Over 100 Afghan refugees are coming to Santa Fe for resettlement. United Church is organizing a furniture and household goods drive for the families through Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services.
The Director of Music at Church of the Beatitudes, Stephen Schermitzler, is leaving. Beatitudes Church was fortunate to experience Stephen’s musical talent, direction, and dedication throughout the past eight years, and all are appreciative of his work. The Beatitudes Choir, especially, is experiencing the loss of Stephen's leadership and passion. All happiness in your next adventure, Stephen!
First Congregational UCC in Albuquerque will be offering Spanish classes via Zoom beginning in early February. There will be homework and opportunities to practice- with the big reward of better communication with Brayan and David, the refugee tenants in their church’s onsite apartment.
During the month of February, Oro Valley UCC will be accepting donations to Send a Girl to School through the Heifer International organization. Education is the best tool for ending the cycle of poverty. These gifts will provide families with the training and livestock they need to pay for their daughter to go to school.
The Just Peace Network will host a webinar on February 3rd, 2022 in partnership with the UCC's Council for Health and Human Service Ministries (CHHSM) on the urgent need to address gun violence today through the lenses of public health and racial justice. Sandy Sorensen, Director of the UCC's Office in Washington D.C., will brief us on the current state of gun violence and ways you can get involved, and former UCC General Minister and President, Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Black, will reflect on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's legacy and ways this history calls us to action today. Thank you, Scottsdale UCC for the info to share! Register here.
Who will win the 2022 Silver Ladle in Sun City? United Church of Sun City and Church of the Palms UCC have challenged each other once again to raise the most soup for Souper Bowl of Caring. The real winner will be Valley View Community Food Bank. Contest ends February 13th.
A number of our SWC parish clergy have had COVID in the last couple weeks. Luckily, all had relatively mild symptoms and are back in their pulpits. Be careful out there! God bless our conference leaders and keep them healthy!
Many of the Arizona Faith Network’s partners have been active in welcoming refugees, including those from Afghanistan. Their friends at the Southwest Conference United Church of Christ shared information about several upcoming online event offerings to help assist with the process of being in relationship with our new neighbors. Details and Zoom links are available at the link below the list.
• February 10, 2022, 4pm-5:30pm ET: Afghan Resettlement Check-in/Boundary Training
• February 8, 2022, 6-7pm ET: Monthly Trauma Informed Care Reflection Meeting: “Safe Requests for Storytelling with Vulnerable Persons"
• Wednesdays in March, 7pm-8pm ET: How to Help You Sponsored Family with their 1st Ramadan in a New Country
• March 4-6, 2022: Church World Service “Together We Welcome” Conference
After 30 years at 700 Prospect Avenue, the UCC National Ministries are preparing to move this spring to smaller, rented quarters on East 9th Street. In November and December, they gave away surplus furniture, books, office supplies and more. The new homes for the furniture range from a church camp (an exercise bike with a built-in desk) to a church book nook (a bookcase). The Portage County office of the NAACP has new furniture, Lakewood Congregational UCC has office furniture for one of its ministers, and schools, a theater, a shelter and other agencies received a potpourri of items from fabric to bottled water.