Still have a balance in your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) – either for health or dependent care expenses? Be sure to spend those dollars by Dec. 31, 2023, so you won’t lose them. Check your balance on myPortico, and submit receipts via the link to Further. Need ideas on what you can use your dollars for? This list can help.
Read MoreAmidst the joy and celebration – and, yes, stress – of this season, your body can use all the help it can get. Whether it’s treatment for a pesky cough, a listening ear to help process impostor syndrome or budget worries, or ideas for a new healthy holiday tradition, check out Portico’s curated list of resources to support you and your family this season (and Advent blessings to you!)
Read MoreThe next churchwide gathering of Women of the ELCA will be held July 16-19, 2026, in Des Moines, Iowa. You can register now at an early-bird holiday rate of $315 through December 31, 2023. Over 200 have already pre-registered! Click here to register.
Read MoreMake a difference today and save on taxes. It is possible when you support the Grand Canyon Synod through your IRA.
Read MoreJoin Lutheran Summer Music, December 3-24, 2023, for their third-annual Musical Advent Calendar–a daily moment of music and reflection on their Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages as well as archived on their website: LSMacademy.org/acal.
Read MoreJoin Mountain View Lutheran Church for a heartwarming German-Language Christmas Service on 12/17/2023, at 4:10 pm! Enjoy caroling, a traditional service, and festive fellowship with cookies and warm drinks. Can't make it in person? Join in virtually via livestream.
Read MoreRefresh your spirit this Advent with "Journeying Together -- Spiritual Practices in Community." Join Thriving Leadership Formation on Dec 7, 2023, from 10am-1pm MST, 9am to Noon PST, for a free virtual event focused on grounding spiritual practices. Perfect for ministry leaders seeking respite and connection. Register now for a serene start to your Advent journey. Register here. Questions? Email thriving@callutheran.edu.
Read MoreWould you like to finish this year with a gift to your church, the Grand Canyon Synod, and/or favorite ELCA ministry that maximizes your impact and reduces your taxes? Read about four smart options in this post.
Read MoreWe're excited to announce the election of Rev. Benjamin B. Bergren to the ELCA Church Council, serving until August 2025. Join us in thanking Pastor Karn Carroll for her impactful service and in welcoming Pastor Bergren, as he brings his ministry experience from Community Lutheran Church in Las Vegas and elsewhere to our churchwide leadership.
Read MoreSome of the Office of the Bishop staff worships with University Lutheran for the farewell/retirement Pastor Gary McCluskey, and prepares for our upcoming assembly. We also share a photos from Bishop Hutterer’s visit to Mexico City as part of our relationship building with Iglesia Luterana Mexicana (ILM, Mexican Lutheran Church) .
Read MoreThis week we celebrate the ordination anniversaries of:
Deacon April Boyden, who celebrates 34 years on December 1.
Rev. Lars Hammar, Lord of Grace, Tucson, Open Space, Tucson, who celebrates 24 years on December 5.
Rev. Joshua Pontious, Community of Grace, Peoria, who celebrates 2 years on December 5.
Join us in supporting the "Standing in Hope" campaign by Opportunity Palestine to aid the ELCJHL schools in the West Bank during the current crisis. With schools closed and families facing economic hardships, your generosity can provide essential scholarship assistance. Learn more about how you can contribute to this vital cause and stand in solidarity with the students and educators during this Advent Season.
Read MoreElevate your leadership skills with the Rocky Mountain Synod, ELCA's "Excellence in Leadership" program. Starting January 5, 2024, this 13-month cohort offers bi-weekly online sessions every Friday morning to nurture courageous, resilient, and faithful leaders.
Explore adaptive leadership, emotional intelligence, and spiritual practices in a community of diverse participants. Transform how you respond to challenges and conflicts, both personally and professionally. Don't miss this chance to journey towards emotional and spiritual wholeness. Enroll now and step boldly into the future, and view a PDF brochure for more info.
Read MoreEmbrace the spirit of Advent with Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona's inspiring message. This season, delve into the profound ways the Bible encourages us to prepare for meeting God - not just spiritually, but through active service. Explore various ways to incorporate advocacy into your daily spiritual practice, and learn how you can contribute to meaningful change.
Read More“O Little Town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.” If you’re like me, when we enter the liminal season of Advent, this is the song that slows me down to a time of waiting and reflection. I imagine the quiet of Bethlehem, a world waiting for the birth of Jesus, waiting for the profound message of peace and reconciliation he brought into our world.
With the world, we are still waiting.
Read MoreAs part of our Creating Space for Conversations series, we share a PDF of an article by Will Fredstrom, Bonhoeffer’s Stellvertretung: A Christ-Like Ecclesial Ethic for Serving “Galilean” Neighbors, from A Chosen Nation?, an issue of Word and World, Luther Seminary’s journal of theology.
Read More“The ideas of America as either a “Christian” or “post-Christian” nation both reduce a complex relationship between church and state to a simplistic one. If the church is, as Bonhoeffer states, a representative of Christ’s redemptive presence in the world, then the church is primarily bound to serving all neighbors, both directly and through cooperation with the state.” —Will Fredstrom
Blessed Tomorrow's latest newsletter is brimming with opportunities for climate action and community engagement. Highlights include the screening of 'The Letter,' a film documenting the impact of climate change, and the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for both leaders and high school students. Additionally, listen to ELCA's Vance Blackfox discuss indigenous perspectives on climate action and discover how Blessed Tomorrow Ambassador Sharee Wharton is empowering churches through an energy efficiency webinar series.
Read MoreNew Year’s Bash for Youth! Join the crew at Camp ALOMA from Dec 29, 2023, to Jan 1, 2024, for an epic New Year's retreat for 7th-12th graders. Games, fellowship, and festive fun await! Book your spot at $110 per camper now: https://forms.gle/PPmWgqRokVKq7iky9
Read MoreThe Office of the Bishop staff gives thanks, travels, and works on year-end projects. We also share a photo from the recent First Call retreat with Region 2.
Read More“We at the LAMA office want to wish you a happy and blessed Thanksgiving! We hope you take this holiday to enjoy God’s bountiful gifts of friends, family, and food— however those things may be present in your life. This year, we give thanks for our wonderful community of advocates and liaisons, for all the congregations who have welcomed us and joined us in our work, for all of our partner networks, and for the opportunities we have been given to do God’s work through advocacy.” Read the full post on the LAMA website.
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