A Senate in the Gun Lobby's Grip

For many with a heart to work for less violent communities, the April 17th Senate vote blocking the forward movement of legislation for expanding background checks for gun sales represents the disconnect between the voice of 90% of our population who support expanding background checks and our elected leaders in Congress. Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords from Arizona a survivor of a gun shot wound to the head stated, "those senators made their decision based on political fear and cold calculations about the money of special interests". Please read more from the article posted by the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church by clicking the link provided. We must not give up in our efforts to reduce gun violence. Remember we are the hands and feet of Christ in this world. "I give you a new commandment, that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples,.." John 13:34-35.

http://umc-gbcs.org/quotes/on-a-senate-in-the-gun-lobbys-grip

A Place at the Table

A Place at the Table

This movie will be presented at the Yavapai College Performing Arts Center on April 24 at 7:30 pm.  It addresses hunger in America.

Earth Day Weekend Celebration

EARTH DAY WEEKEND CELEBRATION

April 20^th and 21^st

Caring For Each Other and God's Earth

Have you prayerfully considered what role you play in the care of God's world? The first step is to appreciate what a wondrous place of magnificent complexity and delicate beauty God has given us, then to celebrate it every day and especially on Earth Day. Come join us in giving thanks on Earth Day weekend and sharing in an inspirational message from our own Patti Blackwood.

The Council of Bishops in their 2009 document, God's Renewed Creation, admonishes us to live not as though being created in God's image gives us special privilege, but instead as though our status as human beings increases our responsibility. When we sing, "I love thy kingdom, Lord," we remember that the word love is a verb that not only connotes feeling but action.

"Climate change, once considered an issue for a distant future, has moved firmly into the present," according to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration's Data Center. Their recent National Climate Assessment draft written by 240 scientists and business leaders called the use of fossil fuels by humans the main driver of climate change. Every time we add just a little bit more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, it makes things a little bit warmer and shifts the odds toward more extreme weather events such as Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy. While some areas are affected by too much water, others such as our own Southwest have too little and experience devastating wildfires. We need to be aware that our brothers and sisters around the world suffer as a result of our using more resources than any other country and creating so much trash, waste, and pollution.

We ask God's forgiveness and help in beginning new more mindful ways. How do we already reduce our use of fossil fuels and what more can we do? Drive less? Buy less? Eat more locally? Waste less? Do we advocate for limits on the amount of carbon industries can emit, for expansion of the use of renewable energy(e.g., our church's new solar panels), for the reduction of tropical deforestation, and for solutions to rampant population growth? In short, we ask ourselves how our lifestyles increase our carbon footprints, and as the bishops in their report said, "We love God and neighbor by changing our behavior."

 Church & Society Planning Retreat

On Saturday, February 23, Church and Society members gathered for a planning retreat.

After a lively and interesting discussion the following topics were set for this year's agenda:

•  Gun Violence
•  Immigration
•  Issues of Poverty
•  Earth Day - Environmental issues
•  Welcoming Congregation  

Action plans were outlined and 2013 looks to be a great year.

Other general suggestions included:

•  Monthly articles in Preview, Reminder and website
•  Use of Blog to coordinate activites and improve communication
•  Greater collaboration with other PUMC committees, churches and community organizations
•  Emphasize Christian/Wesleyan Quadilateral approach to civil dialogue

     
     
     

The Gun Issue at Lifetree Cafe

 

On Sunday, March 10 at 6:00 pm, Lifetree Cafe at Prescott United Methodist Church will provide a program to discuss the gun issue.  This is a non-denominational and unbiased approach that will cover both sides, and anyone in the Prescott, AZ, area is welcome to attend.

The Lifetree way is to have discussions, not debates. To listen to each other, to learn from each other, and to consider several points of view as we have civil conversations.

If you want to see a preview of the program, please go to this link:

http://www.prescottumc.com/index.php/home/lifetree-cafe

Our address is
505 W. Gurley St.
Prescott, AZ 86301

If you have any questions, please call our church office at (928) 778-1950.

We hope to see you there!

Our Social Creed

We believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through whom we acknowledge God’s gifts, and we repent of our sin in misusing these gifts to idolatrous ends.

We affirm the natural world as God’s handiwork and dedicate ourselves to its preservation, enhancement, and faithful use by humankind.

We joyfully receive for ourselves and others the blessings of community, sexuality, marriage, and the family.

We commit ourselves to the rights of men, women, children, youth, young adults, the aging, and people with disabilities; to improvement of the quality of life; and to the rights and dignity of all persons.

We believe in the right and duty of persons to work for the glory of God and the good of themselves and others and in the protection of their welfare in so doing; in the rights to property as a trust from God, collective bargaining, and responsible consumption; and in the elimination of economic and social distress.

We dedicate ourselves to peace throughout the world, to the rule of justice and law among nations, and to individual freedom for all people of the world.

We believe in the present and final triumph of God’s Word in human affairs and gladly accept our commission to manifest the life of the gospel in the world. Amen.

The United Methodist Church Website

Operation Deep Freeze

Date Night at Operation Deep Freeze

Doug and Diane Iverson

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Coalition for Compassion and Justice (CCJ)

 

It is Sunday night and the predicted low is 21 degrees. I am the staff member on duty at CCJ Open Door’s Operation Deep Freeze tonight, and my husband, Doug, has volunteered to be second in command. We jokingly call this “date night”.

We open at 5 pm to a line of cold people who sign in and blow into a breathalyzer to qualify for a warm, dry place to spend the night. Tonight 22 men and women are our guests. They share a hot meal I have cooked from food donated by First Congregational Church, Granite Creek Hunger Ministry and Costco, then they settle in for a quiet evening. Two men play chess, one is already curled up in bed, three or four others read books they have brought, a couple more are having a discussion, and the rest are watching a movie.

At 10 pm we have lights out, and Doug beds down in the main room with the men while I share a smaller room with the women. One of them says, “Thank you for doing this. It really helps us.”
In the morning we will set out a modest breakfast, and by 8 am our guests will be on their way. We will clean up the space (always helped by some of those who have spent the night) and then our “date” will be over.

So why do we call it “date night”? Well, Doug and I have been very happily married for 25 years, and the thing about love is that there is always enough to share. You don’t run out if you give it away. After we are both in our separate rooms, tucked in our sleeping bags, I call him on his cell. “Good night, Doug. I love you.”

“Good night, Diane. I love you, too. Get some sleep.” Somebody coughs. Somebody else is snoring softly, but everybody is warm. I know for sure that Doug and I are warm and feeling the closeness that comes with shared values and having done this one small, good thing together. Yep, that’s pretty romantic.

Operation Deep Freeze depends on the community for donations of food, blankets, coats, coffee, cocoa and funds. For more information: directoropendoor@gmail.com or 928-776-0353.