In my life, the amount of hope I find Easter morning has always been related to the depth of the Lenten journey before. The glorious Sunday morn is not possible without the nights of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
Two Easters ago, the reality of the pandemic truly hit the church. And if you look at Lent through the lens of giving something up, it can feel as if we’ve had two years of Lenten fasting from normalcy.
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Earth Day is Friday, April 22, 2022! We encourage you to review ELCA’s social statement on Caring for Creation (in English or Spanish), and visit the Environment Advocacy page and resource pages at ELCA.org. And Lutherans Restoring Creation is a grassroots movement promoting care for creation in the ELCA.
Our friends at the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona have also compiled a great set of Earth Day events that you may interest you.
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For loved ones of the six million people who have died of Covid-19 around the world…
For our Jewish neighbors, siblings in God’s covenant, observing Passover…
For the people who have been displaced by the war in Ukraine and for refugees seeking safety everywhere…
For victims and loved ones of those affected by the subway shooting in New York…
For people living in poverty and all who are struggling to pay their bills…
For farmers and farmworkers as they plant their fields for the coming season…
For the preservation and renewal of the earth, God’s creation entrusted to us…
Phoenix Fusion presents a Zoom event entitled “Learn & Act: Voting Integrity,” on Thursday, 4/28/2022, 6:30pm MST/PDT, 7:30 MDT. Click here to join Zoom meeting. View info PDF or read more in this post.
As Lutherans, many of us feel that voting is a sacred right and that we have a calling to be civically engaged in supporting the common good, but with so much happening on this front, it can be hard to keep up or know how to make your voice heard.
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California Lutheran University hosts an ELCA 5-part study series for ELCA Declaration to People of African Descent. Thursdays, 4/28-6/2/2022, 9-11am MST/PDT, 10am-noon MDT. Register here.
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April is Arab American Heritage Month! The Association of Lutheran of Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage (ALAMEH) is hosting an online celebration on Thursday, 4/28/2022, 5pm MST/PDT, 6pm MDT. at 7 p.m. Eastern time. Click here to register.
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“You just gotta go!” That is usually the response one gets when a student is asked, "how would you describe Leadership Lab?"
Leadership Lab is June 20-25, 2022, in Rock Island, Illinois. For more info, read below, visit www.leadershiplab.net, or contact Marissa Metevelis at Leadershiplabdirectors@gmail.com. Register by May 1, 2022.
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From April 11-22, 2022, Congress will be in recess and legislators will most likely be returning to their home states. Your call has a greater chance of being effective and receiving attention. Read more on the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA) website.
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The announcement of the Biden administration of an end date for Title 42 is a welcome step forward towards restoring access to the right to seek asylum. Rather than promote a safe, orderly or humane process, Title 42 wound up increasing risk and vulnerability.
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We pray for Rev. Beth Gallen and the people of New Journey Lutheran Church in Fountain Hills, part of the Northeast Valley Conference. Visit their site at njlc-fh.org and their Facebook page.
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When it comes to making choices that help the earth, one writer shares what she and her family do to live more sustainably. What actions do you take?
Read the article by LeeAnn Pomrenke in Café, a publication of the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (WELCA).
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Pastor David Brandfass, with Christ Lutheran Church in Sedona, writes that Rev. Dr. Jerry Schmalenberger is now under the care of hospice at Sedona Winds Assisted Living, a memory care facility. Brandfass writes, “Since he was the President of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in the 1990’s, many of our synod pastors might know him.“
Anyone wanting to send a card can contact the synod office for the address.
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In my part of the world, dogwood trees bloom at Easter. My Sunday Church School teachers told an old Christian legend to explain why.
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General Secretary visits Uganda
Stories
As we enter the third year of this pandemic, we see the signs of stress and incivility, even the signs of war and disease in Ethiopia and Sudan, in Europe. It might seem like death still has sway, but Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reminds us to declare confidently on this Easter and all times "I know that my Redeemer lives.”
View in this post, on YouTube, or download the video here. Read the message as PDF in English or Spanish.
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We pray for Rev. Jeremy Nausin and the people of Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Las Vegas, part of the Colorado River Conference. Visit their site at holyspiritlasvegas.org, and their social media pages on Facebook and YouTube.
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The Office of the Bishop will be closed Good Friday, 4/15/2022.
Blessed are you, O God, ruler of heaven and earth. Day by day you shower us with blessings. As you have raised us to new life in Christ, give us glad and generous hearts, ready to praise you and to respond to those in need, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
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Spring allergies? Worn out by Lent? Portico members with ELCA Primary health coverage have 24/7 access to text-based primary care from board certified physicians through the 98point6 app at no out-of-pocket cost, thanks to recent action by Congress. Find out more on myPortico (and take care of yourself!)
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The ELCA World Hunger Team invites applications for Domestic Hunger Grants. Visit this FAQ page about applying. Applications are open April 18–May 20, 2022.
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