This Sunday's church service topic
An enduring attitude to foster - trust in God
Ten years ago on the 4th of July, 2011 I shared thoughts about trust in God. In my notes from that day, I found this prayer:
I pray that in the coming weeks and months and years we will, individually and together continue to develop a strong and positive trust in the Lord and in each other that enlivens our relationships and our work together so that we are blessed by the Lord in more and more ways.
I am very happy to say that with the Lord's help and blessing this prayer has certainly been answered over the past 10 years! We have continued to develop our trust in God by learning more about the Divine presence within and among us. And we have continued to explore and nurture our trust in each other with the goal of improving our relationships and being productive together. I thank the
Lord for all the blessings He has showered on us and the broader community of Tucson through the efforts of everyone associated with Sunrise Chapel! With a deeply grateful heart, I thank the Lord and each of you for all your work and support.
This Sunday, July 4, I want to circle back to this theme and share some ideas from the Lord's Word and from experience about moving into the next chapters of our lives with ongoing trust in the Lord.
With love and respect,
Nathan
An introductory message from Ethan McCardell
Nathan invited me to share a short message with you all, having landed and starting to feel human after a 28+ hour journey from London to our new home and congregation!
As I reflected on our recent experience, I was reminded of this favorite passage in Secrets of Heaven...
Before anything is restored to order it is very common for everything to be reduced first of all to a state of confusion resembling chaos so that things that are not compatible may be separated from one another. And once these have been separated the Lord arranges them into order. (Secrets of Heaven 842:3)
I find this incredibly comforting. In context, it is speaking about temptation (the clash between the influence of the evil and the good in the development of our spiritual life). We are taught that in Providence, the Lord uses everything we experience - in terms of how we learn and grow in our awareness of the world of the spirit. As we do, we learn that our response to that world is what
determines our reality. But it sure doesn't feel that way if all we're focused on is our natural experience! That's the struggle (another definition of temptation is spiritual struggle) - are we going to look at and respond to our life in merely natural terms...or is there another (higher) way?
We are exhausted and confused, excited and nervous, depleted by elements of our journey but equally filled with hope as we have landed. Jessica and I (and our children) look forward to meeting and connecting with you as we start this new phase of church family life. We also want you to know how deeply we have appreciated all the obvious love and care that have gone into setting up and
stocking our new home. It has meant the world to us and helped us feel loved and supported in such a challenging time. Although guidelines for travelers from the UK suggest a 7 day isolation, we will be tuning in with you online July 4 and look very much forward to meeting you in person for the transition service on the 11th. Until then, we send our love and very best wishes, and pray that you feel a palpable sense of the Lord's presence and peace in this time of
change.
Blessings All,
the McCardell Family
Ethan's temporary phone (302) 339-1118
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I'm thrilled to report that Ethan and Jessica and their kids are now in Tucson!
Thank you to everyone who helped make their entry into Tucson a welcome one so far! They are settling in at their new home and recuperating from the time change and travel.
Due to international travel policy, they will isolate this weekend but will tune in to our livestream this Sunday. Then they will participate in person for the installation service on July 11.
Please join us in welcoming them!
Nathan
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Book Study of "Window to Eternity" concluded. HOWEVER, the group wants to continue, and
welcomes you to join!
I'm so happy to have met with this small group to discuss "Window to Eternity," a wonderfully-written book. Such great conversation, and so many good questions! Recently we had our final session.
However, everyone loved the experience so much that there is interest by the group members to continue with a study of Swedenborg's work on Heaven and Hell!
If you are interested, contact Kris Bernardy or Julia Hilton for details.
Nathan
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Chancel Decorating and Plant Care
As I prepare to move I need to pass the baton to others who would like to help out with plant care and chancel decorating. I have really enjoyed doing this over the years, particularly for holidays and special occasions. And working with flowers has been a joy! Louise Rose was my mentor and role model who did it for many more years than I, and I enjoyed having her help in my earlier
years here.
Last week I made an announcement asking for help, and 4 people have stepped up to help with the plant care, which is mostly a weekly watering. Thank you to Kris Bernardy, Carolyn Casertano, Judith Keane, and Val Thim for volunteering.
As a separate job, there is the chancel decorating. If you are interested in helping with this, please speak to me, and I can give you a description of what is involved. This job can be done by anyone, adults and teens!
Elise
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Church luncheons
We have been serving lunch after church here at Sunrise Chapel for many years now. Because of Covid we had to stop that practice, but many people have been wondering if luncheons will start up again, and what that will be like? It has been such a valuable social activity at the church, especially providing a way for meaningful fellowship. I think people are ready to get
together to talk about it!
If you are interested in talking about the future of luncheons at SRC, or helping organize, or just being a support person for the luncheons please speak to Judith Keane.
Thanks so much!
Elise
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The check came in the mail today!
I'm so very grateful for the generosity of the Asplundh Family Foundation for once again granting Sunrise Chapel funds to continue upgrading and maintaining our facilities and grounds!
This time they have awarded us $45,000 to help us with the following projects:
A: Continue to refresh the interior look and feel of our Friendship Hall wing so people appreciate it as a well-kept, safe, clean, functional, and welcoming church home:
• Refurbish two more bathrooms in Friendship Hall (two bathrooms have already been refurbished) (Approximately $8K)
• Replace more old flooring, sliding door screens, and drinking water fountains in the Friendship Hall wing (these well-worn items are over 25 years old) (Approximately $30K)
B: Continue to improve our property’s curb appeal from the street view:
• Maintain our parking lot and front landscaping (Approximately $12K)
NOTE: As part of our "investment" in these projects, we now need to raise $3,000 locally.
If you would like to support and promote these projects, please send your contribution to Sunrise Chapel via our treasurer. Please do NOT reduce your contribution to the general operating fund, which is our primary responsibility.
Also, if you are interested in volunteering to help work on any of these projects, please let Mike Villeburn know. He is our property manager and will most likely be overseeing the implementation of these projects in the coming months.
With great appreciation,
Nathan
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