Diana Winston from Scottsdale UCC has received the "Justice Champion for Excellence in Service & Character." Diana is a "giver," who always shows up ready to roll up her sleeves to help others. Diana, along with her wonderful husband Allan, are the definition of mensches & we're grateful to have them as humble, smart leaders in our community.
The Arizona Mirror published a guest commentary from Arizona Faith Network’s Executive Director, Rev. Katie Sexton-Wood, urging the faith community and lawmakers to step up and to begin long-overdue discussions of our communities complicit in the era of Native boarding schools, and how can we work with our Native neighbors to move towards a more just future.
The Horrors Of The Native Boarding School Era Have Gone Unacknowledged For Too Long
Yes, Arizona is a border state, and First Church Phoenix is on the front lines, helping America’s newest immigrants as they seek footing in our country, transitioning to sponsors around the country as their first step in pursuing asylum. Just this past Saturday, First Church volunteers welcomed 156 people to IRC’s Welcome Center and 50 people to Pastor Martha’s “pop-up” shelter, Helping With All My Heart (HWAMH). Many of the arriving asylum-seekers came directly from ICE in Yuma, while others were transferred from a humanitarian shelter in Tucson — on school buses! Volunteer Tom picks up the catered lunch provided by First Church each Saturday for both the Welcome Center and Pastor Martha’s HWAMH. Tom and his wife Joan deliver Monday’s lunch from St. Vincent de Paul to the Welcome Center every week.
Mary Magdalene was not the unbridled sinner or penitent prostitute that early art and church authorities made her out to be. Instead, based on the Gospel of John and other Gnostic gospels, she was the disciple who really “got” Jesus and who went on to become the “Apostle to the Apostles” after Jesus’ resurrection. In January, Casas Adobes will explore key roles she may have had in the earliest stages of the development of the church and consider how that voice was silenced or relegated to other characters (mostly men) in order to appeal to wider audiences as the early church became an international phenomenon. What might the church be like today had Mary Magdalene’s voice not been eclipsed?
The Racial Justice Team at First Congregational in Albuquerque will present bystander training after worship on Sunday, December 18. The trainer, Ilse Biel, has participated in Albuquerque as an activist and community organizer since 2009. After the 2016 elections and the subsequent upsurge of blatant bigoted threats and intensified protests, Ilse, along with many others, started concentrating on de-escalation trainings and analyzing safety concerns for large activist congregations. She coordinated the Yellow Shirts crew that worked as peacekeepers during numerous popular protests and prepared and oversaw safety plans for potentially sensitive marches and rallies.
Black Mountain UCC is pleased to announce that Dr. Kristina (“Tina”) Campbell has been selected by the Search Committee and Council as their Transitional Minister starting January 1st, 2023. Tina has proven her leadership skill during her time as Supply Pastor at BMUCC by gently stepping in wherever she can empower and amplify the ministries of the church. The Search Committee and Council were particularly struck by her spontaneous and loving support of the Mission Team to collect such large donations for both the Foothills Food Bank as well as the Justa Center for the homeless elderly.
UCC churches across the conference are showing their true Christmas spirit by helping those in their communities. Here are just a few examples:
Church of the Good Shepherd in Albuquerque is participating in the Family Promise Giving Tree
Oro Valley UCC is supporting homeless teens through Youth on their Own
Black Mountain UCC is working with homeless seniors at the Justa Center
Church of the Painted Hills is collecting hygiene kits for Casa Maria
United Church of Sun City is purchasing gifts for the children at Luke AFB
Scottsdale UCC is collecting coats for asylum seekers
Desert Palm is supplying gifts for foster children served by SW Human Development
Church of the Beatitudes is collecting items for Shoebox Ministries and the children at Maryland School
Common Ground on the Border
January 12-14, 2023
Hosted by Good Shepherd UCC
To learn more about this wonderful event and register, please visit the link below:
https://commongroundontheborder.wordpress.com/
Let’s close this week with some humor contributed by Pastor Paul at Church of the Palms:
Q: What kind of Christmas music do elves like?
A: “Wrap” music
Q: How can Santa deliver presents during a thunderstorm?
A: His sleigh is flown by raindeer
Q: What do you call a snowman with a six pack?
A: An abdominal snowman
Q: How do snowmen and snowwomen get to work?
A: By icicle
Q: What do snowmen and snowwomen call their offspring?
A: Chill-dren
Q. What's St. Nicholas's favorite measurement in the metric system?
A. The Santameter!
Q. Where do Christmas plants go when they want to become movie stars?
A. Holly-wood!
Q. How do Christmas angels greet each other?
A. "Halo!"
Q. Which of Santa's reindeer has the worst manners?
A. RUDE-olph, of course!