Installation of Pastor Naomi Hartman at Lutheran Church of the Foothills in Tucson

Bishop Deborah Hutterer will preach and preside at the installation of Rev. Naomi Hartman at Lutheran Church of the Foothills in Tucson. Clergy will be invited to process.

Sunday, February 6, 2022, 2 pm MST, 5102 North Craycroft Road, Tucson, AZ, 85718.

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Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: January 9, 2022
  • For those affected by snow, ice, and wind during recent winter storms…

  • For victims of the tragic house fire in Philadelphia…

  • For political unrest in Kazakhstan…

  • For the newly baptized and those preparing for baptism and affirmation of baptism…

  • For researchers and public health officials working to mitigate Covid variants and case count spikes…

  • For congregations, businesses, and institutions revising and canceling plans in order to stay healthy during this season of Covid…

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Installation of Chad Diegle at Prince of Peace in Phoenix

Bishop Deborah Hutterer will preach and preside at the installation of Chad Diegle as the Director of Youth and Family Ministries at Prince of Peace Lutheran in Phoenix.

Sunday, January 9, 2022, 9:30am MST, 3641 N 56th St, Phoenix, AZ 85018. Reception and Youth lunch to follow.

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Colorado's Boulder County wildfires

We share a message from Rocky Mountain Synod’s Bishop Jim Gonia, who reports two pastors and multiple church members lost their homes in the recent Marshall Fire. In his message, Bishop Gonia provides an update, prayers, and information on how to help.

We also share Lutheran Disaster Response’s wildfire relief page about the Marshall Fire.

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2020 ELCA Financial Picture

From the most recent Stories of Faith in Action (SOFIA), we share a snapshot of giving in the ELCA. In 2020, ELCA members gave $1.7 billion in unrestricted offerings to support God’s mission and ministry through the three expressions of the ELCA: congregations, synods, and the churchwide organization.

Thank you for your generosity that enable us to be communities together in Christ serving the world!

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Double your impact to end hunger

Through Dec. 31, 2021, every gift made to ELCA World Hunger will be matched, dollar for dollar, until we reach $75,000! Will you give today?

The ministry of ELCA World Hunger is ready to respond to ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, participating creatively and courageously in the renewing work God is doing — even in the most difficult times. In 60 countries including the United States, ELCA World Hunger is working to end hunger and poverty.

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Covid-19 exposure risk: 12/29/2021

Case records are shattered across the nation. Despite reporting inconsistencies caused by the holidays, caseloads have continued to increase rapidly as the Omicron variant spreads. Deaths and hospitalizations have remained relatively steady.

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Office of the Bishop Updates: 12/31/2021

Things are quiet this time of year as a good number of the staff take a vacation and travel. May you find God’s peace in this liminal time of the year.

O God, it is your will to hold both heaven and earth in a single peace. Let the design of your great love shine on the waste of our wraths and sorrows, and give peace to your church, peace among nations, peace in our homes, and peace in our hearts; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Email scams are back for the holidays

Many of you may have received an email supposedly from Bishop Hutterer that she wants to speak with you urgently but is going into a meeting and to email her. Please do NOT respond to that email – it is not from her official email address, and is a scam.

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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Faith Lens: Alpine Angels of Grace

Seeking safety, refuge, and opportunities for a better life, people fleeing conflict and oppression in various parts of the world sometimes brave the extreme hardships of crossing the Alps from Italy into France. Some of them perish in the effort. All are wary of encountering hostile border patrols intent on repelling their movement. Lately, however, some migrants have been astonished to encounter a different sort of presence in the Alps.

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$202,874 awarded in the 2022 Grand Canyon Synod Grants Program

We rejoice in the actions and gifts of the many ministries of the Grand Canyon Synod, which are the warp and weft of our life as church together. Because of your benevolence, we are able to achieve many things, including providing $202,874 for 30 grants to ministries in our synod.

Read more about the grants and who received them in this post.

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The Journal of Lutheran Ethics: 2020-2021, A Retrospective

As the secular year draws to a close and the new church year opens into the season of Advent it seems a fitting moment to take a pause and to reflect on the turbulent last two years. This issue of JLE, therefore, is not introducing a new topic but is instead drawing together some of the articles previously published on three issues that loom large this December: Climate Change, COVID 19, and Possibilities for Dialogue. Read more.

In addition, check out their new 2022 Call for Papers here. Read the current issue.

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2021 brings $485,082 in gifts and pledges to Growing Generosity Appeal

We finish the 2021 calendar year full of gratitude for all we have accomplished together as a synod.

We also celebrate all who have pledged large and small gifts to our Growing Generosity Appeal. In under a year, we are unexpectedly surprised to find we are already at 97% ($485,082) of our three-year goal of receiving $500,000 in pledges.

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