Sierra Pacific Synod - ELCA

06/03/2026

As we begin Pride Month, we give thanks for the beloved diversity of God’s creation. May you know that you are held in love, grounded in dignity, and surrounded by grace!

06/02/2026

Dr. Robert Pitts and Jamie Stark are joining the Sierra Pacific Synod as The Synod Disaster Response Community Organizers. They will train and support rostered and lay leaders across the synod to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, climate-related disasters, and humanitarian crises. This team's work is funded over a three-year period by a grant from Lutheran Disaster Response.

Welcome Dr. Pitts & Jamie!

05/31/2026

The Nominating Committee of the Sierra Pacific Synod invites you to prayerfully consider if God is calling you to serve on the Synod Council.

Elections to fill these positions will take place during the 2026 Synod Assembly on June 13, 2026 via Zoom.

Nominate yourself or someone else to serve on synod council by completing the form at https://www.spselca.org/synod-assembly-2026 by June 5.

05/30/2026

A recent article from Living Lutheran highlights the story of Sierra Pacific Synod member Gail Kiyomura as she reflects on her family’s experience of Japanese American incarceration during World War II and the importance of remembering this history today.

Through her story, Gail invites the church into deeper conversations about justice, memory, belonging, and faithful witness. Thank you, Gail, for your vulnerability.

Read it at

In 1941, shortly after Gail Kiyomura’s father was 18 years old—fresh out of high school, the eldest child in his family and, by every measure he understood, fully American. Within...

05/30/2026

For the Iglesia Luterana Santa María Peregrina Community: The congregation will be worshiping this Sunday, May 31 at 1:30 PM at 306 E Clay St Stockton, CA 95206 (St. Mark’s Methodist Church).

Please hold Iglesia Luterana Santa María Peregrina and First Unitarian Universalist Church in Stockton in your prayers as they recover from a fire.

05/29/2026

Looking for a free Bible study curriculum? Caring for the Earth: Stories From Faith Communities offers seven sessions exploring the importance of caring for both our communities and the environment. The series features 25 voices, including youth, organizers, and advocates from Christian, Muslim, Indigenous, Baha’i, and Jewish communities (including 4 ELCA leaders!)

Each 20-minute film is accompanied by a study guide with discussion questions, Scripture, prayers, and practical next steps to help faith communities take meaningful action.

Check it out at

Moving Forward: A Guide to Climate Action For Your Congregation and Community that will provide people of faith with the ideas and resources to act.

05/28/2026

Jeff Johnson recently visited Dean Jodi Golden Lund and the people of Trinity Lutheran Church of Porterville, CA ELCA, our southernmost congregation, for worship, fellowship, and Bible study! May God bless their ministry!

05/27/2026

Join Pr. John Valentine to learn more about the resolutions that will be voted on during the business session of synod assembly on June 13. Find the resolutions at https://www.spselca.org/synod-assembly-2026

The Zoom link is under events on our website!

05/26/2026

Are you a layperson called to preach and serve your congregation? Join this 8-week summer cohort with Karoline M. Lewis, Marbury E. Anderson Chair in Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary, to grow your preaching skills in a supportive community of lay preachers through weekly readings, discussion, and practice.

The class begins on June 4 and meets on Zoom on Thursdays from 5:30–7:30 pm. Register at https://www.spselca.org/events

05/25/2026

Who do you honor today? Share their name in the comments and the synod staff will pray for them.

God of mercy and peace,
on this Memorial Day, we remember those who have died in service to this country. We give thanks for their courage, their sacrifice, and their love for others.

Hold close all who grieve today: families, friends, communities, and all whose lives have been forever changed by war. Surround them with your comfort and your peace.

We pray also for all who continue to carry the wounds of war, in body, mind, or spirit. Bring healing where there is pain, hope where there is despair, and companionship where there is loneliness.

Guide the leaders of this nation and all nations in the ways of justice and peace. Turn our hearts away from violence and toward your vision of a world where swords are beaten into plowshares and where every person may live in safety, dignity, and freedom.

May our remembering today not only honor the dead, but also strengthen our commitment to seek peace, care for the living, and serve our neighbors with love.

In the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we pray.
Amen.