As you might have seen on the national news this week, it's been one year since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan. Many churches and organizations have acted to insure the safety of Afghan families, including Shadow Rock. This week, we're pausing to acknowledge the breadth and depth of our work... not to congratulate ourselves, but to take stock of where we've been and what we've been able to do.

Our relationships with the Elham, Nadim, Sakhizada, and Vafayee families has been life-saving for them and a source of great blessing for us. If you've been a part of this ministry, in a small way or in a large way, we are grateful.

Pastor Ken is sharing a longer reflection on our year walking with refugee families which you can read here.

Join participants from around the Southwest Conference for a 6-session virtual program of comprehensive human sexuality on Zoom! Topics include:

Questions? Yes please! Email Karen with all your wonderings. Ready to go? Register here.

Our partnership of compassion and service with Ktizo United Church of Christ continues! Recently, Nanci Campbell and her team at Cable One/Sparklight Internet provided a meal. They blocked out a couple of hours to prepare food and were able to combine community service with team building! Thanks Nanci for your service and for sharing a little about your time with Ktizo UCC.

Preschool teachers were gifted with handmade cups with their name, the preschool logo and many starfish as the theme this year was “Making Differences in Children’s and Families’ Lives.” It's been a great Back to School week so far!

As we grow and mature, we make choices: what ideas and expectations from our childhood are worth keeping? What thoughts and concepts do we cast aside?

Our September Small Group will meet on 9-12, 9-19, and 9-26 at 7:00 pm. We'll explore together the idea "What We Know For Sure." All are welcome.

To register for this Zoom small group, please email Karen.

The Shadow Rock WISE team (Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive and Engaging) is spreading the word regarding an important new mental health resource: 988, a 3-digit hotline for suicide and mental health crisis. If you missed Sunday's bulletin insert, please click here to learn more about 988.