The theme of this year’s GCS Retired Rostered Leaders Retreat is “Surprises of the Spirit: Stories of Healing and Hope”, with guest presenter Dr. Paul Wee, pastor, author, story-teller: November 1-3, 2021, at Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center in Carefree, AZ.
If you would like to inquire about attending this retreat, please contact Retreat Registrar Jan Fosen at fosen1215@gmail.com or (602) 758-0875.
Read MoreAre you interested in learning more about what it means to be a Reconciling in Christ congregation? Are you already an RIC congregation, and looking for partnership, or other ways to share our RIC commitments?
Join our Zoom meeting on Tuesday, September 7 at 3:30pm MDT/PST! Contact Carly at info@faithalive.com to RSVP, and get the Zoom link!
Read MoreThe first and second session of the new Beginning a Culture of Generosity fall stewardship program are available for review. It’s for those who missed it or are curious about the program.
Read MoreClick here to register for a Grant Application Q&A Webinar, September 7, 2021, 5:00 pm MST/PDT.
Learn about our two categories of 2022 grant applications (Project Support Grants, and Adapting, Connecting, Transforming, and Sustaining (ACTS) Grants) and learn how to apply. More info at gcsynod.org/grants.
Read MoreThis 60-minute webinar serves as an overview of the Liturgies in All Creation Sings, the newly published supplement to Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Presenters Jennifer Baker-Trinity and Martin Seltz from Augsburg Fortress take you on a tour of the liturgical settings.
Read MoreThe Center of Addiction & Faith is hosting a webinar on harm reduction, featuring best-selling author Maia Szalavitz and her new book, Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction.
You'll learn more about the origins of Harm Reduction as a movement and how it has contributed to saving lives and promoting health. Thursday, 9/9/2021, 5-6pm MST/PDT, with follow-up 30 minute Zoom discussion. Register now.
Read MoreFor 2022, the Grand Canyon Synod is offering two categories of grant applications: Project Support Grants, and Adapting, Connecting, Transforming, and Sustaining (ACTS) Grants. More info at gcsynod.org/grants.
Grant Application Q&A Webinar: September 7, 2021, 5:00 pm MST/PDT
Grant Application submission window opens: September 13, 2021
Grant Submission deadline: October 15, 2021
This Gathering webinar provides information about the registering your congregational group for the 2022 Gathering. Registration opens on September 22, 2021 via the Gathering’s website (elca.org/Gathering/Register). For information about the 2022 Gathering, “boundless: God beyond measure,” visit elca.org/Gathering.
Read MoreSpirit in the Desert presents a leaders' retreat to learn & apply the basic concepts in real-life family, church and work settings. Sunday, April 24, 2022 - Wednesday, April 27, 2022.
Read MoreKen Carder learned that when people with dementia are isolated from their community, their condition worsens. He recognized that people with dementia weren’t at the center of his own pastoral care efforts.
Seeking to change the status quo and demonstrate how congregations can join in ministry with people who have dementia, Carder created a class at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, S.C., where he serves as guest professor, called “Dementia Through a Pastoral Theological Lens.”
Read MoreFor many, taking time to rest—whether it’s an extended retreat or simply a pause in a busy workday—can be a challenge.
“So many of our society’s dominant narratives mitigate against rest,” said Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, a professor of theological and social ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, Calif. “I really think that the capacity to hear the Spirit and to [flourish] as a person are built partly by having rest.”
Read MoreAllen Nohre facilitates Spirited Book Club's discussion of his book of personal essays on family, fate and life titled A Soul from Minnesota. Presented online by Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center.
Click either date for more info and registration: Thursday, 9/9/2021, 2–3 pm MST/PDT or Thursday, 9/23/2021, 2–3 pm MST/PDT.
Read MoreThis year will mark the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001. That day holds great significance for people in different ways including the families of those who died in the attacks and in rescue efforts; those killed because of the resulting military conflicts; and those who are/were subsequently targeted because of their religious or cultural identity.
Read MoreElizabeth W. Corrie’s Youth Ministry As Peace Education: Overcoming Silence, Transforming Violence (Fortress Press, 2021) is a rare work, especially in the field of youth ministry (or, in keeping with the book’s message, “ministry with youth”). Incorporating pop culture as well as theological and historical images, Corrie’s approach is both theoretical, stimulating the mind, and eminently practical, offering ideas that can be implemented immediately.
Read MoreIn the desire to raise up courageous, resilient, and faithful leaders, the Rocky Mountain Synod has created a leadership initiative called Excellence in Leadership. It is a two-year investment, with classes meeting 1-2 times per month, that will provide tools and resources to last a lifetime.
They are beginning a new cohort this September. Find out more information and register on the Rocky Mountain Synod site.
Read MoreAs design thinking is utilized to solve big-problems and ultimately redesign systems, the process of design thinking itself must be examined closely to mitigate the causes of inequity. Design thinking as a field often refuses to acknowledge power imbalance or the exclusive nature of many design processes. That is where equity design comes in.
Read MoreFrom Forbes, we share this article. Members of the clergy and other student loan borrowers engaged in religious-oriented work may now qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program after being excluded for over a decade.
Read MoreIn a culture that says bigger is better, it is subversive to take tiny, lasting steps toward learning and growth. Ellie Roscher, author of 12 Tiny Things, will guide you through curating and cultivating your own tiny things practice. Friday, 1/28/2022 - Sunday, 1/30/2022 at Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center.
Read MoreEach year the Evangelical Lutheran Education Association (ELEA) publishes a Devotional Guide. View/download as PDF here.
The weekly devotions follow the lectionary beginning in August. The devotions are for professional educators, pastors, and ALL who work with children and youth and their families in any capacity.
Read MoreAnita Fete Crews, Director of Blessed Tomorrow, shares this letter, which includes recently released action sheets.
