SAVE THE DATE: GROWING IN FAITH PROGRAM TO HOST CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM SYMPOSIUM NOV. 14

The Grand Canyon Synod’s Growing in Faith Program will host a special symposium this fall exploring faithful Christian witness in a time of division, fear and rising nationalism.

The event, titled “A Different Way: Jesus and the Call Beyond Nationalism — Hope, Courage and Community for Such a Time as This,” will take place on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at American Lutheran Church in Sun City, Arizona, with both in-person and virtual participation options available. Additional details and registration information will be shared in the coming months.

The symposium’s featured speaker will be Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee of the Northwest Washington Synod. Bishop Wee is widely known throughout the ELCA for her thoughtful leadership, clear theological voice and commitment to justice, reconciliation and faithful public witness.

As followers of Jesus, Lutherans are called to place our ultimate trust not in political movements or national identity, but in Christ’s call to love God and neighbor. This symposium will invite participants into faithful conversation about Christian nationalism, discipleship, courage, community and hope in challenging times.

The Growing in Faith Program and Diakonia ministries continue to provide opportunities for learning, formation and theological reflection across the synod. This event is designed for rostered ministers, lay leaders and anyone seeking deeper grounding in Lutheran theology and public discipleship.

Please mark your calendars now and watch for additional information on registration, schedule details and participation opportunities later this year.

Faith | Justice | Love | Neighbor

As the United States prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, the ELCA Worship Office has released a new set of worship resources designed to help congregations engage the occasion faithfully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully. The resources may be used for a special service or on Sunday, July 5, 2026, and are now available in PDF, DOC, and through SundaysandSeasons.com. More info at ELCA.org.

The materials include a full collection of liturgical texts, including confession and forgiveness, prayers, intercessions, communion liturgy, blessing, dismissal, and an “Affirmation of Christian Vocation in Civic Life.” The resources were developed in response to the unique challenges and realities of this moment in American life, seeking both to celebrate and lament the nation’s history while centering the church firmly in the gospel.

The liturgy is grounded in the Revised Common Lectionary readings for Lectionary 14, Year A (complementary series), including texts from Zechariah, Romans, and Matthew that speak of humility, struggle, mercy, freedom, and rest in Christ. Congregations using the semicontinuous readings are encouraged to consider the complementary series for this Sunday so the connections between scripture and liturgy are more fully revealed.

The resource also includes extensive preaching guidance from Rev. Angela Denker, encouraging preachers to reject Christian nationalism while proclaiming the gospel’s call to justice, humility, neighbor-love, and truth-telling. Musicians and worship planners will also find detailed guidance from Wayne Wold, including hymn suggestions, planning reflections, and practical advice for navigating the complexities of national observances within Christian worship.

Throughout the resources, the focus remains not on nationalism, but on Christ’s invitation to weary people and divided communities:

“We gather around word, water, and meal by Christ’s invitation: ‘Come to me, all you that are weary.’ Here we find rest for our souls and hope for life in the beloved community.”

Congregations, worship leaders, pastors, musicians, and worship committees are encouraged to begin conversations and planning early for July 2026. The full resource may be downloaded here: ELCA Worship Resources for the US Semiquincentennial PDF

The ELCA has received a $1.2 million grant from Lilly Endowment to strengthen the work of Lutheran Disaster Response, particularly in emotional and spiritual care and long-term recovery. The funding will support regionally based care teams and deepen accompaniment of communities long after disasters occur. Read the full ELCA story.

For Lutherans, public witness has often taken the form of prayer, service, feeding ministries, disaster response, accompaniment, letter-writing, and, at times, protest. A recent article in Living Lutheran (Summer 2026, p. 18), “Publicly, Boldly and Honestly,” reminds us that civic engagement is not a departure from Lutheran faith—it is part of our long tradition of loving our neighbor in public.

In the article, Brenda Martin shares stories of ELCA members whose faith has moved them into visible public action. Their witness includes responding to immigration enforcement, standing alongside vulnerable neighbors, protecting children and families, participating in public demonstrations, and working for civil rights, voting rights, hunger relief, immigrant justice, and care for creation. Their actions are rooted not in partisanship, but in the gospel’s call to love our neighbors, especially those who are hungry, sick, imprisoned, displaced, excluded, or afraid.

The accompanying study guide by Robert C. Blezard poses a question central to advocacy ministry: What does it mean not only to pull drowning people from the river, but also to go upstream and ask why they are falling in?

Congregations are often very good at throwing lifelines. We host food pantries, support shelters, provide clothing, accompany immigrants and refugees, care for the sick, and respond generously to urgent needs. These ministries are essential. Advocacy invites us to take the next faithful step: to examine the systems, policies, and decisions that contribute to hunger, homelessness, poverty, fear, and exclusion in the first place.

This is the work of Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada.

When we advocate for food security, affordable housing, access to health care, voting rights, immigration justice, environmental stewardship, and the dignity of every person, we are not engaging in partisan politics. We are practicing public discipleship. We are asking how our life together can better reflect God’s justice, mercy, and care for the whole community.

The Living Lutheran resource also acknowledges that public faith can be uncomfortable. Christians do not always agree about how or when to speak out. Advocacy can be criticized as too political, too bold, or too risky. Yet Lutheran theology offers strong grounding for public witness. The ELCA social statement The Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective reminds us that speaking God’s word “publicly, boldly and honestly” can be a faithful service to God and neighbor.

Our neighbors are affected every day by decisions made at the Legislature, in Congress, in city councils, on school boards, and in public agencies. Public policy influences whether families can afford housing, whether children have enough to eat, whether elders can access health care, whether immigrants are treated with dignity, whether voters can participate freely, and whether communities are prepared for extreme heat and other climate-related challenges.

LEAN invites congregations, pastors, deacons, lay leaders, and people of faith across Nevada to reflect on this resource and ask: What does faithful public witness look like in our community right now?

Perhaps it begins with a Bible study. Perhaps it begins with a letter to an elected official, a call to a legislator, a voter registration effort, a ministry partnership, a public prayer vigil, or a conversation in your congregation about the needs of your neighbors.

However it begins, the call remains the same: to love our neighbor not only privately, but publicly; not only quietly, but boldly; not only with compassion, but with courage.

This is the long arc of Lutheran advocacy. And it continues with us.

For Lutherans, public witness has often taken the form of prayer, service, feeding ministries, disaster response, accompaniment, letter-writing, and, at times, protest. A recent article in Living Lutheran (Summer 2026, p. 18), “Publicly, Boldly and Honestly,” reminds us that civic engagement is not a departure from Lutheran faith—it is part of our long tradition of loving our neighbor in public.

In the article, Brenda Martin shares stories of ELCA members whose faith has moved them into visible public action. Their witness includes responding to immigration enforcement, standing alongside vulnerable neighbors, protecting children and families, participating in public demonstrations, and working for civil rights, voting rights, hunger relief, immigrant justice, and care for creation. Their actions are rooted not in partisanship, but in the gospel’s call to love our neighbors, especially those who are hungry, sick, imprisoned, displaced, excluded, or afraid.

The accompanying study guide by Robert C. Blezard poses a question central to advocacy ministry: What does it mean not only to pull drowning people from the river, but also to go upstream and ask why they are falling in?

Congregations are often very good at throwing lifelines. We host food pantries, support shelters, provide clothing, accompany immigrants and refugees, care for the sick, and respond generously to urgent needs. These ministries are essential. Advocacy invites us to take the next faithful step: to examine the systems, policies, and decisions that contribute to hunger, homelessness, poverty, fear, and exclusion in the first place.

When we advocate for food security, affordable housing, access to health care, voting rights, immigration justice, environmental stewardship, and the dignity of every person, we are not engaging in partisan politics. We are practicing public discipleship. We are asking how our life together can better reflect God’s justice, mercy, and care for the whole community.

The Living Lutheran resource also acknowledges that public faith can be uncomfortable. Christians do not always agree about how or when to speak out. Advocacy can be criticized as too political, too bold, or too risky. Yet Lutheran theology offers strong grounding for public witness. The ELCA social statement The Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective reminds us that speaking God’s word “publicly, boldly and honestly” can be a faithful service to God and neighbor.

Our neighbors are affected every day by decisions made at the state Capitol, in Congress, in city councils, on school boards, and in public agencies. Public policy influences whether families can afford housing, whether children have enough to eat, whether elders can access health care, whether immigrants are treated with dignity, whether voters can participate freely, and whether communities are prepared for extreme heat and other climate-related challenges.

LEAN invites congregations, pastors, deacons, lay leaders, and people of faith across the Grand Canyon Synod to reflect on this resource and ask: What does faithful public witness look like in our community right now?

Perhaps it begins with a Bible study. Perhaps it begins with a letter to an elected official, a call to a legislator, a voter registration effort, a ministry partnership, a public prayer vigil, or a conversation in your congregation about the needs of your neighbors.

However it begins, the call remains the same: to love our neighbor not only privately, but publicly; not only quietly, but boldly; not only with compassion, but with courage.

This is the long arc of Lutheran advocacy. And it continues with us.

Study guide author Robert C. Blezard is a retired ELCA pastor living in Maryland. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from Boston University School of Theology and pursued further study at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, now part of United Lutheran Seminary.

Nevada faith leaders are invited to sign a national letter defending fair, safe and accessible voting as a public witness for dignity, justice and democracy. From Faith In Us.

As people of faith, we believe every person is created with God-given dignity, voice and agency. That conviction does not stop at the doors of our congregations; it shapes how we show up in public life. When eligible voters face barriers, intimidation or confusion at the ballot box, our neighbors’ voices are diminished — and so is the health of our democracy.

A national sign-on letter, “Faith Leaders Defending Our Democracy,” invites clergy and faith leaders across traditions, races and geographies to speak out together for fair access to the ballot. The letter raises concern about efforts that could restrict vote-by-mail, complicate voter registration, intimidate voters, weaken privacy protections, or dilute communities’ voting power through discriminatory maps. It especially names the impact on elders, people with disabilities or mobility concerns, rural voters, workers with difficult schedules, voters of color and people living in poverty.

For Lutherans, protecting voting rights is one way we love our neighbor in public. Our advocacy is not about partisanship; it is about ensuring that all eligible voters can participate safely, freely and fairly in choosing the leaders who make decisions affecting our shared life. LEAN encourages Nevada faith leaders to review the letter and consider adding their names as a public witness for dignity, justice and democracy.Following is the text of the sign-on letter from Faith In Us, with a link to sign the letter below.

The Letter

“As faith leaders, we stand for justice and fairness. We believe in protecting the dignity and rights of all people. We work to bring people together across every divide and we know that our democracy is strong when everyone is treated with dignity and when all voices are heard. As we approach the 2026 November elections, our freedom to vote and elect the leaders we choose is under threat. As clergy across faith, race and geography, we are joining together to protect our voting rights and the voting rights of our neighbors. 

We are speaking out against decisions that limit the access eligible voters have to the ballot box and efforts that appear aimed at preventing eligible voters from voting. We are deeply concerned about the executive order severely restricting vote-by-mail, and we are outraged by the rapid gerrymandering of racially discriminatory election maps in many states following the Supreme Court’s decision to end the Voting Rights Act commitment to racial equality in elections.

Vote-by-mail is particularly important for elders in our communities, for those with mobility concerns, for those in rural areas, and for those whose job status or life circumstances makes it difficult to vote in person on election day. In some states, all eligible voters are sent a mail ballot. This executive order threatens to take the vote away from countless eligible voters in our communities, causing confusion and chaos and the denial of fundamental constitutional rights. Vote-by-mail has been proven to be accurate, reliable, and efficient across the country, and it helps ensure that eligible voters are able to exercise their constitutional right to vote.  

Our faith traditions affirm the dignity, worth, and agency of all people. Patterns of action that prevent eligible voters from voting and that dilute voter’s power to choose their elected leaders violate our faith traditions’ affirmation of human dignity. Complicated registration rules, fewer voting options, threats to deploy ICE to polling places, barriers based on financial ability, requests that states turn over voter rolls despite privacy and security concerns, and discriminatory gerrymandering of maps all offend our core faith values as well as core democracy values. These efforts limit access to the ballot box and intimidate eligible voters, especially eligible voters of color and poverty. This makes us less free and gives us less power as voters to choose our leaders. 

We call on our Secretaries of State, election administrators and all elected officials in our states to join us in publicly opposing these efforts. We call on elected officials to join us in protecting our elections, our democracy, and the ability of all eligible voters to be able to access the ballot box and vote.   

We are coming together to protect our voting rights and the voting rights of our neighbors. We will continue to oppose attacks on the freedom to vote. We call on our elected leaders to do the same.”

Sign Here.