AMST

AREA MISSION STRATEGY TEAM (AMST)

The AMST, comprised of clergy and lay representatives from each of the local ELCA congregations, meets monthly to discuss how we can be missional togeth and to plan events together.

Our mission is to expand the Lutheran Christian presence in the Tri-Cities, Washington.

All are encouraged to attend the AMST meetings for the fellowship, to meet other Lutherans in the area, and for group discussions on joint mission projects.

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Area Mission Strategy Team

Monday, March 22, 2010

Lord of Life Lutheran Church

Participants: David Baldwin, Erv and Lavonne Johnson, Pr. Dan Rieke, Dave Watrous (LoL); Rich Barchet, Susan Miller (RLC); Pr. John Hergert (PFLC); Ken Tesch (LCM).

An agenda was distributed; David Baldwin opened the meeting with prayer.

Updates and Happenings:

Cluster: Pr. Helga Jansons, Director of Evangelical Missions, EWA-ID Synod has done much traveling around the synod and is busy organizing Synodical Tables for discussion of mission possibilities. Ken Tesch has asked her to work with LCM. Pr. Helga will take over maintenance of the cluster website and assist other congregations in getting websites going. The next Cluster meeting will take place on April 18 at Kennewick First Lutheran Church at 3 PM.

LoL: The Mission Possible mission trip to the Dominican Republic is scheduled for 6/19-7/4 with AIM Heidi Cryer as leader. AIM Heidi’s mission work in Tanzania will continue in August. Lavonne Johnson presented information on Lutheran World Relief’s Ingathering Project (see www.lwr.org for details). Quilts, layettes, health and school kits and other items (no toothpaste or clothing) need to be ready for transport to Spokane on April 30. Transport of items from all Tri-Cities congregations together could make delivery simpler. 16 people are involved in a revitalized care giver group (similar to Stephen Ministry). Lenore Nanni is on staff to work with youth and young families. Clicking Needles knitting group provides hats and prayer shawls.

LWR’s INGATHERING PROJECT: The Ingathering Project will play great importance in restocking Lutheran World Relief’s warehouses. Their supply of quilts and kits has been pretty much depleted with the added needs created by the Haiti earthquake. We are hoping that an earlier ingathering mailing will give churches time to create more quilts and kits – HEALTH KITS AND SOAP ARE ESPECIALLY NEEDED.

Some things to remember for the ingathering are:

• No clothing of any kind and no tooth paste in health kits. LWR adds the toothpaste before shipping.

• Quilts should be full-size (60” x 80”) and should have a sufficient filler. Even in warmer climates, the temperatures can drop dramatically at night. Tips on fillers can be found by visiting lwr.org/parish and click on Quilts. Blankets are welcome but no baby quilts, please.

• Boxes should be plainly marked as to content as well as the name of the church it is from. LWR has no way of knowing where the boxes come from unless the box is labeled with not only content but also the name and address of sending church. We use our tally sheet for tracking totals for the ingathering but we don’t send the tally sheets along with the shipment to Baltimore.

Contact Lavonne Johnson at LOL for more info.

LCM: Pr. Olson continues her slow recovery from surgery and illness. Newsletter is going on-line to save money. Finances are an issue.

PFLC: Joint VBS with LCM, KFLC, and LOL will be held at LOL July 19-23; all day for mid- elementary to middle school, ½-day for preschool & kindergarteners. Lutherhaven to staff event. Two Lutherhaven counselors come to PFLC once per month to lead youth activities. ELCA Region I sent the church a check for $665 from a church in Idaho in support of the Shoes-For-Kids program.

RLC: Good News Media Ministry will have a Yard Sale at RLC April 30 & May 1; donate items 4/26&27 at RLC. An Antiques and Collectibles sale will be held 6/4&5 at RLC also for GNMM.

Thrivent: Major change has been made in how Thrivent will allocate funds. Register your organization by March 31 to be eligible. No matching fund arrangements. Benevolence allocations will be elected by Thrivent members based on each member’s level of investment and volunteer involvement.

Campbell Farms: A Campbell Farms all-day event and fund raising golf scrambler ($100/entrant) will be held May 8.

Bishop’s Convocation: October 18-20 will be in the Tri-Cities.

GSELC Endowment Update: no formal word on funding LCM youth vocal group.

Possible Endowment Project: Ken Tesch was encouraged to ask the synod office whether the cluster can apply for GSELC Endowment funds to provide seed money ($20K) for missional workshops for the cluster. David asked Ken to take the lead on preparing this Endowment Fund proposal.

Next meeting: Monday May 24, 7pm, hosted by Pr Kristen at KFLC.

Next meeting after that: Tuesday, June 29, 2010, at 5:30 PM so that Pastor Ley from Walla Walla may attend. The meeting will be at Pasco First Lutheran Church.

The meeting adjourned with a group prayer.

Respectfully,

Rich Barchet

Area Mission Strategy Team

Monday January 25, 2010

Lord of Life Lutheran Church

Participants: David Baldwin, Erv & LaVonne Johnson, Pr. Dan Rieke, Dave Watrous (LoL); Rich Barchet, Susan Miller, Bill Venema (RLC); Alli Newhouse (KFLC); Linnea Hillesland, Jone Stout, Ken Tesch (LCM); Pr. Helga Jansons (EWA-ID Synod).

An agenda was distributed; Pr. Rieke opened the meeting with prayer.GSELC Endowment Funds Proposal:

Ken Tesch asked Jone Stout (LCM) to give the group an update on the status of the proposal for GSELC Mission Endowment funds for starting a Tri-Cities (perhaps Greater Pasco) Christian Children’s Chorus based at LCM. Purpose is to provide music education as well as exposure to Christianity through music and singing. Five people at LCM are on the team for this ministry. Synod requested additional details to the proposal that had been submitted in August. Revised proposal is due next week. The chorus of about 30 would be comprised of children ages 7 to 12 years old. If the grant is approved, advertisement would start this spring and summer with a formal start in September. Initial location would be in the LCM fellowship hall, which has good acoustics. Collaboration with the Hispanic congregation sharing LCM’s building expected to draw in Hispanic children. Outreach via word-of-mouth, Craigslist, Kid’s Directory, other singers and singing groups, music teachers, home-school community. Proposal needs to clearly focus on how to reach the unchurched population. 3-Rivers Children’s Choir is competition. AN LCM summer program will emphasize music through local talent shows. NO formal auditions are planned at the start.

Updates and Happenings:

KFLC: Ali Newhouse reported on a successful youth weekend at Lutherhaven. Congregation will vote this Sunday on calling PR. Kristen Kuempel, who is currently supply pastor.

LoL: Pr. Dan reported that the council ratified the Guiding Principles for the congregation; a formal vote by the congregation will occur on 2/21. A Long-Range Planning committee will look at expanding education space based on plans that had been created several years ago. A group of 25-30 new members will be soon received. Pr. Roland Swanson is leading a new adult Sunday School class on the reforms of the reformation. Proceeds from the sales the LoL music group CD ($10) will go to support the Mission Possible mission trip to the Dominican Republic in 2010.

LCM: An adult class led by Pr. Karen is discussing the novel “The Shack”. Lenten worship will be in the Taizé style. Fat Sunday (not Tuesday) before Ash Wednesday will start Lenten activities. Wednesday Lenten prayer services. Exercise and diet classes are underway.

RLC: Council has voted for congregation to affiliate with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC). Second vote to leave the ELCA and join LCMC will occur on Feb 28. Pr. Martens has assured continued support of AMST. Rich Barchet is leading a class on “A Simple Way to Pray” by Pr. Archie Parrish that is based on Luther’s letter to his barber who had asked for advice on prayer.

Special Update:

LaVonne Johnson relayed a message from our companion synod in Tanzania that the broken water supply system for the Tumaini Secondary School costs $15K to repair (replace?). Around $11K has been raised by our synod thus far. Can the funds raised by the Christmas concert ($960) be diverted from teacher salaries to water system repair? Consensus was that the funds should stay with salaries unless no other source of funding is found, in which case they may use as they see fit. Pr. Dan will write a letter to the school that expresses our decision.

Director of Evangelical Missions

Pr. Helga expressed her excitement about her new position and hoped that many congregations in the synod would avail themselves of her services: preaching, ministry evaluation, leadership development, stewardship, congregational profile development, etc. Although the West Richland Youth and Family Ministry is on hold until RLC has taken its final vote, some mission work in West Richland is bound to happen. A rural ministry workshop in Spokane Feb 4-5 will be followed by an Outreach Committee meeting of Feb 5. “Synodical Mission Tables” are being established to foster group discussions and exploration of creative ideas for doing mission through a) stewardship, b) new missions, and c) redevelopment. Five from our Synod will attend leadership training in Chicago Apr 12-13. The Synod Assembly, Apr 23-24, in Spokane will be followed by a Global Missions event on Apr 25. Pr. Helga is helping the Yakima Valley Hispanic Outreach start a church group and is encouraging Carmen at Campbell Farm to become an Associate in Ministry (AIM). Campbell Farm is planning an open house May 8.

Next meeting: Monday, February 22, 2010, 7 PM at location TBD.

Possible meeting proposed for Pasco First Lutheran Church on March 22.

The meeting adjourned with a group prayer.

Respectfully,

Rich Barchet

Area Mission Strategy Team

Monday November 23, 2009

Lutheran Church of the Master

Participants: David Baldwin, Pr. Dan Rieke, Dave Watrous (LoL); Rich Barchet, Erv & Lavonne Johnson, Susan Miller, Bill Venema (RLC); Alli Newhouse, Tom Vertrees (KFLC), Jodi Wilson (LCM); Pr. John Hergert (PFLC); Pr. Karen Olson, Stephanie & Ken Tesch (LCM); Pr. Helga Jansons; Bishop Martin Wells (EWA-ID Synod).

An agenda was distributed; David Baldwin opened the meeting with prayer.

Updates and Happenings:

KFLC: Pr. Kristen Kuempel (formerly Kristen Mraz, formerly of Ascension and Good Shepherd) is KFLC’s “bridge” pastor, bridging the time between Interim Pr Keith and when their new pastor arrives.

LoL: Proceeds from the sales the upcoming LoL music group CD will go to support the Mission Possible mission trip to the Dominican Republic in 2010; CD should be available by Christmas. AIM Heidi Cryer’s mission work continues. Small groups are doing well. Christmas tree sales will begin after Thanksgiving. Pr. Rieke explained that the Council voted to reject the ELCA resolutions. A continuing resolution to that effect will be brought before the congregation. In response to a petition from the congregation, another vote may be taken at its February congregational meeting to allow members to choose among various giving options: a) continue giving as is, b) give nothing to the ELCA, all benevolence distributed by the congregation, c) only benevolence to Synod.

LCM: The joint celebration of Thanksgiving with the Hispanic congregation that uses its building was considered a success by both congregations. A Saturday meeting on the issues surrounding ELCA resolutions produced fruitful, open discussion of the issues confronting congregations in the ELCA.

PFLC: A Thanksgiving baskets will be provided to 16 families. More Christmas baskets are being planned. This ministry is also supported by LoL. The congregation will host a Night of Public Policy on Monday, 12/7 at 6:30 PM during which representatives of the offices of Senators Cantwell and Murray and Representative Hastings will be present to discuss health, education, and energy policy.

RLC: An arts and crafts fair early in November netted over $8,000 to support its Good News Media Ministry.

Special Updates:

Director of Evangelical Missions

Bishop Wells introduced Pr. Helga Jansons as the new Director of Evangelical Missions for the synod. This position is co-terminus with his term as Bishop (another 1 ¾ yr). The director is responsible for evangelism, mission, outreach and stewardship training within the Synod. Pr. Helga was selected from four candidates interviewed for the position. The ELCA main office created this position to emphasize evangelism, mission, outreach and stewardship at the synod level. She will be accountable to ELCA-Chicago but work close with Bishop Wells. She will be a resource for all congregations in the synod. See attachment at end for announcement notice. Lets put this (or some part of this) into our newsletters to announce this new position for Pr Helga to our congregations.

6th Annual Lutheran Advent/Christmas Choir Concert

The concert will be held on Friday, December 11, at 7 PM in Kennewick First Lutheran Church of all choirs in our local ELCA congregations. David Baldwin will lead a massed men’s choir to close event. Offering will be given to the Teacher’s Salary Fund (or equivalent) at the Tumaini Lutheran Seminary and Secondary School of the Ulanga Kilombero Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. A suggestion was made to invite the Hispanic congregation Centro Cristiano Zion to participate.

Contemporary Youth Worship Service

Alli Newhouse and Jodi Wilson of KFLC and LCM provided an update on their efforts to organize a youth-oriented, contemporary worship service in the Tri-Cities. This exciting idea by Alli and Jodi is being sponsored by the AMST. They are still working to make contact with local congregations and recruit people (adults and youth) to help with organizing and conducting worship services. The suggestion was made to pick a few (3) key dates for having a service so that they can focus on what is needed, one service at a time. Then, if the services are well received, consider what will be needed to provide the services on more a regular basis. Everyone was encouraged to submit a name (title) for such a worship service. Also needed is a “neutral” location where such services could be held. Alli and Jodi will expand their initial write up about these services for distribution within our congregations.

ELCA

Bishop Wells provided an overview of the impact on the ELCA and Synod caused by the passage of the resolutions in August and the general reduction in giving caused by the recession. At the church-wide level, the ECLA budget will be cut by 15.5%; 38 staff will be released and 6 vacant positions will be eliminated. Funding will be moved to the synod level for evangelism, mission and outreach. The Synod budget will also be scaled back, perhaps via salary cuts rather than staff layoffs. Mission programs will continue to receive high priority. Bishop Wells called for congregations to meet their 2009 giving commitments based on budgets that had been approved long before the August vote. Seven congregations held votes to separate from the ELCA; that vote failed at 2 congregations; another 11 to 14 congregations are experiencing considerable stress over the resolutions. He met recently with the pastor and executive committee at RLC to discuss the recent RLC vote to leave the ELCA. When asked whether such a response had been anticipated at the Synod or church-wide level, the answer was, no.

Next meeting: Monday, January 25, 2010, 7 PM at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Kennewick.

The meeting adjourned with a group prayer.

Respectfully,

Rich Barchet

ATTACHMENT:

Pastor Helga Jansons of Kennewick, WA is the new Director for Evangelical Mission in our synod. As the DEM, Pastor Helga is accountable to both the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod and the EOCM (Evangelical Outreach for Congregational Mission) branch of the ELCA. The ELCA funds each synod to employ a DEM as part of our emphasis on being missional. Pastor Helga is also responsible for providing stewardship education and resources to congregations and helping them to find joy in giving.

Pastor Helga is available to congregations and clusters to encourage and guide them in reaching out into the community. She wants to help them discover what God might be up to inside and outside the church. She seeks to connect with lay and ordained people who are concerned about mission and evangelism in a Lutheran style. This includes those who care about people from other ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.

She has been trained as a Mission Developer thanks to the support of the Area Mission Strategy Team - a group of lay people and clergy who meet monthly to look at new ways in which we can expand the Lutheran presence in the Tri-Cities. When she did Mission Survey Work in West Richland and Pasco, she discovered that people in the community are surprisingly receptive to conversations about faith. Recently she served as an interim at Columbia Community Church, Richland, and has worshiped in 30 different churches and learned what attracts young people to church. Her understanding of ministry has been transformed in the past few years and she is convinced that the Lutheran church has a great deal to offer the world.

She will continue to live in Kennewick, WA with her husband Kirk Ruehl who is an ordained Presbyterian chaplain working with hospice at The Chaplaincy, and her sons Erik and Lukas

Area Mission Strategy Team

Monday October 19, 2009

Lord of Life Lutheran Church

Participants: David Baldwin, Pam Baldwin, Pr. Dan Rieke, Dave Watrous (LoL); Rich Barchet, Erv & Lavonne Johnson, Susan Miller, Bill Venema (RLC); Alli Newhouse (KFLC), Jodi Wilson (LCM); Pr. John Hergert (PFLC); Pr. Karen Olson, Linnea Hillesland (LCM); Pr. Helga Jansons.

An agenda was distributed; David Baldwin opened the meeting with prayer at about 7:10 PM.

Updates and Happenings

LoL: this Saturday, 10/24 from 10am-2pm, LoL will host a luncheon and seminar by Pr. Paul Benz, of the Lutheran Public Policy Office of Washington State http://www.lppowa.org/ on public policy and the church:

[from the LPPO website]: Jesus was an advocate for the poor, the sick, the hungry, and the outcast. What should we do? Hear about important legislation that the Lutheran Public Policy Office is working on and how you can participate! Discussions on ELCA Advocacy, Process and Social Policy, Hunger and Poverty in Washington State, Health Care, Worker/Labor Issues Luncheon Speaker: Representative Larry Haler. Rev. Paul Benz has served as the director of LPPO since 2000. A graduate of Seattle Pacific University and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Paul served in congregations in Kentucky and Washington State before coming to LPPO.

Pr. Benz will also deliver the sermon at LOL on 10/25. LOL small group ministries are doing well. Lenore Nanni from the congregation is the new LOL youth leader. A CD is being produced of music by various LoL groups. A December release is planned and proceeds of the sale of the CDs will go to support the Mission Possible ministry. Pr. Dan noted that a petition circulating within the congregation is calling for a reduction by 50% in benevolence giving to the Synod in response to the resolutions passed at the August church-wide Assembly of the ELCA and it will be brought before Council.

KFLC: Pr. Kristen Kuempel is the new Interim Pastor; Pr. Hammer is now in Boise, ID. Alli Newhouse is the new youth program director.

PFLC: Pr John informed us that a summer breakfast program served 30 families. In its 8th year, the shoes for school program provided 500 pairs of shoes to needy kids in the Pasco school district. A baked-potato feed raised funds for a voice-operated computer for a quadriplegic grandson of a member. The Book of Faith Bible study is being offered Wednesday evenings and Thursday mornings. Lutherhaven staff will be leading a youth ministry on the 4th Sunday of each month with activities for pre-middle school youth in the late afternoon and for middle & high school youth in the evening. In response to Lutherhaven’s water supply problem, PFLC contributed $5,000 toward a new well.

LCM: A Thursday Kerygma Bible Study drew in 15 people. On 10/10, the congregation had a carnival day that drew in people from the community. A December bake & crafts sale is being planned to support their community food basket program. A joint celebration of Thanksgiving will be held on 11/21 with the Hispanic congregation that uses its building.

RLC: On October 30, RLC will host a Madrigal Magic Dinner and entertainment. Cost is $25 per person. Proceeds will support RLC’s music ministry. Contact the church to reserve a place. At a special congregational meeting on 10/25, in response to resolutions approved at the August ELCA church-wide assembly, the congregation will take its first vote on a resolution to separate itself from the ELCA.

West Richland Youth/Family Ministry

Although not an item on the agenda, comments were made that the Synod office has yet to begin the process of evaluating the proposals received by the August 4th deadline.

6th Annual Lutheran Advent/Christmas Choir Concert

The concert will be held on Friday, December 11, at 7 PM in Kennewick First Lutheran Church. David Baldwin will lead a massed men’s choir at the event. By unanimous vote, proceeds from the concert will be given to the Teacher’s Salary Fund (or equivalent) at the Tumaini Lutheran Seminary and Secondary School of the Ulanga Kilombero Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. Teachers at the school continue their work even though they are not able to be paid. Erv and Lavon Johnson noted that the Synod sent $20,000 toward construction of a much needed kitchen and dinning area at the school. Construction code compliance has increased the cost of the roof. Poor economic conditions have caused a severe reduction in financial support by German congregations.

Contemporary Youth Worship Service

Inspired by what was experienced at an ELCA youth gathering in New Orleans, Alli Newhouse (of KFLC) and Jodi Wilson (of LCM) described their vision for a totally youth-oriented, contemporary worship service in the Tri-Cities. Open to all Tri-Cities youth, the service would include music, message, prayer, offering, connections, etc. perhaps once a month at the beginning. The service would provide an opportunity for youth to identify, develop, and apply their spiritual gifts and talents. Through full involvement with all aspects of organizing and conducting a worship service, the youth would learn how media, music, public relations, and technology contribute to a service. Adult and capable youth mentors would provide guidance and coaching to the youth leaders and participants. The age group targeted is Junior High (Middle School) and High School youth ages 11-18 years.

Both a strong youth-appealing worship leader and music was seen as keys to the worship experience. While it would be great to find a home-grown band within one of our congregations to lead worship, a professional band may be needed to get the program going. Once established, this band or others could mentor and coach talented youth to join in supporting worship services. Pr. Helga noted that several Tri-Cities congregations have outstanding music programs and bands: Columbia Community Church, Bethel Church, Faith Assembly. These should be contacted to learn how they got started and what it takes to carry out their youth-oriented worship services.

It was also recognized that to be effective, the youth from more than one Lutheran congregation would have to be involved in developing and providing this ministry. To gather such support, the AMST encouraged Alli and Jodi to develop a more detailed plan and proposal for this ministry. Alli and Jodi were also encouraged to contact youth ministers and leaders from all of the Lutheran congregations to solicit their support for such a ministry, and to continue attending future AMST meetings and to use this forum to continue planning this ministry.

Next meeting: Monday, November 23, 7 PM at Lutheran Church of the Master, Pasco.

The meeting adjourned with a group prayer about 8:40 PM.

Respectfully,

Rich Barchet

Area Mission Strategy Team

Thursday,July 23, 2009

Kennewick First Lutheran Church

Participants: David Baldwin, Pr. Dan Rieke, Dave Watrous (LoL); Rich Barchet, Susan Miller, Bill Venema (RLC); Pr. Keith Hammer (KFLC); Pr. Karen Olson, Ken Tesch (LCM); Pr. Helga Jansons.

An agenda was distributed; Pr. Hammer opened the meeting with prayer at about 7:10 PM.

Updates and Happenings

LoL: the LoL Witness Team is tentatively organizing a community (or Lutheran) potluck picnic and concert on 9/19 for the Uganda Orphan’s Choir (5 boys and 5 girls), which will perform at LoL for church services on 9/20. The picnic near the Playground of Dreams in Kennewick will be open to (either the community or other ELCA congregations) and invitations will go out to all Lutheran congregations. The Ugandan kids like to play soccer, so we hope to organize a Uganda-US fun soccer game inviting all our congregations' middle school-aged youth, please prepare to invite your youth, and more picnic detail to come.

[from their website]: The choir of ten children, aged 8-11, are a phenomenal outreach. They sing, play their African drums and dance traditional dances in colorful costumes while they share their personal stories of God’s intervening grace in their lives. Their joy is infectious and promises to widen your appreciation for the needs of AIDS orphans in Uganda as well as demonstrating God’s powerful hand at work there.

It is important to note that the choir is composed of children who are AIDS orphans themselves. This offers an irreplaceable authenticity to their message of hope.

The Ugandan Orphans Choir will be performing at Lord of Life Lutheran church on Sunday, September 20, 2009, at both the 8:30 am and 10:45 am worship services. There are 10 children (4 boys and 6 girls) and 4 sponsors. You can learn more about the choir at: www.childcareworldwide.org/choir.

LoL recently approved a set of Guiding Principles is being used as a focus for worship, sermons, and studies. The FOLKS family camping group will study one each night during its week on the Oregon coast. Six LoL bicyclists, including Pr. Dan, completed the 200 mile Seattle-Portland bicycle ride. On 10/24 LoL will host a seminar by Pr. Paul Benz on public policy and the church ( http://www.lppowa.org/index.html ); details to follow. Pr. Benz will deliver the sermon on 10/25 at LoL.

KFLC: The joint VBS with PFLC, LCM, and LoL was held July 13-17 and successful with ~75 children attending and 30+ staff. No change in status of call process although the Call Committee has been given more pastor profiles to review. On 8/8 from 9 to 11 AM, Bishop Martin Wells will hold an open forum at KFLC on the ELCA human sexuality document that will be acted on at the church-wide assembly later in the month.

LCM: Pr. Karen expressed her delight that the vision emerging from the congregation at LCM is that they called to be hospitable people within their community. She was also pleased that several people feel called to share their faith (telling their faith stories) within the community. Regular meetings between those who have done so and others has created additional interest and commitment to continue the activity. This new neighborhood evangelism program is called the "2 by 2 by 2" program, in which 2 congregation members go out and speak to 2 community folks, meets back within 2 weeks at the church to review the experience, then get 2 more congregation members, then the exapnded group goes out again on a 2 week schedule. LCM is just starting this process.

RLC: On 9/31, the RLC men’s ministry is promoting attendance at Faith Night for the Dust Devils baseball game. VBS is being done every Wednesday evening throughout the summer with a meal followed by Bible study and activities. On 7/31, Pr. Gerry Hickman will retire as visitation pastor and Pr. Bill Vorris will end his role as Interim Associate pastor; a celebration of their ministries will be held 9/26 after the 11 AM service.

GOOD SHEPHERD ENDOWMENT FUND PROPOSALS: Two Good Shepherd Endowment Fund proposal drafts were discussed, in preparation for the Aug 4 deadline date for submittal to the Bishop, as follows:

West Richland Youth/Family Ministry

Copies of the latest draft of Pr. Helga’s proposal for the use of GSELC Endowment Funds were distributed. After some time for the group to look at it, she led us through it in detail. Only the key points made during our discussion are presented here.

Although Pr. Helga will be the lead person, she cannot accomplish her goal without the support of clergy, staff, and laypeople from all of our congregations. Much of her role will be to recruit, train, coordinate, and lead a team that will carry out the ministry to young people being envisioned for the West Richland area. Reference to radio spots should be omitted as this will dilute effort aimed at youth ministry. She was encouraged by the team to further refine her proposal and to have it cover funding for a 2 year period.

Pasco Children Choir

Pr. Karen gave a brief overview of an idea for a Children’s Choir that would focus on performance excellence and draw children 7 to 12 years old from the greater Pasco area. The repertoire of the choir would span a wide range of musical styles with a Christian message. Through the music and the training that went with developing the choir, the children would be exposed to Christian themes and values and develop a love for Jesus. A team at LCM will be hammering out details this coming weekend. The team encourages Pr. Karen to move forward with a proposal for GSELC Endowment Funds.

The August 4th deadline for proposal submission means that drafts of these proposals should be ready for AMST review before August 1 or sooner.

Next meeting: Tuesday, Sept 15, 7 PM at Lord of Life Lutheran Church. No meeting in August.

The meeting adjourned with a group prayer about 8:45 PM.

Respectfully,

Rich Barchet

Area Mission Strategy Team

Thursday June 11, 2009

Richland Lutheran Church

Participants: David Baldwin, Pr. Dan Rieke, Dave Watrous (LoL); Rich Barchet, Susan Miller (RLC); Pr. Keith Hammer (KFLC); Pr. Helga Jansons.

An agenda was distributed; The group had a devotional on Luke 10:1-10 and opened the meeting with prayer. During the devotional it was noted that going out strengthens your faith that God is in control when we are doing Kingdom work. We may be surprised by the hospitality shown to Kingdom workers by the community. A Tony Campolo program was cited as encouraging youth to go out into the community. Could we train our youth to have a gentle passion for reaching out to the community?

Updates and Happenings

LoL: On September 19 the Uganda Orphan’s Choir will perform at LoL. Pr. Dan was encouraged to look into making this a community event at the Playground of Dreams in Kennewick, there was enthusiasm for that idea. LoL’s council recently approved a set of Guiding Principles that will help shape future ministries at LoL.

KFLC: The joint VBS with PFLC, LCM, and LoL will be held July 13-17 ay KFLC. No change in status of call process.

Proposal: Radio Outreach

Pr. Helga brought up the idea for potential for using brief radio messages over non-Christian broadcast stations in the Tri-Cities as an outreach to those with no church affiliation. Detail have not been developed. Giving the message could be rotated among the Lutheran congregations in the Tri-Cities. Still need to define the purpose: invite people to church, give a Gospel message, provide a Christian perspective on current events, address key questions of life, etc. At KONA, 60-second segments go for $240 for 10 spots on Saturday or 5 on Friday. When those spots would air was not known. Contact with the ELCA Communications Department may be a start for further exploration of this mode of outreach.

A consensus was reached that a proposal to the GSELC Endowment fund would be drafted. Pr Helga will further research the details and Pr Dan volunteered to draft the proposal.

Proposal: West Richland Youth/Family Ministry

Pr. Helga reviewed the response of RLC to her draft proposal for mission development activities in West Richland. The RLC has no plan to commit resources to youth ministry in West Richland, nor submit any GSELC Endowment proposal, because of commitments to other ministries already under way. Pr. Helga provided several questions about youth and family ministry that need to be addressed as the details for such a ministry is developed. Many congregations struggle with youth ministry because of a lack of youth within the congregation. What can we offer youth that will attract them to be part of an ongoing ministry? Pr. Helga recounted her effort of find out what youth in her own family found inviting or put-offing about worship. She noted how the Community Church had many programs for youth and how that congregation gave great attention to evaluating the results of those programs: what worked, what didn’t, how to do it better, etc. Perhaps more attention needs to be given to discovering what youth of today would find meaningful in worship and ministry. Pr. Helga noted that because she is not trained in youth ministry she would need help from others with more experience in that area.

Pr. Dan brought us back to the need to make use of Helga’s gifts and this window of opportunity and the idea to refocus the GSELC Endowment proposal on a youth and family ministry in the West Richland area. Can such a ministry succeed without being a part of a specific congregation? Would such a ministry find support from within other area Lutheran congregations? Pr. Dan expressed his willingness for Lord of Life to support such a ministry. What forms could such support take? How will this ministry connect to the Lutheran story or relate to the Lutheran expression of faith? What will be the spiritual context for such a ministry? Pr. Helga was encouraged to develop a draft proposal including salary and other expenses to carry out such a ministry. She was also urged to structure her proposal to follow closely the outline provided in the synod’s call for proposals in response to the GSELC Endowment Fund.

Pr. Helga said she would withdraw her current draft proposal for a West Richland mission and ask the RLC council to provide feedback on a proposal along the lines of a specific focus on youth and family ministry. The August 4th deadline for proposal submission means that a draft needs to be ready for AMST and other review by July 23 or sooner.

Next meeting: Thursday, July 23, 7 PM at Kennewick First Lutheran Church.

Continue to dwell on Luke 10:1-11.

The meeting adjourned with a group prayer about 9:20 PM.

Respectfully,

Rich Barchet

Area Mission Strategy Team

Tuesday May 5, 2009

Lord of Life Lutheran Church

Participants: David Baldwin, Pr. Dan Rieke, Gerry and Maureen Ritter, Vernie Tiwater, Darlene Johnson, Dave Watrous (LoL); Rich Barchet, Bill Venema (RLC); Linnea Hillesland, Pr. Karen Olson, Ken Tesch (LCM); Pr. John Hergert (PFLC); Pr. Keith Hammer (KFLC); Pr. Helga Jansons.

An agenda was distributed; David Baldwin provided a devotional on Luke 10:1-10 and opened the meeting with prayer. We were glad to welcome the LOL Witness Team.

Updates and Happenings

Cluster G: Ken Tesch reported that Tom Vertrees is the new president of the cluster. Dave Watrous is the treasurer. Stephanie Tesch and Mary Kay Hergert serve on the Synod Council. Ken expressed his appreciation for the support he had from all of our congregations during his terms as cluster president.

PFLC: Some 20 new members were recently added to the congregation and their assimilation into the life of the congregation is progressing rapidly. Former music director, Ed Jones, passed away recently.

LoL: Maureen Ritter, Witness Team Chair, described two upcoming projects: the outreach LoL is doing at Campbell Farm near Wapato. A 4-day mission trip is being planned for late spring or early summer. On September 20 the Uganda Orphan’s Choir will perform at LoL at 8:30 and 10:45 services. Contact Maureen Ritter at LOL for more information (see below attached for more information). Pr. Rieke spoke of the work just getting started to create a set of “guiding principles” that will be the basis for congregational decisions.

The Uganda Orphans Choir

Coming to Lord of Life, September 20

The choir of ten children, aged 8-11, are a phenomenal outreach. They sing, play their African drums and dance traditional dances in colorful costumes while they share their personal stories of God’s intervening grace in their lives. Their joy is infectious and promises to widen your appreciation for the needs of AIDS orphans in Uganda as well as demonstrating God’s powerful hand at work there.

It is important to note that the choir is composed of children who are AIDS orphans themselves. This offers an irreplaceable authenticity to their message of hope.

KFLC: No change in status of call process. Recently added 16 new members. The joint VBS with PFLC, LCM, and LoL will be held July 13-17.

LCM: Pr. Olsen reported that Denny Delafield was not doing well. Proceeds from a Rummage Sale, May 15-16, will go toward improving energy efficiency of their building. The Transformational Ministry Team will be surveying the congregation on its vision for the future.

Mission Survey Project

Pr. Helga started a discussion of whether any of our congregations intentionally do what is described in Luke 10:1-11, in our neighborhoods. Discussion followed: Some examples include the neighborhood walks by LCM, Linnea Hillesland notes she has witness opportunities with parents of children in her music classes. Pr Helga asked some discussion questions: How do we share what matters most in our lives with others? Can we say what we truly believe in just a few minutes? What is central to our belief? What do we cling to when life is getting us down? Reaching the unchurched requires having a deliberate approach to sharing our faith with others.

Workshop Planning

Pr. Helga gave us a brief taste of what would be part of her “Being Missional and Reaching Out” workshop that is now scheduled for Saturday, May 30, 9 AM to 1 PM with a light lunch at LOL. A free will offering will be used to cover cost of materials. See item below.

The goal of the workshop would be “To engage leaders in the formation of evangelizing congregations that make disciples of Christ who use their gifts for God’s reign in the Church and in the World” (quote from Ruben Duran and Mary Frances). Congregations need a clear sense of what God is calling them to do. Workshop materials will be drawn from Natural Church Development, Reveal, Book of Faith, and other sources acquired during her mission developer training and information collected during her survey work in west Pasco and West Richland. It will challenge us to act on our faith and develop compelling stories for sharing our faith on our communities. Workshop targets congregational leaders.

Please place the following into your bulletins:

WORKSHOP:

BEING MISSIONAL AND REACHING OUT

Led by Pastor Helga Jansons

Saturday, May 30, 9 AM to 1 PM at Lord of Life

A light lunch will be served covered by free will offering

Most churches have Outreach or Evangelism committees. As Lutheran Christians we want our churches to be "Missional" and to grow because we know we have a lot to offer. So how do we do it? Pastor Helga Jansons has served as an ELCA pastor for 17 years in both New Jersey and Washington. She has been trained as a Mission Developer and has made some discoveries during her Mission Survey work in the Tri-cities, WA. She has also recently served an evangelical church where there are more young people than old, and many new Christians. She is eager to share what she has learned about how to reach out to the community and also what missional leaders are doing to invite people into the church.

Next meeting: Thursday, June 11, 7 PM at Richland Lutheran Church, Richland.

Continue to dwell on Luke 10:1-11.

The meeting adjourned with a group prayer about 8:30 PM.

Respectfully,

Rich Barchet

Call for Proposals

April 4, 2009

Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church

Tri-Cities Area Mission Endowment

In December 2005, Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church established the Tri-Cities Area Mission Endowment (hereafter referred to as the Endowment) as its legacy to the community.

The Endowment instructed the Synod to release part or all of the funds in the Endowment, including any earnings, for the purpose of encouraging new mission that expands the Lutheran presence in the Tri-Cities area. The focus of such new mission is to be to those who are not members of a Christian church. Examples of such expanded mission might include the creation of a new mission congregation or the creation of a community outreach center that provides a gathering place for after-school activities, a health center for a described population, or some kind of a training center for ministry. A formal process for requesting, awarding, and reviewing endowment projects is described below.

We give thanks for the generosity, vision, and missional intentions of

Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Thanks be to God!

Guiding Principles of the Synod*

Jesus: First, Last, and Always

Gratitude; Gratitude

No Fear! Transformation!

Miracles of Hope

Yes! Everybody Come!

Come, Lord Jesus

*See the Appendix to this Call for Proposals

........................................................

Requesting Endowment Funds

A written proposal, submitted to the Synod Office, must contain:

• Name and Address of the proposal sponsor: (The sponsor must be an ELCA congregation, ELCA congregation member, or an ELCA related organization. In addition the sponsor must be from the Tri-Cities area).

• Contact Information: The address, phone number, and e-mail address of the person or persons in the sponsoring congregation/organization that are taking responsibility for carrying out the project and who will serve as the point of contact for the project and its review.

• If the proposal is from an ELCA “related” organization, the nature of the relationship must be described.

• A Statement of Purpose: Describe in detail how the proposed activity will

o Expand the Lutheran presence in the Tri-Cities area

o Be focused toward those who are not part of a Christian congregation.

• In keeping with the values of the Synod expressed in its Guiding Principles, describe how the proposed activity will:

o Reflect the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, the Lord of the Church

o Reflect the gratitude and generosity of those who have a relationship with God through a Lutheran ministry

o Break new ground in creative and transformative methods of ministry

o Provide new possibilities to realize a miraculous hope in individual lives

o Issue a radically open and expansive invitation to faith in Jesus Christ

o Encourage hope in the Kingdom of God for those initiating this ministry and those who are the beneficiaries of this ministry

• Describe what the project intends to accomplish.

• Describe the specific uses of the Grant funds and the total amount requested.

• Describe the expected and measurable outcomes of the project.

• Describe how the proposal involves and is supported by Lutheran churches in the Tri-Cities Area.

The Statement of Purpose and the Description of the Project should be presented in no more than 7 pages of standard 12-point text.

........................................................

Proposal Due Date

All proposals are due to the Synod Office in Spokane, WA within four (4) months of the date of this Call for Proposals. Proposals may be submitted electronically via e-mail to the Synod Office (office@ewaidsynod.org) or be postmarked in the US mail by the closing date.

Reviewing Endowment Proposals

All proposals received by the Synod Office by the closing date will be reviewed by a Task Force established for this purpose. The Task Force shall be comprised of seven members:

• Two members from the Area Ministry Strategy Team of the Tri-Cities area

• One member from the Lower Columbia Basin Cluster, Cluster G

• The Bishop of the Eastern Washington and Idaho Synod

• One member from the Executive Committee of the Synod Council

• One member from the Synod Outreach Committee

• The Synod’s Director of Evangelical Mission or another representative of the Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission unit of the ELCA

The Synod Office shall be responsible for distributing copies either electronically via e-mail or by US Post to the members of the Task Force within two weeks of the close of the Call for Proposals. The list of proposals received will be published in the Cross Connection newsletter and on the Synod web site.

Task Force members shall evaluate each proposal according to:

• The purpose and focus of the Endowment

• Harmony with the Guiding Principles of the Synod

• Its ability to accomplish the objectives set out in the proposal

• The breadth of participation and support by existing Tri-Cities Lutheran ministries.

The Task Force shall convene a meeting, within 2 months of the close of the Call for Proposals, at which Task Force members will share their evaluations, rank the proposals, and decide on a level of funding for each. Grant amounts may range from zero to the full value of the Endowment. As of March 1, 2009, the Endowment totals $186,500. The Task Force may decide to reject all of the proposals if none of the proposals are deemed to satisfy the purpose and focus of the Endowment or the Guiding Principles of the Synod.

........................................................

Awarding Endowment Funds

Funding decisions will be announced to all ELCA congregations in the Lower Columbia cluster and will be publicized through Synod publicity channels. Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church will be acknowledged as the source of the Tri-Cities Area Mission Endowment. The remaining balance of the Endowment, if any, will be announced.

If significant funds remain in the Endowment, the Task Force will release another Call for Proposals and will continue to do so until the Endowment has been fully distributed or until the 6-year limit for the life of the Endowment has expired.

Notification to the proposal sponsor will state the amount and purpose for which the funds are disbursed and will specify the review process that will be followed. A signed acceptance, on the terms and conditions of the Grant, if any, will be required from the proposal sponsors.

Endowment Grant Review Process

The Task Force will craft a review process for each proposal funded. While each review process will be crafted to the unique characteristics of the Grant, at a minimum such processes will include:

• The name of the person or persons to whom the review is assigned. This may be the Task Force.

• A timeline for the review

• Specifics as to the information required during Grant review.

• Standards, if any, for the successful completion of the Grant review process

• Provisions for recovery of unspent Grant funds should the project fail or be abandoned. Any recovered funds will be returned to the Endowment corpus.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Area Mission Strategy Team

Thursday, February 26, 2009

1st Kennewick Lutheran Church

Participants: David Baldwin, Pr. Dan Rieke, Dave Watrous (LoL); Rich Barchet, Pr. Gerry Hickman, Pr. Bill Martens (RLC); Linnea Hillesland, Pr. Karen Olson, Ken Tesch (LCM); Pr. Keith Hammer (KFLC); Pr. John Hergert (PFLC); Pr. Helga Jansons; Bishop Martin Wells (E-WA ID synod); Pr. Joel Ley (Christ Lutheran Church, Walla Walla); Margaret Ley (Chaplain, Tri-Cities Cancer Center).

An agenda was distributed; Bishop Wells opened the meeting with prayer at about 7:05 PM. David Baldwin provided a devotional on Luke 10:1-10. David commented on how few laborers there are. Pr. Helga added that few are willing to actually visit individuals in their homes to bring the good news. Bishop Wells pointed out the power in the words “Peace be to this house.” With peace conferred on it, such a house draws in others.

Updates and Happenings

Cluster G: Ken Tesch asked for nominations for the cluster representative to the Synod Council. Tom Vertrees’ term expires this spring; a lay woman needs to fill the position. Also, Ken’s term as cluster president will come to a close and a new “convener” of the cluster is needed.

Tri-Cities Cancer Center: Margaret Ley told how the expansion of the center will include space for a chapel. Water and light were chosen as the theme for the chapel because these elements speak to healing to the many denominations and faiths that will make use of the chapel. Margaret teaches facilitator training and described having recently had a baptism at the cancer center.

LCM: Pr. Karen was excited to note that many young people and families have been coming to worship and want to join the congregation. A class on parenting with love and logic will be given after Easter.

RLC: Lenten soup suppers and services will be held on Thursdays. The Men’s Ministry group held a successful breakfast last month with 50 men, combining with the Tri Cities Men’s Ministry.

LoL: Pr Dan Rieke described the new emphasis given to developing more small groups, with several new ones formed in January, after 4 months of training for the leaders. Dave Watrous will head the newly revived stewardship team, Dave Baldwin will head the new Go Forth team, and a new vision team is planned for forming. Don’t forget to track Heidi’s Africa blog at http://heidinafrica.wordpress.com.

KFLC: Pr Keith discussed that two candidates have been interviewed and one more interview is scheduled by the call committee to fill their pastoral vacancy.

PFLC: The joint VBS/Day camp between PFLC, LCM, KFLC, and LOL is being planned by an enthusiastic team. The VBS will be held at KFLC 7/13-17. Baptized We Live classes will be conducted during Lent along with lay-led daily devotions.

Christ Lutheran Church (Walla Walla): Pr. Joel said the VBS will be held the week of July 27 and provide the children breakfast and lunch during the week and conclude with a family barbeque. One third of their VBS kids are unchurched, now planning for 100-120 kids this year. Christ Lutheran is also in the process of identifying leaders for new small groups.

Mission Survey Project

Pr. Helga finished her Mission Developer training at a workshop Feb 16-20 in Chicago. She provided handouts that summarized some of the key aspects of the training she received in Chicago as well as her findings from her survey work in the Pasco area. She urged us to study these materials so we can discuss them at our next meeting. In March she will meet with the RLC council to present her findings of her survey work in the West Richland area. Because of the value of these materials, Pr. Helga was asked and agreed to present a Saturday workshop on what she has learned from her mission developer training and survey work. She was encouraged to do this as a cluster event on April 25, 9 AM- 12 noon; Pr. Martens volunteered RLC as a possible location. Lets publicize this well.

GSELC Legacy

Because of the urging received at the last meeting, Rich Barchet developed a rough first draft of a request for proposals (RFP) based on text in the GSELC Legacy Endowment. Bishop Wells provided us with a second draft that is significantly more detailed and complete. This draft was reviewed section by section and many suggestions were offered for further refinement. One key provision was to shorten the response time from 6 months to 4 months. Also, there was a commitment to have the RFP ready for release by the end of March or sooner. Bishop Wells also provided a first draft of a companion document that elaborates on the Guiding Principles of the Synod and would help those responding to the RFP. When the third draft is ready, it will be distributed to us for review before it is released.

We urged advertisement of the RFP and even the coming of the RFP in the Cross Connections newsletter, on the Synod and Cluster web sites, and by our local congregations in their newsletters, web sites and Sunday bulletins.

For Information: School Released-Time Bible Study:

David Baldwin provided information on a program in the Portland area, that many of us are not aware of, that provides Bible classes to elementary school children during what is called “released time.” In Portland it is non-denominational, has about 400 kids involved in about 20 area schools, classes are generally held at near-by churches by volunteers, and by law up to 2 hr of released-time for bible classes per week is allowed. Please review the handout materials or on its web site www.prep4kids.org/welcome/html so we can discuss this at the next meeting.

Next meeting: Tuesday March 24, 2009, 7 PM at Lutheran Church of the Master, Pasco.

Continue to dwell on Luke 10:1-11.

The meeting adjourned with a group prayer about 8:45 PM.

Respectfully,

Rich Barchet

Area Mission Strategy Team

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Lord of Life Lutheran Church

Participants: David Baldwin, Pr. Dan Rieke, Dave Watrous (LoL); Rich Barchet, Pr. Bill Martens, Bill Venema (RLC); Pr. Karen Olson, Ken Tesch (LCM); Pr. Keith Hammer (KFLC); Pr. Helga Jansons.

An agenda was distributed; Pr. Dan opened the meeting with prayer. Rich Barchet provided a devotional on Luke 10:1-10. Rich noted that the disciples were sent out to do Christ’s work in the world, as are we; provision for doing this work will be provided God while the work is in progress; and the disciples (we) will encounter rejection and resistance.

Updates and Happenings

LCM: The Transformational Task Force has restarted meeting weekly and will be using information gathered by Pr. Jansons to define the future direction for the congregation. Pr. Olson noted that the congregation has been reluctant to apply for use of the Good Shepherd legacy funds because no formal process has been put in place by the Synod to handle proposals (more on this below). Phil Reitz gave a stewardship workshop on Jan 3 that connected finances to Scripture.

LOL: Simon Jada, part-time youth coordinator, is beginning to get youth groups going. AIM Heidi Cryer is posting a blog from Tanzania at http://heidinafrica.wordpress.com/. Several new small group ministries are being started in January based on training provided by Heidi prior to her departure for Tanzania. She plans to return home around Easter.

Advent/Christmas Festival: It was a fine evening enjoyed by all and thanks to Susan Miller for the leadership. A total of ~$1400 was raised by donation and all given to LCS.

KFLC: The call committee has received names and is now in the process of reviewing candidates for call. About 80 people attended the Cultural Competency Training provided by Eric Law 12/4. On 12/21 about 38 people attended the Blue Christmas – Longest Night service for people in grief situations during the holidays.

Pr. Helga Jansons: She has been invited to take the second step toward becoming a Mission Developer. The next training session is Feb 16-20 in Chicago. It was M/S/C to recommend to the Synod Office that up to $2,000 of GSELC legacy funds be used to cover her expenses for this training.

Mission Survey Project

Pr. Jansons finished her interim work at Columbia Community Church on 12/31. She now intends to focus on writing up the information gathered during her meetings with people in the west Pasco and West Richland communities and to do additional surveying of community needs in these areas. Helga met with the RLC council in December and will follow up with another visit in February. Meetings with the LCM council are planned.

GSELC Legacy

Because of considerable uncertainty in how the GSELC Legacy funds can be accessed, it was proposed to provide Bishop Wells with a draft outline of an application and review process. The application process would include a description of what the Legacy funds are intended to accomplish, how congregations or individuals may apply for the funds, and a time frame for submitting applications. We would recommend the formation by the Synod Office of a committee (or task force) to review proposals. This committee might include members of the Synod Office and Council, Cluster G, AMST, and former GSELC members. David Baldwin and Rich Barchet will develop the material to send to Bishop Wells.

Next meeting: Thursday, February 26, 2009, 7 PM at Kennewick First Lutheran Church.

Continue to dwell on Luke 10:1-11.

The meeting adjourned with a group prayer about 8:35 PM.

Respectfully,

Rich Barchet