Do you spend $20-$25 per week at Starbucks or Caribou? Or maybe you spend that much each week for the movies? Maybe you easily drop that much at Amazon.com or some other Internet temptress? It’s all a question of priorities, isn’t it?
I’d like to invite you to invest in yourself. Begin today by saving $20-25 each week so you can attend the 2011 Triennial Gathering of Women of the ELCA. Women from around the church will be gathering in Spokane, Washington, July 14-17, 2011, for an awe-inspiring weekend around the theme “Renew, Respond, Rejoice!”
Cool off in this fountain, one of several lovely features of the Riverfront Park.
You’ll renew your faith and learn how collective renewal shapes us. You’ll be challenged to respond to your faith through service and advocacy. You’ll join with 2,000 other Lutheran women, singing and dancing and praying your praise to God.
The Spokane River runs alongside the downtown convention center, the site of the gathering.
Encourage a friend or sister to join you for the weekend. I’ve been to all the Women of the ELCA gatherings, but the best for me personally was the one my college roommate and I attended. Together we were able to bring all the excitement and inspiration of the gathering home to our Women of the ELCA group.
The Riverfront Park, close to the convention center, offers a green escape.
Keep on this weekly saving schedule and you’ll be ready to pay the registration fee when registration opens this fall, September 15th. Stay on schedule and you’ll have enough money to buy an airline or rail ticket as well as covering your housing and meals. Set aside money you might receive as a gift or bonus and you’ll have extra spending money to use in all the great shops in downtown Spokane.
You’ll hear more about speakers, workshops, worship, service opportunities, and the like as we finalize the planning in the next few weeks. Check back often!
Can’t wait to see you in Spokane!
Linda Post Bushkofsky, a big fan of triennial gatherings, is executive director of Women of the ELCA.