Protecting What We Love: A Faith-Based Call to Care for Water in the Age of AI
Protecting What We Love: A Faith-Based Call to Care for Water in the Age of AI

During Ramadan, Muslim leader Huda Alkaff reflects on the sacred role of water in faith and daily life, calling attention to a growing threat: the environmental impact of AI-driven data centers. Across Michigan and the Great Lakes region, communities and lawmakers are responding—proposing pauses on new data center construction while faith groups lead efforts to restore and protect local ecosystems.

This timely reflection invites people of all faiths to consider their relationship to water and to act in care for creation. As Lutherans rooted in God’s story, we are reminded that tending the earth is both a spiritual calling and a shared responsibility. Read more at Blessed Tomorrow.

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Brian FlatgardBlessed Tomorrow, Artificial Intelligence, Climate ChangeComment
Now Hiring: Children’s and Family Ministry Coordinator at King of Glory, Tempe
Now Hiring: Children’s and Family Ministry Coordinator at King of Glory, Tempe

King of Glory Lutheran Church in Tempe is seeking a part-time Children’s and Family Ministry Coordinator to nurture faith formation from nursery through fifth grade. This flexible, 15-hour-per-week position focuses on relationship-building, volunteer coordination, and family-centered ministry. Resumes should be sent to info@kogaz.org. View job description in PDF.

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Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardKing of Glory Tempe, Fiesta ConferenceComment
Camp ALOMA Seeks Summer Staff: May 20–July 20 (Housing & Meals Included, Flexible Weeks)
Camp ALOMA Seeks Summer Staff: May 20–July 20 (Housing & Meals Included, Flexible Weeks)

Camp ALOMA in Prescott is hiring Summer 2026 counselors (18+) for May 20–July 20, with flexible scheduling options. Training begins May 20, with camp running seven weeks starting May 31.

Staff receive pay, meals, and lodging while gaining leadership experience, growing in faith, and building lasting relationships. Learn more at campaloma.com or contact Leah, Camp Director, at office@campaloma.com or 928-778-1690.

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Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardCamp ALOMA, Outdoor MinistryComment
Mother’s Day Across Borders: A Call to Share Hope with Detained Families
Mother’s Day Across Borders: A Call to Share Hope with Detained Families

This Mother’s Day (beginning May 7, 2026), Lutherans across the Grand Canyon Synod are invited to join a cross-border effort delivering yellow flowers to detention centers and migrant shelters as a sign of compassion and solidarity. Participants can donate flowers or serve as Volunteer Site Leaders, helping coordinate local actions that lift up the dignity of those separated from their families.

Organized by partners including International Friendship Park and Border Church, this campaign reflects our Lutheran call to love our neighbor and seek justice. Learn how your congregation can take part in this meaningful witness of hope and shared humanity. View a PDF flyer here.

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Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardImmigration and Refugees, Church and SocietyComment
Leadership Lab 2026: A Week of Faith, Vision, and Leadership Formation for Youth and Adults
Leadership Lab 2026: A Week of Faith, Vision, and Leadership Formation for Youth and Adults

Registration is now open for Leadership Lab 2026, a week-long youth and leadership formation experience taking place June 22–27 at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. Participants explore leadership for church and community through hands-on learning, worship, and shared faith experiences grounded in the promise of Joel 2:28: “your young shall see visions.”

The registration cost is $420 per person, with lodging, meals, and a T-shirt included. Discounts are available for returning participants, first-time congregations, and groups bringing multiple students. Registration increases by $50 after April 15, so congregations are encouraged to register early.

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Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardCampformation, Outdoor Ministry, Youth and Young Adult, Synod Youth Advisory Team (SYAT)Comment
Listening Together: Beginning RIC Discernment in the Grand Canyon Synod
Listening Together: Beginning RIC Discernment in the Grand Canyon Synod

The Grand Canyon Synod has begun introducing a question at the 2026 Spring Gatherings: whether to enter a process to become a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Synod. This is not a vote, but the beginning of a listening and discernment process that could lead to a year of education and conversation ahead of a potential 2027 Assembly vote.

All are invited to share questions, concerns, and hopes to help shape this process. Learn more and participate at gcsynod.org/ric.

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Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardReconciling in Christ (RIC)Comment
Ordination of Carly Chamberlain
Ordination of Carly Chamberlain

Carly Chamberlain will be ordained to Word and Service at Faith-La Fe Lutheran Church (801 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85014), Saturday, April 18 at 10:30 am. She will be installed at Mount of Olives Lutheran Church at a later date. Rostered ministers are invited to robe and process, color of the day is red. Pastor Jonathan Linman will preach, Bishop Hutterer will preside.

A reception will follow immediately in the parish hall. The service will be live streamed on the Faith Lutheran Facebook page.

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Grand Canyon Synod, NewsBrian FlatgardOrdinations and InstallationsComment
"Belonging: Five Keys to Unlocking Your Potential as a Disciple" with Rev. Dr. Karoline Lewis
"Belonging: Five Keys to Unlocking Your Potential as a Disciple" with Rev. Dr. Karoline Lewis

Rev. Dr. Karoline Lewis will lead Belonging: Five Keys to Unlocking Your Potential as a Disciple on Saturday, April 11 (1:00–4:00 PM) at Living Water Lutheran Church in Scottsdale. Centered on Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman (John 4), this free event invites participants to explore discipleship “from wonder to witness.” Registration is required by April 6 at lwlcaz.org/nevcevent/. Reception to follow. Watch a welcoming video from Karoline Lewis here.

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Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardLiving Water Scottsdale, Northeast Valley ConferenceComment
Campformation 2026 Returns to Prescott for a Week of Faith, Adventure, and Community
Campformation 2026 Returns to Prescott for a Week of Faith, Adventure, and Community

Campformation 2026 will take place June 29–July 3 at Camp Pinerock in Prescott, Arizona, welcoming youth entering grades 6–10 for a week of faith formation, outdoor adventure, and community. Congregations from across our synod gather each summer for this long-standing Lutheran outdoor ministry tradition.

With more than 60 years of history, Campformation combines worship, small-group faith exploration, and activities like zip lining, hiking, swimming, and ropes courses. Learn more and register at lutherancampformation.com.

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Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardCampformation, Outdoor Ministry, Youth and Young Adult, Synod Youth Advisory Team (SYAT)Comment
Still Time to Gather: Las Vegas Spring Gathering Set for April 11
Still Time to Gather: Las Vegas Spring Gathering Set for April 11

The final 2026 Spring Gathering will be held Saturday, April 11 at 10:00 a.m. at Good Samaritan Lutheran Church in Las Vegas. All are invited—rostered ministers, lay leaders, and members—from across the synod. No registration is required.

Centered on the theme Rooted in God’s Story, this gathering offers a chance to reconnect, reflect, and be renewed in our shared calling. If you haven’t yet participated this season, this is your opportunity to join the synod in person.

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Grand Canyon SynodBrian Flatgard2026 Spring GatheringsComment
Simple Ways to Serve: Join LSS-SW in Caring for Our Neighbors
Simple Ways to Serve: Join LSS-SW in Caring for Our Neighbors

Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest invites congregations to deepen their impact through simple, actionable opportunities: becoming a Connector, supporting essential needs through an Amazon Wishlist, or organizing a Thrivent Action Team with up to $250 in funding. These efforts directly support refugees, families, and older adults across Arizona.

Grounded in the call to serve our neighbors, these opportunities offer meaningful ways for congregations to live out their faith—strengthening communities and extending care where it is needed most.

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Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardLutheran Social Services of the SouthwestComment
Sacred Spaces Reimagined: 2026 Faith & Form Award Winners Announced
Sacred Spaces Reimagined: 2026 Faith & Form Award Winners Announced

The 2026 Faith & Form International Awards recognize 12 projects worldwide for excellence in religious architecture, restoration, and sacred design. From the honored restoration of the Mesa Arizona Temple to innovative new and renewed worship spaces across the globe, these projects highlight how sacred environments continue to support faith, community, and formation.

Submissions for the 2027 awards open August 3–October 9, 2026. These award-winning spaces offer inspiration for congregations seeking to steward their buildings as living places of worship, rooted in tradition and shaped for the future.

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Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardPartners for Sacred SpacesComment
LWF Easter Message 2026: Leaving behind our old self
LWF Easter Message 2026: Leaving behind our old self

In this year’s Easter message from Lutheran World Federation, Nepalese pastor Rev. Rinki Rachel Soren reflects on the transformation made possible through Christ’s resurrection, freeing believers from sin and redefining their identity in him. Rather than observing this season only as an event, Easter is an invitation to leave behind the old self, choose justice over injustice, and love over division, in a world marked by violence, inequality, and broken relationships.

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Global ChurchBrian Flatgard2026 Lent and Easter, Lutheran World FederationComment
Holy Week Prayer and Public Witness: This Week from LAMA
Holy Week Prayer and Public Witness: This Week from LAMA

This week’s LAMA newsletter invites us into Holy Week with a call to rest, pray, and renew our commitment to advocacy. Upcoming opportunities include hunger advocacy calls, environmental collaboration, poll chaplain training, and a national conversation on faith and democracy.

Explore new stories, action alerts, and events happening across the synod and beyond. Read the full newsletter and share it with your networks to stay engaged in this vital work.

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Grand Canyon SynodBrian FlatgardLutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA), Advocacy, Church and SocietyComment