We're in the City for Good
Tucked into the corner of Third and Moreland Streets in downtown Phoenix, Grace Lutheran Church has been a steady presence for more than a century. Organized in 1914, Grace is the Mother Church of the Grand Canyon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the congregation from which five other Lutheran churches in Phoenix have been born over the years. Its members describe their call with a simple motto: we're in the city for good.
That conviction shapes everything at Grace. The congregation's welfare, the people here say, is tied to the welfare of downtown Phoenix, and the church opens its doors to a remarkable mix of neighbors. A pair of Montessori schools shares the campus, along with the Native American Urban Ministry, a New Life in Christ Fellowship Tongan Methodist congregation, and Trunk Space, a community music venue. The Phoenix Convention Center, Arizona Center, Roosevelt Arts District, and ASU Downtown Campus are all within walking distance, and Grace counts ASU students and staff among the regulars who walk through its doors.
A Gothic Sanctuary in the Desert
Grace Lutheran is one of only two examples of New Revival Gothic architecture in Phoenix, a striking contrast to the desert light outside. The congregation bought the Third and Moreland site in 1926, and the first service in the present building was held on Christmas Day 1928. The Arizona State Historical Society nominated the sanctuary for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
The interior is best known for its stained glass. After extensive remodeling, a Service of Re-entry and Dedication was held on October 23, 1960, and the project added eight large windows in the nave, designed by Robert Mansfield and executed by the Artglass Studios of Scottsdale. Together they depict the Acts of Grace Through Jesus Christ: the Incarnation, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, the Day of Pentecost, the Great Commission, the "I Am" Sayings of Jesus, the Miracles, and the Parables. Each scene is accompanied by related symbols in the smaller side panels. Above the balcony, a round Benediction Window reminds worshipers of God's blessing as they leave.
Behind those windows, a pipe organ fills the room. The original was built in 1929 by the Hall Organ Company of New Haven, Connecticut, founded by Harry Hall of Sussex, England, who had previously worked for the prestigious Hook and Hastings firm in Massachusetts. Six ranks of pipes and two manuals served the congregation for decades. After member Marvin Anderson added a seventh rank in 1972, the organ was rededicated with a recital by organist Virginia Brown. By the fall of 2000, a major rebuild and expansion was in order, and the congregation contracted with Pipe Organ Artisans of Tucson, with Grahame Davis leading the project. The present instrument has three manuals, nineteen ranks, and 1,300 pipes, with a division of exposed pipes in front of the chamber playable on both the choir and great manuals.
Sunday Morning at Grace
The rhythm of a Sunday at Grace is generous and unhurried. At 7:30 in the morning, a community pancake breakfast opens in Hope Hall, the parish hall, and it is open to anyone who walks in. By 9:00 a.m., Sunday Spirit gathers in the North Room of Hope Hall and the Christian Education Office in the basement for sharing highs and lows, prayer, Bible stories, and service projects, a children's and youth program that runs in tandem with adult Bible study. Grace Time, the adult class, meets in the North Room and on Zoom, working through the gospel passage that will be preached later in the morning.
At 10:00 a.m., the Traditional Worship service begins in the Sanctuary. The Chancel Choir sings each week, and Holy Communion is celebrated every Sunday. The service follows the Revised Common Lectionary, the three-year cycle of Bible readings shared with many Christians around the world, and follows a traditional Lutheran order. Children are most welcome to stay in worship and fully participate; for parents who prefer, a small cry room at the back of the sanctuary lets them hear and see the service while children take a break.
After the service, at about 11:15 a.m., the whole community gathers in Hope Hall for fellowship, sharing song, prayer, conversation, and coffee. The service itself is livestreamed on Facebook Live and on YouTube, so members who are traveling, sick, or homebound can join from afar.
Wednesday Connections: A Different Table
On Wednesday evenings at 6:00 p.m., a different kind of gathering takes shape in Hope Hall. Connections is a free community meal with live music and a brief message, an informal evening focused on people who are looking for spiritual connection but who are uncomfortable with, or not drawn to, conventional Lutheran worship.
Connections particularly welcomes young professionals and young families in the downtown area, as well as undergraduate and graduate students living on the ASU Downtown campus, ASU staff, and associate facility members. It is also a place for anyone simply looking for a place to belong. The music is led by a praise band rather than the Chancel Choir, and the atmosphere is conversational and warm. Spanish-language materials are made available so that Spanish-speaking neighbors can learn more about the program. The evening runs from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Heat Respite: Seventeen Summers in Hope Hall
For about seventeen summers, Grace has opened Hope Hall during the hottest months of the year as a Heat Respite site. The program provides a cool, safe indoor space along with water, snacks, hygiene supplies, wellness checks, and a community meal each day. It is built for the people of Phoenix who have no air conditioning of their own, those who are sleeping outside, in cars, or in shelters that cannot accommodate them through the day's peak heat.
The program typically runs from mid-June through late August. Outreach Coordinator Mark Bradford, who has led the program in recent years, organizes daily devotion, coordinates partner groups who come in to serve meals, and connects guests with longer-term services. Trinity Medical Behavioral Health has committed to being a long-term partner, providing counseling, substance abuse support, vocational training, and immediate housing assistance on site. Lutheran Social Services has used Heat Respite to register unhoused guests into their emergency I-Help program, and the Phoenix Rescue Mission has delivered pallets of bottled water to the site. In a single recent season, the program fed more than 300 meals in its first week and welcomed 50 or more guests a day, capping attendance only when the volunteer base reached its limit.
The program's aim reaches beyond the physical. Grace frames Heat Respite as a ministry of being, belonging, and becoming, an effort to meet guests in their full humanity, not only their immediate needs.
The Grace Room and a Network of Outreach
On Monday mornings at 9:00 a.m., the Grace Room opens to anyone in the community who needs clothing, blankets, and hygiene supplies. The room is coordinated largely by volunteers from Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Sun City West, who help sort donations and distribute them. Typical needs include new or used backpacks, men's and women's underwear of all sizes, men's jeans (especially waist 30 through 36), men's large and extra-large t-shirts, dry laundry soap, and blankets and sheets. Donations can be dropped at the church office during weekday hours.
On Tuesdays from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., the ASU Pitchfork Pantry operates out of Grace. The student volunteer-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit, an initiative under the ASU Foundation, provides fresh and non-perishable food as well as hygiene and clothing items to ASU students facing nutrition insecurity. CROP Hunger Walk is another annual community partnership, and Hope4Phoenix provides an evening meal in Hope Hall every Sunday for neighbors who are unhoused or in need of a hot dinner. Native American Urban Ministry hosts an Elders Group on Wednesday mornings and a Women's Talking Circle on the second and fourth Mondays from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Children, Youth, and Confirmation
Grace welcomes children of all ages to fully participate in the life of the congregation. Children and youth are welcome at the table of Holy Communion, to serve in worship as ushers, greeters, readers, communion assistants, acolytes, and crucifers, and to take part in Faith in Motion at worship. Sunday Spirit, the Sunday morning children's program, gathers kids and parents together at 9:00 a.m. for prayer, Bible stories, and service projects.
Confirmation is a course of Christian study designed for young people in roughly 6th through 9th grade, though the start time is flexible. Topics include Faith in Daily Life, the Bible, the Ten Commandments, Holy Communion, Holy Baptism, and the Apostles' Creed. Third-year students meet with their mentors monthly.
Baptism is offered to infants, children, youth, and adults. Parents who feel their child is ready to receive First Communion are invited to talk with the pastor, and Grace teaches that Holy Communion is a sacrament, a means of grace in which God is the active agent, providing forgiveness of sin, life, and salvation.
Each summer, Grace joins Lutheran Campformation, a collaborative ministry among ELCA congregations in the Grand Canyon Synod. Middle school students attend a week of Bible camp as campers in Prescott, while high school youth serve as GAP campers developing leadership skills and as counselors. The congregation also sends youth on lock-ins, retreats to Camp Emmanuel Pines, and biennial soul journeys to Holden Village in Washington.
Any adult who regularly volunteers with children and youth is required to complete a background check or provide results of one completed within the last five years, in keeping with the congregation's Safeguarding God's Children policy.
Music, the Arts, and the Building
Music is woven into the life of Grace. The Chancel Choir sings every Sunday at the Traditional Worship service and is open to all who would like to join. The Bells of Grace handbell choir, the praise band that leads Connections, and lay communion ministers are among the ways members serve. The cantor and director of music, Paul Lee, oversees the music program and is the staff lead for the Worship Committee, which meets monthly to plan liturgy, music, and decorations for worship and special services.
Beyond music, the Grace campus is a hive of activity. Trunk Space, a community music and arts venue, has long been housed in part of the building. Rising Youth Theatre, which serves the Phoenix area with classes and camps for young people, has been a regular partner. The two Montessori schools that lease the church's parsonage and use its outdoor spaces bring the sounds of children at play onto the campus. Little Lantanas Montessori uses the church basement for classrooms, and Amauri Montessori, a newer partner, has leased the parsonage for infant and toddler care, reshaping the garden and outdoor spaces for the children who learn there.
Belonging and Open Communion
Grace describes itself as an open and affirming community of faith that actively pursues the multicultural vision encouraged by the New Testament. Everyone is welcome, the church states, regardless of race, creed, economic status, sexual orientation, or social position.
This welcome is most visible at the communion table. Grace teaches that the invitation to Holy Communion comes not from the congregation or the pastor but from God, and that God does not turn anyone away. Children are welcome at the table as early as their parents deem appropriate, and those who do not wish to commune are welcome to come forward for a blessing. As Lutherans, the people of Grace understand Holy Communion to be a sacrament, a means of grace in which God is the active agent, providing, in Martin Luther's words, "forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation."
Confirmation at Grace follows the Lutheran Affirmation of Baptism, in which young people commit to five practices: living among God's faithful people, hearing the word of God and sharing in the Lord's supper, proclaiming the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, serving all people and following the example of Jesus, and striving for justice and peace in all the earth.
Accessibility and Visiting
Both the Sanctuary and Hope Hall are accessible to those who use wheelchairs and walkers, and fully accessible restrooms are available in Hope Hall before and after services. The Congregation Council meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m., and visitors are welcome to attend.
Those interested in making Grace their church home are invited to contact the pastor. New member classes are offered periodically. Membership is not required for participation in any aspect of Grace's ministry, with the single exception of serving on the congregational council.
Special Worship Through the Year
Throughout the year, Grace observes special worship services to mark the major seasons of the church year, particularly Christmas, Lent, and Holy Week. Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday (often with foot washing and stripping of the altar), Good Friday Tenebrae, and Easter are all part of the rhythm. Advent soup suppers and evening vespers in Hope Hall have been a recurring midweek feature, often paired with Holden Evening Prayer.
Grace Lutheran is also honored to host funeral and memorial services for members and friends. Members are encouraged to plan ahead and may indicate their preferences on a form available from the church office.
Joining the Work
Opportunities to serve at Grace are as varied as the congregation itself. Volunteers are needed in the Grace Room, on the property and landscaping crew, in the kitchen for the pancake breakfast and Heat Respite meals, in worship ministries such as altar guild and ushering, and on ministry teams for worship and music, hospitality, outreach, finance and property, and faith formation. The Chancel Choir, Bells of Grace, lay communion ministers, and the Connections praise band all welcome new members. Sunday Spirit, Grace Time, and Connections are open to newcomers who want to learn more.
Financial gifts can be made online through Tithe.ly, either as a one-time or recurring gift to the general fund or to a specific program. Two e-newsletters, Grace News, published every two weeks for the broader community of friends, and Heat Respite Partners, sent three or four times a year for partners in the heat ministry, keep supporters informed and connected.
On any given Sunday morning, the smell of pancakes drifts out of Hope Hall, the pipe organ rolls through the nave, and the stained glass windows catch the desert light. Neighbors who have come in from the heat, students from across the ASU campus, longtime members, first-time visitors, and partners who share the building all gather in and around a Gothic sanctuary in the middle of a fast-changing city. Grace Lutheran, the Mother Church of the Grand Canyon Synod, has been in the city for good for more than a century, and it shows no sign of stepping back from that call.