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Join Mount of Olives Lutheran Church in Phoenix for their final free summer jazz concerts—JJuly 13 with Beth Lederman & Dennis Rowland. Held at 5:30 PM, these Music for Food events support the Olive Branch Food Pantry, which feeds over 150 families weekly. Come for the music, stay for the mission.
Deacon Emma Janzen will be installed Sunday, 8/10/2025, 10:45 AM, at Resurrection Lutheran Church, (11575 N 1st Ave., Oro Valley, AZ 85737, livestream here), with Pastor Jacqui Pagel preaching and presiding.
Rostered ministers and candidates for rostered ministry are invited to process and wear their albs. Color of the day is green.
Now accepting applications: The 2025 Manna Grant offers up to $20,000 in total funding to Grand Canyon Synod ministries that address hunger and its root causes. Projects must demonstrate a commitment to inclusive leadership. Apply by July 31. Made possible through a legacy gift from Orpha Hoganson of Ascension Lutheran, this grant continues her mission to combat hunger with love and equity.
Join Bishop Hutterer and special guests from Wartburg Theological Seminary for the 2025 Bishop’s Fall Gathering, September 29–October 1, at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale. Under the theme Life Together: Lament, Love, and Christian Hope in a Time Such as This, rostered ministers will explore faithful community amid division with Rev. Dr. Kristin Johnston Largen and Rev. Dr. S. Helen Chukka. Registration is open through September 5. Scholarships available.
Help Us Host the Church
Volunteer for the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly
The Grand Canyon Synod is honored to host the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix this July 28–August 2. We need up to 100 volunteers to help make this event a success! Open shifts include airport greeters, registration, worship support, and more. Learn how you can serve and sign up at gcsynod.org/cwa.
Latest News
In response to the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton issues a call to faithful action. The sweeping legislation threatens healthcare access, food assistance, immigrant families, and climate protections—policies that stand in opposition to Lutheran commitments to care for the vulnerable and support the common good. Bishop Eaton invites us to pray, partner, and act together as church to stand with our neighbors in need. Click here to read the full statement and watch the accompanying video on YouTube.
The Grand Canyon Synod’s 2025 audited financial statements are now available. The audit affirms the synod’s strong financial position and faithful stewardship of funds. With over $7.1 million in net assets and $285,500 distributed to ministry partners, the report reflects our shared commitment to transparency, generosity, and mission. Read the full audit at gcsynod.org/financial-overview.
Join Bishop Hutterer and special guests Rev. Dr. Kristin Largen and Rev. Dr. Helen Chukka of Wartburg Seminary for the 2025 Bishop’s Fall Gathering, September 29–October 1 in Scottsdale. This year’s theme, Life Together: Lament, Love and Christian Hope in a Time Such as This, invites rostered ministers to explore how Christian community can respond faithfully to division and despair. Registration is open through September 5.
Through Thrivent Choice, you can contribute to organizations and causes you care about – and influence how Thrivent distributes some of its charitable funding.
Considering the Grand Canyon Synod for your Thrivent Choice Dollars? Visit the GCS page to give through Thrivent Choice.
Join the Spirited Book Club this August as we read Refugia Faith by Debra Rienstra, a profound exploration of Christian spirituality in a climate-altered world. We’ll meet online Thursdays, August 14 and 28, from 12:00–1:00 pm AZ time, with discussion led by Sheri Brown. Come discover how faith can help create hidden shelters of healing and hope—for the earth, for the church, and for each other.
Join the Hymn Society for four powerful and free livestreamed hymn festivals from July 13–16. Each evening at 4:30 p.m. Arizona time, experience the joy and healing of communal song as leaders explore themes of faith, proclamation, and peace. Watch live on YouTube and share widely with your congregation!
Join Mount of Olives Lutheran Church in Phoenix for their final free summer jazz concerts—JJuly 13 with Beth Lederman & Dennis Rowland. Held at 5:30 PM, these Music for Food events support the Olive Branch Food Pantry, which feeds over 150 families weekly. Come for the music, stay for the mission.
Deacon Emma Janzen will be installed Sunday, 8/10/2025, 10:45 AM, at Resurrection Lutheran Church, (11575 N 1st Ave., Oro Valley, AZ 85737, livestream here), with Pastor Jacqui Pagel preaching and presiding.
Rostered ministers and candidates for rostered ministry are invited to process and wear their albs. Color of the day is green.
Now accepting applications: The 2025 Manna Grant offers up to $20,000 in total funding to Grand Canyon Synod ministries that address hunger and its root causes. Projects must demonstrate a commitment to inclusive leadership. Apply by July 31. Made possible through a legacy gift from Orpha Hoganson of Ascension Lutheran, this grant continues her mission to combat hunger with love and equity.
Today we celebrate the ordination anniversary of Rev. Arlyn Norris, who celebrates 50 years on July 6.
Today we celebrate the ordination anniversary of Deacon Bernice Johnson, who celebrates 66 years on July 5.
Peter Strickland, general manager of BMG Music Group in Nashville and a longtime member of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Franklin, Tennessee, reflects on his faith, family, and vocation in the high-paced music industry. From launching Blake Shelton’s career to producing Jimmy Fallon’s Grammy-winning album, Strickland shares how his Lutheran values—grace, integrity, and community—guide both his leadership and life. Click here to read the full feature in Living Lutheran.
On July 1, Augsburg Fortress released The Lutheran Study Bible, Second Edition, a fully updated resource featuring the NRSVue translation, revised articles, and insights from over 50 ELCA pastors and scholars. With fresh perspectives on Jewish-Christian relations, updated notes on biblical figures, and new study tools like “Together by Grace: Bible Conversations,” this edition invites readers into a deeper, more inclusive engagement with Scripture. Click here to read the full interview with co-editor Laurie J. Hanson in Living Lutheran.
In this episode of the Pivot podcast, Dwight Zscheile and Shannon Kiser explore how churches can grow vibrant fresh expressions to reach changing neighborhoods.
This month’s Faith Freedom Dispatch from BJC offers urgent updates on a national school voucher proposal buried in the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” major Supreme Court rulings on religious liberty, and grassroots faith responses in Texas. Learn how pastors are organizing against ICE activity at schools, courts are defending student rights, and advocates are standing up against Christian nationalism. Read the full newsletter.
Life Together
Lament, Love and Christian Hope
in a Time Such as This
BISHOP’S FALL GATHERING
9/29 – 10/1/2025
Franciscan Renewal Center
Featured
Join Mount of Olives Lutheran Church in Phoenix for two free summer jazz concerts—June 8 with Beth Lederman & Hope Morgan, and July 13 with Beth Lederman & Dennis Rowland. Held at 5:30 PM, these Music for Food events support the Olive Branch Food Pantry, which feeds over 150 families weekly. Come for the music, stay for the mission.
The Grand Canyon Synod will host the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix from July 28–August 2, 2025. We’ll need up to 100 volunteers to assist with this significant event, held at the Phoenix Convention Center. Visit our Churchwide Assembly page to learn how you can help. For early inquiries, contact Mary Beth Baron at mbbaron@gcsynod.org. Help us welcome the wider ELCA church to Phoenix!
Calling all hunger champions: join this network of the Grand Canyon Synod! Meet to hear updates on national and local Hunger and Food Insecurity efforts and initiatives, to learn from one another, and to share with the group what's happening in our congregations. Anyone interested in alleviating hunger is welcome. Prepare to be encouraged and supported! Click here to access the meeting, at 6pm on the last Tuesday of every month.
Now accepting applications: The 2025 Manna Grant offers up to $20,000 in total funding to Grand Canyon Synod ministries that address hunger and its root causes. Projects must demonstrate a commitment to inclusive leadership. Apply by July 31. Made possible through a legacy gift from Orpha Hoganson of Ascension Lutheran, this grant continues her mission to combat hunger with love and equity.
Deacon Emma Janzen will be installed Sunday, 8/10/2025, 10:45 AM, at Resurrection Lutheran Church, (11575 N 1st Ave., Oro Valley, AZ 85737, livestream here), with Pastor Jacqui Pagel preaching and presiding.
Join the Spirited Book Club this August as we read Refugia Faith by Debra Rienstra, a profound exploration of Christian spirituality in a climate-altered world. We’ll meet online Thursdays, August 14 and 28, from 12:00–1:00 pm AZ time, with discussion led by Sheri Brown. Come discover how faith can help create hidden shelters of healing and hope—for the earth, for the church, and for each other.
Feeling like your church doesn’t have enough? Join a free webinar on Thursday, Aug. 14 at 6 p.m. Central (4 p.m. AZ)to discover the hidden resources your congregation already holds. Learn from the Kaleidoscope Institute how currencies of relationship, truth, and more can help us move from a mindset of scarcity to one of abundance. No registration required—just click to join.
Diakonia’s new 2025-2026 Foundation Year courses begin on August 25, 2025. This program, a long-standing ELCA ministry, offers flexible learning tracks to deepen your faith. Enroll now at www.diakonia.education and explore both online and hybrid communities in the Grand Canyon Synod.
Calling all hunger champions: join this network of the Grand Canyon Synod! Meet to hear updates on national and local Hunger and Food Insecurity efforts and initiatives, to learn from one another, and to share with the group what's happening in our congregations. Anyone interested in alleviating hunger is welcome. Prepare to be encouraged and supported! Click here to access the meeting, at 6pm on the last Tuesday of every month.
Join the Spirited Book Club this August as we read Refugia Faith by Debra Rienstra, a profound exploration of Christian spirituality in a climate-altered world. We’ll meet online Thursdays, August 14 and 28, from 12:00–1:00 pm AZ time, with discussion led by Sheri Brown. Come discover how faith can help create hidden shelters of healing and hope—for the earth, for the church, and for each other.
Featured Events
Featured
The Grand Canyon Synod will host the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix from July 28–August 2, 2025. We’ll need up to 100 volunteers to assist with this significant event, held at the Phoenix Convention Center. Visit our Churchwide Assembly page to learn how you can help. For early inquiries, contact Mary Beth Baron at mbbaron@gcsynod.org. Help us welcome the wider ELCA church to Phoenix!
Deacon Emma Janzen will be installed Sunday, 8/10/2025, 10:45 AM, at Resurrection Lutheran Church, (11575 N 1st Ave., Oro Valley, AZ 85737, livestream here), with Pastor Jacqui Pagel preaching and presiding.
Join Bishop Hutterer and special guests from Wartburg College for the 2025 Bishop’s Fall Gathering, September 29–October 1, at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale. Under the theme Life Together: Lament, Love, and Christian Hope in a Time Such as This, rostered ministers will explore faithful community amid division with Rev. Dr. Kristin Johnston Largen and Rev. Dr. S. Helen Chukka. Registration is open through September 5. Scholarships available.
Rostered and synodically authorized ministers are invited to “Bearing Worthy Fruit,” a fall retreat led by Rev. Karoline Lewis, October 13–15 at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale. Together, participants will explore gender justice, embodied leadership, and preaching rooted in God’s transformation. Registration opens May 1 and space is limited to 25 participants.
Land Acknowledgment
We acknowledge and honor the original inhabitants of the various regions of our synod. The Grand Canyon Synod is spread across lands in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, which are currently home to over two dozen tribal nations.
We acknowledge and honor these communities, their elders both past and present, as well as future generations. We give thanks to our Indigenous siblings who have cared and continue to care for this place — this land — and call it their home.
Learn more about ELCA Indigenous Ministries, land acknowledgments, and Native American and Indigenous education resources.
Synod Spotlight
This section is dedicated to celebrating and lifting up the everyday work of our congregations, ministries, and partners at various levels—from local to global. Join us in gratitude and prayer for these people and organizations. View all our spotlight posts here.
Join Bishop Hutterer and special guests Rev. Dr. Kristin Largen and Rev. Dr. Helen Chukka of Wartburg Seminary for the 2025 Bishop’s Fall Gathering, September 29–October 1 in Scottsdale. This year’s theme, Life Together: Lament, Love and Christian Hope in a Time Such as This, invites rostered ministers to explore how Christian community can respond faithfully to division and despair. Registration is open through September 5.