Ken Wheeler wrote a reflection concerning Black Lutheran saints on “whose shoulders I stand.” He identified three pioneers of this church—Nelson Trout, Will Herzfeld and Rudolph Featherstone—who greatly inspired him and his vocation. Here is a closer look at the contributions of these saints.
Read MoreLutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) offers virtual events each week of Black History Month to touch the mind, body and spirit through worship, academic discussions, poetry, artwork, and song. All events are open to the public with registration to receive the Zoom links.
Read MoreBaltimore is home to Johns Hopkins University, renowned for its hospitals, clinics and research facilities. But despite their proximity, some of the city’s African American residents have struggled to fight the coronavirus pandemic, said Louis R. Tillman IV, pastor of St. Philip Evangelical Lutheran Church in East Baltimore.
Throughout the pandemic, the historic African-descent congregation has ensured that masks and other safety items reach anyone in need.
Read MoreIn conjunction with the amazing audio/video technicians at Community Lutheran in Las Vegas, we are exploring the idea of a virtual choir as part of the 2021 Grand Canyon Synod Assembly.
Interested in sharing your voice with others around the synod? Visit our interest form page, or use the form in this post. Besides carrying a tune, you should be comfortable singing along to a track, filming yourself, and sending the video file.
Read MoreThe Arizona Faith Network invites all faith leaders to use their voices to help promote the vaccination in their communities. Faith leaders are critical and trusted voices throughout this state. All faith leaders are invited to sign the Arizona Faith Leaders’ Statement and Pledge Regarding COVID-19 Vaccine to help promote vaccinations throughout Arizona.
Read MoreArizona clergy are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination under Phase 1B. The vaccination process is currently in prioritized Phase 1B, with the full Phase 1B group (which would include clergy) opening towards the beginning of March. Info about vaccination can be found at azhealth.gov/findvaccine.
Read MoreRead the provisionally-approved minutes from the synod council meeting on January 16, 2020, in PDF format.
While not formally approved, we are trying to get our minutes available as soon as possible to the synod.
Read MoreEven with recent falling numbers, residents in all counties of the Grand Canyon Synod are at an extremely high risk for contracting Covid-19 right now, according to an analysis by public health experts. Use this New York Times interactive guide to show the risk level and specific suggestions for your community.
Read MoreAs we celebrate and honor Black History Month, we’ll be continually updating this page with related news from our blog and events from our calendar.
It also has an archive of posts from our blog concerning racial justice and selected resources from ELCA.org.
Read MoreThe Stewardship Team of the Grand Canyon Synod invites you to a presentation on “Building an Effective, Productive and Faithful Stewardship Team", Tues. Feb. 23rd at 7pm MST, 6pm PST.
We will share the rationale and strategies for your congregational stewardship team to engage in effective year round ministry. Please register here.
Read MorePastor Pam Reynolds will be ordained by Bishop Hutterer at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Sun City West, on Saturday, February 6, 2021. Watch the service on their YouTube page, posted within 24 hours.
“The whirlwind of directional change around my first call has been amazing and there is only one entity responsible: God,” says Reynolds.
Read MoreDr. Myisha Cherry presents “Racialized Forgiveness,” in which she explores how we can practice forgiveness differently.
February 16, 2021, 2:20pm-1:20pm MST, 11:20am-12:20pm, PST. Registration Link: tinyurl.com/HSClecture (free lecture, but registration in advance is required).
Read MoreMembers of all Grand Canyon Synod congregations and ministries, including active and retired leaders, are welcome to our online spring gatherings.
Our most consistent response from spring gatherings is how much people enjoy meeting folks outside their congregation. Knowing this, we’ve created plenty of time for discussion. We gather Saturday morning, 2/6/2021, Tuesday evening, 2/9/2021, and Tuesday afternoon, 2/16/2021.
Read MoreThe Nevada Legislature opened on February 1, 2021, with a prayer from Bishop Hutterer and an invocation from Rev. Dr. Leonard Jackson.
Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN) offers a video on how to engage with the Nevada Legislature. In the video, Bishop Hutterer talks about the importance of keeping engaged with government. View the whole video or just Bishop Hutterer’s message.
Read MoreHere’s updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices. As the new year begins, these state public policy offices (SPPO) share their annual policy priorities. Find a map and full list of ELCA affiliated SPPOs using our state office map. Learn more about Lutheran advocacy using our new resource, Advocacy 101 For Young Adults.
Read MoreAs the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause uncertainty within the United States and across the globe, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has decided to cancel sending Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) volunteers for its 2021-22 program year.
Read MorePresident Biden’s decision to re-join the Paris Agreement cannot be overstated in its importance for the United States and internationally. The detrimental effects of climate change resulting from global warming impact every corner of the world, impacting all sectors, putting a strain on existing social, environmental, health and economic systems, and negatively impacting sustainable development in every country.
Read MoreKristin Engstrom brings us the January 2021 Newsletter which includes an update on my life as an ELCA global missionary, an update on COVID in Senegal, and stories from two Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) Senegal alumni of when they experienced God enfleshed during their YAGM year in Senegal.
Read MoreDo you enjoy sifting and sorting? We are looking for a volunteer to go through papers from closed congregations to find archivable material. Contact Theresa Thornburgh if interested in this project.
Read MoreJoin Pastor Adele Resmer, Rabbi Mari Chernow, Azar Hussain, and moderator Barb Peterson for a discussion of Women in Scripture, hosted by the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Arizona, held via Zoom on Fridays: Feb 12, 19, 26 & March 5 at 1 pm MST, noon PST. Info at isb-az.org/women-in-scripture.
The sessions will be recorded and posted on the Islamic Speakers Bureau website and offered as a resource for those who could not attend the meeting.
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