Church Jottings 12/1/19

Congregational Church of the Valley is proud to announce the next concert in the Extraordinary Evening of Music series has been scheduled for Monday, December 16 at 7 PM. The Piano, 4 Hands concert will be a unique program of piano and song featuring 4-hand piano music including works by Rachmaninoff and Poulenc, and as a special holiday season treat, selections from Tchaikovsky's “Nutcracker”.

Presale tickets may be purchased online for just $25 by clicking here or by calling 480-451-4565. Tickets will also be available at the door for $30. The concert is being presented at the Congregational Church of the Valley, 12001 E Shea Boulevard, Scottsdale.

Black Mountain UCC is participating in the Adopt-a-Family program through the City of Scottsdale’s Vista del Camino. Their adopted family is a single mom with 5 children. When the mother gave birth to her youngest child, she had a brain aneurysm and suffered a stroke. She is no longer able to work or drive and relies on her mother and siblings for a lot of daily activities and assistance with the children.

Congregational Church of the Valley is also sponsoring a family with three children through Vista del Camino's Winter Holidays Adopt-a-Family program. During this time, they are also sponsoring a Senior through the Adopt-a-Senior Program, coordinating with Scottsdale Community Partners.

On Monday mornings at 10 am throughout December, Desert Palm will offer a Grief Group. The holidays aren’t always simply a time of joy and celebration. For those who have lost a loved one, the holidays can be an especially difficult time. You needn’t have lost a loved one in the recent past to attend. Grief comes in many forms and the group is open to anyone who would like to explore the subject and be open to God’s healing.

Friday, December 20th is “Parents Night Out/ Intergenerational Movie Night” from 4:30 to 8:30 pm at Casas Adobes! If folks need time for Christmas shopping, or they want some holiday time spent together with family, this event is the ticket. They will watch the 2003 Will Ferrell classic “Elf” and have “Elf” themed food, games, and crafts.

First Congregational Albuquerque has a unique fundraiser: The Re-gifting Table. Folks are invited to get creative this year and find gifts or pass on something they have gently used for someone else to re-gift. "Dig through your drawers and closets and bring to the table great presents that don’t fit you but may be the perfect gift for someone else to give; shop the table for that special person on your list."

Desert Palm youth were blessed to be a blessing to others on their trip to Flagstaff! "Our youth spent a day serving in a community garden and nature preserve. We learned about Native American agricultural traditions and prepared the gardens for Winter. First Congregational Church of Flagstaff lovingly welcomed us in worship and recruited us on the spot to serve as their choir for the morning. We also visited the Observatory, explored Downtown Flagstaff and enjoyed many fine meals."

In Arizona, there is no better way to get into the Christmas spirit than to experience a mariachi group singing Feliz Navidad and traditional posada music. Mariachi Azteca del Sol is Southern Arizona’s premier mariachi group with breathtaking arrangements and one-of-a-kind vocalization ... truly the best. Tickets $10. Friday, December 13, 2019, 7 pm, The Good Shepherd in Sahuarita.

Beatitudes member Barbara Hinski's 2016 novel, "The Christmas Club", has now been made into a movie! Watch for showings on the Hallmark Channel 130 over the next month.

First Christian Church had a full table at the PFLAG Las Cruces annual fundraiser. They then learned that PFLAG Las Cruces had won a national award for its work with the Rainbow Refugee Program in which First Christian was involved last year. PFLAG National will be using the Las Cruces model to work with LGBTQ youth seeking asylum in the United States in the future.

Renovations to the sanctuary are almost complete at Church of the Beatitudes. Planned date to move in is Dec 22nd!