After a long time with few fellowship events, Desert Palm held an intergenerational game night followed by ice cream sundaes. It felt good to be together having fun.
Tis the season for fellowship at First Church Phoenix, too. The Welcome Back BBQ & Townhall will be on Sunday, September 18th following the service. There will be updates on several strategic projects including the Building/Campus Exploration Project. After the Townhall, all will enjoy hamburgers, veggie burgers, and hotdogs in the courtyard.
Every Wednesday, the youth director at First Congregational in Albuquerque, hangs out at a local park. There are food trucks, musicians and lots of people! She has a small table set up with bubbles to give away, hula hoops to borrow and soon might be adding Kites! Everyone is invited to bring their picnic chairs/blankets. What a great idea!
Many churches and organizations have acted to ensure the safety of Afghan families, including Shadow Rock. This week, they are pausing to acknowledge the breadth and depth of their work... not to congratulate themselves, but to take stock of what they’ve been able to do. Pastor Ken shared a longer reflection on the past year walking with refugee families which you can read here.
After worship at Church of the. Beatitudes on August 28th, there will be a half-hour hymn sing-along with guest musician, Dan Kurek. Dan is an accomplished pianist/organist who knows a plethora of hymns. If you miss singing the good ole' hymns in church, now is your chance to belt out your favorites!
Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson will fill the pulpit at Shepherd of the Hills during the first two weeks of September. She is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and has served as pastor of congregations in the UCC, United Methodist Church and Presbyterian Church-USA. She is currently serving as director of spiritual care and activism for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. She is president of Excellent Way which integrates interspiritual wisdom for individual and organizational transformation. She has served as adjunct faculty at Union Theological Seminary and One Spirit Interfaith Seminary, where she has taught “The Christian Chase for Power” and “Ministry in Multicultural Contexts.” Dr. Cari holds a Ph.D. in Christian Social Ethics, Master of Divinity, Juris Doctor, and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology. She is the author of five books including The Gift to Listen, The Courage to Hear; Love Like You’ve Never Been Hurt; and For the Souls of Black Folks; and contributing author to Sisters in Mourning.
Some storm damage at Scottsdale Congregational: Our beautiful, huge pine tree fell in the storm last Saturday night. It hit the brick wall around the AC unit for the sanctuary, and its branches are putting pressure on the unit causing it to overheat and shut off. We had no AC in the sanctuary on Sunday morning, but it wasn’t insufferable.
Our Trustees (Rachel Davis) and Treasurer (Ron Schilling), along with co-moderators Alice Stambaugh and Sherril Hunter are diligently working on solving the various issues involved with this event. Insurance adjusters and arborists are involved. The tree removal process will begin on Tuesday. This involves a crane, so should be fun to watch!