AZDisciples.org

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arizona

Matthew Clark

On the Horizon

Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:

“When I say ‘UNO,’ you say ‘TOGETHER! “UNO.” “TOGETHER!”

“When I say ‘ONE,’ you say ‘JUNTOS!’” “ONE.” “JUNTOS!”

So began Rev. Pedro Ramos-Goycolea in his welcome to our Regional Gathering last month. Juntos brought be such joy – it was the first time in my nearly 2.5 years at your Regional Minister that I’ve been able to plan and celebrate an event together. Thanks be to God for the celebration we had together.

The energy from the Regional Gathering continues to spread, and I am excited about things on the horizon. As you’ll read in this EAZ Newsletter, we are now registering for a Regional Children’s Event that will take place at the Glendale Mission and Ministry Center on Saturday, February 26. We will soon be registering for church camp (more on that below) and are working on another major summer event for youth. Look for information about that and other opportunities next month.  We are also gearing up for our Regional Assembly which will be held in Scottsdale on November 4-5. Our theme is “Prophetic Unity/Unidad Profética,” we have three guest speakers coming to Arizona, and we expect to have a fabulous experience.  Please put the dates on your calendar and plan to join us.

As mentioned above, summer church camp is BACK – but with a twist.  Arizona will be partnering with the Pacific Southwest Region (PSWR) to provide church camp this summer to all children ages 3 through 12th grade (dates for each age group are listed below).  Camp will be held at the beautiful campground of Loch Leven in the mountains east of Los Angeles. The drive will be a little further than going to Prescott (it is about 4.5 hours from Phoenix and 6.5 from Tucson), but this partnership will allow our campers to be in a new setting with larger groups of fellow campers. We will evaluate the experience after this summer to see if this partnership is something we want to continue in the future.

I am so excited that we are beginning to be able to plan meaningful in-person events again and pray that all can move forward in safe, healthy, and joyful ways.

Uno! Together! One! Juntos! Dios les bendiga! God bless you all!

Pastor Jay

Regional Minister and President, Christian Church in Arizona

We invite you to pray for the following congregations in the coming months. Visit our Regional Calendar of Weekly Prayers for our annual list.

February

20 Foothills Christian Church (Glendale) led by Pastor Bekah Krevens

27 Week of Compassion efforts around the world (Week of Compassion Special Offering)

March

6 First Christian Church (Tucson) led by Pastor Ailsa Guardiola Gonzales

13 East Mesa Christian Church (Mesa)

20 Templo Cristiano Central (Phoenix) led by Pastor Job Cobos

27 Community Christian Church (Marana) led by Pastor Dave Hedgepeth

Regional Children’s Event

About This Event

We are excited to announce a Regional Children’s Event to be held on February 26 at the Glendale Mission and Ministry Center (GMMC). All children in grades K-5 are invited! Our day will involve worship, games, a service project for the mission and ministry center, and a pizza lunch.

Our Glendale Mission and Ministry Center serves the Glendale community through several different ministries and programs. One of these is supplying homeless neighbors with free hygiene kits (toothbrushes, soap, hand sanitizer, etc.). As their service project kids will learn about helping others in the community by helping to assemble these hygiene kits.

Masks are required for all people at all times except while eating lunch.

This is not a drop off event. A parent, guardian, or a responsible adult must accompany children.

This event will be led by GMMC’s Executive Director Tiffany Fehr and Casa de Adoracion’s children’s ministry leader Briana Cruz.

Scroll Down to Register!

This window is secured by 256 bit encryption on a PCI compliant network. Click here to view this window in its own page.

Christmas

Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:

Today felt like Christmas to me. And if I tell you the story, it might feel like Christmas to you too.

In 1960, the First Christian Church of Prescott was founded, and for 61 years proclaimed God’s love and strove to serve their neighbors in Prescott and beyond. In recent years, the aging congregation dwindled in size, a trend that was exacerbated by the pandemic. On November 14, 2021 they held their final celebration and closed the congregation, and the property was sold. While there is always sadness when congregations close, there is also celebration when ministry lives on.

As stewards of the proceeds of the sale, our Regional Board created a Legacy Fund in the name of FCC Prescott. Every year, gifts will be given from this fund to Week of Compassion, Disciples Mission Fund, Arizona Youth and Children’s ministries, and the outreach arm of our Arizona Disciples Women. Part of what this means: as we read about the devastation from the tornadoes in Kentucky, which among other things destroyed the building of First Christian Church of Mayfield, we also know that tangible gifts from our Prescott Disciples are already flowing through Week of Compassion to provide assistance.

But it was another decision made by the Regional Board that led to today feeling like Christmas. The Board also decided to use a portion of the proceeds to go directly to agencies that FCC supported in their Prescott community: Habitat for Humanity, 2 food banks, 2 emergency shelters, the Disabled American Veterans chapter, and other compassionate agencies that work to prevent abuse and promote well-being for people in need. So today I licked and stamped envelopes that held $168,000 of gifts to help the poor and needy in Prescott as part of FCC’s legacy. What a blessing!

Christmas is about giving, and never before have I been blessed to be a part of such a large gift. The covenant and ministry that we share as Region and local congregation calls us to reveal God’s love through moments like these.  I hope you will all share the joy of feeling like you are part of a large church family that constantly strives to shine God’s light and spread Christ’s love in tangible ways, as we seek to bring wholeness to our fragmented world.

Dios les bendiga, Merry Christmas, and Feliz Navidad!

Pastor Jay
Regional Minister and President, Christian Church in Arizona

We invite you to pray for the following congregations in the coming months. Visit our Regional Calendar of Weekly Prayers for our annual list.

December

5 Sun City Christian Church (Sun City) led by Pastor Gary Luallin

12 First Christian Church (Mesa) led by Pastor Liz DeWeese

19 Community Christian Church (Tempe) led by Pastor Bob Howard

26 The worldwide church

January

2 Your Arizona Region

9 First Christian Church (Globe) led by Pastor Al Beasley

16 First Christian Church (Scottsdale) led by Pastor Jenny Wynn

23 Desert Dove Christian Church (Tucson) led by Pastor Michael Malone

30 Chalice Christian Church (Gilbert) led by Pastor Vernon Meyer

COVID-19 Resources for Congregations

General Church Resource Page

Thanksgiving Reflections

Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:

Many of us just celebrated the day of Thanksgiving, or as the holiday is called in Spanish: el Día de Acción de Gracias.  Thanksgiving is both a myth and a concept, both an American holiday and a Christian practice. Join with me in some Thanksgiving reflections.

Like many of you, I grew up with the myth of Thanksgiving – that 400 years ago the pilgrims and “Indians” came together in perfect harmony to share a feast and give thanks to God for their survival.  Every year in school, some of us would dress up like pilgrims, some like “Indians,” and we would sit in the classroom and re-enact the blissful scene of peaceful unity.  The Church enriched my appreciation of Thanksgiving, emphasizing how gratitude and “counting our blessings” puts us in right relationship both with God and with each other.  I loved the day, loved the concept, and loved the vision of all God’s children dwelling in unity.

Education continues throughout life, however, and of course I eventually learned that the reality behind the myth was less idyllic.  While our schoolteachers painted a picture of peace and harmony, words like “domination” and “enslavement” and “genocide” are more accurate descriptions of the relations between European colonizers and native and imported peoples.  Celebrating Thanksgiving is more complicated for me now.  I still find gratitude to be a path to peace, and I still love the vision of God’s children dwelling together in unity.  But I don’t want to celebrate a myth and pretend that all was well when it wasn’t.   I don’t want to spread a thin veneer of happiness over the injustice and atrocities that native peoples and enslaved Africans experienced.

Recently our Mission Focus team discussed the word “unity” – a prominent word in Disciples history.   Talking about “unity” can sometimes feel like the myth of Thanksgiving, like we are trying to promote a superficial happiness, ignoring the realities of life’s difficulties.  But sometimes “unity” feels more like “prophetic unity” – challenging the divisions of our world, bringing us together in honesty, our eyes open to reality but our hearts open to change.  “Prophetic unity” challenges us to be awake, to listen to and see the struggles others are facing, to make what changes we can to bring about a more just world.

On January 15, the Saturday of MLK weekend, I hope you will join us for a Regional event that is intended to be one of prophetic unity.  We are calling it a “Regional Gathering,” or Juntos, which is the Spanish word for “together.” We will gather for worship, a meal, and a world-café-style series of substantial conversations with fellow Disciples across the state.  In ways, as you sit around a table with people from different churches and people of different skin colors, it might feel like a re-enactment of the myth of Thanksgiving, where all people come together and share in harmony.  But our goal is not to promote superficial niceness.  Our goal is to begin to build and deepen authentic relationships between all of us.  I hope you will join us as we seek to practice prophetic unity – you’ll find the registration at www.azdisciples.org.

And in the meantime … Dios les bendiga!

Pastor Jay
Regional Minister and President, Christian Church in Arizona

We invite you to pray for the following congregations in the coming months. Visit our Regional Calendar of Weekly Prayers for our annual list.

December

5 Sun City Christian Church (Sun City) led by Pastor Gary Luallin

12 First Christian Church (Mesa) led by Pastor Liz DeWeese

19 Community Christian Church (Tempe) led by Pastor Bob Howard

26 The worldwide church

COVID-19 Resources for Congregations

General Church Resource Page

The Great Cloud of Witnesses

Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:

Like many of you, I like to cheer for underdogs – those less well known, less publicized, or less popular people or teams or … Christian holy days.   I’ve written here before about my love for Pentecost, the forgotten stepchild of Christian holy days (Christmas and Easter getting all the attention).  But here in the fall we have two more special days that I love.  October started with World Communion Sunday, in which we recognize our connectedness with people across the planet.  And as October begins to wind down, we prepare to celebrate All Saints Day on the first of November, a day when we celebrate and recognize our connectedness with all whom have come before.

The key scripture for All Saints is Hebrews 11-12 – “the great cloud of witnesses.”   The writer of Hebrews tells the stories of many who have come before us and lived lives of faith, culminating with Jesus, whom the writer calls “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” 

Have you ever sat and meditated on this phrase?  I find this one of the most fascinating descriptions of Jesus:  “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”   Pioneers go before us, they blaze the trail, they go first, and if all goes well, others will follow and find the way easier. To call Jesus a “pioneer” is to suggest that Jesus is walking the same journey we do, but walking it first, blazing the trail, showing us where and how to go.  Jesus walked boldly forward in love, never giving in to fear.  He spoke love, showed love, taught love, and even expressed love to those who were putting him to death.  This is the trail he blazed, the path he pioneered – love for all, no matter the consequences.  It is a path he perfected – not bailing out, not caving in, not compromising because he was afraid of what would happen to him.   Jesus:  “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”

We call ourselves Disciples, followers of Jesus.  As Jesus was our pioneer, we too are called walk the journey of radical love, of expressing love to all – no matter how much we may disagree with their opinions, no matter what they look like, how they self-identify, or what they profess to believe.  We are called to love, not to be afraid, not to live in fear, not to worry about our own well-being to the exclusion of others.  May God bless us on our journey of radical love, as we seek to follow the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.

Dios les bendiga!

Pastor Jay
Regional Minister and President, Christian Church in Arizona

We invite you to pray for the following congregations in the months of August and September. Visit our Regional Calendar of Weekly Prayers for our annual list.

October

24 Glendale Mission and Ministry Center (Glendale) led by Executive Director Tiffany Fehr

31 Arizona Saints and Congregations that have come before us

November

7 Cristo en Pan de la Familia (Mesa) and Pastor Aurelio Lopez

14 Larkspur Christian Church, Casa Builders Ministry (Glendale) and Pastor Job Cobos

21 Seminarians and Disciples Education Institutions (Thanksgiving Special Offering)

28 Iglesia Cristiana Ebenezer (Tucson) and Pastor Sandy Flores

COVID-19 Resources for Congregations

General Church Resource Page

Evangelism the Disciples’ Way

Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:

A few weeks ago, while heading to an outdoor jazz concert, I walked past a man standing on a box shouting to all passersby that we better accept Jesus or we were going to spend our lives in eternal damnation. I found myself cringing inside, somewhat frustrated because scenes like that are why most Disciples are afraid to use the word “evangelism” anymore.  People sometimes say the Disciples are “the best kept secret,” in large part because we are so intent on not imposing our beliefs on others that we never even talk about our faith.  Many of us have truly taken Jesus’ words to heart:  Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them …  (Matthew 6:1)

And yet, just a few verses earlier in the “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus calls us to be public about our faith:  Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)  How do we reconcile these two sayings?  Jesus tells us both not let anyone know when we are praying or giving alms AND to let others see our good works.

I don’t know about you, but I have often struggled to find the right balance.  As a pastor, I wanted my congregation to know what was going on.  During the week our church hosted a preschool, homeless ministries, 12-step programs, music lessons, dance classes, neighborhood association meetings, counseling sessions, and more.   If you only come to worship on Sunday, you might never know that your church is engaged in all these ministries – unless I tell you.   And we want people to know about ministry opportunities, do know how they can get involved, and to know that we are practicing good stewardship with every dollar given.  But sometimes, standing in the pulpit and saying:  “We do this, and this, and this, and this …” sounds like spiritual bragging, or like we think we get extra points in heaven by letting everyone know how good we are.

As we search for a healthy balance, it may be helpful to examine our motivations.  We are not called to do good works in order to make ourselves look good.  We certainly don’t need to do good works to win God’s approval or to earn our way into heaven.  If we give to the church, work at a food bank, or spend the night with the homeless so people will notice what good people we are – obviously we more focused on puffing ourselves up than in shining the light of God’s love.   But if God’s love is leading us to these things, we will find that generous living brings us joy.  At such times, as other people notice our joyful approach to life, I hope we’ll be able to share with them the source of our joy.   That’s evangelism, the Disciples’ way.

Dios les bendiga!

Pastor Jay
Regional Minister and President

We invite you to pray for the following congregations in the months of August and September. Visit our Regional Calendar of Weekly Prayers for our annual list.

September

26 – Coolwater Christian Church (Scottsdale) and Pastor Rick Gates

October

3 Anti-Racism and Reconciliation efforts (Reconciliation Special Offering)

10 Comunidad Limen Christian Church (Tucson) led by Pastor Pedro Ramos-Goycolea

17 Iglesia Casa de Adoración (Phoenix) led by Pastors Arturo and Janett Laguna

24 Glendale Mission and Ministry Center (Glendale) led by Executive Director Tiffany Fehr

31 Arizona Saints and Congregations that have come before us

COVID-19 Resources for Congregations

General Church Resource Page

Nothing will be able to separate us…

Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  – Romans 8:37-39

Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:

Saying goodbye to people or places we love is never easy.  We experience loss in so many ways – from death, to the loss of abilities as we age, to the loss of home and friends when we move — and it is never easy.  And I’m glad it’s not easy, because the grief we feel is a sign that the love was real.

Like many of you, I am grieving several losses this month.  I was SO looking forward to gathering us all together in October for our first full-Region in-person event since I arrived here two years ago.  That loss is symbolic of what we all share – loss of time with family and friends, loss of experiences, loss of community.

I am also grieving the immanent loss of one of our Region’s pastors:  Rev. Abigail Conley.  We celebrate with Abby as she moves to begin a new ministry in Lincoln, NE;  but we also grieve, losing a colleague and friend.  And although her partner Matthew Clark will remain as our Regional Ministry Administrator, thanks to the technologies of Zoom, email, air travel, and the like, we will miss his constant physical presence in the Region.

And I am also grieving the loss of one of our Region’s congregations:  Capilla del Sol Christian Church.   Capilla del Sol made the difficult decision to close their visible ministry as of September 19, 2021.  While I take comfort in knowing that I will maintain relationships with many of the wonderful people at Capilla del Sol who will become members at other Disciples congregations, I join with all of them and many of you in grieving the loss of one of our sister congregations.

Amidst all the loss, however, I take comfort in the words of scripture.  God made a covenant with the Israelites, promising to never forsake them.  Jesus promises to be with us always, until the end of the age.  And Paul emphatically states his conviction that NOTHING in all creation can ever separate us from the love of God.  When I read scripture, I KNOW that we will stay connected in God’s love.  Life is not permanent.  But God’s love is eternal and keeps us eternally connect to each other and to the Source of all being.   Praise be to God!

Dios les bendiga!

Pastor Jay
Regional Minister and President

We invite you to pray for the following congregations in the months of August and September. Visit our Regional Calendar of Weekly Prayers for our annual list.

August

29 – Chalice Christian Church as they enter a time of transition & Pastor Abigail Conley (and Matt) as she accepts a call to a congregation in Nebraska

September

5 – First Christian Church (Mesa) and Pastor Liz DeWeese.

12 – Foothills Christian Church (Glendale) celebrating the return of Pastor Bekah Krevens from sabbatical

19 – First Christian Church (Tucson) celebrating the return of Pastor Ailsa Guardiola-Gonzalez from sabbatical

26 – Coolwater Christian Church (Scottsdale) and Pastor Rick Gates

COVID-19 Resources for Congregations

General Church Resource Page

Regional Gathering Postponed

Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:

The short version:  
We are postponing the Regional Gathering scheduled for October 2.  The new date will be January 15, 2022.

The more detailed version:
Several months ago, when most of us were getting vaccinated and it looked like in-person events would be safe this fall, we began planning a Regional Gathering as an event to celebrate.  We thought we would be beyond masks at that point and be able to celebrate with hugs and handshakes and lively interaction.  As the Delta variant has had many instances of “break through” infections, infections across our state are rising, and many of our congregations re-instating mask wearing and other safety precautions, we have decided that bringing 20+ congregations together for an in-person event does not seem as safe or celebratory as we had anticipated.  So we have picked a new date of January 15, 2022 in hopes that by then we will be able to host the event we envisioned.

If you have already registered for the Regional Gathering we will automatically apply your current registration to the January 15th event. If you would prefer, we can cancel and refund your registration. Please contact Matthew Clark (mclark@azdisciples.org) if you have questions or would like to cancel your registration.

In the meantime, we wish you health, safety, peace, justice, and an abundance of God’s love.
Dios les bendiga!

Pastor Jay

Regional Minister and President
Christian Church in Arizona

COVID-19 Resources for Congregations

General Church Resource Page

Made for Relationship

Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:

Human beings are made for relationship. Near the very beginning of the Bible, the author of Genesis offers these words from the mouth of God: It is not good that the human being should be alone. Human beings are made for relationship. One of the hardest things about the pandemic was the sense of isolation. “It is not good” to be alone; and we WERE alone.

BUT … thanks to the wide distribution of the vaccine, we are beginning to be together again. I have enjoyed traveling to congregations, seeing many of you, and worshiping in person again. And I am especially excited that we are planning some region-wide in person events for the fall. I hope to see you at one or more of these events, details and registration links you can find throughout this E-AZ.

  • August 7: Our national Disciples Virtual Gathering. This is not in person, obviously, but a chance to get a taste of what General Assembly is like for those of you who have never been. Click here to register.
  • September 10-12: Disciples Women’s Retreat in Prescott. Two days of worship, fun, and celebration. Click here to register.
  • September 24-26: Arizona Young Adult Gathering in Scottsdale. Click here to register.
  • September 30: Congregational Pastors trip to Nogales, Mexico to bake and break bread at the border. More information will be sent to congregational pastors in the coming days. Email Rev. Pedro Ramos-Goycolea to RSVP or for additional details.
  • October 2: JUNTOS: a regional gathering! This will be our first full in-person event for the entire Region, all ages welcome. In addition to worship and lunch, a bulk of our time will be spent around tables building relationships and discussing substantial questions with other Disciples from around Arizona. We are celebrating the chance to be together by forming new friendships with our siblings in Christ. Click here to register.

After more than a year of “living alone,” may our Regional Gathering be a foretaste of the day when all nations will gather together in the presence of Christ.

Dios les bendiga!

Pastor Jay
Regional Minister and President

We invite you to pray for the following congregations in the months of May and June. Visit our Regional Calendar of Weekly Prayers for our annual list.

July

25 – Saguaro Christian Church, Sol Food Initiatives, & Pastor Kelley Dick

August

1 – Community Christian Church (Marana),  & Pastor Dave Hedgepeth, as they just broke ground on a new Outreach Center

8 – Alfa & Omega, & Pastors Elias Garcia, Leonela Burgos, & Julieta Vera

15 – Desert Heritage Church, a united church of UCC & DoC, & Pastor Derrick Elliot

22 – FCC Scottsdale & Pastor Jenny Wynn, celebrating their recent decision to become an Open & Affirming congregation

29 – Chalice Christian Church as they enter a time of transition & Pastor Abigail Conley (and Matt) as she accepts a call to a congregation in Nebraska

COVID-19 Resources for Congregations

General Church Resource Page

Juntos: a Regional Gathering

About This Event

The Christian Church in Arizona excited to gather again in person* as Arizona Disciples on Saturday, January 15, 2022! Beginning at 10:00am we will have time to worship together, time to talk together, time to learn together, and a share meal together. Don’t miss our first event celebrating a return to in person Regional gatherings and register today!

Thank you to Community Christian Church in Tempe, Arizona, who will be our gracious host.

Lunch

Boxed lunches to be catered by Panera Bread. We have attempted to provide a wide range of options (see registration form), including those with food allergies or sensitivities. If none of these options work for you, you can choose “No Lunch / Bring Your Own”.

Nursery and Children’s Programing

At our gathering there will be an intentional focus to have multi-generational space as we continue togrow into intergenerational ministry. What does that mean? Children, youth, and adults are welcomeat all parts of our gathering.

There will be a nursery available for younger children (ages 1-3) and a Children’s Program (ages 4 – 4th grade) if the parent feels that is what their child(ren) need(s), but please don’t feel like you have to use it. God put the wiggles into young people, and we celebrate that as a spring of life.

As the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arizona we take seriously our call from God to be an inclusive and loving church.

*As we look toward a time when large group gatherings without restrictions are safe again, the Region is planning this in-person event. The event will follow CDC guidelines, including all advisement on large group gatherings.

Community Christian Church, Tempe, AZ

1701 S. College Ave., Tempe, AZ

Click here for directions

Details

Who: All Arizona Disciples are invited!
Where: 1701 S. College Avenue, Tempe, AZ (Community Christian Church)
When: Saturday, January 15 from 10:00am – 3:00pm

Happy Birthday, Church!

Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:

Happy Birthday, Church! That’s right, we are about to celebrate Pentecost, known affectionately as “the birthday of the church,” as over 3000 people were baptized and joined the early church.  (You can read the whole story in Acts 2:1-42.) But Pentecost is so much more than just a birthday celebration. In fact, it may be the most important of all Christian holy days.

Christmas and Easter get all the attention – and the attention is certainly well deserved. We celebrate the incarnation – God’s love made flesh, God’s presence here among us. And we celebrate the resurrection – God’s act of bringing new life to that which seemed dead. But Pentecost is often treated like Cinderella, snubbed by her two famous step-sisters, unappreciated for her theological importance to Christian life.

On Pentecost, we celebrate that God’s Holy Spirit of creativity and action is given to US, entrusted to US. The light of God lives within US, and WE are called to let that light shine. The first half of the Christian year focuses on the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. But the second half of the Christian year, beginning with Pentecost, focuses on God’s call to US to continue to ministry of Jesus, to continue embodying God’s love in a hurting world. Pentecost reminds us that Christianity is not a spectator sport. We are not called to be FANS of Jesus, cheering him on, like we cheer on our favorite quarterback. Instead, we are called to be followers of Jesus, Disciples of Christ, carrying on his ministry of love, compassion, and solidarity with all Creation.

In the Disciples world, one of the ways we honor the meaning of Pentecost is with a “special offering” to help fund new congregations – to continue the birthday of the church by giving birth to new congregations. Your gift to the Pentecost Offering helps fund New Church Ministry across the denomination, including here in Arizona. We are excited to have two new congregations in formation here in Arizona: Casa de Adoración in Phoenix, led by pastors Arturo and Janett Laguna; and Comunidad Limen Christian Church in Tucson, led by pastor Pedro Ramos-Goycolea. We look forward to continuing the spirit of Pentecost by starting more new churches in the future.

Dios les bendiga!

Pastor Jay

Regional Minister and President, Christian Church in Arizona

We invite you to pray for the following congregations in the months of May and June. Visit our Regional Calendar of Weekly Prayers for our annual list.

May

16 Iglesia Casa de Adoración, Pastors Arturo and Janet Laguna, and New Church Ministry
23 Comunidad Limen Christian Church and Pastor Pedro Ramos-Goycolea
30 Glendale Mission and Ministry Center & Executive Director Jeff Armour

June

6 Community Christian Church, Tempe & Pastor Bob Howard
13 Coolwater Christian Church (Scottsdale) & Interim Pastor Rick Gates
20 East Mesa Christian Church (Mesa) as they discern their future pastoral needs
27 Iglesia Cristiana Ebenezer (Tucson), Arizona’s oldest Hispanic Disciples congregation, led by Sandy Flores

COVID-19 Resources for Congregations

General Church Resource Page

“Healthy at Church” document from the Christian Church in Kentucky

March (to the Cross) Madness

Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:

But Peter said vehemently, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And all of them said the same. – Mark 14:31

I once preached a sermon entitled:  “March (to the Cross) Madness.”  Now, you might ask: “what do Holy Week and March Madness have in common?”  It’s a fair question.  It is indeed a curious bit of planning that places the Final Four on the day before Easter, and the men’s national championship on the day after Easter.  But to me, the two events are analogous in one major way:  emotional whiplash.

In this strange year, you may have noticed that the University of Arizona did not make the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament this year.  Neither did Arizona State.  But Arizona did have one school in the field of 68:   Grand Canyon University (GCU).  Perhaps you saw the GCU fan club show up in Indianapolis, waving their purple pom-poms and expecting David to kill Goliath – or in this case, praying for 15th seed GCU to pull off a mighty upset against 2nd seed Iowa.   Two hours later, though, the purple pom-poms hang limp, the face-paint is smeared by tears, and the GCU faithful stumble away in silence.  Emotional whiplash. And this, I say to myself, is the story of Holy Week.

The disciples entered Jerusalem with such high expectations.  They waved their palm branches (shall we call them “palm-palms?”) as Jesus entered the big arena.  They expected a miracle. Five days later, the palm branches were trampled, the disciples had scattered, and Jesus was dead.  Emotional whiplash. Holy Week is a story of defeat, disillusionment, and despair.

I also note the confidence of the disciples, not unlike the confidence of my Ohio State Buckeyes.  I’ve spent much of my life cheering for the Buckeyes, and as they entered the tournament as a 2nd seed, I picked them to win the championship.   The Ohio State players were so confident in themselves, they never would have dreamed they’d lose in the first round to lowly Oral Roberts.  And I think of Peter:  “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.”  The danger of overconfidence, thinking we cannot fail, of thinking we are above reproach, is one of the many lessons of Holy Week.

Holy Week has so very many lessons to share.  The Passion Story is incredibly powerful, and I hope you will dive into it this week.  I hope you will allow yourself to suffer the emotional whiplash of the disciples, to recognize how easy it is to bail out when the going gets tough, to witness the tragedy of mob violence and state-sanctioned violence.  The march to the Cross reveals the madness of humanity. But above all, I hope you will realize the love that Jesus continues to have for everyone – no matter what.   No matter how they fail him, no matter what they do to him, Jesus embodies God’s love for everyone.  Through the power of the resurrection, Jesus’ love lives on.  No matter how we fall short, no matter what we’ve done, Jesus welcomes us with open arms, offering the power of love and transformation to any who would receive it.  May God bless you this Holy Week, and forever more.

Dios les bendiga!

Pastor Jay

Regional Minister and President, Christian Church in Arizona

COVID-19 Resources for Congregations

Arizona Regional Resource Page

General Church Resource Page

“Healthy at Church” document from the Christian Church in Kentucky

From Super Bowl Sunday to Ash Wednesday

Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:

I wonder if any of you are feeling a bit of spiritual whiplash as we have gone from Superbowl Sunday to Ash Wednesday in the span of 10 days.  My mind is trying to understand how to deal with the juxtaposition of two phrases I have heard to describe people during this short span of time:

“He is the Greatest of All Time.” 

“I am but dust and ashes.”

What do you make of that contrast?  Or the contrast between these two symbols:  the Vince Lombardi Trophy and the sign of ashes on some of our foreheads?  One is about winning the championship, about being the best, about claiming victory and glory and superiority over our foes.  The other is about abandoning the attempt to win, accepting our own vulnerability, and living in solidarity with all.  Think about it for a moment, and it is astounding to note the contrast between true Christian spirituality and American culture. 

Nearly 2000 years ago, the first Christian writer, Paul of Tarsus, noted a similar contrast between the way of Jesus and the way of Greco-Roman society.  Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:18: For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  Foolishness.  What a way to have our spirituality described:   Foolishness.  To much of our world,  ideas like giving up privileges, abandoning any claims of superiority, or not fighting back seem foolish.  And yet, Paul says, it is the power of God. 

Sometimes, it seems, we can turn the message of the cross into the exact opposite.  At times, the cross of Jesus is lifted up in triumph, as a claim that we are better than others. I am reminded of Agatha Christie’s “The Mystery of the Spanish Chest.”  Hastings, the proper English gentleman, was trying to teach the famous detective Hercule Poirot about humility.  Poirot decided he was going to try, promising Hastings: “I shall be the most humble person in the world. No one will match Hercule Poirot for his humbility.”  Sometimes, it seems, we Christians have made the same mistake.

And so once again, we receive Ash Wednesday as an invitation to embrace the seeming foolishness of humility.  We are invited to repeat Abraham’s words:  I am but dust and ashes.  For when we give up our need to be somebody important, when we let go of our ego, we begin to allow ourselves to be shaped by the image of God inside us.  We begin to allow the breath of God to fill us.  We begin to understand ourselves as vessels of God’s spirit, privileged to be connected to the very heart of Being.  Humility is the doorway into union with God, and Ash Wednesday is our invitation to walk through the doorway and experience the joy of oneness with God. 

Dios les bendiga!

Pastor Jay

Regional Minister and President, Christian Church in Arizona

COVID-19 Resources for Congregations

Arizona Regional Resource Page

General Church Resource Page

“Healthy at Church” document from the Christian Church in Kentucky

Thoughts on a New Year

Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:

Whew!

2020 is behind us.  The presidential election and transition are behind us.  If only Covid was behind us!  I pray that many of you are getting vaccinated and soon we will be able to see each other in person again.

As I listened to the inaugural address last week, especially to the newly sworn-in president’s calls for unity, I thought to myself how we Disciples of Christ have been preaching unity since our very beginning.  The Disciples were part of a movement for unity.  “Christian Unity is our polar star” was one early slogan.  Today, we continue and expand our quest for unity by calling ourselves “a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.”

I often tell people that Disciples of Christ are a great church “for such a time as this.”  In a world full of division and conflict, in a world that has forgotten how to treat each other with respect, the Disciples offer an open invitation to the table.   We invite all to come and eat, drink, serve, worship, discuss, pray, and learn together.  We might disagree about theological or political positions, we might even argue in Sunday School, but then we go into the sanctuary, sit next to each other in pews, serve each other communion, and go forth to serve the world.  Working together in unity is in our DNA.  The Disciples are a movement for wholeness, and we seek to help create a less fragmented world.

My friends, I invite you to stretch yourselves this year, to exercise your unity muscles.  I invite you to reach out to those you don’t know, to listen to viewpoints you don’t necessarily understand, to do your best to see the image of God that is in each one of us.  We ALL want there to be less conflict in the world.  Let us remember that we are called to BE the change that we want to see.

In eager expectation of seeing you all in person, Dios les bendiga!

Pastor Jay

Regional Minister and President, Christian Church in Arizona

COVID-19 Resources for Congregations

Arizona Regional Resource Page

General Church Resource Page

“Healthy at Church” document from the Christian Church in Kentucky

2021 Ministerial Standing Form

Forms are due no later than January 31st.

You can complete a paper standing form (click the image to the right to download) or use the online form below.

The online form might take a few moments to load. If it does not load please click here (or visit ) to access it directly.

Commissioned Ministers: You must have your ministry supervisor send a letter of evaluation/reccomendation on your behalf prior to January 31st. You will be notified of your next Commission on Ministry interview.

 

REJOICE! Christmas Special Offering

Received in many congregations on Dec. 13 and 20, 2020

PLEASE NOTE: Printed materials are not being sent to congregations for the Christmas offering.

Our gifts support the work of regional ministries this Christmas. Your regional ministry works to:

  • Connect congregations to each other
  • Foster faith development
  • Gather Disciples in camps, conferences, and assemblies
  • Nurture the development of a new generation of pastors
  • Assist churches in calling new ministers
  • Interpret the global mission of the Church
  • Represent the Church in ecumenical gatherings
  • Counsel and pray with those who are troubled of spirit
  • Lead the Church to address racism
  • Inspire leaders to experiment and create
  • Witness to the power of God to make things new

The Christmas Special Day offering supports all of these and many other ministries of our regions.

General Resources

2020 Christmas-List of Regional Work AreasDownload

Regional Inserts

Worship Materials

Videos

Stories to share

2020 Christmas-List of Regional Work AreasDownload

Indiana 2020 Christmas offering Minute-for-MissionDownload

Please give generously to this year’s Christmas Offering.

Videos

Download English or Español

COVID-19 Resources for Congregations

Arizona Regional Resource Page

General Church Resource Page

Rejoice! Special Day Offerings of Disciples Mission Fund

“And now let us bring forward our tithes and offerings.”

When I was a child, I never knew why the minister said “tithes AND offerings.”   I didn’t understand the difference. What’s the difference between a tithe and an offering?

Several years after serving as a pastor, I finally learned.  A “tithe” is the basic percentage of our income we give automatically, our reminder that all that we have comes from God.  Traditionally Christians have set this goal at 10%, but whatever percentage we choose, it is a good faith practice to automatically return a certain percentage of our income to God.

“Offerings,” on the other hand, or gifts we make “over and above” our tithe.  When we feel generous, when we get some extra money, when we find a cause we want to support, we make an offering – an extra gift. 

Within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) tradition, congregations are primarily funded by tithes.  Church members pledge to give a certain percentage of their annual income to the church, often by filling out an “estimate of giving” card.  Then most congregations set their own tithe to the denomination through giving to the Disciples Mission Fund (DMF) which supports regional and general ministries. 

In addition to the “tithe” of giving a percentage of your congregation’s income to DMF, Disciples take up six “Special Offerings” each year.  These Special Offerings are over and above gifts to support our regional and general ministries.  The six offerings, in the order they are collected, are:

  1. Week of Compassion Offering, which funds emergency disaster relief and long-term development to overcome poverty
  2. Easter Offering, which funds the General church (Disciples of Christ) – our General Minister and President, Overseas Ministries, Homeland Ministries (youth, children, mental health, etc), and more.
  3. Pentecost Offering, which is all used to help start new churches – like Casa de Adoracion and Comunidad Limen Christian Church here in Arizona.
  4. Reconciliation Offering, which is used for Anti-Racism/Pro-Reconciliation work
  5. Thanksgiving Offering, which is used for higher education – our colleges and seminaries
  6. Christmas Offering, which supports your Regional ministry.

Due in large part to the pandemic and the move to on-line worship, our Special Offerings have taken a big hit this year.  Although the Week of Compassion Offering, collected before the pandemic, was strong, the Easter Offering dropped over 60% in Arizona and 53% nationwide.  That drop means a profound loss in income for our denominational ministries. 

Every December, every Region works to remind congregations and individual members of the importance of giving to the Christmas Offering, as 100% of the dollars given to that offering support our Regional ministry and make up an important part of our Regional budget.   This year is no different – a large Christmas Offering will make a big difference for our Regional ministries.  But we also want to invite you to make a special year-end gift to the Easter Offering, or to any of the special offerings.  Disciples everywhere are working hard to do great ministry with limited resources, and we encourage you to give as generously as you can to support our collective work.

COVID-19 Resources for Congregations

Arizona Regional Resource Page

General Church Resource Page

“Healthy at Church” document from the Christian Church in Kentucky

Tri-Regional Men’s (Virtual) Retreat – October 24

The 2020 Disciples Men Retreat is yet another new thing happening in 2020. But this one is a good thing! It is the first time the Retreat has been a Tri-Regional event, including the Northern California-Nevada Region, the Pacific Southwest Region and the Arizona Region. 

The Retreat is a time for churchmen to gather for study and worship and fun. It focuses on doing what we can to heal divisions that abound in our culture today. We intend to revitalize men’s ministries in our Regions and empower men for ministries that build connections and care in an increasingly divided world. 

An old saying claims that “showing up is 85% of life.” Showing up has never been easier. So show up!

Greg Alexander

Director Disciples Men at Disciples Home Missions

Men’s ministry has been a passion of mine for over 30 years. From 1992 to 2004, as Associate Regional Minister for the Christian Church In Kentucky, I had the privilege of developing men’s ministry resources and working with ecumenical men’s leaders both nationally and internationally. My call to be the General Minister of Kentucky required that I place this vital ministry on the back burner…but my passion for this vital ministry never waned. I am so very grateful to have this opportunity to focus on men’s ministry once more as the new Director for Disciples Men. Rev. Alex Ruth, the new Associate Director for Disciples Men, and I promise exciting times ahead for Disciples’ Men!

Alex Ruth

Associate Director Disciples Men at Disciples Home Missions

My passion for ministry to men stems from my own experiences of struggling to find, understand, and uncover my identity as a Christian man. I have benefited from many great examples of men who live out their faith and masculinity in different, yet life-giving ways. I have been blessed to serve as pastor of Marshfield Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) since 2006, and have worked with church leaders to develop ministry opportunities for the men of the church to grow and learn together. I am profoundly appreciative of the opportunity to work with Rev. Greg Alexander and the General Conference of Disciples Men as we grow and develop the vital ministry to men in our denomination, and especially in our local communities of faith. Truly, the future is bright for Disciples Men!

“One Region, Many Voices” Conversation Series

We hope you join us for a few (or all!) of these sessions leading up to the Regional Assembly. Each week three DIsciples pastors in Arizona will share their thoughts on the chosen topic by a pre-recorded video. We will intentionally hear from diverse voices, each in their own language with subtitles. These guests will spark our conversations around the topic through break out groups and large group sharing.

There will be no cost to attend these sessions, however we do need everyone to register so we can send you the Zoom meeting information. This will not be your only time to register, but it will be helpful to us to know how many are interested in each conversation so we can plan our tech and agenda accordingly. Each conversation will take place over Zoom and links will be available soon.

Join the Region-wide conversation by registering below and we’ll see you there!

This window is secured by 256 bit encryption on a PCI compliant network. Click here to view this window in its own page.

Above all, let’s treat each other with grace

Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:

“What’s the hardest thing about being a minister?” someone once asked me.  My response:  “Standing in the pulpit, looking out at the congregation, and seeing all kinds of different needs.”

One Sunday I looked out and saw a young couple with their newborn son, bringing him to church for the first time.  They were glowing, and I wanted to preach a sermon celebrating God’s goodness and the miraculous gift of life.

Right in front of them was another young couple, struggling to fight back tears.  I was the only one they’d told that they had just suffered a miscarriage and were grieving the loss of the future joy they’d begun to imagine.  They had come to church that morning seeking comfort and a place to grieve.  They got there early, told me their news, and sat down in a pew to pray – not expecting a couple with a newborn to sit right in front of them.

As I glanced around the sanctuary, I saw an older couple whose son had just been arrested, a man back in church for the first time since losing his wife, a middle-aged couple who had just gotten married, a few climate-change activists and a man who often shouts at them saying it is all a hoax, a woman running for the city council, dedicated to fighting for a living wage for all city employees, and a young person trying to own their transgender identity.  All these people came with strong emotions, looking to me for a word from God.  I had things to say to each of them – but it was hard to do it all at the same time.  Leading a congregation of people with different needs, different political beliefs, and different lifestyles can be a big, stressful challenge.

One of my Regional Ministry colleagues recently shared a study of pastors done by the Wisconsin Council of Churches which dealt with clergy stress.  It found that in the last 6 months, over 25% of clergy have considered retiring early or resigning.  Clergy have struggled with some members pressuring them to return to in-person worship while others have lobbied against.  Clergy have struggled to learn technology and produce on-line worship, often having to serve as their own technology specialist.  Clergy with children have had to figure out how to both work and take care of their congregation while at the same time managing their children’s school.  And like all of us, clergy are struggling with the tensions of living in a highly-polarized society.

COVID-19 has been hard on all of us.  I don’t mean to say that clergy have the most stressful jobs or are the only ones juggling work and home.  Life is stressful for all of us these days.  But I do ask you all to take a moment and think about your pastors.  If you are in a position to write them a card, take them a meal, or see if you can help with technology, I encourage you to do so.

Above all, let’s treat each other with grace.  Let’s recognize that life is stressful for all of us right now.  I once heard someone say: “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.”  So if you disagree with someone, if you want your pastor — or anyone — to make different decisions, it’s fine to talk with them.  But please do it with love, recognizing that they are a child of God seeking to do their best to navigate this journey of life.

Dios les bendiga!

Pastor Jay

Regional Minister and President, Christian Church in Arizona

P.S. If you’d like to watch a detailed summary of the Wisconsin Council of Churches report, along with recommendations of how to be a healthier church, click here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jcXASF8Tq0&feature=youtu.be

COVID-19 Resources for Congregations

Arizona Regional Resource Page

General Church Resource Page

“Healthy at Church” document from the Christian Church in Kentucky