Welcome to
Celebration of Life
Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.
2530 S. Alma School Road
Mesa, AZ 85210
(480)838-8550
Rev. Larimore K. Wickett, Pastor
Contents
Introduction
Our name identifies our spirit: Celebration of Life - a church that deals
with today, lovingly. We are located on the Northwest corner of South Alma
School Road and Meseto Drive, between Baseline and Guadalupe Roads.
Worship
The primary activity of our life together is the worship of God as revealed
in Jesus Christ. Our worship is informal and contemporary in style, and
includes members of the congregation as lay leaders in each service, giving
them the opportunity to share their own insights. We focus on the
acceptance of all people in the world, global peace and ministering to the
under-privileged in our worship service. Each service also provides time
for the people of the congregation to express their own prayers and
concerns.
Sunday Worship
- 10:00 Worship Service
- 10:40 Church School (following Children's Time in the worship service)
Communion is generally celebrated on the first Sunday
of each month.
At Fellowship time after worship the congregation gathers
around refreshments.
Special Services on
- Ash Wednesday
- Maundy Thursday
- Christmas Eve
Music
Celebration of Life is a very musical church. With the accompaniment of
piano and guitar, the congregation does a lot of singing in each worship
service. We use traditional hymns balanced with contemporary and folk songs
in order to maintain our upbeat feeling in keeping with the theme of the
service.
The choir sings twice monthly, rehearsing at 8:30 on the Sunday mornings
it is singing, and we welcome everyone who likes to sing at any time.
Education
Children and Youth
- Sunday School
- Classes are offered for children ages Pre-K through Senior High School.
Young people are dismissed to their classrooms following the Children's Time
during Sunday morning worship.
- Junior Youth Group
- Meets approximately every other Sunday evening and provides group
activities for young people ranging in age from fifth through ninth grades.
- Nursery
- On-site child care is offered during Sunday morning worship for
children too young to attend Sunday School.
- Vacation Bible School
- Meets for one week during July and offers elementary school age
children a one-week experience of Bible study, singing, games and crafts.
Adult Study
During most of the year, weekly Adult Study sessions are held. Each study
usually runs for about six weeks, and the group participating in the study
meets for about 1 1/2 hours either on Sunday after the worship service, or
on Wednesday evening. Topics that have been covered recently include:
- The Doorway Series
- A study based on a series of books to explore and deepen our spiritual
links with God and our fellow humans.
- God's Earth -- Our Home
- A study of social and environmental actions to result from our
Christian calling.
- Dialog on sexuality
- Discussion regarding lesbian and gay issues in relation to the
Presbyterian Church.
Mission
A critical part of the Church's repsonsibility in this world is its caring,
healing and compassionate service to others, reflecting the love and justice
of God.
Examples of CoL's local mission involvement include:
- Guadalupe -- clinic and church support.
- My Sister's Place and Autumn House -- refuges for battered women
and abused children.
- Christmas projects -- sharing with the needy.
- "Pigs-in-the-Blanket" -- annual fundraiser for supplies for the homeless.
- Food, toiletries, and referral for those in need.
Care for others in a global perspective:
- Heifer Project -- providing farm animals worldwide.
- C.R.O.P. Walk -- annual walk to raise funds for the hungry.
- Special Designated Offerings -- for assistance worldwide administered
through Presbyterian Church organizations
- Presbyterian Health, Education and Welfare Association (PHEWA) --
promoting justice and development opportunities for all.
Presbyterian Women
This group meets on the third Monday of each month to share a Bible study
lesson and social time. Service projects include making personal supply
packets for My Sister's Place, a local shelter for abused women and their
children. Contact the Church office for the location of each month's
meeting.
Opportunities to serve at Celebration of Life
At Celebration of Life Church we encourage our members to become actively
involved in the life of the church, and through the inspiration and
encouragement gained there to respond to the community, nation, and world in
ways that demonstrate the love and justice of God.
Because we are small, every person is valuable and needed. Everyone can
serve in some way that matches their interests and talents. The following
outline of committees will give you an idea of specific activities and
emphases. Many members of Celebration of Life Church are actively involved
with one or more groups.
Examples of committees at Celebration of Life:
- Worship
- Christian Education
- Evangelism
- Social Justice and Peacemaking
- Membership Care and Concern
- Fellowship
- Personnel / Nominating
- Buildings and Grounds
- Finance
- Stewardship
The Connectional Church:
- Presbytery Committees
- Synod Committees
- General Assembly Committees
Membership at Celebration of Life
Who we are
At Celebration of Life we acknowledge God as our Creator and conscience,
Jesus Christ as our Redeemer and model, and the Holy Spirit as our strength
and inspiration. As the Body of Christ we carry on his mission today in a
spirit that honors human diversity. We are grounded in our Biblical faith
and our reformed heritage. We strive to be attuned to the spiritual,
social, emotional, and physical needs of our members and friends.
Our invitation
We invite all persons to join us in worship, study and fellowship. While we
are in a specific neighborhood in Mesa, the inclusiveness of our worship and
our commitment to justice in all levels of life appeals to persons outside
our immediate community who are searching for a church home that deals
lovingly with today's issues.
To become a member
Anyone who is interested in becoming a member after worshiping with us is
invited to become an inquirer. This involves attending a few orientation
classes that focus on the beliefs, history, worship and mission of the
Presbyterian Church and of Celebration of Life. Interested people who have
never been members of a church join through Profession of Faith. Those who
are currently inactive but former members may join through Reaffirmation of
Faith. Those who currently are members of another church may join through a
letter of transfer.
History
Celebration of Life Presbyterian Church became a reality at a Congregational
Meeting on September 5, 1974 with the Reverend Kurt Freund as pastor. At
that meeting the name Celebration of Life was chosen along with the adoption
of a Covenant of Membership Statement and the election of Ruling Elders.
The Organizational Service was held October 6, 1974 at 2 p.m. at the
Roosevelt School in Mesa, Arizona. This all came as a result of more than a
year's work by the Mission Development Committee and Tri-City New Church
Development for the Presbytery of Grand Canyon.
The first service in the present church building at 2530 S. Alma School
Road took place April 8, 1979. In March of that year, the Reverend James R.
Manring was called as pastor. He had been serving as Stated Supply since
June of 1976. With the installation of Paul Black as pastor at Spirit of
Joy Lutheran Church, a joint-use relationship was established that continues
to this day.
On January 24, 1982 the Reverends Rebecca Strader and Michael Brown began
their wife-husband pastorate. Mike and Becky made a drastic climate change
when they moved to a church in Burlington, Vermont in 1989.
Since November, 1993 the Reverend Larimore K. Wickett has pastored
Celebration of Life. He also serves as Presbyterian chaplain of Arizona
State University.
"At CoL, worship is an attempt to combine the traditional and the
contemporary in such a way that each member will find a supportive
relationship which is developed in a way that is concerned and joyful.
Our name, Celebration of Life, is reflective of our worship and our
relationship with Christ."
-- from a church description written in 1976
About the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.
The Greek word "presbuteros" (meaning "elder"), used frequently in the New
Testament, provided the name for the Presbyterian family of churches, which
includes the Reformed churches of the world, both names designating churches
of the Calvinist tradition.
The Presbyterian Church (USA)
is distinctly a confessional and connectional church, distinguished in
its governance at all levels by equal numbers of ministers and elected
elders (non-clergy).
Presbyterians are Believers and Doers
- WE BELIEVE in the Great Ends of the Church, as set forth in our Book of
Order: "the proclamation of the Gospel for the salvation of humankind; the
shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God; the
maintenance of divine worship; the preservation of the truth; the
promotion of social righteousness; and the exhibition of the Kingdom of
Heaven to the world."
- WE BELIEVE in the theology of mission, as expressed in the Westminster
Confession of Faith. "... Christ hath commissioned his Church to go into
all the world and to make disciples of all nations. All believers are
therefore under obligation ... to contribute by their prayers, gifts, and
personal efforts to the extension of the Kingdom of Christ throughout the
whole earth."
- WE DO mission and its related functions in "good Presbyterian order"
through the structures of our General Assembly, synods, presbyteries and
local churches which provide accountability in a connectional system.
Presbyterians are Serving and Caring People
The Presbyterian Church (USA) makes possible mission service in the USA and
countries abroad. We engage in mission and relations in partnership with
churches and ecumenical bodies of close to 100 countries in Latin America
and the Caribbean, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, South and East Asia, and
the Pacific.
About the Pastor
The Rev. Larimore K. Wickett was installed as Pastor of Celebration of Life
in December, 1993.
Larimore has previously served pastorates in Park Ridge, Illinois and
Crawfordsville, Indiana. He came to Mesa from Deming, New Mexico where he
served as pastor of First Presbyterian Church.
Larimore is a graduate of Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa. He earned
the Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and was
ordained by the Presbytery of Sheldon Jackson in Minnesota.
Larimore has three adult children, Camille, Kathryn and John.
Any Questions?
Please feel free to call us at any time:
Phone: (480)838-8550
... or select this address to send E-mail.
(Please be sure to fill in your own E-mail address.)
wim@asu.edu
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