Posts in News
Heidi Gerrish Celebration of Life
Heidi Gerrish Celebration of Life

A Celebration of Life for Heidi Gerrish will be held at Mountain View Lutheran (11002 S 48th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85044) on Saturday, July 30, 2022, at 10:30 am. There will be a reception immediately after. View the livestream here. A recording will be available for viewing following the service as well.

All of our updates on Heidi and her family can be viewed at gcsynod.org/news/tag/Gerrish+family. View a page on Chapel of the Chimes for an obituary, service info, and a tribute wall. A full obituary can be found in this post as well.

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Grand Canyon Synod, In Memoriam, NewsBrian FlatgardGerrish family Comments
Help out with Lutheran Social Services of Nevada's Back-to-School Drive
Help out with Lutheran Social Services of Nevada's Back-to-School Drive

Here’s your chance to help out with Lutheran Social Services of Nevada's Back-to-School Drive. You can donate socks, donate school supplies, volunteer, or give online at lssnv.org/donate. Read more in this post or contact martin@lssnv.org for more info.

Drop off items Monday-Friday, 9am–4pm at LSSN: 4323 Boulder Highway, Las Vegas, NV, 89121, by Friday, 8/5/2022.

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Grand Canyon Synod, NewsBrian FlatgardLutheran Social Services of Nevada, Colorado River ConferenceComment
Cruzando Fronteras summer 2022 update
Cruzando Fronteras summer 2022 update

Over the last 9 months, your support has made it possible for 889 residents at our partner shelter, La Casa de Misericordia y de Todas Naciones, to take the next steps in their immigration journeys. Of the 889 residents, 439 are children under the age of 17; all school-age children that, we pray, will be enrolling for school this coming fall and taking some important first steps toward a new future.

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Grand Canyon Synod, NewsBrian FlatgardCasa De La Misericordia y de Todas las Naciones, Cruzando Fronteras, Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations, Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, Immigration and RefugeesComment
Patterson Yazzie Named Executive Director of Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission
Patterson Yazzie Named Executive Director of Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission

The Board of Directors of Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission Inc. announce the appointment of Patterson Yazzie as Executive Director. The Board’s unanimous affirmation celebrates Yazzie as the first Navajo executive leader in the Mission’s nearly 70-year history.

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Grand Canyon Synod, NewsBrian FlatgardNavajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission, American Indian Alaska Native Lutheran AssociationComment
ELCA hosts “Embody the Word” online Bible study series
ELCA hosts “Embody the Word” online Bible study series

In preparation for the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, ELCA members are encouraged to participate in a series of online Bible studies that will explore the assembly theme, "Embody the Word," from Luke 24. Register here for the live Bible study series held on Zoom.

  • July 10 – Rev. Jay Alanís, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in San Juan, Texas.

  • July 17 – Sally Azar, currently studying in Germany with plans to serve the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) as its first female pastor.

  • July 24 – Man-Hei Yip, assistant professor of systematic theology at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa.

  • July 31 – Denise Rector, doctoral student in womanist theology and race and history at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

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ELCA, News, Leader ResourcesBrian Flatgard2022 Churchwide AssemblyComment
Ordination celebrations: 7/1/2022-7/14/2022
Ordination celebrations: 7/1/2022-7/14/2022

  • Rev. Glenn Zorb, Mountain View, Phoenix, who celebrates 43 years on July 1.

  • Rev. Jan Flaaten, who celebrates 49 years on July 1.

  • Deacon Brenda J. Laukonis, who celebrates 41 years on July 1.

  • Rev. Robert Hutson Jr., who celebrates 49 years on July 1.

  • Rev. Robert Rod, who celebrates 49 years on July 1.

  • Rev. James Dew, who celebrates 32 years on July 1.

  • Deacon Bernice Johnson, who celebrates 63 years on July 5.

  • Rev. Arlyn Norris, who celebrates 47 years on July 6.

  • Rev. Joshua Auchenbach, Tanque Verde, Tucson, who celebrates 16 years on July 9.

  • Rev. Timothy Nybroten, Resurrection, Oro Valley, who celebrates 22 years on July 9.

  • Rev. Daniel Hodgson, who celebrates 55 years on July 9.

  • Rev. Richard Staats, who celebrates 56 years on July 10.

  • Rev. Abigail Byrd, who celebrates 30 years on July 12.

  • Rev. Richard Sherrill, Prince of Peace, Phoenix, who celebrates 24 years on July 12.

  • Rev. Steven Holm, who celebrates 52 years on July 12.

  • Rev. Keith Ingle, who celebrates 52 years on July 12.

  • Rev. Susan Sauerberg, who celebrates 25 years on July 13.

  • Rev. Arthur Goetz, who celebrates 60 years on July 14.

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Grand Canyon Synod, NewsBrian FlatgardOrdination AnniversariesComment
Lutheran World Federation newsletter: July 1, 2022
Lutheran World Federation newsletter: July 1, 2022

Stories

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News, Global ChurchBrian FlatgardLutheran World FederationComment
A History of Welcome, A Lutheran Legacy
A History of Welcome, A Lutheran Legacy

When war came to Ukraine and desperate people began streaming across the international borders in the frigid days of late winter and early spring, the Rev. Miroslav Mató knew he and the members of his parish would be called upon to help.

Located in Gerlachov, a small village in Slovakia about 200 miles from the Ukrainian border, Rev. Mató and his wife, Rev. Jana Matóva, prepared to offer refuge.

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ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardRussia and Ukraine War, Lutheran Disaster ResponseComment
Spirited Book Club: Sealed, by Pastor Katie Langston
Spirited Book Club: Sealed, by Pastor Katie Langston

Pastor Katie Langston joins the Spirited Book Club to discuss her remarkable debut memoir, Sealed: An Unexpected Journey into the Heart of Grace. The online club is FREE, register here. Thursday, July 14 and Thursday, July 28, 2022 at 2:00 – 3:00pm AZ (PDT).

Born and raised a devout Mormon in Utah, Rev. Katie Langston chronicles her unexpected conversion to orthodox Christianity with candor and theological depth. Her remarkable debut memoir explores themes of religious fundamentalism, mental illness, and family belonging—culminating in her surprising and liberating encounters with the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

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Grand Canyon Synod, NewsBrian FlatgardColorado River Conference, New Promise St. George, Spirit in the Desert Retreat CenterComment
Grand Canyon Synod Manna Grants available to alleviate hunger
Grand Canyon Synod Manna Grants available to alleviate hunger

Thanks to a gift from Ascension Lutheran Church in Paradise Valley honoring the legacy of member Orpha Hoganson, Manna Grants are available for new and continuing projects that work to alleviate hunger and demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion in leadership and decision-making.

All organized congregations, New Starts, Synodically Authorized Worshipping Communities (SAWCs), and Special Ministries of the Grand Canyon Synod are eligible to apply by the 7/31/2022 deadline. More info at gcsynod.org/manna-grant.

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Grand Canyon Synod, NewsBrian FlatgardManna Grant, Grants, HungerComment
House of Prayer dedicates new altar
House of Prayer dedicates new altar

On Sunday, June 19, 2022, members and special guests dedicated a new altar at House of Prayer. The celebration included comments and memories from Suzie DeFassio recalling Pastor Daniel’s love and commitment to ‘all things Native.’ She recalled family reunions at the Mission and the joy of time spent among the Navajo people.

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Grand Canyon Synod, NewsBrian FlatgardHouse of Prayer Rock Point, American Indian and Alaska Native, High Country ConferenceComment