“Lantana is a high maintenance weed that will take over in the summer and die back in the winter. I hate it.” Yep. That’s what I said, and it is how I felt for most of my adult life. I have removed established lantana bushes from many yards. Until… Until is a powerful word. It… Continue reading Pulchritudinous
Author: Web Admin
500 Showers in First Year
of Feet-N-More
How Did It Happen and Who Helped? By Max Klinkenborg We gave our first shower on February 23, 2021, at the Salvation Army Church on Avenue of the Arts in Surprise. It was our maiden voyage with the trailer and we gave 9 showers and charged 5 cell phones. Little did we know that day… Continue reading 500 Showers in First Year
of Feet-N-More
Tuning our Ears for a Sabbatical
Sabbaticals are a time for tuning our ears for listening carefully, for discerning the texture and quality of our own paths, for attending to God’s unceasing, creative plea amidst the noise of cultural pressures, the busyness of life, and our own self-limiting habits. Sabbaticals are for pastors and for congregations. I will be going on… Continue reading Tuning our Ears for a Sabbatical
Lessons from Frog and Toad
Arnold Lobel wrote a series of books, which on the surface appear to be children’s books, called Frog and Toad. Dig a little deeper and you’ll discover that they’re for adults, too. In one particular story, Toad is admiring Frog’s garden and wishing he could have a similar one. Frog tells him that he can and gives… Continue reading Lessons from Frog and Toad
Holy Week Events
April 10: Palm Sunday, 10:00 a.m. Sunday in the Sanctuary. Choir presentation. April 14: Maundy Thursday Service, 5:00 p.m. Thursday at United UCC, 11250 N. 107th Ave., Sun City. Joint service with United UCC, Church of the Palms, Desert Garden UCC, and Sun City Christian Church. Communion will be served. April 15: Good Friday Service,… Continue reading Holy Week Events
One Great Hour of Sharing
Love is patient. But often we demand things to happen on our schedule. Love is kind. But our actions don’t always match our lofty phrases. Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. But there are times when we are. Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in truth. We celebrate the… Continue reading One Great Hour of Sharing
Word of the year
Two years ago, we adjusted our sails due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Phrases rarely used have entered our everyday vocabulary: vaccination, booster, asymptomatic, contact tracing, flatten-the-curve, social distancing, herd immunity, isolation, lockdown, mask up, quarantine. One of the ways out of this pandemic is to learn new phrases. I want to introduce you to the… Continue reading Word of the year
Visitor Information Session
Do you have questions about Church of the Palms? You’re invited to join us Wednesday, April 6, at 3:30 p.m. for an Information Session in King Hall hosted by the Evangelism and Growth Team. Meet with Senior Pastor Paul Whitlock and Associate Pastor Jim Alexander for a slide presentation and meet some other active church… Continue reading Visitor Information Session
New life for those seldom-used special characters on your keyboard!
The UCC is widely known as that “comma church.” Meaning that our denomination’s logo includes a comma. That comma symbol has its genesis from a quote, not from some famous theologian, but from entertainer Gracie Allen to her husband, George Burns: “Never place a period where God has put a comma.” We’ve added over the… Continue reading New life for those seldom-used special characters on your keyboard!
Sock, Underwear Drive to Benefit Dysart Kids
The Church of the Palms has selected Dysart Community Center to receive non-monetary donations during March and April. As the church did several years ago, we are requesting donations of underwear and socks for the children they serve. Please refer to the chart below to ascertain the sizes of the boys and girls who participate… Continue reading Sock, Underwear Drive to Benefit Dysart Kids