Open Space newsletter: February 2022

Upcoming Events: 

  • February 10th, 5pm: Fellowship. Join us at Mercado San Augustin for conversation and community. 

  • February 17: Paint Night 6:30-9:30pm: At The Studio at 4648 E. Speedway

  • February 19, 10am: Hike in Tortolita Mountains – meet at Wild Burro Trailhead at (14810 North Secret Springs Drive, Marana)

January was a little tough for me. I sprained my ankle while on vacation in Colorado. It was a stupid sprain – rolling my ankle stepping off a curb. Very unglorious. But it’s finally good enough to hike on, so we’re back with our God-in-nature hikes. This time we’ll go to Dove Mountain and try out the Tortolitas. Scenic and free. 

We also had paint night in January, but I couldn’t go to that because I got Covid – even after getting both shots and the booster. I thank God it did get the vaccine, because the breakthrough “not that big of a deal” omicron variant had me laid out for three days with fevers. A big thanks to Nick James for covering for me and running the whole show. 

And, we’re doing fellowship again this month. We’ll meet at the Mercado San Augustin on the west side. Sit outside, catch up, and enjoy some good tacos (if that’s what you want). My vision is to rebuild Open Space as a community after covid, spending time in relationships like we did for so long at the beginning. See you there. 

And, another big thank you to the Grand Canyon Synod, Pastor Miguel Gomez-Acosta and Bishop Deborah Hutterer who have been so solidly supportive of Open Space, even when we had to shut down. People forget, sometimes, that we are a denominational church, and the funding for Open Space is almost entirely through the local synod (our district of AZ plus Las Vegas plus St. George Utah) and the national ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). We have a more progressive theology, and open-minded view of the world that is often lacking on the religious scene today. I hope to be able to bring more people in through worship and prayer groups at some point in the future. 

For now, we keep moving along, thanking God for our blessings, and throwing down paint. 

 Pastor Lars Hammar

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