Saturday, April 13, 2:00 p.m.
Tickets are now available for the English Afternoon Tea.
A $15.00 donation grants you:
It’s an opportunity to show your creativity as well. This is an invitation to decorate and wear a hat—-there will be prizes for your unique, imaginative handiwork.
All are welcome to attend this 50th Anniversary fundraising event!
Wednesday, March 13, 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Have you ever wondered if someone you love is facing Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia? Have you wondered how you might help the individual or family as they faced this?
Are you a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer’s and facing its many challenges, feeling alone, stressed, or experiencing burnout?
The Church of the Palms’ Faith Health Ministry is pleased to be one of the churches participating in the Dementia Care and Education Memory and Faith Project, an educational project designed to provide education and resources to churches across Arizona. The program is being offered in churches with the goal being to mobilize and educate faith communities, increasing awareness and understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and supporting those living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.
The Church of the Palms’ Faith Health Ministry will be participating in this project by hosting a series of five educational sessions. The programs are aimed at identifying signs of dementia, providing a support system incorporating family, friends and the faith community, and to assist caregivers in their difficult task. Topics being addressed in the series of programs include:
The first session will be held at the Church of the Palms on Wednesday, March 13, at 3:00 p.m. A second session is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10. The remaining sessions will be held in the fall after the summer travelers have returned. United Church of Sun City will be hosting sessions during the same time frame, allowing interested individuals to “make-up” a missed session.
ALL are welcome at these events!
April 14: Palm Sunday. Our Sanctuary Choir will share a musical presentation, Reflections on Holy Week.
April 18: Maundy Thursday 5:00 p.m. We’ll host a community service that will include our sister churches: United Church UCC and Sun City Christian. Communion will be served.
April 19: Good Friday self-directed labyrinth walk* 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. Bell choir plays at 12:30.
April 21: Easter. Communion will be available at both services:
*More about the Good Friday labyrinth walk:
The “Labyrinths at the Palms” will host the church’s Good Friday service this year. There will be a self-directed walk on the larger labyrinth from 12:00 – 3:00 pm on Friday, April 19th. The Bell Choir of Church of the Palms will play at 12:30 p.m. The smaller labyrinth will also be available to accommodate those using wheelchairs and walkers.
The walk into the center of the labyrinth will have the 14 Stations of the Cross marked on the path. Each walker will be given a guide that provides a scripture reading and prayer corresponding to each of the stations, following Jesus from the Garden of Gethsemane to the Tomb.
Once at the center, walkers will be able to linger in prayer/meditation, and then walk directly off the labyrinth or return to the entrance by the path. There will be chairs available under the tree for journaling or a time of prayer.
Labyrinth volunteers will be available to assist as needed. The guides will be available throughout the afternoon and evening in the literature box near the sidewalk.
Presented by the Social Justice Action Team
Sunday, March 17th, in King Hall at noon, following worship
Come to an all-church potluck and program event for members and friends where we will share, explore, and celebrate our various personal heritage stories.
Please bring a dish to share that reflects your ancestry, or a salad, side dish or dessert. Don’t know your history/ancestry? Just bring a favorite dish. You may wish to wear clothing which reflects your ancestry/heritage. Think about sharing stories, perhaps about how family traditions have been maintained, or how holidays and birthdays have been celebrated.
Featured Speaker: Attorney Brendan Mahoney, a member of First Congregational Church UCC in Phoenix, will be our presenter. Brendan will share his extensive knowledge of immigration patterns to the United States over the centuries. Where have our immigrants come from and what were the motivating factors that brought them here? How has the richness of our past histories enhanced our country? A Social Justice Action Team member has heard Brendan’s presentation and rates it A+ so you won’t want to miss this event.
There will be a signup in the narthex beginning late February. If you ride the church bus, that’s no problem, because transportation will be arranged so that you can attend this event.
Monday, December 24 at 7 p.m.
Experience Christmas Eve in word and music as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. The Christmas Eve Candlelight Service features carols, communion, readings, and the music of our choir and handbells.
All are welcome; no exceptions. Bring family, friends, and neighbors.
Joyce Spaulding Memorial Community Thanksgiving Feast
The Church of the Palms invites all to join us for our annual Thanksgiving Day dinner!
The meal is free and the event is handicap accessible.
Please call early for reservations 623-977-8359 or use the sign up sheet in the narthex.
Wendy Whitlock has graciously offered to serve as event coordinator; please let her know if you can volunteer or have questions.
Sunday, November 11, 10 a.m.
Worship will be followed with a free lasagna and salad lunch.
Meet new people, share worship together, and enjoy a homemade lunch!
Like our rummage sale, this event helps people to learn about the church and to be blessed by the love and welcome that we share.
Bring a friend, bring two, bring a bunch!
Palms people: Use the sign-up sheet in the narthex so we know how many to plan for.
Those of us who use social media have seen the question, “Where were you on July 20, 1969?” Most of us can give a reasonably accurate account of whether or not we witnessed the lunar landing on that day. I have another question for you – where were you in October, 1969?
From some of the conversations I have had lately, I can tell you that in the fall of 1969, as newlyweds, Sandy and Bob Krueger were setting up housekeeping; Jane Zukowski was a stay-at-home mom making sure her young son, Jim Alexander, got off to kindergarten during the week in Winslow (we will try not to hold that against you Jim); while Carol and Clint Reynolds, with their four children, had recently relocated from California to Flagstaff where Clint was the pastor of the First Congregational Church, a church near and dear to my heart.
Meanwhile, here in Sun City, in the fall of 1969, there was a dedicated gathering of kindred souls, under the direction of Dr. Albert King, also relocating from Calif, who envisioned building a new church. They met weekly in the parsonage, discussing the formation of the first church in Phase II of Sun City. The United Presbyterian denomination, the Disciples of Christ, and the Southwest Conference of the United Church of Christ worked together helping establish the new church.
So, where were you, specifically, on October 5th, 1969? Any thoughts? I can tell you it was Worldwide Communion Sunday and the first Sunday of worship in Sun City for Church of the Palms. The congregation met in Town Hall North, which I believe was Oakmont Center, for a time, waiting for the completion of Lakeview Recreational Center before the groundbreaking of the building of our current sanctuary.
Needless to say, we are celebrating our 50th anniversary in 2019. The anniversary committee has designed outstanding projects and events as part of our celebration. The first event is a fundraiser (yes, celebrations of this nature need funding), a Chili Cook Off following worship September 23. A freewill offering jar will be available. Kevin Nicastro and Michael Cullen are leading this event.
We currently have enough volunteers who are cooking chili, thank you. We are in need of salads and condiments such as sour cream and shredded cheese.
Also, please sign up in the narthex if you will be attending so that we can be prepared.
Come with us on the journey ahead. We are looking back at the early years of our church and toward what the next years will bring. We are celebrating the past and embracing the future.
Sandy Znetko
50th Anniversary Chair
Good friend and film aficionado, Jack Evans, will once again be our guide this Fall and Winter for an eclectic and varied line-up of movies.
This season, we have something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue:
September 21st: HAROLD AND MAUDE
Hal Ashby’s cult classic from 1970 about a young man who falls in love with a 79 year old woman.
October 12th: ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
The highly imaginative Charlie Kaufman wrote the screenplay for this Michel Gondry film about two lovers who have erased memories of each other’s existence . A new cult classic that’s postmodern cinema at its best.
November 2nd: THE HOTEL BUDAPEST NOVEMBER FILM IS CANCELED
One of America’s best filmmakers of the past quarter-century, Wes Anderson borrows stories from the once popular but now obscure Austrian author Stephan Zweig to forge this intricate tale of love and intrigue.
December 14th: THE DEEP BLUE SEA
This destructive love affair set in World War II, features powerful performances by Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston and is directed by the great British filmmaker Terrence Davies.
The next best thing to inviting a family member, neighbor or friend to join you in church on Sunday morning is to invite them to the Rummage Sale. And who knows, if they come to the Rummage Sale and meet our wonderful volunteers, they may just decide to try church!
So, here is the deal: Buy a $5 (or $10 or $20) Rummage Sale Gift Certificate and give it to your family member, friend or neighbor. Encourage them to come, have fun, meet great people, and find a new treasure!
Rummage Sale Gift Certificates will be available starting in early October!
