New Church of Phoenix Periodical

Issue # 29
March - April, 2016
In This Issue











Calendar - March-April 
            Highlighted Events




Mar. 12th - 13th : Visit from Bishop Brian 
          Keith and his wife Gretchen. 
          Open House at the home of Garry and
          Laurel Walsh, Saturday from 5:30 pm (See details below)
          Bishop Keith will lead worship on March 13.

Sun. Mar. 20th: Palm Sunday worship (Family Service) with Palm 
          Processional.  
          A Picnic and Craft Sale will follow worship at Desert Horizon 
          Park 

Fri. Mar. 25th: Good Friday Scripture Reading and Holy Supper -              7:00 pm

Sun. Mar. 27th: Easter Sunday worship with optional potted plant              
offering    
 
Apr. 6-9:  Pastor Garry in Pennsylvania for Religion Curriculum 
         meetings    

Sun. Apr. 24:  Annual Society Meeting following worship 

Easter Thoughts: What Do We Want from the Lord?

The Easter story is complete with a whole array of strong emotions. From the Lord's emotional agony with His sweat falling like great drops of blood as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the weeping of His followers as His lifeless body was taken down from the cross, to the elation of many of those same follows just a couple of days later when it became clear that He had indeed conquered death and risen from the grave, the story of Easter spans quite an array of reactions and feelings.    We focus now on one of the strongest of these, the feeling of elation that accompanied the Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, a ride that took place just a week before He rose again.
 
Why, on that day, were people so happy?  It was because the Lord was doing something that resonated with their deepest wishes.  It is like a couple who wants to become parents finding out that the wife is pregnant.  The dream is then in the process of coming true.  People lined the road that day when the Lord rode upon a donkey.  Here was their long awaited king.  He, in their minds, was coming to solve their problems and fulfill their aspirations. 
 
Chances are that each person there that day was looking for something different.  Some wanted the Lord as King because they felt His power would be able drive out the Roman invaders. Others had fallen in love with Him as a great orator and healer.  If He was king, surely these qualities would be seen and enjoyed even more.
 
It raises for us the question: What do we want from the Lord?   
 
Perhaps it is best to answer this question by first seeing what it is that the Lord desires when it comes to us. 'Secrets of Heaven' says that, "The Lord desires a state of humility in a person for that person's sake."  It also teaches further on that, the Lord desires "total submission" so that He can "make the person blissful and happy."  All of this reinforces the words of the twenty-fifth Psalm which say, "The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way."
 
Given this, perhaps the thing that we should want most from the Lord, is that we might be moved into a state of true humility from where we can truly be led by Him.  We should want to completely submit to Him as our eternal King.
 
- Garry

 Bishop Brian Keith Visit
 
We are excited that the Rt. Rev. Brian Keith and his wife Gretchen will be joining us for the weekend.  Bishop Keith will provide worship on Sunday, March 13, and there will be time following church to learn about his work and to discuss our congregation with him.  
 
On Saturday , there will be a potluck meal at the home of Garry and Laurel Walsh for dinner.  The bar-b-que beef will be provided, but sides and desserts are welcomed for potluck.  
 
Please call Laurel if you wish to bring food, so that a range of food will be provided as needed:  Crusty sandwich rolls for the bar-b-que beef; corn or potato dish; vegetable dish; green salad; dessert; or drinks.
 
Time:  5:30 pm, Saturday, March 12
Place:  4036 E Coolbrook Ave., Phoenix, AZ  85032
Phone:  602-314-4806

 

Palm Sunday - Easter

Palm Sunday - March. 20, 10:30 am.  Family Service and Palm 
            procession
            Picnic and craft sale following worship at Desert Horizon 
            Park (off 56th Street)
 
Good Friday - March 25, 7:00 pm Scripture Reading and Holy 
            Supper 
 
Easter Sunday -  March 27, 10:30 am (with optional potted plant 
            donation) 
  Asplundh Foundation Gift Update

Earlier in 2016 we were blessed to receive a sizeable gift of $20,000 from the Asplundh Foundation.  We cannot thank them enough for their support.  This grant was in response to a formal grant request that we had made in late 2015.  The grant is explicitly intended "to be used toward enhanced church facilities, advertising, books and theme services."

The New Church of Phoenix Board is working diligently to ensure that the grant moneys are sensibly and efficiently spent.  Hopefully one of the facilities enhancements that you will soon be able to see is a steeple on the church and other simple external upgrades.
There will be quite a number of projects at the church that will be beyond what we can afford at this time.  Therefore, everyone's ongoing support is greatly appreciated.

Remember also, our congregation is not financially self-supporting, therefore we rely on a grant from our parent organization each year in order to keep our pastor.  Please consider also supporting our efforts to achieve self-sufficiency.    
Women's Retreat

We are so happy that our first retreat in beautiful Anthem, AZ went off without a hitch.  We are especially glad that we were able to accommodate some friends from Sunrise Chapel.  We had 15 participants in all.

Our weekend theme was Mothers, Daughters and Sisters: Relationships for a Lifetime.  We looked at the past, present and future of our lives in these roles, with a focus on Divine Providence.  An abundance of special quotes were collected and used in our conversations.  Our opening sessions helped us consider the positive impact we have had on our families and the impact that we will continue to make.  Later we discussed self-forgiveness, something that brings comfort to many of us.  Finally, we had fun playing with the concept of win-win communication, which is a process of moving from breakdowns to connections in our personal conversations with family and friends. This was followed by a study of body language, which showed us all how our actions can speak louder than words. Our demonstrations were very entertaining and telling.  Later in the day, Tryn Rose led us on a journey through life along a physical path.  It gave us an opportunity to think of our lives from their beginning and into eternity.  

We stayed in a private home generously lent to us by Rev. Wendel Barnett, situated at the Anthem Country Club. Between the peaceful outdoor environment, complete with spa and a firepit, and the great company and food, it was truely refreshing.  Well done ladies from the New Church of Phoenix.  I hope we can do another retreat soon.  
 
Western Clergy Meetings 

During the week of February 29 - March 3 very enjoyable meetings of the Western Clergy meetings were held in Oceanside, California. The topics and conversations during these 3 plus days focused on the freedom that the Lord has given all of us, and how He tries to gently bend us toward a life that is truly useful and free of evil.  As an extension of the idea of freedom, we spent time thinking about how we as individuals, and the church as a whole, can work to reach more people from a spirit of love and empathy and a real desire to share our message and grow the church.
 
Present at this year's meetings were: Bishop Brian Keith; Regional Pastor David Roth; Director of General Church Outreach David Lindrooth, San Diego Pastor Mark Perry, Los Angeles Church Planter Jean Atta, Sunrise Chapel (Tucson) Pastor Nathan Gladish, (Somewhat) Retired Pastor Dan Goodenough, (Somewhat) Retired Pastor Frank Rose, and Phoenix Pastor Garry Walsh.  
Kempton New Church School Expansion Appeal 

Since its founding in 1979, the Kempton New Church School has taught over three hundred students in the light of the Lord's threefold Word.  Today, we are blessed anew to be experiencing growing pains.  With maxed out classrooms, the coming of our largest kindergarten ever next year and the addition of 11th and 12 grades, we are truly grateful.
 
If you are one who believes in the power of New Church Education to better our world, if you are excited about a K-12 New Church School supporting the development of a new generation of the New Church, or if you want to know more about us and our commitment, come see us at  www.KNCS.org. Click on "Expansion" and join in our future. 
 
If you prefer a personal contact, School Expansion Fund Committee Representatives, Chris Judson (215-421-1375) and Bradley King (610-756-6343), are eager to talk to you.
 
"All instruction is simply an opening of the way; and as the way is opened... heavenly things flow in."  Arcana Coelestia 1495

March and April
Birthdays and Anniversaries


Birthdays  

Loisann Openshaw - Mar. 4
Lynne Hollander - Mar. 6
Joe Seley - Mar. 6
Lise Brush - Mar. 10
Joan Smith - Mar. 12
Emilie Baggett - Mar. 13
Heston Baggett - Mar. 16
Deanna Walsh - Mar. 16
Karin McCleaft - Mar. 26
 
Chris Clark - Apr. 3
Lonna Henderson - Apr. 16
Kevin Taylor - Apr. 17
Jeff Cronlund - Apr. 28
Audra Machado -  Apr. 30

 
Anniversaries
 
Wayne and Karin McCleaft - Mar. 9
Steven and Amy Odhner - Mar. 17
Wes and Gillian Burns - Mar. 25
 
Hans and Joyce Loding - Apr. 14
Wes and Loisann Openshaw - Apr. 17

 
 
If you or someone you know is not on this list but should be, please contact Garry at (480)991-0048 or newchurchofpheonix@gmail.com
Vision & Purpose

"The Lord's Divine Providence has as its end a heaven from the human race."

(Divine Providence 27)