After more than 50 years, the Friendly Services Ministry at United Church of Sun City concluded at the end of March. The Friendly Services members have been meeting on Tuesday mornings at 9:00 am making layettes (quilt, afghan, receiving blanket, crib sheet, bibs, onesies, sweater set, baby cap and an outfit for a boy or girl) and prayer shawls. While they will no longer meet at the church and make layettes, there are kind and caring souls who knit and crochet in their homes and will continue making prayer shawls. We give thanks for those efforts, too, but especially give thanks for all those who have faithfully met on Tuesday mornings and for all they have created offering a comfort, caring, and warm connection with so many church members, friends, and those in our community at a time of need.
Desert Garden UCC has a new ONA statement: We are inclusive…. as God’s love is inclusive. We Love. We Care. We Share. We Serve. No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here. We at Desert Garden believe this and say it aloud every Sunday morning. Everyone is welcome and included with their unique talents, gifts and needs, regardless of personal religious backgrounds or beliefs, race, economic status, or lifestyle. God is still speaking to each of us, and all of us, and we are enriched by each person’s life journey.
In March of 2020, Shepherd of the Hills joined a Daily Morning Prayer service that was presented by Andrew Lang of the UCC’s Open and Affirming Coalition. As SoH has moved back into in-person gathering, it has continued as an Ecumenical Morning Prayer Ministry. Now presented by May All Be One, folks who gathered every morning for 2 years exclusively online, now get to meet in real time. With at least 10 people joining daily, the group represents every time zone in the US, as well as Germany and Finland. It is a truly Ecumenical service comprised of seekers from a variety of Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic Churches.. Daily prayer meets every morning at 8 AM PT, and all are welcome to join. https://www.sohucc.org/daily-morning-prayer
The 46th Cleveland international Film Festival is officially underway through April 9th at @PlayhouseSquare! The ONA Coalition is supporting the film Mama Bears; use the discount code OPEN to receive $1 off the purchase of a ticket (good for any film!). The film is a story of mothers fighting for their GLBTQ+ children. Mama Bears is screening Wednesday April 6th at 5:00pm with a free panel discussion directly after with local LGBTQ+ activists and leaders. It is also screening virtually on demand during Holy Week in area states. More info: https://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2022/mama-bears
#CIFF46
The Children’s/Youth Team, Pretty Good Guys, and Immigration and Refugee Task Force at United Church of Santa Fe is hosting their annual 5k fun-run/walk (and 1k for children) on 4/24 to raise money for three community organizations making a difference in Santa Fe: Afghan Refugee Resettlement, NM Environmental Law Center, and Communities in Schools. The 5k run/walk begins and ends at United on sidewalks, side roads and trails near the church. They have also arranged for a food truck so runners and non-runners alike can share an outdoor meal.
First Church Phoenix has a long history of providing food for the unsheltered. Currently, about 100-150 people come to the office door each week asking for something to eat. They are fortunate to have donations of pre-packaged snack packs and Propel available thanks to Midwest Food Bank, but they try to offer a protein to make it into a meal since this may be the only food some people have for the entire day. They are asking for donations of canned (flip-tops only, please) pastas such as ravioli, spaghetti and meatballs, and SpaghettiOs to fill the almost empty shelves in the pantry.
Pastor Michael at Casas Adobes had an article in the Tucson paper this last week. It starts “When we say we are praying for peace or praying for Ukraine, what are we intending or expecting? ...
Click here for complete article.
The new Green Justice bulletin board at First Congregational in Albuquerque includes QR codes which you scan on your phone to learn more about several topics. Here are some things to love and protect in New Mexico.
Protect Bees: https://tinyurl.com/2p8tnbcu
Monarch butterflies: https://xerces.org/monarchs
Rio Grande Bosque: https://tinyurl.com/w2ndwcn6
New Mexico wetlands: https://tinyurl.com/2ppj59rh
Clean water in NM: https://www.amigosbravos.org
NM Environment Department climate strategies: https://tinyurl.com/2p9dhhr
The Good Shepherd in Sahuarita and Green Valley/Sahuarita Samaritans will host a Conversation with Journalists Todd Miller and Melissa del Bosque---on Wednesday, April 6th at 5:00pm at the Good Shepherd. Todd and Melissa have decades of experience of living and writing about the border region that they love. They will talk about their new project the Border Chronicles and update folks on what they are seeing, hearing and experiencing along the US/Mexico Border.
Haikus are an old form of Japanese poetry that contain 3 lines with a pattern of 5-7-5 syllables. Haikus don’t rhyme and usually focus on a single theme such as nature. They are written in the present tense with minimal punctuation. Haikus strive to create a word photograph that creates a clear image in the reader’s mind. The haikus below and just a few of the ones written by the congregation on Sunday, March 20 during worship at First Christian Church in Las Cruces, NM. Some pretty talented folks there!
dog pathways cut through,
clearing dead winter grasses.
we pray for the green.
- Sue Stefford-Grey
dove, sitting on eggs
sitting in my new gutters
oh, my dear, now what?
- Sherry
underground beauty
hidden from sight for eons
bats inhabit daily
- Joan McCullough
God watches unseen,
as people wrestle hatred.
tulips cleanse the mind.
- Paul Cook