Category Archives: Reflections

Ecumenical and Interfaith in the Treasure Valley

I’m a week behind on posts! Last Sunday, the First Sunday in Lent 2026: ELCA Lutheran Pastor Mia Crosthwaite serves Kuna United Methodist Church in Kuna, ID. This is possible because the ELCA and UMC are in full communion–we can … Continue reading

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Two Capitols – One Synod

Thursday, February 12 was Faith Action Network’s Interfaith Advocacy Day in Olympia! I’m grateful for the pre-sessions, their weekly updates, the welcome today, and all of the work behind the scenes all year long. As the bishop of NWIM Synod, … Continue reading

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Bishops and ELCA Staff Trip to the Holy Land

Dear Northwest Intermountain Synod: ELCA (and other readers), It was an honor to represent our synod and the larger ELCA on a bishops accompaniment visit to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL). One big highlight of our visit was the consecration of their new bishop, but … Continue reading

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United at the Font – Pocatello

Last Saturday, Nov. 15, I joined the third and final United at the Font: Partnering for the Future event at First UMC in Pocatello. We held previous United at the Font events in Moses Lake (Oct. 25) and Clarkston (Nov. … Continue reading

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Response to Wilder, Idaho

October 20, 2025 This action, as I understand, was FBI led and ICE supported. I will keep my message brief to insure there is, to my knowledge, no misinformation.  The action created chaos and harm regardless of what the original … Continue reading

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Highlights from the Treasure Valley

The Bishops’ Holy Land trip I was scheduled to participate in this September was postponed for obvious reasons. To say I lament the genocide, the violence, the tragedy that we have been witnessing in Israel and Palestine seems inadequate. And … Continue reading

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United at the Font – the pre-work

Originally published in the NWIM Synod’s e-newsletter. Dear Friends in Christ, We are preparing to open registration for our three one-day United at the Font: Partnering for the Futureevents this fall. As I wrote in our grant application to Wartburg Seminary, these three … Continue reading

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ELCA CWA

Originally published in the August electronic-newsletter for the Northwest Intermountain Synod. ELCA Churchwide Assembly 6 Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are … Continue reading

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On Baptism and Vocation

Originally published in the Northwest Intermountain Synod July e-newlsetter Dear Friends in Christ,I had been planning to use this July column to look ahead to Labor Day Weekend, which I will still do. First, I want to commend to you Bishop … Continue reading

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Seattle University and Quality of Call

I am a week behind on this blog, in part because as soon as I got home from Seattle there was one event after another that I was paying attention to (synod, national, global) and after months of staying healthy, … Continue reading

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