Our world isn’t just changing - it CHANGED!

While Jesus, the Word, the Sacraments, and the hope of His Gospel are the same yesterday, today, and forever, the challenges we face to ENGAGE with our broken world call us to new ways of thinking and serving.

The 2021 Pacific Southwest District Pastors’ Conference will address this critical moment in Christian history with presentations by home-grown PSD practitioners who will lead us in generative thinking, study, and discussion.

Significant time has been built into the conference to gift us with opportunities to reconnect, recreate, and refocus with one another for the exciting ministry season ahead.

Fall Pastors’ Conference will be taking place October 4-6 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Phoenix/Scottsdale in Arizona. Check-in will be available on Sunday, October 3 from 4 - 8 pm for those arriving early. Deadline to register and receive the preferred hotel rate is Monday, September 13.

Exhibitors: click here to be redirected to the Exhibitor Registration page.

The 2021 PSD Continuing Education Conference will be on Sunday, October 3 at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Scottsdale, AZ. This ½ day conference will begin with lunch and fellowship at 12:30pm and will end about 5 pm. Our guest speaker will be Rev. Jon Bjorgaard speaking on the topic Keys to Having a Successful Mission and Ministry in a Post-COVID World.  

Have you ever noticed how God is always full of surprises? God’s big surprises is what the Pacific Southwest District’s (PSD) Campus Mission Coalition (CMC) site at Arizona State University (ASU), led by Sharon Owens, is experiencing. Sharon reports, "God has been so busy working behind the scenes this fall semester that we continue to be surprised, excited, and thankful. With His help, our year is already off to a great start!" Read Full Article

It’s been fifty years since the publication of The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, whose family risked their lives to hide Jews during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. They were arrested, separated and forced into the death camps of World War II. Only Corrie survived and later on she would tell her story in more than 60 countries and would be honored by Israel for her family’s heroic sacrifice on behalf of more than 800 Jews saved by their efforts.

Concordia University Irvine's Wind Orchestra will present Moments of Silence and Music, Remembering a Historic American Day: September 11, 2001 on Saturday, September 11 at 7:00 pm. There will be a pre-concert talk at 6:00 pm by a 9/11 attack survivor. This concert will be held outside near the Borland-Manske Center and will include the Irvine Police Department Color Guard and OC Fire Authority Bagpiper. For more details about the concert and to purchase tickets go to cui.edu/tickets.

Envelopes with your church's Congregational ID number were sent by the Gathering Office in late July. Unfortunately, it appears quite a few were lost in transit. If you have not received yours yet, please contact Laura Bredehoft at lbredehoft@stpaulspb.com.

Registration worksheets and forms (including participant worksheet, adult leader worksheet, congregational worksheet, LCEF account form, and special needs form) are all available of the Gathering website at lcmsgatherings.com.

Young Adult Volunteers (age 19-25) serve on the thematic floor, at stadium events, sessions and servant events, and give support to traffic and safety. To apply, visit the Gathering website.

We are a group of single adults age 25 – 55 (with or without children) who have never been married or who were previously married and are now divorced or widowed. We are a ministry of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Orange, CA but everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. Check out our website.

Join us on a different adventure each month as we explore Southern California's beauty. Be prepared to sweat! Wear comfortable hiking shoes and bring plenty of water. Each moderate hike will take approximately 2 hours to complete. Learn More

Do you love to read? Are you looking for clean fiction books beyond the typical Christian romance novels? If so, come join Chapter One every other month to discuss Christian novels that range from satirical comedies, to historical fiction, heartwarming Christmas classics, thrillers and a few other genres in between. Learn More

Concordia University Irvine is hosting its third service day, CONCORDIAserves, on Tuesday, September 28. Last year (during COVID) some of our students made phone calls to shut-ins from local churches. Encouragement was shared – prayers were said – stories were told! This was a HUGE blessing for both our students and the shut-ins. If your church would like to participate this year, please contact Sofia Saldana at 949 214-3191 or via email at sofia.saldana@cui.edu.

Looking for stewardship resources for your church? Check out the LCMS website under Stewardship Ministry. You will find newsletter articles, bulletin blurbs, Bible studies, Stewardship A to Z, and many more resources. On the PSD website, we have 3-week stewardship modules for our congregations free of charge. If you have questions regarding stewardship resources, contact Rev. Gale Cynova at gcynova@gmail.com.

The Lutheran Laymen's League Grand Canyon District of Arizona is looking for individuals interested in being Ambassadors in their congregation. For more information, go to lhm.org/ambassador or contact Rev. Gale Cynova at gcynova@gmail.com.

Two large and devastating fires are still burning in Northern California: the Dixie Fire, which has destroyed a record number of acres as well as the town of Greenville, CA, including First Lutheran Church; and the Caldor Fire, which presently threatens the South Lake Tahoe area and communities in Nevada. You can help by visiting the CNH District website.

As of this writing, the LCMS Southern District Office is doing damage assessments in the wake of Hurricane Ida. It is too soon to know what our volunteer and supply needs are going to be. The District President and the LCMS Disaster Response team are in the field checking on our LCMS church properties. President Johnson has been out delivering fuel, water, and generators to pastors and parishioners in need. If you would like to assist, please go to southernlcms.org, click on disaster response to donate. 100% of donations go directly to disaster relief.

Salam Ministries will be teaming up with other Christian organizations to serve and reach out to newly arrived Afghani families. Newcomers need to find a place to stay, furniture, appliances, get their driver's license, buy a car, find jobs, enroll children in schools and much more .. but most of all they need Jesus. The love of Jesus will be presented to them in practical ways in meeting their urgently felt needs. We need every prayer, every volunteer, and every small and big donation. Please contact us if you would like to help.

Rev. ST Williams has been in continuous communication with church leaders of our sister church, The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti. They are seeking support from their brothers and sisters. They need prayer, food, cleaning drinking water, health kits, blankets, and tents. All of these items can be purchased in Haiti and/or the Dominican Republic. The pastors and church leaders will purchase these items then transport them. Shipment of these items from the United States would be expensive and time-consuming.

Donations can be sent to:

St. Paul Haiti Mission: 3901 W. Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90018

Zelle: Haiti Mission: 402-525-3395

Cash App: 402-525-3395

Redeemer Lutheran Church, Huntington Beach, CA is hosting a Breakfast Bible Study on Saturday, September 11 at 9:00 am led by Pastor Nader Hanna.  Breakfast starts at 8:30 am in the Fellowship Hall followed by the presentation at 9:00 am. RSVP at churchoffice@redeemer-lutheran.net or call 714-846-6330. For those who prefer Zoom, a link will be posted on our website under Events, Upcoming Events.

Twenty years later, September 11 continues to live in infamy as the memory of a vicious flesh and blood enemy attack on our homeland. “Be strong in the Lord” said Saint Paul as he talked about the invisible enemy of our soul with which we wrestle every day, the unseen enemy behind September 11 and all evil every day. It is for a reason that Jesus taught us to pray “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” We don’t live our Christian faith in a vacuum; we don’t just inhabit this planet; we cohabit with fallen angels, evil spirits who blind the minds of unbelievers to keep them from trusting Jesus and being saved, who attack us, the children of God, with fear, discouragement and deception, to steal our joy, kill our effective witness to Christ, and destroy our unity and love. That’s what Jesus said in John 10:10, the thief/devil comes only to steal, kill and destroy. In his letter to the Ephesians, Saint Paul shows us how we overcome, how to defeat the unseen enemy by living a Christ-like, Spirit-filled life, by putting on the protective gear of the truth of the Gospel and wielding the offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, standing firm, believing, embracing, living by and speaking the truth of God.

Registration is now open for the 77th Annual Southern California District Lutheran Laymen's League Conference Bringing Christ to the Nations on Saturday, October 9 at Concordia University Irvine.

Our speakers will include:

This event is FREE. Lunch is provided. A free will offering will be accepted.

The Lutheran Hour Ministries Float Committee is pleased to announce additional riders for their 2022 Rose Parade Float entitle Jesus Teaches.

Dr. Kurt Senske, Chairman of Lutheran Hour Ministries Board of Directors

Debbie Larson, Lutheran Women's Missionary League President

Rev. Bil Hood, So CA LLL District Pastoral Advisor

Rev. Nadar Hanna, Faith Lutheran Church, Huntington Beach

Rev. Matt Nolte, St. Paul, Agoura Hills & Redeemer, Thousand Oaks

Nikki Nolte, Lutheran Hour Ministries Float Committee

Nicole Heerlein, LHM Associate Director, External Relations

Carl Perr, Orange Lutheran High School Class of 2021

The Pacific Southwest District LWML is now accepting grant applications for the 2022-2021 Biennium. If you have a new Gospel outreach idea or would like to expand upon an already active mission in your church or community, please apply by visiting psdlwml.org. You will find the application and guidelines under Mission Grants. Mail deadline is September 15.