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Weekly Desert Cross Update -
June 14, 2024
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Faith and Life with Pastor Andrea | |
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May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters.
Galatians 6:18
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These vivid purple wildflowers grace the hillside of a nature preserve in Thousand Oaks, California. Notice there are also pink wildflowers and in the yonder white wildflowers. They grow free and wild sharing their stunning beauty with all who pass by generously and without discretion. Visitors from California, Australia, the Philippines, Mexico, Japan, and more stream by and all are blessed exclaiming in their native languages as the wind carries their voices together up the hillside. The wildflowers bring joy and wonder into the world just by their nature. They share their beauty freely with all people. That is grace.
Grace is God’s free, unconditional gift of love for all people released into our world by Jesus Christ. It runs free and wild and is available for everyone. Grace is a gift we can share that blooms like wildflowers covering a hillside. Trusting in God’s grace is the sweetest gift that changes how we live. The more grace is received, the more grace blooms. God invites us to live with a spirit of grace.
Where are you touched by grace? Where are you touching other people’s lives with this free gift of love that brings joy? May you be blessed as you share a vivid faith and love freely in a spirit of grace that blooms like wildflowers.
Grace be with your spirit,
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Welcoming Chaplain Capt. Matthew W. Dobyns
Chaplain Dobyns (Pastor Matt) will speak at the 2024 Synod Assembly about his experiences with faith, leadership, and service as a Unit Chaplain in the United States Air Force. Read more here: gcsynod.org.
He will join us at Desert Cross to preach and preside in Tempe, this weekend, on Saturday, June 15 at 5:00 pm and in Gilbert on Sunday, June 16 at 9:30 am. We are excited to welcome him back and are thankful for his service!
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BUY STOCK!
You have a great opportunity to buy some stock that promises to bring a priceless return! Our high school youth are going on a mission trip to Flagstaff from June 23rd-28th. While in Flagstaff, we will be serving at local social organizations all over town and learning about people who both work there and are served by those organizations. For the low cost of $25, you will receive two postcards during our week away that will give you deeper insights into all that we experience.
To reserve your stock offering, place $25 in an envelope and write “Youth stock offering” on the front. Then make sure you put your name on the sign-up sheet in the narthex in Tempe or the fellowship hall in Gilbert. You can also email Pastor Thadd (tbook@desertcross.org) to let him know you want to be on the stock certificate list.
Thanks in advance for your support of our youth!
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Arizona Faith Network - Help Pack Heat Relief Bags
Are you looking for a way to serve and help folks survive our summer heat? Join in on an interfaith community service event with Arizona Faith Network. They're gathering together to pack Heat Relief Bags on Sunday, June 23. It's free to sign up. You can also sign up with a donation "ticket" and make a gift to help offset the cost of supplies.
Press the button below for more information and to sign up.
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Summer Worship: Tell Us Your Three Favorite Worship Songs or Hymns!
We invite you to participate in our Summer Worship initiative! It's easy — write down the name -- just the name, ELW number, or both -- of your three favorite worship songs or hymns and place your vote in the "Summer Worship Box" available at both Desert Cross campuses in the narthex. You can also use our special online form by clicking the button below. We'll make sure to include the most popular songs and hymns in our worship services throughout the summer.
Look for the Summer Worship Drop Box in the church lobbies, or use the online form, and share the worship songs and hymns that uplift and inspire you. We look forward to singing your favorites together!
Blessings,
The Worship Team
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Attention! DCLC College-Bound H.S. Seniors and Returning College Students
Scholarship grant applications are due by June 15
The due date for new scholarship applications and renewal applications is fast approaching.
Applications may be downloaded from the DCLC website, Mission tab, or by clicking the button below.
Please submit your application to endowment@desert.org or deliver it to the church office.
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Join the Gilbert Hospitality Team!
Are you looking for a way to get involved and serve our church community in a fun and meaningful way? The Gilbert Hospitality Team is seeking new members, and we’d love for you to consider joining us!
What We Do:
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Sunday Morning Fellowship: Set up, plate treats, monitor food levels, make coffee, clean dishes, and put away supplies.
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Special Church Events: Support events like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, All Saints Day, and more.
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Funeral Services: Provide hospitality support as needed.
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Soup Suppers for Advent and Lent: Set up and clean up.
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Sanctuary Decoration: Help decorate for Christmas and take down decorations afterward.
Above all, our team is about enjoying the service of God’s Kingdom in a loving and joyful environment. We’re essentially the FUN people of the church! 😊
If you’re considering joining the Hospitality Team, please reach out to Dana Hargis at dhargis89@gmail.com. We’d love to have you with us!
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Outreach Committees Collecting School Supplies during June and July | |
Help Us Make a Difference: Donate School Supplies!
We are collecting new children's underwear and school supplies to support local students in need. Your generous donations will go to the Kyrene Resource Center and Step Up School, with the Gilbert campus specifically donating to Concordia Charter School.
Please click "Read More" for a list of requested items.
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Hunger Jar - June 2024
This weekend, as part of our Scuba VBS, we are excited to announce that our Hunger Jar collection will support the Operation Kid-to-Kid™ international mission project. This initiative allows our kids to contribute to providing life-saving clean water for children in Honduras.
Throughout VBS, our kids have been bringing in donations for this important cause. All proceeds from this weekend’s Hunger Jar collection will go toward supporting World Vision in their mission to make clean water accessible in developing nations.
Your generous donations will have a significant impact. For every $5 collected, World Vision can provide someone with clean water for more than a year. Thank you for your support and contributions to this vital cause!
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Vitalant Blood Drive
📅 Date: Saturday, June 29, 2024
🕢 Time: 7:30 am - 12:00 pm
📍 Location: Desert Cross Community Center in Tempe
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💉 Donation Options:
- Whole Blood
- Power Red
🅰 Urgent Need for:
- Type O Negative
- Type A and B Positive
🎁 Rewards Await:
Earn points for prizes with each donation!
🔗 Schedule Your Appointment:
Visit Vitalant.org and use sponsor code "desertcross" (all one word)
👤 Contact for Sign-Ups:
Art Krzyzewski will be reaching out to past donors.
📋 Sign-up sheet available in the Narthex at the Tempe site
📧 Email: krzyarty@cox.net
Let's come together to save lives and make a difference. Your contribution matters!
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Desert Cross Lutheran Church Golf Event | |
Join Us for a Day of Golf, Fun, and Charity!
Desert Cross Lutheran Church is excited to announce our Golf Event on September 14th, 2024, at the beautiful Greenfield Lakes Golf Course in Gilbert, AZ. This event promises a day filled with fun, competition, and community spirit, all for a great cause.
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Take Me Out To The Ballgame…
We will be hosting our 3rd annual DCLC Arizona Diamondbacks outing on Friday, August 9th. The game time is 6:40 pm and the Dbacks will be playing the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field. Tickets are $49 each and this includes a post-game concert featuring the Casting Crowns.
Are you interested in joining us? If so, please email Tom Rewolinski at adshckyfan@aol.com with the number of attendees, no later than Monday, July 15th.
Once we know how many are attending, Tom will finalize the event setup - including payment arrangements. We are looking forward to having you join us.
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Meditation Group
Tuesdays at 7:00 pm
Tempe Sanctuary
Meeting on June 18
OR
Thursdays at 9:00 am
Tempe Community Center Youth Room
Meeting on June 20
Do you want to try meditation? If so, please join Elaine Kraemer on Tuesday evenings or Thursday mornings. Elaine is hosting weekly meditation groups. Elaine has practiced "passage meditation" for many, many years. She'll share the whys and hows of meditation and help you get started with this faith-growing spiritual practice.
To sign up or for more information, please contact Elaine Kraemer at elainekraemer1892@gmail.com.
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Gilbert Campus Update
Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church has been renting space and worshiping at our Gilbert campus as they discerned their future ministry. Desert Cross Council has received advance notice from Spirit of Joy that they will be leaving in early September 2024 to start a new ministry in a new location.
We pray for God's blessings on the mission and ministry of a sister congregation, and we wish Spirit of Joy all the best in their future endeavors!
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Communion Kits
If you are unable to attend worship in person and would like a communion kit to use as you watch the live stream, you can pick one up from the office in Tempe. We have gluten-free options available.
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If you are looking to become more involved in our Tempe and Gilbert Faith Communities, please click "Read More" and find out today where you can be of value. You'll find all the needed contact info right there on the page.
We are actively looking for more volunteers in all areas of service.
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If you are interested in having your child baptized, reach out to Pastor Thadd at tbook@desertcross.org. | |
Do you have a news item, event, or ministry story to share? Please send the information to Joni at jvanrossum@desertcross.org by the TUESDAY of the week that you wish to have it advertised. | |
May the Lord bless you in all your endeavors this week! | |
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For your convenience, we have online giving up on our website or you can use the button that says "GIVE" at the top of this email. As always, we continue to appreciate all who are continuing to support the many ministries of Desert Cross!
You can also simply text the word "GIVE" to 833.636.1502 and complete the payment information. It securely saves your information and makes it possible to donate in 5 seconds once it has been set up!
Lastly, you can scan the QR code included in our live stream services and in the weekly Worship Aid. Giving is easier than ever - check it out!
All financial information is encrypted and stored by Tithe.ly's banking partner to PCI DSS Level 1 compliant standards, which is the highest possible rating one can get in the electronic payment processing industry.
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