 I was elected to represent the Southeastern Iowa Synod at the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly July 28-August 1. I was representative as a lay (non-rostered) female in a group of diverse folks from our synod: pastors, staff, volunteers, council members, youth. We travelled in singles and pairs to gather in Phoenix, Arizona for a week of work as the highest legislative body in our denomination. (Yes, it was hot, especially since I had so recently returned from a trip to Alaska!). Most of our time was spent with the gathered body to worship, pray and debate the way we show up as church in the world. We heard reports from various committees, and were greeted by ecumenical and interfaith leaders. We prayed a lot. For our Assembly, for the world, for the leaders of our Church, for our congregations, for each other.
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 You can feel it, even when no one says it.
Some topics make the room feel tense. Certain words make people shift in their seats. We don’t always talk about politics in church, but that doesn’t mean politics aren’t shaping the room.  I have a confession of sorts to make. I am a M*A*S*H junkie. I have watched every episode of this old TV series, set in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M*A*S*H) during the Korean War, repeatedly. One of my favorite characters, as you might guess, is Father Mulcahy, the unit chaplain.
 As a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), what takes place at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly every three years is important. Last week the faithful voting members from across the country gathered to do the important work of the Church. (They had to be faithful. It was in Phoenix in August!). One of those voting members was Ellen Rothweiler, our Minister for Learning. We give thanks to God for her service.
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