Members and friends of Encanto Community Church donated toys, food, and supplies for their furry friends at the Arizona Animal Welfare League during this year's Christmas in August! The Arizona Animal Welfare League is the largest and oldest no-kill shelter in Arizona and Encanto member Megan S. works there day in day out. At any one time, the shelter can hold 140 cats and 190 dogs- that's a lot of animals, lots of mouths to feed, beds to warm, and toys to delight!
Desert Garden UCC has been collecting bikes - 91 so far! They have delivered bikes to three schools; Thompson Elementary School (5), Surprise Elementary School (13) and Kingswood Elementary School (16). They have given bikes to the HomeBase Shelter (8) and to the West Valley Housing Assistance Center (2). Their refugee family, Salima Kiringi and children, have received two bikes and will get three more within the next few weeks. They provided a bike to a client of Lutheran Social Services so he could get to job interviews and hopefully to a job once hired. They have given a bike to an individual getting ready to complete his treatment program in an alcohol and addiction program because he had no other means of transportation. A big thanks to the Sun City West Cyclist Club who has done the bike repairs!
After five years in the making, a draft of the Manual on Local Church (MLC) — along with all of the resources that go along with it — is now available. The 32nd General Synod resolved that a working group, representative of the whole denomination, would be convened to produce a Manual on Local Church for the United Church of Christ. This is akin to the Manual on Ministry, for use by churches in all settings to fully live into their covenantal responsibilities and privileges under the Constitution of the UCC.
Living Our Extravagant Welcome is a two-part webinar series from the National UCC on leading a “purple church” and making space for multiple religious belonging and a church with members from across the political spectrum. Register
A small Rodgers organ, in storage at Casas Adobes, has a new home and is bringing new life to St Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Douglas, AZ. Substitute organist David Horr, in conversation with others, suggested donating it to St Stephens as they had lost everything, including their organ, in a hate crime fire. Casas Adobes worked with Rodgers Organ and St Stephens to have it moved. It was dedicated last week.
From Arizona Faith Network: The Arizona Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee (AZ MLK) will present the Martin Luther King Jr. Awards for Excellence in Service at the 39th Annual Arizona Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards and Scholarship Breakfast on Friday, January 17, 2025.
New for 2025, AZ MLK is introducing the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Corporate Partner Award to recognize an organization or business that has demonstrated exceptional achievement and commitment to promoting and practicing diversity, inclusion, equity, and access for Phoenix residents.
Please help by nominating deserving individuals, organizations and businesses that exhibit excellence in service by advancing Dr. King’s vision in one or more of the following areas:
• Service to Phoenix or the surrounding community.
• Advocacy for social or environmental justice.
• Service above and beyond direct employment or organizational mission.
All Lifetime Achievement, Living the Dream, and Corporate Partner nominations should be submitted by using the online nomination form no later than Friday, September 27, 2024, at 5:00 P.M. Beacon Awards application for high school seniors and juniors can be found at:
Church of the Red Rocks introduced their new Artist in Residence for the fall, George Dorado Blanco. Dorado Blanco, a native of Guantanamo, Cuba, studied painting at the renowned San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts in Havana. He graduated in 1977, and taught Design and Composition for Painting and Sculpture at the School of Fine Art Jose Joaquin Tejado in Santiago, Cuba, where he developed his own curriculum. His methodology incorporated avante-garde concepts from the Bauhaus School of Design and the drawings and designs of Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1980, Dorado Blanco resigned his teaching position to come to the United States. In 1988 he graduated from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity and introduced the concept of Art and Healing to many churches and communties in the Chicago area. In 2002, he began his pursuit of a Doctorate of Ministry in Art and Theology at Wesley Theological Seminary In Washington D.C. To see more of his art,
Desert Palm has initiated a new Fellowship/Adult Ed format, the Adult Ed Salon. The format is super simple. After a little socializing folks take turns sharing what they’ve been reading or what's been pressing on their minds. The first session led to a discussion of the cultural divide which has become a fall theme in worship. So there's no telling what will come out of these gatherings. And in the meantime folks get to know each other better and find out about some books and resources they weren't aware of.
This year is an especially important one for voting on ballot measures. There are 13 state-wide measures, plus 1 for Maricopa County and 2 for Scottsdale (and some for Phoenix/Tempe)! ALL BUT ONE STATE MEASURE advocates for laws that are unjust or anti-democratic, deceptive or just plain unnecessary in some way. Please, take some time to look over the attached pdf. Check out the links or Google some more about them. The information was originally compiled by the organization Civic Engagement Beyond Voting (CEBV) with some editing for clarity by Alice Stambaugh from Scottsdale UCC. Maricopa County Elections provides all kinds of info for voters on everything they need to know about upcoming elections. Find it HERE.
And from Rincon: On the ballots there will be an area to vote for three members of the Arizona Corporation Commission. The Creation Care group urges people to not skip voting for these members but to research the candidates to see who follows their ideologies the best. Click HERE for information on the candidates. The Arizona Corporation Commission’s mission is to ensure safe, reliable, and affordable utility services; have railroad and pipeline systems that are operated and maintained in a safe manner; grow Arizona’s economy as we help local entrepreneurs achieve their dream of starting a business; modernize an efficient, effective, and responsive government agency; and protect Arizona citizens by enforcing an ethical securities marketplace.
The Mission Team at Black Mountain UCC was able to take advantage of a clearance sale at Target and purchased 53 reversible twin quilts for just over $700 - or about $13 each. These will be sent to Centro de Esperanza (Center of Hope), a refugee shelter and resource center in Sonoyta Mexico where construction is underway to house up to 150 people. The Mission Team will also be collecting donations of body lotion through the months of September and October, the “Monthly Wish List” item for the East Valley Refugee Network, the group that coordinates support for the Center of Hope.