Dear Church,

As you gather this Thanksgiving season with friends and family—whether they be relatives or connections as family in Christ—I want to express my deep gratitude to each congregation and individual for your support and commitment to our mission as church together. Through prayer, presence, and financial gifts, your generous support has allowed the Grand Canyon Synod to accomplish so much this year. I am continually inspired by the way you live the call to love God and serve our neighbor.

Your mission dollars, added to other congregations, mean that together we support:

• Lutheran Campus Ministries, where students find welcome and a place to ask questions about life, meaning and purpose.

• Congregations in time of pastoral transition, challenge, and celebration.

• First Call Theological Education, to assure our first call pastors feel supported and equipped in their new calls.

• Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest and Lutheran Social Services of Nevada, as they offer direct care for our neighbors in need so they might thrive.

• Global companions of Iglesia Luterana Mexicana and the Lutheran Church of Senegal, as they seek to strengthen and expand their ministries.

• Support to churchwide for Directors of Evangelical Mission (Pastor James Dew!), ELCA World Hunger, Youth Gathering, and missionaries and so much more! 

Our shared contributions between synod and ELCA churchwide amplify our impact. United in giving, we extend our reach, touching even more lives. Together, our efforts embody the spirit of being church together. 

And we remember our broader mission through congregations and individuals that make direct impact in your communities. We see this across in our synod with local outreach programs, community service projects, and partnerships with neighborhood organizations as you live out and witness to “God’s work, our hands.”

In addition to ministries supported through our mission plan, the Grand Canyon Synod completed the Growing Generosity campaign, over our projected stretch goal! This appeal enabled the Grand Canyon Synod to support ethnic specific and new ministries like the West Valley Young Adult Ministry, Faith/La Fe, Santa Trinidad, and San Juan Bautista. This appeal fostered additional support and growth to campus ministry and advocacy ministries.

You and your generosity make this possible, and it’s why I’m thankful for you.

But why do we do what we do? Why do we invest our time, talent and treasure in this endeavor of church? 

The answer lies in the transformative power of God’s love for the world through Jesus. We love because God first loved us and calls us to live this love in all we do and say. Our lives are a witness to this.

The church’s mission is driven by the belief that through Jesus, lives are changed, hope is restored, and love is shared with the world. We are called together to be the church, to be the hands and feet of Christ in our communities, and to share God's love with a world in need.

Thank you again, not just for your generosity, but for your steadfast faith and unwavering commitment to the work we do together. Your love and actions are a reflection of Christ's light in our world.

Merciful God, we thank you for the fellowship and generosity within our Synod. Bless our gifts and efforts that they may bring hope and love where it's most needed. In gratitude and joy, we serve in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Giving thanks for you,

The Rev. Deborah K. Hutterer
Bishop
Grand Canyon Synod of the ELCA