CCOV

Member's Blog

The committee has been meeting actively since it was formed and we have made significant progress towards our goal of hiring a new Pastor.  We completed the first major step in the process in mid-April with the completion of the Church Profile.  This document gives a very thorough picture of the church, its recent history, financial health, membership and participation, and its goal and aspirations.  Once the profile was completed and received by the Southwest Conference office, our position was added to the directory of job openings in the UCC across the United States.  Our position is found on page 30 of the “UNITED CHURCH EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES”  http://www.ucc.org/classifieds/pdfs/ucem.pdf).  To date we have received 8 applications.

The committee is working now to establish a pre-screening process based on a set of disqualifiers we identified and to begin to pre-screen the candidates.  We will continue to receive applications for several more weeks and then we will begin in earnest to narrow the selection down.  We will continue to give updates to the congregation on Sundays during the worship service and in this newsletter.

 Bob Simington

Pastoral Search Committee

When the leaders of the Protestant Reformation began to suggest changes in the way religion should be, there were three things that they made abundantly clear.

First, people should be able to practice their religion in their own languages. This led to the translation of the bible into German and then into several other languages almost immediately. The coincidental invention of moveable type and printing presses certainly helped this reform.

Second, they held that all members of the church formed a priesthood that was equally responsible for the conduct of the matters of the church and for the souls of the congregants.

The third change they suggested was that the congregations should take an active part in the celebration of the religion by taking roles in the services and by congregational singing. They felt that singing was an acceptable way of praising God. Luther was an avid hymn writer as was several of the other early reformers. Congregational singing remains one of his most enduring legacies.

“Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise,” wrote Luther. “I am not of the opinion that all arts are to be cast down and destroyed on account of the Gospel, as some fanatics suggest. On the other hand, I would gladly see all arts, especially music, in the service of Him Who has given and created them.”

He urged his followers to write German hymns based on the Psalms. Luther recommended that they “use the simplest and most common words, preserve the pure teaching of God’s Word, and keep the meaning as close to the Psalm as possible.”

So, the next time you sing Luther’s hymn “A Mighty Fortress is our God” or any other hymn for that matter, remember that this is your opportunity to practice your religion and to praise God in your own personal way.

Bob Simington is an active member of CCOV and regularly sings in the choir.

Karen Harrington and several other volunteers attended the UCC’s Southwest Conference Annual Meeting as CCOV delegates last weekend.

Where do I begin? I arrived at the Conference meeting in Sedona on Friday morning. It was cold, damp, dark and windy. I thought I was in Cleveland.

Much of Friday afternoon was spent on introductions: staff, committee members, resolutions, guests, and an introduction of two new churches joining the UCC. Our keynote speaker was Cameron Trimble, director of the Center for Progressive Renewal. Cameron spoke about her vision of the church’s future.

Rev. John Dorhauer led worship Friday evening, which included two Marshallese choirs. We were all feeling the Holy Spirit’s presence, but it took everyone by surprise when during the moments before worship, the dark clouds slightly parted and the Red Rocks were drenched in the deep yellow light of the evening’s sun. At first notice, it was believed by many that it was a light display, strategically placed lights illuminating the top of the rocks. After that brief moment passed, it was quite obvious that no one on earth could create such beauty. God was with us. Everyone ran to the window to take pictures, but not one camera was able to capture the awe that we felt in our hearts. Praise Be to God!

Day 2 – We began Saturday morning with business reports, including a “State of the Conference” address by Rev. John Dorhauer. The morning concluded when Rev. Geoffrey Black, newly-elected President of the United Church of Christ, spoke. What a special opportunity it was to hear him speak.

Saturday afternoon was spent in workshops that we chose to attend. Sandi, Clint, Pam, Joe and myself split up so we could gather as much info for the church as we could. The first workshop I went to was “Connecting Women through Women’s Ministries.” This workshop was led by Rachel Chapman, a Women’s Ministry Consultant for the UCC’s Western Region. We explored some of the resources and ideas available to help nurture the lives of women in our churches and communities. I have ideas I would love to share with Women’s Fellowship.

The second workshop I attended was “8 Leadership Laws for Healthy Church Growth,” led by Cameron Trimble. What steps can we take that will affect the health and growth of our congregation in a positive way? What procedures do we have in place now that affect the health and growth of CCOV in a negative way? We discussed many interesting ideas. Two that really stood out in my mind are:

1) Communicate 7 times in 7 different ways. If we have a program coming up, for instance, it should be advertised on our website, in our newsletter and bulletin. It should be announced in church. Emails should be sent out. Flyers posted. Phone calls made. Any creative way we can think of to get the word out.

2) Cameron also talked about keeping all meetings short. She said no meeting should be more than an hour long. Hour and a half, tops. Cameron suggested that if you want to shorten your meetings, remove all of the chairs (the kind you sit on!). That would do it for me! Also, present everyone with detailed information which will be covered in the meeting – to be read ahead of time. In order for this to work, it is mandatory that all info be read.

I came away from this workshop with a list of 16 reference books that I want to read. Guess what I’ll be doing all summer?

Worship Saturday evening was sensational. There were many guitar players and very lively music. I felt that anyone passing by the church during that time could probably have heard, seen and felt our energy. The walls of the church weren’t able to contain us! Two new churches became members of the UCC Conference. A dialogue was held with the youth and young adults to reveal their perspective of the church.

Sunday morning worship service was wonderful. The choir consisted of anyone from the SWC who wanted to sing. There must have been nearly 50 people raising their voices in song. The newly elected representatives were installed and Rev. Geoffrey Black gave the sermon. Communion was served at two areas in the front of the church and one area in the back.

What a morning! What a weekend!

Karen Harrington is CCOV’s Director of Christian Education.

For the last several weeks, Pastor Phil has been focusing on “The Lord’s Prayer” (LP) in his sermons. The first week, he asked, “What is the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer for you? How do you use it? DO you use it?”

Apparently the LP was introduced by Jesus as a sort of example of how to pray, i.e., “You don’t know what to say? Okay, try this.” LP, there you go. I had a similar introduction to the LP, when I was a little girl and my mother constantly admonished me to pray. I, full of spunk even then, would roll my eyes and say, “But I don’t even know HOW to pray!!” So she taught me the LP. But I still didn’t think much of it, and I only said it when I was worried, or in trouble, or couldn’t sleep.

At around 9 or 10 years old, mom made me join the youth choir at our local Lutheran church. This, I could buy into, but mostly because of an older boy on the choir on whom I had an enormous crush. John Pinner, if I recall, was his name, and he was blond-haired and blue-eyed and OLDER!! In choir, we learned what we called “The Benediction,” the LP sung a cappella. Nearly all of my childhood memories of the LP are set to music as a result. But still, usage was limited to problems and needs and apologies to God for bad behavior.

The next prayer I learned was the “Hail Mary,” 10 or 15 years later. I learned it in one day, at my husband’s grandmother’s funeral. This grandmother, “Dida,” we called her, was full of no-nonsense love for both me and my husband. You could feel it in the way she laid her gnarled, angry-looking hands against your cheek, hear it in the way she’d say, “I’m talking to you! Stop being an idiot!” and taste it in the food she made whenever we came to visit. Losing this lady was a loss in the most miserable sense, and my husband sat and wept at the funeral home. As he grieved as though his heart was falling out through the bottom of his feet, I thought he needed his original family more than me. But then a Jesuit monk came in to perform the service, and all I remember was standing, holding hands with my heartbroken husband, and repeating the “Hail Mary,” over and over and over again, until mouth memory took over and crying wasn’t an option, because the prayer had to go on. So as of that day, I had a new prayer in my repertoire. Different words than the LP, but for me, same usage: problems, needs, apologies.

Years later, we got pregnant with our first baby, Ava. I definitely felt like I should be praying; after all, it couldn’t hurt, right? But I had no idea what to say. I felt stupid, so I went back to what I knew. Every night, before bed, I’d start with the LP, then the Hail Mary, then, “Dear God, please keep this baby healthy and safe and well.” That was it, and with that, I was hopeful my bases were covered. She turned out just fine.

Now, another child, several life crises and a renewed sense of faith later, I pray frequently, sometimes every day, sometimes just when I need. And by “need,” I don’t mean when I need something; I can’t express the comfort it brings me. I always feel better after I pray. Always. Sometimes I pray to God, sometimes to the world in general, sometimes to no one in particular. I always pray for others; somehow it feels like my prayers for myself have a better chance of being answered if I’m generous. Sometimes I just pray for guidance, for the ability to let go, for patience, for all the things I want to be and all the ways I want to be better than I am and all the gratefulness I have that this life is pretty darned good, even on the bad days.

But some days, I don’t feel like praying at all. I feel like I don’t have the emotional energy to plumb my thoughts, to offer my faith space to anyone else, to spend time just being quiet and reflective and aware of the absolute grace and goodness of life. And surprisingly, despite my disdain of the Lord’s Prayer, THIS is when I use it. It’s like my gateway; when I really don’t feel like praying, odds are, after I get through a run of the LP, I’ll be able to go on and say whatever else needs saying.

Recently someone told me they don’t pray because they’re not sure prayers are answered. I’m not one to advocate prayer; I think everyone satisfies their own needs in their own way and their own time. But I can tell you that for me, prayer is a soothing, comforting exercise that helps remind me what I’m working for, and helps reassure me that there’s a reason I’m on this path.

Brittany Abbate and her family are members of CCOV.

CCOV Interim Minister Phil Reller is delivering a series of sermons focusing on “The Lord’s Prayer.” He has at times referred to “The Lord’s Prayer” as “The Prayer of Our Savior.”

Even after two sermons trying to persuade me that “The Lord’s Prayer” is not technically the appropriate name, I am not quite convinced. I know now that The Lord’s Prayer was not spoken by Jesus, but was a prayer taught by Jesus, but it doesn’t change my view. In my mind, the term “The Lord’s Prayer” is a prayer said to God, but the term “Prayer of Our Savior” sounds like a prayer said to Jesus, or a prayer said by Jesus (which we know is incorrect.)

Months ago, when the name of the prayer was changed in the bulletin to “Prayer of Our Savior,” I immediately went to Pastor Phil and questioned the decision (this was actually my first conversation with Phil). He called me later that day to discuss my concern and told me that he planned to do a sermon about this at some point. He told me that the UCC refers to the Prayer as “Prayer of Our Savior” and suggested that I look in our Hymnal where there are sample orders of service. The following Sunday I read through the Hymnal, and I did find that in some cases it is referred to as “Prayer of Our Savior,” but in many instances it is still referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer.” As I left church that Sunday I told Pastor Phil that I had done my homework, and that I still thought that I was right (ask my husband, this is a common theme for me.)

I am not a fan of change, so the name change really threw me. “The Lord’s Prayer” invokes many memories, and it is a big part of church for me. I grew up in the UCC church, and I remember learning “The Lord’s Prayer” (we used “Trespasses”) and saying it every week in church. As a child, if we were sitting up in the front of the church I would say the Prayer softly. If we were sitting in the balcony, I would yell the Prayer, much to the chagrin of my older brother. I thought that the further away you were from the front, the louder you should be so that it would reach the alter.

When I married a Catholic, we spent time “church shopping” to find a church that would work for both of us. A few churches that we checked out did not say “The Lord’s Prayer.” Whether it was an oversight for that week, or regularly not a part of the service, I will never know. We never went back to those churches. After we found CCOV, there would be times when we would accidentally skip over “The Lord’s Prayer” during a service. I was the one who would take an usher aside and request that they remind Pastor David to say the Prayer.

So, when the name change came about I told Pastor Phil that I was “shocked.” I’m sure he thought I was being dramatic, but it really did hit me hard. I have been waiting for these sermons, and I have been listening closely, waiting for Phil to change my mind. I appreciate the history of the Prayer, and I am learning a lot, but, Pastor Phil, I’m still holding out for a name change.

Susan Matura has been a member of CCOV for 10 years. She and her husband have three beautiful children.

I grew up in Chicago and my folks moved quite a lot, so every time we moved I went to the closest church for Sunday School.  A very miscellaneous background.

George and I met at the Christian Science Church which happened to have an especially active Youth Group — I guess that is why I wish we had more youth at our church here. But the leaders in the Christian Science Church were laymen, so when we were married we went to the Presbyterian Church to be married. 

Time passed.  We lived in a suburb and friendly neighbors encouraged us to go to their church,  the Evangelical Lutheran.  Good Sunday School.  Great Pastor,  and a volunteer Aide who gave a year to teaching.  Both she and the pastor were dedicated to encouraging us to dig for meanings even with matters that were part of the  “catechism”.  An already questioning mind developed more questions and sought answers with good help from the staff. 

When we moved,  the next  Lutheran Church was not as open as the previous and there I had questions that those in charge were not able to answer. The healthy questioning background of the previous church was lacking.  

When we moved to Arizona we continued in the Evangelical Lutheran Church.  Then we moved here,  and after espousing the Lutheran Church in Fountain Hills for a while, also tried the Episcopal Church and then this little church around the corner from where we lived.    We came one week,  heard the sermon and knew we were “home.”  Questions hovered on the horizon but there were answers,  which we were encouraged to seek -  and a light shown on the way.  We had found our church home.

May those who come here also find answers to their questions.   Even thougth the answers are not always obvious, they are there and a person has to work at finding them!    

 Margaret Bixby and her husband, George, are long-standing members of CCOV. They are responsible for the The Courier, CCOV’s newsletter.

Share the Arts Night at CCOV was a miraculous and magical night of many talents. I say miraculous because as organizer, I wasn’t sure at first if people would respond to it. But, by the end of it we had well over 30 artists participating!  So, take heart, anyone organizing something for this group of people — we do respond eventually!

The first part of the night took place in Hayden Hall, where visual artists and artisans shared their perspectives on their art, which was on display.  My husband, who was once an avid photographer, was very impressed with Monty Bai’s beautiful photos.  The one that stood out for me was the single pretty flower blossoming on a tree in Korea.  George Bixby’s Geodesic wooden sphere gave us an engineer’s perspective on his art.  Margaret Bixby unveiled a superlative gift when she showed her oil paintings.  Such detail!  Steve Senn is likewise gifted.  I was shocked to learn he only started painting 4 years ago.  He generously donated the acrylic painting he did of the church’s altar.  It was so rich in detail, the writing on the bible looked like real words.  Paulan Ricketts displayed her weaving and showed us how multi talented she is with her many different products:  scarves, a vest, little buttons, even the cloth “skin” of a stuffed cat. The painted gourds by Pam Pruess beautifully evoked a southwestern theme.  To hear of pipe wall hangings doesn’t do justice to the artfully designed yarn and painted pipe creations of Kay Senn.  Lauren Frank’s delightfully designed and comfy looking quilts adorned one table, while clothing worthy of haute couture designed and sewn by Ruth Kronbach graced another. 

The second part of our evening took place in the sanctuary transformed into a theater.   Jamie Buchanan played the part of MC with great poise.  The event kicked off with traditional drumming and dancing by the Somali Bantu.  As I watched their whirl of vibrantly colored costumes I thought about what a rare treat it was to sit that close and observe an authentic African dance.  I don’t think I have ever had the privilege! 

The next performers were me on the flute, Pat Fisher on cello, and Roy Blomquist on piano playing a medley of songs, some written in the first part of the last century.  I tried to evoke the era with a 1930s style hat.  Thank you so much to Pat and Roy for their wonderful accompaniment!  Dorie Roepke was next with her gorgeous rendition of The Sound of Music, from one of my all time favorite musicals. Then Bob played my husband’s pick of the night, “Scotch and Soda”, a vocal solo with guitar. The song requires a gentle nuance that Bob did very well.  “Holy, Holy, Holy” was sung as an angelic duet by Sue Bai and Sandi Anthony.  Next, Eric Buckeye played AND sang “People, Get Ready” with so much feeling and emotion put in both his voice and the piano keys.  Craig Goodman began with the cute introduction, “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash!”  He sang “Lean on Me” while playing guitar and judging from audience reaction, it was a real crowd favorite!

Michael Abbate amazed and delighted with his stick juggling.  And for the record, no, he does not use magnets!  It took a lot of concentration and practice to demonstrate this skill.

The comedy relief for the night, Phil Reller, our interim pastor, told stand up jokes and sang “camp” songs with the kids and the kid in all of us.  From laughter to tears, my eyes filled up when I heard Maggie Barton sing “A Temporary Home” by Carrie Underwood.  Her cd wasn’t working and she had to sing without accompaniment, but she did such a beautiful, moving job.

Last but not least, we were reminded that we all had to get up the next morning and “get to the church on time” when Herman Krehbiel performed a hilarious rendition of “I’m Getting Married in the Morning,” complete with top hat and bells and whistles. 

An event like this couldn’t take place without many helping hands.  I want to thank my committee made up of Jamie Buchanan, Jo Hawn, Paulan Ricketts, and Jennie Blomquist. You all deserve a bravo!  Thanks to Brent Jensen for his help with the sound system and our stage managers, Kelsey Buchanan and Henry Jensen — you guys rock! 

If you weren’t able to make it out for this Share the Arts Evening, look forward to the Fall when we plan to have another one just as spectacular!

 Elizabeth Pickens organized and performed in CCOV’s “Share the Arts Evening.”

My husband and I had never been regular churchgoers.  He grew up Catholic; I was more of a mutt. While we were both spiritual in our own ways, neither of us felt any particular call toward religion. Then, we had children.

About halfway through our daughter’s third year, a distant relative passed away. We resolved to embrace death as part of life, and she joined us at the funeral. Ava was fascinated by the “prayer box,” closed and covered with flowers at the head of the room, where various family members knelt and prayed. We explained to her that while a body may stay in that box, our souls are what make us who we are, and they go on to live with God, happy, contented and pain-free.

Suddenly Ava was full of questions. How did we get here? Who made the world? Where do we “go” when we “go live” with God? Are people always happy when they have to go there? Do we get to decide when we go, and can we go together? And, when you get in trouble, and it hurts in your heart, is that God telling you he doesn’t like it when you behave that way?

Phew!

We got a bible. And read it. Every night. I, the “teacher,” became the student, as I read the Bible cover-to-cover for the very first time, a spiritual translator for my daughter.  And after we’d devoured that, she wanted more. Who wrote the Bible? Was it the truth, like the news, or just a story? Did everyone believe it? Soon it became clear that while I could give Ava my perspective, she needed a more complete context.

And so, we came to church.

Brittany Abbate and her family are new members of CCOV.

I’m now old enough to have witnessed life over decades—as opposed to years.  I graduated from college when unemployment in the U.S. was over 10%.  Believe it or not, these things have happened before!

I’ve seen churches torn down to the roots, almost without hope, and then reborn as something new and wonderful.  Over 10 years ago, my Wisconsin pastor was leading a Bible study group one morning and asked, “What do we know (from the Bible) about Jesus’ resurrection?”

After a few obvious facts were mentioned, he answered, “One thing we know for certain.  Jesus appeared completely different after he rose from the grave.”  Huh?  Really?  “Mary Magdalene didn’t recognize him when he appeared outside the tomb.  Not until he spoke did she realize it was Jesus.”

He continued, “The disciples didn’t realize it was Jesus appearing before them until he showed them his wounds.  Thomas later asked Jesus to prove it by letting him place his finger in the wounds.  It was Jesus; he just didn’t look the same.”

I believe there is a comparison to make here with the transformation of our church.  I used to worry that ‘if we lost So-and-so,’ the church would crumble.  Then So-and-so left. Then another ‘So-and-so’ left— and then another.  The church continued, picking up new members who brought a new perspective and enthusiasm with them.  It was the same church, but it looked different.  Eventually, it began to not only look different, but…better.

Nothing in the Bible—certainly nothing that Jesus ever did—remained static.  Things were always changing: boundaries challenged, status quo disrupted, religious leaders annoyed.  Why then should it be any different for the church?  One might argue that constant change and challenges are necessary to the healthy life of the Church.

I’m beginning to see a “new” CCOV take shape, and it’s exciting to be a part of that.  If we can challenge our comfort zones and look deep inside to discover what God is asking us to do, and then act on that vision, I believe we can see Truths currently unseen and realize joys beyond our imagination.   Blessings!

Brent Jensen has been an active member of CCOV since 2001 and regularly attends with his two sons, Trevor and Henry.