Business is concluded!

This morning is reserved for good news, questions, and conversations.  I'll keep you up to date for just a little while longer about the fun and exciting things in our synod.

Synod Council Election Results

Welcome to the EWAID Synod Council to Rev. Kimmy Meinecke of Richland, WA and Mr. John Lohrmann of Walla Walla, WA.  Kimmy was elected on the 4th ballot and John was elected on the 6th ballot.  A special thanks to Rev. Matt Larson, Rev. Charles Speidel, and Rev. Barbara Harrison-Condon for their willingness to serve in this capacity.  May God bless all of your work!

John Lohrmann and Kimmy Meinecke

Resolutions for Business Session #2: #2, #3, #4, #5

Resolution #2: Memorial in Support of Legislation Prohibiting Employment Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity

Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod Assembly 2013
Resolution 2
Memorial in Support of Legislation Prohibiting Employment Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity

Whereas, it is currently legal in 29 states to discriminate in the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation, and in on the basis of gender identity; and

Whereas, employees should be judged on the quality of their work and nothing more; and

Whereas, legislation that would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity while providing for a broad religious exemption, has been introduced in every Congress since 1994; and

Whereas, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 1397/S. 812) is an example of such legislation;

Whereas, the ELCA’s Social Statement Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust states that “While Lutherans hold various convictions regarding lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships, this church is united on many critical issues” (p. 19). This church:  1) “supports legislation and policies to protect civil rights and to prohibit discrimination in 16 housing, employment, and public services.” (p. 19) 2) “has called upon congregations and members of this church to welcome, care for, and support same-gender couples and their families and to advocate for their legal protection.” (p. 19)  3) “will advocate for public policies that support and protect families.” (p. 24)  4) “will attend to the need for equal protection, equal opportunities, and equal responsibilities under the law, and just treatment for those with varied sexual orientation and gender identity. Such individuals are disproportionately and negatively affected by patterns of stigma, discrimination, and abuse.”

Whereas, the 1997 ELCA Churchwide Assembly passed a memorial by approximately an 80% majority to endorse the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and to affirm advocacy “in support of laws barring discrimination against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation” (see CWA resolution CA97.06.29)

RESOLVED, that the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod, meeting in Assembly, memorialize the 32 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to call upon Congress to take up and pass legislation that would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity while providing for religious exemptions; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod, meeting in Assembly, memorialize the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, to urge the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, synodical bishops, clergy, and other church leaders to speak publicly in support of legislation that would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity while providing for religious exemptions; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod, meeting in Assembly, memorialize the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to urge lay leaders to make this Assembly’s position and the ELCA’s position known to their Members of Congress in the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate.

Respectfully submitted by:
Mary Lauver – Trinity Lutheran Church, Pullman, WA
Pastor Wesley Howell, Trinity Lutheran Church, Pullman, WA
Pastor Roger Pettenger, Trinity Lutheran Church, Pullman, WA
Annette Pettenger, Trinity Lutheran Church, Pullman, WA

Resolution #3: Memorial in Support of the Uniting American Families Act

Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod Assembly 2013
Resolution 3
Memorial in Support of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA)

Whereas, under current U.S. immigration law, a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident is permitted to sponsor his or her spouse, child, or parent for permanent resident status; and

Whereas, U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents are not permitted to sponsor their same-gender partners for permanent resident status; and

Whereas, twenty-five other countries allow their citizens to sponsor their same-gender partners in the immigration process; and

Whereas, there are approximately 36,000 bi-national, same-gender families in the U.S.; and

Whereas, 35% of male bi-national couples and 39% of female bi-national couples are raising more than 17,000 children; and

Whereas, due to the inability of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents to sponsor their same-gender partners, they can be forced to live abroad, thus uprooting their children, disrupting their careers, and breaking ties with their families, communities, and places of worship; and

Whereas, current immigration law does not provide for equal justice and equal protection for gay and lesbian citizens and legal permanent residents; and

Whereas, the ELCA has a long-standing commitment to calling for comprehensive federal immigration reform; and

Whereas, a bill called the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) has been introduced in the Federal legislature to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate discrimination in immigration by permitting permanent partners of United States citizens and of lawful permanent residents to obtain lawful permanent resident status in the same manner as spouses of citizens and of lawful permanent residents and to penalize immigration fraud in connection with permanent partnerships; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod in Assembly, memorializes the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to call upon President Obama and elected officials in Congress to support and to press for passage of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) or its equivalent as a component of comprehensive immigration reform; and be it further

RESOLVED, that if a bill for comprehensive immigration reform is passed before the start of the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, and if the bill does not include UAFA or its equivalent, the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod, meeting in assembly, memorializes the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to call for the reintroduction of UAFA in the U.S. legislature; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod, meeting in assembly, memorializes the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to commend

Bishop Thomas M. Aitken, Northeastern Minnesota Synod,
Bishop James A. Arends, La Crosse Area Synod,
Bishop David H. Brauer-Rieke, Oregon Synod,
Bishop Bruce H. Burnside, South-Central Synod of Wisconsin,
Bishop Jessica R. Crist, Montana Synod,
Bishop H. Julian Gordy, Southeastern Synod ,
Bishop Richard H. Graham, Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod,
Bishop Wolfgang D. Herz-Lane, Delaware-Maryland Synod,
Bishop Mark W. Holmerud, Sierra Pacific Synod,
Bishop Felipe Lozada-Montañez, Caribbean Synod,
Bishop Dean W. Nelson, Southwest California Synod,
Bishop Margaret Payne, New England Synod,
Bishop Robert A. Rimbo, Metropolitan New York Synod,
Bishop Michael Rinehart, Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod,
Bishop Stephen S. Talmage, Grand Canyon Synod, and
Bishop Martin D. Wells, Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod

for their courageous witness and their stand for justice in adding their names to the Faith 62 Coalition for UAFA (1); and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod, meeting in assembly, memorializes the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to encourage the clergy and other leaders of congregations in this church to support the Uniting American Families Act by communicating with their elected representatives, encouraging them to co-sponsor and to support a just, comprehensive reform of U.S. immigration law that includes the principles of UAFA. (1) http://immigrationequalityactionfund.org/images/FaithCoalition_SignOnLetter.pdf

Respectfully submitted by:
Mary Lauver, Trinity Lutheran Church, Pullman, WA
Pastor Wesley Howell, Trinity Lutheran Church, Pullman, WA
Pastor Roger Pettenger, Trinity Lutheran Church, Pullman, WA
Annette Pettenger, Trinity Lutheran Church, Pullman, WA

Resolution #4: Support Clergy and Staff Safety

Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod Assembly 2013
Resolution 4
Memorial to Support Clergy and Staff Safety

Whereas, Matthew 25:35-36 states “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, and

Whereas, we serve in response to God’s love to meet human needs, caring for the sick and aged, advocating dignity and justice for all people, standing with the poor and powerless, and committing ourselves to the needs, and

Whereas, those who serve as employees and volunteers in congregations and various other ministry settings, seek to live out the calling to serve our communities and are often in ministry sites alone and provide response and care for those to whom the church seeks to serve, whether urban, rural, small or large communities, and

Whereas, vulnerable populations often seek refuge and help at ministry sites and staff often are alone and vulnerable to dangerous and precarious situations in order to provide care and assist the church in carrying out its calling;

Resolve, that this assembly encourage called and lay leaders who have oversight of staff in a variety of ministry settings, provide adequate safety measures for those who serve and carry out ministries on behalf of the church.

Submitted by:
Stephanie Tesch, Synod Council Member representing Cluster G
Ken Tesch, President of Cluster G
Cathy Steiner, Synod Staff, Member of Lutheran Staff Association

Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod Assembly 2013

Resolution 5

Resolution to Amend the EWA-ID Synod Constitution

Whereas, the 2011 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America adopted amendments to the Model Constitution for Synods and,

Whereas, the required provisions took effect 30 days after their adoption by the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and,

Whereas, recommended provisions require adoption by the Synod Assembly and,

Whereas, the Synod Council of the Eastern Washington Idaho Synod approved the following amendments therefore be it,

RESOLVED to amend the constitution of the Eastern Washington Idaho Synod as follows;

S7.12. Special meetings of the Synod Assembly may be called by the bishop with the consent of the Synod Council, and shall be called by the bishop at the request of one-fifth of the voting members of the Synod Assembly.

a. The notice of each special meeting shall define the purpose for which it is to be held. The scope of actions to be taken at such a special meeting shall be limited to the subject matter(s) described in the notice.

b. If the special meeting of the Synod Assembly is required for the purpose of electing a successor bishop because of death, resignation, or inability to serve, the special meeting shall be called by the Synod Council after consultation with the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

S8.23. In the event of the death, resignation, or disability of the bishop, the vice president, after consultation with the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, shall convene the Synod Council to arrange for the conduct of the duties of the bishop until a new bishop shall be elected or, in the case of temporary disability, until the bishop resumes full performance of the duties of the office.

S8.52. The terms of the officers shall begin on the first day of the third month following election or, in special circumstances, at a time designated by the Synod Council.

S10.06. If a member of the Synod Council ceases to meet the requirements of the position to which she or he was elected, the office filled by such member shall at once become vacant.

 S10.07.01 To the extent permitted by state law, an action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the Synod Council and its committees may be taken electronically or by telephone conference.

Submitted by Paula Kenney, Secretary EWAID Synod Council

April 18, 2013

Advent Lutheran Church

Spokane Valley, WA

Stay on top of Healthcare Legislation

https://porticobenefits.org/

Jeff Thiemann, Director Portico Benefits

Anne Frank Field Trip Pics

Resolution #1 is on the floor

Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod Assembly 2013
Resolution 1
Memorial to Rescind Actions on Ministry Policies

Whereas the 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America adopted resolutions on ministry policies that included a commitment to “finding ways for people in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as rostered leaders of this church” [CA09.05.26] and also included a process of “structured flexibility” that would eliminate the prohibition on rostered service by individuals in such relationships while not imposing such service on any expression of this church [CA09.05.27]; and

Whereas Jesus affirms that marriage is instituted by God and is between one man and one woman (e.g. 8 Matt 19:4-6); and

Whereas sexual intercourse outside of marriage is forbidden (e.g. 1 Cor 6:9-20, 1 Thes 4:3-8); and

Whereas same gender intercourse is repeatedly forbidden in both Testaments of Scripture, with a complete lack of positive reference to it (e.g. Lev 19:22, Rom 1:26-27); and

Whereas the ancient world was not unfamiliar with same gender sexual relationships (e.g. Sappho, the Spartan military), so the claim that Paul was forbidding only prostitution, cultic practices or promiscuity is baseless; and

Whereas the Church through the millennium has affirmed this reading of Scripture as does the vast majority of Christians around the globe today, so to part company with such a cloud of witnesses puts us in danger of being schismatic; and

Whereas the Bible reminds us that the Church has repeatedly gone astray, with church leaders often leading the way in unfaithfulness, even when they are sincere and well intentioned (e.g. Jer 5:5, Mark 25 7:8);

RESOLVED that the EWAID Synod memorialize the 2013 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as follows: (1) to rescind actions CA09.05.26 and CA09.05.27 of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly; and (2) to direct the appropriate churchwide units and offices to prepare, the Committee on Appeals to make, and the ELCA Church Council to approve and adopt, appropriate amendments to the policy documents, which were revised in response to those prior actions, in order to reestablish the prohibition of rostered service by non-celibate homosexual persons and restore the requirement for rostered persons that sexual intimacy take place only in the  context of heterosexual marriage.

Submitted by Larry Veith
February 19, 2013
Lutheran-Presbyterian Parish of Potlatch, Ida

Bishop's Report

Synod Assembly 2013                                                                        Pr. Martin D Wells, Bishop

Bishop’s Report

Grace and peace to you from the Triune God, Father, +Son, and Holy Spirit, in whom we live and breathe and have our being.

It’s been anything but a quiet year in our home synod, the Eastern Washington and Idaho Synod of the ELCA, including our two congregations in far-west Wyoming.  It’s as if the ancient tectonic plates below the earth’s crust have been restless this year and we’re all a bit jostled from the herky-jerky movements that we can’t control.  Many of us have seen the articles on “the shrinking church” and feel it at home!  Suffice it to say I’m a bit jumpy and I’m guessing you are too!  For me it is an urgent time of faith and trust in our creative God, that same God who is always about the work of restoring life and opening the future. 

This year we gather under the theme, “The Spirit Powers Us,” a guiding principle of our synodical ministry and a statement voiced in faith that the God who has given us life and restored it in Jesus Christ is still at work through the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is fresh breath when life squeezes us hard.  The Spirit is the warm embrace of God and the fire that cleanses us. The Holy Spirit of God ignites our creative selves when new breakthroughs are needed and our wits are at their end.

We don’t, as a denomination, call on the Holy Spirit too often.  Our favorite book on the Spirit calls it “The Shy Member of the Trinity,” (F. Dale Bruner, 2001).  Perhaps we don’t speak of the Spirit more often because we know the power she has (the Wisdom literature of the first Testament was ascribed to Lady Wisdom, thought to be a forerunner to the Holy Spirit) and, in my case, because of memories as a young boy when a charismatic movement challenged my home congregation.  Lutheran was divided from Lutheran as we struggled to know the meaning of “speaking in tongues” and the fact that whether one had the gift or not seemed arbitrary and threatening.  My father-in-law, Pr. John Briehl, when asked whether he sought the gift of tongues, is reported to have said, “Oh my goodness, no!  I have been given so many gifts already I’d be embarrassed to seek another!”  I suspect my dear father-in-law of artful-dodging in a day when the Spirit seemed to confuse our speech rather than give it clarity as on the day of Pentecost!

It has been good to spend a little time rereading the small and large catechisms of Martin Luther, especially the explanation to the Third Article which reads, “I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but instead the Holy Spirit has called me in the true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one common, true faith.  Daily in this Christian church the Holy Spirit abundantly forgives all sins—mine and those of all believers.  On the last day the Holy Spirit will raise me and all the dead and will give to me and all believers in Christ eternal life.  This is most certainly true.” (p. 1162, Evangelical Lutheran Worship).  I commend the catechisms to you again, and in particular those portions having to do with the Holy Spirit.

I don’t think it is an accident that I am hearing more references to the Spirit in this day as we are praying more urgently for wisdom and understanding.  My own prayer is that the Spirit would hover very close to give us courage and steadfastness while the earth shakes with change and the path ahead is fresh with both excitement and a sense of foreboding.  If in fact it is not the “spirituality” of the earth’s people that is absent—as in “spiritual but not religious”--then God is at work, but in ways still mysterious to us who yearn for the church to once again be the vessel of regeneration and hope.  For that day we wait in confidence by the power of the Holy Spirit!

In the face of dwindling financial resources and the loss of members the church must make those adaptations that preserve the essence of our witness. We can’t do as many things as we’ve done in the past.  We can’t reach as far.  The rest of this report is, in some ways, a testament to our synodical commitment to preserve congregations as the most basic unit of the church and the place where most of us find our weekly sustenance and hope.  This is grief work for some of us who have worked in the institutions of the church—colleges, seminaries, social-service agencies, camps, and district, synod, and Churchwide offices.  Some congregations know this loss as well of course, and even as we seek more creative ways to allow small congregations to flourish, we can feel the earth move and the day swallow up precious and faithful outposts of the faith.

So, “the way forward” is faithfulness in the day we have, not the day we wish we had.  To that end an important task force has been at work to help us plan for these days.  We have named our effort “The Way Forward” because “The Way” is one of the first names for those who followed Jesus, and we have his own testimony that he is “the way, the truth, and the life”(John 14:6).  So we follow, both in realistic appraisal of the day and in readiness for that day when a full flowering of mission is possible again by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Way Forward (TWF) has met four times since November 2012.  A complete report of their work will be presented at this Assembly.  Please listen carefully and assist in this work by asking clarifying questions and by answering a survey designed to test some of the tentative conclusions of the task force.  We anticipate that, in two more meetings this spring and early summer, we will have proposals for the Synod Council to study in the fall.  The Synod Council will be asked to put these proposals into organized form to test with you in Cluster meetings during the 2013-2014 school year and then, if warranted, propose structural changes to the synodical church and synod office at the Assembly in 2014.  TWF has been charged to consider the very best configuration of synod resources in support of congregations and their ministry.  My own sense is that we are committing ourselves to a leaner synod office and more involvement from the clusters and members who will be asked to learn new skills in support of our church.

The synod budget represents a crucial aspect of this planning as well.  We finished in the black last year (FY 2013) but $60,000 behind our budgeted goal, even accounting for the portion of the budget saved by not calling a new assistant to replace Pr. Mark Nelson.  Did congregations take advantage of the sense that the synod needed less monetary support or is it the case that congregation budgets are squeezed in an equally difficult way?

This is the third Bishop’s report in which I ask that the congregations work toward an average of 8% giving in mission support, mission support being that part of your congregational giving that is given in direct support of synodical and Churchwide ministries.  You can calculate your mission support percentage by dividing the amount given last year by the amount of unrestricted giving to your congregation.  So, for instance, if $90,000 was given in unrestricted offerings and you gave $5,000 in mission support, your mission support percentage would be 5.5%, the average mission support offering for our congregations in 2011.  In the example given I hope you would strive to offer a gift of $7200, which would equal an 8% mission support percentage.

Why is this important?  Offerings at an average of 8% would make it possible to replace staff and equipment at the synod office and would make it possible for us to support the rest of the national and international church at acceptable levels.  Presently we are not fulfilling our constitutional responsibilities for mission support.

I know that you face real challenges in financing your ministry.  There are unknown challenges ahead regarding the Affordable Care Act and Pastor Jeff Thiemann is present at our Assembly to offer a sense of that future and to seek your counsel on the philosophy of benefits that Portico is proposing for the future.

The Way Forward is considering the options available that will support your ministry and account for the real challenges faced by congregations.  We will adapt to the faithful response you offer through your mission support and we ask that you be prepared to take up new roles in your clusters on behalf of our common ministry.  In this way we can be assured of robust and faithful ministry across our territory.  This is the shape of our synodical discipleship.

It is exciting to report that our synodical discipleship is taking new forms for this unique day.  I urge you to attend to the wide variety of hearings and workshops that have been planned for this assembly and to pay special attention to those that have to do with new mission starts.  The creativity of local members and pastors, and the support of Pr. Helga Jansons as Director for Evangelical Mission, means that we are probing, pushing, and praying in lots of different directions.  Another new and creative approach to rural ministry is the call of a United Methodist pastor to serve the Lutheran and Presbyterian congregations of Wilbur, WA.  This is a great example of how our full-communion relationships make it possible to keep a mainline presence in the small towns of our synod.

In support of our ministry to the international church we’re delighted that two visitors are with us from our companion synod in Tanzania.  Ms. Angela Msita and Pr. Eliud Payowela are touring our synod for three weeks learning from our ministries and meeting our members.  They will be introduced at our Friday banquet and you are invited to visit with them at the Global Mission/Companion Synod display area.  Later this summer five of us will be visiting Ulanga/Kilombero in order to celebrate 100 years of mission activity in the Diocese and to meet with other supporting partners from other parts of the world.  Our continuing support goes to Tumaini School, Lugala Hospital, the travel fund, and the Diocese while a special project is underway to build a dining hall for the school.  We hope to have updates available in the fall.

Finally, a word of thanks to the synod staff and to our faithful leaders on the Synod Council and The Way Forward Task Force:  Vice President Gary Gemar has been an exemplary leader for the synod council and has put in countless hours as co-chair of The Way Forward group.  Synod work takes days and days of his vacation time each year and he has maintained his good humor even as a member of the Finance Committee!  Tami McHugh has continued offering selfless service as our synod Treasurer for 14 years and we welcome Paula Kenney in the role as Secretary for the Synod.  Thanks go to Pr. Dean Stewart for co-chairing The Way Forward and for serving as Dean of the Palouse cluster for many years. 

About this time last year Pr. Shelley Wickstrom, our regional coordinator for ministry, was elected Bishop of the Alaska Synod.  That election set off a domino effect that by the end of the summer resulted in the choice of Pr. Mark Nelson to replace Shelley in the Region 1 Position.  Mark was and is the perfect choice for that position and is serving us all very well with special responsibility for candidacy (bringing new leaders into rostered leadership) and synodical relations in the Region.  Throughout the year we have had opportunities to thank Mark for his 20 years of service to the synod, but this assembly is the first occasion when our whole synod has been gathered to say thank you.  Please greet and congratulate Mark in this new work.

Pr. Helga Jansons is paid by a grant from the national church but she is one of us and considered part of the synod staff.  Please seek her out to offer your thanks and to inquire about the gifts for ministry that she can bring your congregation.

There is one person who serves us all as the “glue” holding together the synod office.  Cathy Steiner is in her 14^th year of service and along the way has picked up the work of two Administrative Assistants.  We’re grateful that under the revised budget for FY 2014 we’ve been able to secure the services, part-time, of Gib Dominguez.  But without Cathy Steiner those central functions as Answer Desk, Resource-Provider, Record-Keeper could not be done with nearly the grace and skill that she brings to the work.  Please find a chance to thank her, and meet Gib, during the Assembly.

On a Personal note:

Our country and church has been stunned and disheartened by the obscenity of death experienced in Newtown, CT and now Boston.  These tragedies are leading many of us to reflect on sin, human depravity, terrorism, and community violence in all its forms.  I am eager for the synodical church to do its part in this reflection and I commend to you the social statements of our church, including the message on community violence.  (www.ELCA.org). What more can we offer?  My own thinking begins with this thought and I commend it to you as you pray for insight:  “Jesus Christ is God, disarmed.”  These words form for me a holy provocation to take up the mantel of non-violence and peacemaking in our day.  My prayer is that God would give us wisdom and courage to peacefully face down those forces that threaten life.

It has been a complicated year and I’m both energized by the new work and eager for a new Way Forward!  I’m confident we will get there and I rely on all of you, as the synodical church, to blaze the way.  And I’m very, very tired.  A summer break will be welcome.

Our family is healthy and both stable and moving at the same time.  Susan’s position with the Valparaiso Project ended with the calendar year and she is eager for her next call.  Mary Emily will go through her comprehensive finals next month for the PhD in Theology at the University of Chicago.  Magdalena is still with College Possible in Minneapolis.  From our family to yours, thanks be to God for our Lord Jesus Christ and for the sheer adventure of Life in his name.