ELCA-Primary Health members should have received a new 2026 Portico health ID card, now including a Group ID number. If you received two sets, use the second and destroy the first. Questions? Quantum Health Care Coordinators are available by phone or online, and the Quantum Health app allows digital access to your card.
Read MoreIn response to the ongoing and complex challenges facing Venezuela, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has shared a prayer calling on God’s mercy, justice, and peace. The prayer lifts up the people of Venezuela, especially the most vulnerable, and asks for wisdom and restraint among leaders, courage and perseverance for the Lutheran church in Venezuela, and hope rooted in God’s steadfast love revealed in Jesus Christ.
We invite you to pause, pray, and reflect with the wider church. Read the full prayer and join in this moment of global accompaniment.
Read MoreAs Arizona’s 2026 legislative session approaches, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona is equipping congregations and leaders with tools, training, and opportunities for faithful public witness. From RTS training and hunger advocacy calls to Lutheran Day at the Legislature on February 23, this month’s LAMA newsletter outlines how Arizona Lutherans can engage policy with faith, clarity, and purpose. Read the full LAMA Newsletter and upcoming advocacy opportunities.
Read MoreThis week we celebrate the ordination anniversaries of:
Rev. Stephen Springer, Dove of Peace, Tucson, who celebrates 29 years on January 12.
Rev. Annemarie Burke, Noble Hospice, Mesa, who celebrates 20 years on January 15.
Rev. Lourdes Olson, New Song, Henderson, who celebrates 4 years on January 15.
January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and congregations are invited to join a focused season of prayer, worship, and advocacy to help #EndHumanTrafficking. Women of the ELCA offers daily prayers, trauma-informed worship resources, and a church leader toolkit—available in English and Spanish—to support this work, especially during the four weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.
These resources equip congregations to respond faithfully through education, prayer, and action. Learn more, download materials, and find support resources at womenoftheelca.org, or contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888.
Read MorePacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) is offering a new Racial Justice and Faith Certificate Program in 2026, featuring 6-week, online, asynchronous courses open to clergy and lay leaders alike. The first course, Womanism and Social Justice, begins February 9, with enrollment requested by January 25.
Courses cost $250, with discounts for PLTS alumni and congregational groups, and four completed courses lead to a certificate. Designed to connect faith with action, this program supports participants in confronting racial injustice and dismantling white supremacy through liberative theological reflection and practice.
Read MoreCaring for creation is not a solo endeavor—it is communal, faithful, and deeply Lutheran in its grounding. In this reflection from Blessed Tomorrow, Rev. Carol Devine lifts up Green Teams as a vital way congregations live out their relationship with God, one another, and the earth. When creation care is woven into congregational life through a team or committee, communities often find renewed purpose, deeper faith, and shared energy for meaningful action.
As the new year begins, this is an ideal moment to start—or refresh—a Green Team in your congregation. The article offers practical guidance on building inclusive teams, grounding the work theologically, starting with achievable goals, celebrating progress, and leading visibly in the wider community. It also highlights how Green Teams can partner beyond congregational walls for greater impact and points readers to free trainings, resources, and upcoming opportunities. Read the full reflection and explore the resources.
Read MoreBeautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Tucson is seeking a skilled Music Accompanist to play piano or keyboard for Sunday worship and seasonal services, and to support choir rehearsals. This 12–15 hour/week position collaborates closely with the Music Director and Pastor and plays a key role in Lutheran worship life. Musicians with strong keyboard skills and a heart for worship are encouraged to inquire.
Read MoreMount of Olives Lutheran Church kicks off the new year with Jazz Vespers on Sunday, January 11. at 5:30 p.m., featuring Beth Lederman with Todd Herzog and a reception to follow. After raising over $10,000 in 2025 and supplying more than 8,000 family units with food, the Music for Food ministry continues to unite worship, music, and service to neighbors in need.
Read MoreChristians from across Arizona are invited to gather for the 2026 Statewide Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on Thursday, January 22, at 6:30 PM at Historic Tanner Chapel AME Church in Phoenix. Hosted by The Rev’d Dr. Benjamin N. Thomas, Sr. and the Tanner Chapel congregation, this ecumenical service is part of a global observance prayed by churches worldwide.
Using worship materials prepared by the Armenian Apostolic Church, the service offers a powerful opportunity to pray for Christian unity, deepen relationships across traditions, and witness together to Christ’s reconciling love. All are welcome.
Read MoreThe Grand Canyon Synod will gather for the 2026 Synod Assembly from June 11–13 at Love of Christ Lutheran Church in Mesa under the theme Rooted in God’s Story. Congregations are encouraged to begin identifying their voting members now, especially as annual meetings approach. Our churchwide representative will be Rev. Tim Brown, Director for Congregational Stewardship. Additional details and registration information will be shared in early 2026.
Read MoreMark your calendars for the Grand Canyon Synod Spring Gatherings 2026, where we come together under the theme Rooted in God’s Story. Gatherings will be held in Tempe, Sun City, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tucson, and Las Vegas from February through April. These events offer opportunities for connection, reflection, and renewal across our synod.
Read MoreOur theme for 2026 is Rooted in God’s Story. This theme will guide our Spring Gatherings, the 2026 Synod Assembly, and the 2026 Bishop’s Fall Gathering, inviting us to tell and live the story of God’s love with clarity and hope.
Read MoreAs we close 2025, we give thanks for a year shaped by our synod theme, Build Up the Body. Explore the Grand Canyon Synod’s month-by-month Year-in-Review newsletter and celebrate how Christ has been at work among us—while looking ahead to 2026, Rooted in God’s Story.
Read MoreJoin the synodwide choir for our 2026 MLK Celebration at King of Glory, Tempe. Rehearsals: Jan 3, 10, 15, 17; Service: Sun, Jan 18 at 3:00pm (call 2:00pm). Concert black attire; practice recordings and full service details coming soon. View all the info for our synod’s MLK events at gcsynod.org/mlk.
Read MoreThe Grand Canyon Synod gives thanks for the life and ministry of Rev. Richard “Dick” Glover, retired pastor and member of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Phoenix, who died on November 17, 2025. A Service of Life and Resurrection will be held Saturday, January 17, at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, with visitation at 10:30 a.m. and service at 11:00 a.m., followed by fellowship.
We invite the synod to hold Alice, the Glover family, and the St. Andrew community in prayer, trusting in God’s promises of baptismal grace, resurrection, and eternal peace in Christ.
Read MoreELCA Coaching is offering a full month of free January opportunities for ministry leaders, including gatherings, workshops, formation offerings, and racial justice and wellness training opportunities—most requiring advance registration. Additional subsidized leadership trainings begin in April. These resources support leaders across the ELCA, helping strengthen ministry, deepen resilience, and remind us that nobody journeys alone. Learn more at elcacoaching.org/events.
Read MoreWhat happens when grace refuses to stay passive? In this thoughtful reflection from Living Lutheran, Pastor Ralen M. Robinson explores shrewd grace—a grace that is both tender and wise, compassionate and discerning. Drawing on Scripture and real-world complexity, Robinson invites readers to hold mercy and boundaries together, seeing grace not as weakness, but as God’s love actively at work in a broken world.
As we enter a new year amid ongoing injustice and division, this reflection challenges us to forgive without forgetting, to love boldly without enabling harm, and to embody Christ’s courageous, resourceful grace. Read the full article, “Shrewd Grace,” on Living Lutheran.
Read MoreAs we settle into the early days of the new year, the work of the synod continues across worship, leadership development, justice, generosity, and congregational life. We are grateful for the faithful ministries being carried forward during this season of transition and renewal. We are especially grateful for the steady commitment of our leaders and staff as we begin 2026 together.
Read MoreLutheran Social Services of the Southwest is preparing for a challenging 2026, as state leaders warn of a tight Arizona budget and federal officials propose changes to the “public charge” test that could harm immigrant communities and caregivers. Strong advocacy will be essential to protect basic needs, human dignity, and access to vital supports.
As people of faith, we remain committed to standing with our neighbors, amplifying unheard voices, and raising our voices together in hope as we move into the new year.
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