Grand Canyon Synod

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ELCA Advocacy June Update: U.N. and State Edition

ELCA Advocacy June Update: U.N. and State Edition

ELCA Advocacy shares updates from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices. U.N. | Arizona | California | Colorado | Minnesota | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Texas | Washington | Wisconsin

Solveig Muus, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA) director, writes in part: “LAMA’s policy team continues to reach out to each of our 85 Arizona congregations to learn how we might serve their needs. One church at a time, we are learning what each is passionate about, what community ministries each supports, and where there might be an advocacy call to action.”

Z AdvocacyBrian FlatgardJune 11, 2020ELCA Advocacy, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA)Comment

Bishop Eaton: Witnesses to the Transcendent

Bishop Eaton: Witnesses to the Transcendent

Bishop Eaton notes that the “restrictions imposed by the pandemic have made it clear that people are searching for hope and meaning and love.” As those restrictions are eased, she urges us to assess the ways our congregations are witnesses to the transcendent, keeping in mind all those who worshiped with us online but may not walk into our churches.

“The problem comes when people confuse the sacred space with the Sacred,” she writes. “We must take care that our congregations don’t become idols.” Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/3hgd0yo and in Spanish https://bit.ly/2YqYMSy.

LettersBrian FlatgardJune 11, 2020Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, Living LutheranComment

6/11/2020 Prayer: Pray for God’s wisdom and guidance

6/11/2020 Prayer: Pray for God’s wisdom and guidance

Pray for God’s wisdom and guidance as we work together and journey into the future as a thriving church, spreading the gospel and deepening faith for all people.

Prayers, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardJune 11, 2020Daily PrayerComment

Situation Report: Cyclone Amphan

Situation Report: Cyclone Amphan

On May 20, Cyclone Amphan made landfall in India and Bangladesh. It was the first super cyclone in the Bay of Bengal since 1999. Amphan caused 128 deaths and the damage to homes and infrastructure made Amphan the costliest cyclone in the northern Indian Ocean. In Bangladesh and eastern India, millions were left without power, including the entire city of Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal. With Lutheran World Service India Trust, LDF is providing food to families in the Kolkata’s slums.

Brian FlatgardJune 10, 2020Lutheran Disaster ResponseComment

Worship in the Home: Sunday, June 14, 2020

Worship in the Home: Sunday, June 14, 2020

For your individual or group devotion, you may choose to listen to the following choral recordings made available through Augsburg Fortress: “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy”; “Our Mission Is to Follow Jesus”; “Creation’s Grandest Glory Stands.”

Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardJune 10, 2020ELCA WorshipComment

6/10/2020 Prayer: With humility and joy, give thanks and praise to God!

6/10/2020 Prayer: With humility and joy, give thanks and praise to God!

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” With humility and joy, give thanks and praise to God!

Prayers, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardJune 10, 2020Daily PrayerComment

6/9/2020 Prayer: Pray for synod leaders making new plans for their assemblies

6/9/2020 Prayer: Pray for synod leaders making new plans for their assemblies

Continue to pray for synod leaders making new plans for their assemblies with concern for the health and well-being of leaders, voting members and others. Pray that the Spirit will guide their plans and strengthen them in their work proclaiming the gospel, growing the church, serving our neighbor and doing God’s work in the world.

Prayers, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardJune 9, 2020Daily PrayerComment

Bread for the Day available as eBook

Bread for the Day available as eBook

Bread for the Day, an annual publication that supports daily prayer, can currently be purchased as an eBook from Augsburg Fortress.

Prayers, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardJune 8, 2020ELCA WorshipComment

6/8/2020 Prayer: Comfort those grieving the loss of loved ones

6/8/2020 Prayer: Comfort those grieving the loss of loved ones

Ask God to comfort those grieving the loss of loved ones from COVID-19, and pray that we will not forget them amid our new concerns and routines as communities and states open up again.

Prayers, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardJune 8, 2020Daily PrayerComment

Bishop Eaton's sermon for Holy Trinity Sunday

Bishop Eaton's sermon for Holy Trinity Sunday

Bishop Eaton provides her sermon and Gospel reading for Sunday, June 7, The Holy Trinity, available on YouTube (view) and Vimeo (download). Links to the written transcript and videos with subtitles are posted in the video description in English and Spanish.

Worship resources for a Service of the Word are available in PDF and DOC formats. For congregations encouraging home devotions, the weekly “Worship in the Home” series on our worship blog includes a link to the sermon.

Brian FlatgardJune 7, 2020Comment

6/7/2020 Prayer: Spread the good news of God’s ever-present love and mercy

6/7/2020 Prayer: Spread the good news of God’s ever-present love and mercy

Pray that we will hear and respond to God’s call to be disciples in the world, just as Jesus directed his disciples to visit every nation, make disciples, baptize the faithful, teach the ways and commandments of God, and spread the good news of God’s ever-present love and mercy.

Prayers, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardJune 7, 2020Daily PrayerComment

Rev. Kwame Pitts: The Emanuel 9, Five Years Later

Rev. Kwame Pitts: The Emanuel 9, Five Years Later

Rev. Kwame Pitts, pastor to Crossroads Lutheran Church in Amherst, New York, reflects on the Emanuel 9, five years later.

LettersBrian FlatgardJune 6, 2020ELCA Racial Justice Ministries, Racial JusticeComment

Bishop Eaton: This is the Day

Bishop Eaton: This is the Day

We are a nation in distress. We are a church in distress. The coronavirus has killed 103,000 of us. The virus of racism has taken hundreds of thousands more throughout our history. Now these two deadly viruses converge. Under this distress the veneer of equality has cracked and we see the pain, anger and frustration of those who have been denied the rights and dignity so many of us expect and often take for granted.

I have heard it said that slavery ended with the Civil War. Why don't people of color "just get over it." Here is the question we need to ask, "How do you get over something that isn't over?"

LettersBrian FlatgardJune 6, 2020Bishop Elizabeth EatonComment

6/6/2020 Prayer: Pray for our neighbors in this season of storms and floods.

6/6/2020 Prayer: Pray for our neighbors in this season of storms and floods.

In this season of storms and flooding, pray that our neighbors and communities will be safe and that we will stand ready to respond when disasters strike and leave our neighbors vulnerable, grieving and wondering where to begin rebuilding their lives. Give thanks for the work we do together through Lutheran Disaster Response bringing God’s hope, healing and renewal to people whose lives have been disrupted by disaster.

Prayers, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardJune 6, 2020Daily PrayerComment

Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders: Wednesdays, 11:00 AM Pacific

Weekly Online Gathering for ELCA Leaders: Wednesdays, 11:00 AM Pacific

You are invited to join weekly meetings designed to provide encouragement and support for ELCA leaders in all realms. Participants will hear topical presentations related to how we are called to be Church in the time of COVID-19, as well as an opportunity to be in small group discussions with an ELCA group coach facilitating the conversation.

The Zoom link each week will be posted on the home page of ELCA Coaching. Recordings from each week are posted here: https://www.elcacoaching.org/covid19.

Leader Resources, Z Covid-19Brian FlatgardJune 5, 2020ELCA CoachingComment

6/5/2020 Prayer: Pray for God to send the Spirit into our midst and renew all creation.

6/5/2020 Prayer: Pray for God to send the Spirit into our midst and renew all creation.

Pray for God to send the Spirit into our midst and renew humanity and all creation.

Prayers, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardJune 5, 2020Daily PrayerComment

Vigil for the Dignity of Black Lives

Vigil for the Dignity of Black Lives

The Episcopal Diocese of Arizona will be livestreaming a prayer vigil this Friday night, June 5, at 6 pm, and we encourage everyone to join us in prayer on our YouTube account.

Prayers, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardJune 4, 2020Episcopal Diocese of ArizonaComment

Grand Canyon Synod coronavirus cases: 6/4/2020

Grand Canyon Synod coronavirus cases: 6/4/2020

For quick comparison, we are using New York Times 7-day average graphs for each state in our synod: Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. As of June 4, 2020:

Arizona: 22,753 cases and 998 deaths
Nevada: 9,118 cases and 429 deaths
Utah: 10,856 cases and 117 deaths
Navajo Nation: 5,661 cases and 259 deaths
Hopi Nation: 104 cases

Z Covid-19Brian FlatgardJune 4, 2020Comment

“Beginning a Culture of Generosity” guides you through your Fall Stewardship Appeal

“Beginning a Culture of Generosity” guides you through your Fall Stewardship Appeal

Beginning a Culture of Generosity (BCG) and is a timely program presented by 3E and the Grand Canyon Synod, designed to guide congregations through their fall stewardship appeal in this challenging year.

The program aims for congregations to stabilize current 2020 year giving to 2019 (pre-Coronavirus) levels, with modest growth for 2021. Registration is open through August 15th.

3E and GCS are offering a $500 scholarship for each congregation toward the program cost of $650.

Stewardship, Leader ResourcesBrian FlatgardJune 4, 2020Lilly 3E, 2020 Beginning a Culture of GenerosityComment