On December 31, 2019, heavy rainfalls caused severe flooding and landslides in the greater Jakarta area.
Huria Kristen Batak Protestan, a companion church of the ELCA, was there to help.
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We pray for the people of Resurrection Lutheran Church in Scottsdale, AZ. We lift up: John Geske, Senior Pastor; Matt Wiswall, Associate Pastor: Matt Robards, Family Pastor; Anita Elco, Senior Director of Children's Education & Ministry; Andrea Salgado, Preschool Director ; John Burritt, Director of Worship; Valerie Cooksey, Worship Leader/Accompanist; Emily Cooksey, Worship Leader/Technology; Lawrence Jones, Director of Operations; and Patti Wiese, Pastoral/Program Support.
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Retired pastors Ron Rude and John Kautz are hosting southern Arizona ELCA pastors in a discussion on books which uncover important racial accord challenges and implications for Christ’s ministry.
The main book is “Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the U.S” (Fortress Press, 2019). The writer is Lenny Duncan, recently ordained ELCA pastor serving Jehu’s Table congregation in Brooklyn.
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In the January 2020 issue of Living Lutheran, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reflects on white privilege (reprint of her June 2108 column): “We aren’t free until all of us are free.” Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/36BvljB and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/39UNISW.
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Reformation Lutheran Church in Milwaukee serves its neighbors through youth work programs, a community garden, a store for low-cost children’s and household items, Strong Babies fairs and other ministries. The Strong Babies program is supported in part by your gifts to ELCA World Hunger.
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A doctor should not perform surgery if she is tired. A pilot should not fly if he is tired. And clergy who counsel and take on the audacious task of sharing something of God should not attempt these fearsome duties when we are tired. But we do. In many places, the institutional culture demands it.
The church must develop a culture that allows for rest without shame. A few months ago, an Orthodox priest confessed to me his weariness and his fear of leaving ministry if something did not change. As we talked I could hear that the very idea of a sabbatical was foreign to this person. The pastor asserted, “In my corner of the church, the only time a pastor takes a leave from ministry is when they’ve gotten in trouble.”
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Do our names determine our destiny? Researcher Steve Levitt has dedicated decades to this question. Different cultures have different naming patterns and trends. Our names sometimes suggest something about us. Every student has had this experience when a teacher calls the roll in a classroom for the first time and and looks up with an expectation.
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The Gospel readings that frame January locate God in darkness. Understanding this prepares us to be blown away by the Gospel writers’ testimony. Darkness is where God chooses to arrive. Darkness is where Jesus appears. Darkness is where the good news begins.
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Give thanks and praise to God that we are adopted and called children of God through Jesus Christ, an immeasurable gift of grace, love and forgiveness in which we are immersed.
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We pray for Rev. Cheryl Fox and the congregation of St. John's Episcopal-Lutheran Church in Williams, AZ.
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Paul John Halvorson died December 9, 2019, from complications following a medical procedure at the age of 82. He was surrounded by his family, singing songs at his bedside.
A Celebration of the Life and Faith of The Rev. Paul J. Halvorson will be held at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Phoenix, on Saturday, January 18 at 1:00 pm, with reception to follow.
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Begin the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with our Lutheran Holden Evening prayer at Desert Cross Lutheran Church on Sunday, 1/19/20, with Bishop Hutterer giving the meditation.
Throughout Arizona, there are ecumenical vespers every evening through 1/25/20, with the main worship on Thursday, 1/23/20. Full info and schedule is on the GCS site and the the Shepherd of the Hills site.
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Give thanks for the gift of wisdom that comes from God. Pray that our faith, with the encouragement of the Spirit, will compel us to share, teach and cultivate God’s wisdom and ways among all people — young and old alike.
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God’s glory is revealed to us in Jesus Christ, born among us and immersed in the messiness, complexity and commonness of humanity for the sake of the world. Pray that we will recognize God’s divine presence and activity in the world for the redemption and healing of humankind and for the nurturing of our lives to better emulate Jesus.
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Pray that the Holy Spirit will help us bear witness in the world to the light and truth of Jesus Christ, that we will be infused with enthusiasm for inviting others to believe and follow, and that all will experience the grace and fullness of God.
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We lift up in prayer Roger Bailey, who has been hospitalized after a fall. Roger is on the Synod Council Executive Committee, with the Colorado River Conference.
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Pray for the people and communities affected by the recent fires in California, that they will not lose hope but will experience God’s presence and encouragement through the care and support of others. Give thanks for the work of Lutheran Disaster Response — with the California synods (Pacifica, Southwest California, and Sierra Pacific), Lutheran Social Services of Northern California and Lutheran Social Services of Southern California — to respond with physical, emotional and spiritual care.
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Give thanks for the cloud of faith-filled witnesses who surround us as mentors of faith, vocation and life skills, enriching our lives through their example and sharing their faith, wisdom and knowledge.
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All lay and rostered people (active and retired) are invited to attend the Grand Canyon Synod’s Spring Conference Gatherings. The topic “Charting the Course (Guided by the Holy Spirit!)” is based on the book Canoeing the Mountains, by Tod Bolsinger. This gathering will be led by leaders lay and rostered. Gatherings begin in February and last through April.
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The Office of the Bishop thanks you for your prayers and generosity in 2019, a year full of God’s surprising abundance. We now invite you to make your statement of intent for Mission Support in 2020 by February 1, 2020.
Please visit www.gcsynod.org/intent to access these forms and read a letter from Bishop Deborah K. Hutterer and Rev. Miguel F. Gomez-Acosta, Director for Evangelical Mission.
Since the Grand Canyon Synod's fiscal year ends on January 31, mission support and other gifts received in January count towards our current fiscal year. We thank you for your gifts and partnership!
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