Rock the Week

for

04 March 2026

Building Bridges of

Inclusion, Justice, and Spirituality

No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey,

you are welcome here!

For LENT 2026, we are adopting and adapting a worship resource from Sanctified Art. We hope you find our Easter journey meaningful.

Each week in Rock the Week, we will share a devotion such as the one below. Starting with this issue of Rock the Week, the weekly devotional will align with the Sunday theme and message.

Third Week in Lent Devotion

The good news is that together, the impossible is possible. (Mark 6:32-44, Feeding the 5,000) and (Ephesians 3:20-21, “By the power at work within us [God] is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine”). As Jesus and his disciples head to a deserted place, perhaps seeking peace and quiet, many from the surrounding towns follow them. Instead of turning them away, Jesus expresses compassion and begins an impromptu teaching session. As the day goes on, the disciples are concerned about logistics and urge Jesus to send the people back to the villages so they can feed themselves. Instead, Jesus presents them with an impossible task: “You give them something to eat.” Dumbfounded, the disciples can only fathom the limitations and financial constraints of Jesus’ suggestion. Yet when they “go and see,” their meager provisions multiply so that thousands are fed. This week, we focus on building networks of collective care in order to meet people’s needs. Jesus models a way to be in community by coming together and sharing what we have, dispelling perceived impossibilities. The good news empowers us to believe in the miracles that can become possible through the power of community.

Also, add a new community devotional activity to your calendars for this Lenten season.

March 22, Burning of Our Prayer Flags
March 29, Palm Sunday and the Disposition of Ashes From Our Prayer Flags
April 5, Easter and Creating New Prayer Flags (Write on your flag what you want to see or experience resurrected.)

As we prepare for our ritual of burning the prayer flags and writing new prayers, I want to share a few from the hearts and minds of the past.

Sean - In a hopeless week, you have given me hope! (John Micheaels, 11/12/16)

Thank you for helping Jason find peace in his heart.

Thank you for my life. Let my life be a blessing on the earth.

May the world find peace. May God embrace us, forgive us, and teach us to do the same for our brothers and sisters around the world.

Our Lenten Offering

Our offering for this season will support Family Promise in launching a new program, Cheryl's House. You can use the envelopes and the regular offering ritual in our worship service, or go to this Lenten Offering Link.

There are numerous ways for individuals to support the program in addition to monetary. Family Promise will gratefully accept your Arizona Tax Credit donation. Please watch for more information or speak with Lois in the church office.

In honor of Cheryl Chewning and her

service to our families at our Belleview St.

location and Family Promise over 20 years,

we are creating a memorial garden and

renaming this location to Cheryl’s House

to commemorate her life's work and all that

she’s done to forward our mission of

serving the homeless population in the

Greater Phoenix area.

All funds raised will help to offset families

and their journey through rehousing. Our

Goal is to reach $10,000 annually.

(From a Family Promise brochure)

Friends, I have learned that our work on this offering to Family Promise was misconstrued as a restart of this ministry at Shadow Rock. There are no plans to assume hosting responsibilities at this time.

This Sunday at Shadow Rock: 3/8/26

9:00 am

Childcare is in the Blue Room.
Spiritual Play for children ages 3-9 is in the Turquoise Room.
Sunday School for ages 9-12 begins in the Parlor of the Education Building.
Adult Education is in the Multipurpose Room, with the Hospitality Cart serving coffee and cookies.

10:15 am

Worship in the Sanctuary (childcare is offered in the Blue Room of the Education Bldg. 10 - 11:30 am). We offer closed captioning for people with hearing impairment. Turn closed captioning ON with your device.

11:15 am

Sermon Reboot is OFF this Sunday because we will be sharing fellowship time with Coffee Chat in Smith Hall. Hosting Coffee Chat is the Alex and Michelle Black family. Thank you!

Our 2026 Stewardship Campaign!

Living

Our

Values

Every day

The 2026 Stewardship Campaign is over but your opportunity to pledge is still available! Cindy Gattorna did a brilliant job kicking off our stewardship drive. Listen to her remarks by clicking on the link below.

Cindy Gattorna Kicks Off The LOVE Campaign

The stewardship team celebrated who we are, our values, and our vision. The team of Cindy Gattorna, Susan Wadell, Liz Curry, and Heidi Zinn did a great job and the proof is in the number of responses and the generosity of those responses.

In keeping with this, they ask that you look at our Campfire Video. It is very cool!

Three Campfires

Please, complete your pledge using this link. You can also scan the QR code in the letter mailed last week. Thank you for your support!

UPDATE ON THE NUMBERS!

Cool Cash for Air Conditioners Repair and Replacement: $154,475

Love Campaign as of 3/1/2026: 53 Pledges for $241,916.

A Note from the Finance Office:

Giving Statements were emailed 1/30/26 from noreply@people.myamplify.io. If you did not receive yours, please check your spam folder. Contact Heidi if you need a copy of your statement mailed.

Thank you Shadow Rock for being so generous and meeting this challenge.

Picture From Spiritual Play! Blazing new trails in children's spirituality.

FESTIVAL GARDEN NEWS!

Springtime in the Festival Garden – News & Needs

As we prepare our hearts and our grounds for the upcoming Easter season, the Festival Garden Committee has been busy ensuring our sacred space remains a beautiful and serene place for

reflection.

Join Us for Easter Service in the Festival Garden at 8:00 am on April 5th. We invite you to experience the beauty of the garden during our Easter celebrations. It is a wonderful time to see the recent improvements, including our newly pruned trees and refreshed pathways.

We Need Your Talents! (Our Wish List) The Garden is a community effort, and we are looking for specific talents to help us maintain its beauty without stretching our budget.

We need help reviewing flower holder repairs and minor hardware fixes.

We are conducting a physical file audit in March.

General seasonal cleanup assistance is always welcome.

If you feel called to help—or if you simply want to learn more about niche availability and memorial plaques—please reach out to the Church Office or join us at our next meeting on Tuesday, March 17 at 10:00 AM in the Multipurpose Room. (Don’t forget to wear green!)

The picture of the tree above is the tree that has graced our campus for a long time. It has given us shade and beauty. It has served us well. It has a unique shape as it responds to the wind, rain, sun, and tensions that cause it to turn and bend, as it is always seeking a new balance. It has very little life of its own, but it is home to other desert creatures. The most obvious solution may be to cut it down. However, there may be another way to respond.

Can the tree be repurposed? Can we preserve it as a part of our campus? Could some imagination and an artist's skill turn it into a sculpture for us?

Contact Pastor Ken with ideas and artists that may embrace the vision and the challenge.

Save These Dates for Keystone Events

3/15 is a showing of the documentary, "The Last Class" by Robert Reich. The event will be in Smith Hall. The event starts at 12 pm with a potluck and the movie begins as 1 pm. A description of the movie is below.

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich might be famous for his public service, best-selling books, and viral social media posts, but he always considered teaching his true calling. The Last Class captures a master educator wrestling with the dual realities of his own aging and his students inheriting a world out of balance. Reich confronts the impending finality with unflinching candor, humor, introspection, and a rawness of emotion he has never shared publicly before.

One thousand students fill the biggest lecture hall on campus—the last class to receive Reich’s wisdom and exhortations not to accept that society has to stay the way it is. His final assignment: Who will be the teachers of tomorrow?

See a Trailer Below!

Friends and neighbors welcome. Also, you can make a donation to the Keystones' Fund to facilitate these kinds of events.

RSVP for this event here.

May 2. Cinco de Mayo Celebration at the Johnstons. More details later.

EVERYONE is invited to Keystone Events.

Immigration Justice Work Is Happening! See new articles and links below.

At this point, we are offering the following ministries:

Legal Clinics for Know Your Rights
Financial Assistance for Legal Fees and Living Expenses
Support Group Meetings
Accompaniment to ICE Check-ins and Immigration Court Appearances
Making Food and Medication Runs
Safe Zone Launch Pad

WE ARE A SAFE SPACE

If you are seeking urgent assistance, a place to go, advice, a legal referral, or anything else, please contact Pastor Ken.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support of our immigration justice ministries. This is one of the ways we advocate for inclusion, equity, and justice for all immigrants living in the United States, regardless of their immigration status. Our hearts have been touched by the friendships we have made through our work for undocumented people. We are truly blessed and promise to continue working towards positive change.

Our next support meeting and legal clinic is scheduled for April 12th.

Contact Pastor Ken for time and place. We are also providing a Zoom link for those who prefer to attend via Zoom. Contact Pastor Ken to get the link. All are invited. Please contact Pastor Ken about our important and quiet work.

Today's Immigration News

Analysis: Archbishop Wester Warns of 'Bonhoeffer Moment' as 'Border Czar' Challenges Pope Leo | National Catholic Reporter

Two prominent U.S. Catholics agree that immigration is a daunting challenge, but they differ on what faith demands. Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, said we are living in "a Dietrich Bonhoeffer moment," invoking the 20th century Lutheran pastor that was killed for his anti-Nazi activism. The bishop favors a return to the right to seek U.S. asylum, keeping immigrant families united, and targeting bona fide criminals, not immigrants contributing to the common good. In contrast, "border czar" Tom Homan has attacked the bishops' pro-immigrant views and says he wants to educate Pope Leo XIV about the dangers facing migrants — presumably as justification for the Trump administration's harsh asylum policies and deportation methods.

Singing Resistance groups are popping up all over the valley. See the video below as an example of their work. Contact Pastor Ken if you are interested in joining a group.