On Saturday, April 18, 2020, the Grand Canyon Synod Council agreed, through a unanimous vote, to postpone the 2020 Assembly. The 2021 assembly will be held in Las Vegas, with planned dates of June 10-11, 2021. The 2022 Assembly will be held in Mesa. Special thanks to Community Lutheran, Las Vegas, and Love of Christ, Mesa, for your flexibility and hospitality.
We will share hotel refund information as we learn it. Expect to see a refund of your Assembly fees by the end of the month.
Read MoreDue to the continued and anticipated impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Young Adults in Global Mission program has decided to postpone sending volunteers until the 2021-2022 year of service. This decision was made for the safety and care of volunteers and global companions. Watch the video and read the press release.
Read MoreMolly Beck Dean, Director of the ELCA Youth Gathering, talks about faithfully going forward towards the 2021 Youth Gathering.
Read MoreELCA Worship shares a variety of ways to worship during this time of pandemic, as many are seeking resources to support daily prayer in the home. As we are physically separated from supportive Christian communities, it becomes increasingly important to mark our days and hours with prayer.
“I arise early in the morning and I cry out to you, I hope for your word. My eyes are open in the night watches, that I may meditate upon your promise.” (Psalm 119:147-148)
Read MoreEmergency room doctor Halleh Akbarnia shares a poignant op-ed about her first COVID-19 patient, Mr. C. They learn from one another as they share a long and frightening road toward his recovery, which is also healing for her. For twelve days she waited to see if her efforts would be successful. At the end of her wait, she went in to visit her patient. Mr. C looked up at her and said, “I remember your eyes.” Sometimes it is a small thing which establishes a deep connection.
Read MoreView photos from the “And It Is Good” photo exhibition, an invitation to contemplate the diversity of creatures that give glory to God in their being and who tend to our well-being. Que seamos inspiradas e inspirados a dar gracias por cada criatura de Dios y toda la creación divina. Each photo is paired with verses from the Bible. Cada foto se entrelaza con versículos de la Biblia.
Read MoreWhether born of fear, ignorance, or bigotry, the calumny and actual harm that the Chinese American community has suffered is morally reprehensible. The same is true for those of other communities who are assumed to be Chinese. Any sense of isolation that might be compounded by our silence only adds to the pain and offense.
Read MoreGod is bringing about something new for the world and for the church - and we have hopes and dreams for that - but we are waiting for God to reveal that. So, in the meantime, in our anxiety, in our joy, in our hope, let's remember: Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia!
Read MoreRecently I heard a story about a Lutheran woman from the United States traveling through eastern Europe years ago. As she talked with a group of locals, it came up that she was Lutheran. One woman in the group told the American, “I know who you are.”
The European woman went into her house and came out with a quilt. She showed the American woman a label sewn onto the quilt which gave the name of an ELCA church who had made and donated it. "I was once in a refugee camp and had nothing,” the woman said. “You gave this quilt to me.”
Read MoreThe Arizona judicatory leaders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, The United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ, and The Episcopal Church jointly sent the following letter to Governor Doug Ducey.
Read MoreLutheran Social Services of Nevada continues to offer services, including Identification Recovery Services (Birth Certificates), Rapid Rehousing Services, Senior Case Management, and more, although our one-on-one services will now be by appointment only.
Please call our main line at 702-639-1730 Monday - Friday or e-mail info@lssnv.orgat any time for more information about our services or scheduling an appointment.
Read MoreBishop Deborah K. Hutterer of the Grand Canyon Synod brings greetings, the Gospel, and a sermon for the first Sunday after Easter. The Bishop's greetings can be found at the beginning of the video. The Gospel starts at the 1:45 mark, and the sermon starts at 3:50.
Read MoreRead the minutes from the synod council meeting on April 18, 2020, in PDF format.
Read MoreLutheran Social Services of Nevada is setting appointments to help individuals sign up for SNAP (food stamps). For more information or to set an appointment, contact Nutrition Services Manager Maria at maria@lssnv.org.
Read MoreWe pray for Rev. Jeff Kallevig, whose final Sunday at Our Saviour’s, Tucson, was this Easter. Rev. Kallevig is accepting a call to North Hollywood, California.
Eternal God, we thank you for Jeff and for our life together in the Grand Canyon Synod. As he has been a blessing to us, so now send him forth to be a blessing to others; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
Read MoreWe lift up Rev. Thomas Stephens, who is retiring from Central Lutheran Church in Arizona City. Ordained in 1984, we thank God for Rev. Stephens’ 35 years of service.
Gracious God, we thank you for the work and witness of your servant Tom, who has enriched this community and brought gladness to friends and family. Now bless and preserve him at this time of transition. Day by day, guide him and give him what is needed, friends to cheer his way, and a clear vision of that to which you are now calling him. By your Holy Spirit be present in his pilgrimage, that he may travel with the one who is the way, the truth, and the life, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Read MorePlease pray for Rev. Dr. Gene Perry (retired), who was anticipating a heart procedure designed to help prevent strokes. That surgery is now delayed 2-3 months by COVID-19 issues because it’s considered an elective surgery.
By your power, great God, our Lord Jesus healed the sick and gave new hope to the hopeless. Though we cannot command or posses your power, we pray for those who want to be healed.
Read MoreDikos Nitsaaígíí-Náhást'éíts'áadah: That’s what the pandemic is called in Navajo. “We shouldn't be the last to get equipment," said President Nez, "We are the first citizens of this country, our nation. And we just got to remind our federal partners out there that we are still here and we're resilient and we'll overcome this."
On April 7, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the Navajo Nation reached 321, with 13 deaths. These numbers are not included in the overall reporting for the State of Arizona.
Read MoreCongrats to Saved By Grace Lutheran Church which recently received a Best of Pahrump 2020 in the Houses of Worship category!
Read MoreThe Office of the Bishop staff is giving this article from The Praxis Journal a deep read: The novel coronavirus is not just something for leaders to “get through” for a few days or weeks. Instead, we need to treat COVID-19 as an economic and cultural blizzard, winter, and beginning of a “little ice age” — a once-in-a-lifetime change that is likely to affect our lives and organizations for years.
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