Welcome to Community Presbyterian Church

We  strive to be a safe place, a sanctuary where people are accepted, included, and cared for as they are. We have been called to be agents of God’s transforming power, aligning ourselves with the Holy Spirit as we pray, worship, learn, gather for fellowship and serve together.  

Dear Friends,

I couldn’t write this yesterday. Yesterday was so windy the rain was blowing sideways -   it was gloomy and overcast – not exactly feeling like Christmas. This morning the church has about 3 inches of snow all over it and the grounds looks like a winter wonderland – thus I am able to write about the season! (Amazing how our moods can change with the weather!)

So I was thinking about past Christmas celebrations and looking forward to our opportunities for worship during the season of Advent. If my memory is still functioning correctly, it was Christmas Eve 1978. We were in Sparta, Illinois and our congregation was having a candle light communion service at 7:00 pm and then joining with the Catholic Church to be part of their midnight mass. Trinity Presbyterian Church (where I served) had beautiful candelabras and they were wrapped in real evergreens. During the prayer of blessing for communion, I had my eyes closed and heard footsteps running up the aisle. Just as I opened my eyes to see what was the matter (sounds like the Night Before Christmas, doesn’t it?) an Elder threw me out of the way and grabbed one of the candelabras (which was flaming – the evergreens were on fire) and ran with it down the center aisle and out into the parking lot. In the lore of that congregation, the service became known as the “Christ Torch Service”.

Another Christmas Eve service that comes to my remembrance is the “Don’t Let Him Beat Me” Service. The custom at Faith Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs (where I served for 20 years) was to have a family Christmas Eve service at 7:00 pm and Candle Light Communion at 11:30 pm. The family oriented service was focused on the children and was a total zoo! (You can imagine how hyped up kids are on Christmas Eve!) Anyway, this one little boy wouldn’t sit still and was hiding behind the Christmas tree in front of the sanctuary. Rather than just let him be, his father decided to make him come out from behind the tree. As dad approached from one side of the tree, the boy ran out of the other side yelling, “Don’t let him beat me!!” As you can imagine, this put a damper on the service (and we looked into the issue to make sure there wasn’t any child abuse taking place – there wasn’t).

So two rather memorable services in my past. I am anticipating our services this year will not be nearly as ‘memorable’!  

Over the course of the Advent season (beginning December 1st) we will be decorating the sanctuary, looking at some of the names of Christ presented by the prophet Isaiah, singing many carols and celebrating the season of our Lord’s coming. May the Christ of Christmas be active in your life during this holiday time.

Blessings and Merry Christmas, Bob  

It is time to prepare for the annual Bear Tree Mission that benefits the children in foster care in the White Mountains. We work in conjunction with Child Protective Services to provide gift bags for those in need. 

This year there were 50 bears to be selected from our tree and they were all taken! Please remember to bring back your ‘bear’ and the presents on or before Sunday, December 8th. Thanks so much for your generosity!

 If you have any questions you may contact any of the following people: Arlene Kerr (602) 361-0910 Mary Freeman – (928) 205-8597 

Monday Morning Coffee! This informal group is meeting at 9:00 on Mondays during the summer. Come and join us ~ have a cup of ‘Joe’ and some fun to start the week!

Mondays 9:00 am - Monday Morning Coffee at Eddie's Country Store

Tuesdays 10-11:30 am - Presbyterian Women's Group (May - September only)

Wednesdays 8:00 am - Sonrisers (Men's Group)

Sundays 9:30 am - Choir Rehearsal 

Sundays 10:30 am - Worship Service

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