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Plan to join us at St. Luke's for the next ELCC all-call stakeholder meeting. As usual, everyone is invited to attend. We highly encourage church leadership to join us. Meet your fellow ELCC congregants and hear the latest news. Meeting time is 10:00 am - noon on Saturday, 10/10. Please carpool as parking is limited.

• 2026 Fall Retreat - NW WA Synodical Women’s Organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - Saturday – October 3rd / 9 am ~ 4 pm at Our Saviors Lutheran Church. Please join with women from our Synod as we learn & grow as Women of the ELCA. Pastor Kacey Hahn of St Matthew’s Renton presents the theme: Seek Inspiration. Your $45 Donation* for the Day includes: Inspirational Guest Speaker, Lunch & Snacks, Inspirational Activities, Worship Service. Doors open at 8:30am for in-person registration.
• Fall Book Study - "Tending the Wild Garden" - Thursdays from September 10 - December 10: 12:15pm-1:45pm at Our Savior Lutheran Church. A study of Galatians 5:22-23a. By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Please RSVP to Pr. Kristin-Luana, 360-912-1245
• Flannel Fest: Embrace the NW Spirit! - Sunday, November 22nd, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm. Mt Si Lutheran is extending an invitation and challenge to each congregation in our conference. On November 22nd, we invite you to ask your congregation to wear flannel to worship and take a group photo at the end with all who donned their flannel. Why? Why not! This is just a silly, fun thing to do. Second, we also invite your congregations to bring a can of soup or chili on Nov. 22nd with the plan to donate these cans to a local food bank of your choice. If you choose to accept this invitation and challenge. I would love for you to send your group photos to pastor@mtsilutheran.org. And let me know how many cans you collected. I'll share all the photos with everyone and the grand total of cans of soup collected. If someone doesn't have flannel - you might consider asking your folks who love fabric to dig up some flannel to make little pins or other small adornments, so all are included. We hope you find this a fun opportunity to engage in some joy and service. And if the 22nd really doesn't work for you for any reason - feel free to do this on a different date. 
• Love with Actions Mission Trip to Rwanda 2028 - Sunday, September 13, 2026, 4:00 - 5:00 pm, Sammamish Hills Lutheran Church. LOVE WITH ACTIONS founder /director Gilbert Kubwimnana presents an opportunity to both learn more about LOVE WITH ACTIONS and discuss their next mission trip to Rwanda in 2028. If you are interested in going on this trip, please plan to attend this event!
• Belize Mission Trip With SHLC - Trip Dates: February 5-16, 2027. Learn more Sunday, September 27, 10:00 - 11:00 am. Join Sammamish Hills Lutheran Church on this Mission of Service to Belize. Registration deposit of $300 is due September 27, 2026. Contact Pastor Nyla for more information (pastornyla@shlc.org)
• Love and Justice Book Discussion: 'When God Became White' - Cheri Neill and Pastor Mark (St. Luke's) are exploring a book titled: ‘When God Became White’ by Grace Ji-Sun Kim. The author is a Korean Presbyterian minister and scholar. They are inviting individuals to read it and then come together for a facilitated discussion on October 10th from 1-3pm. This discussion will be after the ELCC All-Call meeting and lunch will be provided if you attend both!  Please let Cheri (cheri@slukes.org) know if you want to participate. Please text her at 206.851.1035 with your first & last name and how to reach you by text. Let’s stretch & grow together!
• Fall Blood Drive: Saint Andrew's next blood drive is Thursday, September 24th back in the Fellowship Hall from 9:00am-3:00pm. Please use the QR Code to secure your slot. Our goal is to fill them all!! Share with friends and neighbors – every drop matters.
• 30Bellevue Giving Tree Gift Drive - For the past 7 years, St. Luke's has partnered with Imagine Housing and 30Bellevue to bring joy to the children and youth during the holiday season by providing gifts to the children and teens living there. Last year, we helped provide 67 new toys for children under the age of 12 and 26 gift cards for teens between 13-8 years old. Behind every request for a toy or warm coat is a parent doing their best to make the holidays special despite ongoing challenges. Due to several factors, this year we expect the requests for help to increase; therefore, we are starting our donation requests early. Please help by donating to this ministry. We will use any funds donated now towards the Giving Tree in November. These funds are used to purchase gifts for children who receive few, if any, at Christmas time. Thank you. Please follow the link to our Tithe.ly Giving portal.

Events, Retreats & More

• NWWA Synod Youth Fall Retreat - November 7-9, 2026 at Black Diamond Camp in Auburn, WA. The retreat is open for middle and high school youth in grades 6-12. This year's theme: Faith: The Final Frontier. We will explore stories that invite us to think about our faith journeys through things unknown. We will also wonder about how God is showing up for us in today’s world. Where will you find God during the retreat?  Early registration: $175 per person if registration is complete by October 7th. $225 per person beginning October 8th. Final Registration closes October 21, 2026 at 4pm. Questions? Please email cyflutheransnw@gmail.com. 
• Community Game Night - Community game nights are full of new games and classics games people love to play together. The next game night is Sunday, October 18th from 5:00-7:00pm at St. Luke's. Join other folks from the ELCC for food, fun and fellowship. Dinner is provided, bring a snack to share. If you have a favorite game to play or maybe a new game you would like to learn with new friends, bring it with you. Otherwise, we will have games to play on hand. Everyone is welcome to join the fun. If you would like to help, let Melinda (melinda@slukes.org) know. See you then!
• Trunk or Treat - It's time again to begin planning "Trunk-or-Treat with our friends at Saint Andrew's on Saturday, October 24th from 3-5pm (the Saturday before Halloween). This will be our third year sharing this community outreach event. We will have tables instead of using car trunks again this year, in the fellowship hall of Saint Andrew's. We are looking for people to "host" a trunk and other volunteers to help with the registration tables and other hosting duties. To find out more information, contact Melinda (melinda@slukes.org) or Saint Andrew's front office.
• Community Open Play at SHLC - Open Play is a fantastic community program where SHLC opens the Fellowship Hall doors every Wednesday 9:30-11:30am for playtime for babies, toddlers, young children AND their caregivers. We provide coffee for the volunteers/caregivers and snacks for the littles. This program is popular and we need more volunteers to help out a Wednesday here and there. If you’re able to help at all, email us at the church office today at worship@shlc.org. 
• New Ministry! Jesus Loves Me Lutheran Church - Starting September 13th, every Sunday at 11:15am there is a brand-new program for children with special needs and their families. All are invited to participate in this new worship/art/music experience tailored specifically to those with unique abilities. Located at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church, pastors from our ELCC congregations will be rotating participants.

• Bell Choir  - Alice Lewis, the ELCC Bell Choir director, is gathering names & contact info from those who might be interested in future Bell Choir projects. If that’s you, please email her to let her know your name, your church, and contact info.

• Love with Actions Mission Trip to Rwanda 2028 - Sunday, September 13, 2026, 4:00 - 5:00 pm, Sammamish Hills Lutheran Church. LOVE WITH ACTIONS founder /director Gilbert Kubwimnana presents an opportunity to both learn more about LOVE WITH ACTIONS and discuss their next mission trip to Rwanda in 2028. If you are interested in going on this trip, please plan to attend this event!
• Belize Mission Trip With SHLC - Trip Dates: February 5-16, 2027. Learn more Sunday, September 27, 10:00 - 11:00 am. Join Sammamish Hills Lutheran Church on this Mission of Service to Belize. Registration deposit of $300 is due September 27, 2026. Contact Pastor Nyla for more information (pastornyla@shlc.org)
• ELCC  Local Service Team - We have gathered service ministry information from all the churches and see many possibilities for collaboration. We are defining service to mean 'fulfilling a need outside of ourselves and working together as a community of churches'. Contact Cross of Christ for more information or to join this wonderful group.

Mt. Si Lutheran

• Women's Bible Study - Mondays at 12:30pm - meeting at Mt Si in multi-purpose room
• Men's Bible Study - Saturday at 9am - meeting at Little Si Restaurant in North Bend
• Quilters - Mondays at 9:30am in Mt. Si quilting room
• AA “Surrender on Sunday” – Sundays, 6pm
• AA: Candlelight Meeting – Thursdays, 7–8pm

St. Luke's Lutheran

• Women's Book Club - First Tuesday of the month - 12:30 pm on ZOOM - contact Diana Howell
• Dorcas Circle Bible Study – Third Tuesday of the month, 12:00pm in Pierson Hall. They meet for study from the Gather magazine. Feel free to bring a sack lunch to enjoy during fellowship and conversation. Contact Pam Webber
• Men's Donut and Work Group - 1st/3rd/5th Wednesdays of the month, 9:30am in Pierson Hall. Ask for Bob or Harvey
• Piecemakers Quilting Group - Every Thursday, 9:30am in Memorial Hall. Ask for Cheryl Caron
• Troop 600 Scouts BSA – Mondays, 6:15–8:15pm
  
• AA: Bellevue New Group – Tuesdays, 7:30–8:30pm
• AA: The Fourth Dimension – Wednesdays, 7:30–8:30pm
• AA: Sober Sisters East – Thursdays, 7–8pm
• AA: A Way Up – Fridays, 7:30–8:30pm

St. Andrews Lutheran

• Bible Study – Sundays, 9am
• Dorcas Circle Quilting Group – First Tuesday, 9:30am–12:30pm, Room 302 / Fellowship Hall South
• Midweek Bible Study – Tuesdays, 10–11am, Room 212/Library + Zoom
• O.W.L.S. Lunch + Program – Third Tuesday (Sept–May), 11:45am
• Women’s Book Group – Wednesdays, 10–11:30am, library
• JEDI Group – Fourth Wednesday, 7pm
• Tuesday Morning Men’s Group (online) – Tuesdays, 8:30am

Sammamish Hills Lutheran

• BMen’s Gathering – Mondays, 7–8am, Fellowship Hall
• Mission Quilters – Mondays, 10am–2pm, Fellowship Hall
• Prayer Group (Zoom) – Tuesdays, 10–11am
• Bible Study: Genesis (Zoom) – Wednesdays, 10–11am. On hiatus until September. 
• Men’s Faith Talk – Thursdays, 7–8am, McDonald’s Redmond Ridge
• Women’s Evening Bible Study – Thursdays, 5pm, Preschool Conference Room

Cross of Christ Lutheran

• Grief Group – Meets on the 4th Monday of the month at 10am
• Quilters – 2nd and 4th Monday's in the Fellowship Hall
• Monthly Women's Bible Studies (there are several) – Contact the front office for information
• The Third Saturday Hikers – Contact the front office for information
• Weekly Zoom Bible Study– On hiatus until September. Please contact Pastor Dave for more information

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The newsletter will be published every third Monday of the month
Newsletter submissions are due by the second Monday of every month for inclusion.