Always Changing: Regional Gatherings Highight Community, Challenges

For four consecutive Saturdays, April 25 through May 16, 2026, Pacifica Synod hosted four regional gatherings as a prelude to the Online Synod Assembly on June 20, 2026. Members of the synod were offered the opportunity to gather in Honolulu, Hawai’i, and in Riverside, Los Alamitos, and San Diego, California for a time of community, mutual appreciation, fellowship, and collaboration both with each other and with the synod at large.

Each gathering had its own regional flair, with scriptures proclaimed in a variety of region-specific non-English languages, musical worship from the host churches, and a lunch sampling the local flavor. But even with all this variety, the overall message was the same: we are all called to serve those within and without our synod.

Perhaps the most differentiating component of each gathering was a time when attendees could meet in small groups according to their particular ministry emphasis, like finances, youth and children’s ministry, social justice, and others. They were able to share their victories and challenges with one another within the group, and then in the next general session, the group leader would share with everyone the types of things that came up during their discussion.

Interestingly, across all the gatherings, certain key words kept bubbling to the top during these discussions. Words like collaboration, sharing, community, and change became common themes synodwide.

Each gathering concluded with a message from Bishop Dave acknowledging the reality of this present moment while look ahead to the future not just of the synod, not just of the ELCA, but of the American church. “The gospel is the same, but the conditions under which we preach the gospel are always changing,” he said. “What if God called us to this time for a specific reason and has something for us that’s never been seen before?”

There is still time to register for this year’s Online Synod Assembly. Just go here to get the info you need. Special thanks to our host churches for the regional gatherings: Lutheran Church of Honolulu, Trinity Lutheran in Riverside, Bethlehem Lutheran in Los Alamitos, and Clairemont Lutheran in San Diego.