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Notes and thoughts from Eastern WA-ID Synod Assembly
April 22-25, 2010, Boise, ID
by Elaine Queener
(Elaine has given permission for members of the Synod to reprint and use this article. In keeping with the Synod's Policy on Copyright Infringement and Plagiarism, please be sure to list Elaine as the author.)
Thursday, April 22: I flew from Spokane to Boise, approximately 50 minutes, but arrived two hours later than departure (Boise on mountain time!). Passengers were about 50% Lutherans, including both Cathy Steiner and Laurel Eschenbacher from the Synod Office, and many members of Synod Council.
First session of Synod Council began immediately after lunch and continued until approximately 5:30 P.M. after which we enjoyed a tasty dinner with assembly planners and spouses. The evening concluded with Holden Evening Prayer.
Friday, April 23: Second and last Synod Council session commenced right after breakfast Friday morning, opened with devotions by Pastor Eric Olsen from Luther Heights, the “Lutherhaven” of southern Idaho.
Council business wrapped up with the usual Task List for Synod Council Members, including sharing news of our synod and of the ELCA:
1. Susan Berg, vice president of the synod and leader of the Synod Council along with Bishop Wells, will soon move to Bothell, WA, where her husband Tor has accepted a call. Susan has been an invaluable member of the synod council, of Trinity Lutheran in Pullman where she has served as youth director, and of the body of Christ in so many other ways. Her quick mind and ready wit have enlivened not only Synod Council meetings, but also assembly sessions as well.
2. Our synod staff, including Laurel Eschenbacher and Cathy Steiner, took 5-10% cuts in salary due to the present economy and decreased donations to the synod by some congregations.
3. All of our seminaries are in jeopardy due to the economy. If you have supported a seminary in the past, now would be a good time to continue that support.
4. The ELCA wishes everyone to be participatory; do you have a complaint? a compliment? a concern? Do you wonder where the church is going? what is in the future for the ELCA and for Lutherans? TUNE IN! Read The Lutheran, browse the ELCA website, and more importantly, access a computer and go to http://liftelca.org/, or LIFT: Living Into the Future Together. Find out what LIFT is all about, and give your input (“complain on line!”).
5. There are three expressions of our church, all intent on doing God’s work: the congregation, the synod, and the ELCA. It is an interdependent ministry—the church together. We have 10,000 congregations made up of 4.7 million members.
Thoughts from our speaker, Mark Allan Powell, on The Presence of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew:
Through representative verses from the book of Matthew (chapter 10:40, chapter 18:5, chapter 18:20, chapter 25:40, chapter 26:26, chapter 28:20) Dr. Powell pointed out Jesus’ promise to be with his followers in various ways. Some quotes from this speech:
1. “The church is not a community of the like minded. If it were, we wouldn’t need the Holy Spirit in order to get along.”
2. “The mission of the church is to love Christ. Everything else is just strategy.”
3. “Sheep must be fed by someone who loves Christ.”
4. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Christ were here with us in person so we could ask him all the questions we have! But then, He’d probably just answer with a parable…
Conversely, Dr. Powell spoke of The Absence of Jesus: A Surprisingly Prominent Biblical Theme:
1. “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.” (Mark 2:20)
2. “You always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me” (Matthew 26:6-11)
There is a dynamic tension between promises of absence and promises of presence.
1. Yes, “Jesus says, ‘I will be with you always’” (Matthew 28:20),
2. but not with us as he once was—“Jesus says, You will not always have me with you’” (Matthew 26:11)
3. OR WILL BE AGAIN.
Biblical texts speak of time with Christ in terms of remembrance and anticipation:
1. “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:26),
2. “Now we see through a mirror dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12),
3. “I am hard pressed…my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Philippians 1:23).
And Dr. Powell stressed that Jesus is Coming Soon!
A multitude of Biblical texts encourage this belief, among them Romans 13:11-12; 1 Corinthians 7:29; 1 Peter 4:7; James 5:8; Revelation 22:7. Some points he made include:
1. The expectation that Jesus will return in his own lifetime;
2. Arousing the expectation of Jesus’ return allows the Bible to do as it was intended;
3. “Being a Christian feels like being in love with someone who is about to come back.”
For more on these thoughts, see Dr. Powell’s book, Loving Jesus. He is not shy in proclaiming his love for Jesus and that he has always been a “Jesus nut.”
There was the business of the five resolutions, very briefly stated here. I’d suggest that you see the entire resolutions posted on the Troy Lutheran bulletin board, or on the web at http://www.ewaidsynod.org/2010synodassembly/resolutions.html:
1. Resolution on Faith and Science was approved, 183 yes votes, 47 no votes. This resolution recommends, among other things, the preservation of “the integrity of the science curriculum by affirming the teaching of the theory of evolution…”
2. Resolution on Term Limits for the Office of Bishop, a resolution that has come up twice befoore at synod assemblies. It was passed with 167 yes votes, 65 no votes, to delete the bylaw of the Synod Constitution which limits the bishop to two terms (12 years in office).
3. Resolution three, a Memorial to Rescind Actions on ELCA Ministry Policies, was defeated, 74 yes votes and 156 no votes. This memorial sought to effect the rescinding of the action last year that allows homosexual persons in a committed relationship to serve as pastors.
4. Resolution four, Memorial to Remove the ELCA Social Statement: “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust” was also defeated, 55 yes votes and 167 no votes.
5. Resolution five, Resolution to Disallow Nominations for the Office of Bishop from the Floor of the Synod Assembly, was referred back to the Synod Council for further study and discussion.
It should be noted that Bishop Martin Wells who serves our Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod will complete his second term next year. An election for bishop will be held at the 2011 assembly.
The assembly also included continual fellowship, interesting and informative workshops, good food, and lots of coffee. I find it edifying and fun to connect with folks from other areas, have a chance to meet new people, and especially participate in the wonderful worship services. It is always a treat to hear Bishop Wells preach, to sing Holden Evening Prayer with an assembly of 300 people, and to commune with so many other Christian folks.
I was captivated by the young woman signing for the hard-of-hearing delegates. Watching her was like watching a dance, and made the scripture lessons more meaningful because of the signs for many often-used words.
If you have never been a delegate to Synod Assembly, or never attended, I strongly encourage you to have the experience. You will be a part of the church in action, learn many things about the church beyond your community, do some church work, and meet other good folks with the same concerns, hopes and dreams as yours.
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