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May 31 Greetings

Dear Ones,

It’s the last day of May, a Monday and a national holiday. Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. The Civil War, which ended in the spring of 1865, claimed more lives than any conflict previously in U.S. history and required the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries. Some records show that one of the earliest Memorial Day commemorations was organized by a group of formerly enslaved people in Charleston, S.C., less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865.

By the late 1860s, Americans in various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and gathering to say prayers. On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance later that month. “The 30th of May 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of Decoration Day was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle.

In 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, N.Y., the official birthplace of Memorial Day. Waterloo—which first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—was chosen because it hosted an annual, community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags. Beginning in May of 2000, a national moment of remembrance was proclaimed for 3:00 p.m. local time. In recent years taps has been played at this time, all across the country on porches and cemeteries and civic centers. This year over 3,200 buglers have registered to be part of the event.

Today we remember, mourn, and give thanks for service members who gave their lives for justice, peace and the freedom of our country and all nations.

We remember all the sacrifices that made today possible because things of significance always come at the price of sacrifice.

Ann Voskamp

We had an amazing worship experience yesterday. If you weren’t able to attend in person, a recording of the service is available on our YouTube channel.

A big shout out to Sonya and Larry Mahler for providing the Frog Drums from Vietnam and Southeast Asia!

Bikes were blessed and cinnamon rolls given out to all who attended.

Carole and Jim Rebholz, Cathy Namock and Tim Lowe made 8 dozen rolls on Saturday morning. What a blessing!

The weather was perfect, and we celebrated Trinity Sunday and the beginning of summer!

The Church in a Changing World Task Force has advised us that we no longer need to make a reservation for Sunday morning services! Make sure to check in at the Welcome Table!

We are able to use the church for small meetings of up to 25 people with masks and social distancing. Groups like Bible studies, ministry teams and the quilters can meet in the Fellowship Hall or the Sanctuary. We ask that folks continue to wear masks unless the entire group is fully vaccinated; if all are vaccinated, the group may choose to remove their masks.

If you are someone who helps with the Interfaith Meal or would like to be part of the Fellowship Ministry that will be serving food during fellowship time in the future, you need to have a Food Handler’s Card! The certification is good for two years. To make things easy, we are offering the class this Wednesday, June 9 at 9:00 a.m. in our very own Fellowship Hall! Please contact Mary in the church office, 928-772-4135, to sign up for the class; we need at least ten people!

A wish list from the Building and Property Ministry

Your color suggestions for painting the exterior of the church building; drop your paint chip selection by the church office.
Weed Warriors to help keep our church grounds looking spiffy! Contact Keith Namock to volunteer! 928-800-1599.

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Vitalant - Home

While there is no inherent risk of getting coronavirus when you donate blood, donors and staff are required to wear masks or reasonable cloth-based face coverings. Read our COVID-19 FAQs.

Vitalant blood drives scheduled for our area:

Thursday, June 3, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Chino Valley Parks & Recreation, 1527 North Road 1 East, Chino Valley
Friday, June 18, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Gateway Mall next to Claire’s, 3250 Gateway Blvd., Prescott
Saturday, June 19, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Gateway Mall next to Claire’s 3250 Gateway Blvd., Prescott
Sunday, June 20, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Kohl’s, (Bus), 3280 N. Glassford Hill Rd., Prescott Valley.

There is currently an urgent need! Make an appointment at vitalant.org or call 1-877-258-4825.

Don’t know where your church nametag is? Let Mary know in the office and she will make you a new one! Wear your nametag; it helps our new members (and this sorta old member, too)!

If you need additional information about getting a vaccination, please contact the church office: we keep the information for local availability on hand.

Here is Jasper Sea, an a capella group from Zambia, singing “Gonna Shout All Over Heaven! A great song for Memorial Day as we look forward to seeing our loved ones in heaven.