Conversations at Shadow Rock

By Rev Kenneth Heintzelman

Our fellowship hall at Shadow Rock UCC is a space we love to share with our community partners. This includes scouts, legislative district groups, Desert Progressives, All-Anon, Naranon, AA, and St. Teresa’s Ecumenical Catholic Community. Being this way in our community is one of the ways we live out our core value of inclusion. Sometimes we miss an opportunity to be open, affirming, and welcoming of every human being but leaning into inclusion is definitely a part of who we are.

Sometimes we miss an opportunity right in front of our eyes. On the edges of our community are people who are homeless and some who struggle with addiction. These are vulnerable human beings. We experience them as risky and they evoke feelings of vulnerability in us. Where do they come from? Why are they in the condition they are in? Why are they here? What can be done? What do I do when my children ask these questions? The questions are uncomfortable but we save our humanity when we live with the questions and the discomfort. There are no easy answers or solutions. So, we crack open our car windows and hand out bottles of water, and energy bars, change from our car stash compartments, and $5 McDonald’s gift certificates. We do this to appease our conscience but it also preserves some human dignity for the moment. We do not wish they would go away. We pray for strength and compassion to endure and transform.

A large banner hangs in our fellowship hall. It is bright and colorful in its design and its message. It reminds us to be the church by protecting the environment, caring for the poor, embracing diversity, rejecting racism, forgiving often, fighting for the powerless, sharing resources, and enjoying life! We benefit from being a part of the Moon Valley community. We hope Moon Valley benefits from us being a part of you.

Did something in this article start a spark of curiosity for you? You’re invited to continue the conversation with others - our community of inclusion, justice, and spirituality gathers on Sunday mornings at 10:15 am.