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 Grand Canyon Synod 
  Faith in Action
April 2018
Countdown Clock:  Two Months to Assembly

Attention All Voting Members : The spring conference gatherings begin April 21 and continue on Saturdays, April 28, May 5, May 12, and May 19. The conference dates and meeting places are listed under "2018 Bishop's Election" tab on the synod's webpage.
 
To be well prepared for crucial decisions at the assembly - especially for the election of this synod's sixth bishop - voting members need to plan to attend these gatherings. Each gathering will begin with prayer at 9 a.m. and end by 11:30.
 
Danger of Disasters
In parts of the country, tornado season has arrived. By early June, another hurricane season will begin. And spring flooding already has affected various regions. Beyond natural disasters, we painfully are aware of other tragedies, such as the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting in Florida and the Las Vegas massacre last October.
 
How do congregations, pastors, and deacons prepare to lead in the aftermath of such events? In wresting with that question, you may want to look at Recovering from Un-Natural Disasters: A Guide for Pastors and Congregations after Violence and Trauma. It is available from Amazon (Kindle, free; paperback $15.82).
 
Help also is offered by Church Mutual, which provides insurance for many ELCA congregations. Take a look at Church Mutual online resources on risk management, including topics of volunteer safety, background screening, fire and loss protection, and training videos for dealing with an armed intruder in public events.
 
 
Keeping Secrets    
Are you keeping secret the exciting events and efforts of your congregation? We hope that you will share. Each month in this newsletter, stories are reported concerning the work of various congregations. But the sharing cannot happen without your telling us your story. Please remember to give teamworks ( teamworks@teamworkspr.com ) notice of what people throughout this synod would be delighted to know about your congregation.
 
Easter Joy and Hope
We have entered the Easter season with renewed hope. In reflecting on the mysteries of this season, we recall the words appointed in the Orthodox liturgy for the Sunday Vigil:
 
"We venerate thy Cross, O Christ, and we praise and glorify thy holy resurrection. For thou art our God: we know no other save thee; upon thy name we call. Come, all ye faithful, let us venerate the holy resurrection of Christ: for lo, through the Cross joy has come to all the world. Ever blessing the Lord, we sing the praises of Christ's resurrection ..."
 
Sincerely in Christ,
The Rev. Lowell G. Almen
Bishop of the Grand Canyon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

University of Arizona LCM Update
Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM) students at the UofA meet twice weekly: Sunday morning breakfast and worship at 10 a.m. and Wednesday evening dinner and faith discussion at 6 p.m. Meals are brought by local ELCA congregations, which the students appreciate tremendously!

Over the last weekend in January, LCM enjoyed a Winter Retreat in Sedona, Ariz. (lodging at Christ Lutheran Church - Pastor David Brandfass) with the LCM's of ASU and NAU. They hiked, worshipped, cooked, hung out, and explored the theme - "Christian Discipleship: Listening, Speaking Out, Action." So far this spring, semester service projects have included volunteering at the Humane Society on a Saturday morning, and leading the Youth Group at Beautiful Savior Lutheran on a Sunday afternoon. Over spring break in March, 18 from the group traveled to Germany to learn about Martin Luther/Reformation history and Holocaust history (Berlin, Mansfeld, Eisleben, Erfurt, Wartburg Castle, Buchenwald Nazi death camp, Wittenberg). 

Students find a home at LCM and a place of grace to explore faith and add to what they are learning in classrooms and on campus.


God's Work. Our Hands. 
Christ Lutheran Church in Sedona
At Christ Lutheran Church in Sedona, Ariz., "God's Work. Our Hands." is not just a slogan, but is what the congregation does day in and day out. Usually God's work with our hands means local projects in the Verde Valley, but following Hurricane Harvey, it was obvious that the congregation was being called to work beyond there.

Originally, the plan was to join Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) effforts in the Houston, Texas area. However, one Sunday the congregation was visited by ELCA members from the Port Aransas, Texas area. Pastor David Brandfass spoke with those members and heard their disappointment that they had been overlooked because most of the media attention was on the flooding Harvey brought to Houston. However, Port Aransas is where Hurricane Harvey came ashore. It turns out that the ELCA Pastor Tom Dietzel from Port Aransas had been married at Christ - Sedona three years earlier, so the Spirit led a natural connection.

Lutheran Disaster Response had not begun operations in the Port Aransas area in the five months since Harvey, so getting solid information through ELCA channels was difficult. Finally, through the persistence of the trip leader, Babbie Cameron, Christ Lutheran made contact with a Baptist congregation that had dedicated their ministry to coordinating, housing, and feeding work groups interested in helping with recovery efforts for an entire year. Cyndi Powell, the coordinator from First Baptist, Rockport, was the one person who had a handle on what was needed in the area's recovery, and how the group 
from Christ Lutheran would fit in.

After the logistics issues were solved, the group traveled from Sedona to Port Aransas. After arrival in the Port Aransas and Rockport area, the group was warmly received. The physical work included sigificant debris removal, assisting a family moving back into their home, removing "dead" appliances, and the like.

The most important work the group did was provide emotional support. So many residents had felt abandoned, some by the country, FEMA and LDR. The connections made were so vital to the recovery effort. Many times, businesses had received assistance ahead of residents to further the local economy and prepare for the influx of "Winter Texans" and the revenues they bring. This often left residents feeling left behind and forgotten. The idea that a group of people would travel from Sedona to southwestern Texas amazed several of the residents. It was the Good News in person, person to person, congregation to congregation.

Many tears of joy and grief were shared during the week. The group from Christ Lutheran also felt ministered to through the generousity of both the individuals and the area churches.

In one m oving instance, the congregational president of Holy Cross Lutheran Chur ch, R ockport , shared how painful it was that Harvey had destroyed their congregation's columbarium and had scattered the remains of former members to places unknown. Listening to his story, and the story of Holy Cross Lutheran was a healing moment for all involved.

In the end, Christ Lutheran was reminded we don't have to travel overseas to do significant ministry work. That work and calling might be right around the corner, or through a connection made years ago. Christ Lutheran Sedona learned to once again be open to where the Spirit is blowing.

After the trip home, the Christ Lutheran team was able to meet with a representative from LDR to share their perspectives about how to improve the disaster response we do as the ELCA, and help bridge the gap between needed "first responder" work, which LDR does not do, and the longer-term work LDR specializes in.

Everyone involved with this trip would say that it was a complete honor to be part of this small congregation's effort as they lived out their calling to be doing "God's work. Our hands."

The Ties That Bind Us Together in Christ
By Julie Gerrish

Last year at this time, I was in my community in Fatick, Senegal (Our Companion Church!), being taken care of by my host family, church and classmates. I was part of the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program. YAGM's purpose is accompaniment with our siblings in Christ throughout the world. Basically, learning about each other and building relationships. Throughout the year I lived in Senegal, my community made sure I felt welcome, giving me food, greetings, clothes, transportation, language and more.
                                                                      
This past October, the Grand Canyon Synod had the chance to welcome someone who was integral to my integration into Senegal, Pascal Kama. Before leaving for Senegal, I couldn't have imagined I would gain a brother like Pascal. He set up my room, spoke English with me, drove me to weddings and family events, and always made sure I had enough food and water, a place to sit, etc. While he visited Arizona, I was able to prepare a room for him, speak Sereer and French with him, drive him to speak at churches in the Phoenix area, make sure he had enough food and water, a place to sit, etc. He spent time with my family, even witnessing my family's vigil for my Aunt Shelly in the hospital, and when asked if he would like to go home instead, he said, "No. We are together, we are family."

The relationship with Pascal and others from Senegal has given me a personal tie to Senegal. My heartstrings are tugged when I hear a hymn at church that we would sing in Fatick and when I hear about a drought in Senegal. I met a woman in Tucson who was originally from Senegal/Mauritania, and we spoke and bonded over the Senegalese food we like and miss. Ties between people and places that were built through accompaniment are a holy thing. Hopefully, through more exchanges like a possible youth exchange, the Grand Canyon Synod and the Lutheran Church in Senegal can make more holy ties between siblings in Christ, closing the gap and binding us all together in relationship.  
Congregational Spotlight: New Spirit Lutheran Church
8701 E. Old Spanish Trail 
Tucson, AZ 85715
520-296-2461

New Spirit serves the east side of Tucson in a neighborhood surrounded by transient apartments and condominiums. Caring for the needy is at the heart and DNA of this  congregation, which  operated for years as the Eastside Tucson Community Food Bank, serving well over 100 families per week. 

New Spirit's Medical Loan Chest loans medical equipment from walkers to shower benches to wheel-chairs to Hoyer-lifts. If they got back everything loaned out, it would fill their 6,000 square foot building.
  
The congregation is partnered with and houses the Eastside Office for Interfaith Community Services, an agency with 112 faith communities, supporting their work of emergency rent and utility payments, food bank, and as their Resource Center for those at-risk of unemployment or underemployment.

New Spirit has a Community Garden with 36 beds, growing vegetables in all three growing seasons in the Sonoran Desert. They also feed  250 elementary school students every weekend of the school year through "Blessings in a Backpack."  

New Spirit has embraced a group of homeless people who camp on the east-side. "They join us for worship on Sundays, eat supper with us on our Wednesday evening suppers," notes Pastor Alan Field. "Once a month, we hold "Homeless Blessings,"  hosting resource people from Tucson city government to arrange long-term housing, and public relations officers with Tucson PD. We offer hygiene products, haircuts, a hot meal, non-perishable food, seasonal clothing, batteries, tarps, blankets, and more."

Worship at New Spirit is spirited and uplifting. Arise to Praise is a thematic 9 a.m. contemporary service, written new each week by Pastor Field.  The Praise Team has developed over the years to become a great team. Traditional service at 11 a.m. is rightly celebrated each Sunday.

"For a congregation of fewer than 150 worshipers on Sundays, the power of their "new spirit" is amazing!" says Pastor Field.