Back in the spring I applied to the Idaho Nonprofit Center’s leadership cohort. I was accepted after the bishop’s election but even with the job change, they let me in. We began with a retreat at the YMCA camp near Cascade. It was a wonderful few days of introspection and new friendships. One of our leaders told me I had a unique opportunity to invest time and energy in staff development at the beginning of my term. Three of our staff live near Spokane and I had a friend who earned her PhD in leadership from Gonzaga, so I reached out to the Leadership Department. After many emails and phone calls, we had two professionals ready to lead us for a two-day retreat in December: getting to know each other, talking about roles, setting some goals, and engaging in Ignation spiritually. I went through the busy busy fall and then this past Monday morning I woke up and thought, “it’s finally here-staff retreat!” It truly exceeded my expectations and I’m so grateful for both our time together and what we accomplished.

My time in Spokane ended with a joint fundraiser for Lutheran Community Services Northwest and Greater Spokane Campus and Young Adult Ministries.