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Creator Lutheran’s Blackberry Problem and Community Solution

October, 2026Creator Lutheran’s Blackberry Patch Becomes A Living Classroom For Community And Care For years, the back corner of Creator Lutheran Church’s property in Bonney Lake was a mystery. Thick blackberry brambles walled off a full third of the land. People joked that no one really knew what was back there. It was overgrown, hard to maintain, and at times unsafe.“We had no idea what was behind these blackberries or how far the corner of the property went,” recalls Pastor Amanda Olson de Castillo. “It was just fallow land, and honestly, an eyesore.”Creator sits in a wooded area of unincorporated Pierce […]

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Good Training on Avoiding Scams/Phishing

A congregant’s daughter, who works in technology and data management, wrote the following. It’s a great resource for learning more. Knowledge is your first and best tool in avoiding scams and phishing. She says…”Each year I have to complete updated cyber security training for Big Bend, which got me thinking about finding some legitimate training I could share with you. Googling “cybersecurity training” is a great way to end up on dangerous sites, so here are some vetted options. Please feel free to share with other active tech users who are retired and don’t get assigned training regularly. Digital Learn courses, developed and provided by the […]

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All Together in One Place: A Message from the ELCA Presiding Bishop

Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry issues his third in a series of monthly messages that continue through the end of this year, titled “All Together in One Place.”  Each message will share a pastoral word, rooted in Scripture, that witnesses to God’s presence today, our rich theological tradition and the social teaching that connects us.Choosing Reconciliation Over Division in a Multifaith AmericaDear church,From its earliest days, the United States has been shaped by religious diversity. Indigenous peoples sustained diverse spiritual and religious traditions long before the nation’s founding, and successive waves of settlers, including Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and others, […]

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Expanding Our Welcome – March 2026

March 2026 EditionThe Synod’s RIC Work Team seeks to cultivate a culture of hospitality toward LGBTQIA2+ people and remove barriers to full participation in the life and ministry of the Southwestern Washington Synod.A Newsletter from the Reconciling in Christ Work Team of the Southwestern Washington Synod Careful how you come to Scripture – is it for love, or for love of power?March finds some of us under feet of snow and others welcoming blankets of wildflowers. Spring also brings Women’s History Month and the complicated past and reality surrounding 50% of the world’s population. For the most part, women continue to […]

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Online Palm Sunday Vigil w/ Episcopal Presiding Bishop

Online Palm Sunday Vigil w/ Episcopal Presiding Bishop

View this email in your browser Join ‘Lift Up Your Hearts: A Palm Sunday Vigil’   March 29, 2026 5 p.m. Pacific time (8pm EST) REGISTER Join Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe for an online vigil the evening of Palm Sunday to pray for the continued conversion of our hearts and for God’s blessing on our witness during Holy Week. The service will include a reflection from Bishop Rowe, special music, and readings by Episcopalians from all nine provinces of the church. “I believe that as we Episcopalians turn, as we fast and pray for the conversion of our hearts, we can […]

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2026 Congregational Leadership Conference (Dio Olympia)

The Communications Office of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia Unsubscribe 2:01 PM (6 hours ago)     to me      View as Webpage    February 17, 20262026 Congregational Leadership ConferenceJoin other clergy and congregational leaders for the Congregation Leadership Conference – a combination of plenary sessions and breakout workshops. A schedule and the list of workshops will be posted soon.This day-long workshop is open to wardens, treasurers, and clergy in charge of congregations; other vestry/bishop’s committee members would be welcome as well. It will be facilitated by members of diocesan staff and leadership and will provide an opportunity to network and identify affinity groups to continue to […]

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From Church Next: “Christian Witness in the Age of Trump”

[This is a repost from The Church Next blog, May 19, 2025. ]Christian Witness in the Age of TrumpPosted on May 19, 2025 by chrisyawWe are delighted to hear from former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry as he leads our newest course, Christian Witness in the Age of Trump: Staying Faithful in Politically Charged Times. Bishop Curry explores how Christian faith, scripture, and tradition call believers to engage social and political issues through a moral and compassionate lens. Emphasizing figures like Desmond Tutu and biblical narratives such as Exodus, he highlights the consistent theme of liberation and justice. Rather than promoting partisanship, […]

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Bishop Skelton Calls a Fast Day. Plus Resources and Prayers for Peace in the Holy Land

From Bishop Skelton

From Bishop Skelton Resources and Prayers for Peace in the Holy Land October 16, 2023 Greetings, People of the Diocese of Olympia, Like me, you have probably been watching and listening in horror as the events in Israel and Gaza continue to unfold. The stories coming out of Israel are both heartbreaking and traumatizing to us, but especially to Jewish communities around the world that fear anew for their safety and future. At the same time, the scenes emerging from Gaza of innocent civilians attempting to flee or unable to flee are unbearable. In the midst of all of this, I […]

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Fwd: From Bishop Skelton: Visit from Bishop Ernie Moral of the Episcopal Diocese of the Southern Philippines

Fwd: From Bishop Skelton: Visit from Bishop Ernie Moral of the Episcopal Diocese of the Southern Philippines

  From Bishop Skelton Visit from Bishop Ernie Moral of the Episcopal Diocese of the Southern Philippines September 21, 2023 Greetings, People of the Diocese of Olympia,   The Diocese of Olympia is delighted to welcome Bishop Ernie Moral, his wife Mrs. Shirmen Moral, and Mr. Gideon Bustamante, the Regional Development Officer at Episcopal CARE Foundation Inc. Bishop Moral, the Bishop of the Diocese of the Southern Philippines (EDSP), and his party will visit us for two weeks in late September and early October, primarily focusing on Creation Care learning exchange and potentially expanding our partnership. Bishop Moral will also […]

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Across the Diocese – August 11, 2023

Across the Diocese Ordinary Time 2023

View as Webpage August 11, 2023         Holy Cow Survey and Holy Conversation Updates Three weeks left to respond to the Holy Cow Survey! We are inviting all clergy and lay members in the diocese to provide us with your input. Take the survey, today! Help us reach our goal of hearing from all of you! And if you have yet to participate in a Holy Conversation, please see the list of locations remaining and select one that is most convenient for you. We don’t want you to miss out on the opportunity to provide us your […]

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“What’s Your Joy?”: A Sabbatical Journey

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What is joy?   What is your joy?     Where does it comer from?         How do you know it when you see it?           How can you live a life filled with joy regardless of circumstances?  While I’m away on Sabbatical (May 1st – July 31st of 2023), I’m inviting our community to explore Joy. I’m suggesting we do this together, while we’re apart, and that we will share our discoveries when we’re reunited in August. Here are a couple of suggestions on how we will do this together:

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We give thanks… for you.

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Dear St. Christopher’s Friends, Members, and Supporters, At St. Christopher’s we have much to be thankful for… there have been physical additions to our facilities like the new flooring downstairs or the gazebo and the new playground equipment outside. We’ve had marvelous programs and events the Thanksgiving potluck, Evensong, and new book studies. And there are signs of recovery from the Pandemic all over.   But we are most grateful for God’s work in and through you. So many of you give of your time and talent and treasure. You come to worship. You pray for this community. You share […]

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Bishop’s News – Special Edition: A Message from Bishop Rickel to the People of the Diocese of Olympia

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A Message from Bishop Rickel July 15, 2022 Bishop Rickel reflects on his time as Bishop of Olympia and shares plans for the future. Video Transcript A Letter from the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Olympia Dear friends, Rest assured that the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Olympia was informed of Bishop Rickel’s decision in advance of this announcement and already are proactively responding. The Standing Committee met with Bishop Todd Ousley of the Presiding Bishop’s Office of Pastoral Development to discuss best practices for transition in the Office of the Bishop. Our immediate goal is to reassure […]

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Bishop’s News – Special Edition: Bishop Rickel’s Statement on the HBCU Bomb Threats

Bishop’s News – Special Edition: Bishop Rickel’s Statement on the HBCU Bomb Threats

Bishop Rickel’s Statement on the HBCU Bomb Threats February 2, 2022 Dear Ones, As many of you are well aware by now, yesterday, on the first of February and the first day of Black History Month, several of our historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were terrorized with bomb threats. Sadly, this incarnates the reality that we still have a long collective way to go to reach Beloved Community and that any notion that we can now stop talking, working, and struggling toward it is an illusion. I want to say first how sorry I am to our African-American and Black […]

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Advent Calendar – daily text devotional for you.

Advent-Calendar

Receive daily text devotions by subscribing to our text message Advent Calendar. Simply text ADVENTCAL to 360.810.3292 to join. Text STOP ADVENTCAL to stop receiving messages. Text MENU or HELP for options. A ministry of St. Christopher’s Community Church, Olympia.

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Across the Diocese: New Youth Ministry Coordinator | Mental Health Awareness Month | Young Adult Stories of Quarantine

Across the Diocese Easter Banner

  View as Webpage May 22, 2020 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ A Note from Communications Office Dear community of the Diocese of Olympia, While we continue to navigate the uncertainty and ever-evolving situation of this current health crisis, our weekly diocesan newsletter, Across the Diocese, will remain slightly truncated and be focused on sharing out resources, important information, points of connection between our worshiping communities, and virtual events for the benefit of the entire diocese. Blessings, Josh Hornbeck Canon Missioner for Communications One Diocese, One Church, One Day to Worship Together June 7, 11:00am Join us for an all-diocese worship […]

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