During Advent, the choir at United Church of Santa Fe sings four of the seven “O Antiphons.” These have been sung by the Roman Catholic Church since at least the 8th century and were originally intended to be sung in the final seven days leading to Christmas Eve. However, for several years, United has chosen four of the seven to sing in the four weeks of Advent. The choir sings them in Latin, lending an ancient air of solemnity to their preparations.
On Saturday, Dec 4th, folks from Casas Adobes will gather to decorate the parking lot trees with Christmas lights, exchange cookies to take home, and sing carols as they decorate. What a lovely way to start the season.
The Christmas Angel tree at United Church of Sun City will help the children of Luke Air Force base.
The Good Shepherd in Sahuarita has been on the forefront of many social issues and have developed tangible programs and projects that seek to alleviate some of these struggles. Over the past month, there have been some encounters with those that see the world or Gospel differently. Security has been enhanced, the local police have been asked to have a presence on Sunday mornings and the church is considering hiring private security.
There are many opportunities to give on “Giving Tuesday.” Here’s one: ABQ FaithWorks has just received their first Afghan family of 12! If you would like to help support this family, you can make a donation: https://www.abqfaithworks.org/contribute-1.
Please join in person at First Congregational in Albuquerque or online on Sat. Dec. 4th from 4-6 pm to hear Charles Rodgers speak. Charles was incarcerated at Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary. He became a hospice volunteer for prisoners who were dying and had a profound life change. You can learn more about him in a documentary called Serving Life produced by Forest Whitaker on Amazon.
For those out of town, view on www.Facebook.com/1stcongregationaluccabq
The Church of the Painted Hills CROP WALK TEAM is grateful for all the support which saves families in Tucson around the world from the heartbreak and pain that comes with hunger. With lots of generous donors they have collected a total of $1705.
The Elham Family, the Afghan refugee family being hosted by Shadow Rock, arrived in Phoenix in the wee hours of Sunday morning. The planning team appreciates everyone who's sprung into action to make sure that they are prepared. As Navid, Shajia, Yosef, and Omar begin to settle in, the church’s work of welcome and accompaniment will unfold and grow.
The Annual Mission Fair at The Good Shepherd is the opportunity for the church to support organizations in their region that share the mission and values and who serve the people in the community. This year they will have eight (8) well-deserving charities from which to choose. Please click here to view a list of the charities selected for 2021. On December 5th representatives from each charity will be at The Good Shepherd to explain and answer questions about the work of their organization.