What’s Going on at the GCS?

Sue Jensen, Synod Council Member

The Grand Canyon Synod Council met on February 22 to conduct the business of the synod. This group of conference and at-large representatives meets with Bishop Deborah Hutterer and the synod staff four times each year. Regular agenda items include approval of reports from the bishop and the treasurer, plus other actions required by the synod constitution. I am pleased to report that the synod is currently in a good place with regard to both its leadership and its finances. We as a council and staff together are committed to carrying out the synod’s Strategic Plan: To Communicate Jesus, to Connect People, and to Create Possibilities.

Two special items from this meeting deserve greater mention. The first is the Grand Canyon Synod’s partnership with the Rocky Mountain Synod in a Lilly Endowment grant called Educate, Equip, Enact. One piece of this grant will enable a congregation of the GC synod to enroll in a program called Stewardship for All Seasons, which includes materials and coaching by financial professionals. Another piece will enable the synod to assist rostered leaders who are carrying educational or medical debt.

A second item is the creation, in partnership with Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest, of a new council called the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry of Arizona (LAMA). ELCA World Hunger has provided LAMA a grant of $15,000 in seed money to begin this effort. The council’s first task is to work with our State Legislature to address the issue of widespread food insecurity in Arizona. TVLC member Gerd Renno is involved with this new group and is happy to answer any questions you may have and/or to enlist you in this important effort.

TVLC is faithful in sending a percentage of our offering to the Grand Canyon Synod, and the Grand Canyon Synod sends 50% of its income to Churchwide. Why? Because we can do more together than as individuals. Each expression of the church – congregation, synod, and Churchwide – is careful to always use whatever it is given to do God’s work in the world, to go to places where we can’t go, and to accomplish great things on our behalf. To learn more about the work of the synod, stop by the synod website (gcsynod.org) and sign up for the synod’s weekly email newsletter.