Tim Wright: It does real damage when Sen. Wendy Rogers spews hate and claims to love Jesus

Rev. Tim Wright, pastor of Community of Grace Lutheran Church in Peoria, recently wrote an opinion piece in the Arizona Republic/AZ Central, saying we must stand up to those who speak hate.

“The war against Christianity is not being waged by anti-Christian elites or the politically correct or the Woke crowd. It’s being waged by people vomiting hate-filled rhetoric in the name of Jesus and/or by people who wrap that hate-filled speech in Christian clothes and/or by far too many Christians who fail to stand up and say that this is not who Jesus is.”

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Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: March 27, 2022
  • For Kyiv, for Mariupol, for all places where violence rages, for all who have been driven from their homes, for all whose lives and livelihoods are endangered, for love to vanquish hate…

  • For all who grieve the deaths of loved ones onboard the China Eastern flight that fatally crashed in southern China…

  • For all impacted by tornadoes and severe storms, especially in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi…

  • For farmers making difficult decision in the wake of increased fuel prices and supply shortages…

  • For an international commitment to combating racism and white supremacy, especially in the church…

  • With gratitude for the 66th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, which included a delegation from the Lutheran World Federation…

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Growing Generosity stretch goal: $250,000 by 12/31/2023

Through the generosity of individuals and congregations, together, as Grand Canyon Synod, we raised more than $500,000 within the first year of our three-year appeal.

In gratitude for, and in light of this success, the Growing Generosity Task Force has challenged us to seek additional $250,000 by the end of 2023. The plans for these additional funds will benefit Lutheran Campus Ministries, new & emerging ministries, and our advocacy efforts.

If you have already made a gift or pledge, thank you. If you are able to make a second gift, or if you still considering a gift, please check out our website or contact any member of the Task Force.

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$500,000 initial goal reached for Growing Generosity Appeal

Through the incredible generosity of our synod, we have reached our initial goal of $500,000 for our Growing Generosity Appeal, nearly two years ahead of 12/31/2023 schedule!

As of this post, we have $533,289 in pledges and gifts, with over 90% of gifts received. Our initial goal funded three initiatives:

  1. Growing Financial Viability: $150,000 for a Lilly 3E dollar-for-dollar grant, providing a total of $300,000 for our synod.

  2. Growing Future Ministries: $250,000 raised for Lutheran Campus Ministry ($100,000) and new & emerging ministries ($150,000).

  3. Growing Fervent Voices: $100,000 raised for Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA, $70,000) and Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN, $30,000).

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Faith Lens: Lost and Found

After 106 years of searching, a ship lost miles below the icy water near Antartica was recently found! Explorer Ernest Shackelton’s ship, Endurance, was exploring these frigid waters when it became trapped by ice and could no longer move. Scientists say that because it sank in such cold water the ship is almost perfectly intact, as if it sunk yesterday! Such a discovery!

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March 2022 Advocacy Updates

We share advocacy updates from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. as well as the UN and state edition, including U.N., Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

In this post we feature and highlight the update from Solveig Muus, Director of Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA).

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God's love for the Navajo people

In their most recent newsletter, Navajo Lutheran Mission 2022 Mission Board Chair Patty Charley shares remembrances of the Mission’s founding in 1953.

“God’s love has blessed the Diné with so much. My name is Patty. My community is Rock Point, Arizona, near the Four Corners in the Navajo Nation. This is who I am as a Navajo woman to the world.”

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Fierce Urgency: Advancing Civil & Human Rights is Ecumenical Advocacy Days theme

Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) is an annual gathering of Christian advocates and activists. Lutherans in attendance have denomination-specific opportunities to get to know one another and vision what we can do together!

#EAD2022 is a virtual gathering, held Wednesday through Friday, April 25-27, 2022. Scholarship opportunities are in this post and more info is at advocacydays.org.

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Historian Dan Carlin: The Atlantic Slave Trade

As Bishop Eaton calls us to learn more about the inhumane history of the transatlantic slave trade as part of International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, we share historian Dan Carlin’s recent podcast on the subject.

“The Atlantic Slave Trade mixes centuries of human bondage with violence, economics, commerce, geo-political competition, liberty, morality, injustice, revolution, tragedy and bloody reckonings. That sounds like a lot, yet this show merely scratches the surface of this enormous subject.” Available free for a limited time on the show page, Apple podcasts, or in this post.

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A statement for International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), in recognition of the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, reaffirms its commitment to combat racism and white supremacy. This day is set as a recommitment in remembrance of the day police in South Africa killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid in 1960.

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