AZDisciples.org

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arizona

UCC

Mental Health First Aid and W.I.S.E. Conference on November 1 & 2

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Registration coming soon! For the most up to date information visit www.swcucc.org.

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November 1: Mental Health First Aid

Training program that teaches members of the public how to help a person developing a mental health problem (including a substance use problem), experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health problem, or in a mental health crisis.

Session 1: 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Lunch: 12 – 1 p.m. | Session 2: 1 – 5 p.m.

Facilitators

Michael Donnelly is the Pastor of Care and Counseling at Bethany Bible Church. He is currently also a Doctorate of Education Candidate in Organizational Leadership at GCU. Michael has over 20 years of counseling experience in public behavioral health settings. Michael is a member of the Arizona ACE Consortium and is a state trainer for ACES and Trauma.

For more information contact Michael at: Michael@bbcphx.org

Toni Donnelly is the Director of Training and Innovation for the Family Involvement Center in Phoenix Arizona. The mother of three adult sons (who have been her primary teachers about systems, services, and system change), she has been working as a parent, partnering with others to improve systems and options for families since 1999. Toni is a member of the Arizona ACE Consortium and is a state trainer for ACES and Trauma, and is also a trained Spiritual Director through Leadership Transformations SELAH program.

For more information contact Toni at: Toni@familyinvolvementcenter.org

 

Elizabeth Ortiz de Valdez, M.D. graduated in 1969 from the School of Medicine at the University of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. In 1974, Dr. Valdez obtained her post-doctoral degree in Psychiatry.  Since 2005, Dr. Ortiz de Valdez is a Certified Trainer in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) & Mental Health First Aid-Youth,, MHFA (Veterans and military) MHFA for older adults and REDES (MHFA in Spanish) for adults and youth.

Dr. Ortiz de Valdez co-founded and has been the President and  CEO of Concilio Latino de Salud, Inc., a non-profit, community-based organization, dedicated to improving the overall health of the Hispanic/Latino community in Maricopa County, Arizona through health promotion and disease prevention. She is also co-founder of Cultural Communities United in Health and Wellness (CCUHW) and a founding member of the American Union Against STDs and HIV (UNACETs) among other coalitions and organizations.

Dr. Ortiz de Valdez has served on numerous Board of Directors including: Friendly House; Planned Parenthood of Central Arizona; American Red Cross, Central Arizona Chapter; American Cancer Society; Casey Family Program; American Heart Association. Family Involvement among others.

Email: drortizdevaldez@gmail.com

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November 2: W.I.S.E. Conference

includes a keynote by Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund, workshops, basics of starting a mental health ministry, opening and closing worship, and more. This post will be updated with details soon.

Participants are encouraged to attend both events.

Inspiration and practical Steps to implement mental health ministry in your congregation:

  • Ways congregations can address mental health concerns
  • Stories from persons affected by mental health issues
  • Practical steps to engage in a mental health ministry
  • Introduction to the WISE (Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive, Engaged) Covenant
  • Network with those who are on the journey to address mental health challenges
  • On–going support

A WISE congregation has joined the mission to being Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive, and Engaged in the mental health of the community and the wider world.

For more information, email Alan Johnson at revalan2004@comcast.net and visit this webpage.

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@ Church of the Beatitudes

Phoenix, AZ

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Affirmations – DUCC 2019

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I can’t believe that camp has come and gone, it feels like yesterday that we began planning this summer’s camp and now it is a few weeks in our rearview! What an impactful week for so many of our campers and adults! During our time together, we worshipped, played, had deep conversations about how we understand God moves in the world, we sang, we ate, and, thankfully, we slept. This summer was our first as Disciples of Christ, United Church of Christ Church Camp (DUCC). While we experienced literal growing pains (did you know that it takes twice as long to get twice as many people through a meal line??), but in the end, camp was camp.

One of my favorite camp traditions that seems to span regions and even denominations is at the end of the week we give each other “affirmations.” In Family Groups each camper and adult gets a chance to hear and read positive things about themselves from members of their group. It is always one of the most impactful events of camp. Our kids today don’t get affirmed by their peers all that often, and many times not by adults either. But when kids hear “To see you having fun and being happy is special,” or  “you are the coolest person,” or “meeting you was meeting a legend” (actual quotes from campers to other campers), it carries them through the year. Knowing that even during the tough days of school, where many of our kids hear that they aren’t good enough or smart enough, they have words of love from a community of love will give them sabbath from the world. When we hear affirmations, we hear God’s voice. And that alone is worth every penny that our region, churches, and families spend on camp.

Rev. Jay Deskins

Regional Youth and Children’s Minister, DUCC Director

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Previous Articles

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Spark the Wildfire of God’s Love

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Wow! DUCC is just a few months away! I can’t believe we are so close! We hope that the transition to our new registration system has been good for you and the families of your churches. I appreciate the patience and grace that has been given to the regional office as we live into this new model of camp and way of registering. DUCC (Disciples of Christ and United Church of Christ Church Camp) is quickly filling up, in fact, we are ahead of where we were this time last year, so please make sure you are registering your kids! Don’t wait!

Our theme for DUCC this year is “Be the Spark.” We are going to be talking about what it means to be the spark that sets ablaze the wildfire of God’s love in the world. A few weeks ago I saw this sign on Catalina Highway in Tucson:

One Less Spark - One Less WildfireWhile this photo is warning us how we should be careful with fire in the wild, I was hit with this sign for another reason. It was another kind of warning to me: if we keep the spark that we know to be God’s love to ourselves, and never share it, we are unable to spark the wildfire of God’s love.

This is especially true with our kids. So many parents today want kids to find their own way, and never encourage them to participate in a community of faith, leaving them to be brought up not by a community of love, but by the voices of the outside world that tells them that they aren’t good enough, that they aren’t attractive, and that they aren’t worthy of being loved. At camp, our kids are not allowed to have their phones. This keeps them from distracted by the endless texts, or scrolling through Instagram, and keeps them focused on the community they are a part of. Where they are taught about God’s love and the love of a community of faith. We can let the wildfire of negativity take over our children, or we can let the wildfire of God’s love reign in our kid’s hearts. So help spark the fire of God’s love in a kid’s life and encourage them to come to camp!

 

Rev. Jay Deskins

Regional Youth and Children’s Minister

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5 Things You and Your Church Can Do To Support Camp Ministry!

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So we all know that Summer Break means many things, but what is most important? Not going to school, duh! But outside of that is CAMP! At the most recent Mission Focus and Administrative Board meeting, the overwhelming answer to the question, “What is the most impactful ministry that a region (Arizona or other) has provided you?” was “CAMP!” This is not so uncommon, in fact, this is quite common in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). And yet, camp numbers are dropping, both financial numbers and enrollment. I want to reverse that trend, especially here in Arizona. So, what can you and/or your church do to help out with camp? I am glad you asked! 

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1.) Have a Camp Takeover in Worship!
– Invite your kids/youth/young adults/adults who are recent participants in camp to share a brief story about how camp has impacted them. If you don’t have any recent camp participants, then you can:
– Invite the Regional Youth and Children’s Minister and some Youth Leadership Team members to come and talk to your church about camp!
– Replace all your hymns with camp songs (they are all worship songs anyways!)
2.) Sponsor a Camper (or 100)!
– Many youth and children come to camp on some sort of scholarship, either from their church or from the region. These funds rely on the donations of awesome people and awesome churches!
– You can sponsor a child on your own, or you can go in as a group with a Sunday School class, small group, or a whole church!
– Loose change offering, after church meals or fellowship times,
3.) Send a Child or Youth
– It is hard to believe that many of our youth and children have still never been to camp. Camp has many benefits to our young people: self-confidence boost, a sense of independence, strengthened faith, new friends, and a community that is full of love and support.
4.) Donate to Camp!
– Outside of scholarships, camp needs funds for crafts, activities, snacks, first-aid supplies, just to name a few things! It doesn’t sound as cool as “Sponsor a Camper,” but it is very important to the ministry of camp! If you would like to donate money to help out behind the scenes please consider a donation to camp. Visit our Youth and Children’s Ministry page to make a donation.
5.) Pray for Camp 
– Our camp needs prayer! Especially in this year of transition, camp needs prayer!
– The youth and children need prayers for safety and fun!
– The adults need prayers for SANITY! And also for safety and fun!
 
If you would like help with any of these things, please reach out to me, the Regional Youth and Children’s Minister, Rev. Jay Deskins (jdeskins@azdisciples.org). I am so excited about the future of our camp ministry, but camp needs YOU!

Peace,

Rev. Jay Deskins, Regional Youth and Children’s Minister

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Youth & Children

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