An Open and Affirming Congregation on North Oracle Road
Casas Adobes Congregational United Church of Christ sits at 6801 North Oracle Road on the northwest side of Tucson, where it has gathered as a congregation since 1958. From the Casas Adobes area, members and friends come together for worship, study, and a justice ministry that reaches into nearly every corner of the city. The congregation formally affiliated with the United Church of Christ in 1968 and, more recently, declared itself Open and Affirming, a public commitment that no one is turned away because of age, educational or economic background, physical or mental ability, gender identity or sexual orientation, political affiliation, ethnicity, or race. "No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome to journey together with us," reads the congregation's own welcome.
That welcome shapes both Sunday morning and the work the congregation does during the week. Members gather for worship in a sanctuary off Oracle Road, host a contemplative chapel service twice a month, and lead a candlelit Taizé prayer on the second Thursday. From there, they take the congregation's identity into partnerships across Tucson, tutoring children at Keeling Elementary, supporting migrant shelters in Nogales, and serving meals at the Primavera Men's Shelter.
Three Forms of Worship in One Week
Sunday morning worship begins at 9:30 am in the sanctuary and runs about an hour. The service is livestreamed on YouTube starting at 9:25 am for those joining from around the world, and recordings remain available afterward. Senior Minister Rev. Michael Bush and Minister of Spiritual and Community Relationships Rev. John Angiulo typically share the preaching and leadership, with music from the choir, the bell choir, the organ, and the visual arts team.
On the second and fourth Sundays of the month, an earlier contemplative service is offered at 8:30 am in the chapel. Lasting about half an hour, Communion and Contemplation weaves together reflective music, prayer, silence, and a brief spiritual practice on the Scriptures and themes of the day, ending with communion received at the front. Visitors who want a quieter start to their Sunday often attend this service and then move into the larger sanctuary worship afterward.
On the second Thursday of every month, the sanctuary is reset with candles for Taizé-Inspired Worship from 6:30 to 7:15 pm. The service is the congregation's adaptation of the contemplative prayer of the ecumenical Taizé community in Burgundy, France. Prayers, readings, chants, and meditative silences of three to eight minutes alternate throughout the evening. Because the readings are longer than those at a traditional Taizé service, leaders invite newcomers to settle in ten minutes early, when the quiet music begins. A recorded Taizé service is available online for those who cannot attend in person.
The Pastoral Team
Rev. Michael Bush, Senior Minister
Rev. Michael Bush has served as an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ for more than thirty years, including congregations in the Seattle area, Michigan, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, before coming to Casas Adobes. He holds a B.S. in Biology (pre-medicine) from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor and a Master of Divinity from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, with continuing education at Lancaster Theological Seminary and Yale Divinity School. He is the author, with a co-author, of "Chaos and The Kingdom" and a Gospel of John study guide called "Companion for the Journey." His ministry centers on renewal in the Body of Christ through biblical literacy, theological reflection, and spiritual practices, and he is an affiliate coach with the Center for Progressive Renewal.
Rev. John Angiulo, Minister of Spiritual and Community Relationships
Rev. John Angiulo was installed at Casas Adobes in October 2017 as Minister of Spiritual and Community Relationships, with particular attention to families, children, and teenagers. A native Tucsonan who grew up in the same northwest region where the church now sits, he completed his seminary work at Iliff School of Theology in Denver in 2017 and previously worked in Christian Education and Faith Formation at two Tucson UCC congregations and in outreach at Pima Community College. He and his wife Patty, a pediatric nurse, have three adult children who live in Arizona.
Music Across Sunday Morning
Music is woven through every Sunday worship service at Casas Adobes. The music program is led by Director of Music Darryl King, who has been at the church since 2006 and holds degrees from Ohio Northern University and Westminster Choir College, along with a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. Choir Accompanist David Craig, who studied with pianist Ozan Marsh and went on to teach at the University of Arizona and Pima Community College, supports the choral, vocal, and instrumental work of the program, while Organist Diane Green brings a Master's in Music from Southern Illinois University and years of service in Ohio and New York churches. Members are invited to join the choir or the bell choir at any time, and "bonus music" offerings are livestreamed alongside the Sunday service.
Keeling Elementary and the Reading Sprouts
For more than a decade, the longest-running outreach partnership at Casas Adobes has been with Keeling Elementary School in central Tucson, where the congregation focuses its support on a single under-resourced neighborhood. The relationship rests on the belief that the greatest impact comes from staying with one school for the long term.
The Reading Sprouts program, developed in 2015 with Keeling's reading specialists, pairs volunteers one-on-one with first graders who need extra help. In 2017, the church added a writing workshop for fifth graders; the workshop has since been adapted for fourth graders and, in 2024, was introduced to second graders. Each summer, the congregation fills a sizable load of school supplies, including paper, pens, pencils, crayons, markers, glue, and facial tissues, that teachers use to set up their classrooms. At Christmas, the church purchases toys so that Keeling parents can shop for about seventy-five children. The congregation also funds a Teacher Appreciation luncheon during national Teacher Appreciation Week and channels Arizona tax-credit donations toward Keeling's enrichment program, including field trips and other extracurricular activities.
Walking Alongside Migrants and Asylum Seekers
Compassion on the Border (CoB) is a standing committee of the church that works under the umbrella of the Ministry of Justice Advocacy and Mission. Its work is two-pronged: meeting the immediate needs of asylum-seekers and migrants with food, clothing, and hygiene items, and supporting systemic reforms that help people fleeing intolerable conditions become valued members of the city, state, and country.
The committee partners with Cruzando Fronteras, a collaboration among the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, the Grand Canyon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Southwest Conference of the United Church of Christ, which oversees La Casa de Misericordia, a migrant shelter in Nogales, Mexico. CAUCC members fundraise, tour La Casa, and provide updates to the wider congregation. The church also supports Iskashitaa, a Tucson organization that provides networking and food-industry training for immigrants and refugees, and Café Justo, a coffee cooperative owned by small crop coffee growers in Mexico. Café Justo coffee is sold by the church and served in the church kitchen, with proceeds helping families stay in their home communities rather than migrate north for work.
Hunger, Homelessness, and Hospitality
In 2020, the church partnered with Our Family Services to launch an Eviction Prevention Campaign after a single CAUCC member made a substantial seed donation. The campaign ultimately gave $109,109 to Our Family Services and prevented at least twenty families from being displaced. Donations also support Reunion House, giving teens who are homeless access to summer events and activities.
Once a month, a small group prepares and serves dinner for more than one hundred men at the Primavera Men's Shelter on Tucson's south side. Habitat for Humanity receives annual financial contributions and twice-yearly volunteer build days. Casa Maria Soup Kitchen, run by the Casa Maria Catholic Worker Community, receives a yearly financial contribution. Interfaith Community Services (ICS), serving seniors, people with disabilities, and individuals in financial crisis, is supported with money, canned goods, and volunteer time. TIHAN, the Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network, is supported with personal hygiene donations and an annual volunteer lunch at the Poz Cafe.
The Keeling Elementary food pantry, held monthly during the school year, is supplied through the Community Food Bank and staffed by CAUCC volunteers, though it is held off-site in the Keeling neighborhood itself.
Justice Work Beyond the Church Walls
Casas Adobes is a regular financial supporter of the UCC's national Open and Affirming Coalition and works alongside other Tucson-area denominations on local LGBTQ+ advocacy. As a member congregation of Pima County Interfaith (PCI), which brings together nearly thirty local faith communities and nonprofit organizations, the church engages the broader social-justice issues that drive poverty and unequal access to healthcare and education. PCI organizes across socioeconomic lines around the call "to act justly and love mercy" from Micah 6:8.
Youth in the church take on their own justice projects, including the Souper Bowl of Caring on Super Bowl Sunday, with proceeds going to local food banks, and Heifer International fund-raisers that purchase animals for families in poverty around the world. The youth also sponsor an educational booth on native seeds and plants at the annual Tucson Earth Day Festival and walk the CROP Hunger Walk each year, with proceeds going to local food banks.
T-Time, Fun-Day School, and Life Together
Sunday formation continues after worship. At 10:30 am, T-Time, a half hour to Think, Talk, and Try, gathers in the same room as coffee hour. Led by Pastor John, T-Time invites people of all ages to dig into the concepts introduced in the morning worship. The full coffee hour follows in McNear Hall, just off the courtyard.
At 11:00 am, Fun-Day School meets online by Zoom. The class is described as more than worship and more than Sunday school, a multigenerational exploration of scripture, literature, science, drama, and art. Family Funday brings the same intergenerational energy in person, with seasonal crafts, community service projects, snacks, and games about every four to six weeks on Sundays at 1:30 pm.
Other regular rhythms include the Eclectic Book Club, meeting on the second Saturday of each month at 9:30 am (except December); a monthly Grief Group for anyone grieving a loved one, a pet, a job, or another loss; Dine with Nine, a monthly dinner that brings nine members and friends together; and Bike Rides on Tucson's bike paths during the cooler months. The Men's Breakfast meets at 8:30 am on Thursdays at Beyond Bread at Ina and Oracle.
A Northwest Tucson Congregation Since 1958
Casas Adobes Congregational Church held its first worship services on October 26, 1958, and acquired and built its current campus on North Oracle Road over the following years. In 1968, the congregation affiliated with the United Church of Christ. The church marked its 65th anniversary in October 2023 and continues to draw on more than six decades of congregational memory.
The campus includes a sanctuary, a chapel used for Communion and Contemplation, McNear Hall for coffee hour and gatherings, classrooms, and a courtyard. The Ministry of Physical Resources oversees the building, grounds, and safety, while a Columbarium Committee assists members who wish to have cremains interred at the church. Office hours run Monday and Wednesday from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon (by appointment in the afternoon) and Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. Services are livestreamed on YouTube, and donations can be made through the church's giving page. Sunday morning worship is followed by coffee in the courtyard, a regular rhythm that keeps new faces and longtime members in conversation at the heart of the Casas Adobes community.