Two Saturdays ago I attended the wedding, here in the Treasure Valley, of a former parishioner and then I left before the reception so I could fly into Spokane. Sunday morning I drove down Highway 195 to Pullman for Pastor Wes Howell’s retirement Sunday, retiring from Trinity, Pullman but following 41 years of pastoral ministry. It was wonderful to be part of the good goodbye and also to get to know the congregation just a bit better. I also caught up with several synod pastors who made the trip to be part of the celebration.

Sunday late afternoon I was back up in downtown Spokane for an event put on by FAVs News, the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane and Transitions: Uniting the Inland Northwest. The keynote was given by Gonzaga University professor Dr Itohan Idumwonyi, speaking on Ubuntu. I attended two great panels, one on The Next Generation’s Vision for Unity which included a staffer from Lutheran Community Services Northwest, and one called Understanding LGBTQ+ Faith Experiences, which included an ELCA Lutheran. I also was able to reconnect with some Spokane and North Idaho partners and meet some new ones.

Monday-Wednesday were all about preparation for synod assembly, including a walk-through at Central. Except that Wednesday morning, Pastor Phil, members of Salem, All Saints, St. Mark’s, and I attended the Presbytery of the Northwest’s Stewarding Faith Property for Community Good: A Community Roundtable with Mark Elsdon and Spokane leaders. It was an incredible collection of Spokane citizens–mayor, faith communities, developers, and health care professionals.

Thursday and Friday included a very quick trip to Parkland, WA for the Pacific Lutheran University board of regents meeting. Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee (NW WA Synod) and I have been on a task force for about the last two years thinking about how to keep the college’s ELCA connection in this new chapter. It has been slow and faithful work and I’m grateful for the relationships formed with the other task force members. We officially rolled out our recommendations at this meeting and our work will probably conclude in the fall. I also attended my first PLU Choir of the West concert and it was wonderful–a lovely blend of very old and much newer music performed with excellence and heart.

Saturday was our online Synod Assembly and overall it went really well. It’s amazing how much the technology has improved and how much we’ve all learned in the last ten years. Our team (registrar, parliamentarian, synod staff, synod officers, worship team, and tech guru) made it a wonderful experience in our studio at Central Lutheran.

Sunday I headed out to Zion Lutheran, Deer Park, a smaller congregation in what is a farming/bedroom community thanks to improved Highway 395. Pastor Arianna Arends currently serves there 3/4 time and she preached a great sermon. Worship was full of kids and good singing and people stayed for an hour after worship to chat with me about the congregation, town, and life.