Sunday, November 8th, 11 First Church members and friends -- and three dogs! -- participated in the 3-mile Phoenix Crop Walk, which began and ended in their courtyard. Thanks to all who helped raise awareness of hunger both around the globe and here in the Valley.
Read MoreLove Halloween? Love food trucks? Enjoy both at this creepy and fun event. This year in conjunction with our Harvest Festival, we will host our big Fall Food Truck Roundup. Invite your family, friends, and neighbors! Community Life Ministry, Karen Kradle, and the staff would like to give a huge thank you to all those that donated candy for the Harvest Festival.
Shadow Rock, Phoenix
FABRIC RECYCLE DRIVE begins October 18th
Clean out your closets! Shadow Rock Preschool is holding their semi-annual Soft Goods Recycle Drive! Bring fabric of ANY kind in ANY condition on Sunday, October 18th, through Thursday the 22nd. We really mean ANY condition - rips, tears, stains are all ok! Any donations that are not resellable will be broken down to their fibers, cleaned, and recycled. The preschool is paid per pound collected, so they appreciate your contributions.
Scottsdale Congregational Church
Scottsdale UCC is looking for donations for I HAVE A NAME project--an exhibit of photographs by Jon Linton of the homeless on the streets of Phoenix. They are looking to collect $500 to frame the photos and stories in this exhibit. Jon will then give the exhibit to Scottsdale UCC and they would agree to let the exhibit travel around to other UCC churches that would be interested in displaying it as part of their Justice ministry to the homeless.
For more information about the artist and this project, click on www.ihaveaname.org. If you would like to contribute to this project, please contact Susan Unmacht, 480-747-7614.
Desert Garden, Sun City
This year Desert Garden Church reaches two milestones in its service to the greater West Valley community: 35 years as an established United Church of Christ Congregation and
the 25th anniversary of the installation of our Rogers organ.
These milestones will be celebrated at Desert Garden Church on Sunday, October 25, 2015. We invite all members past and present, friends and visitors to share in a morning of festive music and sharing of community outreach.
Casas Adobes Congregational Church, Tucson
Casas Adobes is hosting the Third Annual Morris B. Ewing Memorial Golf Outing on October 30th at SaddleBrooke Ranch Golf Club. A portion of revenue from the event supports the Youth Fund of the Southwest Conference United Church of Christ. Click here for additional details and here for the flyer.
Church of the Beatitudes, Phoenix
Please join us on Sunday, January 24th, when Dr. Harvey Cox, Hollis Research Professor at Harvard Divinity School, will be preaching the 9 am worship service at Church of the Beatitudes. Dr. Cox is a permeant theologian and scholar on the interaction of religion, culture and politics. Some of his many written works include When Jesus Came to Harvard: Making Moral Decisions Today, The Future of Faith, and Religion in the Secular City. Click here to watch Dr. Cox discuss his text "The Future of Faith."
United Church of Angel Fire, NM
The Firewood Angels cut, stack and deliver firewood to needy folks in the Moreno Valley. Preparations for Firewood Angels begin during the summer. This year three different groups of helpers from the Lutheran Church helped UCAF members to move massive quantities of logs from a donor in Hidden Lake. This amounted to about $3500 that needy folks did not have to spend. With all the help, we were able to supply the firewood needs of all our clients throughout the winter. This summer the Firewood Angels have cut, split and stacked 32 cords of wood and are well ahead of the game! Preparations are now underway to deliver wood to the needy before the first snow falls.
Rincon Congregational Church, Tucson
Rincon is hosting an event-filled weekend promoting Sacred Conversations On Race: Exploring Whiteness, October 23-25. Click here for details.
Join us for a special movie event, the groundbreaking documentary about the epidemic of rape in the military, "The Invisible War," November 20th at Rincon. Click here for the flyer!
The Good Shepherd UCC, Sahuarita
The Good Shepherd United Church of Christ in Sahuarita will welcome Dr. Larry L. Rasmussen, Reinhold Niebuhr Professor Emeritus of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary, NYC and Nautilus Book Award for 2014 for Earth-honoring Faith, on November 20th and 21st. He will be joining us for a CREATION JUSTICE WEEKEND.
For more information, click here.
Rebel & Divine OWL Retreat
A young adult fall retreat will be held November 6-8, 2015, at Chapel Rock Camp in Prescott, AZ. This is an opportunity for young adults to explore their values around sexuality using the Our Whole Lives (OWL) program.
First Congregational Church, Phoenix
Join the inaugural "First at First" event on the First Friday in November at First Congregation United Church of Christ. The event will run from 6-10 PM and focus on the Southwest Conference. There will be live entertainment, market vendors, and ways to connect with other churches in the conference! We are still looking for artists and vendors. If you are interested, please email nelson@phoenixucc.org. We invite your congregation to send a delegation to set up a table and talk about your church for the other attendees!
For more information, contact Nelson Kristoffer Mendoza at 602.509.5581 mobile or email nelsonkristoffer@outlook.com.
Sacred Space, Tucson
Sacred Space executive director Teresa Cowan Jones will co-present Capturing the Stories of a Compassionate City and Community at the 2015 Parliament of the World's Religions, the oldest, the largest, and the most inclusive gathering of people of all faith and traditions.
Click here to read more.
First Samoan Congregational Christian Church, Phoenix
Sina Ahsoon, secretary of First Samoan Congregational Christian Church in AZ, recently attended a meeting of the Church Building and Loan Fund (CBLF), a part of our national setting that works with building loans to new and young congregations. Sina spoke to other new church representatives about how CBLF not only granted them a loan to purchase their building, but, when they ran into difficulties, worked with them to save their building.
As I travel and meet with church councils, search and call committees, clergy and laity in our Southwest Conference ministry settings, I experience and feel excitement, strength, and love for the United Church of Christ. We not only say we welcome those who are not welcome elsewhere, we actually do welcome all no matter who or where they are on life's journeys. I am so proud of be a part of who and what we are in a world where inclusion, on almost every level, is rare.
It is into this setting we welcome the Rev. Dr. Bill Lyons as our Designated Conference Minister who will begin his ministry among us on January 1, 2016. I can't wait for all of you to meet him and to get to know him. He brings years of pastoral experience, wisdom, humor, creativity, theological perspectives for today's church, and an authentic passion for social justice.
I continue to be honored to be your Acting Conference Minister during this transition time. My last day will be December 31st. I commute between Albuquerque and Phoenix and find it an easier task than I thought it might be. Our technology age makes this possible of course. Please do not hesitate to contact the Conference office to let anyone of us on staff know how we can best serve you and your ministry setting.
Blessings,
Lee
September 23, 2015
Dear Colleagues and Churches of the SWC,
It is with a great deal of enthusiasm that I inform you that the SWC Executive Board has unanimously selected the Rev. Dr. William M. Lyons as our Designated Conference Minister. Dr. Lyons is scheduled to be in place to begin his ministry with us on January 1, 2016.
Bill, his preferred name, comes to us with 30 years of pastoral experience. He is currently the pastor of St. John’s U.C.C. in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he has served for the past 11 years. He was ordained in the U.C.C. on October 13, 1985. A more extensive bio will be in tomorrow’s In the Loop newsletter.
While he will officially be on board in January, Bill will be present in the SWC for two significant meetings: the Mission Planning Meeting (October 24) and the Clergy Retreat (November 9 – 11). It is my hope that his presence at these two pivotal meetings will encourage the attendance of those eligible.
I would be remiss not to thank both the Search Committee and the Executive Board for their intense and diligent work during this search process. Special thanks is extended to Dana Bender, the Chair of the Search Committee; to Holly Herman, the SWC Office Manager; and to the Rev. Dr. Lee Albertson, the SWC Acting Conference Minister.
I also want to thank each of you in advance for your continued support for our Southwest Conference and the United Church of Christ. As we step into the future, let us do so in the belief that God is already there waiting to greet us in Jesus’ Name.
Shalom,
George A. Ault
SWC Moderator
Friends,
We are grieved to hear that Pastor Wendell Langrine of Marshallese Ministries died on Sunday July 26th at 11am of a massive stroke. He died in a hospital in the Marshall Islands.
Pastor Wendell was beloved by his congregation that meets at Church of the Painted Hills in Tucson and will be greatly missed. His sudden death was a shock to his family and everyone who knew him. At the time of his death, Pastor Wendell was forty-five years old and in good physical condition. Pastor Wendell had been a minister for ten years. Wendell is survived by his wife, Marciana and two children, Esa and Tara.
Please keep the family, extended family, and congregation in prayer at this time. There will be a memorial service for Pastor Wendell in Tucson sometime in August. Stay tuned for details. Condolences may be sent to Church of the Painted Hills, office@cphucc.org, 3295 W Speedway Blvd. Tucson AZ 85745.
SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE 2015‐2016
(SUPPORTING OVER 600 CHILDREN)
** Most Needed
[] Sturdy Pocket Folders
[] Single Subject Notebooks
[] 3 or 5 Subject Notebooks (w/ Pocket Dividers)
[] Wide/College Ruled Paper **
[] Graph Paper
[] 1.5” and 3” Binders **
[] Divider Tabs (8 set) **
[] Divider Tabs (5 set) **
[] # 2 Pencils (10‐12 ct) **
[] Pink Erasers (Large) **
[] Pencil Sharpener w/ Lid
[] Pencil Box (Plastic)/Pouch
[] Red/Blue/Black Ink Pens
[] 24 ct. Crayons
[] Colored Pencils **
[] 8 ct. Washable Markers
[] Highlighters
[] Glue Sticks ** (Disappearing Purple)
[] Bottle White Glue
[] Scissors (blunt tip/plastic handles)
[] Flexible Ruler
[] 3x5 & 4x6 Index Cards
[] 4 GB Flash Drive
[] Backpack (no wheels) **
School supplies may be dropped off at:
U.S. Bank – 1260 Gail Gardner Way Ste. 125, Prescott, AZ
U.S. Bank – 3030 Arizona 69, Prescott, AZ
Adult Center of Prescott ‐1280 Rosser Street, Ste. B, Prescott, AZ
Yavapai County Food Bank – 8866 E. Long Mesa Drive, Prescott Valley, AZ
Thank you in advance for your generous donation!
Welcome to Our New Assistant Minister!
We are happy to announce that Pamela Denzer, a seminarian at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio and former Tucson middle school teacher has been offered and accepted the position of Assistant Minister at Rincon.
Pam will provide staff support for the Faith Development and Justice and Witness Ministry Teams, as well as some preaching, teaching, fellowship and service opportunities at Rincon and beyond. She’s excited to return to Tucson and feels strongly called to Rincon as she prepares for graduation and ordination in 2016.
Attention! School Supplies
Faith in Action is sponsoring a drive for start-up supplies for Maryland School. Look for a Maryland School poster in the Narthex on Sunday mornings for the next month or so. You'll find a tree with attached leaves. Each leaf will indicate a request for school supplies for the beginning of the school year. If you wish to help, please take a leaf, purchase the supply indicated, and return it to a box under the tree within the next month.
- A big thanks from Faith in Action!
Summer Food Drive - ‘Feed the Crowd’ for our Food Bank
Our Scripture selections for this Sunday, July 26, include John 6:1-21, the story about a boy bringing to Jesus two loaves and five fishes that turn into enough food to provide for the large crowd who had gathered to hear Jesus on that day. You are invited to share with others in the same way this Sunday, by supporting our ‘Feed the Crowd’ Food Drive for United Food Bank. Please bring non-perishable food goods, and let’s fill both our food barrels in one day and help with the summer shortage of food at the food banks. The Spiritual Life, and Community/World, Ministry Teams thank you for your generosity!
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Report on the Southwest Conference U.C.C. April 17-18, 2015
The Annual Meeting of our Southwest Conference was held April 17 through April 18, 2015. This meeting marked the Fiftieth Anniversary of the U.C.C. South West Conference. The meeting also marked the last SW Conference meeting for Rev. Dr. Dorhauer as Conference Minister. Rev. Dorhauer has been nominated to be the President and General Minister of the entire U.C.C. He will be moving to Cleveland to begin his new duties in late Summer. Pastor Vern and Audrey and Gil Hendry attended as delegates. The Conference was held at the Church of the Red Rocks in Sedona, AZ. It was well attended with over 200 delegates, speakers and Conference officials.
