Sunday, April 2nd, Palm Sunday 9 am

Thursday April 6th, Maunday Thursday 6:30 pm
Sunday, April 9th, Easter Sunday at 6 am

Sunday, April 9th, Sunday Service 9 am

Yes, we will be collecting new socks again this Sunday, (specifically looking for children sizes) and small stuffed animals. All donations should be placed in the box outside of our church. Please consider donating to this cause and helping to bring warmth and comfort to those  immigrants and asylum seekers in need. Your donations will be shared with the Welcome Center and Holly Herman's efforts through the East Valley network. Thank you for your generosity!

Calling all lovers of coloring books – kids, youth, adults, and adults who think they are kids. We are running out of colored pages to send to our home-bound members. If you need supplies or want to drop off pages, call Pat Quinnett at (480)818-2203. Recipients have expressed joy at being remembered without our little works of art and have asked that the folks doing the work put “Colored by (your name) on the back. Please take time to share.

Palm Sunday

Sunday, April 2nd

Watch for some familiar—and unfamiliar—music as we celebrate the story of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. 

Maundy-Thursday

Thursday, April 6th, 6:30 PM
This year we’re going to revive the tradition of setting up tables in the shape of a cross, where we will enjoy light snacks and a service of readings and song.

Easter Sunday April 9^th
6am sunrise Service, 9am traditional
barring a spike in COVID cases we are reviving the tradition of a youth-led outdoor sunrise service (at 6am), with our traditional (hybrid) service in the sanctuary at 9am. Let Maria (Deleon, our Office Admin.) know if you’d like to dedicate an Easter lily to someone special.

Desert Palm Caregivers serve Church members, immediate families, and those who participate regularly in the life of Desert Palm UCC. There is no financial eligibility requirement. Services are provided free of charge. Donations to Desert Palm UCC are gratefully accepted. All services are contingent on volunteers being available.
 
TRANSPORTATION:  take someone to and from medical and/or social service appointments within 15 miles of the person’s residence. No transportation for work, social activities, or shopping.
 
TEMPORARY EMERGENCY MEALS:  provide dinners for up to 3 days in case of an emergency.
 
RESOURCES:  information regarding additional services available in the community if our volunteers cannot provide assistance.
 
WE WELCOME VOLUNTEERS!
If you can provide occasional transportation and/or Meals, please contact one of the coordinators:
Marion Durham (durhamjm@live.com)                     
John Linda (johnlinda1901@yahoo.com)
Jim Ewing (jewing@me.com)    
Leslie Schefski (lschefski@cox.net)
Barbara Hofflander (hofflander@cox.net)
Ethel Utter (eutter1062@aol.com)

Are you a caregiver for a family member (spouse, parent, child, other family members, friend, patient)? Sometimes we may be unaware of the stress this can put on us physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. I want to invite anyone who finds themselves in the role of caregiver to join our DPUCC support group that I will be facilitating. We’ll meet starting in April via zoom twice a month at a time and day that is convenient to the participants. If you are interested or wish to learn more, please text or call 619-807-5431.

                                             COFFEE HOUR

Hospitality is an important part of our ministry here at DPUCC. Coming together after Sunday worship for COFFEE HOUR and conversation is one way we deepen our church relationships. We really need more volunteers to make the coffee and serve the refreshments. If you agree with the importance of this ministry, please volunteer to help with coffee hour. You can text or call me, Ellen Colangelo, at 619-897-5431. Thank you in advance.

                              SUPPORTIVE CONVERSATIONS

The WISE Committee provides Supportive Conversations via Zoom every Monday evening at 7pm.  The pandemic has not only affected our mental and physical health, it has affected our lifestyles and our priorities.  People have been forced to adapt to changing circumstances, and none of this has been easy.  We offer support and encouragement, and you can come once or twice, intermittently, or make it a weekly routine.  We are open to all, in the spirit of the UCC.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92800034295?pwd=ZStxejAzZDVqUVMvclF6bFR3enFXdz09

Meeting ID: 928 0003 4295

OPEN INVITATION

...drop in for a few minutes or email your prayer request to Maria

Pastor Tom and a few of our members gather virtually every 1st Wednesday of the month at 3 pm via zoom to share joys and concerns, after which Tom or another leader will offer a prayer. You can drop in (the zoom link goes out to the entire congregation earlier on Wednesday) to share a joy or concern or send your request to admin@desertpalmucc.org with Joys & Concerns in the subject line. The need will be shared with those attending, added to the Prayer List, and shared with the Desert Palm Prayer Team. 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81085456697?pwd=Z0xXN20vb25NREEvMGxneVMxeFYvUT09

                                                        1st & 3rd Thursday of every month, at 9:30AM

Want to do some inspiring reading and have great discussions with women? Join us on the first and third Thursdays of the month from 9:30 to 11:00am at the link below. The current book we’re reading is Living Grace by Mattie McMane. Amazon and Thriftbook.com have it. If you have any questions, call Ellen Colangelo at 619-807-5431.

Join Repeating Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7138300112?pwd=KzlJOHFmZkZvK0tWd2tkZUVUTmhoUT09

Meeting ID: 713 830 0112
Passcode: DPUCC

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has about 200 call centers nationwide to receive these calls for suicide prevention and mental health crises. We have been waiting two years for this, and it has finally happened. 988 is the new phone number for mental health emergencies.

At the last Desert Palm Council meeting, an Accessibility Audit Team was approved and will be starting a Church Building and Program Accessibility Audit. The team will update our 2017 Accessibility Audit and re-evaluate the building and programs for accessibility. If you are interested in joining the team or just have suggestions for improving access, please contact Kathryn at 602-885-2124 or kathrynandrews47@gmail.com.

Thanks again to all of you that have sent in your pledges. I see that we have one more pledge unit than last month. Our youth group is growing and having activities every month. I hope that we can continue this while we search for a new youth director. There are several mission and social activities to join in. If you have an idea you would like to see developed, speak up and share your plan.

Pledging is very important for your church’s budgeting and your program development.

2023 Year to Date Total Received:  $61,556.

58 Pledgers

2023 Total Pledged:    $200,056

17% of the year has passed and 31% pledges have been received so far.  Every year we have folks that budget their pledge in its entirety at the beginning of the year. Thanks to all of you that support maintaining our structure and staff so as a church family we can gather together to worship and serve our community.

Breakdown of %pledge completion:                 Breakdown of Received to Date Pledge Dollars

% range                           #pledgers                        $ Range                           #pledgers

0%                                     16                                     0-100                                  19

1-25%                               30                                     101-500                             17

26%-50%                           4                                      501-1000                              9

51%-75%                           1                                      1001-4000                            7

76%-99%                            2                                      4001-8000                           5

100%    +                             5                                     8000+                                   1

Again, thanks for all you do. I know many of you support the church with your time and energy too which is every bit as important as your financial support. Fortunately, many of us are in that sweet spot between retirement and before our kids take our keys away. So, celebrate our many blessings and if you can, be sure you are taking advantage of all of the volunteer opportunities out there. I know that the i-Help and Meals on Wheels folks are looking for fresh volunteers. Church greeters and readers are great volunteer opportunities and don’t forget the Banner group, Knit Wits, True Colors and Sunday School. There’s something out there for everyone.

New ways to watch our Sunday services:

Our New Youtube Channel

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

The Desert Palm UCC Website

(This is where the service is live-streamed each Sunday at 9 am).

The Desert Palm UCC FB page