3 Weeks Remaining: Register Now for the Bishop’s Fall Gathering

• Registration deadline: Friday, September 5, 2025

Rostered ministers and synodically authorized ministers (SAMs) of the Grand Canyon Synod are invited to join Bishop Deborah Hutterer for the Bishop’s Fall Gathering, held Monday, September 29 through Wednesday, October 1, 2025 at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale, AZ.

This year’s theme — Life Together: Lament, Love, and Christian Hope in a Time Such as This — will draw on Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s reflections on Christian community, paired with Old Testament stories that challenge and inspire our witness today. Together, we’ll explore how Lutheran theology calls us to live out a radical, Christ-centered inclusivity that resists division, tribalism, and false theologies rooted in political allegiance.

Special guests from Wartburg Theological Seminary — Rev. Dr. Kristin Johnston Largen (President) and Rev. Dr. S. Helen Chukka (Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible) — will lead sessions alternating between large group presentations and small group conversation. Participants will leave with ideas and resources to bring back to their congregations.

The gathering will also include worship, synod updates, fellowship, and shared meals. Staying onsite is encouraged to fully experience the community, though commuter registration is available. Scholarships are available; please contact the Office of the Bishop for more information.

Registration rates (meals included):

• Single room: $420

• Shared double (per person): $345

• Commuter: $175

• First Call extended event single: $630

• First Call extended event double: $515

• First Call extended event commuter: $265

Important: Registration closes Friday, September 5 — less than three weeks away. Space is limited, with priority given to active rostered ministers if capacity is reached.

Register now to join us for this time of learning, renewal, and fellowship.