Scottsdale UCC

I spent the morning leading worship at Scottsdale UCC.

In the middle of their stewarship campaign, they wanted me to come and talk about OCWM.

I was happy to do that.

A number of years ago, Donna Gentry reminded them this morning, the church was giving about $100 a year in OCWM offerings to support the wider ministry of the church. She wanted them to do something about that, and adamantly challenged the church to slowly work their way up to being a Covenant Keeper church - that is, a church that tithes by giving 10% of their annual pledging to the wider church.

Assuming they approve their budget proposal, 2009 is the year that SCUCC will become a Covenant Keeper church. They will reach their long range goal of contributing 10% of their pledges to the wider ministry of the United Church of Christ.

It was stirring to listen to this story unfold in worship this morning.

It was an honor to be there to thank them on behalf of all of us who share this ministry, and to recount for them the many ministries that they enable through their contributions.

So, is your church a Covenant Keeper?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, its time to celebrate the Holiday. My vegetarian son and I will be slicing through a large chunk of tofurkey right about the time the final whistle blows on the Detroit Lions football game.









The following pics each give me something to be thankful for:

Back in the Saddle...

The weekend started with a meal at the Truck Stop at mile marker #268 on East Ten outside Tucson (not, as Randy Mayer found out when he walked in an hour late to the meeting he called, and using directions he gave to us - but which, thank God, none of us but him trusted).

The food was outstanding, and our waitress, Rose-A-Lee, was a real smart alek.










From there we travelled to a retreat center just north of Tombstone, where your Growth and Development team made some real progress dreaming, scheming, plotting and planning the future of growth and development in the life of the Southwest Conference.

I know you want to know more about that - and you will, trust me. This is soon to become priority number one. But first, we have a lot of work to do. We promise that we will do nothing half-way, and until we build a solid infrastructure to support these hopes and dreams, we are not moving forward. We have more work to do, but this was a very important step.

In the days to come reports will be drafted, education will be undertaken, timelines will be developed, and hopes will turn from dreams into deeds - but one step at a time. More info is forthcoming on this.

From there I flew to Kettering, Ohio, where I preached the Installation of my good friend and pastor, Rev. Dr. Brian Q. Newcomb. There is no one like this man anywhere, and spending that last couple days with him was a delight!

Caught in the Action....

Don't those sandals look familiar?

Who is that?

And where is he?

Yep, that's your Conference Minister, sneaking out of the office for an afternoon to catch an Arizona Fall League Baseball game.















After a long stretch without a day away, he snuck out and caught a baseball game. This is the last week of fall ball.

While there, he got the autograph of the St. Louis Cardinal first round draft pick and ASU grad Brett Wallace, who is playing third base for the Peoria Saguaros.

It was a beautiful afternoon, and if he gets the chance - he just might do it again.

A Full Weekend in Tucson

Back to Tucson this weekend.

The weekend began with a Planned Giving seminar put on by Lynne Hanson and Hans Holznagel from our Cleveland Offices (check website for information about the same event happening in Albuquerque today, and Phoenix on Thursday - it was well worth it!). Pictured here are some of the participants who gathered for that seminar.

On Sunday morning, I had the joy of returning to the place where it all began for me: Rincon Congregational United Church of Christ in Tucson. I worshipped in the sanctuary where I was elected, and preached from the spot whereat my very first sermon as your Conference Minister was delivered. I would be lying if I said it did not mean a good deal to me to return to that spot. I certainly had warm and fond memories of that whole weekend.

Pictured here are Miles and Trent - the latter being the choir director at Rincon. I sat next to these two in the second service (Miles was far the better behaved of the two).

Nice reward, no?

This was the view as I woke Friday morning to greet the day.

I spent the evening with the Search Committee at Church of the Good Shepherd in Albuquerque, and then stayed with Bob and Pat Rozenak. Some days, I feel like a king!

Some new friends to meet

Meet the Search Committee at Encanto Community Church, United Church of Christ. I met with them earlier in the week, and they are ready to get things going. In the picture are Jill, Ted, LeeAnn, Madison, Mary, and Jan.
















And in this picture we have a few of our Partners in Education. I had my first meeting with this group, and we talked about how to make Christian Education, and their contributions to that effort, more central to the life of the Southwest Conference. Here picture are Larry, Carol, Sue, and Dana.

La Trinidad

What a marvelous Sunday this was. A long drive, to be sure, but well worth it as I helped La Trinidad celebrate both their 118th Anniversary and the Licensure of their pastor, Jessie Sustaita.


First, here is the gas station where I filled up in Southeastern Arizona. Why show this? Because this is where the old guy in the beat up pickup drove me to after I ran out of gas on the Highway. I might have had a few things on my mind - but really, no excuse. Just being dumb again.

But, once I got to El Paso, I had a blast. Did a little adventure seeking in the morning, and came across this amphitheater hidden in the Franklin Mountains. Can't wait to see a concert or play here.









Then, La Trinidad celebrated. Jessie was recognized in the service for her authorization as a Licenced Minister. There were tears of joy, dancing, music, and food. Desert View UCC in El Paso cancelled there worship service to attend and help in the celebration, and members from Sin Fronteras were there as well.

All in all, it was a memorable expression of covenant partnership all the way around. And watching how much this day meant to Jessie was deeply moving. She clearly feels a strong call to this ministry. We pray for her and all that this ministry will bring to the church and the community.

Another Brother

This time its Jeff.

Heart of gold, this guy. Best man at my wedding. He was so afraid of public speaking that when he gave the toast at the reception, there was nothing left in the glass by the time he got finished, his hand was shaking so badly.

He moved to central Missouri a long time ago as the Convention Coordinator at one of the resort hotels. In his spare time, he lived out a childhood dream by volunteering for the Fire Department. After being named volunteer fire-fighter of the year, he gave up his successful career in the hotel industry and took a job full-time as a fire-fighter.

Turns out he was pretty good at that, too. He's now the fire chief for the Osage Beach Fire Department.

He, too, is a die-hard Cardinal fan. The two of us appear weekly on a Sports radio show and argue about baseball. Funny how two guys who love each other as much as we do find so much to disagree about - but it makes for better radio, anyway.

He has a beautiful wife, Diana, and two wonderful children. Jeff, Jr. - a handsome and intelligent and athletic young man; and Erica, a young lady with a smile a mile wide and a happy disposition.

A Thought from a student of White Prvilege and its effects on the Church and America...

Without revealing for whom I voted or whom I supported in the election, I use this space for the following:

On April 15, 1947 a Jewish family in the Bronx was celebrating the Passover. The youngest child at the table, playing his role to perfection, asked the patriarch of the family the same question every other family was asking that night, as they had for thousands of years: "What is different about this night?"

The father's response altered the script, but spoke words that revealed how much had changed on that night: "What is different about this night is that a Black man is playing baseball."







Tomorrow, children all over America will be asking: "What is different about this day?"

The front page of Yahoo answers with this picture and headline:

AMERICA'S FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT

From a Rock to a 'stone

Well, the day started at Shadow Rock in North Phoenix. It was covenant Sunday and I was present as they celebrated their 35th Anniversary and looked forward to their 36th year of ministry in the Southwest Conference.

Having heard about the beauty of their sanctuary, I experienced it for the first time. The discerning eye could pick out my house from the first pew, looking west.

In between services, I tasted the celebratory carrot cake (very good), and visited with members from both services. The enthusiasm in the worship was infectious, and children came crawling out of the woodwork to participate in the choir anthem.

I hustled from their celebration down to Tombstone - a town rich with history and legend. I do regret that my first trip there had to be such a short one - but I do plan to return soon.



The occasion was the Installation of their newly called Pastor, Tina Squire. The sanctuary was full, and adorned with red: hats, dresses, stoles, shoes, ribbons, purses, pins - you name it. The president of the church read from one of the town founders diaries, a George Parsons, and dressed as if he himself could have been in town in 1861 when those words were written. I felt right at home in my cowboy boots and Levis.

All agreed to leave their holsters and pistols at the door, and so we proceeded without rancor through the Installation. There was laughter, music, and great joy felt by all both in the sanctuary on historic Allen Street, and around the dinner tables afterward in the fellowship hall. My favorite line of the day? The President Patrick Greene, upon finishing the call to worship, announced: "Would you please stand and sing Come Holy Spirit if you are able?" (Did I mention there was laughter?)

It was a long drive there and back, but well worth the time and effort. I can't wait to go back - and when I do next time, I will take in more fully all that this beautiful place has to offer.

Clergy Retreat

Sorry it has taken this long to post, but I wanted to collect some comments from the clergy who attended. We had a great time - even at the biker bar George Ault took us to on Tuesday evening.

Here are some comments:

Greetings, all! It was wonderful getting the opportunity to be with my fellow UCC clergy, and in my case, getting to know so many of you for the very first time. Thank you for you collegiality, friendship, and willingness to welcome in new folks. I look forward to living into these new relationships...and taking you up on all the offers to meet for lunch, dinner, happy hour, or otherwise! Blessings in your ministries!blockquote>
Brian Frederick-Gray, Phoenix

I too want to say thanks for the time together on Sunday and Monday. I wish I could have stayed longer and enjoyed being with all of you. I drove back to Santa Fe Monday, filled with gratitude for our group and for John D’s leadership. Thanks to those of you who helped plan and lead the retreat, and to everyone who helped us become real with ourselves and focus on our vision for ministry.

Leona Stucky-Abbott, Santa Fe
Thanks to each of you for making the retreat a valuable happening!
The "trick" is to keep our momentum going, and to keep connected with one another.
The "treat" is the journey together into a vision of peace and justice for all people!
Our blessings on each of you as we come together as the Body of Christ.
Carla Cunningham, Albuquerque
The clergy of our conference were lit up and energized by the movement of the Spirit, the leadership of our Conference Minister, the laughter of our fellowship and the competitiveness of our play, it was an incredible experience!
Briget Nicholson, Tucson

Thanks for the followup and thanks to all who responded. I had a great time especially being with all of you.

Don Childers, Los Alamos

Rich and I came home filled with gratitude on so many levels to be part of such a deeply faithful, compassionate and passionate bunch!! You energize us!

Barb Doerrer-Peacock, South Mountain

Thanks to all of you for the time you took to be at the retreat. I enjoyed seeing every one of you and am so grateful for the time we spent together. I wish you all peace and successful ministries, and am looking forward to the next time our paths cross.

Liana Rowe, Interfaith Worker Justice

There were more, but I will let these speak for us all. I was moved by how much fun, how much love, and how much dedication to ministry was evident in this gathering. I can't wait till next year. A special thank you to Len Silvester, Lee Milligan, and Sue Joiner whose work on the planning team made this such a special event in the life of the Conference.