We pray for Rev. Brent Maxwell and the people of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Paradise Valley, part of the Northeast Valley Conference. Visit their site at gloriadeiaz.org, and their Facebook page.
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We remind everyone that emails scams are back, including fake emails and texts from Bishops. Please be very suspicious of any requests for money from the Office of the Bishop (except for statements of intent of course).
We’re including and adapting a scam awareness PDF created by the Southeastern Iowa synod which has great tips on how to recognize scam text and emails.
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Ascension Lutheran Church in Paradise Valley, AZ has an opening for a part-time office support position to assist the office manager.
Applications will be accepted until January 15 with a target start date of February 1. This part-time position is 12 hours a week at $18.00 per hour. Scheduling is flexible. Click here for a copy of the job description.
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Concordia College in Moorhead is offering congregations a worship service recording for Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020. The service includes lessons, carols, poetic readings and music performed by Concordia students and alumni.
On December 21, 2020, the service may be viewed on the Concordia website or downloaded to share on your congregation's website. Participants are encouraged to have a candle available for the service.
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My childhood connection to nature was effortless. It was filled with state park camping trips, summer camps, Minnesota lakes, and my roomy backyard.
Yet I learned more at the Environmental Education Center (EEC), a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, than I could ever have imagined.
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As ecumenical and inter-religious partners, we have a role to play in preparing for the post-pandemic future. We can encourage people to love their neighbors by getting vaccinated – when it is our turn. We can advocate for equitable distribution in the US and globally.
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Many congregation leaders are asking how they can take advantage of technology to continue to hold necessary meetings to conduct the business of the congregation. The ELCA provides an FAQ of the questions being asked most often (view as PDF). This is also a part of our annual congregation meeting resource page.
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Throughout the Advent and Christmas season, we highlight submissions to the 2020 Generosity Film Festival.
Pastor Dana Reardon, with First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mesa, Arizona, shares a story of generosity while reporting live from First Lutheran's Food Bank. This video won the BestCommunity Outreach Story award.
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Desert Streams Lutheran Church, Surprise, is offering two filing cabinets of choir music, as well as vestments, paraments, choir robes and banners. If interested, contact them at (866) 506-8944 or dslcsurprise@gmail.com.
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We finish 2020 grateful for all the ways the people of the Grand Canyon Synod adapted and adjusted. We give thanks for God’s continued faithfulness, and for the generosity that continues unabated, even during a pandemic.
We invite congregations to prayerfully consider what God's call to share from your blessings in support of our joint mission and ministry. Please visit our statement of intent page and let us know your mission support.
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“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Pray that we will support and encourage each other in these good works and disciplines that keep our spirits, minds and bodies healthy and whole.
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What do you get when two lawyers, a Robert’s Rules of Order expert, and a Bishop walk into a Zoom room? A great set of resources for holding your congregation’s annual meeting online!
Visit our annual congregation meeting resources page to see a video of our resource meeting, our Zoom resources, Bryan Daum’s primer covering constitutions and state law, Pastor David Brandfass’s presentation on Robert’s Rules of Order, the ELCA’s FAQs, and our Q&A’s.
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In this week’s Story of Faith in Action (SOFIA), we meet Matt Rusch, director of Outlaw Ranch, who started from scratch in building a family camp connecting cultures.
The idea was to make family camp look like the church in South Dakota, which is both multilingual and racially diverse, he said. "We just jumped into this,” he said. “[There was] no model. We [thought], ‘We know God is in the mix, so somehow it will work out.’”
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Los Posadas This traditional celebration, popular in Mexico and observed by some ELCA congregations, uses lighted paths and processions to follow Mary and Joseph’s journey through Bethlehem in search of lodging. Pray that our recollection of Mary and Joseph’s experience might prompt us to welcome strangers, immigrants and neighbors in need.
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Now through December 21, the shortest day of the year, Jupiter and Saturn will continue to get closer in the sky. Best time to see is about a half hour after sunset. Check it out and then watch our Longest Night service.
Will they look like one star? Some answers here at earth sky.org. Plus, possible astronomical explanations for the Star of Bethlehem or Christmas star.
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The holidays expose underlying family dynamics in many families. Time together, gift giving, and special meals can all offer an opportunity for favoritism among siblings and cousins, or at least the illusion of such.
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The 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering is a trip I will forever remember. Becoming a leader in the church is a true gift from God and I cherish my ability to share those gifts with the people of God.
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Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton discusses how we ought to heal following the 2020 United States presidential election, perhaps by unifying around one central question: Is the neighbor being served?
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What do our gifts mean, and what impact do they have? Pray for thoughtfulness when we buy gifts, for awareness of who we include and exclude, and for mindfulness of how the money we spend during this time of thanksgiving might fulfill God’s loving, merciful and generous promises.
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