At Desert Palm on December 22nd during the morning worship service at 9 AM, the Chancel Choir, Youth and Guest Instrumentalists will present the opera “Amahl And The Night Visitors” an opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti.
Casas Adobes UCC will hold a “Quiet Christmas” Service on Wednesday, December 18th at 12:00 noon in the Vance Chapel. This service, sometimes called “Blue Christmas” will focus on the stillness of the season and the quiet miracle in a manger.
If you have experienced a loss, are not feeling up to the exuberance of the season or just want to experience God in quiet community you are invited to attend this special service of quiet joy, peace, and healing.
The SW Conference has asked Desert Palm to partner in the development of a Young Adult Ministry (for those 18-35) with our new Youth Director, Andrew Ponder Williams, as the point person. The idea is to create a ministry that would serve current young adults along with an on-campus ministry for ASU students.
The Green Justice team at First Congregational in Albuquerque has several initiatives in the works! One is to eliminate single-use items in their monthly potlucks. To that end, they are collecting drinking glasses, cloth napkins, and cloth tablecloths. Next, the team created a Green Justice Advent calendar, with suggestions for making the earth a better place for each day of Advent. They also will be selling reusable grocery bags with the church logo!
Donna Cavedon is the interim minister at First Christian Church in Las Cruces. Her brother George had a rainbow flag made and donated it to the church. A week following the raising of the flag, sharing with the community who they are and what FCC represents, they had people come to worship because of driving by the church and seeing the flag.
On Friday, December 13th at 5:00 p.m., The Sedona Academy of Chamber Singers, choir-in-residence at The Church of the Red Rocks, will share holiday inspiration with “A Festival of Lessons & Carols.” Based on the traditional “Service of Nine Lessons and Carols,” the Chamber Singers will perform Christmas songs with a message of hope, and read selected scripture passages. Some of the carols are concert pieces and others are familiar favorites that allow the audience to sing along.
On December 21st, 4 pm at the Taos Plaza Gazebo, Taos UCC will participate in the Taos County Homeless Memorial Day Service. They will remember those who died in 2019 while living without a home, with prayers, songs, poetry, and candles. Following the service, they will light the farolitos on the plaza, and then walk to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church—St Joseph’s Hall—for a shared potluck dinner.
The Good Shepherd UCC in Sahuarita hosted a great Ecclesiastical Council for Rebecca McElfresh. There was a crowd of very supportive people, many from the Good Shepherd, but also many from the area UCC churches. Rebecca did a superb job answering all the questions with thoughtful answers and even a bit of humor. At the conclusion of the gathering, the delegates voted unanimously to approve her for ordination. The Good Shepherd will now move to the next step which will be to have the congregation offer a call to Rebecca and then hold her ordination on March 1st. Congratulations, Rebecca!
Church of the Good Shepherd in Albuquerque is supporting Casa Q with a gift tag tree. Casa Q is a transitional living facility for LGBTQ, youths who are homeless. They provide a knowledgeable and supportive environment for LGBTQ youths ages 14 to 18. In addition to nutritious meals and a safe place to sleep, residents receive tutoring, medical care, and individualized therapy.