God’s richest blessings to each of you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
This is your invitation to attend the 66th Northwest District convention to be held at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon on June 9-11, 2022. Registration to attend the convention and secure housing is now open. All delegates need to register online to attend the convention. See the link later in this invitation.
What’s your foundation? What are those foundational stones upon which you build your life? We’ve been asking questions like these for the past few years as our way of life has been turned upside down. The truth is that many of those foundational principles we have counted on have been called into question even before our recent experience. It’s into this turbulent time that we hear the words of our theme passage for the 2022 Northwest District Convention:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. -Hebrews 13:8
The security our connection with the Lord, Jesus Christ, provides us is a solid foundation and one from which we can speak and choose and live. Our time together will be an opportunity for us to rediscover just what this means for us and to consider how it moves us toward confessing our faith and putting it into action in our communities. I look forward to spending that time with you.
Upon check-in at the Convention Center, accredited pastor and lay congregational delegates will be issued a blue nametag; advisory and youth delegates will be issued a yellow nametag. Advisory and youth delegates (Bylaw 4.2.3) can speak on the convention floor when officially registered and wearing their yellow nametag.
YOUTH DELEGATES:
It is the goal to give our youth delegates training and experience in church leadership. To accomplish that goal, youth will:
- Spend time on the convention floor with their delegation.
- Youth delegates will also be asked to share their observations and thoughts by preparing a report for the convention. They will be guided through this process by District staff and volunteers.
The voting delegates of a congregation have sole responsibility for their youth delegate for the entire convention. Youth travel and all meals will be with your delegation. Be on the lookout for a separate email regarding youth delegates which will include forms requiring parental and chaperone signatures.
VOTING DELEGATES:
As has been our practice at the last four conventions, the Convention workbook is being distributed electronically in an effort to be good stewards of our financial and environmental resources. The Convention workbook can be found on the District website (as of March 18, 2022). Once accessed, you may read the workbook there, save it to your computer, and/or print the sections you may wish to have with you at the Convention. A limited number of printed copies are available prior to Convention, upon request.
Please read the workbook and do the requested prep work thoroughly. It is filled with information about what is happening in the Northwest District and will help prepare you for the Convention.
- SECTION 1 – Welcome, general information – draft schedule and parliamentary procedures chart
- SECTION 2 – People – a listing of congregations, rostered workers and delegates
- SECTION 3 – President’s Report – report of District office activities and executive reports
- SECTION 4 – Reports – highlights of the activities of District agencies and strategic alliances
- SECTION 5 – Election Information – slates and biographies SECTION 6 – Overtures (Please note: Floor Committee meetings are scheduled for April 8, 2022 and the overtures will be addressed by them at that time. After this meeting, overtures will become resolutions to be presented to the Convention.)
- SECTION 7 – Bylaws, Ends Statements and Governance Policies
- SECTION 8 – Resolutions (made available following the April 8 Floor Committee meetings)
- SECTION 9 – Financial audit
The delegate forms signed and sent from your congregation enable you to vote at the convention. The delegate form should have already been received at the District Office. Now it is time to register to attend the convention and secure housing by completing the online registration process.
REGISTRATION is online only. Click here to register! Online payment will be accepted via Credit card, Debit card or eCheck. Payments via US mail are also accepted after registering online. Deadline for registration and payment is 9 p.m. (PDT) April 22 to avoid the late fee of $100. Registration closes at 9 p.m.(PDT) May 6. You will receive confirmation of your lodging information and roommate request via email at a later date.
All convention hotel lodging reservations will be made by the District Office. If you plan to stay at a different hotel, you need to make your own arrangements. Individual’s convention hotel lodging needs are requested through the online registration process via the link above. Convention hotel lodging will be at the Doubletree Hotel (Lloyd Center), 1000 NE Multnomah Street, Portland, Oregon 97232. Do not call this hotel directly to make or change your reservations – they will be made by the District Office. The hotel is approximately 3-4 blocks from the Oregon Convention Center and is served by the light rail system (MAX). Delegates will receive a date-limited pass for the MAX when checking in at the Convention Center. There will also be a limited bus shuttle service provided between the convention hotel and the Oregon Convention Center.
Meals and incidental expenses of delegates during the convention are the responsibility of the congregation.
Travel reimbursement information is available here.
More information is available at the event page.
Lord God, We pray for Your blessing upon us as we engage the certainty of Your unchangeable nature and Your steadfast love for us and for the world. Guide our preparation, our deliberation, and our decision-making as we seek to reflect Your love for us and for all people. Bless each of us with receptive hearts that Your Word might speak to us and fill us with all we need to be faithful and living witnesses to the Gospel while we are together in convention and when we return to our home communities. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
In Jesus,
Rev. Dr. Paul Linnemann
President of the Northwest District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
