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Dear Beloved Friends,
It’s been heart wrenching to see the recent videos and read the news reports of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza with so many there starving. Our Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe put out a statement recently about both the crisis and our response.
I commend it to you here:
https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2025/07/17/letter-from-presiding-bishop-sean-rowe-on-crisis-in-gaza/
Our response can include both financial contributions to the Anglican Province of Jerusalem (https://www.episcopalchurch.org/good-friday-offering/) and reaching out to our elected officials to work to end the violence, seek the return of all hostages or people imprisoned unjustly, and seek peace. (https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/office-government-relations/resources-for-the-conflict-in-the-holy-land/ ).
In addition to those things, we can pray. Whenever we face traumatic events in our own lives or in the wider world, it can be easy to become overwhelmed by it all. Yet Jesus has promised to be with us through it all. Do not overlook the power of prayer for God to intervene. For aid to get through. For death and destruction to end. For clear voices calling all involved to achieve peace. And for us to see the face of God in every human being.
This is not minor work, but the primary call for us at this time. God’s Spirit still works out in the world. We are invited to join in that work—to be Christ’s hands and feet—and to bathe our desire for justice in our supplications to the Almighty.
Let us not lose heart in doing good and in standing with all those in the Holy Land—Muslim, Jew, and Christian alike—who desire to experience true and lasting peace.
Blessings,
+Phil
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Zimzum Discipleship: Practices for a Christ-Center Life
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Join us on our new three-year discipleship series on zimzum discipleship, of intentionally making space to live as a faithful apprentice of Jesus. The second lesson on The Transformational Power of Story is now available on the home for our Zimzum discipleship series, where you can also find resources, community, and more at the link below!
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2025-2026 College for Congregational Development Saturday 6x1s
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Third Saturdays Beginning in September
Registration for The College for Congregational Development Saturday Sessions is now open! We will be meeting on the third Saturday of every month starting in September and wrapping up in February 2026. If you have any questions please reach out to Matt Koski, mkoski@ecww.org.
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Convention 2025 Nominations
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Diocesan Convetion 2025 is coming up October 25! Open leadership positions are Diocesan Council – Evergreen, Rainier, Mt. Baker, and At-large (looking for lay and clergy candidates); Standing Committee – 1 Clergy and 1 Lay; Commission on Ministry – 2 Clergy and 2 Lay; and General Convention – 4 deputies and 4 alternates in each order (clergy and lay). Nomination forms are linked below!
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2025 Season of Creation Resources & Events in the Diocese of Olympia
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From September 1, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, to October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Christians all over the globe celebrate the Season of Creation (SoC). This year’s theme is Peace With Creation.
Congregations are invited to engage with the Season of Creation in their worship, formation, and community action.
Read more at the link below!
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Summer in the Diocese of Olympia: Horses, Music, Sailing & More!
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Are you looking for summer programs for children or teens? Check out our listing of the Vacation Bible Schools, day camps, and overnight camps being offered by the Episcopal Church, all over Western Washington, from June through August.
These high-value, low-cost options (all provide scholarships where requested), are offered by the Diocese of Olympia community. Please share this information with the children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews in your life.
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St. Luke’s, Seattle Is Raising the Roof With Your Help!
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St. Luke’s, Seattle reached an important milestone in their building project! Read more about the January 30 Topping Off Ceremony, their new affordable family housing units, and learn how you can be part of Building a Place Where Love Dwells!
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Supporting Those Affected by the Texas Hill Country Flooding
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Follow the link below for resources to help inform your congregation about ways to support Episcopal Relief & Development’s Texas Hill Country Flooding Response.
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Mother Mild or Radical Revolutionary? Mary in Anglican Spirituality
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August 13 & 20, 7:00 pm | Online
Join Fr. Samuel Torvend, Priest Associate for Adult Formation at St. Paul’s Seattle, for these two Zoom gatherings on the significant role of Mary in Anglican spirituality. To register for the conversation, send an email to Fr Torvend at torvensa@plu.edu with MARY in the subject line. Registrations must be received no later than Sunday, August 10.
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Live-Streaming Services
Across the Diocese
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As more of our churches have moved to live-streaming their services, we’ve created a directory of our churches with services times and links to where you can join for Sunday morning and weekday prayer.
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Compline, Sung by The Compline Choir
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Sundays, 9:30 pm | Saint Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle
Sung prayers for the close of the day, offered every Sunday at 9:30 pm in person and via live-stream.
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Stay & Work at Sacred Waters Center
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Through September | Sacred Waters Center, Union
Come, Stay & Work at Sacred Waters
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A Holy Waste of Time Retreat
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August 15 – 17 | Sacred Waters Center, Union
Our annual time-wasting retreat is a favorite for people in their 20s & 30s. Join us at the Sacred Waters retreat center (formerly St. Andrew’s House), for a summer weekend right on the Puget Sound, with kayaking, paddleboarding, great food, friendship and faith.
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Diocesan Youth Sailing Trip: 2025
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August 27-30 | Puget Sound | $250 Registration
Come sail with us aboard the Adventuress!
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Contemplative Worship in the Spirit of Taizé
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First Sunday of the Month, 5:00 pm | St. Andrew’s, Seattle
Join St. Andrew’s, Seattle for contemplative worship in the spirit of Taizé.
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Sundays, 5:30 pm | Epiphany, Seattle
Join Epiphany, Seattle every Sunday at 5:30 pm for Choral Evensong, followed by a reception.
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August 8, 7:30 pm | St. Margaret’s, Bellevue
A free concert of original folk music by The Deneckes with imaginative lyrics directly inspired by scripture.
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August 10, 2:00 pm | St. Hilda – St. Patrick’s, Edmonds
A free community cook out hosted by St. Hilda St. Patrick and All Saints-Goshen, Edmonds open to neighbors near and far.
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Katherine Graybuck’s Sending Celebration
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August 10, 4:30 pm | Church of the Apostles, Seattle
Come help us celebrate a leader in our community who had a big impact!
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2025 TENS Pledge Campaign Materials Ready to Use TODAY!
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Did you ever have news that was so exciting that you could not wait to share it with others? The Good News that fills our spirits with joy is about the radical abundance, abiding love, and healing power that Jesus shares with us when we respond to his call to follow him. All of the gifts that we have been given are ready to burst forth to serve our neighbors and share our love with a world in need
The Diocese of Olympia’s annual membership in TENS (The Episcopal Network for Stewardship) means every congregation in the Diocese has full and FREE access to their 2025 pledge campaign resources. 2025 password is Luke1:46 (no spaces, case sensitive).
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St. Paul’s Holy Land Pilgrimage 2025
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November 3-17
November travel plans are on hold until late August as we hope and pray for peace and safety.
Join us for an in depth and on site look at the places Jesus lived and taught, along with cultural visits to hear speakers at a Palestinian Refugee Camp, a Jewish Settlement and more.
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2026 Camino Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
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September 24-October 6, October 6-16, 2026 | Porto, Portugal | $3,295 – 3,795 Registration
Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Spain on the Portuguese Camino, September 24-October 4 and October 6-16, 2026.
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Reimagining Preaching in the Pacific Northwest: A Research Project
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Do you know a congregation or preacher in the region that is reimagining ways to engage scripture? We want to know about them! Our search is two-fold:
- Faith communities that embody “text, soul, and culture” and/or use innovative formats for scriptural engagement in community.
- Preachers in traditional formats (a single speaker behind a pulpit) who exemplify best practices of preaching in post-Christendom contexts.
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Indigenous Artist-in-Residence Program
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Late Summer/Early Fall 2025 | Holden Village, Lake Chelan
This program is a two- to four-week self-guided on-site residency at Holden Village located in the valley of the North Cascade Mountains for Indigenous artists working in a variety of mediums. The program blends opportunities for independent creative work in a private studio space with engagement with the Village community. The application period is open now and will close on May 15 for residencies in late summer & early fall of 2025. Learn more at the link below.
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Adult Mental Health First Aid Training
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Luther’s Table, Renton | August 16, 10:30 am
Adult Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges so you can support people who are struggling.
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The Diocese of Olympia takes its responsibility for the safety of its people seriously. The Safe Church, Safe Communities training program is now online and teaches how to identify and prevent abuse within the church community. This training is required for all canonically resident and licensed clergy and for non-clergy who have a key to the church facility, including, but not limited to: vestry and bishop’s committee members; church staff; Eucharistic ministers/visitors; and anyone who works with minors in any capacity. Any other interested parishioners are encouraged to take this free training. Certification is valid for three years and then a renewal is required. If you have any questions, please reach out to: safechurch@ecww.org.
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Resurrection, Bellevue has four church kneelers, with wood frame and light blue upholstery, that are looking for a new home. Donation or free!
If interested, please contact Church of the Resurrection administration office at info@cotr.bellevue.org or 425-746-0322.
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The following job opportunities are now open at churches and organizations across Western Washington.
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Diocese of Olympia | 1551 10th Ave E | Seattle, WA 98102 US
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