Volume 34 Issue 1, September, 2016

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1 Bits & Pieces Eastern Washington-Idaho Synodical Women s Organization United at the Table Jone K. Stout, EWAID SWO President United at the Table is the theme for our upcoming convention and gathering of the synodical women s organization of Eastern Washington & Idaho. It will be held October 7-8 at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Kennewick, WA. While there, we ll be talking about ways that we can welcome neighbors into our midst and sharing ways to show God s love to the people in our communities through our actions and words. If you re like me, it s sometimes difficult for me to remember what I want to say when an opportunity to share my faith presents itself. As a teacher, my students and I enjoyed building acronyms to help us remember important facts. As a Christian, I ve liked being able to share acronyms with others as a way of remembering and sharing my faith. When attending a worship service recently, Pastor Mark Bertermann spoke on a passage in Colossians during his sermon (1:4-5a), and he used acronyms to help emphasize these truths about faith, hope, and love. I liked them so well I scribbled them down on my bulletin, and I d like to share them with you. FAITH: Fully, Actively, Intentionally, Trusting Him. Faith looks back at what God in Christ has done for us. HOPE: Heaven s Open Proceed Expectantly/Enthusiastically! Hope looks forward at things to come. LOVE: Listening, Offering, Venturing, Engaging. Love looks around at the people close by or far away and wants to share what we ve received through faith and hope in Christ with them. I hope these acronyms are helpful to you, and I hope you re planning on attending the convention and gathering. In this newsletter you ll find more information about our guest pastor and Bible study presenters and the offering recipients, as well as a registration form. Download it, fill it out, and send it in today. I ll be looking forward to seeing you in October! Continued on Page 6 Volume 34 Issue 1, September, 2016 United at the Table Page 1&6 Women in Ministry Page 4 Biography-Reverend Jillian Ross Page 2 Board Nomination Form Page 5 Biography-Jody Smiley Page 2 What & Why Triennial Page 6 Bible Study Page 3 Registration Form Page 7 Offering Opportunities Page 3&4 Triennial Registration Form Page 8 Help Wanted Page 4 Synodical Board Page 9

2 2 BIOGRAPHY, REVEREND JILLIAN ROSS Jillian Jill Ross is currently the Vicar of St. Matthew s Episcopal Church, Prosser and the Pastor of Faith Lutheran Church Toppenish. Ross is also a freelance artist who paints, makes mosaics, ceramic piece and collage. Her work has been shown regionally and nationally. Jill teaches others how to integrate their spiritual life with their creativity. She also teaches prayer practices based on Scripture and silence that allow people to slow down, deepen their relationship with the Divine, and to use the techniques she teaches in daily life to help reduce stress and anxiety in the business that surrounds us. Before coming to the Yakima Valley fifteen years ago, Jill was the Director of the Lutheran Center in Mexico City. She lived in Mexico for nine years and worked both as an Educator and a Community leader empowering and motivating faith based and private non-profit groups, especially women s groups. She helped open a medical clinic in Mexico City that continues to serve a local neighborhood that previously had no access to medical or dental care. Since she returned to the United States in 2001, she has served as a Spanish Language Mission Developer for the ELCA, a parish pastor and a Hospice Chaplain, specializing in pediatric care and Spanish language service. Jill has an undergraduate degree in Art/Art History and holds a Master of Divinity from San Francisco Theological Seminary. She is currently enrolled in a two year Spiritual Director Program at Gonzaga University, Spokane. Jody Smiley, Executive Board Vice President, , Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Jody Smiley was elected vice president of the churchwide executive board in July She previously served the Virginia Synodical Women s Organization as president and board member. She currently serves on the Virginia Synod Council and is the Mission Interpreter Coordinator for the synod. She has been a voting member at synod and churchwide assemblies. A member of St. Michael Lutheran Church in Blacksburg, Va., Jody has served as congregational president, secretary, and chair of the education committee. She teaches Sunday school and is a youth group leader. She is active in her congregational unit, leading Bible studies and other programs. She serves on the Virginia Tech Lutheran Campus Ministry committee. Jody is an analytical chemist in Virginia Tech s civil and environmental engineering department. Jody and her husband Tim, a radiation safety officer for the university, have one son. The family has lived in Blacksburg for nearly 35 years. Jody is a sports fan and plays softball on her church s team. She especially enjoys cheering on Virginia Tech s women s basketball and volleyball teams. Jody is very excited about serving Women of the ELCA on the churchwide executive board. She sees this as a chance to share her passion for the organization and encourage Lutheran women of all ages to become part of this amazing group of faithful and caring women.

3 3 BIBLE STUDY HOSPITALITY will be the subject of a Bible Study offered at the Women's Gathering which will be held on October 7-9, 2016 at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Kennewick, WA. I will be leading this interest group, "Hospitality, More than warm and friendly. My first thought was to go to the dictionary and look up the meaning of the word. Hospitality: 1. the friendly reception and treatment of guests and strangers; 2. the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm and friendly, generous way. I think it will be an interesting subject to discuss and to see what our ideas of hospitality are and what our memories of our family and the way they were hospitable. How does Jesus want us to welcome friends and strangers alike? Please come and join me in the discussion. Vickie Witt Board member Offering Opportunities If attending our EWAID SWO Convention and Gathering being held October 7-8, you ll have the opportunity to contribute to a monetary offering and a physical offering. Our physical offerings this year will go to the Skills Development Mission, Inc. (SDM) The mission statement of SDM is To reach, educate, and empower under-skilled individuals to be responsible citizens. They are located at 21 S. Cascade St. in Kennewick, WA and they are open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 6-8:30p.m. All their programs are staffed by volunteers. The Education Empowerment program is geared towards students in grade school. Math, reading and writing, and homework help is provided, as well as computer and internet literacy. An important component of the program is character building. Youth mentoring is a year-round mentoring program designed for middle and high school students which encourages the students to explore science, and express themselves through art, music and drama. SDM introduces environmental and public health to minorities. Adult students receive guidance in their path to earning their GED. SDM would welcome backpacks, paper and pencils, paper plates or boats, cups, napkins, and prepackaged snack items such as peanut butter & crackers, cheese & crackers, granola or protein bars, and fruit chews. For pictures and additional information about Student Development Mission you can visit their website at or find them on Facebook. They ll also have a display table set up at our gathering. Continued on page 4

4 4 Offering Opportunities Continued from page 3 Half our monetary offering will be donated to the Pasco Latino Lutheran Ministry. This ministry began in July of 2013 and is supported by volunteers from the Tri-City ELCA churches. The ministry provides ESL classes at various levels of difficulty, Spanish classes, and citizenship classes held in English or Spanish. Elementary age children are given homework help and then spend time reading and/or doing crafts. The classes are held on Monday evenings during the school year from 6-8pm, with a short break time where a healthy snack is served and conversation is encouraged between the two class periods. An intergenerational VBS, which has The Lord s Prayer as its focus, is being held August 15-19, 2016, and class participants are going to be helping in projects in association with God s Work, Our Hands the weekend of September 9-11, The offering we give will be used in four areas: Worship supplies, such as English and Spanish language bibles for children and adults; Office supplies, kitchen supplies, and craft supplies for the children. You ll be able to hear how this ministry got started and what it s meant to the volunteers and the participants in a presentation Saturday, October 8, 2016 during our gathering. Help Wanted The Eastern Washington Idaho Synodical Women s Organization is looking for Women who are Enthusiastic and Loving, Committed to following Christ by completing Assorted tasks necessary for the furthering of God s kingdom by working to fulfill the mission of the Women of the ELCA here in Eastern Washington & Idaho. Benefits include developing life-long friendships, deepening your spiritual life, and having the satisfaction of helping countless women to do the same! Apply below by filling out a board nomination form and sending it in to Leslie Mason (see info on form) before September 15. Women in Ministry Remember to bring your Silent Auction item(s) when you come to our 2016 Convention & Gathering on October 7 & 8. The monies collected at the Silent Auction are used to fund our yearly $1000 Women in Ministry scholarship. If you prefer, you may make a direct donation to the WIM fund either at the gathering or by sending your gift to Carole Dinning. Her mailing address is listed on the board member page at the end of the newsletter. Make sure your donation specifies that it be used for the WIM scholarship

5 5 Eastern Washington-Idaho Synodical Women's Organization Women of the ELCA Board Nomination Form NAME ADDRESS PHONE NUMBER HOME CONGREGATION CHURCH ADDRESS AGE RANGE 34 or under or older POSITION TO FILL President Vice-President Treasurer Secretary General Board EXPERIENCE: Please list significant experiences for the past (5) five years only. Use back of sheet if necessary. Occupational history: Home church congregational involvement: Community & Organization involvement: Home church women s organization involvement: Synodical/Churchwide women s organization involvement: Cluster/Conference/Synod/National Church involvement: FORM SUBMITTED BY: Name & Address Congregation & Address: Complete this form and mail on or before September 16, 2016 to: Leslie Mason, 6703 Cody St., Bonners Ferry, ID Questions: Call Leslie at or lesliem1976@gmail.com

6 6 What and Why TRIENNIAL The Women of the ELCA have a convention and gathering every 3 years it is being held in Minneapolis. The theme is All Anew. THE CONVENTION elects a new board and officers including a new president who will serve for the next 3 years. The voting members deal with memorials from the synods which give churchwide direction and sometimes resulting in constitutional changes. There is also Bible study and guest speakers. THE GATHERING is a time of celebration combined with learning experiences. There are workshops, Bible study and speakers who inspire us to be all God wants us to be. It is a time when over a thousand women join their voices in songs of praise and thanksgiving shutting down all division in the oneness of God. It is a place to hear God s call in our lives as we share our stories of being God s work our Hands. The Convention starts July 11, 2017 through the morning of July 13 th. The Gathering starts Thursday, July 13 th at 4 pm starting with worship followed by 2 more days with Bible study with Pastor Kelly Fryer and watch Vonda Drees, director of the Grunewald Guild, respond to the words of our preachers and speakers through her art. You can Run, Walk and Roll, sing in the choir, quilt, make finger labyrinths, participate with the in-kind gifts, participate in learning opportunities such as workshops, film viewings or servant projects. Come early or stay late and go on tours of and around the Twin Cities. Check out more details at welca.org. Why should you go?? If you go to the Women of the ELCA web site and read all about this coming event and/or talk to someone that has been to a Triennial in the past and still don t feel the excitement I am not sure I could explain why? As someone that has been to 7 of the 9 previous Triennials, I can only tell you that you will come back changed and understanding why the Women of the ELCA is important! Be a voting member and help decide on the future of WELCA. Fill out the nomination form and send it in. We vote in Richland in October on who will represent Eastern WA /ID SWO or come later to the gathering. Early registration starts September 6 th. United at the Table (continued from page 1) May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. NIV (Romans 15:5-6) P.S. Don t forget that we ll be electing voting members for the 2017 Triennial Convention in Minneapolis, MN at our business meeting in October. If you re interested in becoming a voting member for our EWAID synod, you ll find a voting member nomination form in this newsletter that can be used by units to nominate a person for these positions.

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8 8 Eastern Washington-Idaho SWO, Women of the ELCA Voting Member Nomination Form for 10th Triennial Convention, July 11-13, 2017 (Most of the information requested on this form is taken directly from the form sent in when elected.) NAME ADDRESS PHONE NUMBER HOME CONGREGATION CHURCH ADDRESS AGE RANGE_Under and over FIRST TIME VOTING MEMBER? yes no SPECIAL NEEDS? Ethnicity African American Alaska Native American Indian Arab, Middle Easterner Black Asian Caucasian Hispanic Geographical Location Rural Small town Suburban Urban Primary Language English Other (Please specify) Women of the ELCA Participation (Check all that apply.) Active in congregational or intercongregational unit Active in special unit Current cluster or conference leader Current SWO leader (Indicate position): Past cluster or conference leader (Indicate position): Past SWO leader (Indicate position): Use the following space to tell why you would like to be a voting member at the 10th Triennial Convention. FORM SUBMITTED BY: Name & Address Congregation & Address Complete this form and mail on or before September 16, 2016 to: Leslie Mason, SWO Vice-President, 6703 Cody St., Bonners Ferry, ID Questions? Call Leslie at or to lesliem1976@gmail.com

9 9 Eastern Washington/Idaho Synodical Board President ~ Jone K. Stout 9312 W. Richardson Rd. Pasco, WA (509) (home) (509) (cell) jksmusic54@gmail.com Church: Lutheran Church of The Master, Pasco. Vice President Leslie Mason 6703 Cody St. Bonners Ferry ID (208) (cell) (208) (home) Lesliem1976@gmail.com Church: Trinity-Bonners Ferry- North Idaho Cluster Assignment: North Idaho & North Central Vickie Jo Witt P.O. Box 462, Juliaetta, ID (208) (home) (208) ( cell) vjwitt@tds.net Church: Cameron Emmanuel Lutheran Cluster: Tsceminicum Cluster Assignment: Palouse & Tsceminicum Human Trafficking Merlene Brockway Barbara Blasch Secretary ~ Merlene Brockway 411 E. 500 N., Firth ID (208) (home) (208) (cell) Mkb_66@hotmail.com Church: Bethel Firth ~ Upper Snake River Valley Cluster Assignment: Upper Snake River Treasurer ~ Convention Committee Chair Carole Dinning Racial Justice Advocate Team Barb Blasch, Boise, Id Kathy Long, Redmond, WA 6703 Cody St. ~ Bonners Ferry ID (208) (home) ~ (208) (work) (208) (cell) cdinning@frontier.com Church: Trinity, Bonners Ferry ~ North Idaho Cluster Cluster Assignment: All Treasurers Barbara Blasch W. Farm View Dr., Boise, Id (208) (home) (770) (cell) bearconsul@aol.com Church: King of Glory, Boise Cluster: Treasure Valley Cluster Assignment: Treasure Valley Non-Board Member Bits & Pieces Editor Patti Berg 4814 S. Pender Lane, Spokane, catsmeow4814@yahoo.com Church: St. Mark s, Spokane

10 10 Eastern Washington-Idaho Synodical Women s Organization Women of the ELCA, Jone Stout, President 9312 W. Richardson Rd. Pasco, Wa Purpose Statement As a community of women created in the image of God, called to discipleship in Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves to grow in faith, affirm our gifts, support one another in our callings, engage in ministry and action, and promote healing and wholeness in the church, the society, and the world. Check us out on Facebook: EWA.ID.SWO Mission Statement To mobilize women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ