A Visit, A Hearing, and a Celebration

I began the morning with a trip to Mesa to visit with Rev. Paul Whitlock, pastor at the Desert Heritage United Church of Christ. (This is not the best picture, I apologize - still learning the ins and outs of this new camera).

The church has a fascinating history, as it reshaped itself in the early '90s when a group from a nearby Disciples of Christ Congregation arrived and breathed new life into a flagging membership.

This is a church with a heart for Mission.

About 1/3 of their square footage is dedicated to very comfortable meeting space for families that are trying to figure out how to remain family, and whose court ordered, supervised visits become a way of helping them put the pieces of their lives back together again. Rather than hosting those visits in the basement or hallway of some state facility with folding chairs, a table, and now windows, the church opened their space up to them. The back rooms of the church are beautifully furnished with large, comfortable couches and chairs, pool tables, air hockey tables, nursery space, children's play areas, television sets, a nice kitchen - by golly, it feels like home! This is a great use of space, and a meaningful mission for the community.

The front of their sanctuary was covered with food and empty boxes. The food is collected by the members, boxed nicely, and shipped to soldiers in a troop overseas that has in it one of their very own members.

And the church sends a volunteer every day to Pax De Christo, a center where homeless receive hot meals. They collect food for that, help staff it with volunteers, and even take their turn in rotation PAYING to cook and serve some of the meals there.

A little later in the day, I attended a hearing on Prop 200, a proposal written by Payday lending organizations who get away with writing loans that earn them almost 400% annually (the exact figure is 381%). The referendum is touted by the Payday lenders as a reform bill that would help regulate their practices. It is anything but. In fact, hidden away on page 7 of that referendum (again, written by them), is this line: "Section 6-1263., Arizona Revised Statutes is hereby repealed." Guess which section of the Arizona Revised Statutes regulates this part of the lending industry?

I left their angry. I hope to be able soon to share more information about this referendum, and about lending practices of this niche market that prey on the poor, the young (college freshmen at ASU in the last year more than doubled their use of this option), and the desperate - leaving them poorer and more desperate.

And finally, on a much happier note, I went home and cooked dinner for my wife and children as we all helped her celebrate her 26th birthday (that is, 26th with me -how many came before that I am contractually obligated not to reveal).

Thanks for listening, back in touch soon.