Esperanza Lutheran Church

Esperanza Lutheran Church

Creating authentic connections and a deep
sense of belonging as a Christ-centered
community.

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Come Home to Hope!


SAVE THE DATE for Esperanza’s 35th Anniversary Celebration on February 23rd, 2025.

Weekly Worship Messages

Our Lenten journey begins with Ash Wednesday on March 5th, 2025, a day we hear both that we are loved and that we are dust. The cross made on our foreheads with oil in Holy Baptism is retraced with ashes, …

Telling the Story

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Pastor Dave Risendal, the founding pastor of Esperanza Lutheran, and as we were chatting, I realized he probably had stories upon stories of the early happenings of Esperanza, some of which …

Prayer of the Day Most holy God, the earth is filled with your glory, and before you angels and saints stand in awe. Enlarge our vision to see your power at work in the world, and by your grace make …

Sermons

Worth the Wait

When we wait, we usually aren’t happy about it. I remember when I was a kid growing up, waiting was the hardest thing – especially when I was stuck at church with my parents, and I was ready to go …

Never Just a Guest

I have a theory about our gospel reading today. Because sometimes I think the hosts of the wedding at Cana get a little bit of a bad rap, I thought maybe somebody should come to their defense. After all, whenever …

Chosen and Beloved

Throughout scripture, there are certain moments that I call “goosebump moments.” They’re those places where the imagery used is so powerful – the language so descriptive – that when recited well, the listener can almost find themselves witnessing these events …

News

Help fellow Esperanza Community members and Ahwatukee volunteers to clean-up Esperanza’s campus for a few hours and you will make a huge impact! Our next clean-up will be:  Saturday, February 8th, 2025 Join us between 7:00 A.M. and 10:00 A.M.  …

Inscribed Stones (engraved) For 35 years, Esperanza has been grounded in hope. During the anniversary celebration, we will build a permanent art piece that will remind future generations that our church was founded and built with hope. The word HOPE …

Get caught up with the Children of Hope Preschool Newsletter for February 2025

Community Involvement

The Grand Canyon Synod of the ELCA and its member churches are invited to participate in the 40-40-40 Lenten Challenge. One hundred percent of the donations (Practice #4) will be directed to the Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission drinking water project. …

Esperanza is partnering with Feed My Starving Children for a volunteer opportunity on Wednesday, March 19th from 9:00am – 11:00am in Tempe. Every year, millions of children die from preventable causes such as pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and undernutrition. Hunger is …

Join us on Sunday, March 9, at 4 p.m. for our first Adopt-A-Street cleanup of 2025! We will park and meet at Kyrene de la Esperanza Elementary School, which is located at the intersection of South Ranch Circle and 41st …

February 2025

Thursday February 6

10:00 am – 11:30 am
Thursday Matters Bible Study
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Men's Group (nooners)
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
In-Person Women's Bible Study

Friday February 7

7:30 am – 8:30 am
Toastmasters (Ahwatukee Chamber)
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Men's Group (nooners)

Saturday February 8

7:00 am – 10:00 am
Green Team Clean Up Day
8:00 am – 9:00 am
Men's Group

Sunday February 9

9:00 am – 10:00 am
Worship Service - In-person & Live-stream
10:00 am – 10:30 am
Fellowship
10:15 am – 11:00 am
Sunday Funday School - 10:15 Youth; 10:30 Adults