2014 CROP Walk

We had 22 members and friends from FCC Scottsdale walk in the 2014 CROP Hunger Walk at El Camino Park! We were able to raise over $500 to help Church World Services work to put an end to global hunger. 

Here are some photos of the day!

Our youngest CROP Walkers

The Rev. Al Beasley leading "The CROP Walk Song" right before
the walk. 

A dozen of our CROP Walkers posing for a photo after the Walk.

If you would like to make a donation to the CROP Hunger Walk and support the work of Church World Services click here.

Whiteboard: Give Thanks

Wait...what is a turkey doing on the Whiteboard of a vegetarian?

Well, it must be Thanksgiving Sunday!

Come join us this Sunday for stories about gathering around the table...as family, as community, as a people of faith!

Plus, you'll get to hear about this vegetarian's first Thanksgiving Dinner with my in-laws...who are Atkins diet people.

Come celebrating the centrality of the table, the challenges of diversity, and the ways we build community one relationship at a time.

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John 6:25-35

 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’

 Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Operation Fix It

This past Sunday we formally announced "The Fifth with First" our new outreach opportunity at FCC Scottsdale. If you missed the sermon (or just want to hear it again) then you can listen to it on our website by clicking here.

"The Fifth with First" is our shorthand for "The Fifth Sunday with First Christian Church". On those months that have five Sundays (it happens four times a year) we'll worship God by being out in our community working on service projects in our neighborhood.

We have partnered with an amazing group in our community called Operation Fix It. Operation Fix It teams up volunteers and local businesses to provide labor and materials to help eligible residents maintain their properties. Click here to learn more about Operation Fix It, or you can watch the embedded video below.

Neighbors helping neighbors. Coming to FCC Scottsdale as a part of "The Fifth with First" starting on December 29, 2013!

Three Things: Administrative Council

Administrative Council had their last regularly scheduled meeting of 2013 this past Sunday after worship. As
always, here are the "Three Things" from that meeting...including an extra special bonus fourth thing!

1. Thanks to the success of the Matching Fund, Dinner with the Stars, and our other Nehemiah Project Fundraisers this year I am happy to report that our finances are in good shape and that (if your faithful stewardship keeps up!) the Nehemiah Fund  should end the year with a positive balance! After celebrating this fact, the Administrative Council decided to carry over any remaining balance from the Nehemiah Fund into 2014 to help support and underwrite next year's budget.
   
2. Nominating Committee gave a full report of the slate of slate of Ministry Team Leaders who have accepted nominations to serve in 2014. That full list will be released to the congregation shortly. In the meantime, please know that we are still seeking faithful, servant-minded folks to fill out our Elders for the coming year. If you have any ideas for folks to nominate please speak to our Vice Moderator Bob Stall.
   
3. Our Congregational Meeting is scheduled for December 15 with two formal items on the agenda: Approving the 2014 Budget and Approving our 2014 Slate of Ministry Team Leaders. More details to follow.
   
4. Bonus Thing! The Outreach Team passed out all 51 of their Christmas Bags! The generosity and spirit of outreach in our church is simply amazing. Please remember to fill up your Christmas Bag and return it to the church by Sunday December 8!

Whiteboard: New

We've been journeying with the Hope Partnership for some time.

Click that link above and you'll see eight articles (nine, now counting this one) from the Blog about the Hope Partnership...and that's without even mentioning the sermon illustrations, newsletter articles, Administrative Council Reports, and casual conversations where we've been talking about Hope Partnership.

Hope Partnership is helping us to boldly step into the future that God is preparing for us here at FCC Scottsdale. And our scriptures this Sunday remind that ours is a God willing to "do something new".

So this Sunday you'll be hearing from the Hope Partnership Team about the big dreams that they have been dreaming, and about the tangible steps we'll be taking start making them come true.

I'd tell you more but, well, then there wouldn't be much left for the sermon!

I'll see you this Sunday as we talk about our big dreams for the future, and celebrate a God who makes all things new!

peace,
Rev. Brian

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Isaiah 65:17-25 The Glorious New Creation

For I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice for ever
in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
and its people as a delight.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and delight in my people;
no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
or the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it
an infant that lives but a few days,
or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;
for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labour in vain,
or bear children for calamity;
for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord—
and their descendants as well.
Before they call I will answer,
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
but the serpent—its food shall be dust!
They shall not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain,
says the Lord.

Responding to Typhoon Haiyan

From our friends at Week of Compassion, in response to the devastating Typhoon Haiyan:

Typhoon Haiyan Shocks the Philippines

Your gifts of compassion are already at work. Week of Compassion immediately responded to the news of the horrific typhoon that swept through the Philippines last Friday morning, thanks to you. Funds were sent to the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, through Global Ministries. Typhoon Haiyan is one of the worst recorded typhoons in history. It has already killed at least 1,200 people, but unconfirmed sources estimate over 10,000 deaths. 4.5 million people have been affected. Death toll in the typhoon-hit areas is rising as areas currently out of contact are reached. Hundreds of thousands of people are displaced. Hardest hit is the central Philippine city of Tacloban, which is said to be flattened and where hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. The damage to airports and roads is hampering initial relief efforts, the BBC said.

The scene across the Philippines is one of severe destruction with fallen trees, damaged roads and buildings, downed power lines and telecommunications. Even though the Typhoon has now passed the Philippines, flash floods and landslides which cause additional danger can be expected. The areas hit cover already poverty-stricken communities, which have suffered from successive and simultaneous emergencies. On October 15, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Bohol province in central Philippines. As a result of that emergency alone, over 344,300 people are displaced and living in makeshift shelters built in open spaces near their homes. These people are in dire need of food, non-food items and other emergency relief materials.

The Typhoon continues its journey to Vietnam where it has been downgraded to a tropical storm. There are already hundreds of thousands homeless in Vietnam due to previous storms this year. Last month Typhoon Nari caused the evacuation of over 122,000 people in Vietnam.

The ACT Alliance, through whom Week of Compassion also responds, is preparing for a major humanitarian operation as its members head into the Philippines disaster area today. ACT Members are now in one of the worst hit areas to identify immediate needs. ACT member Lutheran World Relief (LWR) will lead the humanitarian assistance team to the Eastern Visayas city of Tacloban and surrounding areas of northern Leyte, with a representative from fellow ACT member Christian Aid.

Gifts to Week of Compassion are being used to provide immediate effective lifesaving assistance. Thank you for your generosity during this devastating disaster; it is your compassion that allows Week of Compassion to take action.

Whiteboard: Praise the Lord!

What better sentiment could there be?

What more faithful declaration could we make?

This week the Psalmist reminds us to "Praise the Lord!"

And so we'll do just that this Sunday in worship.

We'll Praise the Lord! with singing. We'll Praise the Lord! in prayer. We'll Praise the Lord! through reading scripture. We'll Praise the Lord! in fellowship and faith and in all that we do.

I'll see you this Sunday in worship!

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Psalm 145: 1-5, 17-21

I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will bless you,
and praise your name for ever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall laud your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendour of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
The Lord is just in all his ways,
and kind in all his doings.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfils the desire of all who fear him;
he also hears their cry, and saves them.
The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and all flesh will bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Special Invitation

A Special Invitation from our Regional Minister, Rev. Denny Williams:

Our Regional Hispanic Assembly is this weekend. 

 A special invitation has been extended to all Arizona Disciples for the Friday evening "Kermes". Come and stay as long as you like. 4-8pm. The parking lot of First Christian Glendale will be completely transformed into a street fair type of event! When you arrive, you buy tickets, $1 each, that will get you a variety of different Mexican food treats!

Each Hispanic congregation will offer some food item -- prepared right there on the spot! A concert follows at 8pm. The atmosphere is festive and fun! The food is the best!

I hope you will join me there in this time of celebration and fellowship!

Regional Hispanic Assembly This Weekend!

FCC Glendale

6242 N 59th Avenue, Glendale