MONTHLY UPDATE

​December 24, 2023

Christmas Eve is here! We hope you have been able to find hope, peace, joy, and love within community this Advent season. This year with Christmas Eve landing on a Sunday we get to gather to light the last candle of Advent, the Love candle, as well as the Christ candle in the center. For our leadership and staff, the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service is always one of our favorites. Over the years at The Commons, passing the flame from candle to candle, one to another, has united our hearts around Christ being born into our world. God became flesh – light shining in darkness. We hope to see many of you celebrating with us tonight! 

Candlelight Christmas Eve Service

Join us in celebrating Christmas today, December 24th at 4:30pm! Located at Federated downtown, 400 W Aspen Ave. Everyone is welcome. Kids will be in service with us. Grab a candle when you arrive!

Upcoming

  • New Years Eve Party - NO SERVICE ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31ST - Instead join us at our office for Hot Coco & Cider from 8:30pm to 10:30pm. Located at 16 E. Route 66, Suite 203 (downtown above Aloha BBQ). We will walk over and attend the 10pm pine cone drop!

  • Community Yoga - Join us for a free yoga class on Saturday, January 13th at 11am at Federated! If you are in need of childcare during this class, text Gretta at 928-310-1018 and we can make a plan!

  • Mexico House Building Trip - We are taking a team to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico February 16th-19th. Together we will help build a house for a family in need. Come to our informational meeting on January 14th after service!

  • We are excited to continue our programs serving young adults with disabilities, undocumented families, our youth, the LGBTQ+ community, and more! If you are interested in getting more involved, let us know and we would love to hang out and find a good fit!

End of Year Giving Option

We greatly appreciate any gift to help support our community. Thank you to everyone who helps make this ministry healthy and sustainable! All donations are fully tax deductible. By making a donation to The Commons you are: 

  • Supporting the other organizations we support: Speak Up for the Poor, Flagstaff Family Food Center, Beloved Arise, Life Ansanm, Northern Arizona Interfaith Council

  • Helping allow this type of progressive and inclusive theology to remain active and available in Flagstaff

  • Making it possible for us to afford the costs of our Sunday service space and programming.

  • Supporting the programs that we sustain: Immigrant Family Food Share, Jubilee Ministry for Young Adults with Disabilities, Flagstaff Youth Co-Op, Kids Ministry, Community Groups, Campouts, Mexico House Building Trips, etc.

  • Making our staff healthy and sustainable in order for us to continue to walk alongside people in their lives, questions, heartbreaks, and celebrations; as well as giving us space to dream about more ways to help this community flourish.

If you would like to make a one time donation or set up an automatic monthly donation to The Commons, that would mean the world to us. You can do so here.

Tonight as we gather together we recognize that there is much heaviness in the world. We are reminded of the ancient poetic line from O Holy Night, which says "the weary world rejoices". How can a weary world rejoice? We rejoice because God is with us. God is born into the world, again. God is in the rubble of war, the pain of broken hearts. God co-suffers with us and is ever present in our darkest hours. As a community, we get to birth God into the world as well. The great privilege of Christmas is that it keeps happening, in us. May we all be keenly aware of God's presence in every heart this Christmas season, bringing true hope, peace, joy and love.

Merry Christmas!

With Love,

The Commons Family