The Arizona Department of Health Services reports 94 percent of beds in the state are full, with Covid-19 patients making up about a third of those hospitalized.
All but two counties in our synod continue to have extremely high levels of risk for unvaccinated people.
Extremely high risk counties for unvaccinated people in our synod include Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Washington, Yavapai, and Yuma counties.
Pastor Doug Dill will be installed at Central Lutheran in Arizona City during 9 am worship, Sunday, 12/12/2021. Bishop Hutterer will preach and preside.
Their two normally scheduled worship services will be combined to meet for one special service at the Arizona City Church at 9:00 am. Click for YouTube Channel link.
Read MoreRight off the bat we see why Hallmark has a robust industry in Christmas cards and not Advent cards. “Happy Advent, You Brood of Vipers” might not sell too well as a holiday card, but these words are certainly a wake-up call for the audience of John the Baptizer.
Read MoreAfter a two-year pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program is getting ready to send volunteers out into the world again!
Young adults aged 21 to 29 can apply now for an international service year that will shape their faith, career, identity and understanding of how they fit into God’s work in the world. Watch the video in this post and then more and apply at ELCA.org/YAGM.
Read MoreYou’re invited to be part of our summer camp experience in 2022, the week of July 3-8, 2022, for Jr. High and High School youth, at Camp Pinerock in Prescott, AZ.
A consortium gathering meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, via zoom, 10am MST, 9am PST, to talk about and get enthused for the summer of 2022. If interested or have questions, contact Rev. Craig M. Corbin, Dean, at revcmcorbin@gmail.com.
Read MoreYou are invited to join ELCA Coaching at 1pm Central on Wednesday, December 15, as we host faith leaders (both rostered and lay) across the nation for a unique experience exploring Courageous Leadership with two faith leaders with over 60 years between them! We are honored to have Rev. Arne Jessen and Baird Linke as ELCA Coaches as well. Log-in info here.
Read MoreThe Protestant Christian Batak Church presents "Give Thanks", featuring the Protestant Christian Batak Church (HKBP) Department of Diakonia, Indonesia.
Read MoreSince the first Swig opened in 2010 in St. George, Utah, dozens of soda-shop chains and independent soda shacks have opened from Idaho to Utah to Arizona, an area of the Mountain West sometimes called the Mormon Corridor.
A significant portion of the region’s population belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the church’s prohibition on tea and coffee has spurred a niche beverage market that has intensified in the last decade, hitting a fever pitch during the pandemic. Read the article at New York Times.
Read MoreThe ELCA has posted guidance for congregations who received ballots or who are otherwise entitled to vote on the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy plan. Please note that this is not legal advice and that, due to the nature of our polity, the ELCA cannot dictate what congregations do.
Click here for the Summary of Select Information about the Boy Scouts of America Bankruptcy Case, updated December 6, 2021. You can find this and more sexual misconduct resources on the ELCA legal resource page.
Read MoreThe Christian Lutheran Church of Honduras presents "Tiempo de Esperanza" ("Time of Hope").
Read MoreTime to update your congregation’s constitution? You can thank ELCA Secretary Deacon Sue Rothmeyer, our synod secretary Pastor David Brandfass, and Bryan Daum for the valuable information they provided at our recent Constitution Workshop. Click below for resources:
Constitutions - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (elca.org) and the 2019 Model Constitution for Congregations (pdf)
Feeling stressed? Stressful times often lead to unkind words and actions toward one another. Bishop Eaton reminds us to consider Luther’s explanation to the 8th commandment: We are to fear and love God so that we don’t tell lies about our neighbors, betray or slander them or destroy their reputation. Instead we are to come to their defense, speak well of them and interpret everything they do in the best possible light.
Read MoreEighty years ago, on a beautiful Sunday morning, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was tragically transformed from an island paradise into a bloody battlefield. After the Japanese bombed the U.S. Navy, war was declared and tragedy ensued. During times like these, the Lutheran church has always trusted our chaplains to bring a ministry of Word and Sacrament — to remind people that, no matter how difficult the circumstances, there is always a way toward peace.
Read MoreThe final sessions of the Beginning a Culture of Generosity fall stewardship program are available for review: Sharing Results and an Effective Follow-Up, and the December 4, 2021 session.
Read More‘The issue of when life begins has been hotly debated by philosophers since the beginning of time — it’s still debated in religions,’ said Justice Sonia Sotomayor as the court heard oral arguments. Religious supporters and opponents of abortion rights demonstrated outside the U.S. Supreme Court, giving voice to competing faith-rooted views as justices heard oral arguments in a case that could upend decades of debate over abortion policy.
The demonstrations began earlier that morning at Washington’s Lutheran Church of the Reformation, where the National Council of Jewish Women, Catholics for Choice and other religious groups hosted an interfaith service featuring speeches from faith leaders and lawmakers in support of abortion rights.
Read MoreWe pray for Rev. William Phillips and the people of Christ Lutheran Church in Las Vegas, part of the Colorado River Conference. Visit their site at christlasvegas.org, and their social media pages on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
Read MoreIn a July 30, 2021, news release, the IRS issued a call for entities with an Employer Identification Number (EIN) to ensure that the IRS has the entity’s current “responsible party” on file. The IRS believes maintaining current responsible party contact information is critical to its efforts to fight identity theft and other fraud related to EINs. View the form here.
Read MoreThe Nepal Evangelical Lutheran Church presents "Wake and look toward the new star," featuring the Biratnagar Congregation.
Read MoreThe Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren presents "Boha Otce všichni chvalme" ("All praise God the Father"), featuring Ladislav Moravetz.
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