Many congregations are just now getting ready to attend the 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering, so you aren’t behind! We’ve put together a list of 10 things you should know as you prepare to get your group together. For more information, go to elca.org/gathering.
Pastor Shari Bernau, with Living Water Lutheran in Scottsdale, is also happy to answer questions from those who are attending the Gathering from the Grand Canyon Synod: pastorshari@lwlcaz.org.
Read More“Pastors are concerned at the disproportionate presence of QAnon believers in their churches,” says Pastor Ed Stetzer, Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. “Pastors ask me regularly how do I address this in my church? We’ve all been taught in seminary not to politicize the pulpit.“
“People are being discipled by their cable news choices, spiritually shaped by their social media feed, and the result is they’re saying well if I believe this, I want to hear this on Sunday. The implications for the Christian Church and its witness are substantial.”
Read MoreWe pray for Rev. Steven Crittenden and the people of Epiphany of Christ Lutheran Church in Apache Junction, part of the Rio Salado Conference. Visit their site at epiphanyofchristlutheran.org, and their social media pages on Facebook and YouTube.
Read MoreMeet the Rev. Amy Reumann in person at the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA) Summit at Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center in Carefree, AZ on Sunday, December 5 from 1:30–4 pm MST. Hear about advocacy churchwide, ask questions, and leave prepared to voice our common needs in the public square. Register here.
Why are we called to be involved in advocacy? In the short video in this post, ELCA Advocacy: Set Free to Do Justice, the Rev. Amy Reumann, director of Advocacy for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the advocacy staff and community leaders in Washington, D.C. describe this important ministry and how you can get involved.
Read MoreJoin us for the inaugural Faith Network quarterly meeting via Zoom: November 5, 2021, 10:00–11:30am MST. Register at bit.ly/BCFNMeeting. View a PDF for the event and an info PDF about the organization.
Clergy and volunteers are invited to attend to learn why and how the faith community can make a big difference for military-connected Arizonans.
Read MoreEnjoy Thanksgiving afternoon in the cool crisp pines of Prescott with good food and good company. Make Camp ALOMA a part of your holiday tradition this year.
Mark your calendars to enjoy thanksgiving dinner at Camp ALOMA! Thursday, November 25, 12:00pm dinner, 2:00pm worship service. Donations accepted. RSVP 928-778-1690 or office@campaloma.com.
Read MoreA worship resource for Veterans Day is available in PDF and Word formats and includes several prayers and hymn suggestions that may be incorporated in worship on the Sunday closest to Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
Congregation resources for Veterans Day and care for veterans can be found on ELCA.org.
Read MoreThe Lutheran movement has a distinctive voice. The world has been saved and redeemed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and it’s not our effort but God’s. And it’s a gift! Bishop Eaton encourages us to revisit the small catechism this Reformation Day and recall the Lutheran exposition of the gospel.
Read MoreIn this post we share a vide of the online benefit for ELCA World Hunger, where Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and guidebook author and travel TV host Rick Steves celebrate World Food Day! Steves interviews people on the ground who do the dynamic work of fighting hunger around the world. If you'd like to give a gift, visit ELCA.org/EndHunger.
Read MoreThe Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Foundation today announced the relaunch of its Endowment Fund Pooled Trust — also known as Fund A — under a new name, the Ministry Growth Fund, which better represents the foundation's goals for the future.
Read MoreCan seasonal members vote in our annual meeting? Can I hold an electronic meeting? Where do I find the ELCA model constitution? How do I revise our congregation constitution?
Join ELCA Secretary Deacon Sue Rothmeyer and Pastor David Brandfass for a Zoom workshop on congregation constitutions. All congregational leaders are invited: Thursday, 12/2/2021, 5-6:15 pm MST, 6-7:15 pm PST. Click here to register by 11/29/2021.
Read MoreAfter fielding back-to-back complaints about masks in church—one regarding a fellow parishioner who had shirked a mask during a recent service and the other wondering whether our congregation had changed its policy from “strongly recommended” to “required,” because “everyone” was wearing them—I realized something surprising: Leading a church is harder now, in 2021, than it was in 2020, during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year, state and diocesan mandates meant I could throw up my hands and respond, “Sorry, not up to me.” And anyway, the answer was, for the most part, a straightforward “no”—no, we can’t gather for services, and no, we can’t sing. Now it is up to me, the rector of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, and I am struggling to find a way forward. Read the full article in The Atlantic.
Read MoreThe October 2021 issue of Living Lutheran focuses on Intergenerational Ministry, with several articles and perspectives on the topic. The primary article shares many resources, including an interview with Linda Staats of the Generosity Project, as well as photos from the Grand Canyon Synod.
View the article online or in its magazine format, and find the study guide here.
Read MoreThe best stewardship campaign I ever planned was not done in the fall, but over Lent. I am writing this now in case anyone wants to think about doing it next spring.
About New Year’s I asked people to begin thinking about the most generous person they knew and to write a short story about what they had observed about that person that made them think that way.
Read MoreThe Evangelical Lutheran Church in America joins 14 other Churches and church-based organizations in a letter to Secretary of State Blinken to express concerns about the recent Israeli decision to label key Palestinian human rights and civil society organizations as “terrorist organizations.” Read the letter as PDF or in this post.
Read MoreFrom Rev. David Brandfass, Synod Council Secretary, are the full minutes from our 2021 Synod assembly available in PDF format.
Read MoreRisk levels in our synod’s counties increased to more extreme levels for unvaccinated people.
Extremely high risk counties for unvaccinated people in our synod include Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pinal, Washington, and Yavapai counties.
Very high risk counties include Clark, La Paz, Pima, Santa Cruz, and Yuma.
Bishop Hutterer and others will be at Installation of Pastor Tim Nybroten at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Oro Valley, Oct 31, 2021. In this post, Pastor Jacqui Pagel shares photos from the grand opening of Crossroad’s Station Coffee Company and her visit to Native American Urban Ministry. The full time staff of the Office of the Bishop will gather for a retreat at Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center.
Read MorePastor Kristin Engstrom writes to share her new call with ELCA Global Mission as the Facilitator for Leadership Development and Capacity Building with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zambia. She also celebrates four years of the YAGM Senegal program.
Her YAGM Senegal blog will remain online, and she is now posting to her new blog.
Read MoreThe 10/16/2021 session of the Beginning a Culture of Generosity fall stewardship program is available for review. It’s for those who missed it or are curious about the program.
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