Whiteboard: The Fifth With First

It is “The Fifth with First” this Sunday!

For folks coming to the Worship Service in the Sanctuary we have a special treat for you – Global Ministries Intern Henry Brewer-Calvert will be our guest preacher as he shares a sermon about the two years he spent serving the wider church as a missionary in the Dominican Republic.

Then after the service we’ll have an onsite Mission Project on behalf of Operation Gratitude. Remember those hundreds of Christmas Cards that our Church Campers wrote this summer for American military service men and women who are deployed all over the world…and all of the extra cards that our S.A.I.L. Marketplace kids filled out this summer…well, we’re going to label them, package them up, and get them ready to be sent out! Which means, we have a Mission Project that connects us with deployed soldiers, AZ church campers, and the youth and adults of FCC Scottsdale! Thank you to Jean Decker and the Outreach Team for helping to make this possible.

For folks going out to the Workship Project in the Community we will gather at Chaparral Park at 9AM at the Ramada next to the main parking lot. We will have a brief prayer service (complete with communion) and then we’ll be heading out to the Ronald McDonald House (complete with air conditioning!) for our outreach project.

I’m so grateful for the partnership we have struck up with the Ronald McDonald House. I’m not sure which projects in particular we will focus on this time, but I know that the work we do makes such a difference for the families in residence there. If you haven’t made it out to the Ronald McDonald House yet, or if you haven’t participated in a Workship Project out in the Community on “The Fifth With First” before, well, I hope you’ll consider joining us this time around. It is wonderful, worthwhile work and an amazing way for us to put our faith into action as we connect with the wider community.

Yours in the Journey,
Rev. Brian

Pictures: Happy Birthday Clara

She is 99-years-young and still just as much of a blessing as ever!

This past Sunday the church hosted a special Fellowship Hour reception for Clara Brandom in celebration of her 99th birthday!

You continue to inspire us everyday Clara. Happy birthday!

Whiteboard: Christmas in July

That's right, we are celebrating Christmas in July in worship at FCC Scottsdale this Sunday!

Come and join us as we sing Christmas Carols, journey with the shepherds to the manger where we'll visit the Christ child, and hear all over the cosmo-changing power of the story of our savior's birth!

It is going to be a wonderful worship service, made all the better by your participation in it!

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Luke 2:8-20 The Shepherds and the Angels

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,  ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Pictures: SAIL Marketplace Finale

Last night we wrapped up a wonderful season with the S.A.I.L. Marketplace!

Throughout our Summer Adventures In Learning we prayed together, ate together, heard the stories of our faith in wonderfully interactive ways, made crafts, sang songs, and grew in the faith through education and fellowship!

A HUGE "Thank You!" to Julie and Carol who organized the entire event and the teams of volunteers that helped make it happen. Thank you to the children and families that participated, and to everyone who was touched by this amazing program.

Here are some pictures from the evening (that featured stories from Rev. Kevin, a dramatic retelling of the story of Zaccheus, songs, crafts, and a magical appearance by The Wizard!):

Three Things from Administrative Council

This past Sunday the Administrative Council had their regularly scheduled meeting.

As is our custom, we ended the meeting by coming up with three talking points from the meeting that I want to share with the entire congregation. We call this “The Three Things…”

So, without further ado, here they are!

1: We are making healthy progress on our 2016 Goals!
At our January Retreat the Administrative Council identified a series of short term and long term goals. It only makes sense that at our July meeting (which is half-way through the year) that we would take stock of each goal and appraise where we are. I’m happy to report that we are moving forward in healthy and productive ways on those goals.

As a general reminder, here are those goals:

   Short Term Goals:
     -- Introduce and support a Planned Giving Program
     -- Support, equip, and grow the Education Ministry Team and Programs
     -- Continue to grow the breadth and depth of our Outreach Ministries
     -- Improve and expand “communication” in the church and outside the church.
     -- Identify, mentor, and train members for leadership

   Long Term Goals:
     -- Relationship building among our members and non-members
     -- Bring the community onto the campus and make the church a bigger part of the community.
     -- Investigate and consider the NBA’s XPLOR residency program

2. New Air conditioners for the Sanctuary!
With the failure of one A/C for the sanctuary and pending failure of three more units we approved the use of funds to replace four units in the Sanctuary. We are blessed to have received a $15,000 gift earlier this year (above and beyond this church members regular pledge) that will help underwrite the expense. The remainder of the cost (between $10-15,000) will come from the Property Budget and Long Term Maintenance Budget. The Property Team will take the lead on finalizing the bids and overseeing the process.

3. Nominating Committee is requesting prayers!
Our Vice Moderator Judy Kares walked us through the timeline and plans for the Nominating Committee. She began with a specific call to prayer. This year Judy would invite church members to be in prayer for the Nominating Committee and the nominating process that helps us select our leaders for the coming year AND she is also inviting church members to be in prayer themselves, asking “how might I serve God, by serving at FCC Scottsdale?” I hope that you’ll join this prayer effort and support the wonderful work that is happening here at the church!