​Pastor Christine Jones holds degrees in both Religious Studies and English. She spent many years traveling in China, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates as an English Composition professor. She returned to the US in 2016 and, in 2022, answered God's call to ministry as a bi-vocational local pastor, working in the local church and also teaching at Glendale Community College. Christine brings a wealth of experience and a passion for ministry as she takes on the role of pastor at Community Church of Buckeye. She believes strongly that every member of the congregation has a role in "Serving God and Community that all may be one" John 17:21. 

---

Walking Through Holy Week Together
As we move into spring, I invite you into one of the most profound weeks of our church year: Holy Week. This sacred time is central to our faith, inviting us to deeply experience the events of Jesus' final days, days that reveal the full scope of God's love and our own human hearts.

Our "In Awe of Grace" series confronts us with an uncomfortable truth: the distance between shouting "Hosanna!" and crying "Crucify him!" is frighteningly short. We see ourselves in this story: our capacity for both devotion and betrayal, our good intentions that falter, our loyalties that shift. Holy Week tells the truth about us, and that's precisely why we need to walk this road together.

Yet here's the good news: no matter how far we stray, God's grace remains closer still. These aren't just commemorations of ancient events; they're living experiences that reveal who we are and whose we are, strengthening our faith community and making our beliefs visible to the world around us.

Our journey begins on Palm Sunday, March 29th. Join us as we wave palms and raise our voices, reenacting that moment when crowds welcomed their King, unaware of how quickly their hearts would turn. There's power in celebrating this paradox together, acknowledging both our capacity to praise and our tendency to betray, while trusting in the grace that holds us through it all.

On Good Friday, April 3rd, we gather for our Tenebrae service, "Dancing in the Dark." We'll begin with foot washing, embodying Jesus' call to servanthood. Then, through scripture and music, we'll journey into the deepest darkness of Good Friday, moving from light into shadow as we witness the cost of love. This isn't a comfortable service, but it's a necessary one. We don't rush toward Easter's light; instead, we sit with the reality of suffering, trusting that even in the darkest hour, God is present.

Our Holy Week journey culminates with the glorious celebration of Easter Sunday, April 5th. Mary came to the tomb expecting an ending but found a beginning she could never have imagined. The resurrection turns everything upside down: death becomes life, grief transforms into joy, and we become witnesses to resurrection hope. We are Easter people, called not just to believe in the resurrection but to embody it. As we move into April, our "A Living Hope" series will continue to explore what it means to live as resurrection people in a world still marked by trials and suffering.

These Holy Week experiences aren't meant to be kept to ourselves. Your invitation to a friend, family member, or neighbor might become an opportunity for them to encounter God's transformative love. It's not about having all the answers; it's simply about saying, "This journey matters to me. Would you walk it with me?"

When we gather for Palm Sunday's parade, Good Friday's darkness, and Easter's resurrection light, we're walking together through the story that defines us. We're becoming more than people who happen to attend the same church; we're a family united in Christ's love, standing in awe of grace and discovering the living hope that sustains us through every season.
Mark your calendars, prepare your hearts, and consider who you might invite to join you. Holy Week is a gift: to us, to our community, and to anyone who walks through it with an open heart.

I look forward to experiencing this sacred journey with you.
​
Walking with you toward the cross and beyond,
Pastor Christine