The February, 2023 edition of Seeds Monthly is available here, featuring articles, events, and resources.
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Lutherans Restoring Creation shares their February 2023 Good Green News, featuring lead-free superheroes, Earth Day virtual service, and more.
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The Fuller Church Leadership Institute shares their Crucible newsletter for February, 2023.
“This month's newsletter offers you a link to an article that for Fuller Magazine #24, Renewing the Church. Admittedly, it starts with a troubling question, but it takes us to a familiar and faithful place. How do you lead when you cannot understand the present moment, let alone predict the future? Read the whole article and all of the rest in this issue of Fuller Magazine.
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Lutheran Disaster Response is contributing to ACT Alliance to address the devastation from the earthquakes. There are several ACT Alliance members already active in the region that are providing immediate aid. These organizations are supplying blankets, mattresses, hot meals and hygiene kits to earthquake survivors. As needs are assessed, the organizations will establish further actions.
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Join us this season — on your own, in a small group or with your congregation — as we encounter the psalms anew and unite in our efforts to end hunger. Visit elca.org/40days to download or order a suite of resources to equip you on the journey.
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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) concluded a productive meeting on January 26-28, 2023, at the Disciples Ministry Center in Fullerton, California, to continue their ongoing bilateral dialogue.
The dialogue team studied together the WCC Faith and Order Commission’s theological convergent text, Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry.
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Black History Month is February, which means a new season of the “Talks at the Desk” video series. This year, brief clips and highlights from the talks are available, which you can view in this post or on YouTube. We’ll keep this post updated throughout the month.
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In the fall of 2021, the ELCA Worship Blog began a weekly series entitled, “Prompts for Prayers of Intercession.” Beginning this Lent, the blog series will be retitled, “For What Shall We Pray?”
This new title honors a more expansive understanding of the purpose of this resource. It is a weekly invitation for individuals, groups, and congregations to remain mindful of the needs of our world, and to lift one another up in prayer.
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What are Lutheran views on civic life?
The ELCA invites you and your congregation to explore this and other questions by using "A Study Curriculum on Civic Life and Faith." View a video on this question in this post, along with a PDF guide.
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Lilly Endowment is pleased to announce its Compelling Preaching Initiative. The primary aim of this initiative is to cultivate practices among aspiring and active preachers that can help them to proclaim the gospel to a variety of audiences in more engaging and effective ways.
In this open and competitive national initiative, eligible charitable organizations may submit proposals for grants of up to $1.25 million that may be used for up to a five-year period to develop new and/or enhance existing programs that present promising strategies to further the aim of the initiative. Learn more in this PDF from the Lilly Endowment.
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Join the Spirited Book Club during Lent for a discussion of Rooted & Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis, edited by Leah Schade and Margaret Bullitt-Jonas. Discussion of the March book selection is facilitated by Sheri Brown. Register to receive Zoom link.
The book is discussed over two meetings on Thursdays, March 2 and March 16, 2023 at 2pm MST, 1pm PST.
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Join learner/facilitator Sheri Brown on each Thursday of 2023 Lent at 4:00 pm MST (AZ) for six half-hour virtual workshops, beginning Thursday, February 23, as we live into 40 days of caring for creation. Register to receive Zoom link and join the Spirit in the Desert community
February 23: Coming full circle, a fuller and creation-integrated faith.
March 2: Present bias and why it is working against future generations.
March 9: Your carbon footprint and what it says about walking the talk of faith.
March 16: Food choices and what they say about putting your money where your mouth is.
March 23: Human migration patterns and global demographic decline.
March 30: Purchasing choices and what they say about faith-based earth advocacy.
Grand Canyon Synod pastors who have been ordained for 10 years or less are encouraged to apply for a Scholarship for International Travel Grant by March 1, 2023. Six scholarships of $6,000 over three years are available.
Destination options include: Palestine/Israel; Senegal (GCS companion church- Église Luthérienne du Senegal); Eastern Germany (Luther/Holocaust history): Mexico (GCS companion church- Iglesia Lutherana Mexicana).
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All active Grand Canyon Synod rostered ministers are required to participate in professional boundary training every three years. Retired rostered ministers are not required. The Office of the Bishop has partnered with CongregationU to provide Boundary Awareness Training for $29.00.
Click here to take this course by 2/15/2023, and email your certificate of completion to office@gcsynod.org by 2/28/2023. Learn more in a letter from Bishop Hutterer in this post.
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Join Imam Omar Tawil, Pastor Ryan Hersch, and rabbi Elena Canter for a free virtual Tri-Faith Discussion: What does it mean to be a child of God? Register at isb-az.org/trifaith for this Tuesday, 2/27/2022 event at 6pm MST, 5pm PST.
The Islamic Speakers Bureau of Arizona (ISBA) is a non-profit, apolitical, educational organization founded in 1999. ISBA is an outreach institution that provides education about Islam and Muslims, and promotes interfaith dialogue.
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The film “Luther,” starring Joseph Fiennes in the title role of the 16th-century Protestant reformer, will be shown at 3pm Sunday, 2/26/2023, in the Fellowship Hall of Esperanza Lutheran Church, 2601 E. Thunderhill Place, Phoenix, AZ 85048. The film, rated PG-13, was partially funded by the Christian financial services company Thrivent.
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We welcome Dan Potaznick to the Office of the Bishop team. This week he begins as Director of Generosity and Strategic Development.
Dan is called to the Grand Canyon Synod to help congregations & leaders across the desert in their mission to share the Good News of Jesus. In addition to serving the Grand Canyon Synod, Dan has been called as Associate Pastor for Outreach to St. John’s Lutheran Church in Glendale, AZ. Bishop Hutterer will ordain Dan as a Minister of Word and Sacrament on March 18th, 2023.
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This week, a good number of the Office of the Bishop attends Walking Wet: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church's Discipleship Journey Seminar, Feb 17, 2023 – Feb 18, 2023, and the Spring Gathering for Cactus, Capital, Fiesta, Northeast Valley & Rio Salado Conferences, Feb 19, 2023, 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM. We also share photos from Bishop Hutterer’s visit to Lord of Life Lutheran, Sun City West.
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Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all down in recent weeks, though a slight uptick in test positivity suggests that this progress could soon end.
Note: our updates can be a week behind due to our news cycle overlapping with Thursday updates. View the latest CDC and NYTimes updates here.
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