This is the final week to register for the Bishop’s Fall Gathering, September 29–October 1, 2025, at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale. The theme is Life Together: Lament, Love and Christian Hope in a Time Such as This. Featured speakers include Rev. Dr. Kristin Johnston Largen and Rev. Dr. S. Helen Chukka of Wartburg Theological Seminary. Registration closes Friday, September 5. Scholarships are available.
Read MoreOn August 6, faith leaders, survivors, and advocates gathered at San Francisco’s Japanese Tea Garden to mark the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. The Blessing Service for Peace, co-hosted with interfaith partners and the Consulate General of Japan, included music, reflections from Hibakusha (survivors), and a call to live peace daily as “a behavior.” Attendees honored the resilience of survivors, the legacy of Japanese internment, and the hope embodied by ginkgo saplings descended from trees that withstood the bombings. To read Pastor Courtney Geibert’s full reflection on this service and its call to action for peace, click here.
Read MoreEnjoy Jazz Vespers on Sept. 14 at 5:30 PM at Mount of Olives Lutheran Church in Phoenix, featuring Beth Lederman and Alice Tatum. A freewill offering will benefit the Olive Branch Community of Hope Food Pantry, feeding more than 150 families weekly.
Read MoreThe 2025 cycle for ELCA World Hunger Education and Networking Grants is now open, with applications accepted from August 4 through September 15. These grants—typically between $500 and $1,000—support educational and networking projects that help ELCA congregations, synods, and partners deepen understanding and engagement around the root causes of hunger and poverty. Projects can include workshops, climate justice education, youth service learning, or synod-wide awareness events.
Eligible applicants must be 501(c)3 organizations or work with a fiscal agent like a synod office. To apply, pre-register at ELCA GrantMaker (approval may take up to 10 business days). Click here for full grant details and application links.
Read MoreLutheran school leaders are invited to the ELEA Leadership Conference 2025, “Inspiring Leaders, Strengthening Faith,” held November 5–7 in Cleveland, Ohio. This national gathering offers three days of professional development, spiritual renewal, and community for educators shaping the future of Lutheran schools. Register now and join the movement to nurture the next generation of faithful leaders.
Read MoreIn 1925, a group of faithful Lutherans in Nebraska opened Martin Luther Home to provide education, training, and community for children with disabilities—a bold vision for its time. Over the years, the home expanded to serve adults, grow ministries across ten states, and eventually unite with Bethphage to form Mosaic. This year marks its 100th Anniversary, with a celebration and museum opening on October 5 in Beatrice, Nebraska.
Mosaic continues to live out its founding call to love and serve others. To learn more about this history and the upcoming celebration, click here.
Read MoreOur August 2025 Mission Support Memo provides a picture into the 2025 Churchwide Assembly where almost a thousand ELCA Lutherans made their way to toasty Phoenix, Ariz., to gather July 28 to Aug. 2. Hear about what a joyous, thoughtful and busy week it was for the voting members who considered resolutions, memorials and social statements and also elected a new presiding bishop and secretary to lead our church for the next six years.
Assembly also included a NEW ELCA Mission Support video available for all to learn what mission support does and to share with others. Each memo ends with words of gratitude and this month we express how extremely grateful we are for all the people who made Churchwide Assembly run successfully. You can even get the memo in pdf too!
Read MoreTen D.C.-area faith leaders, including ELCA Bishop Leila Ortiz, have issued a statement rejecting fear-based approaches to public safety. The letter calls on civic leaders to embrace dignity, collaboration, and compassion instead of militarization and scapegoating. True safety, the leaders stress, is achieved through justice, community care, and investment in people. Click here to read the full letter.
Read MoreThe ELCA Homeless and Justice Network strongly opposes a recent executive order conflating homelessness with crime and disorder. Rooted in stigma and lacking evidence, the order misrepresents the realities of unhoused people. Guided by Isaiah’s call to “loose the bonds of injustice,” the ELCA instead urges policies rooted in compassion, dignity, and affordable housing. Click here to read the full statement and explore ways to take action.
Read MoreThe Grand Canyon Synod grant cycle opens Sept. 8 and closes Oct. 31, 2025 (midnight) for projects that advance our GCS Strategic Plan. Up to $15,000 per award (about $175,000 total available). Priority for innovative, collaborative proposals. Applicants should attend the September webinar (registration posted soon) and must submit the application (Word/PDF, proper file name), a Statement of Financial Position, and (for congregations) last year’s/current Mission Support. Decisions by Jan. 24, 2026; funding begins Feb. 2026. Apply: gcsynod.org/grants. Contact office@gcsynod.org / 602-957-3223.
Read MoreYoung adult ministry is surging across the ELCA. After attending the Justice & Joy conference in St. Louis (July 24–27, 2025), Bryan Gamelin—co-leader of Gather Valley of the Sun—returned with new partnerships, practical tools, and a renewed commitment to radical welcome and young-adult leadership. Fall programming for Gather in our synod is underway.
Congregations: want to connect or host a gathering? Contact Bryan Gamelin (bryangamelin@yahoo.com) to explore next steps.
Read MoreThe latest Arizona Faith Network newsletter is full of opportunities for engagement: interfaith book studies, voter protection training, guided meditation, peacemaking workshops, and a voter registration fair. AFN also invites support for heat relief centers and calls on faith communities to protect Arizona’s sacred lands. Read the full newsletter and subscribe at arizonafaithnetwork.org/newsletter.
Read MoreIn 2025, the Grand Canyon Synod awarded $108,900 in grants to 19 ministries, funded through your mission support. From Talking Circles in Phoenix to a revived Summer Day Camp in Sedona and regional MLK worship services in Las Vegas and Tempe, your gifts are transforming lives across our synod. Looking ahead, $175,000 in grant funding is available for 2026. Read more in the post or view as a letter in PDF.
Read MoreThe Office of the Bishop attends the Installation and Ordination of Solomon Kuch at Emmanuel Sudanese Lutheran, Aug 24, 2025, 1:00 PM. We also share photos from our time volunteering at West Valley Lutheran Thrift Store in Sun City, followed by a delicious lunch and staff meeting at Shepherd of the Desert in Sun City.
Read MoreDespite perceptions that organ music is fading, organists and educators report a strong resurgence of interest in the instrument. Young musicians are pursuing advanced studies, congregations continue to request organists, and new generations are captivated by the instrument’s depth, variety, and spiritual power. Leaders emphasize that investing in church music programs—and recognizing music as vocation and calling—keeps congregations vibrant. The ancient organ continues to inspire worshippers and musicians alike. Click here to read more.
Read MoreThe ELCA is reshaping how future leaders are prepared for ministry, blending traditional seminary education with localized training, mentoring, and online learning. With nearly 60% of congregations averaging fewer than 50 in worship attendance, new models such as Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) and Synod-Authorized Ministers (SAMs) are vital to serving smaller and diverse communities. Programs like Fund for Leaders are also expanding to support these emerging leaders. Together, these changes reflect a reclaiming of the Lutheran vision of the whole people of God in ministry. Click here to read more.
Read MoreBethlehem Lutheran Church in Mesa shares that Pastor Brian Weinberger has made strides in recovery from hip and knee surgeries, though a recent setback has affected his healing. His wife, Bekkah, expresses deep gratitude for the prayers and support from across the synod. A Pastor Brian Recovery Fund has been established to support the family; contributions may be sent to Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Please continue to keep Pastor Brian, Bekkah, their children, and the congregation in prayer.
Read MoreNAU student and campus ministry leader Sarah Lee represented the Grand Canyon Synod at the International Seminar for Laypersons in Church Leadership in Wittenberg, Germany, and Geneva, Switzerland. From walking in Luther’s footsteps to advocating for LGBTQIA+ inclusion and meeting global Lutheran leaders, Sarah’s journey was a transformative experience in faith and leadership. She returns with renewed vision for campus ministry and gratitude for the synod’s investment in young adult leaders.
Read MoreEvery summer, more and more communities across the U.S. face wildfires, storms, floods, and dangerous heat. Scientists now call May through October the “danger season”—a time when once-rare disasters have become routine. In his recent reflection, Rev. Derrick Weston warns that our hearts risk hardening to this new normal, much like Pharaoh in the Exodus story, leaving the most vulnerable to suffer. Instead, Christians are called to renewal of mind and heart, resisting complacency and standing with those on the frontlines of climate disruption. Read Rev. Weston’s full article on Blessed Tomorrow—click here.
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