The next Simon’s Project is ready to get started! Join Pr. Jacqui Thursday once per month to discuss the ways you get encourage your community to celebrate diversity. The first info and get-to-know-you session is Thursday, 3/16/2023, 1:30pm MST/PDT, 2:30 MDT. Register here.
Read MoreLent calls us to repentance, to turn from that which does not give life. This week I invite you to write or make a list of all that is getting in the way of you experiencing the fullness of life in Christ. What are those things in the congregation that no longer give life?
Read MoreWhat defines you? What defines your faith community? Or rather, who defines you? In the gospel lesson for Sunday, the tempter tries to identify Jesus as the Son of God by the acts he performs rather than simply by who he is.
Read MoreThe Richard R. Hammar Clergy Tax Guide and the Federal Reporting Guide for Churches are both available on myPortico at no cost to you.
Read MoreA new cohort of Excellence in Leadership will begin Sunday, March 12, 2023. Classes will run approximately every two weeks and end on April 28, 2024 with a Commissioning Ceremony. Starting in the Spring and finishing in 13 months is an opportunity for councils and ministries as they begin to reorganize early in the year. Learn more on the Rocky Mountain Synod website.
Read More“In these post-COVID years, I find myself wondering if church is experiencing just such a wilderness. Everything has changed, and our communities are doing their best to pick up the pieces and carry on, only the pieces we have don’t seem to fit our world anymore.”
Read MoreThis week, a good number of the Office of the Bishop attends the Spring Gathering for Cactus, Capital, Fiesta, Northeast Valley & Rio Salado Conferences, Feb 26, 2023, 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM and travels the synod and US.
We also share photos of Bishop Hutterer in Carson City with Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN), as well as from our first Spring Gathering for Cactus, Capital, Fiesta, Northeast Valley & Rio Salado Conferences.
Read MoreThis week we celebrate the following ordination anniversaries:
Rev. Paul Block, New Song, Henderson, who celebrates 22 years on February 24.
Rev. Christopher Heller, Mountain View, Phoenix, who celebrates 13 years on February 28.
Deaths remain persistently high. On average, around 3,000 people are dying of Covid in the U.S. each week.
Note: our updates can be a week behind due to our news cycle overlapping with Thursday updates. View the latest CDC and NYTimes updates here.
Read More“Ok, time to get honest. Does the church ever start to feel like a burden? Or do you sometimes feel like being part of a congregation isn’t so different from being part of another organization that has finger-pointing or bad-mouthing?”
Read MoreIncrease your confidence and peace of mind by learning more about developing a withdrawal strategy, utilize Social Security, plan for health care costs, and more. Watch the recordings of the Retirement Readiness workshops whenever it works for you. Learn more, or sign up to participate, on myPortico.
Read MoreRostered ministers are heading to Phoenix in July, 2023! If you like to welcome people, help with registration, or have the gift of hospitality, please connect with Pastor Doug Dill: pastordoug@centrallutheranaz.org or 402-235-6969. Click here to register as a volunteer at elca.org.
Learn more about the gathering at elca.org/rmg.
Read More“Even when ashes are imposed while standing on street corners or reaching through car windows the words resonate, a vibration pulsing with the reality we all do our best to avoid: everything and everyone dies.”
Read MoreWe pray for Rev. Mateo Chavez and the people of San Juan Bautista Lutheran Church in Tucson, part of the Kino Conference. Visit their site at sjblc.org, and their Facebook page.
Read MoreLutherans Restoring Creation shares their February 2023 Good Green News, featuring lead-free superheroes, Earth Day virtual service, and more.
Read MoreThe Fuller Church Leadership Institute shares their Crucible newsletter for February, 2023.
“This month's newsletter offers you a link to an article that for Fuller Magazine #24, Renewing the Church. Admittedly, it starts with a troubling question, but it takes us to a familiar and faithful place. How do you lead when you cannot understand the present moment, let alone predict the future? Read the whole article and all of the rest in this issue of Fuller Magazine.
Read MoreWe pray for Rev. Tina Mills and the people of Our Savior’s of East Mesa Lutheran Church in Mesa, part of the Rio Salado Conference. Visit their site at oslcaz.org, and their social media pages on Facebook and YouTube.
Read MoreLilly Endowment is pleased to announce its Compelling Preaching Initiative. The primary aim of this initiative is to cultivate practices among aspiring and active preachers that can help them to proclaim the gospel to a variety of audiences in more engaging and effective ways.
In this open and competitive national initiative, eligible charitable organizations may submit proposals for grants of up to $1.25 million that may be used for up to a five-year period to develop new and/or enhance existing programs that present promising strategies to further the aim of the initiative. Learn more in this PDF from the Lilly Endowment.
Read MoreJoin the Spirited Book Club during Lent for a discussion of Rooted & Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis, edited by Leah Schade and Margaret Bullitt-Jonas. Discussion of the March book selection is facilitated by Sheri Brown. Register to receive Zoom link.
The book is discussed over two meetings on Thursdays, March 2 and March 16, 2023 at 2pm MST, 1pm PST.
Read More
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