Jottings 6/10/2024

in

When Rock Fremont, pastor at Shepherd of the Hills,  became a Professed Member of the Order of Corpus Christi on April 26, 2007, he could never have imagined that some 17 years later, on May 30, 2024, The Feast of Corpus Christi, he would be called, blessed, consecrated, and installed as Abbot!  “I am humbled to be elected and serve as Abbot alongside my friend, Sister Selena L Blackwell who has been called our Prioress. The Order is healthy and vibrant because of Brother Bob Gross and I thank and am grateful for his tremendous love, listening, guidance, and servant leadership as our Abbot for the past 12 years.  Rooted in the Mercersburg Tradition of the United Church of Christ we are committed to an ecumenical spirituality and living deeper into our baptismal promises. The OCC recognizes that oneness in Christ has many expressions, and we affirm our commitment to an Evangelical, Reformed, Catholic, and Apostolic Church as we continue to pray and work to be open to the true leading of the Holy Spirit.”

A religious order in diaspora, the OCC is historically connected to the UCC and open to lay and ordained individuals committed to the concepts outlined in the Consultation on Church Union (COCU), whose successor body is Churches Uniting in Christ.  To learn more about the OCC, please visit their website at http://www.orderofcorpuschristi.org.

It is finally accomplished!!  The updated lettering on the outside sign in front of the church used to say "Desert Garden United Church" but now look at the great pic by John H. The updated lettering was dedicated yesterday during worship.



Deacons at Encanto Community Church are hosting a special Father’s Day luncheon to honor all dads and granddads! 

Also, the parsonage property at Encanto is available for rent. Contact the church office for info. 

First Congregational in Albuquerque asks for our advocacy to save Bears Ears. Bears Ears National Monument is a large area to the southwest of Moab, Utah, home to the Arches and other gorgeous national parks we know and love. Right now, it's overseen by a five-tribe coalition of Native Americans along with the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. That may change, soon, and not for the good: The tribes use it for hunting, food gathering, medicinal plants, and other purposes. The federal agencies want to make some large changes to the way it's run. They're taking public comment until June 11, and the tribal coalition has provided this page where you can submit a comment: https://www.bearsearscoalition.org/take-action-alt-e/.  Take a little time if you can to see how the coalition works, what the proposed changes would do, and how gorgeous this country is. Modify the public comment suggested text as you wish.

ABQ FaithWorks, supported by all of our Albuquerque churches, invites you to join with them to honor the Asylum Seekers they serve by taking part in their campaign for World Refugee Day. Simply give online, or create your own fundraising page to widen the circle of support between now and June 20th. The more donors that sign on with small gifts, the stronger our collaborative community becomes. ABQ FaithWorks has the ambitious goal of 100 new donors, and $10,000, by June 20th. The best news is, $3,000 will be matched by their generous Board of Directors! Give or start fundraising at https://bit.ly/4dBDtU5 The link will also be found on their website at www.abqfaithworks.org

Where would we be without our friends in faith? The Good Shepherd UCC and the Sahuarita Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are two of the most enduring helpers for the growth and continuing efforts to serve those in need by the Sahuarita Food Bank (SFB).  SFB actually started at Good Shepherd in 2009, and  in 2018 became an independent Arizona non-profit corporation and a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit.  The church has still always remained a stalwart supporter in so many ways.  The church provided most of the volunteers in the early years. They now draw volunteers from other faith communities all over the area. “The Good Shepherd also afforded us space for our work as we grew from serving a few households a week to around 400 today. Our success in raising the funding to build our current facility was made much easier because the church agreed to let us lease the land for the both the building and parking area for only one dollar per year. They also lease us space for the new Family Resource Center, which welcomes families with little ones ages 0-5 so they can enjoy classes like Dad Camp, Baby Yoga, and other parenting and child instruction. What gifts these have been to help us thrive as an organization!”

On June 15th, St Paul’s UCC in Rio Rancho will be celebrating their 50th anniversary with a BBQ. Food will be set up in St Francis' main courtyard, 2903 Cabezon Boulevard SE, Rio Rancho at 2PM.



A new art show featuring work by artist Kris Kollash will be hung this week at Church of the Beatitudes.  A reception will be held June 16th after service in the Narthex. A little about the artist:   Kris has been creating art since kindergarten when her teacher told her mom she really had some promising art talent. Throughout grade school Kris hung out with a group of retired women at the local community center so she could participate in the arts and crafts as much as possible.  She has been defined as a painter, a sculptor, and a ceramist, but no single word can describe this multifaceted artist. Her art reveals an eclectic blend of styles, techniques and mediums purposefully chosen to best express the art at hand.  "Artistic expression is therapeutic. I hear my own voice most clearly through paint, collage, texture and words hidden deep in the layers.  Using primarily acrylic paints with my fine art, I frequently incorporate found objects such as tickets, fortunes, coins and keys to imply meaning or for simple sculptural value. My paintings explore the relationship between surface and depth, literal and metaphorical.”

At its June 3rd meeting, the Albuquerque City Council narrowly voted to reject a change in the city’s immigrant-friendly ordinance adopted in 2000. Rev. Lynne Hinton, as Director of the New Mexico Conference of Churches, and member of First Congregational, wrote a letter to all councilors opposing the proposed change. John Maddaus, at Lynne’s invitation and as chair of our church’s Immigration Justice Team, testified at the Council meeting, calling councilors’ attention to Lynne’s letter. Numerous individuals representing organizations in Albuquerque’s immigrant community testified against changing the existing policy, as did representatives of the Catholic and Episcopal churches. After much debate, the Council upheld the existing policy by a vote of 4 in favor of the proposed change and 5 opposed. Click here to see a copy of Lynne’s letter to the councilors. Click here for an explanation of the current policy and the proposed change.

Arizona Faith Network is coordinating  cooling centers in houses of worship across Maricopa County. These centers provide a welcoming space for community members and their pets during the heat season offering cooling facilities, water, healthy snacks, and access to wrap-around services with community partners, ensuring much-needed rest for those facing extreme temperatures.

Ways You and Your Community Can Help Save Lives This Heat Season

Donate Funds

  • To sustain the increased demand AFN  needs financial support from local donors, foundations, and other funders. It costs between $25,000 to $100,000 to run each Heat Relief Respite Site during the heat season, with expenses varying based on the length of operations, staffing, and location. Any contribution goes directly to keeping our neighbors safe and hydrated during challenging times. You can help donate here. 

Donate Supplies
We are in need of various supplies to support our heat relief centers. There are three easy ways to help donate life-saving supplies during this heat season. 

  • Bringing heat relief supplies to our Interfaith Heat Relief Bag Packing Night Event on Sunday, June 23 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at First Church UCC Phoenix, 1407 N 2nd St, Phoenix, AZ 85004. Make sure to register here. 

  • Drop off supplies at one of our heat relief centers (full list below) during their open hours.

  • Purchase needed supplies from our Amazon Wishlist and have it shipped directly to us. You can access our Amazon Wishlist Here. 

Needed Heat Relief Supplies: 
- Bottled Water
- Granola Bar or Snack
- Travel Size First Aid Kit
- Travel Wet Wipes
- Travel Sunscreen
- Lotion
- Chapstick
- Dog Food

We would love for your faith community to run a ‘Supply or Water Drive’ as an outreach project this heat season to help our communities in need.

2024 AFN HEAT RELIEF CENTERS

(I especially draw your attention to University Presbyterian , where I attend and where I help manage the cooling center, and also to First Church Phoenix, our UCC partner. -Holly)

With the recent closure of Central United Methodist Church, AFN has moved its office from that campus to a space at First Church UCC Phoenix (1407 N 2nd St, Phoenix). Please note that the  mailing address has remained the same: PO Box 60953, Phoenix, AZ 85082-0953.

Humor in the Bible… from Paul Whitlock at Church of the Palms

(Cuz it’s summer and too hot outside!)

Q: Who was the greatest male financier in the Bible?

A: Noah — he was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

 

Q: What did God say after God created Adam?

A: "I can do better than that." And so, God created woman.

 

Q: Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?

A: Pharaoh's daughter - she went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little "prophet."

 

Q: What kind of man was Boaz before he got married?

A: Ruth-less.

 

Q: What is one of the things that Adam and Eve did after they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden?

A: They raised Cain.

 

Q: How do we know Peter was a rich fisherman?

A: By his net income.

 

Q: Why was Goliath so surprised when David hit him with a slingshot?

A: The thought had never entered his head before.

 

Q: Who was the first person to download something from a cloud to two tablets?

A: Moses

 

Q: Which Bible character had no parents?

A: Joshua, son of Nun (Joshua 1:1).