Our Mission
To proclaim the love of Jesus Christ,
invite others to participate in our faith community,
and be a blessing to all in word and deed.
Due to taking precautionary measures against the coronavirus, all Worship services and events are cancelled through May 11th. Please read the following letter for more information:
Dear Members and Friends of American Lutheran Church,
As you know, our church has been revising worship practices such as halting communion by intinction, no passing of the offering plate, no handshaking and other measures. Our plans were to have worship services this weekend but earlier today, Bishop Deborah Hutterer issued the following recommendation:
“Having prayerfully considered our current situation with respect to COVID-19, in conversation with bishops from the wider church, and in light of the quickly evolving nature of this pandemic, I am recommending that all ELCA congregations in the Grand Canyon Synod, regardless of location or number of congregants, suspend public worship gatherings, events and meetings beginning immediately until at least April 1, possibly longer.”
Based upon her thoughtful perspective and our own loving concern for our congregation, American Lutheran Church will suspend all Worship services, WNA/Lenten services, Bible Studies, other events and meetings through May 11, 2020.
We are living in a historic time and the practice of physical distancing makes good sense as a health practice. However, physical distancing does not mean the suspension of Church! In conversation with Pastor Lowell, he encouraged us to remember even in his own physical distancing due to health issues this past month, he still feels connected to the congregation through cards, phone calls, pastoral visits and member’s prayer. The key is staying connected to God and to each other!
Accordingly, he made the following suggestions to our church for staying connected:
-Deepen Social connections through the use of phones, text, emails & social media. While neighborhood groups and other small groups won’t be meeting, they can certainly call and encourage one another.
-Strengthen Spiritual connections through recording sermons using the themes of “Rhythm of Prayer” and “Power of Prayer” and making available on the ALC website. Bible study can continue at home using upcoming Lectionary readings and devotionals. Our prayer life can stay active at home as every member joins at the same time to pray using our current times. Intercession for the needs of others can also continue through phones, texts, emails and social media.
-Maintain solid Stewardship- Most of our members bring their offerings to worship so we will need to connect with ALC financially through the website, mail or bank transfer. We continue to retain our staff to work through these challenging times and prepare for the upcoming months.
Please note: ALC Intercessory Prayer Group will be cancelled this Monday, March 16th but will be reorganized via a conference call phone number and access code for the following Monday, March 23rd and March 30th from 2:30-3:30 pm. Prayer and Meditation Group on Tuesdays will not be held until after May 11th. Pastor Judith encourages you to continue your individual prayer and mediations at home.
Also please note: We encourage you to continue giving on our website, www.alcsuncity.org/giving.
ALC’s mission to proclaim, invite and bless continues unabated as we work together in the upcoming weeks and months to ensure we are connected as the Church. We are confident in God’s love for this world and seek to reflect the love of Christ. Thank you for your understanding and commitment.
Sincerely,
Terri Polk, Church Council President Rev. Judith Rainforth
