The Compassion on the Border Committee at Casas Adobes continues to meet the needs of asylum-seekers and immigrants and to lift their voices to those responsible for government policies that impact those seeking safety, sustenance and connection. The committee now has a new opportunity to serve: Rev. Bill Lyons, SW Conference Minister, has invited them to partner with other UCC congregations, Episcopal and ELCA Lutheran churches to support the ministry of La Casa de la Misericordia (formerly known as HEPAC – House of Hope and Peace). La Casa de la Misericordia is a shelter in Nogales, Sonora for those awaiting immigration hearings. Rev. Lyons is hoping one or two individuals from Casas Adobes UCC will volunteer to serve on the steering committee (one-year term) which oversees the shelter ministry, as well as another person who would organize tours to visit the facility in Nogales, Sonora.
First Church Phoenix is an Immigrant Welcoming Church.
• On Saturdays, they provide a team of volunteers for the IRC Phoenix Welcome Center assisting asylum-seekers as they transition from the border or detention centers to their sponsors throughout the United States. They work in the intake area, the kitchen, Donations, the Ropa (clothing) Room and the shower area.
• They have several rooms available on the campus for hosting immigrants and are hosting an asylum-seeker from Venezuela.
• The Immigration Task Force oversees two funds: one is the Scholarship Fund, currently supporting PUHSD Dreamers taking dual credit classes from Maricopa County Community Colleges; and the second is the Immigration Fund, which is used to purchase a meal for 150-200 Welcome Center guests each Saturday.
Shadow Rock recently received news of the death of Rev. Fletch Wideman. Fletch and Shirley Wideman were active at Shadow Rock and in the Southwest Conference in the 1990s and 2000s and granddaughter Brittany grew up at Shadow Rock. A celebration of life was held via Zoom last Saturday. Our thoughts and prayers are with Shirley, Mark, and Brittany in their grief.
St. John’s Catholic Church of Antioch is a dynamic community advancing the marriage of Catholic liturgical traditions with progressive values, under the guidance of Fr. Ronald Catherson. St. John’s meets for worship every Sunday at 10:15 a.m. in the southeast chapel at First Christian Church in Las Cruces.
The new and rapidly growing Willing to Respond network, part of UCC Disaster Ministries, provides congregations with practical tools, training and relationships for disaster preparedness and service. As of this writing, 14 congregations have declared themselves "Willing to Respond" -
Wellspring UCC, Centreville, VA
Trinity Reformed UCC, Bloomsburg, PA
Zions Union Church Maxatawny, Kutztown, PA
Zion United Church of Christ, Hoyleton, IL
United Congregational Church of Tolland, Tolland CT
Medford United Church of Christ, Medford, OR
Desert Garden UCC, Sun City West, AZ
UCC Boxborough, Boxborough, MA
First Congregational Church of Escondido, Escondido, CA
First Congregational Church of Crystal Lake, Crystal Lake, IL
United Church of Ferndale, Ferndale, WA
United Church of Cookeville, Cookeville, TN
Faavae Fou UCC, Anchorage, AK
Miami Lakes UCC, Miami Lakes, FL
The Healing Service was part of worship yesterday at United Church of Sun City. The Healing Service is not about cure, but is a reminder of God's caring presence and provision for what we most need. The service included a time for anointment with oil.
To help support the Ukrainian people in this battle for survival, First Christian Church in Las Cruces’ generous congregation has now contributed a total of $3,015 with a possibility that another $500 was donated as matching funds by a corporate foundation.
$1,864 has been sent to World Central Kitchen (WCK) which is feeding refugees in the surrounding countries and attempting to get a convoy of food safely into Ukraine itself. $1,151 has been forwarded to CARE, a relief agency that has been responding to world crises since 1945. CARE is providing shelter, medical assistance and daily necessities to the nearly 4 million Ukrainian refugees.
Whatever is collected at FCC each Sunday is sent to these agencies in the following few days.