Jottings 7/29/2024

United Church of Santa Fe is hiring a Families, Children, Youth Ministry Director! A full-time position with benefits.

Please contact Rev. Talitha Arnold at unitedchurch.talitha@gmail.com to apply or for more information.


Rev Dr Randy Mayer from The Good Shepherd UCC in Sahuarita will be participating in a Global Conversation about immigration on Monday, August 5th at 9:00am. If folks want to be part of this zoom webinar co-sponsors include the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy (FCEI), the Reformed Church in America, Presbyterian Church USA, and Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ. You can sign up for the webinar at: People on the Move - Global Ministries


Meet the newest member of our family! 🤗 Pastor Rock from Shepherd of the Hills and his partner Ernie are thrilled to welcome Salavat, their fourth high school exchange student, all the way from Russia! 🇷🇺 They are so excited to share this year with him and learn all about his culture. “Hosting exchange students has brought so much joy and diversity to our lives, and we can't wait to see what this year brings!”


Check out next year’s reading list at United Church of Santa Fe:

Making of Biblical Womanhood (Beth Barr)

Lost Birds (Anne Hillerman)

(Thanks to Anne’s friendship with Pastor Talitha Arnold, Anne Hillerman is coming to United on Wednesday, Sept. 18th to join their Book Group!)

The Women (Kristen Hannah)

After Annie (Anna Quindlen)

House Made of Dawn (N. Scott Momaday)

The Personal Librarian (Benedict & Murphy)

The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty

Wild Girls (Tiya Miles)


As you recall, First Church Phoenix has decided to sell their current church property and look for a downtown area property that might more adequately meet their congregational and mission needs.  It was anticipated that this might take 2-4 years. They are currently countering two potential offers and entering a due diligence period on a possible new site, with a bridge loan, if needed, approved by the Cornerstone Fund. Fingers crossed for a wonderful outcome!


As Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, the General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, explained as part of the Our Faith, Our Vote campaign, voting is an essential way for people of faith to bring about the just world we want to see. Read more about combating disinformation and misinformation with links to more resources.


This fall, Pastor Tom at Desert Palm will begin a new sermon. series on Bridging the Cultural Divide. The idea is to strengthen the democratic process through civil dialogue and a willingness to listen, while also mustering the courage to speak our truth.  The book he will be referring to is Why We're So Polarized, by Ezra Klein. If you want more info on the book, here's a link to an hour long interview with Klein about it.  


Shepherd of the Hills has been partnering with Prince of Peace Lutheran this summer, worshipping at each others location and enjoying fellowship time and activities together.  At a joint pot luck last week, this secret recipe from Prince of Peace was the surprise hit.  

Grandma's Tomato Pie

~1 pre-baked pie crust

~6 sliced, FRESH Beefsteak tomatoes (preferably blanched, but not required)

~Salt, coarse or fine

~1 Tbsp. fresh, chopped basil OR 1 tsp. dried basil

~2 Tbsp. chopped chives OR chopped scallions

~Some pepper (red and/or black) to taste

~1/2 cup mayonnaise AND/OR plain yogurt

~1 cup of grated cheddar cheese (mozzarella is also an option)

1 Salt the tomatoes and let them sit for at least 20 minutes on paper towels (in order to remove excess moisture)

2 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Next, "blind-bake" the crust for 10-12 minutes. ( I didn’t know what this was, so googled it.  It’s pretty simple.)

3 Remove the crust from the oven. Then, layer the tomato slices evenly in the blind-baked pie shell. Sprinkle pepper, basil, and chives on top. 

4 In a medium-sized bowl, combine the mayonnaise and cheese; then spread the mixture evenly over the tomatoes. Bake for 20 minutes covered with foil.  Then, bake 20 more minutes uncovered, or until the cheese is melted and slightly golden.

5 ENJOY with spicy, sauteed or grilled meats!


NOTE:  This recipe doesn’t call for pressing or draining the tomatoes, so it’s nice and juicy when you dig in. However, if you're worried about the crust getting soggy, you can grate an extra half-cup of cheese and sprinkle it onto the bottom before layering in the tomatoes