The "Breaking the Silence" vigil outside of Desert Palm UCC in Tempe last Wednesday evening was attended by 50-60 people. Word spread through FB as it was organized through and shared by the Tempe Interfaith Fellowship - TIF. What was most heartening was all the supportive passerbys who honked and flashed peace signs...
One of the best ways of staying healthy—mentally spiritually, physically—is by staying outdoors and getting exercise. Thanks to the leadership and perseverance of the United Church of Santa Fe's Landscape Task Force, United has a wonderful Reflection Trail, a Hozhoni (Blessing) Garden, and plenty of room to run around, while keeping the 6-foot social distance. Folks are welcome to come anytime.
Every summer Church of the Palms invite members of the congregation to participate in Sunday services by providing Summer Special Music. Even though it says “special music,” they have had folks read poetry, tell stories, and share other talents. As Pastor Jim always says, you can even play the saw or comb and waxed paper if that’s your thing!!! The tradition will continue this summer through the magic of video and can even include those spending the summer in far off places!
There is now a video on the Desert Garden UCC Facebook page that shows the easy process of making ‘plarn’ out of plastic bags. This is easy to do while relaxing in your favorite chair or watching TV. The church needs plarn-makers as well as those willing to knit or crochet the plarn into comfy, insulated mats for the homeless. Shown here is a finished mat. The mats are delivered to the Justa Center which assists with the needs of homeless seniors.
SoulSeeds! A Young Adult Meetup, from Church of the Beatitudes, is designed to provide a space for spiritual fellowship among those in their late-teens to early thirties. The gathering will utilize material from The Virtues Project™, where both reflective and practically applied spirituality are explored and encouraged. Believing in God is not a prerequisite, but a willing and open mind is. Gatherings take place every Sunday evening in June and July, 5:30-7:00pm (MST), via Zoom web conferencing. If you would like to join and obtain the Zoom meeting link, please send RSVP email with "SoulSeeds" in the Subject line to media@beatitudeschurch.org
Rev Bethany, newly called pastor at First Christian Church in Las Cruces, is beginning a weekly Zoom gathering where participants will do a Spiritual Practice together like: Lectio Divina, Centering Prayer, Christian Meditation, Bible Journaling, Scripture Doodling, and more!
Pastor Sarah from Church of the Good Shepherd in Albuquerque has joined Tik Tok, a social media platform that features 3- to 60-second videos by creators from around the world. Users can interact with people who “follow” them or comment on their videos. She downloaded it for fun, but quickly saw its potential for meaningful ministry. Her "profile,” which was viewed 16,803 times last week, includes the church website and YouTube page. It also explains that she is a LGBTQ-friendly pastor, mom, and service dog handler. She has been “followed” by 23,182 people and over 1.5 million people have “liked” the videos. The videos are short and simple - about 15 seconds each- but they almost always generate conversation in the comments. They also reach a broad audience- over 2 million times just last week! What started as an experiment and a fun creative outlet has evolved into a meaningful ministry, primarily to LGBTQ+ youth, service dog handlers, people with disabilities, and people who otherwise don’t “fit in.”
A Virtual Prayer Protest for George Floyd and Black Lives Matter will be held on Monday, June 8th at 7 pm at First Congregational UCC in Albuquerque (FCC). Pastors Sue from FCC, Jocelyn from St. Paul’s UCC, Rio Rancho, and Sarah from Church of the Good Shepherd UCC will wear masks that says “I Can’t Breathe” and kneel in the FCC sanctuary for 9 minutes to remember George and others who have lost their lives. You are invited to join from home. They will livestream this on the FCC Facebook page and invite you to share a picture of yourself wearing a mask.
An asylum seeking family, who rested in the Rincon Shelter last July, has found affordable housing in Tucson while they await their hearing, and the Justice and Witness Ministry Team at Rincon has voted to befriend/companion this family during their sojourn here. The COVID crisis delayed their hearing, leaving their previous housing situation in jeopardy.
Congratulations, Debby Stinton! Debby, a member of Church of the Palms, has been approved by the Committee on Church and Ministry 'A' to take the next step toward ordination, which is an Ecclesiastical Council. It will be held at 3 pm on Sunday, June 14 via Zoom.
Click here to register in advance for this webinar-style Ecclesiastical Council.
After registering, you'll receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
In closing,
A powerful poem by our Associate Conference Minister
DANGLING
Barbara Doerrer-Peacock ©2020
There is an old tree in my yard
seasoned and set deep
veins of roots and branches
fingering wide into
sky and soil.
You are there.
Dangling.
But I don’t see you.
Your blackness
blends with bark
and my blue eyes
are blind.
I love that old tree.
The sturdy trunk,
good for climbing and
sitting secure on thick
branches –
high and lifted
giving a particular view of the world,
protected from what
dangles beneath…
You.
Still unseen.
If I heard your constricted cries,
I thought, It’s wind
and will not disturb my peace.
But now – the old tree
weakens with rot.
Your screams crack the limbs
and send me tumbling.
I’m caught unaware,
or…now aware…
snagged
dangling from my
lofty privileged place…
fragile
from climbing so long on
a rotting tree.
Now, dangling,
my blue eyes see you.
I whimper in the wind.
You make no move
but simply watch
as if to say,
it’s finally time.
Stay here awhile,
and dangle.
And we do. You and I.
Caught on the same rotting tree,
the one that lifted me,
the one that dangled you.
No difference between us
except your blackness
blends with bark
and my blue eyes
were blind.
Now with the weight of
dangling two,
the brittle branch cracks
and bends towards earth.
I scream my demise…
but you stretch
and reach.
The more you stretch,
the more the branch cracks
the more I scream…
until your toe touches
the common earth
beneath us.
Your now-secure body
becomes a new
and sturdy trunk.
Our eyes meet.
We see each other.
I wonder….
is it hate or hope
dangling between us?
You say, it depends.
Dangle a while longer…
Dangling,
until you dare stretch
and crack
and can hear
more than just the wind.