We pray for Rev. Robert Jones and the people of Santa Cruz Lutheran Church in Tucson, part of the Santa Cruz Conference. Visit their site at santacruzlutheran.org, and their Facebook page.
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Nearly 100 asylum-seekers are arriving daily in Phoenix, fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries for the safety and freedom of the United States. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and our partner organizations are providing critical humanitarian assistance to these families when they arrive, including food, shelter, and medical assistance.
Read more to learn about who asylum-seekers are, what help we are providing, and how you can help!
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Bishop Eaton received her first COVID-19 vaccination shot on St. Patrick’s Day. “There’s nothing to it!” This is her process.
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As a nation, we continue to witness and suffer from the cruelties of racial and gender-based violence. In recent days, we have witnessed the horror of gun violence in Atlanta and the vandalism of one of our ELCA congregations in Seattle.
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The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) held its online meeting March 4-5, 2021. The conference, an advisory body of the ELCA, comprises 65 synod bishops, the presiding bishop and the secretary. Bishop Hutterer serves on the executive committee.
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Leaders are invited to an anti-racism training workshop each Saturday in May, 2021. The 1.5 hour workshops are led by Reverend Joan Crawford, whose ministry includes promoting interracial healing and dialogue. Spiritual leaders will be equipped to engage in conversations within their communities.
Hosted by Phoenix Fusion, the cost is $40/person, with attendance capped at 60 participants. Download the flyer and visit gcsynod.org/solidarity for more info.
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Our 2021 synod assembly worship service will be made available for use by all congregations for use on the weekend of June 12 and 13, 2021.
Our assembly is Saturday June 12, 2021, with worship tentatively scheduled to be live-streamed at 3:30 pm MST/PDT. If our worship service is pre-recorded, the file will be made available earlier that week. If we are recording live, we will make the file available as soon as possible on Saturday.
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A Good Friday worship service—premiering April 2, 2021, at 6pm MST/PDT—is available on the synod’s YouTube channel and in this post. It is a service of Tenebrae, with reading of the passion by leaders from the Colorado River Conference, a message from Bishop Hutterer, and special music. Download the order of worship in PDF or as a Word doc.
Our thanks to Pastor Jason Adams, (Reformation Lutheran, Las Vegas) for heading up this project.
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Bishop Eaton and leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the Anglican Church of Canada and The Episcopal Church have issued a statement in observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21, 2021.
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Learn tried and true principles of fundraising to carry out fruitful, broad-range stewardship programs in your congregation with Stewardship for All Seasons, gcsynod.org/stewardship-for-all-seasons.
The deadline to sign up for the 2021-2022 cohort is on April 5, 2021. Questions? Contact Pr. Miguel Gomez-Acosta, who will be happy to provide answers and solutions. Read recent testimonies in this post.
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Passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was shaped by input of many constituents, including Lutheran voices. Thank you for your advocacy!
The federal response to the crisis of the pandemic is not only colossal, it is personal: a family has rent for another month, food on the table, required medicine, and in many cases even tools to no longer live in poverty and hunger.
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We pray for Rev. Stephen Springer and the people of Dove of Peace Lutheran Church in Tucson, part of the Santa Cruz Conference. Visit their site at doveofpeacetucson.org, and their social media pages on Facebook and Vimeo.
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We pray for Rev. Andrea Cain, Rev. Thaddeus Book and the people of Desert Cross Lutheran Church in Tempe, part of the Fiesta Conference. Visit their site at desertcross.org, and their social media pages on Facebook and YouTube.
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As part of ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving, this post and accompanying video continue a series weekly reflections.
Thus far this Lent, we have heard stories of God working through this church, our companions and our neighbors to end hunger. Here, in this last week, companions from Colombia will help teach us about the final tool: action.
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ELCA Worship provides resources for worship in the home for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Vigil of Easter.
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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have resumed a bilateral dialogue that will define a new ecumenical relationship for common mission and ministry.
In a March 10 meeting, leaders from the two church bodies resumed the dialogue that had begun in 2004 but been put on hold due to leadership and staff changes at both churches.
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Marking the one-year anniversary of the pandemic, Bishop Eaton says there are many things we want to forget but there is much to remember, especially that God has been with us and will continue to be with us through it all.
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The Grand Canyon Synod Covid Service of Lament is available in this blog post and on our Facebook, YouTube, and Vimeo. Download available on Vimeo.
We thank our participants: Rev. Alan Field; Carol Paulsen; Diakonia participants, Bill Aurand, Tina Gilson, Cheryl Pridgeon, and Cindy Stein; Bishop Hutterer; music from organist Lars Andersen and vocalists Sherri McClellan and Jennifer Wortman from Tanque Verde Lutheran in Tucson; and Pastor Sarah Stadler from Grace Lutheran in Phoenix.
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Save the date for two upcoming services, available for use on Monday of Holy Week, March 29, 2021. We’ll share additional details as we receive them.
In the Grand Canyon Synod, a Good Friday service is in the works, a project led by Pastor Jason Adams, Reformation Lutheran, Las Vegas.
A Region 2 worship for Easter 2 will be available, with Dr. Shauna Hannan, Professor of Homiletics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, as the preacher.
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The Asian and Pacific Islander Association of the ELCA recently issued a statement, affirmed by the ELCA Conference of Bishops, calling on the church to declare a day of lament during Lent to express solidarity with, help in healing and support Asian American victims of violence.
Sunday, March 21, has been named as the common date, though worshiping communities may choose a different date as appropriate for their context. Worship resources are available in this PDF.
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