Even though this was not a travel week for me, it was full. I cannot believe last Sunday was Easter Sunday. Last week I had regular Zoom meetings, plus an ecumenical Zoom facilitated by Spokane Presbyter Sheryl Kinder-Pile. It rained Monday. We heard from one of her PCUSA colleagues in South Carolina about the four current church shifts they talk with and help congregations with: Evaluating Property, Pastoral leadership, Funding, Courageous Conversations. I went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Iowa-LSU basketball game.

Thought the week, I was able to connect in person with a few Treasure Valley pastors/ministry partners–always fun. Our DEM Pr Liv Larson Andrews went to Chicago for a training and it was fun to follow along and hear about it from her via text. I had my first Mutual Ministry Meeting online. It kept raining here in the Treasure Valley.

Thursday evening I drove through the rain to Boise to hear Sister Simone Campbell (Nuns on the Bus) speak at the Stueckle Sky Center. It was a hope-filled evening. I also ran into some friends there. This is one of many events put on by Boise State University’s Institute for Advancing American Values, run by Professor Andrew Finstuen, who is a member of Redeemer Lutheran in Boise.

Friday was more rain and more women’s basketball and more connections with friends.

Saturday, the same Institute had a community fair in Nampa at College of Western Idaho. I caught up with Toni Belknap-Brinegar, Boards and Commissions Coordinator for Conservation Voters for Idaho (c3). The Fellowship program provides “education and encouragement for Idaho’s aspiring leaders, building representation of these underserved communities [women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and individuals with disabilities] and creating the foundation of a democracy that represents all Idahoans.” Because I serve on the Nampa Building Design Commission, Toni asked if I’d be a mentor. Of course I said yes.

I was invited to attend one of the Institute’s Idaho Listens events this coming week–really looking forward to it.

Saturday also included a webinar on ELCA Domestic Hunger Grants put on by the Southwestern Washington Synod-ELCA. Pastor Ethan Bergman and I both sat in on the webinar. I now have a much better sense of what ELCA World Hunger wants to fund and am excited to help congregations apply for the grants.

Instead of watching a baseball game, a bunch of my friends celebrated spring training Saturday by watching the classic film Bull Durham–always so good.

Sunday included presiding in worship at Redeemer Lutheran in Boise and Grace Lutheran in Horseshoe Bend. Among other things, Redeemer has been a long time partner with the Idaho Diaper Bank, actually doing the work before the Diaper Bank became what it is today. Grace (noon worship) is the one mainline/ecumenical congregation in Horseshoe Bend. I had preached at Grace once before, when the former pastor was on sabbatical in maybe 2018–fun group then and yesterday. The snow covered hills/mountains were gorgeous to view as Pastor Mariah Mills and I drove up the big hill together. Fun to connect with synod council members at both churches (Terri at Redeemer and Jeff at Grace). These two congregations have shared a pastor for some time. It’s always Redeemer’s worship service that is streamed for both congregations. They are planning to worship together twice this next year. Not shown, the Redeemer parsonage which has a pastor living in it (rather than being a rental) for the first time in many years.

Sadly I had the women’s championship game time wrong in my calendar so I turned up at Buffalo Wild Wings just as South Carolina’s win was becoming indisputable. I still call the whole tournament a victory for women’s basketball that ten-year old Meggan hardly could have imagined! And the sun is finally out.