God’s beloved People,
Many of you will be meeting soon for the Annual Meeting of your congregation. This is the time and place where you make the policy decisions on behalf of the congregation and set missional direction for the next year. The Synod Council, meeting last September, adopted the following missional directions for the Synod’s ministry, based on our Guiding Principles (in italics below). These goals were reported in the supplement pages to the December Lutheran magazine and are offered here in order to give tangible expression to what missional goals look like. Don’t forget to adopt a budget in support of your goals!
Eastern Washington and Idaho Synod missional goals for 2009-2010:
Jesus: First, Last, and Always and Amen. Come Lord Jesus
--To invite a guest speaker for Assembly 2010 to reflect on the ministry of Jesus Christ and how that ministry as served as a call in the speaker’s life. This goal will be reached as we welcome Mark Allan Powell to address his book, “Loving Jesus.”
Gratitude. Gratitude.
--Expedite consideration of two grant requests filed under the Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church (Richland) Mission Fund; for music ministry and for youth ministry in West Richland area. This goal is being reached as the music ministry grant request is being rewritten and a new “call for proposals” will be issued this month.
No Fear! Transformation!
--Pursue the opportunity of phased development for senior housing at The Beacon at Southridge. Talks with the Mission Investment Fund will occur this month and a full report will be available before Assembly.
--Call a new Director of Evangelical Mission to serve on Synod staff and with funding from our Churchwide partner. Pastor Helga Jansons has joined the Synod Staff as Director for Evangelical Mission. Please invite her to consult with you!
Miracles of Hope
--Plan for and sponsor a region-wide consultation on Campus Ministry and explore an additional campus ministry site at Boise State University in cooperation with Immanuel Lutheran, Boise. A consultation with Campus Ministers will occur in June.
Yes! Everybody Come
--Pursue a new ministry grant for Tree of Life Lutheran Church, Terrace Heights and the calling of Abuid Fajarto as pastor; support the existing ministry of the Yakima Valley Hispanic Outreach Ministry; and support Misael Fajarto as a candidate for ordination at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Abuid Fajarto has had his initial interview and will meet with ministry leaders again in January. Misael has begun seminary training at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Please keep him in your prayers!
A SPECIAL WORD REGARDING ANNUAL MEETINGS:
Please note that your regular annual meeting is not the appropriate place to take a vote to leave the ELCA! A first vote to leave takes its own “Special Meeting” where, after notice has been mailed to the members, it becomes the only item on the agenda. Our constitutions provide this method for matters of such import and effect that they require their own, separate consideration. Congregation presidents or others who preside at the Annual Meeting should rule such a motion out of order as inconsistent with the congregation’s Constitution. Please consult your constitution for the proper way to bring such a matter to the congregation for consideration.
Pr. Martin Wells
Bishop
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The following documents are available for download (.PDF) from Bishop Wells:
Trip to Jerusalem and the occupied territories, January 2009, with 40 other ELCA bishop
Lutheran Supplement, June 2009 Article
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A copy of Bishop Wells' letter "A Pastoral Letter to the Saints of the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod, ELCA" is available for download (.pdf format).
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Great Commission / Great Commandment Resources:
Each congregation received a mailing in December 2007 on the Guiding Princles of the Synod. The following items were included in that mailing:
-- a large poster containing the Guiding Principles of the synod (we hope you have found a place to display this)
-- a brief description of these principles to post nearby as an aid to understanding and, we hope, a "hook" to stimulate interest (click here to download the description)
-- a six-part study of these principles prepared by Bishop Wells. (click here to download the study)
-- lesson aids so that the study might be used with children and youth prepared by Pr. Helga Jansons (click here to download the aids)
It is our prayer that these materials will encourage you and assist you in the constant work of revitalization for ministry.
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To the Priesthood of Believers in the Eastern Washington and Idaho Synod,
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus, the Savior of the world!
As you review this page you’ll see the Synod’s Guiding Principles listed on the right. I hope this looks familiar to you from the poster your congregation received. Let me take this opportunity to put those principles into prose text:
Our clearest purpose as a Church is to declare Jesus as the true and trusted center of all life. Because we have found such hope, we are now free and empowered to live life in Jesus’ name. This is our response of gratitude and we intend that it set us apart from those who live from fear, anxiety, anger, or entitlement. We are simply not going to be afraid and we are open to the way God will transform us from this trust in Jesus. We expect to see miracles flow from this trust and we will not let fear of this power cause us to shrink! In fact we’re going to open up to life and live this Good News 360 degrees! Jesus has come to address, befriend, and love every person we meet, so yes, everybody come to the Kingdom of God celebration! And when we fail, when we forget to trust God, when we forget the mercy that inspires our lives, when we’re more afraid of life than excited about it, when we close down, well then, we beg forgiveness and remember that it was never our mission. It was and is God’s mission we’re drawn to and we’re confident, MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, that God will see it through. It is our joy to tag along and have a part! Thanks be to God!
Pr. Martin Wells, Bishop
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