The Phoenix VA Health Care System invites pastors, deacons, and other faith leaders to a Faith Leader Forum on Friday, Sept. 11, at 11 a.m. at the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix. Participants will learn how to help veterans in their congregations connect with VA health care services and benefits. RSVP by Sept. 1 to Chaplain Joel Larson at joel.larson2@va.gov.
“God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday is Sept. 13, 2026. Watch ELCA Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry’s invitation and begin planning how your congregation can join Lutherans across the church in serving neighbors and putting our faith into action.
Come share or explore alternative ways to raise money for mission trips, the national youth gathering, plane tickets to camp and more. The SYAT Collective invites you and your congregation to gain new insights into the world of youth group fundraisers. It's a new, tech-savvy world, and the options are limitless. Register here.
Registration is now open for the 2026 Bishop’s Fall Gathering, October 12–14 at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale. Register by Friday, September 18. Pastors, deacons, and Synod Authorized Ministers are invited for three days of worship, learning, renewal, and connection, featuring theologian, pastor, and author Rev. Dr. Carmelo Santos, PhD.
Rooted in God’s Story, this year’s gathering will explore faithful leadership, healing, identity, human flourishing, and emerging questions facing ministry today.
Rev. Jose Valenzuela, called to serve University Lutheran and ASU Lutheran Campus Ministry, will be installed Sunday, 9/20/2026, during 10 am worship at University Lutheran Church (340 E. 15th Street, Tempe, AZ 85281).
Please check the calendar listing or ulctempe.org for this event for up-to-date info and details.
Lay and rostered leaders are invited to Faithful Listening, Bold Proclamation, three interactive Zoom workshops with ELCA pastor and Womanist theologian Rev. Sharei Green on Sept. 24, Oct. 1, and Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. Arizona/Pacific Time. Explore Community, Gospel, and Kin-dom while strengthening practices of listening and proclamation. Attend one session or all three.
An applicant for this grant must be an organized congregation, a Synodically Authorized Worshipping Community (SAWC) or Synodically Authorized Outreach Ministry (SAOM), or a Strategic Ministry of the Grand Canyon Synod. Visit gcsynod.org/grants for more info.
Calling all hunger champions: join this network of the Grand Canyon Synod! Meet to hear updates on national and local Hunger and Food Insecurity efforts and initiatives, to learn from one another, and to share with the group what's happening in our congregations. Anyone interested in alleviating hunger is welcome. Prepare to be encouraged and supported! Click here to access the meeting, at 6pm on the last Tuesday of every month.
The ELCA has released “Conscience and Conversation,” a new study resource to support churchwide discernment during the reconsideration of Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust. Congregations, small groups, and individuals are invited to participate and share feedback with the task force.
The accompanying survey is open through September 30, 2026, and responses will help shape a draft statement for churchwide review. Ministry leaders are encouraged to prayerfully engage the study and ensure their voices are part of the conversation.
Lay and rostered leaders are invited to Faithful Listening, Bold Proclamation, three interactive Zoom workshops with ELCA pastor and Womanist theologian Rev. Sharei Green on Sept. 24, Oct. 1, and Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. Arizona/Pacific Time. Explore Community, Gospel, and Kin-dom while strengthening practices of listening and proclamation. Attend one session or all three.
Rev. Jenn Luong, called to serve University of Arizona Lutheran Campus Ministry, will be installed Sunday, 10/4/2026 at 4 pm at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church (1200 North Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719).
Please check this calendar listing or lutherantucson.org for this event for up-to-date info and details.
Lay and rostered leaders are invited to Faithful Listening, Bold Proclamation, three interactive Zoom workshops with ELCA pastor and Womanist theologian Rev. Sharei Green on Sept. 24, Oct. 1, and Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. Arizona/Pacific Time. Explore Community, Gospel, and Kin-dom while strengthening practices of listening and proclamation. Attend one session or all three.
Mark your calendar for next year’s Bishop’s Fall Gathering—a time of rest, renewal, and community for rostered ministers and lay leaders across the Grand Canyon Synod. This retreat will continue our 2026 theme, Rooted in God’s Story.
Times: Approximate and to be determined. First Call Accompaniment will be on October 14 and 15.
Additional details, registration information, and session themes can be found on our 2026 Bishop's Fall Gathering page.
Children, youth and young adult ministry leaders are invited to Camp Pinerock in Prescott, October 16–17, for 24 hours of connection, renewal and shared learning. The $50 retreat includes informal fellowship and participant-driven conversations about faith formation, intergenerational ministry and the joys and challenges of ministry with younger generations.
Reserve your spot by emailing Deacon Laura Book at lbook@gcsynod.org.
Calling all hunger champions: join this network of the Grand Canyon Synod! Meet to hear updates on national and local Hunger and Food Insecurity efforts and initiatives, to learn from one another, and to share with the group what's happening in our congregations. Anyone interested in alleviating hunger is welcome. Prepare to be encouraged and supported! Click here to access the meeting, at 6pm on the last Tuesday of every month.
Save the date for the Grand Canyon Synod Growing in Faith Program’s upcoming symposium, “A Different Way: Jesus and the Call Beyond Nationalism — Hope, Courage and Community for Such a Time as This,” on Nov. 14, 2026, at American Lutheran Church in Sun City, Arizona, with virtual participation also available.
Featuring Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee of the Northwest Washington Synod, the event will explore faithful Lutheran responses to Christian nationalism through the lenses of hope, courage, discipleship and neighbor love. More details and registration information are coming soon.
Calling all hunger champions: join this network of the Grand Canyon Synod! Meet to hear updates on national and local Hunger and Food Insecurity efforts and initiatives, to learn from one another, and to share with the group what's happening in our congregations. Anyone interested in alleviating hunger is welcome. Prepare to be encouraged and supported! Click here to access the meeting, at 6pm on the last Tuesday of every month.
Calling all hunger champions: join this network of the Grand Canyon Synod! Meet to hear updates on national and local Hunger and Food Insecurity efforts and initiatives, to learn from one another, and to share with the group what's happening in our congregations. Anyone interested in alleviating hunger is welcome. Prepare to be encouraged and supported! Click here to access the meeting, at 6pm on the last Tuesday of every month.
Executive Skills for Church Leaders returns January 4–8, 2027, at Spirit in the Desert in Carefree, Arizona. This leadership development experience equips rostered ministers and lay leaders with practical skills for today’s ministry context. Join the interest list now to receive early updates and registration access: bit.ly/ExecSkills27.
The 2027 ELCA Youth Gathering will take place June 28–July 2, 2027, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Held every three years, the ELCA Youth Gathering is more than a large-scale event—it is a movement of faith formation, bringing together thousands of high school youth and their adult leaders for worship, learning, service, and community grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The theme for 2027, “Imagine More,” invites young people to expand their vision of what God is doing in the world and how they are called to participate—imagining more justice, more belonging, more courage, and more hope for the church and the world.