Sun Lakes United Church of Christ welcomes back Churchman
Author, poet and spiritual guide John Churchman will return to Sun Lakes United Church of Christ from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, for a presentation dubbed “Happiness and/or Joy.”
According to a press release, Churchman writes, “With all we face on life’s journey, can we reasonably expect
Jewish
to be happy all the time? Rather than seeking perpetual happiness, might we benefit from living life with gratitude seeking joy rather than happiness?”
The presentation will be held at Sun Lakes Chapel Center, 9240 Sun Lakes Blvd. Call (480) 895-6317 for more information. A free will offering will be taken.
Congregation sets
early 2016 schedule
The Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation (SLJC) is an established reform congregation that meets at the Sun Lakes Chapel on the second Friday of the month. Officials say services are great opportunities to meet new people, connect with Judaism and learn. New attendees are invited to be introduced at the service and members of the congregation connect with these attendees.
Oneg Shabbats are held immediately after the services at Sun Lakes Country Club. Everyone is invited to attend. The services and Onegs are a great place to meet members, ask questions and learn more about the congregation.
Upcoming Friday Shabbat Services are:
• Feb. 12: Service honoring Sisterhood, 7 p.m.
• March 11: Service honoring choir, interfaith and Hadassah, 7:30 p.m.
• April 8: Yom HaShoah observance, 7:30 p.m.
• May 13: Service honoring Men’s Club, 7:30 p.m.
• June 10: Annual healing service and rabbi’s Bar Mitzvah Year, 7:30 p.m.
As part of its membership drive, SLJC is forming several new Havurahs. This is a chance for new members to get to meet other congregants with similar interests or hobbies. Havurah is an important part of Jewish life where single adults and the young at heart come together to share friendship and similar interests.
The congregation is looking for Jewish senior singles to meet in an informal friendly setting. The first meeting is at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, in the Chapel Center next to the SLJC Chapel. For information about this or other Havurahs, contact lainysardina@gmail. com or call (480) 895-0974.
Nudelman to speak at first Sisterhood meeting of new year
Merle Nudelman will discuss “Metamorphosis: Insight and Change Through Poetry” during the Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation Sisterhood’s first meeting of the new year at 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21.
Speaking at the Chapel House at Sun Lakes, Nudelman will cover the connection between creative expression, loss and healing.
She will speak about why she began to write poems and the power of the creative process to open new paths of compassion, understanding and peace with what was and with what is. She will unpack the profound gifts that this work has brought to her as she expressed and honored her family’s experience during and after the Holocaust.
Nudelman, a lawyer, poet and educator, has published four books of poetry with Guenica Editions in Canada.
“Borrowed Light,” her first collection, won the 2004 Canadian Jewish Book Award for Poetry. Her books and poems have garnered prizes and have appeared in literary and educational journals, anthologies and zines.
She leads workshops on creative writing and on healing through words. She is working on a book of nonfiction. She is also poetry editor of the literary journal Parchment
In other Sisterhood news, the reservations deadline is Jan. 15 for the Feb. 2 card party.
As always, donations for Toys from the Heart are always appreciated. Donations, as well as dues payments ($30), can be sent to Phyllis, at 3495 E. County Down Dr., Chandler, AZ, 85249.
For more information, call Suzy Zeigler at (480) 460-5574.
GriefShare begins 11-week class
Grief is an emotional rollercoaster but a normal part of life.
Those who are finding themselves struggling with grief should consider attending GriefShare, an 11-week class that begins on Wednesday, Jan. 13. The
courses will be held from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Sun Lakes United Methodist Church, 9248 E. Riggs Rd., Sun Lakes.
To register for the $15 class, visit www. sunlakesumc.org or call (480) 895-8766.
VUU free film series on racism continues in February
A free film series called “Continuing the Conversations: Racism in Films” will be shown at VUU from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays, Feb. 7, March 6 and April 10.
The films, in chronological order of the dates are “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Rosewood” and “Do The Right Thing.”
Movies will be held in the VUU sanctuary, and there will be a discussion after each showing.
“The films and conversations afterward will create a deeper understanding of how racist attitudes are embedded in our culture thereby supporting the practices of discrimination and brutality,” explained VUU member and co-coordinator Beverly
McCormick.
She said the film series also supports the mandate for awareness issued at the Unitarian Universalist Association’s General Assembly this year that “Black Lives Matter.”
Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation provides a welcoming diverse community that nurtures each person’s lifelong spiritual journey, creates a place of peace and celebration and strives for social justice and sustainable living.
VUU is located at 6400 W. Del Rio St., in Chandler. For more information, call (480) 899-4249, or visit www.vuu.org.
Women invited to second annual Shabbat dinner
The Jewish Women’s Circle, a project of Chabad of the East Valley, is hosting its second annual Women’s Only Shabbat Dinner at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15.
A special candle lighting and meditation will be at 5:25 p.m., followed by 6 p.m. services and 7 p.m. dinner.
According to the organization, each month the Chabad Jewish Women’s Circle has “amazing programming to feed your body, nourish your soul and delight your senses.” Usher in the Shabbat lights and
delight in a delicious and memorable meal in the company of wonderful women.
The dinner will be at the Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life, 875 N. McClintock Dr., Chandler. The costs is $25 per person; $54 for wine sponsors; $54 for Challah sponsors; and $180 for event sponsors.
To RSVP, email info@chabadcenter. com or call (480) 855-4333.
Chabad offering Hebrew lessons
Chabad of the East Valley is offering a Hebrew reading crash course to all Jewish members of the East Valley community. The course is designed to teach those with no basic knowledge of the Hebrew language how to read Hebrew in five easy lessons. Chabad of the East Valley is offering the course in an effort to inspire unaffiliated Jews to become more involved in Jewish life throughout the year.
An estimated 4 million American Jews are not affiliated with any religious denomination or institution. For many such Jews, their sole Jewish connection is attending synagogue for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services. By enhancing that spiritual experience, and the level of understanding of that experience, Chabad is sponsoring the Hebrew reading crash course, hopes to open the door to a full year of Jewish growth and commitment for thousands of previous uninvolved or marginally committed Jews.
“The Hebrew Reading Crash Course opened a new dimension in my life,” said one past participant. “Before the
crash course, I rarely set foot inside a synagogue except for weddings and Bar Mitzvahs. I felt like a fish out of water because I couldn’t even read the writing over the Holy Ark. Thanks to Chabad, I now attend synagogue every Sabbath, and I am overjoyed that I can pray along with the rest of the congregation in the original Hebrew text.”
The five-week Hebrew reading crash course begins at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 14, at Chabad 875 N. McClintock Dr., in Chandler. The $50 charge includes the textbook.
The course begins with learning the Hebrew alphabet and covers basic reading skills, preparing the participant for the exciting experience of reading and understanding prayers. Those who complete the course will be able to read and gain a rudimentary understanding of prayers in the original Hebrew text. For reservations and more information about the Hebrew reading crash course, call Chabad of the East Valley at (480) 8554333 or E-mail rabbi@chabadcenter.com.
Spiritual Reflections
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