When people ask me what has surprised me most about this call as bishop, how I respond usually depends on the day or week. I have certainly been surprised by the pastoral care needed by both rostered leaders and congregations. The upside to this is that pastoral care is something I am equipped for after so many years in parish ministry. But another thing that’s surprised me is the jigsaw puzzle of being a good steward of the synod’s resources and my time as I serve the synod and larger ELCA and as I try to stay healthy. My travel pales in comparison to some of our churchwide staff and bishops who have continual international and national commitments. I don’t know how some of them do it. I’m coming to the end of a 12 day trip and I am very excited for several nights at home, at the same time I am so grateful for the hospitality I have received and the encounters I have had.

It started two Fridays ago when I flew to Seatac to attend the Southwestern Washington Synod Assembly, where the assembly was electing a new bishop and thanking Bishop Rick Jaech for his twelve years as bishop. I had so many good conversations with ministry partners (like our Washington State liaison to VOAD and Lutheran Disaster Response Ray Sherjven and UW Campus Pastor Chelsea Globe and SW WA Director for Evangelical Mission Joey Ager and Lutherwood Camp Director Pr. Kevin Beebe). And it’s always good to see ministry partners Andrea Arey (Portico) and LuAnn Ferguson (MIF) and hang out with Region 1 Bishops Shelley Bryan Wee and Laurie Larson Caesar.

Sunday morning I drove an easy and beautiful two hours to our church in Ellensburg (see previous post). After worship I had lunch with two future ministry candidates and then drove on to Spokane. On Monday, I was able to fit in several important one-on-one conversations and a lot of phone conversations.

Tuesday morning, Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee (whose parents live near Spokane) and I headed to Montana together to join the other four Region One bishops for our annual retreat. It was a really wonderful time together, saying good goodbyes to two colleagues and seeing a gorgeous part of Montana I had never really explored. Highlights of our sightseeing were the First People’s Buffalo Jump and a boat ride along the Missouri that took us past the setting for Norman Maclean’s Young Men and Fire. But the worship, prayer, and laughter were what my body will carry from our time together.

Shelley dropped me off in Spokane, where I’m stay with a family friend, and I had nice Saturday in Spokane and then preached and presided at Prince of Peace on Sunday. Post-worship time was filled with great conversations. This week, Pastor Joel joined other lay and rostered leaders from our synod and across Region 1 ELCA at Seattle University for a pilot program created by their Center for Ecumenical and Inter-religious Engagement.

Sunday afternoon I took a nonstop flight from Spokane to Chicago for a Monday thru Tuesday morning meeting at the Lutheran Center on Higgins Road–Seminary Debt Reduction Task Force. This group has been doing research for several years and I’m coming in just at the very end as liaison bishop. (Bishop Curry stepped off the task force when he became chair of the Conference of Bishops). It is an amazing group of people to work with and learn from and our time was led by Adam DeHoek from ELCA Research and Evaluation. We’ll be giving a report to ELCA Church Council in November, so stay tuned.

Our time at the Lutheran Center overlapped with the first few days of Bishop Formation for 13 new bishops and it was great to meet them all and catch up with the veteran bishops leading Formation. But now it is going to very good to go home and sleep in my own bed.