Pray for the 15 ELCA missionaries serving in parish ministry and education as they work alongside our companions in Slovakia and Russia.
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Remember in prayer ministry candidates who have responded to God’s call to ministry and leadership through the church and are involved in the process of preparation, discernment and waiting for assignment. Pray for candidates and their families during this time that can be both joyful and anxious; and pray that leaders and ELCA staff involved in the assignment process will be guided by the Holy Spirit in their discernment and decision-making.
Read MorePray that the Holy Spirit will work in us and guide us to be faithful, trustworthy and responsible with all God has entrusted to us in this life, that we may serve our neighbors in need, care for creation and honor God.
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A time of learning, examining next steps, embracing disruptive changes as doors to deeper mission, listen & learning as spiritual practices. Practical learning, Sabbath rest, worship & collegial support at Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center. Begins Tuesday, Nov. 19 at noon, ends Friday Nov. 22 at 11:30 a.m. View the flyer and visit the event page.
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9/21 Matthew, apostle and evangelist: Pray that we will serve as willing, faithful and bold followers of Christ even though our backgrounds, life experiences, professions and gifts are diverse and may seem incongruent with what we imagine God desires in a disciple or evangelist.
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Read the minutes from the synod council meeting on September 20, 2019, in PDF format.
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In this video, Dr. Anthony Bateza discusses the question: What does it meant be a Lutheran seeking justice through public policy today?
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With grateful hearts, thank God for the mercy and grace we receive through Jesus Christ, who embraces who we are in all our humanness and shortcomings and transforms us for service and faithful leadership in the world.
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We uplift in prayer Desert Cross Lutheran Church in Tempe and Gilbert, AZ. We pray for their missional congregation, who celebrates Christ's presence, invites people into a growing relationship with Jesus and equips them to serve in a broken world. We pray for: Andrea Cain, Senior Pastor; Doris Nolan, Transitional Associate Pastor; Doug Bjotvedt, Director of Operations & Property; Dawn Collins, Office Manager; Daniel Decker, Director of Worship & Music Ministries - Tempe; Chad Diegle, Director of Youth Ministries; Shannon Fossett, Director of Children's Ministries; Maegan Jennett, Communications Coordinator; Michael Lottes, Director of Worship & Music Ministries - Gilbert; Denise McClellan, Director of Adult Ministries; Jessica Robinson, Worship Coordinator; Kristen Roehling, Children’s Ministry Assistant; and Denise Viker, RN, Parish Nurse.
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Pray for relief and access to clean water where people are suffering from extreme heat and drought in the world; ask God to help us work with one another to care for our environment and precious water resources, find ways to ease and prevent the impact of climate change, and share generously our resources to provide for the essential needs of people everywhere.
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Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton invited me and two other U.S. bishops (Bishop Susan Briner and Bishop Patricia Davenport) to participate in an annual retreat held early September for newly elected leaders by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).
In addition to the three ELCA bishops, there were bishops and pastor presidents from Zambia, Ghana, South Korea, Thailand, northern India, Bolivia, the River Table (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay) and Peru.
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The Rev. Scott Hackler has been called to serve as pastor at Spirit of Grace Lutheran Church, Surprise, AZ. His installation will be Sunday, October 20, 2 pm.
Come and celebrate this joyous occasion. Clergy and deacons are invited to process. The color of the day is green.
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Centered in Christ, the 2019 Churchwide Assembly was significant in many ways: worship, thoughtful deliberation and prayer led to the adoption of memorials and resolutions that will shape this church for years to come. Among these decisions, this church was called to address the deadly power of racism and white supremacy. Martin Luther's clear exposition of the gospel — that God justifies, that we are redeemed by the death and resurrection of Jesus, and that grace is a gift — not only makes it possible to engage in this work but gives us a framework in which to do it.
The doctrine of justification is a great leveler. It acknowledges that no one group of people can claim supremacy over others. We are all deeply in need of grace, and God gives this gift to all. Standing equally under the judgement and promise of the gospel, we, as a church, can recognize the overt and covert ways that a culture of white supremacy denies full humanity to all people, and we can work to dismantle it.
We offered a public apology titled "Declaration of the ELCA to People of African Descent."
We adopted a resolution condemning white supremacy.
We adopted a resolution to establish June 17 as "Emanuel 9 Day of Repentance," commemorating the martyrdom of Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Marie Graham-Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, Depayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel L. Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson by a violent white supremacist, Dylann Roof, who grew up in the ELCA.
Pray that we might be persistent and caring in seeking, inviting and welcoming people who have left our congregations, feel unwelcome because of who they are or what they’ve done, have been hurt by conflict or feel they have no place in the church, the body of Christ.
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We are blessed to be church together in a time of renewal. Looking back through centuries of our faith’s history, we can imagine the anxiety and doubt of people living in times of extreme change. We can also see what must have been nearly invisible to that congregation of saints: the Holy Spirit at work.
Dr. Dwight Zscheile, of Luther Seminary, recently wrote about predictions from an ELCA Research & Evaluation project that the ELCA may be gone in 30 years. You can read Zscheile’s article at faithlead.luthersem.edu/will-the-elca-will-be-gone-in-30-years.
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The Institute for the Healing of Memories (IHOM) trained facilitators will lead this veteran’s and 1st reponder healing workshop. It provides a safe place to explore personal histories and gain insight and empathy for themselves and others in response to the emotional, psychological and spiritual wounds inflicted by war, human rights abuses, moral injury, and trauma.
The November workshop begins with dinner on 11/1/19 at 6pm, and ends at 2:30pm on 11/3/19. We will fill up quickly, call soon: (480) 488-5218 and ask for Cyndy, or (651) 687-9767 for Mike Wold, IHOM No. America Program Manager. View the flyer or visit the event page for more info.
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Community of Grace Lutheran Church in Peoria, AZ, is currently looking for a full-time Children's Ministry Director to join our team. They are seeking a candidate that will help them to engage in ministry with children, particularly infants - 5th graders, and their families at church, at home, and in the community. Candidates should love children and be passionate about cross-generational ministry. If interested please send resume and references to Kathleen@boldrecklessgrace.org.
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Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center is looking for cooks, an on-site resident host (9pm-7am, in exchange for room and board), and a part time facilities manager. Please contact Cathy Rogers, Operations Director at (480) 488-5218 for more details or to arrange an interview.
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We pray for Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Las Vegas as they welcome people, treating them with warmth and dignity befitting those created in the image of God. We lift up the congregation and Pastor Jeremy Nausin, Music Minister Tim Beasley, Office Manager Loretta Block, Custodian Karen Dunn, and Groundskeeper Terry West.
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Pray for God’s mercy, forgiveness and guidance when we stray from God’s ways or find ourselves worshiping wealth, earthly possessions, power or status more than we worship God.
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