Ever wonder about some of the people we have in our congregation? What’s their story? Do you wonder about some of the ministries you hear about? Well, read here and you might find out more about our ministries or something you didn’t know about someone you share a seat with!
Member Feature: John & Sharlene Yacks
Shortly after John and Sharlene Yacks moved to Tucson in 1977, John was at a local food store, and saw a man doing something a bit unusual – picking up various foods and, behind the store, loading them into his vehicle. Not at all shy when it comes to strangers, John struck up a conversation with the man, and found out that he was a Pentecostal preacher, and had a regular practice of collecting food that the store allowed him to have, and distributing it to people in need. The preacher asked John if he wanted to do it, and John said,...
read moreMember Feature: Wildman Family
Jason Wildman, Melissa Delfenthal, Angelica and Zane Since December of 2010, Jason Wildman has been Community Christian’s “Property Coordinator” – the person who gives oversight to creating excellent church buildings and grounds, and who empowers members and friends of our church to be involved in this ministry. Having been employed by ASARCO in safety and security, and having been a partner in a landscaping company for a time (as well as being the primary house cleaner and landscaper at his own home), Jason comes well-suited for this...
read moreMember Feature: Matt Clark
Matt Clark was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, but he and his parents – Dave and Judy – have been living in Tucson for the past 23 years. Matt graduated from University High School. Now living in Marana (right next door to Pastor Dave’s family), Matt and his family first lived in south Tucson, where Matt went to church at Desert Dove Christian Church. He remembers two pastors you may know of – Bill and Mary Jacobs – the founding pastors of Desert Dove who are now at First Christian in Mesa. Matt and his family began attending...
read moreMember Feature: Santa Cruz Family
You can count on it. Every Sunday morning, the Santa Cruz family will step thru the church doors. They may be a few minutes late, but they’ll be here. And even though there are seats open in the back, you know they will work their way to sit in the first or second row. Frank and Alma Santa Cruz and their three children – Alexandra, Francisco, and Aniza – have been attending Community Christian for over 2 ½ years. It wasn’t too long of a walk – Alma was one of Marana Health Center’s social workers for many years. She...
read moreMember Feature: Betty Ludwig and Dave Sailor
The phrase “onward and upward” might be an apt one to describe Betty Ludwig and Dave Sailor. First, “upward”: the two met 5 years ago when Dave was traveling through Arizona in his RV, and stopped at the Valley of the Sun RV Park where Betty lived (and still lives). Dave, an amateur astronomer, set up his telescope, and was introduced to Betty at an informal gathering for star gazing. Prior to that, Betty had been chasing hot air balloons with friends Al Swingley and Pat Nilz, and she soon got Dave into doing some chasing, and even...
read moreMember Feature: Charles and Barbara Hedgepeth
Charles and Barbara Hedgepeth never imagined their son would become a pastor, much less that, when they moved to the Tucson area 12 years ago, he would wind up serving at a church nearby. Of course, they are a big reason that their son, Pastor Dave, wound up moving here with his family in November 2006. Charles and Barbara are both from Baltimore, Maryland, where they grew up, but have also lived in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Texas and now of course, Arizona. They have been married for over 52 years. Charles and Barbara discovered Tucson...
read moreMember Feature: Ben and Rachel Speer
When she moved to Marana with her husband Ben about a year ago, Rachel Speer fully intended to be starting her Master’s program in animal behavior at the U of A this fall. No question that she loves animals, as she walks and trains dogs for neighbors and friends, and has talked Ben into ownership of 4 dogs, several fish, one horse, and one peach-faced lovebird. But another passion for Rachel is rock climbing, and her career path seems to be leading toward being a professional mountain guide. A nearby school for such training is more...
read moreMember Feature: Doreen Combs
This newsletter we decided to feature one of our less known but at one time very active members. Doreen Combs was born in North Hampton England. She moved to the United States in 1947, having met her American husband during World War II. Doreen became a citizen of the United States in 1955 and is very proud to consider herself an American. Doreen and 4 of her children were very much a part of the Salvation Army Church. When asked how she came about being part of the Salvation Army Church, Doreen indicates it is an unusual story. Her...
read moreMember Feature: Blankinship Family
Little did Pastor Dave Hedgepeth know the day that he called Kim Blankinship in December 2006, that Community Christian Church, the Blankinship family, and the lives of many, many people would be changed forever for the good. Pastor Dave had gotten Kim’s phone number from a flyer, advertising child care in her home, that was hanging at the Food Pantry next door to the church. He was looking for a Sunday nursery worker, and so he made a cold call to Kim. Before long, Kim was not only hired as our Sunday nursery worker, but also as a...
read moreMember Feature: Harry and Millie Christman
Harry and Millie Christman both hail from Kansas, where they met at what is now Fort Hays State University, and were married in 1944 in the St. Paul’s Evangelical and Reformed Church in which Millie was baptized and grew up. After college, Harry was employed by the Fluor Corporation, at which he spent his entire career as an engineer. Despite being employed by one company, Harry, Millie, and their four children were hardly stationary, being transferred around the globe to countries like Pakistan, Korea, Canada, Holland, and various...
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