Bishop Hutterer: Border Reflections, part 2
Bishop Hutterer: Border Reflections, part 2

At La Roca, the shelter I visited last week, children, women and men went to the border and stood in line. Once they received a number they could stay at La Roca while they waited for their number to be called. Cruzando Fronteras (a Lutheran-Episcopal ministry) supports this shelter.

Refugees who have been processed in the U.S. and await their court date are released. In Phoenix last week about 200 were released each day. With ICE lacking the capacity for growing asylee numbers, families have been released to churches in Phoenix for temporary and transitional shelter until they are capable of traveling to their final destination. Currently, there are not enough churches to accommodate the increasing numbers of asylum-seekers, and these families are being released on the street and at bus stations, with no means to continue their journey. Many would label this a humanitarian crisis, and as God’s people we can step in make a difference.

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Bishop Hutterer, LettersBrian FlatgardCruzando Fronteras, Lutheran Social Services of the SouthwestComment
Moving graffiti from the streets to the steeple
Moving graffiti from the streets to the steeple

From the Marana News: “Michael Schultz’s family was surprised he didn’t burst into flames when he walked into church. 

As a graffiti artist, Schultz estimates he painted 60 boxcars by the age of 17. Now, as an adult, his days of covert canvassing are behind him. Schultz, along with Pastor Lars Hammar, organizes Open Space Church, a location promoting a crossroads of art and faith for the Tucson community.” Read the full article »

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In the News, Kino ConferenceBrian FlatgardComment
Lutheran Social Services of Nevada Wine Tasting and Silent Auction Fundraiser
Lutheran Social Services of Nevada Wine Tasting and Silent Auction Fundraiser

Lutheran Social Services of Nevada invites YOU to our annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction Fundraiser on May 8th, 2019! Join us for an evening of wonderful appetizers and wine tastings, exciting silent and live auctions, and, most importantly, fun as we join together to support the empowerment-centered, hunger-fighting mission of LSSN.

Tickets are $75 per person and are available for purchase on our website at www.lssnv.org/shop. Sponsorships may also be purchased on www.lssnv.org/shop, or you may contact Tristan Hightower at tristan@lssnv.org for more information.

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Z Colorado River ConferenceBrian FlatgardLutheran Social Services of NevadaComment
Portico Recognized for Innovating to Improve Health, Rein in Costs 
Portico Recognized for Innovating to Improve Health, Rein in Costs 

Portico Benefit Services recently received a 2018 Church Benefits Association (CBA) Innovation Award for adding initiatives that have delivered impressive member health improvements, higher member satisfaction scores, and notable health plan savings. 

The CBA includes about 50 member organizations, like Portico, that manage retirement and health benefits for a total of 250,000 churchworkers of various denominations. Twenty-one CBA members vied for one of four inaugural Innovation Awards. Read the story.

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Brian FlatgardPorticoComment
Bishop's Letter regarding Trustworthy Servants of the People of God document
Bishop's Letter regarding Trustworthy Servants of the People of God document

Dear Church: This past weekend the ELCA Church Council met in Chicago. They decided not to consider for adoption a document entitled, “Trustworthy Servants of the People of God,” which had been recommended to them by the Conference of Bishops. Instead, they chose to refer this document back to the Domestic Mission Unit of the Churchwide office for further work and redrafting in alignment with the social teachings of the ELCA. In addition, the Church Council asked that a process be used by Domestic Mission which intentionally includes more diverse voices, especially those who perceive they were most harmed by the misuse of the current document, Vision and Expectations in the past.

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Bishop Hutterer, LettersBrian FlatgardComment
Rev. Rebecca Boardman is the new Campus Pastor at U of A
Rev. Rebecca Boardman is the new Campus Pastor at U of A

The Lutheran Campus Ministry Board at the University of Arizona is pleased and happy to announce that the Grand Canyon Synod has called the Rev. Rebecca Boardman as the new Campus Pastor at the U of A. Rebecca will be relocating to Tucson in early June and plans to join us at the synod assembly. Please keep Pastor Rebecca and the LCM at U of A in your prayers as we continue the transition into this new era of ministry.

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Prayers, Kino ConferenceBrian FlatgardLCM U of A, Ordinations and InstallationsComment
Prayers for Susan Fohs and family
Prayers for Susan Fohs and family

We pray for Susan Fohs and family as they grieve the death of Rev. Walter Fohs who passed away on March 2, 2019. Pastor and Mrs. Fohs transferred to the Grand Canyon Synod in 2014 after retirement from service at Lamb of God Lutheran Church in the Florida-Bahamas Synod in 2012.

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Brian FlatgardComment
Lenten Stories: With women in power, malaria doesn’t stand a chance
Lenten Stories: With women in power, malaria doesn’t stand a chance

It is easy to think of malaria prevention as simply providing mosquito nets for prevention and medicine to those who have fallen ill. But there’s much more to it than that.

Burure is in the Gokwe Region of Zimbabwe, bordered by rivers that are notoriously difficult to cross during the rainy season. It is an area that has been plagued by outbreaks of malaria in the past. It is one of the most remote areas served by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ).

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ELCA, Leader ResourcesBrian Flatgard2020 LentComment
Three Sides Podcast: Church in Community
Three Sides Podcast: Church in Community

In this episode of the Three Sides podcast we focus on the unique partnerships that exist among three distinct congregations in Rockford, Ill.

The three pastors share the motivation behind the creation of these partnerships, the joys of being in ministry together and the challenges they’ve encountered along the way. Each discusses how their congregations have adapted over time to respond to the needs of both their immediate communities and the larger community they share.

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Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardThree Sides Podcast, Living LutheranComment
ELCA World Hunger Domestic Hunger Grants open April 15
ELCA World Hunger Domestic Hunger Grants open April 15

In 2019, ELCA World Hunger is proud to be partnering with 77 ministries across 63 synods and 33 states (plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.) through its Domestic Hunger Grants program. Domestic Hunger Grants are again available to groups that are working through and with ELCA congregations to address the root causes of poverty and hunger.

The application window for 2020 ELCA World Hunger Domestic Hunger Grants will open April 15! Visit ELCA.org/domestichungergrants to learn more about the grants and how to apply.

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ELCABrian FlatgardGrantsComment