By Dawn Taloyo, Director of Pastoral and Congregational Health, PacNWC

Every year the opportunities offered at Midwinter seem to increase, making for very full schedules.  I encourage you to prayerfully discern what is most needed and restorative for you. Having said that, we, your conference staff team, always enjoy the opportunity to connect with you. I want to highlight some of the scheduled times where you can find us as well as PacNWC colleagues. (But always feel free to grab us or schedule a time together.)

• Monday, 9pm: PacNWC Reception
• Tuesday, 7:00am-9:00am: Women Ministries Breakfast
• Tuesday, 11:30am-1pm: Covenant Chaplain Association Lunch
• Tuesday, 11:30am-1pm: Church Planting Lunch
• Tuesday, 9pm: Reception for Latino leaders (MHIPE and CHET)
• Wednesday, 7-9am: Racial Righteousness Breakfast
• Wednesday, 11:30-1pm: Congregational Vitality Lunch
• Thursday, 7-9am: Association for Covenant Clergy Women breakfast

[Click Here] for a full list of Special Events at Midwinter

[Click Here] for the full Midwinter Schedule

By Don Robinson, Retired

Nearly twenty years ago I heard John Weborg, former professor at North Park Theological Seminary, preach at a Midwinter Conference on the theme, “A completed ministry and unfinished task.” His text was Hebrews 11, but it was the last verse that caught and captured both my imagination and heart.

39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:39)

This month, I complete my full time vocational ministry with the Pacific Northwest Conference. I will enter the company of retired pastors. It will be a completed ministry, but an unfinished task. That unfinished task, that mission, will continue through other sisters and brothers.

I am thankful for the conference staff, the Executive Board, individuals and churches for the many ways that they have expressed appreciation and have said “good-bye.” I complete my ministry with you, using words I have modified from the “Service of Farewell” from the Covenant Book of Worship.

“I thank the Pacific Northwest Conference, its pastors and its churches, and my colleagues on the staff, for the love, kindness, support shown me these last 23 years. I am grateful for the ways my leadership has been accepted. I ask forgiveness for the mistakes I have made. As I leave, I carry with me all that I have learned here.”

“. . . I accept your gratitude . . . trusting that our time together and our parting are pleasing to God.”

Sincerely in Christ,

Don

We in the Pacific Northwest Conference Office appreciate the dedication, hard work and faithfulness Don has shown over the course of his ministry with us. Enjoy this slide show we made to honor him at the 2018 Clergy Retreat.

By Kristi Smith, Director of Children’s, Youth and Family Ministry, Milwaukie Covenant Church

For years I had been praying about seminary. Should I enroll? Can I afford it? Will I need to move? Lord, if this is what you’re calling me to, please show me the path forward. The first step toward that path came for me this past year through opportunities for continued discernment regarding God’s call upon my life. Then, as I moved into more certainty about God’s call, suddenly a seminary path opened up to me. That path was Ignite.

Ignite is a program developed in cooperation between the Pacific Southwest Conference and North Park Seminary. For someone who is already invested in a ministry context, Ignite provides an accessible degree path with financial partnerships and a hybrid format combining the flexibility of distance learning with the community experience of in-person learning. Ignite students take four classes per year, doing class readings and assignments on their own, but meeting together for a week of in-class instruction. Within four years, Ignite participants can achieve an ordainable seminary degree. This meant I could earn my degree at a lower cost, without having to relocate, while also getting the benefit of in-person instruction.

Sometimes I am slow in deliberating significant decisions, but when I was offered the opportunity to enroll in Ignite, I didn’t hesitate; it seemed tailor-made for me and was an answer to prayer!

My first class was New Testament Texts and Their World. I spent the first half of the fall reading books and writing papers about society and culture in New Testament times, and how that affects my understanding of Scripture. While I learned a lot reading on my own, I was eager for the added perspective that comes with learning in community.

In early November, the 36 members of my cohort all met together for the first time at Mission Springs Camp and Conference Center, nestled into the hills near Santa Cruz. Only five of us are from the Pacific Northwest, but we felt quite cared for by conference leaders Greg Yee and Erik Cave who flew down to support us and pray for us as we began our seminary journey.

Our first week of class was intense, but amazing! In 40 hours of class, Dr. David Nystrom walked us through the history and culture of Jesus’ time and then through each book of the New Testament. The insights and thoughtful questions of my classmates were inspiring and illuminating. I’m looking forward to learning more from them in the coming years.

One of the things that encouraged me the most was that I was reminded of something about myself that has been dormant now for 15 years: I love formal education! I had expected to walk away from the week-long class feeling tired and brain-weary, but instead I returned home excited and energetic from the information, discussions and dialogue. I am looking forward to this journey; I know it won’t be easy, but I’m thankful for the opportunity to learn, grow and be better equipped as a minister of God’s Word.

By Kurt Notehelfer, Chair, PacNWC Ministerial Association

Thank you to everyone who helped make our Fall retreat a great success! It was such a blessing to be able to gather with old friends and to make new ones, as well. As someone who is still fairly new to our conference, it was great to be able to meet many of you for the first time. And it was a gift to be able to relax and fellowship with such and amazing group of colleagues and their families. The camp staff did such an amazing job hosting us and everything was so well done – from the food to the accommodations to the smiles and willing support throughout the retreat.

Starting the retreat out with some comedy and laughter was a refreshing break from some of the weightier things I am working through right now. And, having the freedom on Tuesday afternoon to rest, take a nap, and enjoy God’s beauty at Cascades Camp was just what the doctor (a.k.a. “great physician”) ordered! Hearing the personal stories of how God’s grace has allowed pastors and their families to thrive through many challenging life circumstances was inspiring. It was a good reminder and challenge to me to be open to seeing God’s faithful work in my life at every point, even the difficult times. And it was good to again hear the invitation to live into a life of healing and wholeness by learning what “flourishing” in ministry really looks like.

It is my hope and prayer that each of us will be able to find times of refreshment, renewal, and healing as we continue on this journey of following Jesus together. Our retreat this year was just such a time for me. I hope it was for you, too. If you weren’t able to make it to the retreat this year, I hope you can find other places and spaces for you and your family to rest, to connect with God in fresh ways, and to redeem the time that God has given you.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil.” – Ephesians 5:15-16

By Dawn Taloyo, Director of Pastoral and Congregational Health, PacNWC

It’s the season for retreats….The Women Ministries Fall Retreat; Clergy, Staff, and Family Retreat; MUD. You get the picture.  You may have heard me say this before, but to quote a favorite author of mine, “In times of retreat, we remember who we are.” And, I like to add, “whose we are”.  Getting away from whatever we call normal, for reflection, prayer, study, and rest is invaluable.  I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say they regretted going away on retreat. And yet I know we all struggle to make time for retreats in our schedules.

I am grateful that one aspect of my work with the conference is to host and facilitate retreats.  This past summer we had our first Women in Vocational Ministry retreat at Rainbow Lodge in North Bend, WA. About a dozen women gathered for more than 24 hours of rest, fellowship, and great food. My greatest joy was watching these pastors and chaplains linger for hours getting to know one another and share stories. There is nothing like having the space and time to connect with colleagues – others who “get it”.

Our chaplains often miss out on opportunities for fellowship afforded our pastors, such as monthly lunch gatherings and even the fall clergy retreat. Their work does not allow them to take off during the week. And in most cases, their ministry context does not pay for retreats or travel, something churches often do for their pastors.  So, in an attempt to provide a space for connection and encouragement for them, the conference is hosting a Chaplain Day Retreat at Cascades Camp the Sunday before the Clergy, Staff, and Families Retreat, and a longer spring retreat in 2019.  We hope this will become a new rhythm for our chaplains and an opportunity for them to find refreshment from a very emotionally heavy line of work.

I want to say thank you to the individuals and churches who generously give to the Pacific Northwest Conference, which allows us to provide our ministers with these opportunities for rest, connection and retreat. But, let me end with a question: Is there an upcoming retreat on your schedule? A time to get away and remember who you are and whose you are?

By Kurt Notehelfer, Chair, PacNWC Ministerial Association

Dictionary.com says that to thrive is “to prosper; to grow; to develop vigorously; to flourish.”

Who doesn’t want to thrive – in life, in relationships, in ministry? Jesus said that he came that we might experience an abundant life (John 10:10). And yet, in the midst of life’s work and life’s challenges, the ability to thrive may seem like an idealized dream. Our circumstances, our relationships, even the churches we serve may seem to conspire against our ability to just survive, much less to thrive. As a result, rather than feeling like we have arrived at the abundant life, we often feel emptied, drained, exhausted, depressed, scared, lonely, isolated, stuck, confused. It becomes more and more difficult to understand how our experience lines up with the promise of our faith. Compound this with the fact that we have invested our time, money, energy, marriage, and family relationships for the sake of the church and God’s kingdom, and it can leave us feeling even more disoriented, disintegrated, and disillusioned – to one degree or another.

If you or your family are feeling any of these things in this season of life and ministry, the Clergy, Staff, & Family Retreat is designed especially for you.

It just might be possible that God never intended you to experience the abundant life apart from these very real and very normal challenges in life. Rather, trusting in him, we discover that it is possible to Thrive Through… these very same challenges. That is, as a result of walking through life’s difficulties, trusting in God’s guidance and provision, we discover that God is working in and through our own weakness to produce the fruit of his Spirit within us. The abundant life is not so much about how good we are but about how good God is. Abundance is not success but fruitfulness.

We are reminded, in James 1:2-4, to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

And, in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, we are encouraged by the Apostle Paul to see God’s abundance in the midst of life’s troubles: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”

The Pacific Northwest Conference Clergy, Staff, & Family Retreat is arguably the best of it’s kind in the Covenant. What began as a retreat to support, equip, and empower pastors in our conference has evolved into an event that also welcomes church staff, chaplains, missionaries, spouses and their kids. As a place for rest and renewal, for support and encouragement, it is a place to connect and relate to colleagues and friends who find themselves on a similar path in vocational ministry. We come from a variety of contexts and experiences but gather as colleagues and friends to be family together. Whatever place in life and ministry you find yourself, make the Fall retreat on October 1-3 a priority in your calendar!

This year, we will be hearing from some of our own ministry colleagues about their experiences of Thriving Through… personal difficulties and challenges – through illness, family challenges, and the need for rest and renewal. We’ll be encouraged to seek God in the midst of our own circumstances and to be intentional about pursuing healthy patterns of life and relationship in the midst of our ongoing vocational demands. As we engage with one another, and with God’s Spirit, we trust that the God of all comfort will meet us where we most need his compassion and encouragement. As with Paul, in Romans 8:28, we will be invited to remember and to “know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

[Click Here] for full details on the 2018 Clergy, Staff and Families Retreat

Thriving Through…

CLERGY, STAFF, and FAMILY RETREAT

Cascades Camp

October 1-3, 2018

Thriving Through…

Monday Evening: Thriving Through… Laughter

Improv Comedy Troupe, from Taproot Theatre

Tuesday Morning: Thriving Through… Challenges

Flourishing Quadrants + Breakout Groups

Tuesday Evening: Thriving Through… Crisis

Service of Prayer & Healing

Wednesday: Thriving Through… Sabbath Rest

Service of Communion

By Dawn Taloyo, Director of Pastoral and Congregational Health, PacNWC

I see and hear the word “cohort” everywhere these days. And, my inbox is full of invitations to join various cohorts. Having participated in a couple of them over the past three years, and having just finished leading one in our conference, all I can say is “Don’t trash those invitations just yet!”  Take a moment to ask, “Is God calling me to band together with others for a season of learning as mission friends?”

In practice, cohorts are learning communities, where colleagues commit to gathering for a period of time around a particular topic. Cohorts assume that we learn best in the context of relationship and collaboration.  Sharing life together, growing in friendship and trust with one another, and appreciating both the commonalities and differences we bring to the group, add richness and flavor to the learning experience. Ultimately, they offer the opportunity for encouragement and “spurring one another on” in this life of faith and vocational ministry.

I’d like to highlight 3 cohort opportunities in the PacNWC for pastors, chaplains, and youth/family ministry leaders. Follow the links to learn more.

• Youth and Children’s Ministry Coaching Cohort: Start date: August 2018
  • Develop ministry skills and friendship with other youth/family ministry leaders.
• Go Cohort: Intentional Evangelism Cohort for Lead Pastors: Start date: September 13, 2018
  • Learn to catalyze a movement and culture of evangelism in your church.
• Cultivating Faithfulness Clergy Cohort for Pastors and Chaplains: Start date: TBD based on interest
  • Engage in healthy spiritual rhythms and practices for the sustaining and renewing of one’s call.

Alternatively, you can [Click Here] to visit our Ministry Cohorts Portal

By Dawn Taloyo, Director of Pastoral and Congregational Health, PacNWC

Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with about 8 of our PacNWC chaplains. These colleagues are ministering in settings ranging from hospitals, hospice services, recovery houses, police and fire stations, and the military. As one reported: “I serve one of the largest ‘Covenant Churches’ in the conference,” as he is the only chaplain in a community of several thousand.

These ministers are serving on the front lines, often interfacing with individuals and families in the critical moments of life, if not life and death situations. They have my utmost respect as they navigate each day of work not knowing what they are walking into each time they enter the hospital room or knock at someone’s door. They are full of stories – some painful and some hilarious – as they interface and care for people from all walks of life. And, they maintain hearts of compassion and conviction in the midst of it all.

With that intro, I want to encourage two things: First, remember our chaplains and pray for them. Pray not only for their well-being, but for the opportunities they have to express God’s light and love each day, often with people who would not consider walking into one of our churches.

And, second, I was inspired by these colleagues and the resources they are to our churches.  Over lunch the group expressed how they would love the opportunity to offer their experience and expertise to our church communities.  They not only have the Biblical and theological training required of all our credentialed clergy, but a variety of other areas of expertise given their contexts.

A quick brainstorm included topics such as advanced planning documents; Stephen’s Ministry continuing education; crisis care; addressing spiritual pain; relational evangelism; and suicide and sexual assault intervention, just to name a few ideas. So, I encourage you to talk with one of our chaplains and invite their partnership and teaching in your outreach, community-building, or formational activities.

By Sarah Hammersborg, Chair, PacNWC Ministerial Association

One of the great joys at the conference annual meeting is the presentation of candidates that will be going on to the annual meeting in June to be ordained. The ordination process is not a quick process. They write a paper and then meet before a committee at the conference level to be interviewed about their paper. If they receive a favorable interview, they then are interviewed by the national board before being recommended for ordination. During this time they also have a mentor to help them through the process. All of this may seem like a lot, but ordination is serious. It is a permanent credential given by the denomination on those that the church has affirmed their call, competency, and character.

Sung “Derek” Hwang from Disciple Community Covenant Church in Bellevue, WA

Katey Hage from Quest Church in Seattle, WA

Bob Zurinsky from Emmanuel Bible Church in Seattle, WA

John Bangs from Highland Covenant Church in Bellevue, WA