1. Letter from Session

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As we close the 2021 year, we do so with joy and gratitude in our hearts! We are blessed to be a part of what God is doing at Desert Hills Presbyterian Church, a congregation with a heart for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and a heart for our community.

“Dare to be New” was the motto for 2021, a definite challenge during a pandemic! However, as you will discover in the pages of the annual report that follows, a quick look back on DHPC’s ministry happenings in 2021 reveals the incredible faithfulness of our God who led us, equipped us, and empowered us, not to mention gave us much to CELEBRATE! Here are a few ways we are celebrating God’s faithfulness:

Family and student ministries are making a joyful noise: Our Children’s Ministry kicked off a new curriculum, “Orange,” in February complete with two beautiful and inviting gathering spaces - The Clubhouse and Studio 15 for ages birth through age 3 and age 4 through sixth grade, respectively. An online companion curriculum piece was also implemented for students to enjoy at home with their parents. Children’s Ministry also initiated Parents’ Night Out, hosted a Fall Faith Festival “bouncy house” and

Crafts, and presented the First Annual Jingle Jam, complete with singing, games, drama, and the first ever recorded “snowfall” on our new stage! Our Youth Ministry (The Hangout) experienced similar excitement in 2021 with new and inviting gathering spaces leading to a growing youth group and more activity at the church and in the community! Through the generosity of the church, students participated in the first summer camp experience in quite some time at Forest Home (CA) and fundraised for winter camp in January 2022. Family and Student ministries hired collegeage interns to serve in the children and youth ministries.

The boulders are alive with the sound of music: To the delight of our congregation and local community, our Music and Arts committee was able to reinstate the concert series which has seen not only larger crowds as the year progressed, but also a tremendous upswing in financial support from our congregation and community alike!

DHPC is now home to The Fountain Hills Saxophone Quartet (featuring DHPC Music Director Jeffrey Anthony) who serve as our “artists in residence” and provided a tremendous church “community outreach” effort by performing 64 concerts in 2021!

The donuts are “tipping the scales” for great fellowship: Our Fellowship Ministry provided a diverse offering of social opportunities for our congregation’s enjoyment in 2021 – ranging from a boat cruise on the Desert Bell (Saguaro Lake) and lunch at the

Lake’s Ship Rock Café to an ice cream social for the 4th of July patriotic sing-along to serving a festive feast to 170 guests at the Renaissance Yuletide Feaste. After a long pandemic hiatus, the reintroduction of our beloved coffee and donuts made the patio a favorite hangout place between worship services once again.

Letter from Session

Adult discipleship opportunities are on the rise: The Adult Discipleship Committee took great strides to develop new and exciting opportunities for discipleship and Christian education in 2021 including our second “Discipleship Rocks” conference with Ron Bennett, a significant increase in class and Bible study offerings, and our exciting new micro discipleship groups. 2021 also saw the kickoff of offerings relating to “Christ and/in Culture” including viewing/discussion groups for “The Chosen” and a partnership with Arizona Christian University for our new “Faith and Film” seasonal series.

Care for Seniors activities are “blasting off:” Our care ministries team has launched “Phase 1” of a bold vision and ongoing commitment to better meet the needs of the aging in our congregation and community. DHPC partnered with BrainSavers™ (brainsavers.com) to create exciting weekly classes to encourage cognitive health, nutrition, physical fitness, socialization, stress reduction, and sleep. This is a great start to even more activities being planned for 2022.

Our campus and ministry spaces are undergoing a “facelift:” We must not forget to celebrate those who made many of the aforementioned events and activities possible – our Building and Grounds committee and our faithful volunteers who are committed to making our campus BEAUTIFUL and INVITING! Our B&G team was hard at work this year on projects “big and small.” The new Family and Student Ministry and Adult Ministry spaces, a sturdy and more functional Fellowship Center stage and video projection, replaced vinyl shades, and an improved landscaped exterior are some of the more obvious improvements. The team also prepared for exciting things to come in 2022, including a completed elevator rebuild in the office building, solar-shaded parking, and a fresh coat of paint on all the building exteriors.

Indeed, we have much to celebrate by way of God’s faithfulness to us in 2021. As we “Dared to be New,” God’s hand of blessing was upon us as a congregation, and He has greatly used us to touch the hearts of His children as we seek to glorify Him in all things and to faithfully proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and to carry out the work of advancing His Kingdom! His plans are amazing and SURELY GOD IS IN THIS PLACE!

Consequently, you may discover that we are convinced that God is just getting started and has a great vision for DHPC. As we look forward to 2022, our church leadership eagerly anticipates new programs and enhancing existing programs! During the annual meeting, we will share with you some incredibly exciting developments as we work our mission to see “More People More Like Christ!” You don’t want to miss this!

Celebrating our loving and gracious God and forever grateful for His goodness to us, The Session of Desert Hills Presbyterian Church