Jottings 9/3/2024

It was Selfie Sunday at First Church UCC Phoenix last week. Here is  a picture of Conference Minister Rev Toni Hawkins with her granddaughters, Chavay and Alexus, after worship. The girls are now back in KY.


It’s Fiesta Sunday on Sept. 8th at United Church of Santa Fe.  They will welcome Cantor Barbara Finn and Ms. Tammie Ortega in worship and celebrate the many voices of New Mexico, musically and historically. Cantor Finn (a friend and colleague of United’s Director of Music Bradley Ellingboe) recently retired as Cantor for Albuquerque’s Temple Albert. She has extensive background in diverse Jewish traditions, including Ladino (from Spain). Tammie Ortega is a long-time United Church member, who was born and still lives in Guadalupita (north of Mora, north of Las Vegas). Tammie comes from a long line of Norteño Ortegas, the Sephardic Jews of Spain who fled the Inquisition and immigrated to New Spain (i.e., the mountains of New Mexico) four hundred years ago.

Yesterday, the Rev. Dr. Guillermo Marquez-Sterling became the settled Pastor of the Church of the Red Rocks in Sedona.  Pastor Marquez-Sterling comes from the Pass-A-Grille Community Church in St. Petersburg, Florida where he has served since 2015.   Marquez-Sterling has lived out his passions serving in the wider community, identifying “the ones that were a transformative experience: Pinellas County Emergency Management Faith Team, Interfaith Tampa Bay, South Florida Interfaith Worker Justice, Project Medishare in Haiti, and Episcopal Aids Ministry of Miami.”  He has authored several publications, “Praying for an Eclipse: A Trilogy” (Black Rose Writing, Castroville, TX); “The Easter Message and Modern Day Empires” (Huffington Post: wwwhuffingtonpost.com); and “The Rise of the Spiritual Activist” (Westbow Press, Bloomington, IN).  His education includes, Doctorate of Ministry, Chicago Theological Seminary; Masters of Divinity, South Florida Center for Theological Studies; Masters of Public Administration and Bachelors of Arts in English, Florida International University. He was Ordained June 1, 1997 in the Florida Conference UCC.  Welcome to the Southwest Conference!

For the last year the Green Justice group at First Congregational in Albuquerque has been partnering with https://gotsneakers.com/ to recycle used sneakers and make a little cash for the church. So far, First has sent off about 125 pairs of sneakers, keeping them out of the landfill and getting the less-used pairs into the hands of folks who need them.  

Democracy, Faith, and Peace-Building in 2024 

Join best-selling author and pastor, the Rev. Jim Wallis, in reflections on the current state of our democracy and his most most recent book, "The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy."  This event is being co-sponsored by Arizona Faith Network, Southside Presbyterian Church, The Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, and Arizona Democracy Resiliency Network.

Please RSVP for the Tucson event and/or RSVP for the Phoenix event.

The New Contemporary Theology book at Church of the Good Shepherd in Albuquerque is:  “Curveball: When Your Faith Takes Turns You Never Saw Coming (or How I Stumbled and Tripped My Way to Finding a Bigger God)” by Peter Enns.  “Life throws us “curve balls”—from devastating personal losses to world tragedies. These events often leave us doubting God, the Bible, and our faith. But instead of pushing away our reservations, we should embrace them,” Peter Enns argues. A leading biblical scholar and Christian mentor, Enns has never been afraid to question the Bible or Christian beliefs. Such thoughtful inquisitiveness, he argues, is part of God’s plan. He wants us to question, because doing so actually leads to a stronger, lasting faith.

Guidelines for Congregations and Clergy on Political Action

Scottsdale UCC thought it might be a helpful reminder to our churches to provide them guidance on church and clergy participation in politics in an election year.  In an election year, it is vital for United Church of Christ (UCC) congregations and clergy to understand how they can engage in the political process while adhering to legal restrictions. The UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries have outlined clear guidelines to help navigate this complex landscape, ensuring that faith-inspired political activities remain within legal boundaries. 

Read more here


Desert Garden invites you to the 5th annual Sawitski Memorial Lecture on September 14, to welcome the Rev. Caleb Campbell for his address: Christian Nationalism: Intent, Impact, and Implications. He will be joined by respondents Iman Didmar Faja with the United Islamic Center of Arizona; Bhikku Vasu Banku, interfaith manager of Arizona Faith Network; and Ann Careau, retired nurse, and hospital administrator, who has been influential in the development of the Sun City, Sun City West and Corte Bella LQBTQ + clubs.  Built into the morning schedule will be a Q & A segment with the audience. The event will be held in Fellowship Hall from 10 a.m. to noon.  Since Christian nationalism is an ideology with potential change-making effects to faith communities, democracy, and cultural values, please invite your friends and neighbors to join in this critical dialogue.

On Monday, September 23rd, “Queer Anthems & How to Write your Own Lyrics or Music” OR “Painting with Water Colors for Self Expression”. 5:00pm, 1n10 Downtown Youth Center,  Facilitated by Rev. Dr. Barb Doer-Peacock (Retired SWC ACM) and Marc Gaston (Minister of Music & The Arts, Desert Palm UCC, Tempe) Experience lyric writing through poetry and setting to music or self-expression through painting with water colors.

Desert Palm recently earned the designation of being an A2A  'Accessible to All' congregation- the first church in the SW Conference to earn the designation. Desert Palm is also a W.I.S.E. church, also about inclusion and welcoming.