Why We Love CAUCC

CAUCC Stories

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  • We have both been actively involved in Casas Adobes United Church of Christ (CAUCC) since retiring and moving to Oro Valley in 2005. The secret to feeling a part of any church is to get involved quickly. We visited a couple of churches after moving here and knew of the UCC since we were members of a UCC congregation in Pennsylvania. Having moved away from our friends in Pennsylvania we were seeking to make new friends and find a church with a mission we shared. After a couple of visits to CAUCC we felt comfortable and were impressed by meeting so many accomplished and friendly people. We were also impressed with opportunities to grow spiritually and serve the community. Suellen, being the one with musical talent, quickly joined the bell and vocal choirs. She was a founding member of the Stitch Witches, was co-chair of the Fellowship Committee and has served as a member of the Music Committee, Personnel Committee, Call to Care, and Scholarship Committee. I soon became a member of Council and have served as Vice-President and as Treasurer for 10 years. Through this involvement we have made wonderful friends and have grown spiritually. We have seen CAUCC rally and grow through several difficult challenges, which speaks to the intellectual talent and skills of our ministers, office staff, leadership, Council and members.

  • I placed priority on finding a “new” church when my husband and I moved to SaddleBrooke from Iowa in August 2019. I am a child of the 60s who despite a strong religious upbringing consciously abandoned those traditions once in college. My experiences until then led me to believe there was an incongruity between Christian teachings and practices that I was not allowed to question. Once married with small children, however, I recognized the importance Christ had in my life and wanted a similar foundation for my children as they faced the challenges of our world. After visiting many churches of numerous denominations, I found the United Church of Christ offered the acceptance, love, and hope that I had always associated with Christ and his teachings.

    Our move to Arizona was more sudden than anticipated. I felt like a total stranger, knowing very few people and very little of Arizona’s history and culture. How could I possibly “fit in”? Nonetheless, I began yet again to seek out a faith community. Amazingly that search was far less difficult the second time around. CAUCC was the second church I visited but I knew at once I would return.

    Each Sunday the congregation at CAUCC invites all to walk together on a faith journey regardless of where each person may be on that journey. It is indeed an open and unconditional invitation. An invitation that has always had meaning, but not intense personal meaning, until I entered Casas Adobes as a visitor. I am still that person who asks too many questions. I continue to need spiritual guidance as I seek answers to those questions. I continue to hope and pray for a life of meaning and purpose. I truly believe such a life is found in Christ’s teachings. It admittedly took me far too long, however, to accept I need the support of others as I make this journey. I became a member of CAUCC in December 2019 because of the warmth and love so easily expressed by its congregation and pastors. Pastor Michael and Pastor John are amazing in their ability to bring meaning and direction to Biblical scriptures in our challenging times. The “work” of the congregation is outward as well as inward. I truly have felt a sense of love and belonging, of community, since first attending CAUCC.

    And then came the COVID 19 pandemic. There was time, often too much time, to soul search and dwell on personal and societal shortcomings, past and present. How could a faith journey continue in any meaningful way through Zoom and YouTube interactions? It is easy to list all the bad that has occurred over the past 18 months. Pastor Michael, Pastor John, and the exceptional leadership of CAUCC did not falter. My faith journey has indeed continued with hope and direction when it was most needed. So many of you openly, and without judgment, joined in tough conversations necessary to go forward. The love of the church community continued to expand to a wider community. I have made many new friends, some of whom I still have not and may never meet in person. I have been blessed in so many ways by the steadfast commitment to and demonstrations of God’s love evidenced at CAUCC. Thank you for the privilege of being a member of this church family! The love you have shown over the past two years is awesome and, with God’s grace, will continue to expand within and beyond church walls.

  • Having worshiped in two much larger churches in the past years makes me appreciate the smaller CAUCC. I married Charlotte Marshall in 2010 in this church. I had been a Methodist all my life up to that point. All who know her, knew my Methodist days were numbered.

    Making the transition was easy. Especially with Charlotte’s assistance, as the daughter of Pastor George Vance, the founding pastor of this church.

    As a member of the larger churches, whose membership were 1,000 or more, this church seemed to be a gift from God. Friendships developed, and I found myself doing things I had not done before. Charlotte encouraged me to join the choir. She knew I liked to sing, but I said “I had no training and don’t read music." She assured me that would come with time. Darryl and the choir accepted me like a new friend.

    I served as a liturgist on Sunday services, member of worship committee, finance committee, worked on annual rummage sale and helped plan and play in the annual golf tournament scholarship fund raiser. I served on the Pastor Search Committee, packed lunches at the Keeling school and helped display Christmas items in the sanctuary. Charlotte and I also participated in the "Dine with Nine" dinners in members' homes.

    I am not suggesting we want to always be the size of church we are now...but it is very comfortable and is growing as we get back to in-person services and continue our on-line communications.

    The Pastors are terrific, with love of God in their hearts. The staff is special, knowledgeable, helpful, friendly and caring.

    ALL ARE WELCOME HERE. AND SO WAS I.

  • I first met the Casas Adobes church family as a visitor attending church with my parents who were members. I was impressed by the congregation’s vitality, commitment to service and desire to listen to a “Still Speaking God”. The sermons were always intellectual yet personal, spiritual yet practical, and challenging yet encouraging. I was attracted to the church by the social works it did which improved not only the neighborhood and Tucson but a grateful world. I watched closely as the church leadership worked with various interim pastors to discern who they would call to be a new pastor. The path wasn’t always easy but the church proceeded with transparency, love, and a desire to bring a pastor who would make Christ known to everyone. I was happy to share the joy in the calling of Rev. Bush to be the senior pastor; I like his intellect, compassion and gratitude. He helps me understand the Bible and grow my faith.

    The outbreak of COVID-19 presented a unique opportunity to increase my participation in the life of the congregation. Because I live in the Phoenix area, I can’t get down to Tucson to attend services in person. However, during the outbreak, as CACC migrated to an on-line media presence, I was able to listen to sermons regularly. I joined the Thursday Night Bible study group and attend virtual “coffee hour” after the typical Sunday service time. This has made it more convenient, so I decided that I wanted to become a member of this very loving and committed church family.

    I’ve been very happy as a member gaining new friends and growing my faith. Behind the beautiful and historic architecture of the church’s walls beats a heart that is warm, generous, and outgoing in the manner Christ taught us to be.

  • Casas Adobes Congregational UCC has been the center of my life in Tucson during both periods of my life here. In the 90’s I was working so I couldn’t attend a lot of events I would have like to attend, but nevertheless I was involved in many activities of the church: choir, missions, worship, and social events. When I left to go as a missionary to Sri Lanka, I vowed I would be back, and I did return for another 9+ years (so far). During the years I was gone I saw to it that I visited as often as I could and I kept my membership current. When I was free to return, I high-tailed it here as fast as I could where I received the most heart-melting welcome home. Now in retirement, I have been able to give a majority of my time to CACC. I have grown up in the Church and have loved many church communities but I have never been so surrounded by love as I am in Casas! And it has been exciting to participate in the development of our church community as we dealt successfully and lovingly with challenges of many kinds. CACC’s growth of witness and service to God, achieved prayerfully and lovingly, is the inspiration of my life. The CACC community, under the leadership of our ministers, Rev. Michael and Rev. John, has been equal to the challenge of COVID-19. Our worship, fellowship, and service continue as strongly as ever and in some ways, perhaps, more strongly, as we live into the realization that the Church is not a building but a community of love, justice, and service to God and all in need.

  • Being a member of CAUCC for 27 years has opened my horizons in so many ways. It has exposed me to so many wonderful people, and opportunities to serve both the Church and the larger community in ways that I would never have dreamed possible. CAUCC is my spiritual home, it is where I am challenged and supported. I thank God for being a member.

  • When we came to CAUCC from the Boston-area, it felt like home. The music program was amazing and the welcome from the minister and church community was warm and genuine. We have made many friends from all walks of life at church and been introduced to various rewarding and enriching missions opportunities. Even during this challenging time of COVID-19, the pastors have provided us with enriching worship and spiritual offerings in an online format, with opportunities for us to interact with each other in live, virtual gatherings. The care and commitment of this wonderful church community is a real blessing to us both.

  • Cynthia and I love Casas Adobes because of deep friendships enabled, and the profound worship experience.

    Cynthia and I grew up in the same UCC church in suburban Cleveland, and attended (and met) there as adults. Over our long tenure there we made many great friendships. Imagine our surprise and delight that as relative newcomers to Tucson, we have made remarkably deeper friendships here, through the coffee fellowship, special events, and opportunities such as mission initiatives, Bible studies, Dine With Nine dinners at members’ homes, men’s and women’s fellowships, and hiking and biking.

    The worship experience includes the usual good stuff – great music, great preaching, an engaging energy level. What you might not expect, and I love, is preaching that relates Bible stories to their original time and place. This provides real, and for me unusual, insight into the meaning of the stories. It also helps me better understand how to interpret and best respond to current situations.

    Casas Adobes is a vital part of our lives. It is the best….

  • I have been a member of CAUCC for 24 years. When I first arrived, and for about the first 10 years, the church was a place for my children to go to Sunday School and for me to be active in the choir. Having moved 2400 miles away from my home on the east coast, I found many wonderful friends in the choir who became my extended family. When my husband passed away, the choir members were the first people who surrounded me with love and support. Without the support of the choir and others in the church, it would have been a very difficult time for me.

    As my children moved to college and away from home, I became more involved in the activities and the leadership of the church. I was in the second half of my life and I wanted to give back to the community. I became involved in many mission projects including making quilts and prayer shawls for hospice, making sweaters for Needles for Nogales Children, packing food backpacks for Keeling School children, teaching Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, and other projects that are too numerous to mention. I was also able to contribute financially to other community projects sponsored by the church. During this time I also started to attend Bible and Pastor studies to learn more about following Jesus. Attending Bible studies and working on these community projects made a difference in my life and I was able to make a difference in the lives of others.

    I also continued my love of music by singing in the choir and there I found my new husband, David. Most of our friends come from our church community - through singing together, worshipping together, working together, and playing together we experience a community of love and service by following in Jesus' ways. We would love to have you join with us on our journey.