We celebrate the following ordination anniversaries this week:
Rev. Brian Weinberger, Bethlehem, Mesa, who celebrates 14 years on November 29.
Rev. Naomi Hartman, Church of the Foothills, Tucson, who celebrates 13 years on November 29.
Deacon April Boyden, who celebrates 33 years on December 1.
According to the CDC’s COVID-19 Community Levels, Gila and Navajo are high level counties.
Medium level counties include Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Greenlee, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Pinal, Yavapai, and Yuma.
All other synod counties are low level: Clark, Graham, Nye, Pima, Santa Cruz, Washington.
Read MoreWe pray for Rev. Stephen Talmage, Rev. Nanette Christofferson and the people of Love of Christ Lutheran Church in Mesa, part of the Rio Salado Conference. Visit their site at loveofchristchurch.net, and their social media pages on Facebook, and YouTube.
Read MoreFood insecurity now affects almost one in six Arizonans. We invite you to stay up to date with Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona by visiting their site at lamaz.org and subscribing to their weekly newsletter.
Featured on the LAMA site is a priority page on food insecurity and an entire blog category devoted to hunger. Of particular note is the recent Arizona Hunger Policy Retreat, where more than 50 hunger advocates from across the state met at Spirit in the Desert to discuss how we might collaboratively work to alleviate hunger in Arizona.
Read MoreIn this update from the Navajo Lutheran Mission, we hear from Executive Director Patterson Yazzie, Curriculum and Special Services Coordinator Molly Gary, and Development Director Deacon Kate Adelman.
The Hozho Café has served over 66,000 meals since the beginning of Covid-19, and their food bank in partnership with St. Mary’s distributed over 300,000 pounds of food to almost 2,000 families.
Read MoreBounce around the internet for a while and you’ll catch wind of how virtual reality experiences, such as those sought in the metaverse, are supposed to change the world—and soon.
Pre-COVID-19, these conversations might not have meant much to congregations. But since the outbreak of the pandemic, which forced nearly all congregations to close their doors at some point and made “going digital” one of the only ways to connect with congregants, conversations about the digital future have taken on new meaning for the church.
Read MorePastor Craig Larson will be installed at Desert Hills Lutheran Church in Green Valley on Sunday, 12/4/2022 at 3pm. Bishop Hutterer will be preaching. Reception to follow.
Rostered ministers are invited to process, color of the day will be blue.
Read MoreWe share the latest ELCA Advocacy new, featuring updates from Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona: LAMA summit, 2023 policy priorities, and civic engagement.
Read MoreIn this post, Lutheran Social Services of Nevada (LSSN) explores hunger in Nevada, including an interview in a CBS special on food insecurity. We also explore Nevada hunger info from Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN).
Maybe you or someone you know is experiencing food insecurity? We at LSSN can help low income folks sign up for SNAP benefits. Click here to sign up.
Read MoreTaking Faith Home (TFH) is an annual resource that provides a weekly guide for faith-filled conversations during the church year. Here are some of its key features:
Based on the Revised Common Lectionary used by many congregations
Gives examples of each of the Four Key faith practices (caring conversations, devotions, service, and rituals and traditions)
Includes a weekly prayer, Bible verse, mealtime prayer, and blessing
Offers suggested daily Bible readings and Hymn for the week
Hunger and health are related in complex ways. Hunger and under-nourishment can both contribute to long-term health problems, while health challenges can increase the risk of hunger through lost wages and expensive medical bills. In this webinar, we will be joined by experts from both the United States and overseas to learn more. We will also hear from leaders working to improve health in their communities and learn some effective steps that can be taken toward a just world where all are fed – and where all are healthy. Click here to register for “Health and Hunger,” Thursday, 12/1/2022, 5pm MST, 6pm PST.
Read MoreWe conclude our series of weekly reflections on the 2022 Churchwide Assembly with thoughts from Synod Council Member Roger Bailey with the Colorado River Conference.
“I found this year’s CWA an eye-opening experience as I saw firsthand the diversity of the ELCA.”
Read MoreA refreshed suite of ELCA brandmarks is now available, with updated colors, fonts, layouts and Spanish versions for more flexibility in digital and print communications. Find the branding resources at ELCA.org.
Because this is a refresh versus a rebranding, you may continue to use up current printed materials, and use the refreshed brandmark when reprinting or reordering. Update digital assets as soon as your time allows. Questions? Contact communications@elca.org.
Look for more information soon from Brian Flatgard, Director of Communications, on how to roll out this new branding in your ministry.
Read MoreLutherans Restoring Creation shares their Good Green News for November 2022, featuring gratitude, an urge to respond to the Climate Care message draft by December 2, 2022, and upcoming Connection Calls.
Read MoreThe November, 2022 edition of Seeds Monthly is available, featuring: ELCA introduces refreshed brandmark; virtual church; ELCA Youth Gathering news; and featured events, resources, and bulletin blurbs.
Read MoreELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response have always been intricately connected, but in recent months global events have reminded us again just how vital the work of God through these shared ministries is for communities around the world. View the latest Fall 2022 edition of Lifelines online or order here.
The depth of the humanitarian and refugee crisis in Ukraine and across Europe will require a yearslong response. Incredible generosity to Lutheran Disaster Response in the wake of the Eastern European crisis and to ELCA World Hunger over the last 18 months has enabled us to temporarily expand our work in impacted regions.
Read MoreALAMEH (Association of Lutherans of Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage) released a issued a statement on current events in Iran. Read it here or in full in this post.
“Zan. Zendegi. Azadi. Woman. Life. Freedom. These are the words Iranian citizens have been shouting from the streets throughout Iran for the last several weeks. Iranians took to the streets to protest the murder of a Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini.”
Read MoreThe Church Council of the ELCA met at the Lutheran Center in Chicago, Nov. 10–Nov. 13, 2022. The council welcomed ELCA Vice President Imran Siddiqui and 18 new members, elected by the 2022 Churchwide Assembly.
In key action, the council approved a nomination process for the Commission on a Renewed Lutheran Church.
Read MoreRetired pastor Lowell Nelson embarks on a three-month experiment, volunteering as a “Grand Canyon Synod Emissary and Encourager.”
Through the end of January, he’ll check in on council presidents and pastors, sharing stories of the Grand Canyon Synod and our common work. These first three months he will be focusing on the Northeast Valley and Capital Conferences, thanking them for being Church Together and providing mutual encouragement.
Read MoreIn the predawn hours of May 30, 2022, in Valley Springs, S.D., tornado sirens pierced the air, rain poured and windows clattered as they blew off hinges.
Beaver Valley Lutheran, a steadily growing congregation of around 420 active members, was directly in the path of the tornado. The church, more than a century old, suffered significant damage. Its offices, kitchen, fellowship hall and education wing were mangled into unrecognizable piles of debris, said Greg Johnson, pastor of Beaver Valley.
Read More
