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What will you choose to look for or see this year? It's not just what we see, but
how we see it that matters. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." What is the state of our eyesight? Sight develops and changes as we process new information and adjust to different environments - physically and spiritually. The Bible and Swedenborg have loads to say about our vision and how the Lord wants us to see like angels. Come Sunday, and let's look into it together.
Holy Supper this Sunday The sacrament of the Lord's Holy Supper will be offered toward the end of this Sunday's worship service. It can be a time for reflection as well as a time for community. That's why it's also called
"communion" - because it encourages a strong union.... with the Lord, with angels, and with each other.
At the end of the service we will sing one of our favorite songs together - "The Lord's Prayer," composed by Heather Childs.
New Grant Request GRANTED !!! I am pumped about the generosity of the Asplundh Family Foundation to gift Sunrise Chapel with more funds to continue implementing new initiatives to serve more people!The prior
grant, two years ago, enabled us to refurbish features of the chapel interior, including carpeting, lighting, and tile in both lobbies, among other things. This new grant will propel us into the world of video live streaming for Sunday services and for other activities. There are several other features that will be upgraded, including the aging fountain in the chapel lobby and the tables in Friendship
Hall. Call for your financial support— This current grant of $9,250 assumes a specified amount of financial support from us—$1,500. If fifty donors chip in an average of $30 each, we will easily make our goal. Ready to give? Just make sure your donation to Sunrise Chapel is earmarked for the Asplundh
Grant.
New things to do in this new calendar year
Thinking back over several years on what we have accomplished, and looking forward to what's in store, I'm excited about this new year together as a church! We have a lot to offer and a lot to do. For instance, we start a fresh Journey of Spiritual Growth at the end of January - on the very important topic of FORGIVENESS - and right after that 5-week series, we host a booth at the amazing Festival of Books on Choosing the Joy of
Spiritual Growth. And every day, something significant is happening at "the church with the heavenly view" - whether it be a small group, a meeting, a worship service, counseling, a wedding, a celebration of life, or some other service to the community. Sunrise Chapel is an active place for supporting spiritual growth in all sorts of practical ways. And I appreciate every person's
involvement! THANK YOU TO FRANK ROSE I feel so fortunate that Frank Rose is able and willing to conduct worship services in my absence. I can be on the other side of the country and know that Sunrise Chapel is in the good hands of an excellent, experienced, and beloved pastor.
Thinking of you with love and respect,Nathan |
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UPCOMING ACTIVITIES AT SUNRISE CHAPEL
11 am Worship Service + Holy Supper 12:00 pm Luncheon - Everyone Welcome!
TUESDAY 1/9/2018 6:30 pm
Bereavement Support Group
WEDNESDAY 1/10/2018 9:30 am Worship Team meeting
11 am Tai Chi 7 pm Women's Group tonight - contact Elise Gladish for details
2 pm Memorial Service Celebration of Life for Janna Excell 11 am Worship Service 12:00 pm Luncheon - Everyone Welcome!
Welcome our newest
grandchild! |
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Elise and I had such a good time visiting Alder and his family in Mitchellville, Maryland (outside of DC)! I baptized him last Sunday afternoon in our sister church where his father Brian is the assistant pastor and principal of the school. We also got in a visit with my brother and sister-in-law who also live there as well as some good friends. Elise and I each worked in the Washington
New Church School many years ago when we were college age, so it was fun reconnecting with the place and some of the folks who are still there! |
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Memorial Service - Celebration of Life for Janna
Excell Saturday, January 13 at 2 pm at Sunrise Chapel
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Everyone is welcome to attend this special service to honor and reflect on the remarkable life of Janna Excell. She has touched so many people all over Tucson with her work as a bereavement and crisis counselor. Her connection to Sunrise Chapel goes back to the 80's and she considered this her
church. For many years she held one of her bereavement support groups in the Chapel, and it continues in her absence each Tuesday night. Her influence is felt way beyond Tucson as well, since she was also a speaker at national conferences. An amazing woman who is very special to many, many people. We miss her.
After the ceremony in the chapel, there will be a reception in Friendship Hall. It is a pot luck. Feel free to bring something to share. If you want to know what others are bringing, contact me.
Questions? Just call/text/email me.
Nathan |
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A Beautiful New Practical Resource for Spiritual
Growth |
It is with excitement and delight that I share news of a new product from the Spiritual Growth Foundation - a professionally designed and produced deck of 52 spiritual growth task cards to help individuals and groups with their ongoing joy of spiritual living!
This is a fresh approach to "choosing joy now" that’s been in the works for about nine months. It’s a set of 52 task cards plus instructions for how to use them individually or in a group. This is the first phase of the project. The next step is to add supporting
information for each task on the ChooseJoyNow.org website. These cards are ready to use for individuals or group leaders. Thanks to Sammie Alijagic for her design and artwork and to Kelly Woofenden for her leadership in getting them produced and to Frank Rose for creating the content.
They are available at the church for $10 per deck (not including postage if you want it shipped - we are still working on that). We only have about 24 decks left out of the 100 that we ordered! Talk with Kelly Woofenden to get yours! And let us know how you use them!
Gratefully, Nathan Gladish
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Our friend Bronwen Henry from New Church Outreach has this announcement about a new book written by a colleague of mine - Derek Elphick:
I'm happy to announce our newest book: "Daily Bread 365 Readings & Inspirations for Living Well" by Rev. Derek Elphick. Available to order online today at www.newchristianresources.org
In 1999 I was in England and came across an old leather bound daily reader of Bible quotes and quotes from the Writings (I think it was called "All the Year Round"). Though I loved this book, the translations were challenging for me. Then in 2007, I was talking with Derek Elphick at an outreach training event and he
mentioned his interest in developing a daily reader. I was so thrilled to hear this and told him I'd help him produce it when he finished it. I'm grateful he worked so diligently on this for years...and here we are! Perfect timing as a gift for Christmas and you can start reading in the New Year.
As Derek writes, “My
prayer is that you will find something to help you experience the daily care, comfort, hope and insight that the Lord provides in His Word. Whether you are in between errands, on a lunch break, waiting at a doctor’s office, finishing your day or having a morning quiet time, I warmly invite you to engage the ideas here with an openness for how the Lord will lead you today.”
Daily Bread is available to purchase at www.NewChristianResources.org for $19.99.
With gratitude, Bronwen Henry
Program Manager New Church Journey
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Reading for Reflection on this Sunday's
topic |
Faith and the Development of Sight
True Christianity (Rose) 344, 346
The states of the faith of the new church
are (1) a newborn faith, a growing faith, a mature faith; (2) faith based on genuine truth, and faith based on things that seem true; (3) faith based on memory, faith based on reason, faith based on light; (4) earthly faith, spiritual faith, heavenly faith; (5) faith based on life experiences, and faith based on miracles; (6) faith that is free and faith that is coerced.
Faith takes the form of spiritual sight in us. Since spiritual sight (the sight of the intellect and therefore the mind) and physical sight (the sight of the eye and therefore the body)
correspond to each other, every state of faith is comparable to a state of the eye and its sight. The states of true faith are comparable to all the healthy states of eyesight. The states of false faith are comparable to all the unhealthy states of eyesight.
Let us compare the correspondences of these two kinds of sight, the mental and the physical, in each one’s unhealthy states. For example, closed or blind faith, which is a faith in mystical things that we believe in, although we do not know whether they are
true or
false, beyond reason or contrary to it, is comparable to the eye disease called gutta serena or amaurosis — loss of sight because of blockage of the optical nerve, although the eye still looks as though it is functioning and healthy.
“Blessed is everyone who hears the Word of God and keeps it.”
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Helping people experience heavenly joy through spiritual growth www.sunrisechapel.org
nathan@sunrisechapel.org Office 520-298-1245
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