Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:
I bring you greetings from the entire Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada! What a joy it was for over 3000 Disciples to gather for the first time in four years, as we celebrated the Kindom of God at our General Assembly in Louisville just a few weeks ago. Over 30 Arizona Disciples joined the fun, worshiping every evening, attending workshops and bible studies and ministry reports during the day.
Some of the highlights for me included:
- The Opening Roll Call, during which Arizona Disciples held our bilingual banners high and wore our Unidad Profetica/Prophetic Unity t-shirts from Regional Assembly
- Hearing William Barber preach on Sunday morning at Beargrass Christian Church, offering an inspiring call to witness to God’s love in the world. It was also exciting to see that the early service at Beargrass featured the preaching of our own Rev. Kelley Dick of Saguaro CC.
- Staying at Beargrass for Don DeWeese’s funeral Sunday afternoon, presided at by our own Rev. Trish Winters (new interim at Community CC in Tempe). About 5 minutes into the service, a friend leaned over and whispered in my ear: “She’s GOOD!”
- The re-election of Rev. Terri Hord Owens as our General Minister and President for the next 8 years.
- WRIM Reception on Monday night – over 100 Disciples from the Western Regions in Ministry (WRIM) — Arizona, Central Rocky Mountain, Northern California/Nevada, Northern Lights, Oregon/SW Idaho, and the Pacific Southwest Regions – gathered for drinks and desserts and a time of fellowship that was simply marvelous.
In addition to these highlights, the Assembly also offered me the invaluable opportunity to have face to face discussions with several of our General ministry staff on issues important to congregations and the region of Arizona.
I was especially delighted that several Arizona Disciples were attending their first ever General Assembly. I hope you will hear their stories – and maybe join them in two years for our next General Assembly, July 12-15, 2025 in Memphis, TN.
Dios les bendiga!
Pastor Jay
Regional Calendar of Weekly Prayers
Join in praying for our Arizona Disciples Congregations.
View the full calendar at azdisciples.org.
August
20 – Desert Heritage Church led by Pastor Derrick Elliot
27 – East Mesa Christian Church led by Pastor Charles Dubbs
September
3 – First Christian Church in Globe let by Pastor Al Beasley
10 – First Christian Church in Mesa in a time of transition
17 – First Christian Church in Scottsdale led by Pastor Jenny Wynn
24 – End to Racism and the Reconciliation Ministry Special Offering
