Happy New Year! We're excited to share our social ministry updates for January:

• 5th Sunday Letters, January 12th

• Family Promise Week, February 2-9

• Northeast Valley Consortium

• Arizona Faith Network

As we continue to support our neighbors through the Extended Hands Food Bank, we want to ensure that all donations are safe and beneficial for those in need. One important way you can help is by checking the expiration dates on food items before donating them.

Please watch this special thank you video from Bishop Hutterer. In this message, Bishop Hutterer expresses heartfelt gratitude for New Journey’s support and dedication to our mission within the Synod.

On Christmas Eve, the New Journey community and friends gathered to celebrate the gift of love through song, prayer, and candlelight. It was a night to remember God's promise of presence and care amidst our weariness. With God's help, a weary world found joy once more!

No worries if you missed the special Zoom meeting on Monday, January 6 at 5:30 pm. You can still catch up on all the important discussions and insights by watching the recording on YouTube below.

Join us after worship on Sunday, January 26, 2025 for our 2024 Annual Meeting. During this meeting, we will vote on the mission plan, elect new congregation council members, and address other church business.

Lutherans and friends of Lutherans from across the state will gather at the Arizona Capitol in Wesley Bolin Plaza for a day of advocacy on Monday, February 10, 2025 from 8:30 am - 1:00 pm to learn, to witness, and voice our common needs in the public square, activating our faith in love.

Join the Grand Canyon Synod in honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at a special Celebration of Diversity event on Sunday, January 19, 2025, from 3-5 pm. This commemorative service will be held at King of Glory Lutheran Church in Tempe, AZ. The event will feature inspiring worship, reflection, and community gathering, with Bishop Yehiel Curry of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod preaching in Tempe.

Teranga, Hospitalidad, and the Spirit of Generosity

This Advent season, as we wait in hopeful anticipation for the gift of Christ’s birth, I find myself reflecting deeply on gifts and generosity. Not just the kind we wrap in paper and ribbons, but the kind we experience through the Spirit—the gifts of love, grace, and community that bind us together as one church, one body of Christ.

Ms. Cayce, who teaches 21 kindergartners at Imagine East Mesa School took us on a tour to “Kristin’s Closet” (the “Giving Gang” support to those in need), and IEM principal, Dr. Melynda Hache affirmed that IEM students are looking forward to joining the Food for Kidz food pack in February.

Thank you once again for the generosity of New Journey participation in the Angel Tree for a family at Imagine East Mesa School. The gifts were blessed at New Journey's December 15 worship service: "Bless these Christmas gifts, O God, and the hands that purchased and wrapped them. May Jonah, Jaliyah, Josiah, and their mother find wonder and happiness in their use, and may these gifts be a sign of your love to all people."

During Advent, our community came together for delightful soup suppers and midweek worship, centered around the theme: “Words for the Beginning.” Advent marks a time of both endings and beginnings, as the calendar year ends and a new church year starts. We embraced this season of transitions with Holden Evening Prayer and Community Soup Suppers on Wednesday evenings. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed soup and bread.

Your Congregation Council has been diligently working to produce a 2025 Mission Plan that prioritizes the mission and vision God has given to us: "an instrument of God's love for all."

Join us for a special ZOOM meeting on Monday, January 6 at 5:30 pm to present and discuss the proposed 2025 Mission Plan.

These documents outline our church's strategic goals and the key initiatives we will undertake to fulfill our mission and serve our community.

November Council Meeting Minutes

To read the approved November Congregation Council meeting minutes, click here.

If you have questions, please contact any member of the Congregation Council.

Join us this Christmas Eve as we remember and celebrate the joy of our Savior’s birth in worship. Following worship, all are welcome and invited to bring a favorite cookie to share for a cookie and cocoa fellowship time.  

Tuesday, December 24, 2024 at 5:00 pm

In her Christmas message, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton calls our attention to the word “joy” in the angel’s proclamation to the shepherds. “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of a great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.’” (Luke 2:10-11).

Pastor Beth

• Current Ministry Projects:

  • Midweek Advent Bible Study

  • Midweek Advent Worship & Soup Supper

  • Annual Meeting Preparation

  • Pastoral Care Visits

  • Christmas Eve Worship

  • Vacation: December 15; December 25-January 3

Susan

• Current Ministry Projects:

  • Supporting Advent & Christmas

  • 2024 Annual Report

  • 2025 Calendar Planning

  • Food 4 Kidz Marketing Projects

Jamie

• Current Ministry Projects:

  • Christmas Preparation

  • Choir Rehearsal Leadership

  • Worship Leadership

  • Vacation: December 30-January 4

Explore the Grand Canyon Synod’s 2024 Advent & Christmas Hub! This dedicated section offers a wealth of worship resources, event calendars, and inspiring stories to enrich your Advent and Christmas season. Whether you're looking for devotionals, worship ideas, or community events, you'll find it all here. Visit gcsynod.org/2024-advent-christmas to discover more and share in the joy of the season.