Category: pastor’s notes

Pastor’s Notes 11/15/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
Colossians 3:14-15

As we continue our theme of thankful living, on Sunday we will journey with Paul who continues to implore the early church to be thankful in all things. The letter we will focus on this Sunday was addressed to the church in Colossae and they were struggling with identity, who to trust, and how to faithfully serve Jesus Christ.

Colossians 3, as scholar Rollin A. Ramsaran suggests, could essentially be called the “vices and virtues chapter.” The apostle Paul is encouraging followers of Jesus to shed the earthly vices of sin that are easy to cling to, yet that separate us from living the new life of Christ we vowed to follow through our Baptism. We are human and it is hard to get rid of anger, greed, and slander to name but a few of the tempting vices.

Instead, says Paul, “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. We are to bear with one another, forgive each other, and above all love one another.” As garments, these virtues look great hanging on the rack, but it can be difficult to put them on and have them fit.

Our call is to love, and the more we keep Jesus as the example and pay heed to Paul’s advice for putting on these virtues, the better our chances of success. The greater the fit, the more genuine we will be about loving others. The more we put on the attributes of Christ, the more we will serve God and community as he did. I look forward to worshipping with you Sunday!

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 11/8/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  – 1 Thess. 5:16-18

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We had a wonderful day celebrating our 50th anniversary. Your joy, enthusiasm, and willingness to share together is such a gift and strong attribute to who we are as a community of faith. Our guest preacher, Mark Anderson, recognizes the Spirt moving in our midst as well. I am excited that the next 50 years of Sun City Christian Church’s ministry starts now!

So… How should we start? Taking Paul’s advice in his letter to the church in Thessalonica is as good as any. “Rejoice Always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances.”

Fred Craddock agrees that these three actions alone might just be the heartbeat of a Christian life. These commands are not about rigid rules or unrealistic ideals, but rather an invitation to develop patterns that sustain faith. Craddock notes that these practices aren’t based on circumstantial happiness but rather on a life rooted in God’s grace, which allows joy and gratitude even in difficult times.

Over the next three Sundays, we will explore what it means to be a people of “Thanks-living.” Our first theme will be “Cultivating a Heart of Gratitude.” This week, we will emphasize the call to gratitude as a foundational Christian practice, grounding life’s joys and challenges in a thankful perspective. We will explore how gratitude draws us closer to God and helps us recognize God’s presence in all situations.

In these times we find ourselves in, thanks-living might be one of the hardest things for us to do. But God is present, the love of Christ propels us and the Holy Spirit flows through us. We have much work to do as Church, followers of Jesus and those who called to love our neighbor. The next 50 years of faithful ministry begins, and this hard work starts while trusting God is in our midst. 

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 11/1/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

The much-anticipated day has arrived! This Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of Sun City Christian Church. According to history compiled by A.T. DeGroot our church was born out of a shared vision for a welcoming, Disciples of Christ congregation in Sun City—a vision brought to life by passionate members and leaders who poured their energy and faith into creating this community.

True and Mary Morse were among the first to advocate for a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) presence in Sun City. Their devotion to the faith, along with gatherings of like-minded residents in their home, sparked the movement to establish the congregation. Their efforts were supported by Reverend Dr. Wayman W. McReynolds, who first envisioned this mission during his tenure as Executive Minister for the Christian Church in Arizona, along with Mabel Figgs, whose commitment as Administrative Secretary kept the project alive.

In the spring of 1974, Rev. Dr. Hartzell M. Cobbs was called as the organizing pastor, arriving in Sun City in October to help shape this new congregation. With Dr. Cobbs’ guidance, a community of worshipers took shape, and on November 3, 1974, fifty-seven people gathered for the first official worship service at Lakeview Recreation Center, with church leaders like Dr. William Pearcy present to bless and witness this beginning.

This Sunday, we’ll honor these foundational members and the countless others who have continued their work, serving God and community for fifty years. Join us as we remember our history with gratitude, celebrate how far we’ve come, and look forward with renewed hope for our church’s future. Wear your 70’s clothing, get photographed, mingle, and enjoy the potluck after worship with menu items from previous church cookbooks!

I look forward to celebrating with you in person and on YouTube as we welcome Mark D. Anderson, President and CEO of National Benevolent Association of the Christian Church (DOC) to preach the good news!

Brett

Pastor’s Notes: 10/25/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

This weekend the Christian Church in Arizona will be hosting our regional assembly at First Christian Church in Tucson. Marcia Blake, Carol Finch, Bill Finch, and I will attend. Please pray for our collective gathering and the work we will do together as Church!

As a part of the gathering, representatives from Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) agencies and organizations attend to stay connected with local congregations and the work of the region. Many of these individuals stay through Sunday and the region farms them out to preach and be present with local congregations that would like the opportunity to hear from the greater church. We will be one of those congregations.

Dr. Rickey McCray will step into our pulpit and bring words of greeting from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, IN. We are delighted to welcome him as he inspires us with a message entitled “Has Your Soul Been Anchored” based upon the text from 2 Chronicles 20:1-12! We will also celebrate our Wellness Ministry team and bless the work they have planned for us.

Don’t forget, our 50th Anniversary service will be on Nov. 3rd at 9:30. Come in your 1970’s clothing and prepare for a beautiful Sunday of celebration and remembrance. We will take photographs, display church history, offer tours, mingle and finish the morning with a potluck of dishes made from SCCC cookbooks!

It is a wonderful time to be a part of Sun City Christian Church as we serve God and community! I look forward to worshipping with you in person or on YouTube this Sunday. 

Brett 

Pastor’s Notes 10/18/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. –Mark 10:13-16

Scholars confirm, that Biblically speaking, a blessing is understood as a divine favor, gift, or approval that brings spiritual, physical, or material benefit. Blessings are associated with God’s presence, grace, and provision, and they serve as a means through which God’s will and goodness are expressed to individuals, communities, and creation.

In the Old Testament, blessings are tangible—promises of land, offspring, and prosperity, seen in covenants with figures like Abraham and David. Old Testament blessings often reflect God’s desire for justice, community, and love. Blessings and love are key components of God’s relationship with humanity, and they challenge believers to act justly and love both God and neighbor.

In the New Testament, blessings take on a more spiritual and communal dimension through Jesus’ ministry. Many scholars agree that Jesus reshapes the understanding of blessing, focusing not just on material benefits but on the relational connection to God and neighbor. The Sermon on the Mount’s beatitudes, for instance, offer blessings to those who are poor, meek, and peacemakers—signifying that the true blessing is found in embodying God’s kingdom values.

No one is exempt from being worthy of receiving God’s blessing or sharing it. The blessing of Jesus is often an explicit call for an inclusion and love that reflects the ongoing relationship between God and humanity, one that demands responsibility, love, and justice.

Repeatedly, we are reminded not only of the blessings we receive but the blessing we are called to be as a community. We are finding true joy in being together, welcoming others, and expressing love rather than judgment. On Sunday we will remember the sacrament of our baptism and the blessing we received to “go and walk in the newness of life.”

Don’t forget that our 50th Anniversary will happen on November 3rd so start looking through your closets for that 1970’s outfit you will wear to church that day! Our ladies are also recruiting folks to cook specific recipes from our All-Church Cookbook, and we could use your expertise! I look forward to worshipping with you in person or on YouTube Sunday.

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 10/11/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us
–Psalm 90:17

Sun City Christian Church is excited beyond measure to receive a Congregational Vitality Grant from our region. Every year the budget is tight, and we must focus on paying staff and tending to the building and so the pot is always bare when it comes to funding energized and life-giving ministry.

 Because our Regional Church believes in our bright ideas, we have been granted $30,000. We are able to build upon our Disciple Women Service Projects, improve campus signage as well start new Wellness, and Storytelling Ministries. We can’t wait to serve God and our community as we begin our next 50 years of vital ministry!

I thought you might be interested to learn more about what is in store in the year ahead. Here is the explanation we presented with grant request:

Sun City Christian Church (DOC) is living into our action plan “Serving God and Community.” We have been making strides as a congregation to serve in ways that allow our passions, interests, and skills to meet the needs of our congregation and community. This year, new ministry teams have formed and established ministries have claimed a revived purpose.

The regional vitality grant will provide an amazing financial foundation for us to build upon as none of these requests are currently sustained by our operational budget but will be evaluated and supported as needed by each team bringing the request as we grow into our future.

Wellness Ministry

We are fortunate to have several members whose career was in the healthcare field who have formed our team. An overarching goal is to help our congregation understand that health and wellness relates to one’s Spiritual wellbeing. Providing resources and helping people become advocates for their medical care and wellness was a motivating factor in developing an educational series of lectures and gatherings.

Another goal is to build relationships between participants that help alleviate isolation and loneliness, as well as to develop trusting relationships with the health and wellness team. In addition, we seek to encourage members to remain active, better understand the aging process, learn about community resources, smoothly navigate the medical system, and become more comfortable talking about matters of faith through the aging process.

We will begin offering education sessions in September 2024 and will run them over the course of at least 10 months, collaborating with qualified internal and  community professionals. Some subjects will require more than a single session to focus on the topic discussed. We expect to have approximately fity individuals (half congregates, half area church partners and the community) attending each event, but with advertising and word of mouth by our attendees, we expect numbers to grow.

Topics we plan to address through this first series of educational sessions: Aging and agism/Dementia, navigating the healthcare system, end of life issues, osteoporosis, falls, and fractures, footcare/podiatry, medication, nutrition, visual and hearing impairments, how to choose a Medicare supplemental plan, keeping important medical and legal information, medical fraud, waste and abuse.

We now have qualified and passionate individuals in our congregation to re-establish a Parish Ministry program. It is important that we be prepared with appropriate equipment and supplies for first aid as well as medical emergencies. We are pursuing other grants to obtain an automated external defibrillator. Exercise is important to the health and wellness of our seniors.

These sessions will augment the informational sessions to support an active and healthier congregation and community. Our program, based on participant needs and desires, could include Tai Chi, chair yoga, walking programs, aerobics, Pilates, and strength and balance training led by expert instructors. In subsequent years we anticipate paying our professionals through budget funds and small fees from participants.

Digital Storytelling Ministry

A handful of passionate individuals have emerged with a desire to utilize digital media to share our story. Not only will we stream weekly worship experiences on YouTube but we will create a video collection of stories about Sun City Christian Church’s ministry and the individuals who belong here. In addition to a bolstered YouTube library, the church will build a catalog of recorded stories for all willing participants in our faith community. These recordings can then be used in Sunday Morning worship, in celebration of birthdays, utilized in memorial services, and passed along to family members in remembrance. How we wish to be remembered can be captured on video and remain a living archive of Sun City Christian Church. The items requested from the team will aid in the production and quality of our streaming and recording.

Disciple Women Service Projects

Disciple Women’s Ministry (DWF) at SCCC has a long history of outreach to fulfil the ongoing needs of local serving those in need in the community. This past year the group produced lap quilts, Foley bag covers, numerous teddy bears, fidget mats and fidget sleeves. To continue to meet these needs and decrease the financial burden on a few members currently supporting the service projects, additional equipment and supplies are needed. Many of the donations received by the group in the past are older and already worn out. Group needs include cutting mats, Scissors, rotary blades, print fabric for quilts, solid fabrics for quilt backings, batting for quilts, stuffing for bears, embroidery sewing Machine to print church logo on quilts and shirts, work lights, and other misc. supplies. In addition to the monthly meetings, workdays, and Lunch Bunch outings, we have shared workspace with the “Caring Angels” group that makes plarn out of grocery bags. Several times a month we engage all members to assist with DWF or outreach projects during Sunday fellowship time. These activities help to combat alleviate isolation and loneliness among our members as well as include them in the outreach mission.

Campus Signage and Promotion

We are blessed with a fantastic building from which to do ministry. One thing area we need to improve upon is with signage and captures the community’s attention as well as offering proper directions as to where to park and go once they arrive. An immediate need arose recently when one half of our dual digital projection sign on the corner of our property fell over. The repair professionals have identified a way to reattach it to the original base that has lived on the corner of our property since the late 70’s and to return it to operation. The additional request will be for direction signs in the parking lot and to identify door entrances. A banner identifying Sun City Christian Church will hang below the bell tower and our new church logo and branding will adorn it and the sign on the corner.

Pastor’s Notes: 10/4/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

“Jesus prayed that… they all may be one.” – from the “Restoration” doors in Cobbs Hall

Over 500 years of church history is represented on the double door panels of Cobbs Halls. The carved portrait of Martin Luther the “Father of Protestantism (1483-1546), John Calvin (1509-1564) who was one of the founders of Presbyterians, and “Father of Methodism” John Wesley (1703-1791), grace three of the panels.

The upper right panel is of Alexander Campbell (1788-1866, one of the founders of our denomination. He embraced fully the desire for the unity of Christ’s Church.

John 17:20-21 was one of the most inspirational texts to Campbell’s calling. “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

The unity Jesus prayed for could only be achieved by returning to the simplicity of the New Testament church—free of denominational labels, creeds, and hierarchical structures. Campbell saw this passage as a divine call for the church’s visible unity. He also helped us to claim the foundational thought that where the scripture speaks, we speak, and where the scriptures are silent, we are silent.

Being a united people in Christ was core belief to our restoration movement. Alexander’s father Thomas Campbell said, “The church of Jesus Christ on earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one.” Barton Stone said, “Let Christian unity be our polar star.”

On Sunday we will explore some ways that if Sun City Christian Church and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) were to fully embrace the message of John 17:20-21 today, we could profoundly impact both the church and the broader world.

I look forward to worshipping with you in person or on YouTube Sunday!

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 9/27/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” 
John 10:11

This Sunday’s “Faith through our doors” offering will guide our attention to the Cobbs Hall entrance door we utilize every Sunday. The theme story we will spend the most time with, is the upper inside panel. It might just be the most comforting image in Scripture: Jesus as the Good Shepherd.

This powerful metaphor illustrates not only Jesus’ deep love and commitment but a desired fulfillment for his followers of knowing that we are never separated from the Divine.

Jesus knows each of us by name, guiding us through life’s valleys and celebrating with us on the mountaintops. His voice calls us to follow Him, offering direction in times of uncertainty and peace amidst chaos. Just as a shepherd tends to his flock, providing for their needs and protecting them from danger, Jesus nurtures our spiritual growth and safeguards our hearts.

In a world filled with distractions and challenges, we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus leads us. We are a part of the flock, and as those connected with Sun City Christian Church, we know that the lost will be found. It is a Spiritual gift of our congregation, to be there for each other. The Holy Spirit is moving through us in ways that comfort, guide and support when it is needed most.  

On Sunday we will reflect on how we can listen more closely to His voice and follow Jesus’ example of love and service. As we gather for worship and fellowship, may we encourage one another to embody the characteristics of the Good Shepherd—compassion, care, and a willingness to lay down our own interests for the sake of others. Together, let us strive to be shepherds in our community, extending Christ’s love to those around us. 

I look forward to worshipping with you in person or on YouTube! 

Brett

Pastor’s Notes 9/20/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

“Study to show yourself approved unto God.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (translation on the outside panel of the office door)

Have you heard the one about the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer? No, this is not the set up to a joke but one could think so. Rather, it is essentially the mixed metaphor used by the apostle Paul in his second letter to his mentee, Timothy.

In 2 Timothy 2:1-15 Paul is attempting to illustrate for Timothy (and us), what it means to be a worker for God. He is painting the picture of personality traits that we might identify with as those who effectively serve with the Holy Spirit moving through us.

We become a model for others. The ways in which we share the love of Christ, also becomes a metaphor for how the church is called to be the living presence of the Holy for each other today. Verse 15 according to the NRSV says, “Do your best present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.”

On Sunday we will explore in greater detail why this verse is etched into our church office door and how we continue to be faithful examples as (Disciples of Christ). You do faithful work, and I would encourage you to think about your gifts, your passions and the ways in which you uniquely represent Jesus to those you encounter.

It is a constant privilege to serve alongside you and I look forward to worshipping together in person or on YouTube this Sunday.

Blessings. Brett

Pastor’s Notes: 8/30/2024

Posted on by Wende Gonzales

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial but rescue us from the evil one. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  –Matthew 6:12-15

The word ’embedded’ is an adjective meaning: fixed firmly and deeply in a surrounding mass; implanted. Faith is defined by Webster as a strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. So, when we put these words together, we find an embedded faith to be a deeply rooted belief about God.

Theologian David Hartkopf says embedded faith is simply the assumed components of Christian belief, concepts and ideas that are taken as truth without thought on the part of the hearer. Often these are ideas and understandings we grew up with or learned along the way and they have taken hold as our core understanding.

This rationale makes sense when we engage in dialogue about Matthew 6:5-15. What is the “proper” language to use when reciting the Lord’s prayer whether we prefer debts, trespasses or sins. We all have a preference, and it is often an embedded belief we pick up as we grow in faith. “It was how my grandma prayed.” “The church I grew up in taught me.” “It is the language that makes the most sense to me as an adult and helps me understand with deeper meaning, the words I am confessing before God.”

As we can see in the italicized quote to introduce this message, both debts and trespasses appear in Matthew’s gospel account. If we were to summarize the concept even more, as some Biblical translations have, we can also trust that Jesus was addressing sin. Bottom line, there are many ways to find meaning in the Lord’s prayer and as a community of faith we make room to recite these faithful words as each person chooses (it is the closest the Disciples of Christ come to speaking in tongues).

Our diversity in faith is truly a gift and Sunday we will focus our attention onto what draws followers of Jesus together through the Lord’s Prayer rather than that which divides us. I look forward to worshipping with you in person or on YouTube.

Brett