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The Lord's Prayer #3 - Forgive Us Our Debts I am very grateful to our Pastor Emeritus, Frank Rose, who is preaching for me again this Sunday. He will continue his series of sermons on The Lord's Prayer while I am traveling for family vacation. In fact, Frank will lead several more services, and each
time he will take up another aspect of The Lord's Prayer. Here is the rest of his schedule and the topics:
July 15 - Deliver us
August 19 - Praise God
Thinking of you all with love and respect,
Nathan
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The Rt. Rev. Peter Buss, Jr. is the Nominee for next Executive Bishop |
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Here's a bit more information on the selection process engaged in by the
international Council of the Clergy for our global denomination. We met in Bryn Athyn, PA for a total of 4 full days. The meeting schedule included hearing and discussing a variety of inspiring presentations in plenary and small group sessions.
We also had many informal opportunities to share about each other’s lives and work. The major focus of the meetings was to nominate the current Executive Bishop's successor.
To begin the selection process, we had broad and deep conversations about the needs of the church as well as the qualities that all six candidates would bring to the leadership position. Ranked voting reduced the field of candidates to three, and then we continued robust discussion. Because of the breadth and depth
of the discussion, the Council agreed to modify the schedule in order to add three hours for the selection process. In the end, the nominee recognized was our current Assistant to the Bishop, Rt. Rev. Peter Buss, Jr. who has been in his appointed position for five years.
Following his nomination by the Council of the Clergy, on Friday afternoon the Board of Directors for our denomination interviewed the nominee and considered the nomination on their own. Saturday morning they
unanimously affirmed it.
Read more about Peter, including a vision statement, on newchurch.org at
http://about.newchurch.org/about/bishop-selection/
Next steps...
Over the coming several months, all enrolled members of our global church organization will have an opportunity to respond to this nomination individually by casting a vote. Instructions about this part of
the process and information about Peter will be sent to each member by USPS, with options of voting by paper ballot or electronically. Assuming his nomination is affirmed by the membership, Peter will take the lead on July 1, 2019 when Bishop Brian Keith retires.
~Nathan
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UPCOMING ACTIVITIES AT SUNRISE CHAPEL
11 am Worship with Guest Pastor Frank Rose - "Forgive Us" 12 noon LUNCHEON
MONDAY
7/9/2018 11 am Tai Chi Basics Pastor returns at
night
6:30 pm Bereavement Support Group (in the small room of the
Chapel) WEDNESDAY 7/11/2018 9:30 Worship Team meeting 11 am Tai Chi Yang 24 Friendship Hall
7 pm Women's Group: Contact Elise Gladish for details
Arizona Mountain Camp starts today!
11 am Worship with Guest Pastor Frank Rose - "Deliver Us" 12 noon LUNCHEON
Update on Arizona Mountain Camp July 13-22,
2018 |
Registration Form: The registration form is now available at the church (in the lobby) and on Sunrise Chapel.org.
THEME: "Choosing Joy in the Forest!" The first weekend of our Arizona Mountain Camp this year will be "traditional" in terms of activities we have enjoyed in
previous years - worshiping together, crafts, small groups, etc. Since we are featuring the new "card deck" of 52 spiritual growth task cards, I am proposing that we have an overall theme of "Choosing Joy." And here are suggested daily themes, each of which will relate to one spiritual growth task per day: Friday, July 13: In The Woods Saturday, July 14: The Wildlife Sunday, July 15: The Mountains Monday, July 16: The
Trails
If you want a more relaxed, more informal, and reflective experience come up anytime Monday afternoon, July 16 through Sunday
afternoon, July 22. This will be a time for anyone, especially parents and grandparents with young children, to enjoy community with activities planned as the spirit moves people. Location: The camp is about 150 miles from Sunrise Chapel, about 45 miles north of Globe. Workman's Creek is part of the watershed that empties into the Salt River Valley below and then forms Roosevelt Lake. The road that ascends from the Salt River in the valley to the campground reminds me of going up Mt. Lemmon before there were any guardrails. Beautiful vistas. The final mile to the camp is on a lightly maintained dirt road (approximately 1 mile). Map: From Sunrise Chapel, the drive to camp is at least 3 hours and 15 minutes depending on the condition of the roads. Here is a link to a page of maps. http://www.elks4kids.org/campmap.html Elks Lodge information: http://www.elks4kids.org/camp.html You Tube video: https://youtu.be/LSRQUgVCMhc We have reserved the camp from Friday, July 13 through Sunday, July 22. Anyone is invited to be part of the planning team. Linda Waddell has offered to organize meal planning and preparation. Christine Morey has offered to be the Camp Director.
The registration form is completed.
You can download it from our website sunrisechapel.org or pick one up at the church.
Nathan |
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Let's Study the Bible
More |
As I think about planning the calendar of church activities for the coming year (our fiscal year starts July 1), I plan to offer a weekly Bible study. Let me know if you are interested and what times of the week and day you prefer.
~Nathan
As a little
teaser, here is a very thoughtful, brief article from my friend and colleague.
Why does the Bible matter?
By Chuck Blair, Pastor of New Church Live
The stories in the Bible are thousands of years old. And
what the stories do is give us a matrix of sorts for wrestling with the issues that surround us, some very here-and-now, and others more clearly spiritual in nature.
And what those stories hold within them is a deep poetic sense, an internal meaning, that gives us insights
beyond just the letters on the page.
The Bible is our story within God's greater story. Just like our lives, the literal story is imperfect. At times soaring. At other times frustrating. The characters filled with every human flaw imaginable and every grace
we have witnessed in others as well. It becomes more like a math book then, filled with challenges and problems, rather than a once-and-for-all set of answers. And that is what creates its beauty!
Maybe this then... the Bible creates a table around which we gather, each of us with our own perspectives, values, gifts, and flaws. And what we humbly seek there is for God to speak to us and speak through us, one to another. The Great Conversation. A conversation that helps us find our way Home.
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Planning for a BIG
fundraiser in February |
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There is energy and interest in organizing a fundraising event for this February
Summer
is a great time to start planning a new kind of fundraiser that we might consider doing annually.
The Women’s Guild used to run Patio Sales and Craft Sales, which were very productive for many
reasons, but times are changing. We need to be proactive about meeting financial goals, and it helps to offer a variety of options.
The idea behind this February fundraiser is to provide a fun, social evening meal, entertainment, and an auction of goods and services that a broad audience would bid on.
If you are interested
in being a part of this from the beginning, come to a planning meeting on Sunday, July 29 after church at 12:30 pm. Or talk with Gail Benton. It will take a team effort to
pull it off.
The plan is to do a lot of preparation in the next couple of months since people get really busy in November and December; then pick up momentum again in January. We haven’t
settled on a date yet; let’s consider that as a part of our overall calendar planning. ~Nathan
Note: June 30 is the end of our fiscal year —
a very good time to show your support with an extra donation to our general operating budget - if you can.
If you write a check, make it to Sunrise Chapel. Please note which fund you are contributing towards. Or you could use Pay Pal to make a one-time or monthly donation. Go to www.sunrisechapel.org and
click on the Give tab. |
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Readings for this
Sunday's church service |
Psalm 103:1-5
Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns
you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Matthew 18:23-35
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the
debt.
“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him.
‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow
servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master
called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your
brother or sister from your
heart.”
Secrets of Heaven §9448
These considerations show what the forgiveness of sin is. Being able to be maintained by the Lord in a loving goodness and in religious truth and to be withheld from evil and falsity is forgiveness of sin. Proceeding to shun evil and falsity and to turn against it is repentance. Neither of these is possible, though, unless we have been given new life by the Lord through being reborn, because both belong to the new life. |
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Your church home for cultivating spiritual growth in order to experience heavenly joy www.sunrisechapel.org
nathan@sunrisechapel.org Office 520-298-1245
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