There's a lot to ponder and a lot to celebrate
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In the midst of all sorts of upset and confusion locally and around the world, there's also a lot to celebrate and to be grateful about
* On a local level, although the Bighorn Fire in our Catalina Mt Range is still burning, I'm so grateful for all the personnel with their skills and technology who are so expertly protecting lives and properties.
* While the ongoing war against racism is taking on new energy, I'm grateful to and supportive of so many people who are ramping up their efforts. And it's noteworthy that so many people are learning about and celebrating the anniversary of Juneteenth this weekend.
* Also, in our church, we have a tradition of celebrating the anniversary of the launch of The New Church on June 19, 1770. So "Happy New Church Day!"
* Oh, and by the way... Sunday is also Father's Day! Thank you, dads, for your support and love of your children and for the support of your children's mother! Personally, I'm so grateful to be a dad of such wonderful kids, and now I'm excited about my own son and sons-in-law taking on the role of father!
This Sunday I'll take a one-week break from the current series on the Golden Rule and shift attention to this fun and educational combination of anniversaries.
I hope you can tune in to the livestream or attend in person!
With love and respect and prayers for everyone's well-being, physically and spiritually,
Nathan
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Speaking of Anniversaries...
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Nathan & Elise June 20, 1980
Help us Celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary this Saturday at Sunrise Chapel!
Dear Sunrise Chapel Friends,
We are happy and proud to have made it to this marriage milestone together, and we want to show our appreciation for your love and support over the recent few years.
We warmly welcome you to a DRIVE-UP anniversary celebration on Saturday June 20, anytime between 6-8 pm at Sunrise Chapel.
When you drive up to Sunrise Chapel, we'll be in the parking area to welcome you and to give you an in-person, socially distanced greeting.
Then drive over to the wedding cake table for a self-serve, individually wrapped slice of carrot cake from the same recipe used for our wedding cake. Bottled water will also be available.
No gifts! ...except your loving presence!
We just want a way to connect together (safely) and celebrate our appreciation for marriage and family and relationship-building.
Come anytime between 6 and 8 pm Saturday June 20 at Sunrise Chapel.
With love and respect, Nathan and Elise
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Practicing the Golden Rule (#3)
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Sermon series based on Matt 7:12
The Golden Rule is the antithesis of Racism and Brutality
Last Sunday I did a third talk about practicing the Golden Rule, focusing on not withholding kindness or generosity from someone because we think they don't "deserve" it. On the contrary, everyone deserves love and kindness and generosity! The Lord doesn't withhold any of that good stuff from us, no matter what condition we're in. That
doesn't mean we don't need to change from our bad habits and tendencies, but one of those bad habits might be judging others as undeserving of our kindness and generosity.
Here (and pictured above) is the task for the week that I introduced last Sunday:
Golden Rule Intention #2:
When I notice myself judging someone as undeserving of my kindness or generosity, I will raise my mind to a higher level to find some way to be unselfishly kind or generous toward him/her just as I would want them to be so to me.
I want to give a shout out to Dr. Joshua Simon, MD, EdD, a Tucson resident and all-around wonderful person, for writing a great book all about the Golden Rule called "Positively 4th Street - A Babyboomer's Guide to the Promised Land." I was introduced to Dr. Joshua at last year's Tucson Festival of Books, bought a copy of his book, and have been thinking about this topic for months. My 4-part series is
based in part on his four "bases" of the Golden Rule.
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Guidelines for "soft" reopening for in-person church activities
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Click on this graphic to watch a YouTube video from Pima Co Health Director
We are open with precaution and care
I welcome you to attend in person on Sunday under the guidelines explained below. Last Sunday we had only 4 people in the seating area, not including our lead musician, camera operator, and sound booth manager. Based on the current guidelines for social distancing, we have space for at least 15-20 people in the seating area. There are also "overflow" rooms to view the monitors in either
the small group room off the lobby or in Friendship Hall.
However, with the anticipated rise in Covid-19 cases since Memorial Day in Pima County, and based on our church's demographics, I encourage people over 65 and anyone with compromised health to continue to participate via our livestream option. See the links below or go to sunrisechapel.org and click on one of
the links there.
For me, reopening at Sunrise Chapel is a matter of safe health practices, not political viewpoints.
Also, we simply need to be loving and respectful of each other’s needs and sensitivities. Please be patient with each other and practice what I'm currently preaching about > the Golden Rule.
This Sunday, once again, I will focus primarily on the livestream via our YouTube channel. This new electronic medium is here to stay, and I intend to continue improving it even as we return to in-person church services.
Guidelines for reopening
1. Stay safe while being kind and respectful. If you attend, observe the guidelines. If you are uncomfortable for any reason, please take care of yourself first; feel free to leave without any negative judgments.
2. Do not attend in person if you are sick, or if you are concerned about getting sick, or if you are at high risk. Instead, please continue to participate remotely.
3. As a community of people who love and respect each other, wearing a face covering is a community service to protect each other, especially the vulnerable. Wear a face covering over your nose and mouth. Please bring your own face covering (mask, scarf, bandana, etc).
4. Practice social distancing while on the church property (inside buildings and outside) including friendly no-touch greetings.
5. Current social distancing guidelines from the CDC and FEMA recommend 113 sq ft per person indoors, which means limiting our number of participants in the main seating area of the Chapel to about 15-20. Members of the same family sit together. The service will also be viewable on the TV monitors in the small group room and in Friendship Hall.
6. On entering and leaving the buildings, wash hands with soap or use hand sanitizer.
In addition, these are procedures we will follow during the church service:
• I will wear a mask before and after the service and while I am singing. I will remove my mask for the children's talk, the readings, and the sermon, with the understanding that the closest participants will be over 8 feet away from me.
• The air conditioning will be turned off just prior to the church service to reduce circulation of airborne particles. With outdoor temps in the 100s this may mean a little temporary discomfort. We will see how it goes.
• Sanitary wipes will be available for individuals to wipe down chairs and surfaces they use.
• Bathroom use will be limited to one person at a time, using only the main bathrooms at the entrance to Friendship Hall.
• We are not handing out printed bulletins or songbooks. Instead, the song lyrics will be projected on the monitor and announcements will either be projected or verbal.
Please, let me know whatever you think. It's good to hear from as many people as possible. I'm doing the best I can, and I don't want to put any volunteers or visitors in any unsafe positions. I appreciate your help and patience!
Looking forward to your participation either in person or online!
Nathan
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Photo: ZOOM logo
After church, Zoom with me at Noon!
If you haven't participated yet, I welcome you. It's a casual time to "check in" with some friends and have informal conversation. Everyone is welcome. It's fun to see each other and say hello. You can pop in for a bit and leave whenever you need to. It's also important to me to get some feedback about the church service and any other aspects of church life.
To join the Zoom meeting, click on this link at NOON
If this link doesn't work for you, go to Zoom.us and enter these credentials for the meeting:
Meeting ID: 949 4617 0443
Password: 05152020 (hint: the numerical date for May 15, 2020)
If you ONLY want to call in (without your computer or video), use one of these phone numbers and follow the prompts. You may have to enter the Meeting ID and the password. You will be able to listen and talk (but you won’t see anyone and no one will see you).
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
Managing Zoom security
For the sake of security, I have enabled the "waiting room" feature for our Zoom call. When you join the meeting, you will enter this "waiting room" until the facilitator "lets you in."
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Photo: laptop + coffee
Weekday Meditation (9:00-9:30 am MT) This is the link for the Monday meditation that I lead, but it is also the same link for the rest of the weekdays, led by other folks. Try it! You might like it!
ESPECIALLY FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES:
New Church Vineyard (This is a RICH source of KID-ORIENTED content for all sorts of stories from the Bible and the teachings of Swedenborg. Use this for family worship and for "Sunday school" type activities to enhance your spiritual lives at home.)
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End of Fiscal Year Fundraising
Our church runs on a fiscal year ending June 30th. This is typically the time of year where we make an extra appeal for fundraising. Of course we had hoped to hold a significant fundraiser event at the end of March, but the CoViD-19 outbreak put a hold on that.
This year is also a very trying time for many. It's important to be clear about 2 things:
1. Fundraising is never our goal. It is simply a means to continue the work that we do at Sunrise Chapel... worshiping, facilitating small groups, connecting, serving, and creating our beautiful spiritual home together.
2. We understand that for some during this very unique situation of stay-at-home orders and social distancing, it is creating a very challenging financial situation. We DO NOT want anyone to feel pressured to give.
We do, however, want people to be mindful of our financial picture in order to continue doing the important work that we are so blessed to do together.
If you feel called to make a donation at this time we deeply appreciate it. If you feel called to pledge a planned gift, that would be amazing. All gifts, no matter the amount, help us get to our goal and help support the infrastructure needed for daily and weekly operations.
You can donate virtually through Sunrise Chapel's PayPal account or send a check directly to Sunrise Chapel, C/O William Smith, Treasurer, 8421 E Wrightstown Rd. Tucson, AZ 87515.
Consider setting up a recurring electronic donation through PayPal or by having a check mailed from your bank to the church.
Questions? Ask our Treasurer, Bill Smith william@sunrisechapel.org
Thinking about setting up a planned gift? Talk with our Director of Planned Giving, Mark Wyncoll mark.wyncoll@newchurch.org
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Your church home for partnering with the Lord and each other in the practice of cultivating spiritual growth and choosing heavenly joy
www.sunrisechapel.org
nathan@sunrisechapel.org Office 520-298-1245
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