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Episcopal Presiding Bishop’s Christmas Letter (2025)

View this email in your browserForward this email to a friendNote: The following information is presented in English and Spanish.Aviso: La siguiente información se presenta en inglés y en español.Christmas message from Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Sean RoweThe Nativity and the Adoration of the Magi, Greek Orthodox icon, circa 17th century. / El nacimiento y la adoración de los Reyes Magos, icono ortodoxo griego, circa siglo XVII.Dear people of God in The Episcopal Church, If you imagine yourself as a character in the Gospel Nativity readings, you’ll soon realize that the first Christmas was not about staying home by a warm […]

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Flooding Across Western Washington: Impact and Donations (2025)

     December 11, 2025Flooding Across Western Washington: Impact and DonationsDear Friends across the Diocese,I am certain you have been very much aware of the catastrophic flooding happening here in Western Washington. I have been in contact with Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) who is eager to assist needs that may emerge in our Diocese.First, know that my prayers are with those who’ve been impacted, and I encourage you to offer your own prayers as well.Second, we have developed a form in conjunction with ERD to assess the need for assistance. If you, your congregation, or others in your community […]

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The Beacon Newsletter 12/19/2025

THE BEACON WEEKLY Christmas Eve Services:5pm & 7pmPoinsettias for Christmas:  https://bit.ly/STCFLOWERS. Articles this issue…..  Across the Diocese: December 18, 2025Moments 4 Mission December 2025 This Week at St. Christopher’s…Week of December 15thMonday (12/15/2025)   Pastoral Care Coordinators Meeting – 12:00 pm  Mitford Reading Group Series – 1:30 pm  Brotherhood of St. Andrew Meeting – 6:30 pm    Tuesday (12/16/2025)   Faithful Living – 6:15 am  Centering Prayer – 8:00 pm      Wednesday (12/17/2025) – O’Sapientia  Worship Band – 11:00 am  Widows/Widowers Support Group – 1:30 pm  Hot Meals Outreach – 4:00 pm  Blue Christmas – 7:00 pm                               Thursday (12/18/2025)   AA Meeting – 6:00 pm           […]

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Across the Diocese: December 18, 2025

View as Webpage    December 18, 2025″As I look at the Family Center and what’s been achieved by the staff and volunteers, the families themselves, and the church, I think of it as a miracle across the parking lot.”St. James, Cathlamet is celebrating 40 years of running the St. James Family Center! Learn more about the impact this small and faithful congregation has had in their community!As floodwaters surged through the Pacific Northwest last week, the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia became one of the first organizations to mobilize disaster relief — applying for early grants and opening assistance to anyone […]

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Moments 4 Mission December 2025

  A Monthly Newsletter of the Southwestern Washington Synod – ELCADecember 2025  Synod StaffFind Synod Staff Contact Information HERESynod EventsFind Upcoming Events HERETransitionsFind Congregations in Transition HEREOn The Road With the Staff ArchiveFind out what our staff has been doing throughout the year HERE Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2026 from your Southwestern Washington Synod Office!In This Month’s Edition:A Word from Bishop Keith MarshallA Word from Bishop Associate Michelle de BeauchampA Word from DEM Joey AgerA Word from Associate DEM Melissa Anderson TrustA Word from Synod Administrator Stefanie DeZarnOn the Road with the StaffMinistry Voices “In the Spotlight” – Ministers in […]

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SW WA Synod eNews – December 10, 2025

 December 10, 2025  Synod ResourcesAdministration, Compensation Guidelines, Constitutions, Financial, Personnel Policies, Pulpit Supply, Immigration, TransitionLatest Letters and Press Releases from the Synod and ChurchwideDownload new 2026 Compensation Guidelines HERE!ELCA World Hunger Advent Resources (Advent study guide and resources for your community to bring warmth, welcome, and hope to your home, your neighborhood, and the world, including “Stocking the Streets” bags for our unhoused neighbors)Upcoming Eventslinks to event info embedded if applicableDecember 10Advent Eucharist @ Gloria Dei, Kelso – 10am-1pmDecember 11Advent Eucharist @ Our Saviour’s, Bremerton – 10am-1pmJanuary 26-28Byberg Preaching Workshop, Seaside ORFebruary 20-22Ignite! Synod Youth Retreat @ Camp Arnold EatonvilleApril 24-25PSALM […]

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Across the Diocese: December 4, 2025

   December 4, 2025Dear Friends,Welcome to an updated “Across the Diocese” newsletter. We’ve updated the look and feel, the included content, and the frequency of these emails in a desire to both increase important communication with you while also streamlining what we send in order to make these emails more engaging and informative. I hope you’ll take the time to read through and check out this new format.We’re in the midst of Advent and also “the holiday season.” More and more companies have created Advent Calendar offerings—running December 1-24, which rarely aligns with the Church Calendar for Advent. Their desire […]

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Bishop LaBelle’s Advent Message (2025)

      Sharable Link”Wake up, that’s one of those calls that we hear during Advent, right? Wake up from all that is going on around us, wake up from the droning of our culture that says it’s all about things and not about relationships. This season of Advent gives us an opportunity to wake up and realize that Jesus is coming once again to help us prepare room in our own hearts, in our souls, for the Christ child to be born.”Bishop LaBelle shares his reflections as we begin this season of Advent.Diocese of Olympia | 1551 10th Ave E | Seattle, […]

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Across the Diocese: November 21, 2025

View as WebpageNovember 21, 2025    Announcing Newsletter Changes for Across the Diocese and Clergy News and UpdatesBeginning with the first week of Advent, both Across the Diocese and our clergy newsletter will move to a twice-monthly release schedule in alternating weeks so that we can focus on sending out more stories from across the Diocese, reflections from Bishop LaBelle and the canons on staff at the Office of the Bishop, and ensuring that the newsletters we do send out are filled with essential information and don’t simply repeat the same content each week.We will no longer include recurring events, […]

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SW WA Synod eNews – November 19, 2025

 November 19, 2025  Synod ResourcesAdministration, Compensation Guidelines, Constitutions, Financial, Personnel Policies, Pulpit Supply, Immigration, TransitionLatest Letters and Press Releases from the Synod and ChurchwideDownload new 2026 Compensation Guidelines HERE!ELCA World Hunger Advent Resources (Advent study guide and resources for your community to bring warmth, welcome, and hope to your home, your neighborhood, and the world, including “Stocking the Streets” bags for our unhoused neighbors)ATTENTION!!! New Phone Number!!!Please note that the Synod Office has a new phone number!! We’ve made the switch to a VOIP phone system to better accommodate remote working possibilities and weren’t able to switch over the existing number.Please […]

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Across the Diocese: November 14, 2025

View as WebpageNovember 14, 2025    Following the Way of Jesus: Bishop LaBelle’s Convention Address and the 2025 Bishop Cross AwardsThe 115th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia may be over, but you can still review all of the great work accomplished at this year’s Convention by watching our Convention recording. We’ve also made Bishop LaBelle’s Convention Address and the 2025 Bishop’s Cross Awards available as stand-alone videos!Watch these and more by following the link below!MORE INFOZimzum Discipleship: Practices for a Christ-Centered LifeJoin us on our new three-year discipleship series on Zimzum Discipleship, of intentionally making space to live […]

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Wellness Compass: “Beyond Thank You: Four Insights About Gratitude from an Unexpected Vista,” November 21, 2025

   Holly Hughes Stoner, LMFTScott Stoner, LMFTNovember 21, 2025Beyond Thank You: Four Insights About Gratitude from an Unexpected VistaThe two of us went on a hike the other day. It was a beautiful late Wisconsin fall day. We had chosen a large state protected area we’d never explored before, and as we switchbacked up a ridge, we had no idea we were about to experience gratitude in its truest form.Turned around at the top, we were overwhelmed with the unexpected view we now had looking out over the Wisconsin River. The sun was hitting the river at just the perfect angle […]

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Across the Diocese: November 7, 2025

View as WebpageNovember 7, 2025    Following the Way of Jesus: Bishop LaBelle’s Convention Address and the 2025 Bishop Cross AwardsThe 115th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia may be over, but you can still review all of the great work accomplished at this year’s Convention by watching our Convention recording. We’ve also made Bishop LaBelle’s Convention Address and the 2025 Bishop’s Cross Awards available as stand-alone videos!Watch these and more by following the link below!MORE INFOZimzum Discipleship: Practices for a Christ-Centered LifeJoin us on our new three-year discipleship series on Zimzum Discipleship, of intentionally making space to live […]

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Synod eNews – November 12, 2025

 November 12, 2025  Synod ResourcesAdministration, Compensation Guidelines, Constitutions, Financial, Personnel Policies, Pulpit Supply, Immigration, TransitionLatest Letters and Press Releases from the Synod and ChurchwideDownload new 2026 Compensation Guidelines HERE!ELCA World Hunger Advent Resources (Advent study guide and resources for your community to bring warmth, welcome, and hope to your home, your neighborhood, and the world, including “Stocking the Streets” bags for our unhoused neighbors)ATTENTION!!! New Phone Number!!!Please note that the Synod Office has a new phone number!! We’ve made the switch to a VOIP phone system to better accommodate remote working possibilities and weren’t able to switch over the existing number.Please […]

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Across the Diocese – Oct 17, 2025

View as WebpageOctober 17, 2025    Following the Way of Jesus: The 115th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of OlympiaOctober 25 | Regional sites: St. Paul’s, Bellingham; St. Thomas, Medina; St. Mary’s, Lakewood; St. Stephen’s, Longview; St. Antony’s of Egypt, Silverdale“Our theme this year for Diocesan Convention is ‘Following the Way of Jesus.’ It’s a reminder of us as disciples that as we choose to follow Jesus, it’s as if we’re walking along a path. As we come closer to doing what he is calling us to do, we learn that that journey is one that takes time and engagement […]

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Across the Diocese – Oct. 10, 2025

View as WebpageOctober 10, 2025    Following the Way of Jesus: The 115th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of OlympiaOctober 25 | Regional sites: St. Paul’s, Bellingham; St. Thomas, Medina; St. Mary’s, Lakewood; St. Stephen’s, Longview; St. Antony’s of Egypt, Silverdale“Our theme this year for Diocesan Convention is ‘Following the Way of Jesus.’ It’s a reminder of us as disciples that as we choose to follow Jesus, it’s as if we’re walking along a path. As we come closer to doing what he is calling us to do, we learn that that journey is one that takes time and engagement […]

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Moments 4 Mission Synod Newsletter – Oct. 2025

  A Monthly Newsletter of the Southwestern Washington Synod – ELCAOctober 2025  Synod StaffFind Synod Staff Contact Information HERESynod EventsFind Upcoming Events HERETransitionsFind Congregations in Transition HEREOn The Road With the Staff ArchiveFind out what our staff has been doing throughout the year HEREIn This Month’s Edition:A Word from Bishop Keith MarshallA Word from Pastor Michelle de BeauchampOn the Road with the StaffStorytelling – An Update from Living Stones Prison CongregationMinistry Voices – Bishops Visit from Namibia and Angola – by Callie WhiteELCA Churchwide – Installation of Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry A Word from the Bishop The Spirit is Moving! Come Join the Dance.”Below […]

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Across the Diocese: September 19, 2025

View as WebpageSeptember 19, 2025    Following the Way of Jesus: The 115th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of OlympiaOctober 25 | Regional sites: St. Paul’s, Bellingham; St. Thomas, Medina; St. Mary’s, Lakewood; St. Stephen’s, Longview; St. Antony’s of Egypt, Silverdale“Our theme this year for Diocesan Convention is ‘Following the Way of Jesus.’ It’s a reminder of us as disciples that as we choose to follow Jesus, it’s as if we’re walking along a path. As we come closer to doing what he is calling us to do, we learn that that journey is one that takes time and engagement […]

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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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