Stirred by the need to help resettle Afghan refugees, a team of pastoral and lay leaders from four Northeast Valley Conference churches—Living Water (Scottsdale), New Journey (Fountain Hills), New Covenant (Scottsdale), and Christ the Lord (Carefree), known collectively as the NE Valley Consortium—gathered enough goods to completely furnish two two-bedroom homes and raised $30,000 for an emergency fund.
Read MoreRefugee resettlement has always been a public-private partnership, relying on the generosity of American communities who come together and welcome newcomers. Read the article from Religion News Service, cowritten by Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS).
Read MoreTemple Beth Shalom, a Reform Jewish congregation in the northwest valley is filling a new part time position. The position of Outreach and Communications Assistant is one that requires the incumbent to get to know and informally communicate regularly with our members, in order to effectively work closely with the Rabbi on Outreach and other member efforts. Being Jewish is not a requirement for this position.
Read MoreOur Saviour’s Lutheran in Tucson has sanctuary furniture looking for a new home. All pieces are solid wood and in good condition, and include a communion table, pulpit and lectern, and oil lamp candles. Contact Pastor Amalia at Our Saviour's Lutheran for more information: pastoramalia@lutherantucson.org.
Read MoreChances are you are looking at these words on a screen or that you looked at them on a screen prior to printing them out. According to a study released by the JAMA Pediatrics in November 2021, screen time for teenagers has increased during the pandemic from 3.8 hours per day to 7.7 hours per day. The 7.7 hours per day is for recreation (gaming and videos) and social interaction (social media and texting). That does not include online schooling, which can represent another 5-7 hours per day.
Read MorePastor Dan Valasakos, synod council member and pastor at Mount Zion Lutheran in Tucson, shares a book of Advent daily devotions. Each devotions is accompanied with watercolor illustrations by Valaskos. The book is available on the Mount Zion website through these links: Advent Devotional - Daily Advent Meditations, Advent Devotional Printable Booklet (print two sided -flip at short side).
Read MoreIslamophobia and anti-Muslim discrimination is not a joke; it is dangerous and it can be deadly. Fueling fear and spreading hate and misinformation about Islam and Muslims can and must be condemned by our nation’s leadership as a bipartisan effort. Disagreeing politically does not give us license to dehumanize one another
Read MoreThe Rev. Dr. Mari Larson will be installed as Associate Pastor on Sunday, December 19, 2021, at St. Andrew's Lutheran in Las Vegas at the 8:30 and 10:00 AM worship services. The Rev. Deborah K. Hutterer, Bishop of the Grand Canyon Synod, will preside over the installation and preach.
Read MoreWe lift up in prayers the family of Pastor Jeff Gallen and Renae as they grieve the loss of Renae’s mother, Aurel Peterson.
Eternal God, your love is stronger than death, and your passion more fierce than the grave. We rejoice in the lives of those whom you have drawn into your eternal embrace. Keep us in joyful communion with them until we join the saints of every people and nation gathered before your throne in your ceaseless praise, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Read MoreAfter a two-year pause, the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program is preparing to send volunteers out into the world again! Applications are now open, and you can invite young adults on this journey abroad for the 2022-2023 program year.
Encourage them to apply for YAGM by the deadline of Feb.1, 2022. (Priority deadline is Jan. 15, 2022.) Learn more at ELCA.org/YAGM.
Read More'It also feels like a particularly good year for Advent. It feels like, this has been a whole Advent year, a whole Advent two years,' said The Porter’s Gate founder. Read the article from Religion News Service.
Read MoreWe pray for Rev. Brian Cain and the people of Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church in Gilbert, part of the Rio Salado Conference. Visit their site at spiritofjoygilbert.org, and their social media pages on Facebook and YouTube.
Read MoreSince the beginning of November, refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria have been stuck at the Belarus-Poland border. They are experiencing a lack of food, medical supplies and shelter and are facing winter weather with no place to go.
Read MoreThis is our second pandemic Christmas and there's so much that's broken in this world, so much that tells us, “Why have hope? Just give up.” But we have a hope that's stronger than any of this, stronger even than death. The hope of God comes in the form of a tiny baby, a helpless child. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Read MoreBring your grief, fear and loss to WELCA’s second annual Blue Christmas service via Zoom, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021 at 6pm MST, 5pm PST.
As a community of women, we have committed ourselves to promote healing and wholeness in the church, the society and the world. We will gather for prayer, reflection, and quiet music on the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere—the Winter Solstice—December 21. Register now to participate in the Blue Christmas Service.
Read MoreWomen of the ELCA is offering scholarshipsfor Lutheran laywomen and ordained ministry. Scholarship applications are due before 4/5/2022. Learn more about Women of the ELCA Scholarships.
Read MoreI asked a pastor what he says to people in pain. One thing he says is, “I want more for you.” I repeat that sentence to you not with any illusion that the world does what I want, but simply as an expression of good will, an acknowledgment of how we all sit with our common fragility, and a recognition that life is unpredictable. It changes. In many pilgrims’ progress, the slough of despond gives way to enchanted ground. Read the full article at The New York Times.
Read MoreWe pray for Rev. John Biggs and the people of Saved By Grace Lutheran Church in Pahrump, part of the Colorado River Conference. Visit their site at savedbygraceelca.com, and their Facebook page.
Read MoreWe are very excited to see you next July for the 2022 Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE) and happy that we get to lead the brand new MYLE team called Cultural Awareness.
We have heard stories about microaggressions and other harms that have happened at past MYLEs. These stories break our hearts, and we are working hard to help people do better and for everyone to have a better experience at MYLE, in their faith communities and in the world.
Read MoreLutheran Disaster Response is collaborating with the Indiana-Kentucky Synod and other partners in the area to assess the damage and develop an immediate and a long-term response plan. Your gifts to support these response efforts will empower our partners to meet survivors’ immediate and long-term needs.
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