The fourth part of the Mission Values, embedded within our Vision Pathway, is Active Faith.

Active (adj) Doing things for an organization, cause, or campaign rather than simply giving it one’s support.

Faith (n) Complete confidence and trust in someone or something.

Jesus’ life was one of active faith. Through the gospel accounts we see Him often going somewhere by Himself to pray, or walking slowly through a crowd, smiling at each person, acknowledging their presence, healing them with his touch and words, feeding them, giving them water.

Jesus tells a story about active faith in Matthew 25:34-40. He speaks of the righteous ones, those He holds out as an example of doing for the “least of these” and therefore doing for Him. Those He is praising ask, “When did we do these things?” They are unaware of serving others and therefore serving Him. They had lived a life of active faith – no agenda, no ulterior motives, no plan, not even any remembrance of what they had done. For them it was just a way of living and being, doing whatever God placed in front of them. 

Active faith is living out our faith. It is living out of the overflow of the many blessings that God gives us. Just like Jesus, it is good to start the day with gratitude towards God for a new day to live with Him, to ask Him to open our eyes to see what He would have us do. This requires presence, undistracted by our to-do lists or what happened yesterday or what we dread tomorrow. Active faith is lived in each moment. One example might be doing the dishes even though someone else was supposed to do them, focusing on the warmth of the water and comfort of the soapy bubbles instead of being angry at the negligent party or fretting about all the other things we need to do. Active faith while grocery shopping might include a friendly smile and hello to all you meet, stooping down to pick up someone’s dropped item, reaching a tall shelf for those who can’t, having a conversation with the cashier and the person bagging your groceries, thanking them for their service.

You might say, “But I have to work!” We can be actively faithful at work too, or anywhere, by doing what God places in front of us each day without concern for outcomes. We can do that by remembering that God is always with us and that we can trust Him to show us the way to live in each moment, right now, without fear or guilt, resentment or judgement. When we know, believe and have faith that we are loved, forgiven and saved this becomes a way that we can simply live.

Some think that Active Faith needs to be huge – mission trips, volunteer jobs, helping careers and yes, some are called to these big things. However, even in these there remains the need for daily practice of presence with and dependence on God.

It is important to remember that none of us will ever be perfect in this endeavor but each day we can ask ourselves, “How am I trusting in and depending on God today to live an active faith?” We can ask God for His help with this and then believe that we will receive it. 

For it is in Him that we truly live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28

As we have moved through the summer and into fall a number of changes have taken place at Central in our programming area. For several years a group of African refugees have rented our chapel on Sunday mornings for worship. At the end of July, Central UMC chose not to renew the rental agreement with the group. This decision was based on the desire to use the chapel in several different ways on Sunday mornings in the near future. 

Also, in July Community of Hope moved to a new location for its ministry, and is currently meeting at First United Methodist Church in downtown Albuquerque. This change of venue had a number of precipitating reasons. As Pastor Janet transitioned to a new appointment, Pastor Scott asked for a number of things related to Community of Hope, including a one-month hiatus in July. This request was seen as necessary by Pastor Scott, and seen as untimely by some of the leadership at Community of Hope. In the long run, the leadership of Community of Hope chose to relocate. 

If you have any questions about these changes, please don’t hesitate to contact Pastor Scott or Pastor Kelly. 

Here we are, just past half way through 2017, and our attempt to re-energize, re-engage CUMC continues to be sidelined by an expressed lack of TRUST throughout our membership, our small groups and committees, and our leadership. I truly hoped that last year’s Listening Post process and establishing our Communications Team would open a door of transparency and repair our TRUST issues. Conversations with several of our members continue to reveal that several of our TRUST issues remain. I know I am making a pretty harsh statement, but I believe it to be true and the time has come that we need to personally, and in our small groups examine our TRUST in who we are as a body of Christ called to grow a Christ-Centered Community in a Distracting World.

Trust is such a foundational element for the success and mission of our Church that I ask that each ministry group, each committee, each Sunday School class, and each small group discuss TRUST considering the following:

Once you have completed this discussion to your satisfaction I further ask that your groups write a short document stating who you are, who you want to be, and who you want Central to be. The Governance Team has responsibility for visioning, planning, implementing, and evaluating ministry. In that light we seek your input and ask that you be willing to be a part of this process. Once you have completed your discussion and developed your statements please get them to any member of the Governance Team.

I sincerely pray that you will not just brush this aside with ‘oh, someone else can do this.’ Please, prayerfully take the time to help build this foundation of trust and hope in what Central can become for you,

George Faulhaber

Summary of September 10 Church Conference

It was nice to be a part of the good turnout on September 10 for fellowship, food, and voting! Tracy Sharp, Saranam’s Executive Director, provided handouts and an informative and exciting update on Saranam! All three requests below were approved by the attendees. For more information: call 299-6154 or visit www.saranamabq.org

I) Saranam, LLC Line of Credit: Since January this year, the Saranam Board has been discussing the benefits of having a line of credit to safeguard ourselves for expense and income timing differences. Having a LOC will help fill the gaps until the income comes in.

PASSED

II) Saranam, LLC Expansion of Programming and Capital Campaign: Presentation of vision and plans to double programmatic capacity and request to change/update some language in legal originating documents accordingly. Because this will entail a large capital campaign from a very broad donor/volunteer and investor base, we request some minor changes to language in the originating legal documents to allow for options for asset distribution upon dissolution.

PASSED

III) Saranam, LLC and Frances Thaxton Ash Homes, LLC also requests to change the legal title of the managing groups to "Board of Directors" from "Council on Homeless Ministries (CHM)

PASSED

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

GOVERNANCE George Faulhaber

COMPASS POINTS Ted Balph

FINANCE Ken McVey

TRUSTEES Maurice Ikle

NOMINATIONS Scott Sharp

LAY LEADERSHIP

TREASURER Ellen Skrak

LAY LEADER Jim Sumner

In order to more fully outline the responsibilities of the various advisory members, the Newsletter will include an ongoing in-depth look at each of the committees.

CUMC NOMINATIONS 2018

Listed below you will find a list of all positions to be filled by Nominations; this process will begin in September and be completed by the November Charge Conference.  Please look over the vacancies and see if you know of a person or persons who might be interested in any of these - and don't forget yourself! Conversations/questions about any aspect of nominations will be welcomed by Pastor Scott or any of the committee members listed above. You may also go Centraltolife.org and find the Nominations form for comment or questions - or to nominate someone for a position. Thank you for your participation; looking at the list below you can see what a tremendous privilege it is to fill these positions with qualified, interested persons - a privilege all of us need to take advantage of.

CUMC NOMINATIONS 2018 click here

New Website Is Here!

Please visit www.centraltolife.org to familiarize yourself with our new layout!

Do you have any announcements, events, or information that you would like to share in this section of “Our Church Family”? Please contact Pat Briggs – contact information is at the end of the newsletter.

Ruth Cook has been a Trustee or a member of the CUMC Foundation for about a quarter century. During her time with the Foundation, she has helped protect the Foundation Principal and provided timely and critical feedback to members. She has helped with the long-term Central Church investments in church property, the educational grants for 20 or more young people who desire to Preach or act as Lay Persons in Methodist churches in Albuquerque or the NM District, and the financial support requests from various mission activities by Methodists in our area.

We miss Ruth participating in our quarterly CUMC Foundation meetings now that she is no longer able to attend. We will be thinking of and praying with Ruth as she watches the weekly Central Church TV broadcasts. THANK YOU, Ruth for all of your help and assistance!!!!

From: CUMC Foundation Trustees and members

GRAND ACHIEVEMENT

Glenn Small, son of Don and Nancy-Roberts Small, grandson of Sandy and Roger Roberts, has achieved the highest honor awarded by the Boy Scouts. He is a member of BSC Troop 134 which meets at Central. Glenn's Eagle Scout Project included cleaning the building and laying a new floor in the Helping Hands Ministry - both badly needed projects. We at Central have been privileged to watch Glenn grow into the fine young man he has become. He is a senior at La Cueva this year and plans to attend college after graduation.

SAD NEWS

Our world lost a caring, compassionate and gentle spirit on September 13, with the sudden death of Paula Farkas. We knew Paula as the fun loving daughter of Dodie Hawkins and a mainstay of the Helping Hands Ministry. Paula's kind, accepting and loving interactions with the folks who come to Helping Hands for assistance was a living reminder of Jesus' words In Matthew, "Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." She blessed us with her presence and she will be missed.

It may be that none of these scenarios resonate with you, but all of us have times in our lives when "help" becomes our overriding need. Central has a ministry that exists solely to fill that void in a person's life - regardless of the cause.  Stephen Ministry is a ministry of compassionate, faithful, skilled, trustworthy individuals who know that Jesus is at the center of every caring relationship. They exist to help the one in need work their way to wholeness. 

If you have any questions or concerns about this ministry, please contact Pastor Scott, Pastor Kelly or Judy Williams - they will answer any question or ease any reservation you might have.

You may also go to the website for full information on the worldwide operation of Stephen Ministry. 

www.stephenministries.org

Title 1 is a federally funded program designed to meet the needs of students primarily in the areas of language arts, math, science and higher thinking skills. Homeless children are eligible for these services regardless of where they attend school.

Mission Statement

The Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) Title 1 Homeless Project shall provide the means, motivation, and encouragement needed for homeless students to reach their potentials as productive members of society in an educational environment that treats all students with dignity and respect.

The APS Title 1 Homeless Project is near and dear to Central’s heart.

Helen Fox, long-time member of Central, was the first director of the APS Title 1 Homeless Project. She started working with APS in 1982 beginning her work with the Title 1 Homeless Project in 1994. She retired in 2014. While there Helen worked with 25 employees in the project office and more than 1,000 volunteers. She helped make sure that the students and their families could access not only the educational services they needed, but also social services to help them succeed.

She was a tireless advocate for the more than 6,000 homeless students served each year by the district. After her retirement Helen’s role was filled by Central member, Bert Scott’s son, Patrick Scott. Patrick is quoted as saying on the APS website for the Title 1 Homeless Project, “The work we do is important because we make sure students and families going through a rough time know resources and support are available for them.”

The above information was found on this link http://www.aps.edu/title-i/homeless-project 

Central continues to be involved in the APS Title 1 Homeless Project with the help of Rev. John and Pam Kees… and Pam's Packers!

It's hard to concentrate and learn on an empty stomach. One very important part of the Title 1 Homeless Student Project is to tackle that problem. Monday thru Friday, school breakfasts and lunches help, but it can be a long, hungry time from Friday afternoon to Monday morning for high school age students. Younger students have some family or guardian, but high schoolers may be completely on their own, sleeping on the street or "couch surfing" every weekend with a different friend.

Helen Fox began trying to provide at least a little bit of food to tide them over the weekend. She called upon her good friend Joy Hayes to find a way to supply modest survival kits. Joy recruited Nancy Wood. On their first packing day the duo found the only thing in the pantry was some canned green beans! So they went shopping to get some additional items to appeal to a teenage pallet and put together a few kits. Charlotte Hunt joined the team a little later and eventually Pam Kees. From such a tenuous start has grown a program that provides over 100 "snack packs" a month just from Central UMC and many more from other groups and volunteers that have become involved. The program runs just during the 9 months of the school year. That means that we produce nearly 1,000 snack packs a year. The food items in the pack cost about $350 a month, $3,150 a year. 

Joy Hayes retired as captain of our Central team in May 2014 and Pam Kees succeeded her in August 2014. Pam has recruited the Partnership Class and several other interested individuals to the team known as the Snack Pack Gang or Pam's Packers. Pam does most of the shopping for the food items and we meet the third Friday morning of each month to pack the bags. We have become quite proficient and it only takes a team of 10-12 an hour to complete the job. The Title 1 staff calls every high school guidance counselor each week and inquires how many snack packs are needed for their school. The staff then delivers them Friday afternoon or when needed. One of the staff once commented that delivering the snack packs and seeing the students pick them is the most fun and rewarding part of the job.

The Barna Group (www.barna.org) is an organization that tracks the role of faith in America, developing one of the nations' most comprehensive databases of spiritual indicators. Among their findings:

Central is privileged to include among its membership several retired Methodist pastors. Two of these knowledgeable individuals agreed to share some of their insight in light of the above findings.

Bert Scott is a font of information on the historical Christian Church. He speaks as easily about Constantine and his influence as he does about present day ecumenical movements. Bert states, "It is a puzzling time for the Church." In its earlier history, the church was an important, influential part of the culture; in more modern times, the church has become much more marginalized. We have only to look at America in the 50's when going to church was just something 'everyone did" to the late 60's and 70's where "faith was at war" both with itself and most everything else. 

Serving as a pastor in the Deep South in these 60s and 70's gives Bert a unique understanding of cultural influence in the church. He tells of several experiences where the church reaction was one of fierce opposition: addressing, from the pulpit, the arrest of MLK Jr; the reaction to an article published in the conference newspaper about the evil of discrimination; the 'effrontery' of a black girl in the choir; the refusal to ordain a friend of Bert's who was chaplain at an all black school. This last example has a fitting end: the racially segregated Central Jurisdiction did ordain Bert's friend. When the Central Jurisdiction was dissolved by merging with the aforementioned white jurisdiction, the gentleman became a member in full standing. All such practices were ended with the creation of the United Methodist Church in 1968.

Bert doesn't profess to have all the answers to these 'puzzling times.' He does however speak from experience of the strength in taking seriously the truth of, "I am a committed follower of Jesus' way in whatever way I understand Him." He speaks of the amazing power to be found in vulnerability, of not feeling the necessity of leading from strength. The openness and truth found in God centered self examination creates a powerful community, one where all can share in and contribute to the healthy wholeness we pray for Church.

Thank you Bert, for sharing a bit of your wisdom and experience with us - we are a stronger congregation because of your presence and involvement.

Jim Hawk is a very familiar gentleman at Central - he and his father and mother before him account for 33 years of service to CUMC. In his career, Jim has served many churches of all sizes in many different locations; he was also the District Superintendent for our conference. Over 50 years of experience have left Jim with an understanding of 'church' that one would hope for from a person in his position. Jim retired (not completely - he was called on to preach for long and short periods at churches in need of a pastor) and made Central his home church. CUMC is where he feels "at home", where many of the "gateway moments" of his life have occurred.

Jim is the first to stress that the current condition of churches in general and Central in particular are beyond his purview, but he does have some very pertinent and interesting insights about church. He states that "Though church membership is declining in general there are some very strong churches in Methodism." He recalls reading, "The best chance the world has is the local church when its working the way its supposed to be working." When asked what that means to him, he identifies it as, "Keeping the main thing the main thing. Use that as a benchmark to measure everything the church is doing. Is the church changing peoples' lives?" Jim stresses that we must draw people into the church; give them something they want to be a part of. Churches must look at their surroundings to determine what they can offer to the people around them. He speaks of a group of church members bemoaning the fact that they had no children in their church. The bishop looked across the street from the church and saw a playground teeming with children. Pointing to the school, the bishop said, "There are your children."

Jim says that its 'hard to do church' in our current culture. He speaks of our identification as a consumer culture and explains that, though that isn't new, the declining membership of churches makes it much more obvious. A small percentage of 1000 people can accomplish much more that a small percentage of 100 people. There is a lack of trust in our culture, a lack of trust and a subsequent fearfulness of new things. Jesus was countercultural - a doer of new things. Can His church be any different and hope to thrive? When asked if there is any one thing he feels a church must have in order to be a vital part of a community Jim says, "Generosity; live from abundance instead of want; generosity of self, things and community." 

Changing lives, offering people something they want to be a part of, generosity, living from abundance instead of want, doers of new things, trust instead of fear - thank you for your wise thoughts, Jim. Central is indeed privileged to be the recipient of your experience.

OCTOBER ECO-TIP - Adjust your thermostat 1 degree

Through energy use alone the average US home creates over 13 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually - the same amount as driving a car over 12,000 miles. Turn your thermostat ONE degree lower in the winter and ONE degree higher in the summer. It's a great first step to reducing your energy use!

In January, we will be having an all church retreat at Sacramento Methodist Assembly. This retreat is for all ages and will have corresponding curriculum. In some ways, this retreat is like a confirmation retreat, or maybe a confirmation refresher retreat. In addition to learning a lot about our church heritage there will be time for worship, enjoying camp, and having a great time in fellowship. The dates are January 12-15.

During Lent of 2018 Central will offer a number of small group and Bible study opportunities to dig deeper into the life of John Wesley, The United Methodist Church, and our ministry. Each Sunday worship service will have something to do with Wesley as we journey through Lent to Easter.

Finally, in May, Central is embarking on a 10-day trip to England to experience the historic birthplace of John Wesley, and what would become the Methodist movement. This trip will be an exciting and faith-growing adventure.

This year TOTNOTS will be taking place on Sunday, October 29th from 2-4pm at the South end of our parking lot. I invite each of you to decorate your car trunks and hand out treats to children of all ages in this safe and fun environment. Prizes will be given to three trunks with the best treats, best decorations, and best overall, The youth of the church will be providing carnival games and food, and we will be hosting a bounce house, costume parade, and much more. What a wonderful opportunity to invite your friends, family, and neighbors to as we celebrate as a community this fall season.

EXPLORATION is a three-day event for young adults age 18-26 to listen, discern, and respond to God’s call to ordained ministry and to explore their gifts for service as a deacon or elder in The United Methodist Church. For more information, please contact Pastor Kelly.

Be Strong and of Good Courage. We need a better conversation about courage. The anxiety of the day surrounding the mainline church leads us to want. Guest speaker: Rev. John Thornburg, Texas Methodist Foundation. For more information, please contact Pastor Kelly. 

On-going Children’s & Youth Sunday School and other activities – for more information, call Kelly or Kathy at church office at 243-7834 or email: [email protected]  or [email protected].  Call or text Kathy for more information about youth at 505-401-4541.

Church 4 Kids – Church 4 Kids is a time during the 11:00 worship service designated for kids to hear the Gospel lesson in a different way. Kids of all ages are invited to join Pastor Kelly in the Chapel during the 11:00 service sermon time to listen, learn, and experience the Sunday Scripture lesson in an interactive way.

Children’s Sunday School

Music for Kids- 9:45 – 10:00AM

10:00 – 10:45AM, 4 years old - 11 year olds. Learning through games, crafts, music, and storytelling.

Youth’s Sunday School and Youth Group

We invite all students in 6-12 grade to join us as we gather together to connect with one another and grow in our faith through a wide variety of events and activities throughout the year.

9:45-10:45AM Mid High & Senior High

Youth group meets on Friday night.

On-going Sunday School Classes  

for more information contact Pastor Kelly

Leaders of Sunday school classes, please regularly provide any class or studies updates or special events/activities to include in this listing which will appear on a regular basis. Thanks! Pat Briggs – contact information is at the end of the newsletter.

If you are new to CUMC or have been coming a long time but don’t belong to a Sunday School class please know that you are invited and will be heartily welcomed to join any of these ongoing classes. This one intentional act will not only increase your feeling of belonging and community at CUMC but also enhance your Christian walk.

Arts, Literature, Faith (ALFIES)

Sunday at 9:45 in the Conference Room

Contact: Anne Downing; [email protected]

All adults are welcome to join us for the ALFies (Art, Literature, Faith) Sunday School Class. 

Upcoming programs for the ALFies Class are listed below. All interested adults are welcome to join us in the Conference Room at 9:45 each Sunday.

Celebration

Sunday at 9:45 in Room 309

Contact: Bruce Underwood

Harmony

Sunday at 9:45 in Room 312

Contact: Dodie Hawkins

Harmony Class is dedicated to spreading the love of Christ through study, service and support. Our class study is generally devoted to specific books of the Bible or Biblical ideas and concepts. Social events help solidify us as a Church family that offers love and support in good times and bad.

Partnership

Sunday at 9:45 in Room 311

Contact: Bill Ortman

We are going to take on quite a challenge for our August lessons using a Cokesbury book by Dr. Roger E. Olson titled Counterfeit Christianity: The Persistence of Errors in the Church. Dr. Olson, a graduate of Rice University, has been Foy Valentine Professor of Christian Theology of Ethics at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University since 1999.

His purpose in the book is to inform interested people about past and present Christian heresies and to help Christians recognize the false from the true. His focus is on describing heresies in their ancient and modern forms, why they are dangerous, and how to handle them.

After defining heresy and orthodoxy, Olson devotes five chapters to ancient heresies and their modern forms, including Gnosticism, Montanism, Marcionism, Adoptionism, Arianism, Nestorianism, Subordinationism, Modalism, Tritheism, Pelagianism, and Semi-Pelagianism. He then devotes a chapter each to three modern heresies: divine determinism, moralistic therapeutic deism, and the prosperity gospel. We'll focus primarily on those last three chapters. Please don't be alarmed or turned off by all the multi-syllable words. We'll try to make it easy and interesting, maybe even a little fun.

Pastor Led

Sunday at 9:45 in the Life Center

Contact: Pastor Scott

Study of the Parables

Class of Promise

Sunday at 9:45 in Room 304

Contact: Jim Hering at [email protected]

The original Class of Promise grew in size when the members of the class graciously absorbed the former Priorities Sunday School class into their fold. It was - and continues to be - a group of vibrant, interested Christian learners who benefit both from the topic being studied and the interaction of the class members. The class is taught by the members who cooperatively decide on the topics to be discussed. The class has just begun a study of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. All are welcome to join us on Sunday mornings - we'll always find a chair for you around the table!

Providence

Sunday at 9:45 in Room 307

Contact: Angus Jordan or JoAnn Emerson

Providence Sunday School Class meets in room 307 and has various programs throughout the year. We use study books to assist us with our Bible Study lessons. We also have DVD Bible Studies. All of our members take an active part in our lessons. Our attendance varies in age from 60’s to 90+. Everyone is welcome to join our class! Our class monetarily supports: CUMC TV ministry, Lowell School Food Pantry, Project Share, Title 1 Homeless Youth Project, Lowell School Uniforms, CUMC Youth, and the Methodist Children’s Home.

On-going Bible Studies

Studying the Bible together in small groups is a valuable tool in an individual’s spiritual growth.

For example, participants in one of CUMC’s ongoing Bible studies were recently challenged to spend a day in ‘utter thanksgiving’. To do this the leader suggested that for every complaint that popped into our minds we could replace with 10 thanksgivings. Participants found that this intentional act really helped to reset their minds and spirit. In these days of uncertainty, fear and anger this suggestion is a wonderful way to help all of us live Christ-centered lives.

Friday Fellowship

Friday from 9:30am-11:30am in Room 311

Friday Bible Study Group is preparing to begin a new 7-week study on August 11 - September 22. In The Gospel of Mark: The Jesus We're Aching For, follow Jesus through His days of early ministry all the way to the cross. It's there we discover what it means to be the recipients of His excessive compassion and the very reason for His all-consuming passion. You will enjoy the author, Lisa Harper who has been lauded as a master storyteller and theological scholar. Cost for the study guide is $20. Please reserve your workbook by August 4th by calling Joan Gustafson, 615-2853.

Contact: Joan Gustafson

WOW Women of the Word

Wednesday at 9:30am in Room 311

WOW returns to a regular schedule of meetings on August 23, 9:30 am in Room 310. We will resume with a discussion of our summer reading of the novel, Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger. On September 6, we will begin a new study entitled The Lost World of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2-3 and the Human Origin Debate) by John H. Walton; books are available now.

Contact: Vera, 242-4061



Monday Night Bible Study

Monday at 6:30pm-8:00pm in Room 311

Class will reconvene for 2017-2018 on Monday night September 11. We involve ourselves in an intense, deep study of God's word - and all who are searching for that are welcome to join us.

Contact: George or Donna Faulhaber, 918-4533 or 353-1197

Wednesday Night Bible-based Study - Pastor-Led

Wednesdays at 6:00pm in the Life Center

The class will focus on the book of Romans. The class meets August 9 to October 25.

“SERVE calls us to action. A reading of the Gospels clearly shows that Jesus put his faith into action. At Central we believe that each person is called to serve others. There are multiple ministries at Central that allow for this to happen and range from homeless ministries to homebound communion to cleaning the sanctuary.” From the CUMC Vision Pathway.

On-going Service Ministries  

for more information, call church office at 243-7834 or contact below

Helping Hands  

For more information: call 249-9117

Helping Hands is a ministry whose mission is to assist people who walk in, seeking help, to meet their immediate short term needs.

Lowell Food Bank / Lowell Elementary

For more information: call church office at 243-7834

Saranam

For more information: call 299-6154 or visit www.saranamabq.org

Stephens Ministry      

Contact: [email protected] (confidential)

or Pastor Kelly Brooks at [email protected]

Thrift Shop

For more information: call church office at 243-7834

If you want to notify the congregation of needed items, please contact the Communications Team to put the notification in the monthly newsletter.

It is that time of the year to check your closet and donate coats that can help the homeless stay warm this fall and winter. Please bring them to the Church and leave them in the Helping Hands Ministry Area next to the Life Center. Helping Hands is hoping for a good selection through the end of November!

Are you looking for a ministry opportunity that will touch your heart and soul? If so, this is the ministry for you. Once a week for two hours you can show God’s love to individuals fighting for existence on a daily basis. This program has provided our friends with a safe zone in God’s house for over a decade. Join a great team of folks today.

Contact Cynthia Kaiser @ (505) 249-9117

Do you like to write, photography, talk to individuals in the congregation, research topics? We would love for you to think about joining the Communications Team! Contact Pat Briggs at [email protected] or 268-1009 (Briggs family). We meet once a month to plan for the upcoming monthly edition then independently (or pair with a team member) follow up on articles.

Deadline for the November edition is Tuesday October 17, 2017.

Any questions, please ask the Communications Team

Visit the Welcome Desk in the gathering area for: answers to your questions from a member of the governance team, printed copies of the newsletter (also, in the Narthex), and other written information. Classes and ministries consider placing informational flyers for a study or event at the desk. Connect cards are available at the desk and in the pews to update your contact information for the church and so we can email the newsletter to you.

Email:  [email protected]

Phone #: (505) 268-1009 [Briggs Family]

Co-Chairs: Chris Briggs & Pat Briggs

Current Team Members:

Donna Faulhaber, Barbara Fuller, Jesus Valdez,

Rev. Scott Sharp, Rev. Kelly Brooks