Please be advised that the address for the Board of Pensions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, doing business as Portico Benefit Services, changed 9/1/5/2021, to 7700 France Ave. S., Ste. 350, Minneapolis, MN 55435-2802. Phone, fax, and emails are not changing.
Read MoreBishop Eaton invites us to an online benefit for ELCA World Hunger, Thursday, Oct. 14, 5:30 p.m. MST/PDT, via Zoom. Register here.
Join Bishop Eaton and Rick Steves, guidebook author and travel TV host, as they celebrate World Food Day!
Read MoreELCA Advocacy shares its September Update: UN and State Edition on the ELCA blog. Read updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices (sppos) in the ELCA Advocacy Network this month. Full list and map of sppos available.
Read MoreSome people may hope for a return to normal after the world-changing events of the last 18 months, but sociologists tell us our future will revolve around living into a "new normal."
Presented by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the 2021 Hein-Fry Book of Faith Challenge will probe this new normal.
Read MoreAfter much prayer and conversation, Gathering leadership have decided to require full COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a negative test result (likely 72 hours before arrival) to attend the 2022 Gathering, MYLE and the tAble.
For a list of updated Frequently Asked Questions, we encourage you to visit: elca.org/YouthGathering/COVID19.
Read MoreThe GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY retreat will inspire you to get outside, connect with creation, laugh and play more, & follow Jesus into the world: March 13-16, 2022, at Spirit in the Desert.
Read MoreRisk levels in our synod’s counties are roughly the same: extremely or very high for unvaccinated people.
Extremely high risk counties for unvaccinated people in our synod include Clark, Gila, Greenlee, Graham, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pinal, Yavapai, Yuma and Washington counties.
Very high risk counties include Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Pima, and Santa Cruz.
The Office of the Bishop team ranges from Las Vegas to Spain this week. View all the details for each team member in this post.
Read MoreVisit gcsynod.org/grants to get more info and apply for over $200,000 available in Project Support Grants, and Adapting, Connecting, Transforming, and Sustaining (ACTS) Grants. Submit applications by 10/15/2021.
You can also view our Q&A webinar and resources in this blog post.
Read MoreELCA’s Region 2 celebrates the installation of Bishop Brenda Bos in the Southwest California Synod, and Bishop Megan Rohrer in the Sierra Pacific Synod. Check out information and highlights at the Southwest California Synod’s website and Facebook page, and at Sierra Pacific’s Synod website, Facebook, and this wrap-up newsletter.
Read More“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service president and CEO Krish O’Mara Vignarajah said. “The outpouring of support we’ve seen … feels unprecedented and awe-inspiring. It feels like a unique moment.”
In a typical week, LIRS would see maybe a dozen people sign up to volunteer. In the past three weeks, 45,000 people signed up. And LIRS has partnerships lined up with Airbnb for housing, Uber for transportation and Walmart for gift cards.
Read MoreStudents from ASU and U of A Lutheran Campus Ministries gathered for the 41st time in San Diego for a Labor Day Weekend retreat. Each ministry did their own community building activities and discussions, with shared times are on the beach, worship on La Jolla cliffs, breakfast at Mission Bay, and meditation exercises.
Read MoreNational Direct Support Professional (DSP) Recognition Week is now through Saturday, September 18. Once trained to be caregivers only for those who have intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD), their responsibilities have grown to be so much more. Read more from Mosaic.
Read MoreLutheran Disaster Response is contributing to an appeal from Church World Service (CWS). In the commune of Pestel in Grand-Anse, CWS is focusing on health, water and sanitation, shelter and psychosocial care. There is a special emphasis on supporting students as the school year begins in Haiti.
Read MoreIt’s becoming increasingly apparent to civic leaders across America that many churches are shrinking and that their buildings are suffering from deferred maintenance. A new resource has been published that presents community-minded options and alternatives that can help you retain the civic value of sacred places even if they change use or ownership.
Transitioning Older and Historic Sacred Places is available in digital and print versions at sacredplaces.org/transitionguide.
Read MoreThe Dr. George and Emma J. Torrison Scholarship Fund makes scholarships available to students who intend to pursue careers in medicine.
Read MoreOur “How Your Charitable Heart Can Leave a Legacy” Zoom presentation is next week (September 21, 2021 at 6pm MST/PDT). This one-hour presentation will equip YOU as a congregational leader to educate your faithful members about best practices in navigating a pathway of charitable intent.
As a warmup we share some FAQs on planned giving in this post.
Read MoreAs part of our Growing Generosity Appeal, we present this video on growing future ministries on campus in the Grand Canyon Synod: $50,000 for University of Arizona Campus ministry to sustain the Lutheran presence on the campus in collaboration with Presbyterian, Methodist, and Episcopal partners, and $50,000 will be allocated to explore and potentially launch a Lutheran Campus Ministry program in the Las Vegas area.
Learn more at gcsynod.org/generosity/future-ministries.
Read MoreGuy J. Consolmagno SJ, director of Vatican Observatory, presents “Your God Is Too Small,” a CASIRAS/LSTC Zoom webinar. Friday, 10/1/2021 • 3 pm MST/PDT. Register for this free event at bit.ly/3mMePZ9.
Read MoreGrand Canyon Women of the ELCA is hosting a Bible Study via Zoom on Saturday morning, Oct. 2, 2021, 9am to noon MST/PDT, with Spanish closed captioning, also streamed on their Facebook page. More info on their events page, click here to register.
Rev. Dr. Marta Poling Schmitt presents a study on two women of the Bible, Lot's Wife and Mary Magdalene. We don't know much about Lot's Wife, and Mary Magdalene tends to get a bad rap. Join us to dig into their stories with Pr. Marta.
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