Prepare for the coming seasons with music for All Saints through Transfiguration, seasonal devotionals and ELW planning resources. Upcoming webinars feature healthy singing as we age on Oct. 22 and songs of justice and community on Nov. 10. A devotional promotion offers free shipping on qualifying orders of 100 or more through Jan. 6. Explore the October resources and register for the webinars.

At Trenholm State Community College in Montgomery, Alabama, Gathered by Grace helps students facing food insecurity through pantry support and meals at campus events. Supported by an ELCA World Hunger Daily Bread grant, the ministry connects nourishment with learning, family well-being and relationships rooted in care for neighbors. Read how your gifts support this ministry.

Evangelical Lutheran Worship turned 20 on Oct. 3, marking two decades of nourishing congregations through word, sacraments and song. Celebrate with a beloved hymn, anniversary trivia or free ELCA resources that help worship leaders explore the book’s richness and flexibility. Read more and explore the resources.

Chaired by Grand Canyon Synod Bishop Deborah Hutterer, the ELCA Conference of Bishops welcomed six new bishops during its Sept. 22–26 meeting in Chicago. Discussions addressed churchwide ministry, consultation on benefit changes, leadership formation and ongoing discernment around Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust. Read the ELCA report.

“Love takes shape in what we do,” says Pastor Chris Honig of Ascension Lutheran Church in Riverside, Illinois. In this brief ELCA video, community gardening brings “God’s work. Our hands.” to life—a reminder that faith calls us to serve our neighbors. Find inspiration for your congregation’s ministry. Watch the ELCA video. Download at https://bit.ly/4xZawdM.

Preparing to bring youth to the 2027 ELCA Youth Gathering? The Registration 101 webinar offers guidance from Gathering leadership to help congregational leaders and adult volunteers prepare for registration. Share this resource with your planning team as you support young people’s journey of faith. Watch the recorded webinar.

Your generosity can sustain ministry for generations. Discover how a gift through your will or beneficiary designations can express your faith, provide for the ministries you love, and support the future of your congregation and the Grand Canyon Synod.

Lilly Endowment’s Serving Neighbors initiative offers planning grants up to $50,000 and, by invitation, implementation grants up to $5 million to strengthen congregation–community partnerships. Concept papers are due January 19, 2027, with virtual information sessions November 2 and 3. Eligible organizations supporting groups of congregations may apply; individual congregations seeking funds for their own programs are not eligible. Explore the opportunity and registration details.

Make Your Mark! Students in grades 8–12 are invited to the CRC Fall Retreat November 13–15, 2026, at New Promise Lutheran Church in St. George, Utah. Explore faith through the stories of Esther, Moses, and David and Goliath, with games, service, worship, and friendship. Cost: $50 plus transportation. Register and pay by October 26.

Help every generation grow in faith together. ReFocus Ministry’s Generations Together online conference on October 22, 2026, offers keynote speakers, practical breakouts, and live ministry conversations for pastors, lay leaders, and volunteers. Registration is $35, or $50 for VIP access with recordings, resources, and Q&A opportunities. Learn more and register.

Grow your ministry with Faith+Lead’s October offerings: the School for Lay Ministry begins October 10, and New Christian Communities Leadership Incubator applications close October 31. Explore on-demand learning in adaptive leadership and congregational care, plus free resources for faith reflection, a four-week Acts study, and preaching informed by Indigenous scholars.

Save June 15–17, 2027, for LuTMA’s hybrid ministry conference, open to pastors in permanent and interim calls. Dr. David R. Brubaker will explore congregational change, conflict, polarization, and community partnerships, with a pre-conference practitioner panel also planned. Registration opens in 2027; venue and schedule details are forthcoming.

Congratulations to Annie Durante of New Covenant Lutheran Church in Scottsdale, this year’s Grace & Grand Canyon Synod Scholarship recipient! Congregations and individuals can help grow this ministry, which funds scholarships through interest while preserving the principal. For giving information, contact Shawn Watts at the Arizona Community Foundation, rather than Grace Lutheran or the synod office.

Gather October 15, 2026, from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 739 W. Erie Street, Chandler, for a free, nonpartisan Community Voting Celebration. Enjoy food, ballot education, Peacekeeper training, and transportation to an official ballot drop-off for participants with completed ballots. All are welcome at this interfaith open house—come when you can. Register here.

Rev. David Peterson will be installed on Sunday, 10/11/2026 at 9:30 am at Gloria de Cristo Lutheran Church (11273 E 40th St, Yuma, AZ 85367). Bishop Deborah K. Hutterer will preach and preside. Clergy are invited to vest and process. The color of the day is green.

There will be a reception in Fellowship Hall following the service. No RSVP's necessary. The service will be live-streamed and can be found on the church’s website and Facebook and YouTube.