New Leadership for Fiesta Conference: Thanking Pastor Andrea Cain, Welcoming Pastor Charles Newman

The Grand Canyon Synod gives thanks for faithful leadership and looks ahead to new beginnings in the Fiesta Conference.

We extend our deep gratitude to Pastor Andrea Cain of Desert Cross Lutheran Church in Tempe and Gilbert for her service as Fiesta Conference Dean since March 19, 2024. Her leadership has been a gift to the conference and to our shared ministry across the synod. Through her work, she has strengthened connections among rostered leaders and congregations, helping to foster collaboration, care, and community.

Beginning May 1, 2026, we welcome Pastor Charles Newman, Senior Pastor of King of Glory Lutheran Church in Tempe, as the new Fiesta Conference Dean. We are grateful for his willingness to serve in this important role and for the gifts he brings to this ministry.

Conference Deans serve as vital connectors within the life of the synod, linking pastors, deacons, and congregations with the Office of the Bishop. They gather leaders for fellowship and collaboration, support congregations and rostered ministers, and help plan the annual Bishop’s Fall Gathering. This role reflects our shared Lutheran understanding of ministry as a collaborative and relational calling, rooted in the work of Christ among us.

Pastor Newman brings more than 20 years of pastoral experience to this role. A graduate of San Diego State University and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, he has served congregations in California, Illinois, Georgia, and Arizona. Known as a compassionate leader and entrepreneurial visionary, he is deeply committed to the local church as a sacred community called to make disciples through everyday, missional living.

He and his wife, Jenifer, an elementary school teacher, have called Arizona home for over 15 years and share a blended family of five children.

As we give thanks for Pastor Cain’s faithful service and welcome Pastor Newman into this new role, we celebrate the ways God continues to guide and strengthen our shared ministry across the Grand Canyon Synod.