Schedule

Interactive PreConference

10:00am–12:00pm

Scandinavian Center, Anderson University Center

Free and Open to the Public

Speakers and Facilitators:

• Rev. Kristin Luana Baumann, Holy Trinity Church and former member of the ELCA SW Synod Native American Work Team
• Rev. Seth Novak, ELCA SW Synod Native American Work Team
• Representatives of NW WA Synod
• Rev. Terry Kyllo, Executive Director of Paths to Understanding
• Rev. Jen Rude, University Pastor, PLU
• Cynthia Savini (Makah), Director of the Suquamish tribe’s Marion Forsman Boushie Early Learning Center. PLU alumna.

The focus of this time will be to review ELCA’s National Statements, Actions, and Resources as a part of the Truth and Healing Movement, including resources for responsible land acknowledgment and Indian Boarding School remembrance.

This will be led by members of our Regional Synods’ working groups and members of PLU’s Indigenous Community Advisory Network on living into the ELCA commitment to truth and healing with Indigenous and Native people and land. Our speakers will lead us through spiritual, faith, and personal resources with which we can engage in our personal, congregational, and denominational work. We welcome all community members, congregation members and leaders, pastors and bishops, and students, faculty, and staff at colleges and universities. There will be conversations to engage us in thinking about how these topics impact our particular life and work contexts. While this pre-conference session was created in response to pastors and congregations of the ELCA, we also welcome members of all religious denominations and secular perspectives.

We will review the ELCA’s Truth and Healing Movement, offering congregational resources and reviewing the ELCA’s actions and statements overall, but also specifically to learn about local initiatives and possible kits to use in their congregations. This morning session highlights the regional work of our ELCA synods in relation to the National ELCA Indian Boarding School’s “Truth-Seeking and Truth-Telling Initiative” and its commitment to understanding its role in the boarding schools. Directly following this year’s conference is the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools on Sept 30, 2024, and Indigenous People’s Day on October 14, 2024.