Dear Beloved Members of the Southwestern Washington Synod, Over the coming months, you will begin to notice some changes in the way our Synod Office communicates and engages with you. Some of those changes will be visual. You will see our new synod logo and branding used more consistently across our website, e-news, social media, and other communications. But this work is about much more than a new logo, colors, or graphics. At its heart, this is about storytelling, connection, and engagement. Every week across our synod, incredible ministry is happening. Congregations are serving their neighbors, leaders are trying new things, communities are gathering around Word and Sacrament, and people are experiencing the love of God in Jesus Christ. We want to tell these stories and connect you with what God is doing across our synod. This work is rooted in our Synod Mission Site Profile and in what we heard from you: a desire for our synod to be more connected, collaborative, and engaged with our congregations, leaders, and ministries. It is also grounded in one of the priorities identified by our Synod Council: Engagement. Engagement means more than simply sharing information. It means listening, sharing stories, creating opportunities for conversation, and helping us become more connected to one another. My hope is that through the way we communicate and engage, the Synod Office will continue to strengthen its role as a trusted partner with our congregations and leaders. Being a trusted partner means being present, listening well, communicating clearly, and walking alongside one another in our shared ministry. It means knowing that your myself and the office of the bishop are here to support, encourage, and equip you as together we participate in God’s work in our communities. Some of these changes will be easy to see. Others will take time to develop. And some changes may not always be easy or welcomed by some as we learn new ways of communicating and engaging together. This work will continue to evolve over time as we listen, learn, adjust, and discover what best serves our shared ministry. Through it all, I hope our communications increasingly remind us that we are part of something larger. We are connected to siblings in Christ across Southwestern Washington who are worshiping, serving, learning, dreaming, and proclaiming the good news of Jesus alongside us. There are so many stories to tell. I am excited for us to tell them together! In Christ, Bishop Keith Marshall | 
