Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body.  And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Creator through Christ.

                                                                                                                         Colossians 3:14-17

Thank you.  Thank you for the good spirit that was much in evidence as we gathered for the 28th Assembly of the Sierra Pacific Synod last week!  Thank you for the grace and good will that was present as we met to "sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God."  Thank you for your patience and good spirit as we figured out how to navigate voting machine challenges, resolutions and the budget.  And thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit which empowers all of our endeavors as followers of Jesus, whether in Assembly or in our everyday lives and ministries.

Thank you for the grace and hospitality you demonstrated with and for each other as we lived into our theme of "Connections."  We were blessed to hear words of grace and encouragement from our Keynote Speaker, Dr. Colleen Windham-Hughes, our Bible Study Leader, Pr. Jeff Thiemann, our Churchwide Representative, Pr. Ron Glusenkamp and our Synod Vice President, Elaine Whitney.  It was truly a blessing to hear the "holy noise" of our gathering as we took time to speak and to listen to one another at different times during the Assembly.  I pray the connections you made during our Assembly will continue long after you have returned to your congregations and ministries, and will prove to be a blessing and encouragement as you seek to witness and serve the communities you have been called to serve. 

Whether those connections happened around the tables of the Assembly Hall, at a dinner event, in a workshop, near the coffee and cookies area, or during "Open Space Conversations," my hope is that you discovered there are many people of the congregations of our synod who are asking similar questions, and praying similar prayers about their ministry.  My prayer is that our collective energies, prayers and ideas will continue to be shared in ways that offer encouragement and hope as we seek to be the presence of Christ for people who are yearning to know that God's love is real.

My hope is that those who were in attendance at the Assembly have already shared what was experienced with the members and friends of our congregations who were not able to attend.  In order to help tell that story, "Synod Highlights" can be found on the Sierra Pacific Synod Website or by clicking here. There is also an online evaluation form for those who attended the Assembly and can be found by clicking here.  Your feedback will be reviewed by the Synod Assembly Planning Committee and utilized as we plan future Assemblies. 

Thank you, once again, to all who attended our Assembly, who worked as volunteers, who prayed for and planned our gathering, and who lent their hearts, hands and voices to help create a true community in Christ for the three days we were gathered.  May we continue to be blessed by the connections we share as disciples of Jesus as those who are called, gathered, enlightened and sanctified by God's Spirit to bring new life, hope and peace in our field of mission called the Sierra Pacific Synod. 

Peace,

Bp. Mark