God is doing great things in Phoenix. Stoneridge hospice chaplains, LCMS pastor Timothy Duerr, chaplain Mark Kempf and various Lutheran churches around Phoenix have partnered to share God’s love in tangible ways.

About 10% of Stoneridge Hospice’s patients are active Christians who attend worship regularly and can speak about their faith in Jesus without hesitation.

About 10% want nothing to do with a chaplain. 10% belong to another religion. Around 20% have some resentment toward the church or organized religion. They often cite clergy scandals and churches asking for money as reasons they don’t go to church. 

And about 50% tend to be cultural “Christians.” Those who refer to themselves as Christians though they have not been to church in 30 or 40 years. When asked if they will go to Heaven say, “I’m not sure.” or “I hope I’ve been good enough…”

The ministry of sharing the Gospel with these groups centers around building trust and relationships.

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We, here at Mission Training Center, are looking ahead to our 2023 class schedule. Since there is no way we can fit all our possible courses into one calendar year, we are seeking your input as to which one you are most interested in taking. This link will open a Google Form that will allow you to quickly mark topics that you would seriously consider studying next year.

2023 MTC Interest Survey

Check out Mission Training Center's remaining 2022 classes! Everyone—volunteers, elders, administrators, life-long learners—are welcome to take classes. Visit missiontrainingcenter.com for more information.

Holy Cross/Peace Lutheran Church, San Diego has banners available for free. To view the banners, click here. If interested, please contact Kelly Sedgwick at holycrossword@gmail.com.

If you missed the Concordia Health Plan (CHP) town hall webinar on July 19, good news – a recording is available. The webinar covered health plan options, special coverages, rates, and what is new for 2023.

This webinar is intended for Business Managers, Treasurers, and those in leadership at ministries who are in charge of making decisions about employee’s health care offerings.

Access the recording here.

Access the PowerPoint here.

And save the dates for two webinars covering employer benefit elections:

• August 2 at 11:00 am PDT
• August 4 at 9:00 am PDT

We are so excited to be back in person with our summer Concerts on the Green from 5:00 o 7:00 pm. Bring your beach chair and picnic basket or purchase food from Bon Appetit's food booth. Concerts are FREE and open to the public.

July 31 - Stonesoul

An 8 piece, horn-blowing, foot-stomping Classic Soul & Motown tribute band.

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Join the Petal Pushers® for an exciting 3 days of hands-on float decorating! 

Help to decorate many meaningful floats, including the Lutheran Hour Ministries float and attend the world-famous Rose Parade on January 2, 2023. 

Enjoy 3 days of float preparation and decorating and learn how the many beautiful and meaningful floats are designed, constructed and decorated. This year, Lutheran Hour Ministries is celebrating its 72st anniversary of witnessing the gospel message in the Rose Parade. 

On January 2, share an unforgettable day as we cheer from our grandstand seats along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, as we watch the Lutheran Hour Ministries float in the Rose Parade. 

Contact LutherTours 1.844.777.1517.

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Plans are in the making for this Gifts from the Heart Ingathering on February 12, 2023 as a joint project of Orphan Grain Train, California, Arizona, Nevada Collection Center and the PSD Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. As school supplies are now on sale it would a good time to start gathering school items by the LWML groups and PSD congregations who plan to participate in this project. For more information, please contact Shirley Anderson at 619-254-266 or at nanashirleyanderson@gmail.com; or Steve Rice at 661-305-0561 or at steveric58@gmail.com.