Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

05/24/2026

9 AM Sunday Worship Service 5/24/2026

05/23/2026

God is leading Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church and Academy on an exciting journey of faith and renewal. Please join us on this path.

A Call Committee led by Rhonda Karrer and Jodi Layton interviewed and reviewed several applications for our pastoral opening. The committee strongly recommended Pastor Annemarie Burke.

After meeting with the committee and reviewing Pastor Burke's credentials, the Congregation Council unanimously voted to approve the recommendation and to put her candidacy before the congregation. Council members and staff who have spoken individually with Pastor Burke the past two weeks are impressed and see her as a good fit. We're eager for everyone to get to know her.

TWO IMPORTANT DATES

Sunday, May 31 - Meet and Greet Pastor Burke in Werner Hall after worship. Sandwiches, fruit, salads, other goodies will be served.

Sunday, June 7 - Special congregation meeting after worship to vote to call Pastor Burke.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PASTOR BURKE

Pastor Annemarie, as she prefers to be called, was born and raised in Tucson and calls the Sonoran Desert home. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural and Linguistic Anthropology. Later, she followed a call to offer her love of language and diverse cultures in service of God’s mission to love and bless the world by joining Wycliffe Bible Translators. There she served as a Sociolinguistic Survey Specialist in Tanzania, traveling with a team in remote regions of the country.

After returning, she attended Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, and served her internship year in Northern Minnesota on the Iron Range. She went on to serve ELCA congregations in the Mountain West before returning to Arizona. Most recently, she has served in hospice chaplaincy supporting patients and their families. In January of 2026 she celebrated her 20-year ordination anniversary.

In her free time for rest and renewal, she enjoys reading, hiking, desert gardening, discovering a new favorite restaurant with friends, playing the piano, staring at sunsets, and a good binge-watch on Netflix. She enjoys being outdoors more than indoors, is a dog-person who has cats, and will wax poetic about Star Trek if not closely monitored.

05/23/2026

From Easter into Pentecost living
Letter from Pastor Jeff

Dear Beautiful Savior,
This week we cross over the bridge of Easter into Pentecost living.
Given our propensity to sleep walk, hide behind gated communities and believe we can control our lives, why does FEAR still seem to abound? Isn’t it time to finally awaken and surrender to God’s perfect love that casts out all fear? A Pentecost poem by Cheryl Lawrie to sit and reflect on:


A Pentecost Poem -

come to think of it…
actually, Your spirit is not really like a flickering candle sitting on the altar, which we’ve protected
from scorching with a heat proof mat
You burn with irrepressible, ferocious passion.

in truth, your spirit has little in common with the gentle breeze from the fan fluttering the bulletins
as it rotates from the front pews during the children’s talk
we can barely stand upright in the face of Your love.

luckily, Your spirit barely resembles a helium filled red balloon, rising, just out of reach, to taunt us as
it rests against the church ceiling
You would subsume us in the unrelenting hold of Your peace.

we think we have You nailed
in our fire resistant,
cyclone-proof,
red cloth swathed metaphors

thank god our inadequacy defining You has never stopped You yet.

With you in the journey and learning to surrender to the promises of God.

-Pastor Jeff

05/22/2026

We mourn the passing of our beloved retired pastor, good friend and teacher Rev. Richard Mauthe. A memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. Sunday, June 14, at Beautiful Savior, following the regular church service. His widow, Edie, says the family wants it to be a celebration of his long and rich life.

The Grand Canyon Synod gives thanks for the life and ministry of Rev. Richard John Mauthe, beloved pastor, teacher, and longtime Diakonia instructor, who died May 14 at age 77. Known to many in our synod for teaching Old and New Testament courses, Rev. Mauthe faithfully formed leaders and shared a l

05/17/2026

Sunday Worship Service, May 17, 2026

05/03/2026

9 AM Sunday Worship Service 5/3/2026

05/02/2026

The bountiful life of Sandra (“Sandy”) Marie Petersen was celebrated Saturday during a service at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church. Several friends and former colleagues expressed their warm remembrances.

Rev. David Pavesic, who was the church’s pastor until being called to a position with the Grand Canyon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, said Sandy often pushed him to do things he wasn’t sure he could do. The bruising on his backside was just beginning to heal after her “kicking me in the rear,” he joked.

Wearing an NFL Bears cap the Chicago native had given him, Pavesic said despite her short stature she was a giant in the congregation with her firm style, service and many contributions. She served as a greeter, usher, communion assistant, ran the LLL coffee hour and Prime Timers retiree luncheon. She was a collection counter, answered phones in the church office and served on the congregation council three different times.

Sandy and her late husband, Earl, were “registered Scouters” with Boy Scouts of America. She served as the charter representative when Beautiful Savior started sponsoring a troop.

She died April 17 at age 87.

Pavesic said he had counseled her near the end and she knew a room was waiting for her in Heaven. He encouraged all gathered Saturday to remember that for themselves.

04/26/2026

Sunday 9 AM Worship Service 4/26/2026

04/24/2026

Are you a Thrivent member? If so, you can help Beautiful Savior, the Beautiful Savior Academy or other ministries supported by our church.

Thrivent members are eligible to apply for resources to help with a fundraiser, educational event or service activity. The member-owned financial services organization provides a customized kit of resources, including team T-shirts, thank-you notes and a Community Impact Card with $250 to kick-start the event or project.

If you can help out, contact Academy Director Becca Vorholzer at [email protected] or the church office at [email protected]. They can provide a list of events or projects to help with.

04/24/2026

Lutheran Disaster Response is working with local partners to respond to recent storms across the U.S., helping to coordinate immediate needs while also preparing for the long road ahead — debris removal, repair and rebuilding, case management, and the ongoing emotional and spiritual care so many survivors need.

Last week heavy storms brought significant flooding and damage to communities across the upper Midwest. Homes were inundated, roads were washed out. Residents are beginning the difficult work of assessing what was lost. At the same time, severe weather continues to affect communities in many parts of the United States.

To learn more or to donate go to https://www.elca.org/giving/lutheran-disaster-Lutheran Disaster Response