Provo Community Church

The Provo Community United Church of Christ is interviewing prospective candidates for the position of Organist and Music Director.

Applicant would be required:
1. To provide musical support for Sunday Services which include prelude, interlude, and postlude music, besides hymns and various liturgical pieces.
2. To be present 50 Sundays of the year, with two Sundays paid vacation
3. To communicate at least bi-monthly with the Pastor and/or Worship Council Member to plan appropriate music for services
4. To play for special holidays throughout the year, including, but not limited to, Good Friday, Carols by Candlelight and Christmas Eve.
5. Applicant may be asked to play for weddings or funerals, but this is not required and remuneration will be handled by the families involved.
6. Applicant will be expected to have the choir prepared and ready to sing for Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, Pentecost, the four Sundays in Advent.
7. Will be required to provide substitute in the case of absence or vacation.

Skills required:
* Organ proficiency
* Piano proficiency
* Choral Direction
* Good sight reading skills
* Lead sheet reading

Pay: $70-90 per service, depending on experience and extra functions (ie: choir practice.) The same for special events.

The audition will consist of conducting and teaching the church choir a a phrase of a simple composition, hymn playing and a short interview with the church council. This will take place on Sunday July 17th at 9:30AM and you will be asked to stay through the worship service (10:30 to 11:30,) after which the meeting with the church council will take place.

All those interested MUST reserve a spot for the audition by emailing Felipe Dominguez at music@felipedominguez.net

Feel free to email him with any questions.

The time for VBS is fast approaching. The theme for this year is Big Heart Farms. The dates will be July 5-8 from 6-8:30 pm. This is for people of all ages.There will be lots of fun with singing, games, crafts and snacks for the kids. And there will be Bible study for the adults. The committee needs some donations of food and non-food items if you can help with any of these or have any other questions or to register your children call JoAnn Gauer at (801)921-0690.

General Synod is the national gathering for the United Church of Christ. It is going to happen in Tampa, Florida from July 1-5 2011.
Among the proposed resolutions and other formal motions are:

On Actions of Hostility Against Islam
U.S. Ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
A Resolution to Form a Theological Commission
A Covenant for Church Youth Ministries
The Right of LBGT Parents to Adopt and Raise Children
Putting Our Money Where Our Values Are
Affirming Health Care Coverage For Clergy Families
Resolution for Mindful and Faithful Eating
In Support of Effective and Constructive Peacemaking Between Palestinians and Israelis Through Positive Investment in Palestine
In Support of the Release of Puerto Rican Political Prisoners
Supporting International Human Rights Related to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
A Call for a Reflection and Advocacy on Behalf of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Culminating seven years of ecumenical dialog, delegates to the UCC’s 28th General Synod in Tampa, Fla., will also deliberate and potentially vote on a proposal recommending the “Common Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Baptism.” Forged between the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the United Church of Christ, Presbyterian Church-USA, Reformed Church in America and Christian Reformed Church – the agreement is being hailed as a “milestone on the ecumenical journey,” says Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, chairman of the USCCB Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

You can follow the events on twitter and facebook. There is also the hashtag #gs28 you don’t want to miss.

To all the “Pop Stars”:

Friday June 10 at 6:30 pm a very important meeting will be held at the University of Utah. The new association of the churches in Utah and three churches in Wyoming will come together as one. This is a huge step for all churches and the association will become stronger by adding more members. Please call the office to carpool at 801-375-9115.

Remarks by the Rev. Daniel Haas

Thank you for having me on the program today. I am Daniel Haas with Provo Community United Church of Christ. When you ask a German Evangelical minister like me to speak at a Pride Festival you are gonna get a biblical lecture. So here it goes – the Greek New Testament knows two kinds of love: agape and eros.​

You may have heard folks saying the “the Bible” opposes anything but the “straight” narrow path. Please bear in mind that both Judaism and early Christianity were persecuted minorities. And please don’t give up on the Bible all together just because some of the biblical authors needed to establish their identities opposed to their pagan environment. They were in extremely weak, vulnerable and dangerous positions.
Greeks and Romans practiced philadelphia, that is brotherly love in an eros sense: “Man, love your brother with all your body, mind and soul.” We are talking holistic desire and sexual passion. Jewish and early Christian communities related to the concept of philadelphia. They took it and reinterpreted it in an agape sense: “Be a decent person and treat your neighbors with respect.” Unfortunately along those lines some needed to part with their pagan past and started badmouthing erotic philadelphia. When you find a cool new faith that works better for where you are on your spiritual journey, you sometimes will dismiss your past culture. So again, please don’t dismiss the Bible as a whole for the weakness of some of its authors. Once they had had their coming-out as Christians, they looked at their old lives with new eyes and were confused.

Here is the Good News:
People of faith are no longer a persecuted minority. Christians need not have a persecution complex in the Western World. People practicing same-sex love are no longer the pagan opponent of Christianity, but gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people find themselves to be people of faith, spiritual and capable of holiness. Today faith and LGBT identities need not polarize or stand against each other but can and must be reconciled – especially in Utah.

Here is my biblical call to all faith communities in Utah:
In the name of love you must make sure that LGBT people do not find an environment that puts them in extremely weak, vulnerable and dangerous positions, or as Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans in chapter 15, verse 7: “So reach out and welcome one another to God’s glory. Jesus did it; now you do it!”

This Saturday June 4th starting at 6:30 a.m. we are having a Troop 51 Yard Sale! It will be on the corner of 500 West and Center Street in the Fresh Market parking lot. Come support us by checking out the many great things we will have to offer at the yard sale. Thanks so much!
Another Huge thing going on with the troop is tonight we have a Court of Honor. It will be at 7 pm at the church. The boys work so hard to earn rank advancements as well as merit badges and we are so proud of them.

The next four days hold four big events for our congregation at various locations.
Please try and make it to all of them:
Thursday, June 2nd, at 6 pm: Ascension Day Service on Mountains
Friday, June 3rd, from 6-9 pm: Gourds for Gallery Stroll
Saturday, June 4th, at 2 pm: Utah Pride Interfaith Service
Sunday, June 5th, at 10.30 am: Sunday Worship Service