Soul Café, Region 1 online community, makes debut

Region 1 of the ELCA has a new online community. Find out more at http://www.soulcafe.org.

St. John's aims to regain touch with community

By Rachel Pritchett, communicator

LAKEWOOD — St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church is settling into its new status as the synod’s first congregation to go under “synodical administration.”

That means the council of the struggling church has handed over major decisions to the synod in order to free itself up to plan a new future.

Now led by the Rev. Joe Smith, the small congregation of about 35 members will reach out to Lakewood residents, and listen to what they say their needs are. Church members then will build a new mission around responding to those needs.

“Every (church) community that I have served assumes they know who their neighbors are. I don’t think that we do,” Smith said.

The first “listening” event might be a barbecue with the young, military families that live in Lakewood. Maybe it will be getting a booth at Lakewood’s Summerfest.

“Rather than look for fresh meat for our committees, we actually look how we can serve people,” Smith said. “It’s a culture shift; it’s a language shift.”

Other first steps are planned. The congregation is doing “asset mapping” to identify its strengths.
As Bishop Robert D. Hofstad turns the focus of the synod from starting new congregations to strengthening existing ones, he said he hopes St. John’s becomes a model. He also said its members showed courage in choosing synodical administration.

“I commend members of St. John’s, in the highest way, for taking a leap of faith into the future that may now be uncertain, but will certainly be faithful,” he said.

Synodical administration is not permanent; the congregation’s council will eventually take back the leadership it handed over. But while under synodical administration, St. John’s members now have the strong and close support of the wider church community as they walk together into a new future.

Pictured: The Rev. Joe Smith of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lakewood says a new traffic signal on Bridgeport Way will cause passers-by to stop and take a look.

ELCA presiding bishop laments Norway tragedy

Here is the link:

http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Releases.aspx?a=5145

Camp Lutherwood anniversary extravaganza coming

LAKE SAMISH, WHATCOM COUNTY — A day of family fun is planned Aug. 13 as Lutherwood Camp and Retreat Center celebrates its 65th anniversary with an open house.
On tap besides lunch and a benefit dinner is swimming, canoeing, water skiing, wake-boarding and tubing, as well as hiking and access to the high-ropes course. Games, a cake walk and an environmental education tour are planned, too, in the day to raise funds to support the camp located just south of Bellingham. Go to www.camplutherwood.org for more detail. Reservations for the 6 p.m. benefit dinner can be made to Corey Peterson, (360) 734-7652 or office@camplutherwood.org.

Courtesy photo

Some images from the July 23 wedding of Lynn Hofstad and Bryce Godfrey; cutlines at bottom

Images from the July 23 wedding of Lynn Hofstad, youngest of two daughters of Bishop Rob and Linda Hofstad, and Bryce Godfrey, taken at an evening reception at Olympic Flight Museum, Olympia, following the ceremony at The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd.

Cutlines from top:

From left, Bishop Robert D. Hofstad, groom Bryce Godfrey, bride Lynn Hofstad and Linda Hofstad
From left, Linda Hofstad, Lynn Hofstad and Sara Womack, sister of the bride
Bryce Godfrey, father Larry Godfrey and Lynn Hofstad
First dance with dad and daughter
First dance with father-in-law and daughter-in-law
Lynn and Bryce greet well-wishers at the reception
The handsome groomsmen
The couple and friends
Sara Womack quietly shoots a photo of her sister on the tarmac of the Olympia-area airport

Photos: Rachel Pritchett, synod communicator

Some scenes from worship, conversation at Federal Way Chinese Fellowship

It was really something to take part in a worshiping community this new, this young, this strong today at Federal Way Chinese Fellowship, one of the synod's newest worship groups. Led by the Rev. Rowena Wang, the congregation is a mix of area residents who've previously worshiped in house churches, and also newcomers.

But Rowena Wang, it turns out, is only half the story. Husband the Rev. Mike Wang is a pastor at Grace Chinese Lutheran Church of Renton, up the road about 20 miles.

Together, they started both groups, and today both still work at each, Grace on Sunday mornings and Federal Way later in the day. So this pastor couple created two Christian Chinese worshiping communities in the long stretch between Tacoma and south of Seattle where there was none, in the space of four years.

More later.

Rachel Pritchett

Pictured top to bottom:

The Revs. Mike and Rowena Wang

Worshiper Ruth Liu, a former house-church worshiper, and my interpreter, Jeremy Taff. Thank you, Jeremy, you rock.

Left to right: The Rev. Rowena Wang and worshipers May Tee and Kam Ying Tsio

If you couldn't make it to Spokane ...

... for the triennial gathering of the Women of the ELCA that started Thursday, you can watch the live video here at the link below. The event goes through Sunday.

http://www.elca.org/Growing-In-Faith/Ministry/Women-of-the-ELCA.aspx

John Brooks to depart ELCA

Readers,

I learned today through the communicators' network that John Brooks, the ELCA's director of media relations, will leave the ELCA after 12 years. He has a new position as director of media relations and news for North Park University in Chicago.

John's been a go-to guy for all of us communicators when we needed someone in a hurry. He worked tirelessly and wrote thousands of stand-up stories over the years. Brooks accompanied some of the bishops to the Holy Land last year. Each night after everyone had retired Brooks stayed up late writing news releases, Bishop Rob Hofstad told me.

I for one will miss Brooks. Then again, North Park University sounds like a pretty good gig.

Rachel Pritchett

Missionary to Nigeria retraces Washington roots

By Rachel Pritchett, communicator

PARKLAND — Even when she was a high-schooler in Longview, Dorthea Hamman had a hunch she'd spend her life in missionary work.
"I just had this feeling I wouldn't stay in the United States," said Hamman, now a longtime lay missionary in Jos, Nigeria. She came to visit family and friends in the Southwestern Washington Synod in July.
After high school, it was straight to Colombia for her first taste of helping others abroad and also to Western Washington University in Bellingham, where the Rev. Jim Stender, then campus pastor and now pastor at St. Andrew Lutheran Church of Vancouver, encouraged her to follow her calling.
It's been two decades, now, that Hamman has taught school in Nigeria. Today, she's a volunteer ELCA missionary and history teacher at Hillcrest School.
The school of less than 300 students is very diverse. Some are children of other missionaries or ex-pats who've settled in Nigeria. Some are children of local families.
"I especially enjoy (world history) because because there is already such diversity in my classrooms that it connects to each of us in a different way, and studying it helps us to understand our own pasts better," she said.
She said she found it difficult, at first, to teach from a Christian context. So many years later, she sees no other way.
"From teaching ... and understanding better how religion and belief systems have been such a guiding force throughout history, it just makes sense that bringing in God should be encouraged," she said.
Hamman married a Nigerian clergyman, the Rev. Amson Adamu Hamman, in 1996 and today they have three children, Daniel, Annette and Nat. Her husband has a four-point ministry of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria in Jos and in surrounding villages.
Because of the political unrest and violence between Christians and Muslims in Jos and because it is the custom in Africa, the family must live in a walled compound supported by the ELCA and the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.
The family, especially the children, were enjoying their freedom during their brief stay in Washington. The kids rode their bikes, and the family toured Pacific Lutheran University on an excursion hosted by Diane and Ed Armbrust and Missy Tade of the synod's Global Mission Committee.
From Washington, they will go to the Twin Cities in Minnesota, where Pastor Hamman will preach to a congregation that is part of a companion relationship in Nigeria.
Hammon said that anyone who is considering missionary work should not put it off, even if they can't go as far as Nigeria.
"If you want to be a missionary, start wherever you are," she said.

Pictured left to right: Annette, Amson Adamu, Daniel and Dorthea Hamman during a visit to the Southwestern Washington Synod office on July 7.

Visit here to read more on political conditions in Jos, Nigeria:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/01/jos-nigeria%E2%80%99s-face-of-terror/

Trinity Lutheran College announces major gift

EVERETT — Trinity Lutheran College has received a pledge for the third largest gift in its history.
Idaho residents George and Jackie Brammer have gifted the small college $700,000 to remodel its top floor into a center for worship and art.
The chapel will be named after Mr. Brammer's parents, Otto and Goldia Brammer, who were active in church and outreach.
Trinity President John Reed said, "I'm thrilled that the Brammer name is connected to this initiative, since their story serves as a model for our students. Here are two people who have been successful in life and remain deeply committed to the spiritual and vocational development of students who will be leaders for future generations."
The chapel design will have worship space at its center that will extend outward to areas displaying student art.
"Young Christians today care about spoken and written idea,s but they increasingly resonate with expression of faith through art, symbol and sound," said the Rev. Erik Samuelson, campus pastor.
Founded in 1944, Trinity was formerly known as Lutheran Bible Institute and was located in Issaquah until 2008. Other former locations include downtown Seattle and Greenwood in north Seattle.
Pictured: A cyber-classroom at Trinity.