of Sequim, Amazing Grace Lutheran church of Aberdeen, Trinity Lutheran Church of Vancouver and Gloria Dei Lutheran Church of Olympia.