Please share your congregation’s plan for 2023 Mission Support by February 15, 2023 so the Synod Council can plan for the coming year. Thank you!
In this post, we share a letter (English, Spanish) from Bishop Hutterer and Synod Vice President Barbara Carl, thanking you and our synod’s congregations for continued mission support, half of which is passed to ELCA churchwide for ministry in the larger church.
Read MoreWhat a day! For photos and a full recap, please visit lamaz.org. Highlights below.
Nearly 100 advocates from 23 of Arizona’s 30 districts gathered at the State Capitol for a day of advocacy on January 30, 2023
Sen. Raquel Terán (D), Senate Minority Leader from LD26 and Rep. Tim Dunn (R) from LD25 (Yuma) were featured speakers, along with Ashley St. Thomas, Arizona Food Bank Network; Jessie Gruner, Pinnacle Prevention; and Connie Phillips, Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest.
Participants met with their legislators in support of anti-hunger bills HB2211 and HB2142
Bishop Hutterer led the invocation in the Senate, advocates were introduced in the House gallery by Rep. Jennifer Pawlik (D), LD13 and in the Senate by Sen. Raquel Terán (D), LD26.
Advocates attended the Health & Human Services Committee to hear testimony in support of HB2211, which received a 9-0 due pass recommendation.
The Office of the Bishop travels to Las Vegas as part of Synod on the Move, preaching at various churches and attending the Colorado River Conference Spring Gathering, Feb 4, 2023, 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM. We also share photos from last week’s Synod on the Move in the Tucson area and Lutheran Day at the Legislature.
Read More12/1/2022 update: We learned there was a problem with form functionality, and now provide new statements of intent from Churchwide for your use. (view as PDF in English or Spanish)
Please share your congregation’s plan for 2023 Mission Support by February 15, 2023 so the Synod Council can plan for the coming year. Thank you!
In this post, we share a letter (English, Spanish) from Bishop Hutterer and Synod Vice President Barbara Carl, thanking you and our synod’s congregations for continued mission support, half of which is passed to ELCA churchwide for ministry in the larger church.
Read MoreThe Office of the Bishop travels to Tucson as part of Synod on the Move, preaching at various churches and attending the Kino Conference Spring Gathering, Jan 28, 2023, 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM. On Monday, we go to 2023 Lutheran Day at the Legislature, Jan 30, 2023, 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Read MoreBishop Hutterer participates in the AZ Prayer Service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2023, Jan 20, 2023, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM, and along with other staff attends the Ordination and Installation of Luis Ochoa at Holy Trinity Lutheran in Chandler, Jan 21, 2023, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Read MoreJoin Bishop Hutterer along with other Arizona judicatory heads for the statewide celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) 2023. This Prayer Service will be held Friday, January 20, 2023 to celebrate the Annual WPCU, and we are delighted to welcome everyone back to our first in-person gathering in 3 years.
Arizona’s statewide gathering for the celebration will take place at 6:00 p.m. Friday, January 20, 2023, at Phillips Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, 1401 E. Adams St., Phoenix, AZ 85034.
Read MoreBishop Hutterer and others return from the Holy Land as we all begin a full calendar of 2023.
Read MoreThe Bishop and Theresa travel the Holy Land, while others start a new year with meetings and travel.
Read MoreWorried about your congregation today? Wondering what the future holds? You are not alone.
People throughout the church are experiencing doubts, fears, and uneasiness about the future. Bishop Hutterer would like to talk with you about the worries and wonders you are experiencing. If you are invested in our Church’s future, join the conversation at one of our upcoming 2023 spring gatherings.
Read MoreSome of the Office of the Bishop travel to the Holy Land, while others resume work after celebrating the Christmas season.
Read MoreBefore you review our year-end newsletter, I want to express my deep gratitude for all you have done through your actions and ministries to make our synod and our world a better place. As you scroll through each month’s highlights, I hope you’ll vividly see all the ways we are Church Together.
I also want to thank all of you for your generous giving and support to our synod through your benevolence dollars, half of which goes to our ELCA Churchwide organization. In your name, the three expressions of the ELCA acts around the world, as well as in your local ministries. Your generosity has allowed us to continue the important work of communicating Jesus, connecting people, and creating possibilities.
Read MoreIn this Christmas season, we extend our warmest wishes and blessings to you and your loved ones. May this special season be filled with joy, love, and peace as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
We are grateful for the gift of your presence in our synod, and for the ways in which you accompany us in our shared ministries. May the love and grace of Christ continue to guide and inspire you in the year ahead.
Read MoreThe Office of the Bishop does year-end work, takes vacation time, and enjoys the Christmas season.
Read MoreThe Grand Canyon Synod continues to build relationship with the Mexican Lutheran Church (Iglesia Luterana Mexicana, ILM). Bishop Hutterer recently joined Bishop Daniel Beaudoin of the Northwest Ohio Synod and President Roberto Trejo Haager for a “get to know you” tour to discuss ways we can journey with ILM.
Read MoreThe Office of the Bishop does year-end work, takes some vacation time, and enjoys the Advent and Christmas season. We share photos from the Bishop’s visit to La Casa de Misericordia as well as gathered with Region 2 Bishops.
Read MoreThe Office of the Bishop works to wrap up our calendar year and find time for the quiet waiting of Advent. We also share photos from the installation of Rev. Craig Larson at Desert Hills Lutheran in Green Valley and the Bishop’s visit to Beautiful Savior in Tucson.
Read MoreWe are in the midst of Advent, our season of waiting. In our church calendar of birth, death, and resurrection, we are entering a new year. We are waiting for prophecies to be fulfilled in the form of a lowly birth. In our secular calendar, our norms are interrupted by the holidays, friends, families, and year-end projects. We are waiting for the New Year, hoping for better. And we are a people who do not like waiting.
There is a concept that describes these in-between times and places, called a liminal space.
Read MoreThe Office of the Bishop gathers for a ½ day working retreat with full time Office of the Bishop staff, and enters the season of Advent with a sense of adventure. We also share photos from the Bishop’s visit to Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Lake Havasu City.
Read MoreIn our synod, we are blessed with an abundance of ministries that focus on hunger. From the advocacy work of LAMA and LEAN to the many food banks and outreach efforts of many of our ministries, we are a synod that works in many ways to end food insecurity.
During this Thanksgiving, as we are grateful for the bounties we share, I hope you find time to listen to the ways God calls you to be both the giver and receiver of bread and faith.
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