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Tag Archives: jesus
Grant Writing as Storytelling: Rural (Ecumenical) Ministry
This post contains our Northwest Intermountain Synod’s grant application to Wartburg Seminary’s Castle Project for small town and rural ministry. I did most of the writing after good conversations with Episcopal Bishop Gretchen Rehberg and Presbyter Sheryl Kinder-Pile up in … Continue reading
Potlach, Aug. 24
Grace Community Church in Potlatch is one of our synod’s four ELCA/PCUSA federated churches, meaning it is fully a member of both denominations. The two churches began sharing a pastor in the 1970s and fully federated just over ten years … Continue reading
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
CaSTLE Grant
June 6, 2025 Northwest Intermountain Synod, ELCA Receives Grant from Wartburg Theological Seminary’s CaSTLE Project to Support Rural and Small Town Congregations The Northwest Intermountain Synod, ELCA is honored to announce that it has been selected as a grant recipient … Continue reading
Wild Women Retreat
This past weekend I led devotions for the Wild Women Retreat at Shoshone Mountain Retreat, part of Lutherhaven Ministries. 38 women from WA, ID, and MT, ranging in age from 20s to 80s, rafted on the Clark Fork in Montana, … Continue reading
Easter 7 Sermon for Montana Synod Assembly
There’s been a lot of travel and I forgot to drop this on my blog. Montana Synod Assembly May 31, 2025 John 17:20-26 When I hear Jesus’ prayer for his disciples in our reading from John’s gospel today, I hear … Continue reading
Walla Walla Installation Sermon – July 13
Installation of Pastor Lars Hammer Christ Lutheran, Walla Walla July 13, 2025 Mark 4:1-9, Isaiah 40:1-11, Psalm 96, Romans 12:4-8 An installation service is a great day for celebration. We celebrate the journeys of both the congregation and pastor or deacon and the … Continue reading
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
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
All about Pride parades and festivals – a letter to the NWIM Synod
Originally sent to pastors, deacons, and synod council members. Across our synod, from June through September, community members will be showing up at Pride Parades and Festivals as one way to support our LGBTQ+ siblings. You might wonder what in … Continue reading
A Place at the Table 