Ascension Lutheran, Scottsdale (top photos) and New Journey, Fountain Hills (lower photos) launched the second year of NEVC provision of lunches, water pallets, and electrolyte powder to Arizona Faith Network (AFN) cooling centers. Christ the Lord in Carefree, plus Living Water and New Covenant Lutheran Churches in Scottsdale join in the summer calendar of lunch packs.
The Grand Canyon Synod is making a final push to fill open volunteer roles for the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix, July 28–August 2. We need nearly 100 volunteers to assist with tech, hospitality, support, and more. Learn how you can help welcome the wider church and be part of this historic event. Sign up today and join the team that makes it all happen.
La Asamblea de toda la Iglesia de la ELCA 2025 se llevará a cabo en Phoenix del 28 de julio al 2 de agosto. La Obispa Hutterer invita a nuestro sínodo a orar, aprender y ofrecerse como voluntarios mientras damos la bienvenida a casi 1,000 personas de toda la ELCA. Lea sobre qué esperar, cómo participar y por qué este momento es importante para la vida del mundo.
The 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly will take place in Phoenix from July 28 to August 2. Bishop Hutterer invites our synod to pray, learn, and volunteer as we welcome nearly 1,000 people from across the ELCA. Read about what to expect, how to get involved, and why this moment matters for the life of the world.
Your generosity during the 2025 Synod Assembly raised $3,365.80, now supporting wildfire recovery in Southern California and essential services in Las Vegas through Lutheran Disaster Response and Lutheran Social Services of Nevada. It’s not too late to give—join us in building up the body of Christ and making a lasting impact in our region and beyond.
Help us welcome the ELCA Churchwide Assembly to Phoenix in 2025! Volunteers are invited to an informational Zoom meeting on Wednesday, July 16 at 4:30 PM Arizona time to learn about available shifts, roles, and expectations. Can’t attend live? The session will be recorded. Learn more and sign up to volunteer at gcsynod.org/cwa.
Help the students of our companion synod in Fatick, Senegal, by donating $25 to provide a full set of schoolbooks. The Grand Canyon Synod’s Global Engagement Team invites your support by August 20. Every gift equips a child for success. Contact Cheryl Jones at 480-620-8126 to learn more.
Diakonia’s new 2025-2026 Foundation Year courses begin on August 25, 2025. This program, a long-standing ELCA ministry, offers flexible learning tracks to deepen your faith. Enroll now at www.diakonia.education and explore both online and hybrid communities in the Grand Canyon Synod.
Join Bishop Hutterer and special guests Rev. Dr. Kristin Largen and Rev. Dr. Helen Chukka of Wartburg Seminary for the 2025 Bishop’s Fall Gathering, September 29–October 1 in Scottsdale. This year’s theme, Life Together: Lament, Love and Christian Hope in a Time Such as This, invites rostered ministers to explore how Christian community can respond faithfully to division and despair. Registration is open through September 5.
Join Mount of Olives Lutheran Church in Phoenix for their final free summer jazz concerts—July 13 with Beth Lederman & Dennis Rowland. Held at 5:30 PM, these Music for Food events support the Olive Branch Food Pantry, which feeds over 150 families weekly. Come for the music, stay for the mission.
Deacon Emma Janzen will be installed Sunday, 8/10/2025, 10:45 AM, at Resurrection Lutheran Church, (11575 N 1st Ave., Oro Valley, AZ 85737, livestream here), with Pastor Jacqui Pagel preaching and presiding.
Rostered ministers and candidates for rostered ministry are invited to process and wear their albs. Color of the day is green.
Now accepting applications: The 2025 Manna Grant offers up to $20,000 in total funding to Grand Canyon Synod ministries that address hunger and its root causes. Projects must demonstrate a commitment to inclusive leadership. Apply by July 31. Made possible through a legacy gift from Orpha Hoganson of Ascension Lutheran, this grant continues her mission to combat hunger with love and equity.
Join Bishop Hutterer and special guests from Wartburg Theological Seminary for the 2025 Bishop’s Fall Gathering, September 29–October 1, at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale. Under the theme Life Together: Lament, Love, and Christian Hope in a Time Such as This, rostered ministers will explore faithful community amid division with Rev. Dr. Kristin Johnston Largen and Rev. Dr. S. Helen Chukka. Registration is open through September 5. Scholarships available.
ION’s Summer 2025 newsletter is out now! Highlights include a new vodcast partnership with Arizona prisons, expansion to Oregon prison tablets, and growing momentum in Arizona and Montana. Meet new board member Sarah Estes, celebrate Maddi Briguglio’s ASU award, and check out ION’s new book on reentry ministry for congregations. Read the full ION Summer Newsletter.
Now accepting applications: The 2025 Manna Grant offers up to $20,000 in total funding to Grand Canyon Synod ministries that address hunger and its root causes. Projects must demonstrate a commitment to inclusive leadership. Apply by July 31. Made possible through a legacy gift from Orpha Hoganson of Ascension Lutheran, this grant continues her mission to combat hunger with love and equity.
Navigating church governance can be complex, but a new resource from Pastor David Brandfass and Pastor Dan Potaznick clarifies the role of bylaws and continuing resolutions in ELCA congregations. This How-To Guide helps church leaders align their governing documents with ELCA best practices while maintaining flexibility for ministry needs. Available now at www.gcsynod.org/congregations, this resource is essential for congregational councils and leadership teams.
Join the Pray Without Ceasing movement—a Spirit-led call to prayer spreading across the ELCA. Weekly Zoom gatherings on Thursdays at 1:00 p.m. Central connect prayer leaders and participants from around the country. Pray for peace, for renewal, and for your neighbors. Learn more and receive the Zoom link to join in: pray-without-ceasing.org
If you have created a group, or would like more information, please contact the Director for Evangelical Mission, Pr. David Pavesic at david.pavesic@elca.org.
Celebrate the 2025 Diakonia graduates (view grads in this PDF) with us on Saturday, June 28 at 11:00 AM MST at Our Saviour’s Lutheran in Tucson, or online via YouTube. This joyful service and luncheon, featuring a message from Bishop Hutterer, honors those completing one or two years of faith formation through the Diakonia program. RSVP by June 15 to tinag963@yahoo.com or watch the livestream.
Registration is now open for the 2025 ELCA World Hunger Leadership Gathering, taking place September 18–21 in Columbus, Ohio. Centered on Micah 6:8, the gathering will unite leaders to collaborate on ending hunger and its root causes. Thanks to a sponsorship from the Northeast Valley Consortium, the Grand Canyon Synod will fully sponsor three participants. If you’re interested in attending as a representative, do not register online—instead, contact Solveig at director@lamaz.org to be considered.
This is a key opportunity to reflect, connect, and act in our shared ministry for a world without hunger. Click here for full event details.
The Grand Canyon Synod is honored to host the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix this July 28–August 2. We need nearly 100 volunteers to help make this event a success! Open shifts include airport greeters, registration, worship support, and more. Learn how you can serve and sign up at gcsynod.org/cwa.
We’ve released the 50 mosaic-style images created for the 2025 Synod Assembly after many of you asked how they were made. Using Midjourney, an AI tool that turns text into art, we created visuals inspired by handcrafted tilework and the desert tones of our synod. These images are now available for all congregations and ministries to use. View and download the collection in this blog post.
Missed the 2025 Synod Assembly or want to relive the highlights? Recordings of both days and the stunning Thursday evening concert hosted by Community Lutheran in Las Vegas are now available. Watch the worship, music, and ministry that brought our synod together.
Our 2025 Synod Assembly was made possible by the faithful service of volunteers, leaders, and congregations across our synod. From hospitality and worship to technology and planning, every contribution helped shape a Spirit-filled gathering centered on connection, discernment, and shared mission. We extend deep thanks to all who served—named and unnamed—and celebrate the many ministries and partners who made our time together possible.
Nearly 300 gathered in Las Vegas for the 2025 Synod Assembly, celebrating new congregations, electing leaders including Vice President Mark Myers, and hearing inspiring messages from Bishop Hutterer and David Scherer. Read more for key decisions, ministry updates, and highlights from this year’s theme: Build Up the Body.
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! Tuesday, 6/24/2025, 6-7pm MST.
Youth from the Grand Canyon Synod are invited to Leadership Lab 2025, a weeklong Lutheran leadership experience for grades 8 through age 24, held June 23-28 at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL. Rooted in faith and friendship, Leadership Lab helps young people grow as disciples and leaders. Register now at leadershiplab.net.
Ready for summer? Lutheran congregations across the Grand Canyon Synod are offering Vacation Bible Schools and children’s camps filled with faith, fun, and fellowship. Explore the growing list of programs, and help us share your church’s summer offerings by emailing Deacon Laura Book at lbook@gcsynod.org.
Celebrate the 2025 Diakonia graduates (view grads in this PDF) with us on Saturday, June 28 at 11:00 AM MST at Our Saviour’s Lutheran in Tucson, or online via YouTube. This joyful service and luncheon, featuring a message from Bishop Hutterer, honors those completing one or two years of faith formation through the Diakonia program. RSVP by June 15 to tinag963@yahoo.com or watch the livestream.
The 2024–2025 Impact Report highlights how your support empowers ministry across our synod. From guiding congregations in transition to nurturing new leaders, advocating for justice, and forming faith in young people, your generosity fuels a church that walks together. Discover how we Communicate Jesus, Connect People, and Create Possibilities.
The Grand Canyon Synod is already represented on the national Lutherans Restoring Creation map—and your ministry can be too. Whether through gardens, green teams, outdoor worship, or advocacy, congregations across our synod are invited to share their creation care efforts and connect with others doing this vital work across the ELCA. The Stewardship team invites you to add your ministry at www.LutheransRestoringCreation.org and help highlight how we care for creation in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah.