Pastor Tom will be away this weekend, and Sonja Haller will be on call for pastoral emergencies. 

This Sunday's guest speaker is Marc Gaston.

This Sunday's movie is August Rush. It is about a musically gifted orphan, Evan, who runs away from his orphanage and searches New York City for his birth parent. On his journey, he's taken under the wig of the Wizard, a homeless man who lives in an abandoned theater.

Dear Members and Friends,

With September giving way to October, it sure feels as if we're actually now moving into the fall season! And somehow, it's already gotten busy. We had two special guests in late September: Rev. Shea Darian of the non-profit Doing Grief. And Marissa Ruiz, who joined Shea to work with our youth on September 29th. Marissa is connected to another non-profit we've long partnered with: Arizona Interfaith Power and Light. In fact, that same day (September 29th), AZIPL and AFN co-hosted an event featuring the candidates for Arizona's Corporation Commission. I was roped in as one of the moderators, and several Desert Palm members were present, for which I was grateful. We also pushed forward on our garden project. As the new "Convener" of the Tempe Interfaith Fellowship (the local interfaith clergy group), I was involved in calling for a meeting with the Mayor and other City officials regarding the arrest of Austin Davis, the young man accused of feeding the homeless without a permit. His case has been resolved, and the larger conversation about homelessness, hunger, and community resources and services continues. 

Meanwhile we've wrapped up our summer film series and moved on the engaging the challenge of the cultural divide. So far we've explored the issue through the lens of truth and just lately we've moved on to civility. We'll wrap up with a few messages touching on democracy (which informs our UCC polity, of course), prior to moving into Advent. 

Keep an eye on the update and/or the church calendar, as we've got some special events coming up. These include but are not limited to our annual Blessing of the Animals (Saturday, October 12th at 4 PM); a new book group via Zoom (co-lead by me and Rev. Susan Valequette and Rev. Doug Bland, reading Brian McClaren's latest, Life After Doom) that's going to be Thursday evenings in October beginning on October 17th; then a special Pride Sunday on October 19th; and last but not least, our celebration of Rev. Dr. John Herman and his wife, Holley (Sunday afternoon October 26th).

Oh and I have yet to mention I'm off to Colombia during the kids' fall break (first ten days of October). Marc will be preaching this Sunday. 

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Tom

October 3rd, 7 PM
Pete Pancrazi, Todd Johnson and Claudia Bloom will be playing a concert Oct 3 Thursday at 7 pm at DP. Pete’s show includes jazz standards, arrangements of Beatles tunes and other hits from the 70’s and 80’s done in a jazz style. http://petepancrazi.com/

Will be collected on Sunday, October 6th , 2024.

Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM).

Two-thirds of this offering is used by the UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects through grants. Neighbors in Need grants are awarded to UCC churches and organizations doing justice work in their communities. These grants fund projects whose
work ranges from direct service to community organizing and advocacy to address systemic injustice.

In 2024, the Neighbors in Need theme is “Mental Health Justice for All!” This year’s focus is on Mental Health Justice. In 2015, the General Synod of the UCC passed a resolution to become WISE (Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive and Engaged) for mental health. It is our desire at Desert Palm to have a world where human rights
and the well-being of people with mental health issues are respected.

Neighbors in Need helps make a ‘Just World for All’ possible. For this to occur we need your support. You can contribute in two ways:

1) You can write a check payable to Desert Palm UCC and make a note on the memo line for NIN.
2) Or you can use the ‘Give’ feature on our DPCC website. There will be a ‘Donation’ option and a drop-down box where you can select “Neighbors in Need” (NIN).

Please send in your contributions by October 13 th , so we can send our check to the conference in a timely fashion.

Thank you.
Neighbors in Need needs our support. Please give generously.

Saturday, October 12th at 4PM

On October 13, the church will conduct a loose plate offering to support UCC Disability Ministries. Your contributions to this important cause are greatly appreciated.

Thursdays 7:00 pm
Oct 17 - Nov 14 (5 weeks)
Join Pastor Tom, Rev. Doug Bland (of Arizona Interfaith Power & Light) and Rev. Susan Valiquette, First Church UCC (Phoenix) as they together lead a book group on Brian McLaren's new book, Life after Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart 

Thursday, October 17th
Music & Activism, 5:00pm 1n10 Downtown Youth Center (The Zone HIV/AIDS Education & Prevention) Facilitated by - Antonio Lozano – Artistic Director of the Phoenix Gay Men’s Chorus & Director of Music at Tempe High School. Marc Gaston – Minister of Music & The Arts (Desert Palm UCC, Tempe) Experience how music can me used to educate, unite and inspire to create social change. Emphasis will be on HIV/AIDS Education & Prevention).

Sunday, October 20, at 7 am

Pat Quinnett will be shuttling folks to the parade at 7 am. If you need or are interested in participating, please contact Gary at gary.gephart@gmail.com.

This Christmas, we have a wonderful opportunity to bring joy to children at the border. Soccer balls will be collected along with Holly's toy delivery in November. The goal is to collect at least 20 soccer balls!

Please bring your donations to the church by mid-October. If you would like to contribute to a bulk purchase for better prices, let Linda Thornton know at 480.296.3981. Thank you for helping spread some holiday cheer!

Did you know that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration manages approximately 200 call centers across the country? These centers are designed to provide support for those experiencing mental health crises or struggling with thoughts of suicide. It's great news that there's now a new phone number to access mental health emergency services - simply dial 988.

Our New Youtube Channel

(Note that you can subscribe and be notified when a new service is posted).

 The Desert Palm UCC website

The Desert Palm UCC FB page