We pray for Rev. Brian Cain and the people of Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church in Gilbert, part of the Rio Salado Conference. Visit their site at spiritofjoygilbert.org, and their social media pages on Facebook and YouTube.
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We continue our series of weekly reflections on the 2022 Churchwide Assembly with thoughts from Synod Vice President Barbara Carl.
“At Churchwide Assembly, I gained a deeper appreciation that we of this church, the ELCA, are deeply connected. We are truly church together.”
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We share the video and resources from our Creating Communications Connections webinar on Tuesday, 10/11/2022. Brian Flatgard, Director of Communications, presented an overview of communications basics and strategy. Watch the webinar here with the passcode: 0mCcG5?g
View ELCA congregational communication tools and branding, view our synod’s communication guidelines, and this great principles of design article.
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The Ordination and Installation of Verónica Alvarez as Associate Pastor of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church/ Iglesia Evangélica Luterana La Fe (801 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85014) will take place on Reformation Sunday, October 30, 2022 at 4pm with a reception following. Bishop Deborah Hutterer will preach and preside.
Alvarez is the first Grand Canyon Synod Diakonia graduate to be ordained. She graduated in May, 2022 from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary.
Rostered ministers are invited to vest and be part of a procession. The color of the day will be red. Rostered ministers can send RSVPs to worship@faithalive.com for further instruction around arrival time and where to meet.
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Thanks to a gift from Ascension Lutheran Church in Paradise Valley honoring the legacy of member Orpha Hoganson, Manna Grants were awarded for new and continuing projects that work to alleviate hunger and address the root causes of hunger within the Grand Canyon Synod. A full list of recipients is in this post.
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The Northeast Valley Consortium is hosting "Hope in a Troubled World," an interfaith prayer gathering, on Wednesday, 10/26/2022 at noon MST/PDT, 1pm MDT. Email HopeInOurWorldNow@gmail.com to register and receive the Zoom link.
Agnieszka Godfrejow-Tarnogorska, Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland, shares powerful stories from the war in Ukraine.
Ryan Cummings, Program Director, ELCA World Hunger, shares inspiring stories about our hunger crisis.
Rabbi Sara Mason-Barker, Executive Education, Congregation Beth Israel, shares hopeful stories of faith amidst troubled times.
Ron Bonnstetter shares Native American flute music.
The Inside Out Network (ION), a ministry birthed in an ELCA congregation and identified as a strategic ministry by the Grand Canyon Synod, is seeking input from congregations that intentionally minister with and to people leaving incarceration. Click here to take the Reentry Congregations Initiative Survey, which takes no more than 10 minutes to complete.
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St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, Oak Harbor, Ohio: Elementary general music teacher
“Attending church with my mom and grandparents is one of my earliest memories. My grandmother would hold me on her lap and rock me during the church service. Today I still hold this memory close to my heart, as I always felt safe and loved in her arms.”
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The Office of the Bishop focuses on the Bishop’s Fall Gathering at the Franciscan Renewal Center this week. We also share photos from the Installation of Rev. Jonathan Linman and other events.
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Rev. Daniel Hoeger, All Saints, Phoenix, who celebrates 33 years on October 15.
Rev. Douglas Dill, Central, Arizona City, who celebrates 7 years on October 17.
Rev. Paul Gregory, Hospice Family Care, Mesa, who celebrates 36 years on October 19.
Rev. Susanne Havlic, who celebrates 26 years on October 20.
For the victims and families of the mass shooting at a daycare center in Thailand…
For peace amid the escalating conflict between Palestine and Israel…
For the victims and rescue workers in the aftermath of a landslide in Venezuela…
For the safety of protestors speaking out amid episodes of violence in Pakistan…
For congregations engaged in annual stewardship appeals…
For an end to the continued violence and war in Ukraine, especially amid nuclear threats…
Pastor Jason Adams will be installed at Good Samaritan, The Lakes Lutheran Church (8200 W. Sahara, Las Vegas NV 89117), on Friday, 10/21/2022, at 5 pm, with a reception to follow.
Bishop Hutterer will preach. Rostered ministers are invited to process. The color of the day is green.
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It is my prayer that each of you had a wonderful Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and that as you looked around you saw more and more non-Indigenous people observing this holiday in ways that lifted up the gifts and beauty of the Indigenous people in what is presently known as the United States.
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I keep thinking about the people’s determination in the Ukraine. It has been nearly eight months since the invasion began. Ukraine’s population is forty-four million compared to Russia’s one hundred forty-four million. This giant has attacked them, and it has not been as easy as Russia had hoped. What makes the Ukrainians continue to resist?
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Since June 2022, Pakistan has experienced historic monsoon weather, with rainfall leading to torrential flooding. The flooding is causing a widespread humanitarian crisis, with people losing homes, crops and livestock. Millions of people are displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance, such as food, temporary shelter, health services and other supplies.
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The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met Sept. 29–Oct. 1 at the Eaglewood Resort in Itasca, Ill. The conference, an advisory body of the ELCA, comprises 65 synod bishops, the presiding bishop and the secretary.
"We come together as the Conference of Bishops to give and receive encouragement as we serve in our respective synods," said the Rev. Tracie Bartholomew, bishop of the ELCA New Jersey Synod and conference chair. "We are at our best when we work collegially and celebrate all that God is doing throughout this church."
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The ELCA Fund for Leaders 25th Anniversary Scholarship Awards Celebration took place on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. Watch a recording of the full event honoring this year’s class of scholarship recipients.
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