Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:
This summer, Disciples from all across the U.S. and Canada will gather for our General Assembly: July 12-15, 2025, in Memphis, TN. ALL Arizona Disciples are invited to attend – and to join together at a special reception on the opening night. You will find information on how to register below. We are moving from a two-year cycle to a three-year cycle, so this will be our last in-person General Assembly until 2028. I hope you will consider joining us for four days of worship, education, fellowship, business – and of course, some amazing Memphis BBQ!
The theme for this summer’s Assembly is “BEYOND,” based on Ephesians 3:20 and the idea that God is able to do “BEYOND” anything we can imagine. We will celebrate and reflect on the power of God’s love to move us beyond ourselves, our fears, and our limits. While I was reading through the General Assembly Bible Study Guide, I was delighted to come across this inspiring image by an Arizona Disciples artist – Rev. Bekah Krevens from Foothills Christian Church:
A dandelion pushes up through concrete – the will to life overcoming what seems like impossible suffocation. God’s love, God’s power extends BEYOND anything we can imagine. Or in the words of St. John: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never overcome it.”
At times, we feel overwhelmed by darkness. We see beloved landscape plowed over to build new housing developments or shopping malls, obliterating the plants and animals that called the land home for thousands of years. We see concrete where once there were majestic saguaros. It is easy to give in to despair, frustration, and anger.
But the call of the gospel is to trust in the power of God’s love, the will to life – to trust in the one who brought the Israelites out of Egypt, who brought them home from the Exile, who raised Jesus from the tomb. The call of the gospel is to trust that God can do BEYOND what our eyes can now see and what our imaginations can conceive. May we, too, live with deep trust in God’s love to lead us through all difficult situations.
Dios les bendiga!
Pastor Jay
Regional Minister and President, Christian Church in Arizona
Learn more about General Assembly at this link, or start your register at this link.
