In this post, we try to thank the many people who made our return to in-person assembly possible. We apologize for anyone we’ve neglected. It’s a blessing to have so many who help us be church together at our biggest event of the year..
We start by thanking all the voting members who took the time to participate and travel for our two-day assembly, and by informing themselves on the business of our synod. Your leadership is greatly appreciated.
Read MoreToday we celebrate these ordination anniversaries:
Rev. James Vadis, who celebrates 54 years on June 16.
Rev. Corrine Chilstrom, who celebrates 37 years on June 16.
The Grand Canyon Synod Assembly convened June 10-11, 2022, at Love of Christ Lutheran Church in Mesa, Arizona. Attending were 87 rostered ministers (three were deacons) and 153 lay voting members. The youngest member of our assembly was 17 years old. You can view photos of the assembly here, and watch the entire assembly here.
Read MoreWith so many lives in danger, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) call Lutherans on this World Refugee Day, June 20, to continue to honor our legacy of generous and compassionate welcome and advocacy for those who seek refuge and safety, including those who have resettled in the United States.
Read MoreThe Rev. William O. Gafkjen, Indianapolis, was reelected June 9 to serve a third six-year term as bishop of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod of the ELCA.
Read MoreThe website for the Emanuel Nine Memorial shares a list of commemoration events throughout 2022, many available via Zoom.
Learn more how the Mother Emanuel AME Church grounds have been reconfigured to build the Emanuel Nine Memorial. This national memorial will be a place of contemplation, communion and conversation.
Read MoreBishop Elizabeth Eaton will join faith and government leaders on June 17, 2022, to mark the seventh anniversary of the racially motivated shootings at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. Watch the event here.
The leaders will participate in a commemorative Bible study event that will kick off a yearlong Bible study across the country. The theme for the event, "What Kind of Soil Are We?," is taken from Mark 4:1-20, the Bible passage the Emanuel Nine were studying on the night they were murdered by Dylann Roof (who was raised in an ELCA congregation).
Read MoreToday we celebrate these ordination anniversaries:
Rev. Timothy Swanson, who celebrates 49 years on June 15.
Rev. Roy Guinn, who celebrates 69 years on June 15.
Rev. Dennis Morreim, who celebrates 53 years on June 15.
We thank Pastor Lars Hammar, with Lord of Grace Lutheran in Tucson, for being our official photographer at our assembly. We hope you enjoy this photo gallery.
Read MoreToday we celebrate these ordination anniversaries:
Rev. Charles Wilfong, who celebrates 58 years on June 14.
Rev. Dana Reardon, First Evangelical, Mesa, who celebrates 24 years on June 14.
Rev. Tom Shelly, who celebrates 41 years on June 14.
On the night of May 30, a series of storms, including tornadoes, swept through the Central Great Plains and Upper Mississippi Valley. In Minnesota, heavily affected communities included Eagle Bend, Clarissa and Browerville, where over 100 buildings were damaged. In South Dakota, a tornado impacted the area around the city of Brandon, severely damaging Beaver Valley Lutheran Church in Valley Springs.
Read MoreMore than three months since Russian troops invaded Ukraine, fighting continues to intensify as humanitarian conditions deteriorate. The United Nations’ OCHA Ukraine: Humanitarian Report estimates that 6.6 million people have fled the country and 8 million are displaced internally.
Read this situation report from Lutheran Disaster Response, including partner updates with Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary (ELCH) and Lutheran World Federation.
Read MoreAs part of the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, voting members adopted a resolution designating June 17 as a commemoration of the martyrdom of the Emanuel 9—the nine people shot and killed on June 17, 2015, during a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C.
Our relationship to the shooter, as well as two of the slain, reminds us of both our complicity and our calling.
The resources at elca.org/emanuelnine are provided to help synods and congregations mark this commemoration.
Read MoreThe Rev. Daniel G. Beaudoin, Findlay, Ohio, was reelected June 3 to serve a second six-year term as bishop of the Northwestern Ohio Synod of the ELCA.
Read MoreThe Rev. Scott Alan Johnson, Fremont, Neb., was elected June 4 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Nebraska Synod of the ELCA.
Read MoreEnjoy this super-cut of our 2022 Grand Canyon Synod Assembly, which is all of our various Facebook livestreams in one video, with all the breaks and pauses removed.
A special thanks to Rob Mills, the audio/video technician with our host church, Love of Christ Lutheran in Mesa, who took the time to compile this video and also filmed and livestreamed our assembly.
Read MoreToday we celebrate the ordination anniversary of Rev. Harold Aasland, who celebrates 68 years on June 13.
Read MoreToday we celebrate these ordination anniversaries:
Rev. Miguel Rodriguez, La Sagrada Familia, Phoenix, who celebrates 18 years on June 11.
Rev. Carl Jensen, who celebrates 50 years on June 11.
Rev. James Slater, who celebrates 44 years on June 11.
Today we celebrate these ordination anniversaries:
Rev. Miguel Rodriguez, La Sagrada Familia, Phoenix, who celebrates 18 years on June 11.
Rev. Carl Jensen, who celebrates 50 years on June 11.
Rev. James Slater, who celebrates 44 years on June 11.
