For What Shall We Pray?
  • For peace among nations, especially between Israel and Palestine, Russia and Ukraine…

  • For victims of and responders to the runway crash in Tokyo, Japan…

  • For relief and recovery efforts following an earthquake in western Japan…

  • For continued tensions and disruptions among those traveling the Red Sea…

  • For all victims of gun violence…

  • For renewed commitments to compassion, collaboration, and equity across political divides…

  • For astronomers, physicists, photographers, and all artists who reveal the beauty and mystery of the cosmos to us…

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Peace Lutheran Church Offers a 2003 Ford E450 to Serve the Community

Peace Lutheran Church in Peoria, Arizona, is offering a well-maintained 2003 Ford E450 bus to a deserving organization within the Grand Canyon Synod. Ideal for serving community needs, the bus has faithfully facilitated youth trips and charity work. Interested? Call the church office, 623-972-6785 or reach out to Jay Fellows, Director of Operations at Jay@peaceaz.org.

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Half a Century of Hope: ELCA World Hunger’s 50th Anniversary Celebration

Join us as we mark a monumental milestone—the 50th anniversary of ELCA World Hunger—at the 2024 ELCA World Hunger Leadership Gathering on February 1-4, 2024. Celebrate decades of dedication and look ahead to the future of hunger advocacy and action. Be a part of this transformative event for networking, learning, and planning, as we continue to embrace hope and move forward in our mission. Act now to secure your spot and take advantage of special rates!

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Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church Listening Session

You are cordially invited to participate in a listening session hosted by the Grand Canyon Synod. This Zoom session on Tuesday, 1/16/2023, 5pm MST, 4pm PST, features Sarah Morris and Anthony Ormsbee-Hale from the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC), and offers a unique opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue about the future of our community. Click here to register.

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Grand Canyon Synod 2023 Year in Review

As we end a year full of collective achievements and spiritual growth, we invite you to join us in celebrating our synod's shared journey. Your generous contributions have been instrumental in every success, from outreach initiatives to the nurturing of our faith community. Take a moment to read our year-end newsletter, which highlights the remarkable moments and milestones of 2023, and reflects the vibrant life of our church thanks to your steadfast support.

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For What Shall We Pray?
  • For peace among nations, especially between Israel and Palestine, Russia and Ukraine…

  • For peaceful resolution to post-election clashes in the Democratic Republic of Congo…

  • For relief and recover efforts following storms in eastern Australia…

  • For all victims of human trafficking worldwide…

  • For areas of the United States facing winter storms, heavy rains, and other weather events…

  • For ongoing holiday celebrations during the season of Christmas and during the days of Kwanzaa…

  • For a renewed sense of hope and possibility at the start of this new calendar year…

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Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona 2023 Year in Review

As 2023 comes to a close, LAMA invites you to celebrate with them the work we’ve accomplished together. They’re are grateful to you for your faithful advocacy this year, and look forward to the work that we will do together in 2024. And don’t forget to register for Lutheran Day at the Legislature! View their 2023 year end newsletter here.

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Welcome Deacon Katie Kline as our new Interim Director of Congregation Transitions

The Grand Canyon Synod is delighted to announce Deacon Katie Kline as our new Interim Director of Congregation Transitions, starting January 2024.

We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to Deacon Janice Zimbelman and Rachel Line for their dedicated service. Deacon Janice Zimbelman will be retiring from this half-time position that is shared with the Rocky Mountain Synod as Deacon Katie Kline takes up this work in an interim capacity.

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Spiritual Rest

“When God created the seventh day, God did not rest because God did all the work of creation in the six days prior. God rested because rest is intrinsically built in the rhythm of life. That means, if we choose Sunday to be the seventh day, then no matter what happened the past week, whether we fall to illness, or lose track of time, or projects and schedules fail in the many ways they often do, we still must rest. Rest allows us to be human, understanding that production may not work the way we need it to, but days of work will always come back around.”

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“Oh, Those Words Are So Divisive, Pastor!”: Christian Nationalism and Identity Expression in the United States

As part of our Creating Space for Conversations series, we share a PDF of an article by Marie Olson Purcell, “Oh, Those Words Are So Divisive, Pastor!”: Christian Nationalism and Identity Expression in the United States, from A Chosen Nation?, an issue of Word and World, Luther Seminary’s journal of theology.

The phrase “America is a Christian nation” is a highly polarizing statement in the contemporary United States. But like many such polarizing statements, the situation surrounding it is much more complex than it might seem. These complexities are actually openings for a deeper discussion of national identity and Christian faith, if such conversations can be had.—Marie Olson Purcell

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