Meet the Rev. Louis Mitchell, newly called pastor of Rincon UCC! Welcome to the Southwest Conference!
Rightway Pharmacy helped Church of the Palms deliver booster shots last week after worship. They had also donated hundreds of KN95 masks to the church when masks were hard to find. They are a wonderful community partner.
Desert Palm celebrated the reopening of in person Sunday School with a party on Palm Sunday. The students enjoyed crafts, face painting, a photo booth and treats complete with a Ukrainian Easter egg souvenir. On Easter Sunday the younger students were treated to an Easter egg hunt on the playground following Sunday School.
During the business portion of the Annual Meeting, Rev Gloria Smith of Encanto was introduced as the Conference Disaster Coordinator for Arizona along with Tom Davis, the Conference Disaster Coordinator for New Mexico. Conference Disaster Coordinators are individuals appointed by the conference to serve as primary points of contact and team leaders for a Conference Disaster Team (CDT). CDCs act as a liaison among the CDT, the conference and UCC Disaster Ministries. Their primary responsibility is to develop and lead a Conference Disaster Team to assist the conference and congregations to prepare for disasters and – when disasters occur – to educate local UCC leadership, donors and supporters of needs, disseminate information and recruit and deploy volunteers for long-term recovery work.
Rev. Teresa Blythe, member of First Church UCC Phoenix, ordained UCC minister in the SWC, spiritual director, author, and blogger, recently was a guest on the Canadian podcast "Pew & Beyond" talking about her book, 50 Ways to Pray. You can watch it here .
Casas Adobes UCC is joining in partnership with other UCC congregations in the SW Conference, ELCA Lutheran congregations in the Grand Canyon Synod, and congregations in the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona to support the ministry of La Casa de la Misericordia y de Todas las Naciones (La Casa for short) which is located in Nogales, Mexico. La Casa ministers to asylum seekers who are forced to remain in Mexico while they wait to be granted legal entry into the U.S. La Casa provides humanitarian aid in the form of food, shelter, healthcare, legal counseling, and meaningful activity while migrants wait, sometimes for as long as several months. Cruzando Fronteras is the ecumenical steering committee that oversees La Casa. Two people from each of the three denominations involved serve on the steering committee. Susan Sommerfeld, who worships at Casas Adobes, will represent the SW Conference beginning this month.
On Wednesday, May 4, 5:00 - 6:00 p.m, join Arizona Faith Network (Theological Dialogue Commission) in a connection of enrichment as we build understanding between people of different faiths and beliefs. Learn the basic tenants and teachings of Buddhism. Key speakers are Gen Kelsang Tabkay, Sogen Charles Billingsley, Ron Russell, Ed Casper, Genevieve Tregor and Vasu Bandhu. REGISTER
The 16th Annual Sweet Jazz Concert to benefit the work of Family Promise featuring Sid Fendley & Friends will be held at Sandia Presbyterian Church (10704 Paseo Del Norte, NE, Albuquerque, NM) on May 22nd, from 4 - 6 pm. $25 a ticket. Tickets will be available at the door or at the Family Promise of Albuquerque office, 1516 S San Pedro Drive NE, 505-268-0331. First Congregational in Albuquerque is a regular host of Family Promise families.
Ktizo UCC was recently the beneficiary of Indian Bend Elementary School's school-wide water bottle drive. Donations from Indian Bend families will help with Ktizo's Heat Relief and Hydration programs this coming summer.. Volunteers from Shadow Rock UCC will help transfer cases of water bottles from the school to Ktizo on May 13th.
Each month First Congregational in Prescott highlights a different mission outreach project/program. For the month of May, their featured program is Frontera de Cristo (FdC). Frontera de Cristo is an ecumenical border ministry in Agua Prieta, Mexico—across the border from Douglas, AZ working in partnership with several Aqua Prieta churches and local social service organizations to help meet the needs of migrants arriving at the border. Frontera de Cristo provides shelter, counseling, food/clothing assistance, education classes, and job training for migrants choosing to remain in Mexico. Frontera de Cristo works to build relationships and understanding across borders. From their website (fronteradecristo.org): “People often see borders as nothing more than division, but at Frontera de Cristo we see a place of encounter. Discerning God’s will for us, we serve migrants and community members on both sides of the border.”
First Christian Church in Las Cruces celebrates Aletta Wilson, who has been playing piano for their church for 50 years! They enjoyed special musical performances and fond memories yesterday of their wonderful friend! The congregation brought cards and letters to add to a basket, and those attending in person stayed after the service for a warm reception.
Pastor Paul Whitlock from Church of the Palms, will head out on sabbatical in a couple weeks. He plans some short trips in the U.S. to see family and a trip to London, England, to see the historical sites. During the time spent in the Valley in the hot summer, he will be working in his yard in the morning. And when the sun starts to bake outside, his afternoon activities will include working on a couple of coffee table books of his favorite pictures of plants and a book of short essays and observations.