December 20, 2023
"My mother was the 'Cindy Lou Who' to the Christmas 'Grinches' in our family," Indiana minister Eric Hallstrom writes in this second in a series of six Christmas memories we are sharing. "I have to admit, I may have been one of those grouches during my growing-up years. . . ."
November 10, 2020
By Jim Nieman In this time of COVID-19, Vail Christian Church in Tucson, Ariz., figured out a way to bring people together, improve physical and spiritual health, and raise money for a Christian mission. As a bonus, participants in the church’s inaugural Masquerade 5K—the culmination of VCC’s 12-week Run for God class—were encouraged to dress up in costumes, since the big event took place on Halloween. “Due to the closures of all [running] races around Tucson, we wanted to provide a race that our Run for God class participants could end their 12-week walk/run training program with,” said Mat Miller,
By Jennifer Johnson Several of the Restoration Movement”s largest churches have created internship programs, some that involve entire cohorts of students and work with colleges and universities for academic credit. “Those are wonderful opportunities for students, and we love what those churches are doing,” says Becki Kern. “But we decided our niche would be a more customized program that works one-on-one with each individual. With that goal in mind, we launched the Reveal Residency in 2014.” Kern, who serves as campus launch pastor and director of Reveal at Pantano Christian Church, Tucson, AZ, designed the program to work with people
September 16, 2016
By Matt Gugel “Hello, my name is Matt and I”m a resident pastor.” Maybe you read “resident pastor” and think, What in the world is a “resident pastor?“ Good question! I actually live under the stage in the worship center! Obviously””at least, I hope it was obvious””that is not where I live. To help clarify what I mean by resident pastor, think of a person who wants to be a doctor. He spends his time going to school and finally comes to a place where he starts to put what he”s learned into practice. After graduation, that person must become
June 16, 2016
By Glen Elliott The church has struggled to find ways not to settle with the comfort of sameness. Significant portions of the New Testament letters deal with racial division (see Ephesians 2 and James 2 as examples) and the unity that is to be a hallmark of God”s people. That”s why Paul reminds us, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Paul says those who have been baptized and put on Christ are one in Christ regardless of ethnicity, economic status,
June 16, 2016
By Glen Elliott Evangelical leaders have been very intentional about creating unity among the faith community to make a spiritual, social, and economic difference in our city, Tucson, Arizona. Our combined prayer is the one Jesus asked us to pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, in Tucson as it is in Heaven.” Even after seeing huge progress among the white and a few of the Hispanic churches, we realized the racial divide still exists. So about three years ago, a group of white and black pastors decided to meet. One of the black pastors agreed to host the
September 23, 2014
By Mark A. Taylor Of all the helpful “change” pieces at our site this month, perhaps the most challenging is Glen Elliott”s account of Christians banding together to help change a city in trouble. Tucson, Arizona, according to Elliott”s report, is a decidedly un-Christian place, listed as the 12th-most post-Christian city of 100 metro areas in the U.S. And its spiritual poverty is matched by its economic and educational deficiencies. Tucson is the sixth-poorest metro area in the nation, filled with underperforming schools with terrible reputations. What kind of change could Christians make happen in a place like that? The
September 13, 2014
By Glen Elliott Do you believe your city, town, region, barrio, or district can change? Do you believe your church can be a catalyst to bring about true community transformation? Do you see your church joining other churches, social agencies, and governmental entities to make a real difference? Will the prayer Jesus asked his disciples to pray become a reality where you live, “Your kingdom come, your will be done in (insert your city name here) as it is in heaven”? At one time, I had my doubts. The challenges and needs seemed overwhelming. I had so little time and
July 17, 2014
By Cal Jernigan (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) The best ministry advice I have ever received has to do with putting things in perspective. The simple advice was captured in one little sentence: “Things are never as good as you think they are, and things are never as bad as you think they are.” While it might initially sound a tad pessimistic, it”s anything but. When things are good, it”s easy to be euphoric and to exaggerate the significance and impact of what you”re celebrating. It feels so good and it feels so right.Â
July 4, 2011
By Jennifer Taylor In May, Pantano Christian Church (Tucson, AZ) gave away $25,000″”and asked the recipients to give the same. The money, which the church received as a grant, was offered to members of the PCC community to involve them in a microloan program with Kiva, a nonprofit organization that helps donors provide small loans ($25 or more) to help entrepreneurs around the world escape poverty by starting small businesses. PCC members could participate in the program by committing a small amount of their own money and receiving matching funds from the church. A $12.50 donation would result in $25″”the
April 4, 2011
By Jennifer Taylor Some groups at Pantano Christian Church (Tucson, Arizona) reach the community through outreach or benevolence. PCC”s Disaster Action Team serves Tucson by working to keep its citizens safe. The team, which formed several years ago, is led by Tom Taylor, a retired lieutenant for the sheriff”s office who serves as the church”s director of security and emergency services. “We didn”t try to create something new,” he says. “We partner with existing agencies and organizations to work within their systems. That”s how you get by the yellow tape so you can help.” Because of this collaborative perspective, the
January 14, 2011
Dorwan Stoddard, a member at Mountain Avenue Church of Christ (Tucson, AZ) was one of six people killed in last Saturday”s shooting that also severely wounded Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Stoddard was hit by the gunfire while protecting his wife, Mavy; Mavy was shot in the leg and was in stable condition as of Tuesday. The Christian Chronicle, a news blog of the churches of Christ, has updates here. * * * Tucson area news reports have also shared responses from several local churches, including Chandler (AZ) Christian Church and Central Christian Church in Mesa. Several of the congregations
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