Faith Leaders Gather for Prayerful Vigil at ICE Phoenix Office
Faith Leaders Gather for Prayerful Vigil at ICE Phoenix Office

The Arizona Faith Network invites faith leaders and community members to a nonviolent prayer vigil on Sunday, January 25 at 4:00 PM outside the ICE Phoenix Field Office (2035 N. Central Ave, Phoenix). This vigil calls faith communities to public witness and prayer in response to harms connected to ICE enforcement, standing in solidarity with those under threat of detention and separation.

Clergy from many traditions will offer prayers and reflection. Participants should bring a candle, water, and wear clergy or justice-themed attire. Nearby church parking is available. Register and share with others here: bit.ly/azfaithfulwitness.

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Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardArizona Faith Network, Immigration and Refugees, Church and SocietyComment
Discerning a Call? Explore Seminary Through PLTS’s “Signs Along the Way” Weekend
Discerning a Call? Explore Seminary Through PLTS’s “Signs Along the Way” Weekend

Are you discerning whether seminary might be right for you? Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary invites you to Signs Along the Way, a visit and discernment weekend March 13–15 in Berkeley, California, designed for those exploring online seminary education.

Participants will meet PLTS faculty, connect with others in discernment, and learn more about the MDiv, MA in Spirituality and Social Change, and Lutheran Year programs. Lodging and meals are provided, with travel assistance available. Learn more and sign up at plts.edu/signs.

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Grand Canyon Synod, Leader Resources, Region 2Brian FlatgardPacific Lutheran Theological SeminaryComment
From COP to Congregations: New Opportunities for Climate Faithfulness
From COP to Congregations: New Opportunities for Climate Faithfulness

January Good Green News highlights new opportunities to live out our faith through climate justice, learning, and community. From the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice to upcoming retreats, coffee conversations on environmental policy, and calls for eco-lectionary writers, there are meaningful ways for congregations and leaders to engage.

Explore resources, register for upcoming events, and learn how your congregation can take faithful action—read the full newsletter for details and links.

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ELCABrian FlatgardClimate Change, Lutherans Restoring CreationComment
January Mission Support Memo: Bridge-builder for Justice
January Mission Support Memo: Bridge-builder for Justice

Our January 2026 Mission Support memo connects us to Community Lutheran Church in Sussex County, Delaware where they are working to build-bridges for justice and love. Read about how they deeply care for their community through being a feeding hub, offering English classes and advocacy, caring for creation, and working toward dismantling racism, building equity, and empowering inclusion.

Learn how to join our new ELCA  Church Property Hub on Feb. 12th for Property Development 101 for Synods. In these times, staying connected through our stories seems vitally important, so please share your stories by contacting us at missionsupport@elca.org. Here is a pdf version too!

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ELCABrian FlatgardMission Support, ELCA Mission Support TeamComment
From Forest to Family: How Beekeeping Is Transforming Lives in Indonesia
From Forest to Family: How Beekeeping Is Transforming Lives in Indonesia

In the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia, a simple yet powerful initiative is changing lives. Through a forest bee farming program supported by Lutheran partners, Pak Esli—a fisherman and father of two—has gained new skills, sustainable income, and hope for his family and community. What began as unfamiliar work has become a source of economic stability, environmental care, and shared opportunity for an entire village.

This story from ELCA World Hunger highlights how faith-rooted global partnerships support livelihoods that honor both people and creation. Read more at ELCA.org to explore how forest beekeeping is helping communities thrive while caring for the land God has entrusted to them.

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ELCABrian FlatgardHunger, ELCA World HungerComment
January 2026 Administration Matters: Start the Year Strong with Key Church Admin Updates
January 2026 Administration Matters: Start the Year Strong with Key Church Admin Updates

The January 2026 issue of Administration Matters offers timely guidance to help congregations and church leaders start the year with clarity and confidence. Highlights include Portico’s 2026 New Year Checklist for benefits administration, updated Internal Revenue Service mileage rates effective January 1, best practices for church benevolence programs, and practical insights on repurposing aging church buildings.

Also featured are tips for more productive meetings and essential considerations for secure digital giving in an increasingly complex online landscape. These concise resources are designed to support faithful stewardship, sound governance, and effective ministry administration. Read the full January 2026 issue of Administration Matters to learn more.

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ELCA, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardAdministration MattersComment
Nominate a Young Musician for Lutheran Summer Music 2026
Nominate a Young Musician for Lutheran Summer Music 2026

The 2026 Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival is now accepting applications for students in grades 8–12. Hosted at St. Olaf College, LSM offers young musicians a formative experience of musical growth, performance, and worship in a supportive Lutheran community.

The Standard Enrollment deadline is March 1, and spaces are filling quickly. Nominate a student at LSMacademy.org/nominate or encourage them to submit a free application at LSMacademy.org/apply.

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Brian FlatgardLutheran Summer Music, Youth and Young AdultComment
What’s New from ELEA This January: BRAVE Resources, Legal Updates, and Member-Only Tools
What’s New from ELEA This January: BRAVE Resources, Legal Updates, and Member-Only Tools

The January ELEA newsletter is full of resources to help Lutheran educators start the year strong. Highlights include the Lutheran Schools Week 2026 “BRAVE” toolkit, grounded in John 13:34–35; a call for workshop proposals for the 2026 Biennial Conference in Los Angeles (due January 16); member-only Community conversations; and timely employment law updates through Zywave.

The issue also features a School Spotlight on Peace Lutheran Preschool, upcoming events, and reminders about ELEA membership benefits. Read the full newsletter for links, tools, and opportunities to connect with educators across the church.

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ELCABrian FlatgardYouth and Young Adult, Evangelical Lutheran Education Association (ELEA)Comment
Living Out the Dream: Faithful Witness in the Way of Martin Luther King Jr.
Living Out the Dream: Faithful Witness in the Way of Martin Luther King Jr.

In this Voices of Faith reflection, Bishop emeritus Abraham D. Allende recalls gathering in Washington, D.C., on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and challenges the church to move beyond honoring his memory to living out his dream. Drawing on Scripture, poetry, and King’s deep grounding in the gospel, Allende reminds us that King’s vision was never only political—it was profoundly Christian, rooted in love of neighbor, repentance, and transformation.

As Lutherans, our baptismal covenant calls us to defend the dignity of every human being, resist discrimination, and work for justice and peace. This timely reflection invites us to examine how God’s love can shape our common life and witness today. Read more in Living Lutheran.

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ELCABrian FlatgardRacial Justice, Living LutheranComment
Expanded Mental Health and Spiritual Care: Coaching Resources for Grand Canyon Synod Leaders
Expanded Mental Health and Spiritual Care: Coaching Resources for Grand Canyon Synod Leaders

Beginning January 1, 2026, ELCA-Primary members in the Grand Canyon Synod have access to expanded mental health and wellness services through Spring Health. These EAP benefits include therapy, coaching, and flexible care options that support the whole person—mind, body, and spirit.

One of the synod’s Spiritual Directors, David Bullock, is now available as a Spring Health coach while continuing to offer free monthly spiritual direction. Rostered ministers are also invited to explore the synod’s full list of spiritual directors as trusted companions for discernment, renewal, and faithful ministry.

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Grand Canyon Synod, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardSpiritual Directors, Coaching, Portico, Mental HealthComment
Possibilities in Partnership: Recording and Resources Now Available
Possibilities in Partnership: Recording and Resources Now Available

A recording and resources from Possibilities in Partnership, a synod-wide Zoom conversation held January 15, 2026, are now available. Led by Rev. David Pavesic, the gathering invited congregations to imagine new ways of sharing ministry, leadership, and resources in a challenging season.

This post includes the full video recording, downloadable slides, an image slideshow, and a link to the ELCA’s new Church Property Resource Hub. It also outlines upcoming opportunities for deeper discernment, including future online sessions and a potential in-person event this fall.

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Grand Canyon Synod, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardCongregational VitalityComment
Free Hymnals Available: Lord of Life Sun City West Shares Worship Resources
Free Hymnals Available: Lord of Life Sun City West Shares Worship Resources

Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Sun City West, Arizona, is offering free hymnals and service books for local pickup. Available resources include 72 Gather hymnals, 24 Worship & Praise hymnals, and four well-used Service Book and Hymnal volumes. Congregations or ministries in need of worship materials are encouraged to take advantage of this shared resource.

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Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardClassifieds, Cactus Conference, Lord of Life Sun City WestComment
Giving Thanks for Faithful Ministry: Pastor Robert S. Jones Retires
Giving Thanks for Faithful Ministry: Pastor Robert S. Jones Retires

Pastor Robert S. Jones retired from pastoral ministry on Sunday, January 4, 2026, concluding a faithful season of service at Santa Cruz Lutheran Church in Tucson and beyond. Retirement Rites were celebrated during worship, followed by a joyful congregational potluck.

We give thanks for Pastor Jones’ years of ministry in Arizona and abroad and lift him in prayer as he begins a new season of rest, renewal, and adventure.

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Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardKino Conference, Santa Cruz TucsonComment
Prayer, Justice, and Community: What’s Coming Up from Arizona Faith Network
Prayer, Justice, and Community: What’s Coming Up from Arizona Faith Network

Arizona Faith Network’s latest newsletter highlights opportunities for prayer, advocacy, and interfaith connection across Arizona—from the Statewide Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on January 22 in Phoenix, to Environmental Day at the Capitol on February 11, along with ongoing meditation, youth interfaith events, justice vigils, and spiritual retreats.

Get dates, locations, RSVP links, and the full calendar by reading the complete AFN newsletter at arizonafaithnetwork.org/newsletter.

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Grand Canyon Synod, NewsBrian FlatgardEcumenical and Inter-Religious Relations, Arizona Faith NetworkComment
For What Shall We Pray?
For What Shall We Pray?

  • For an end to war, conflict, and uncertainty especially in Gaza, South Sudan, Ukraine, Iran, and Venezuela…

  • For peace and resolution in Minneapolis, and for safety for all residents…

  • For safety, dignity, and justice for immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers…

  • For deescalation of tensions surrounding Greenland and international relations…

  • For victims of train crashes in Spain…

  • For those facing winter storms and extreme cold across the United States…

  • For newly-installed Bishop Imam Haddad and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land…

  • For Christian communities in Palestine and especially for schools…

  • For renewed unity in Christ among churches and denominations around the world…

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ELCA, Prayers, SpotlightBrian FlatgardELCA Worship, For What Shall We PrayComment
Faith Lens: Repentance as Fulfillment
Faith Lens: Repentance as Fulfillment

In this week’s Faith Lens reflection for January 25, 2026, repentance is reframed not as shame or judgment, but as an invitation into God’s unfolding reign of justice, healing, and community. As Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee, Matthew presents repentance as a turning toward hope—especially for those living under despair, exclusion, or injustice.

Drawing on Isaiah and Matthew’s Gospel, the reflection invites readers to consider who hears this good news most clearly today, how Jesus’ anti-imperial vision challenges the status quo, and how we are called—together—to follow, heal, and share the work of God’s kingdom.

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ELCA, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardFaith LensComment