Echoes of DHPC | December 2013 - January 2014

Desert Hills Presbyterian Church Echoes

34605 North Tom Darlington Drive P.O. Box 874Carefree AZ 85377 480-488-3384

December 2013 / January 2014

...THE WORD

BECAME FLESHAND MADE HIS DWELLING

AMONG US

Echoes is a semi-monthly publication by and for the congregation of Desert Hills Presbyterian Church in Carefree, Arizona. If you have received this publication by mistake or you would like to no longer subscribe to the magazine, simply call the DHPC office at 480-488-3384 or write to [email protected].

The lead time for the publication is four weeks before the first month displayed on the cover. For the February - March issue, deadline for submissions is January 10.

Contributions from any and all DHPC members are always welcome! Simply e-mail your documents and pictures to [email protected] or drop them off at the church office.

The Echoes staff welcomes any and all feedback. If you would like to submit any questions, concerns or comments about the contents of this publication, please send them to [email protected] or drop them by the church office and we’ll make sure they are read and addressed as promptly as possible. Please allow 2-4 weeks for any necessary replies.

If you have been blessed with the ability to write or take pictures and feel called to use your talents to serve the Lord, Echoes would love to have you be part of our editorial team! Just call Patrick McAvoy at 602-549-7217 or write us at [email protected].

EchoesDecember 2013 / January 2014

03 Pastor’s Message

04 Youth Ministry

05 From the Congregational Nurse

06 Leupp Weekend

06 Music & Arts Festival

06 Carefree Christmas Festival

07 Manger Mania!

08 From Your Associate Pastor

09 Christmas Eve Services

09 Ornament Pickup

09 New Member Class

10 Adult Discipleship

11 Stephen Ministry

11 Sanctuary Flowers

12 Spread Christmas Joy!

14 Ministry at the Heritage

14 Knitting and Crocheting

15 Music & Arts Festival

IN THIS ISSUE:

2014: A Year in Prayer

Jim Noble, Senior [email protected]

Pastor’sMessage

DESERT HILLS Echoes • DECEMBER 2013 / JANUARY 2014 3

On behalf of the staff and leadership at Desert Hills, I want to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a glorious New Year. We pray that your celebration of Christ’s birth will be filled with blessings and an awareness of God’s presence.

2014 will be a year in prayer for us as a congregation in which we will be asking the Lord to teach us to pray. We will look at some of the prayers in the Scriptures, prayers of our fore parents, and different practices of prayer. There will be opportunities throughout the year to experience different forms of prayer and to pray for our neighbors.

In 2014 we will also seek to have other Christians and churches throughout our community to join with us in this prayer. This will include our sister churches in Jamaica, Scotland, Leupp and the Phoenix area. Our focused and continuous prayer will be for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us, our community, and the world. For Jesus himself said, “…how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?” (Luke 11:13)

I invite you to begin to reflect upon your own prayer life that the New Year will truly be a year of new beginnings with the Lord. I invite you to deepen your personal prayer life, expand prayer in your own household, and join with us in praying for others. May God truly fill us all with His Spirit.

Peace in Christ,

Jim

DESERT HILLS Echoes • DECEMBER 2013 / JANUARY 20144

During the month of December in Youth Discipleship there are not many meetings or activities. This is intentionally planned in order to give students time to celebrate and worship with their parents and the rest of the faith community at Desert Hills. The season of Advent is a special time in our church and provides opportunities for special worship and church-wide activities that are listed in this Echoes.

The Sunday morning high school Discover Bible study on the Gospel of Mark has been going extremely well. I have been personally encouraged by the students’ interaction as well as the help from both adult and student leaders. Discover has spent the fall examining the authority of Jesus as found within Mark and will spend the spring looking at Jesus as the suffering Messiah. Discover will meet back in the youth room starting January 19th and will go through meeting every other Sunday until our last meeting on April 13th during the time of 9:45-10:45 a.m.

Confirmation class this past fall has been amazing. It is always a joy to see God at work in the hearts and lives of our middle school aged youth. This year for confirmation we have included both 7th and 8th grade students. The 7th grade students are part of a transitional year as we try to expand confirmation from 1 to 2 years in length. The current 8th graders are doing a fantastic job leading the way and are helped by former confirmation students who are leading small groups. Confirmation will also take the month of December off and classes in the youth room will resume on January 26th from 9:30-10:45 a.m.

Wednesday night Youth Gatherings have been filled with fun and service this past fall. Students have taken part in helping pack homeless hygiene kits for the downtown chaplaincy, packed food for

Feed My Starving Children in Tempe as well as working alongside our neighbors at Light of the Desert Church. In addition, students have also served dinner at the Phoenix St. Vincent de Paul and participated in a community See You at the Pole worship event at Cactus Shadows. Youth Gatherings will meet December 18th to watch the Advent musical and then take a break until January 8th meeting from 6:30-8:00 p.m. every Wednesday.

Winter camp will be held this year at Young Life’s Lost Canyon during January 3rd-5th. The cost for camp is $150 and includes transportation, lodging, and food. This camp is open to all students currently in 8th grade through seniors in high school. Please contact Youth Director, Kevin Deasy at [email protected] if you have a son/daughter interested in attending.

Summer camp, that’s right, even though its cold out and we are in the middle of holidays it is already time to look ahead to the summer. Please mark your calendars for June 29th – July 4th for Hume Lake Summer Camp in San Diego, CA. This camp will be open for all students going into high school in the fall or any seniors who graduate in May. More information about deposits, cost, and fundraisers will be available soon.

Thank you for your prayers and support this past fall. God is certainly with us and it is a blessing to see him through our church and students. God Bless.

Youth Minstry NewsKevin Deasy, Youth Minister [email protected]


CongregationalNurse

from the

TIPS TO REDUCE CHRISTMASTIME STRESS

During the Christmas season, it always seems the pace gets faster than usual and placing holiday preparation on top of an already-busy schedule can cause a lot of stress.

Add to this the fact that many of us are caretakers of children, aging parents, or spouses. What can you do to bring balance?

Pray the familiar, but very wise Serenity Prayer several times throughout the day:

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.

In the midst of Christmas demands, try to care for yourself by making one small healthy choice a day. A few simple suggestions:

• Laugh. It’s impossible to be stressed when you are laughing.

• Get moving. Exercise is not only a good distraction; it also boosts norepinephrine levels, which researchers believe help modulate stress.

• Pray. Stress increases the levels of harmful LDL cholesterol, which causes dangerous plaque buildup in the arteries. Prayer has been known to lessen these levels.

• Take a mini-vacation. Our brains are not wired to be on all the time, and our bodies aren’t meant to be stimulated 18 hours a day. We need to have time to just stare at the waves.

• You don’t even have to travel—just turn off your cell phone and avoid e-mail for half a day. It will make you feel as if you’re on vacation without leaving home.

• Look for the lighter side of stressful situations.

• Count your blessings every day. Remember: at the core of your being, you are goodness and love! Develop an attitude of gratitude.

• Start your day by saying, “I’m God’s powerful possibility!” If you make a mistake, don’t engage in endless worry or negative self-talk. Keep in mind, only you are in charge of your attitude.

• Smile! Did you ever think that smiling can improve your health? A smile can subtract years from your face and say more about you than hours of conversation. Smiling can also tone three groups of facial muscles, and firm, supple muscles make for a healthier complexion. Smiling can stimulate glands, hair follicles and blood, all of which nourish and revitalize your skin. A smile is a wonderful thing to behold! So give somebody a gift—and get an instant facelift.


PARTICIPATE IN THE CAREFREE CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL - DECEMBER 13-15Exciting plans are in the works for this year’s Carefree Christmas Festival, happening December 13, 14 & 15 in downtown Carefree. DHPC will be hosting a Community Sing-a-long and Living Nativity on Saturday, Dec. 14 from 3:00-4:00pm in the large amphitheater.

• Community Sing-a-long: Sing Christmas Carols with old and new friends and puppets and enjoy a live performance of the Nativity story, the real reason for the season.

• Carefree Christmas Living Nativity: Calling all angels and shepherds and wise men! Sign up for the Community Living Nativity. The Living Nativity will be part of the community choir program.

• Costume Fitting: Sunday, December 8 from 9-12. Come to the Sanctuary classrooms for your costume.

Registration forms for any and all activities are available at the Church office.

For more information contact Karin at [email protected] or Kathleen at [email protected] or call 480-488-3384.

SAVE THE DATE: LEUPP WEEKEND APRIL 26 & 27Join us for our annual trip to visit our Navajo sister church on the Navajo Nation Reservation. Ours is a most unique relationship. We have fellowship at least twice a year for decades. It has enriched many of our lives as families and individuals.


You’re all invited to our Christmas Musical, “Manger Mania” on Wednesday, December 11 at 6:30 pm in the Fellowship Center. Admission is free! DHPC and neighborhood kids have been preparing Wednesdays since August, enjoying the singing, acting, dancing and fellowship.

Our production includes singing barn animals, three cool Eastern guys, and a manger scene that you won’t want to miss, with sets and costumes courtesy of our backstage crew.

Afterwards, join the cast and crew with dessert, fellowship, and time to thank them all for all their skills and effort!

JOIN US FOR OUR CHRISTMAS MUSICAL

“MANGER MANIA”

ON DECEMBER 11 AT 6:30 PM!

7


Your church’s Care Ministry is offering this Adult Grief Support group for anyone who has experienced a loss of a spouse, a job, home, or a pet. Your loss may be recent or it could have been a number of years ago – it does not matter when it happened. What matters is how well you are moving through and growing because of your loss.

Over the course of six weeks, you will find a secure and confidential place where you can tell your experience, receive constructive and positive support, practical tips, and learn to live a meaningful life of faith, hope, and love.

Grief and Loss Adult Support Group , Wednesday, January 22nd to February 26th, 4:00 – 5:30pm Fellowship Lounge

Our support group will be facilitated by Pastor Bob Claus; Mary Kay Thurston, Congregational Nurse; and Mary Yeager, Legacy Adult Day Care Center.

Recommended books are:• A GRACE DISGUISED by Jerry Sittser• GRIEF RECOVERY WORKBOOK by John W James and Russell

Friedman• REMEMBERING WITH LOVE by Elizabeth Levang

To participate, please contact Pastor Bob or call the church office.

Blessings,

Bob

Bob Claus, Associate Pastor [email protected] | 480-488-3384

From Your Associate Pastor

GRIEF & LOSS ADULT SUPPORT GROUP BEGINS JANUARY 22


NEW MEMBER CLASSES BEGIN JANUARY 26 Class 1: January 26 Class 2: February 9 Class 3: Febrary 23 Class 4: March 2

PICK UP YOUR DHPC CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT

Just $20! Purchase yours on the patio.

Support DHPC’s Children’s Ministries by purchas-ing this one-of-a-kind hand painted ornament on the patio between services for just $20!

5:00, 7:00, and 9:00 pm in the Sanctuary


1. The Tabernacle

The study of the tabernacle is the story of the gospel of works and the Gospel of Grace shown through the blood sacrifice of animals and the intervention of the priests. The tabernacle is a wonderful picture of Christ in the Old Testament.

The student of the tabernacle will see Christ concealed in the Old Testament and then revealed in the New Testa-ment. The student will see the types and shadows of Christ in the old, progressively revealed in the New Testament. This will produce a wonderful sense of how the Bible is completely integrated and not separated into just the Old and New Testaments, but completely comprehensive from beginning to end.

Classes are January 5 - April 13, 11:00am in the Choir Room. This class will be taped!

2. Angels and Demons: Biblical and Cultural Realities

At Jesus’ birth, angels came from heaven to announce our Savior’s dear birth. As a young man, Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan. Jesus in his ministry encountered the demoniac and cast the demon “Legion” into thousands of pigs. The Apostle Paul wrote this to the Ephesians: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Eph. 6:12.

Ten years ago, a TV program called Touched by An Angel was quite popular. Depending on your reading choices, Dan Brown, author of the Da Vinci Code, also wrote a novel titled, Angels and Demons. But you may not know about what is currently on TV where programs like Dracula, Sleepy Hollow, and Zero Hour offer “alternative” versions of history, technology, and spiritual power.

The basic questions of this class are: What is real? What is true? The purpose of the class is to learn and discern how the Biblical testimony to spiritual reality of God’s activity in Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit informs our minds and hearts as they relate to the spiritual realms and powers depicted in angels and demons.

Class will include presentation of Biblical material, discussion, clips and writings from current culture, and a time for prayer. Classes held Thursday, February 6th to February 27th, 3 – 4:30pm in Choir Room. Led by pastor Bob Claus.

Please sign up by calling Pastor Bob at 480-268-1374 or by email to [email protected].

Adult Discipleship Opportunities Beginning In 2014


LOVE IS AN ASSERTIVE FORCE

The Son of God became a man,to enable men to become the sons of God. -C.S.Lewis

Assertive living means choosing how to respond to people and events, and Jesus is the model for assertive Christians. Jesus first chose to love others, and that choice made his responses clear examples of the asser-tive life-style. But sometimes, again by assertive choice, Jesus responded aggressively or passively. The key is in the loving and in the choosing.

Jesus was strikingly consistent. He was consistently motivated by love. He knew God and he knew God’s will. He knew himself and his ministry, and his entire life moved towards accomplishing one purpose: to bring salvation to all people. His love for all people caused Jesus to make assertive choices throughout his life in order to accomplish his saving purpose.

Even at the point of giving his life, Jesus made it clear that he was not a helpless, passive victim, a person buf-feted by the evil, unfairness, and cruelties of life. Jesus was instead the obedient, willing servant of God, fully active in God’s plan of salvation.

Stephen Ministry training in session: We now have 4 trainees going through 50 hours of training classes. Would you please hold these future Stephen Ministers and their trainers in your prayers? They will join our team of 28 other Stephen Ministers in our congregation in the spring.

Our next training is scheduled for October, 2014. Please talk to Pastor Bob or other Stephen Ministers if you would like to serve in Stephen Ministry.

S T E P H E N M I N I S T R Y

SANCTUARY FLOWERS

The flower chart for 2014 will be posted in the Narthex beginning the first Sunday of November, November 3rd.

The cost of the flowers remains at $35.00 per ar-rangement. We request just one arrangement per Sunday and if your preferred date is not available, please select an alternate. Remember to indicate “flowers” in the memo section of your check.


Desert Hills Presbyterian Church has the privilege of hosting the first Community

Christmas Celebration Brunch from 11:30-1:00pm on Christmas Day.

Join others in our community for a wonderful meal of frittatas, fruit, breads, ham, green beans, au gratin potatoes, pecan pie and

pumpkin pie. Reservations are appreciated but not required.

For reservations or more information please stop by the table on the patio on Sunday

mornings or contact Kathleen at [email protected] or at 480-488-3384.

We are looking for volunteers in the following areas:

Donate Christmas cookies-please bring to the church by Sunday, Dec. 20. Please mark these cookies “Christmas

Day Brunch”

Set up-December 23 at 1:00pm. The set up crew will set up the tables in

the dining room, decorate the tables and roll silverware.

Clean up- December 25 at 12:30pm. The clean-up crew will wash dishes

and package any left-over food.

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TOSPREAD SOME CHRISTMAS JOY!


A N D W E H AV E S E E N H I S G L O RY,

T H E G L O R Y O F T H E F AT H E R ’ S

O N E A N D O N LY S O N .


Ministry at The Heritage – Second Thursday of each month, 1 – 2 p.m.

Each month we travel to The Heritage (located just south of E Cave Creek Road and N Pima Rd) for a time of fellowship, singing, prayer, and devotions. Join us as we spread joy to those who live at The Heritage – we guarantee that you will be blessed! See Karin Thomas ([email protected]), Lau-rann Cook ([email protected]), or Diane Hillwig ([email protected]) for more information – or just show up at 1 p.m. at The Heritage!

Knitting and Crocheting – Meets Wednesdays from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Interested in knitting and crocheting? Join us each Wednesday afternoon as we work on our individual projects, enjoy a time of fellowship and prayer, and inspire each other! If you have a tricky spot and need some help, bring your project and we’ll help to get you going in the right direction. See Meg Gowin ([email protected]) or Diane Hillwig ([email protected]) for more info.


On Friday evening, February 21, and Saturday, Febru-ary 22, the Music and Arts Committee will sponsor

the annual Festival! Watch for details and the oppor-tunity to sign up. It is a fun way to learn something

and make new friends.

This year, we will be offering the following workshops, plus we are working to add others:

Beginning KnittingBeginning Crochet

Handmade Greeting CardsJewelry

Art for KidsTai Chi Chih

Expandable Photo AlbumPublic Speaking

Music Lessons

34605 North Tom Darlington Drive P.O. Box 874 Carefree AZ 85377 480-488-3384

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage PaidPAIDCave Creek, AZ Permit No. 9

or current resident

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Echoes of DHPC | December 2013 - January 2014