We celebrate Rev. Dr. Mari Larson, with St. Andrew Lutheran in Las Vegas, who celebrates 26 years on November 23.
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Cases and hospitalizations continue to rise nationwide, driven in part by a growing outbreak in the Southwest.
The nation's most rapid growth in hospitalizations with the virus is clustered in our synod, with Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico all seeing hospitalization counts increase by more than 30 percent in the past two weeks. Cases in those states are on a similar upward climb, particularly in New Mexico.
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The latest Crucible Newsletter is available from the Fuller Church Leader Institute, featuring their Spiritual Life and Leadership podcast, as well as info on their upcoming Online Adaptive Capacity Cohort. Click here to apply for the fully online cohort starting in January 2023.
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We pray for Rev. Brent Maxwell and the people of Gloria Christi Federated Church in Phoenix, an emerging Federated Community of Faith created by and made up of the former members of Palo Cristi Presbyterian Church and Gloria Dei Lutheran Church and part of the Northeast Valley Conference. Visit their new site at gloriachristiaz.org, and their Facebook page.
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Desert Cross Lutheran Church and Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church in Gilbert are seeking a Worship Leader & Choir/Bell Choir Director.
We are seeking a qualified person to fill both roles. However, If a single qualified candidate is not available, we will consider offering two separate positions.
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The Spirited Book Club's December selection is Joan Chittister's The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully. Sheri Brown facilitates the discussion on Thursday, 12/8/2022, 2pm MST, 1pm PST. Register to receive Zoom link.
Not only accepting but celebrating getting old, this inspirational and illuminating work by Sr. Joan Chittister looks at the many facets of the aging process, from purposes and challenges to struggles and surprises.
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The Office of the Bishop will be closed on Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving week, 11/24 and 11/25/2022.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, lift up prayers of gratitude for the blessings and abundant resources we enjoy, and remember the people in our communities and world who suffer food insecurity, hunger and poverty. Ask the Spirit to increase our generosity and engagement with our neighbors in need and to help our communities become more just, generous, compassionate and committed to addressing difficult social issues.
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A one-of-a-kind research-based, spiritual empowerment program that utilizes mindfulness, neuroscience, storytelling, and experiential exercises to infuse more calm, health, and joy in your relationships and in the world.
The Spiritual Program for Individual and Couple Empowerment (SPICE) Retreat is for individuals and couples seeking more meaning and purpose in their lives and relationships. Whether you’re floundering, fine, or fabulous, SPICE aims to bring you to the next level. Register and view full info on our calendar listing.
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Welcome to the first college baseball game at the cozy diamond built for the movie Field of Dreams, where dead center is barely 350 feet from home plate, 41 feet shorter than the fence at the Luther Norse’s home field.
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This morning we received reports of impostor emails from the Bishop with the subject “MANY BLESSINGS.” Ignore them, or take the time to the the spam button and report them.
If you’re ever suspicious of an email, check for “gcsynod.org” in the email address, and contact us directly with concerns. Learn more in this post.
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We continue our series of weekly reflections on the 2022 Churchwide Assembly with thoughts from Rev. David Brandfass, with Christ Lutheran in Sedona.
“When I left the 2019 assembly I felt as though we faced great challenges as a church, and I wasn’t sure we were up to it. Three years later, on my way home from Columbus, it is obvious we face even greater challenges, but now, through the witness of this assembly, I feel we are ready, led by the Spirit and filled with grace, to meet the challenges faced by Jesus’ church in this twenty-first century.”
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After much searching, Jay’s mother Marie found Mosaic, the right place that tailored his supports to his unique needs and wants. Read the full article at mosaicinfo.org.
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We’ve updated our Congregations in Transition page with an updated manual (PDF, Word) created by a joint effort of the Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountain Synods.
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We share the latest newsletter from the Inside Out Network (ION), our synod’s prison and reentry ministry. Read the full newsletter as PDF, featuring what’s next for the Inside Out Network, a service provider spotlight, Arizona and Illinois updates, and an ION intern spotlight.
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Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center offers an Advent-specific daily devotion via email beginning Sunday, November 27, 2022, and ending on Christmas Day. If you would like to receive a special devotional reflection by Pastor Steve Holm in your inbox each day during Advent, register here.
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We pray for Rev. David Brandfass and the people of Christ Lutheran Church in Sedona, part of the High Country Conference. Visit their site at christsedona.org, and their social media pages on Facebook and Vimeo.
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The Office of the Bishop continues to travel and preach, and prep for 2023. We share photos from the LAMA Summit 2022 featuring Rev. Eugene Cho, Bread for the World.
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Rev. R. Stewart McDonald, who celebrates 36 years on November 12.
Rev. Ruby Myers, Trinity, Phoenix, who celebrates 1 years on November 13.
Rev. David Krueger, who celebrates 46 years on November 14.
In the South and West, several states — including Nevada, New Mexico and Utah — have seen reported cases increase by 50 percent or more over the past two weeks.
According to the CDC’s COVID-19 Community Levels, Apache is a high level county. All other synod counties are low level: Apache, Clark, Coconino, Cochise, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Nye, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai, Washington, and Yuma.
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