Dear Members and Friends,
 

I wanted to begin with a word of thanks to Sonja and the other adults who went with our youth to the UCC's regional youth gathering in CA. Marybeth Gilbert deserves a special word of thanks for driving the van! The youth participated in some service work, got a taste of dorm life, and had a fun day at Disneyland!

Sonja will be talking about it this coming Sunday, as its themes of grief and loss  relate to her Chaplaincy training. Terms of Endearment. If you’ve attended worship recently you know we’re deep into our summer sermon series exploring the power of film. Each Sunday we’re touching on a different movie and then connecting the dots between the themes of the film and a Bible reading.  I'll be out of town this Wednesday through Sunday. If you have the chance you may want to re-watch the now classic, 

For those of you who are part of the now-enlarged Worship Committee, please note our upcoming meeting on Monday, July 22^nd at 6PM.  And even if you’re not on the committee but have ideas for worship, you can always talk to Marc Gaston (our Minister of Music and the Arts) or me.

       
Most recently we tried re-arranging the chairs in a "church in the round" style. That was in response to some feedback we got from the larger UCC on the issue of accessibility.  It's not a permanent change, mind you, but rather part of our ongoing process of reflection and experimentation related to accessibility. And it's a nice arrangement for our (smaller) summer crowd.
   
In other news, the SRP project to change out all our lighting to LED’s has been completed. And we’ve applied for a $3,000 grant through the City of Tempe’s Resiliency Hub Network. Our proposal is to expand the small garden in the playground area, adding two raised beds inside the playground and another two off the north side of the parking lot, across from the bench there, down in the retention area.
      
Last but not least,  we recently welcomed new member Dana Jeffory. Dana attended Shadow Rock but then moved closer to us. He brings a wealth of experience with 12 step recovery work and a deep interest in spirituality. A couple of other prospective new members are waiting to join in the fall. If you know of anyone else interested in joining or are interested yourself, please let me know.

Grace & Peace,
 
Pastor Tom

Tuesdays July 9, 12:00 - 1:00 pm via Zoom
Rev. Al Gephart, in collaboration with the Arizona Faith Network, invites you to a series of enriching Lunch and Learn sessions that promise to ignite your spirit and challenge your perspectives.

“Process theology is a worldview lens through which those of many faith traditions perceive the realities of the world. The world is inter-connected and continuously becoming through its interactions with others and God. We are response-able and responsible beings in the midst of this process."

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https://form-usa.keela.co/lunch-learn-process-theology

July 22, 2024, at 6 PM

Topic: Tom Martinez's Personal Meeting Room

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