Call of the Assembly

By order of the Synod Council, the 2026 Synod Assembly of the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod will be held 5-6 June 2026 at the Mon County 4H Center, Mylan Park, Morgantown, WV, the first business meeting convening at 1:00 p.m.

For more information. scroll down (or click here).

Requiescat in Pace: Cantu

Presiding Bishop's Lenten-Easter Message

In his Easter video message, Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry says that even though we consider ourselves to be an Easter church, we must remember that we are also a Lenten church, living in uncertainty, waiting and hoping for renewal. Curry reminds us that in the midst of that uncertainty comes God’s promise of reassurance and hope. Death does not have the final word.

Is Your Paschal Candle Burning?

Bishop's Pastoral for Good Friday

Bishop Riegel has published a pastoral letter for Good Friday 2026 on the first of Jesus' seven last words from the cross, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." The pastoral may be described as a meditation & prayer. It is posted on Substack. You do not need a Substack account to access. Click here to read.

Mercury Retrogradant

Little known among modern Lutherans is the degree to which astrology was part of the life of the sixteenth century. Even Melanchthon mentions the horoscope that his father had commissioned for his birth. So, we make a little joke when saying that Mercury is retrograde, i.e., moving in the opposite direction in the night sky than it usually does. Astrologers caution that communications can become confused when Mercury is retrograde; remember: Mercury was the messenger of the gods. Well, we are having communications problems...

Web Links to ELCA.org

ELCA.org has been updates, and links on our site to several pages and documents on that site no longer work. You can help us fix things on our end by reporting dead links.

Migrating The Bishop's Roadshow

Mailchimp lowered the quotas for both subscribers and sends for our account level. We are working on migration to another platform, hoping that we can keep costs low and maybe even improve the service. Be on the lookout for The Roadshow coming via ZOHO Campaigns. If you don't see one in a few weeks, let us know.

Camp Luther: Camper Registration Open

Wrestling with God: From Lament to Praise

The Mountain Maryland Lecture Series presents "A Post-Easter Gathering with Dr. Rolf A. Jacobson," 17-18 April 2026, in Cumberland, MD, on lament in Scripture and the life of the Christian. For details, visit our Education for Clergy & Laity page.

Synod Assembly 2026

Synod Assembly 2026 will be held in Morgantown on 5-6 June 2026. The anticipated beginning of the first business meeting is 1:00 p.m. with the opening worship service beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Registration Open

Online registration for Synod Assembly 2026 is now open. For details on the Assembly and registration link, visit our Synod Assembly 2026 page.

Reporting

If you have a report to submit to Synod Assembly, note that the submission deadline is 15 April 2026. Details on reporting procedures and standards are on our Reporting to Synod Assembly page. Do not attempt to submit a report without reviewing the norms.

Exhibiting

If you would like to request permission to exhibit, visit our Exhibiting at Synod Assembly page to review norms, limitations, and application procedure. Exhibiting is by permission and requires as a precondition submission of an application.

Resolutions & Memorials

Congregations and properly constituted conferences may memorialize Synod Assembly; voting members my submit resolutions. The deadline for both is16 May 2026. Review the information posted on our Resolutions & Memorials page to ensure proper formatting and submission.

Everything Else You Might Want To Know

LARCUM 2026

Help! I Have To Plan Worship (without a Pastor)

The Exchange

Congregation Constitution Amendments Posted

The amendments to the Model Constitution for Congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America effected by Churchwide Assembly 2025 have been posted. Visit our Governing Documents for Congregations page to review.

Clergy Wellness

Portico has just released updates on services available to clergy and congregations. Visit our Clergy Wellness page for information on

• mental health support during disruptive times,
• the Online Retirement Readiness Series, and
  
• getting ready for tax season.
  

And don't forget to notify Portico of compensation changes.

If you haven't checked out the members portal...

Don't forget to take a peek of the members portal (click the button at right near the top of this page). It's not password protected. We only call it the "members portal" because it's mostly stuff that deals with the internal workings of the synod. Visitors looking for more general information about the synod, will probably find the "guest portal" more interesting.

Synod Website Updates

The synod website updates frequently (as in often) and irregularly (as in not on a particular schedule). Click here (or on the picture at right) to find out what has been recently updated.