Building Bridges of

Inclusion, Justice, and Spirituality

Shadow Rock UCC’s Golden Celebration Art Show Opening & Sale

Shadow Rock United Church of Christ has from the very beginning affirmed the goodness of life and celebrated the creative human spirit. Art, beauty, and a comprehensive view of life is a crucial part of who we are. In this spirit, we move toward closure of our celebration of our 50^th Anniversary with the Golden Celebration of Community Art Show & Sale. This art show will feature artists from the Southwest, and many of whom share a connection with Shadow Rock UCC and the Moon Valley area.

This is a great opportunity to share some of the best of who we are with the community we are called to love and serve. The Art Show Team recommends that all of us invite four people to this event. In addition to the grand opening on Nov. 18th, 3-6 pm, we will have the additional days and times for viewing on Nov. 19th, Nov. 26th and Dec. 3, 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM. Bring a friend, go to lunch, appreciate art, and be in good company.

There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people. ~ Vincent Van Gogh

This painting is titled “Sunflower”. The artist is Kathleen Stuart who was a long-time Moon Valley neighbor and her child went to the Shadow Rock Preschool many years ago. The painting is about the size of a sheet of notebook paper. The colors and energy pop off the canvas. Kathleen Stuart has donated the painting for use as a raffle item. We will sell raffle tickets at $5 each or five for $20. Buy tickets here! The drawing will be the last day of the art show which is Dec. 3, 2023.

Thank you, Kathleen and the art show team for the "sneak peek".

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

you are welcome here!

Think and Pray How Your Support Changes Lives!

In our celebration of our 50th Anniversary we have heard stories about changed lives. Our power to transform lives comes from our partnership with God who is always doing something new in history. Our power to change lives comes from our commitment to be on the cutting edges of inclusion, justice, and spirituality. This power propels us into the next 50 years. Thank you for all you do and will do to empower the next 50 years. Renew Your Financial Support Here.

If you have a story about how your life or someone else's life has been positively affected by Shadow Rock, please share it with Pastor Ken.

Ways to Give

Electronically

You can donate securely online using a credit card, a debit card, ACH, or your checking account bill pay. Also, you can enter donations directly on the church donation page.

Check or Cash

You can mail a check to:

Shadow Rock UCC

12861 N. 8^th Ave.

Phoenix, AZ 85029,

or bring a check or cash to one of our services at 10:15 a.m. every Sunday morning, or bring it to our church office, or set up bill pay with your bank.

Planned Giving

To discuss planned giving or other giving options, please contact our pastor, Rev. Ken Heintzelman, by emailing [email protected] or calling the church office at 602-993-0050. This is a way to extend Shadow Rock values, vision, and mission into the future. FYI, we have also been blessed with gifts of stock and QCD donations. The mechanisms for this are in place and info is with our CFO, Heidi Zinn.

This Sunday at Shadow Rock

9:00 am

Spiritual Formation for Adults in the Multi-purpose Room. We continue our study series about the politics of Jesus. Does his birth announcement offer any insight? Does the concept of Jubilee have implications? Is the forgiveness of debt a political move? Does the story of his temptations give us any clues?
Childcare is in the Blue Room, 9-11:30 a.m.
Spiritual Formation for Children is in the Red Room, 9-10 a.m.

10:15 a.m.

Worship in the Sanctuary. Come and celebrate!

The next Coffee Chat is on November 19th with the architect who designed our sanctuary, Susanne Rothwell. If you want to host, let us in the church office know.

11:15 a.m.

Sermon Reboot will happen this Sunday after worship.

Thank You Coffee Chatters!

Thank you good people for providing Coffee Chat and celebrating the 80+ Club. Our next Coffee Chat is November 19th and we are looking for hosts. Contact the church office if you want to help us fellowship and celebrate.

A Good Word From Our Preschool Director About Vicarious Trauma

In light of recent happenings in our world, I offer the following information.

For several years, Heidi has been receiving weekly updates from Katelyn Jetelina epidemiologist. Her main focus had been COVID and now includes COVID and other diseases such as Flu and RSV. Her information is both factual and easily understood. This week’s article focuses on the concept of “vicarious trauma”.

What is vicarious trauma?

Events can negatively affect people a world away from the scene, especially when this involves witnessing fear, pain, grief, and terror that others have experienced. This is the “cost of caring”:

We empathize with victims and this can cause us to “feel their pain.”
We may also feel directly threatened, especially when we relate in some way to those most impacted—“this could be me” or “this will be me.”
We feel helpless to do anything.

There are a number of things that can be done to reduce vicarious trauma while remaining up-to-date on the Israel-Hamas War:

Turn off auto-play videos on social media.
Walk away from social media after a time. Put on a timer.
Pay attention to how you’re feeling. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, do activities that make you feel calm or relaxed.
Seek social support. Being around other people who care about you is one of the best ways to reduce stress.
Talk to someone you trust. This can be a family member, a friend, clergy, or a therapist.
Find ways to feel useful. This can include donating to causes that help address the needs of those suffering or even just reaching out to a neighbor or friend who is struggling.
If you have children, monitor what they’re seeing or hearing. As overwhelming as the media exposure is for adults, it can be even more confusing and stressful for kids. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network is a helpful resource for discussing war with kids

If you would like to read the entire article, please reach out to me.

Liz Curry

Vaughn Hillyard's 50th Anniversary Speech

Vaughn's speech is available upon request. For privacy reasons, we cannot post it and we ask that you not share it. Contact Dave Hillyard to make your request.

Dr. Cindy Hoard is a member of our staff as the developer of Spiritual Play. She is a published author and through her blog she offers words of spiritual encouragement. To connect with Dr. Cindy and her resources go to

drcindyauthor.com.

Children's Spirituality Program is Coming and You Can Help!

We have been working hard to prepare for our new program of Spiritual Play and we are grateful for all the people who have stepped up to help. We are now looking for volunteers to offer coffee and hospitality for parents who may want to stay while their children are in Spiritual Play. Parents need coffee! Contact Dr. Cindy or Pastor Ken if you want to help with this facet of our new program.

The program starts on Sunday, November 5th, and will be 6 weeks long. [Nov. 5, 12, 19 (skip Thanksgiving) and Dec 3, 10, 17] from 8:45 AM to 11:15 AM. If you want to be a part of the success of this program there are other jobs in addition to teaching. We want to provide hospitality for parents who bring their children. This provides a quiet place for parents to hang out, drink coffee, read, play on their devices, and have quiet conversations. If you think this is something that would give you joy for these 6 weeks, please contact Dr. Cindy Hoard (602-616-9682, or her email) ASAP to learn some more and explore options.