Home Content Column

If you have any accounts with Thrivent, you are eligible to apply twice yearly for a $250 pre-paid Visa card for various church and campus ministry projects. Over the years we have purchased pots for our plants, gas for student retreats, food for banquets and gatherings, among many other projects.

You can even get free Thrivent “Live Generously” t-shirts. Applications are online. Upcoming projects here include San Diego retreat (we would have to do that ASAP), supplies for lefse making, winter retreat, LCM/ULC “give aways”, etc.

Interested? Talk to Pastor Gary or MaryBeth LaMont. They can even help you apply.

The Diakonia Program is a 40+ year old ministry within the ELCA that is committed to fostering learning environments for followers of Jesus to grow in faith.

There are currently three Growing in Faith communities in the Grand Canyon Synod with cohorts in Metro Phoenix, Tucson, and Online that offer classes, retreats, and mutual care to equip followers of Jesus to live out their faith.

Read about upcoming fall courses. Then register for your course.

The August Summer Connection is on Sunday, August 20th at 11:30 am in the Campus Center. We will celebrate the return of students with a potluck on their first Sunday back.

Please note that our worship time will change to 10:30 am beginning that same date, August 20th, when we have the opening of the academic year.

We were able to start up our Summer Connections Event again this summer (due to COVID we were not able to meet). In June, Kristin Tollefson was our host. July’s hosts were Pastor Gary and Mary Beth McCluskey. Thank you to our hosts and to all who attended.

Our final Summer Connections will be Sunday, August 20, at 11:30 am in the Campus Center. We will have a potluck to welcome back our students!

After failing to pass last year, the Afghan Adjustment Act was reintroduced into Congress in both the House and Senate on July 13th. It was introduced in the Senate by Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and in the House by Rep Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA). The effort is to attach the AAA bill as an amendment to the Senate National Defense Authorization Act, with the hope it will be able to advance through Congress.

The Afghan Adjustment Act was originally introduced in August of 2022 but did not make it to a floor vote. To recap, the AAA would provide a pathway to citizenship for Afghan nationals who came to the United States after the fall of Kabul. These Afghans are currently under humanitarian parole, which is set to soon expire. With the current backlog in the citizenship process, it is important that a permanent pathway to citizenship is created for those who worked alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan and fled in fear of their lives.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION!

These bills are set to pass this week. We encourage you to contact your Congressional Representatives and urge them to support the Afghan Adjustment Act. LIRS (Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services) has a quick and easy page to contact your reps. You can use the template.

At time of publication, three Arizona House of Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors: David Schweikert (R) District 1, Juan Ciscomani (R) District 6, and Greg Stanton (D), District 4. See full list of Congress sponsorship.

If your Congressional Representative was one of the three Arizona Representatives to sign on as a co-sponsor, please reach out and thank them!