AZDisciples.org

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arizona

Hispanic Ministries

Regional Reflection: Our Mission and Values

Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:

Every once in a while, it is good to take a step back from life and work and ask: Who are we?  What are we doing? What are our goals? It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut, to keep doing things we should’ve stopped doing years ago, to not get around to living the way we want to.

Well, your Regional leadership recently did that.  We began late last year with a leadership survey, and then in January our clergy and our board met with a consultant from Ministry Architects to discuss mission, values, and strategic goals. Our new mission statement:

We nurture, equip, and inspire all toward God’s inclusive love, bold justice, and faithful transformation. 

Anidamos, equipamos, e inspiramos a todos hacia el amor inclusivo de Dios, la justicia audaz y la transformación fiel.

The Region works to nurture and develop leaders and congregations.  This includes the work of the Commission on Ministry, the New Church Ministry Team, and the Congregational Vitality Grant Team. The Region also works to inspire our leaders and congregations to work towards transforming ourselves and our society to be more in line with God’s inclusive love.  This involves the work of our Anti-Racism Team, our Border and Immigration Ministry, and our Global Missions Team. 

We also named five values that we want to guide our ministry and our life together:

Courage. Honesty. Willingness. Inclusivity. Justice.

Valentía. Honestidad. Disponibilidad. Inclusividad. Justicia. 

We are asking all Arizona Disciples to consider how these values are present in our lives, in our congregations, and in our ministries. We hope we have the courage to face difficult questions and situations with honesty. We want to be transparent and accountable. We want to be willing to listen to each other, to sit with each other, to consider alternative viewpoints, rather than judging or jumping to conclusions. We want to be inclusive to ALL – because no one likes to feel excluded, and because NOTHING can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:37-39) And finally, we want to recognize and work against the presence of all kinds of injustice and discrimination, as we seek to move toward what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called “the Beloved Community.”

This is who we are as Arizona Disciples, and who we want to be. May God be with us on this journey, and may we be courageous enough to go where God calls us.

Dios les bendiga!

Pastor Jay
Regional Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arizona

Regional Assembly Adopts RA-2401, Emergency Sense of the Assembly Resolution Calling Arizona Disciples to Oppose Christian Nationalism

By a majority vote on Saturday, October 26, 2024, the gathered Regional Assembly of the Christian Church in Arizona adopted RA-2401, Emergency Sense-of-the-Assembly Resolution Calling Arizona Disciples to Oppose Christian Nationalism. This resolution was submitted by the Arizona Anti-Racism/Pro-Reconciliation Team and recommended for adoption by the Administrative Council.

RA-2401

CALLING  ARIZONA DISCIPLES TO OPPOSE CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM
(An Emergency Sense-of-the-Assembly Resolution)

WHEREAS, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) affirms the inherent worth and dignity of all people, created in the image of God, and called to live in mutual love and respect; and 

WHEREAS, the teachings of Jesus Christ call us to love our neighbors as ourselves, to welcome the stranger, and to seek justice for the oppressed; and 

WHEREAS, Christian Nationalism promotes a distorted interpretation of Christianity that seeks to merge national identity with a particular racial and religious identity, often resulting in the exclusion, marginalization, and harm of people of color, non-Christians, immigrants, and other vulnerable communities; and 

WHEREAS, Christian Nationalism is contrary to the inclusive and reconciling nature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which transcends all human-made boundaries of race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, and creed; and 

WHEREAS, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arizona, as part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) adopted Sense-of-the-Assembly Resolution GA-2341 which says, “The Church in all its expressions commits to educating ourselves and our constituencies about the societal and spiritual dangers of Christian Nationalism, how to talk about Christian Nationalism theologically, and how to counter it in both ecclesial and public life.” 

WHEREAS Sense-of-the-Assembly Resolution GA-2341 also: “…calls on its leaders and members to take every possible opportunity to speak out and act boldly against Christian Nationalism, ensuring that the love of God known to us in Jesus Christ may not be distorted by this ugly and false appropriation of our faith, but proclaimed with generosity and grace to all peoples, from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.”

WHEREAS we have been called by the General Church “…to prayerfully discern, confess, and repent of our own complicity with Christian Nationalism“; 

WHEREAS the recent threatening rhetoric of political leaders and the major polarizing election cycle before us, makes it critical at this specific time, for us to name publicly, that our actions and reactions must adhere to the vision and call of Christ in opposition to actions and reactions adhering to political leanings.

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Region of Arizona unequivocally condemns Christian Nationalism as a heretical distortion of the Christian faith and a threat to the unity and justice to which Christ calls us; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we, as Arizona Disciples, in all our expressions, commit ourselves to educating our congregations about the dangers of Christian Nationalism, promoting theological teachings that emphasize the inclusivity and justice central to the Gospel; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we, as Arizona Disciples, in all our expressions, actively support and partner with organizations and movements that work to dismantle systems of white supremacy and promote racial justice, equity, and reconciliation; and 

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that we, as a Region and as Arizona Disciples, will denounce Christian Nationalism and seek to embody the beloved community, where all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion, are welcomed, valued, and treated with dignity, as we strive to live out the reconciling love of Christ in our world. 

Arizona Regional Anti-Racism/Pro-Reconciliation (ARPR) Ministry Team

Community Christian Church, Tempe
Comunidad Limen Christian Church, Tucson
First Christian Church, Tucson

Rev. Trish Winters
Rev. Pedro Ramos-Goycolea
Rev. Dr. James Sterling
Rev. Brett Winters
Rev. Jay Deskins
Rev. Terry Steeden
Rev. Allen Cunningham
Rev. Katie Sexton
Pastor Tawni Garcia
Pastor Arturo Laguna
Rev. Kenneth Stamper
Pastor Janett Laguna
Rev. Ailsa Guardiola González
Rev. Chad Boseker
Rev. Kevin Prahar

BACKGROUND

General Assembly (Sense of the Assembly) Resolution GA-2341 CALLING THE CHURCH TO OPPOSE CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM

Link: https://ga.disciples.org/resolutions/2023/ga-2341/

Presented at the 2023 General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada, this resolution calling for the church to oppose Christian Nationalism was adopted. The resolution includes background information which helps to define the term Christian Nationalism and provides resources for additional reflection.

The Administrative Council of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arizona recommends that the Regional Assembly ADOPT RA-2501

Regional Reflection: Obra Hispana Bi-Annual Asamblea

Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:

Recently I had the pleasure to join 50 other Arizona Disciples at the Obra Hispana bi-annual assembly. Obra Hispana is the name of the fellowship of Hispanic Disciples in our denomination, and it is made of of 9 convenciones and about 230 congregations. Overall, over 250 Hispanic Disciples attended the event from the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Arizona Disciples played a huge role:  12 worship dancers, ranging in age from 7 to about 50-something (I didn’t ask), made the 24-hour journey by van to Kansas City, complete with 4 different liturgical dresses, flags, and banners.  Arturo Laguna Jr. and Ally Salgado from Casa de Adoración were part of the worship band – as they will be at our Regional Assembly in October. Our Regional Moderator, Rev. Pedro Ramos-Goycolea, led a workshop. And, of course, Rev. Lori Tapia was the leader of it all, which included her re-election as National Pastor of the Obra Hispana. Congratulations, Pastor Lori!

The title of the Assembly was based on the Obra Hispana theme for the year: “Generaciones,” or “From Generation to Generation.” Much of the Assembly focused on the development of leadership among the younger generations, as well as the appreciation of the leadership of older and middle generations.  The 12 worship dancers from Arizona were a perfect example of that, as was the worship band. It is beautiful to see the large amounts of young people involved in worship and spiritual development. It reminded me that somewhere around 70% of Disciples under the age of 30 in Arizona are Hispanic.

I was also reminded that the term “Hispanic” is one that Euro-Americans invited to group all Spanish-speaking peoples into one group, as if they all have something in common. In reality, “Hispanic” people are just as varied and diverse as any group. Some prefer speaking English, some Spanish, and some are equally comfortable in both. Some of the diversity is based on culture – Disciples come from Puerto Rico and Mexico and Central America and South America and, of course, the United States. They eat different foods, use different vocabulary, have different accents (in Spanish, let alone English), and have different ways of worshiping. They also have a variety of approaches to theological thinking and biblical interpretation.  Never make the mistake of thinking that “all Hispanic people are _______.” 

It was also a joy to realize that our General ministries have made a concerted effort to hire Spanish-speaking staff in order to better serve our whole church, with staff from DCEF, CCF, NBA, Pension Fund, Week of Compassion, Disciples of Christ Historical Society, and several of our seminaries. I enjoyed introducing many of our clergy and young people to some of the General ministries of the Disciples.

In short, the Assembly was much like a General Assembly, though mostly in Spanish. It was a joy to join with our clergy and musicians and dancers and lay members from Arizona in a weekend of worship, education, and fellowship.

Dios les bendiga!

Pastor Jay

Regional Minister and President, Christian Church in Arizona

Regional Reflections – ¡la biblia es una BIBLIOTECA!

Greetings to all in the Love of Jesus Christ:

La biblia no es un LIBRO; ¡la biblia es una BIBLIOTECA!  (The Bible is not a BOOK; the Bible is a LIBRARY!)

That was one of many thought-provoking phrases offered by Dr. Jose Morales during the first few sessions of Método Teológico; a Spanish-language course on Theological Methods the Region is offering during October and November.  Dr. Morales is pushing us to thinking deeply and critically about our theological foundations – why we think what we think. 

The truth is … many of us learned about God in our 2nd grade Sunday School classes and haven’t done too much thinking about God ever since. We were taught the basics by people who loved us, people we trusted.  We often didn’t realize, however, that they were teaching us age-appropriate understandings of God, and that learning the ways of God is a life-long journey. As we develop critical thinking skills, as we have more life experience, we need to continue to read scripture and develop our understanding of who God is and who/what God is calling us to be/do. So I am excited that 25 Spanish-speaking members of our Region have signed up to study with Dr. Morales for this course on theological methods.

Now, if you are wondering about the significance of our opening phrase, I invite you to reflect with me. A book is usually written by one author, from one point of view, with one consistent message. A library, on the other hand, contains the writings of several different authors, from several different points of view, often having conflicting messages.  If you visit a shelf in the library that deals with literature from 1940’s Germany, you might find writings by Nazi propagandists alongside The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoffer.  Same shelf, same library, same country and time period – TOTALLY different messages. 

To view the Bible as a library is to acknowledge that the Bible was written by many different authors who did not always agree with each other.  Why do we have four gospels instead of just one?  Why do we have 1 & 2 Chronicles basically retelling the stories in 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings – except with a slightly different perspective? Why do we have 2 creation stories, one of which tells of God creating humankind an in “his” image, male and female, and the other tells the story of God creating man first and woman being a derivative? If we learn to read the Bible as a library, learn to identify different voices and perspectives, we learn to wrestle with the complexity of life, and we grow in the humility of knowing that “for now, we see in a mirror, dimly.”

I invite you to continue the life-long journey of studying scripture, thinking theologically, and talking about the challenges of faith with your pastors and fellow Disciples. And I commend our 25 Arizona Disciples who are taking Dr. Morales’ class.  May we all continue to grow.  Paraphrasing Romans 12:2, may we not be conformed to what we’ve always thought, but may we be continually transformed by the renewing of our minds.

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.

October

22 – Iglesia Cristiana Ebenezer led by Pastor Sandy Flores

29 – Arizona Saints and Congregations that have come before us

November

5 – Iglesia Dios de Segunda Oportunidad led by Pastor Minerva Guzman

12 – Larkspur Christian Church led by Pastor Job Cobos

19 – Thanksgiving Special Offering and our Disciples Affiliated Colleges, Universities, and Seminaries

26 – Saguaro Christian Church led by Pastor Kelley Dick