During Pride Month Church of the Painted Hills is making a public witness of their support for the LGBT+ community by displaying the Rainbow Pride Flag on their sign. Pastor Mike reminds us that each color on the flag has a meaning; red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for harmony and purple for spirit. The Rainbow Pride Flag was created by San Francisco based queer artist Gilbert Baker. Baker created the flag at the request of Harvey Milk, a business owner in San Francisco who would become the first openly gay man elected to public office in California, serving 11 months until he was assassinated in November 1978.
Rev. Gary Gard delivered a powerful sermon on inclusion at First Congregational UCC in Prescott two weeks ago. It was timely for the week that remembered the horrible lynching of George Floyd and the horrible Tulsa Black Wall Street massacre a hundred years ago. The church decided it was a good week to put their "Black Lives Matter" banner out once again. And like last time, it lasted a few days before mysteriously disappearing.
On Saturday, May 29, both the Rainbow and Black Lives Matter banners were cut down at Scottsdale UCC. Luckily, the banners were stashed in the greenery near the entrance to the church. However, there is some good news here: Because the church had purchased and installed security cameras, there is a clear shot of the culprit, complete with a date and time stamp. All of this, as well as photos documenting the damage, have now been shared with Scottsdale police. (I’m smiling right now.)
Rev. Tom Martinez of Desert Palm UCC recently had his Letter To the Editor published in The NY Times (Thank you Rev. Carol Reynolds for sharing)
“Re “A Push in Texas to Polish Stains of Race History” (front page, May 21):
It’s understandable that Texan educators and politicians would err, as have most nations throughout history, on the side of covering up our atrocities. Perhaps the larger educational moment involves asking, Why is there such a push to obscure now?
It appears the social upheaval of our historical moment is producing pressing and unsettling questions. For example, how do we explain to our children that the land upon which we founded our nation was stolen through the Doctrine of Discovery, which entitled colonial powers to claim ownership of Indigenous lands.
How do we teach our kids that the men who crafted our founding documents owned Black people? What are we to make of the Declaration of Independence phrase “all men” when considering equality?
If we were to see through our delusion of moral superiority, our approach to history would have to deepen and become more nuanced and honest. No wonder many Americans prefer to simply remember the Alamo.
(Rev.) Tom Martinez
Chandler, Ariz.”
And view Shepherd of the Hills’ Pastor Rock’s article In AZ Central.
True Colors, the coloring ministry group from Desert Palm UCC is restarting! This project has two objectives: the first is to provide an opportunity for fellowship and second is to create messages for housebound or hospitalized folks with that personal touch.
Church of the Painted Hills shares this with us: With help from Artisans Beyond Borders, the residents of Casa De La Misericordia have learned embroidery, and are using their new skill to raise funds to support the shelter. Their handmade Hospitality Mantas perfect multi- purpose Hospitality place settings for the table or your altar or tea towels for your guests - all designed, embroidered, and crocheted by asylum-seekers waiting for asylum, are available to purchase from this Etsy Shop operated by Artisans Beyond Borders.
On June 15, Susan Leonard, Scottsdale UCC’s office manager of 25+ years, works her last day at the church and retires. She departs with a number of things to look forward to in the not too distant future, including well-earned trips to Cheyenne, Wyoming and the big island of Hawaii over the summer, some home renovations, and lots of quality family time. Susan takes with her a wealth of procedural knowledge and a rich historical memory of the church and its people that is both broad and deep. It goes without saying, that she will be greatly missed.
From Church of the Red Rocks, “There was a meme floating around social media with a photo of a manger that read, “Christmas was God with us.” Underneath it was a photo of three crosses on a hill that reminded us, “Easter was God for us.” The third and final photo had clouds and read, “Pentecost is God in us.”