St. Matthew's Midweek Update

Transcription

1 St. Matthew's Midweek Update January 11, 2018 Note from the Rector Our Annual Meeting will be held in Matt's Place on Sunday, January 28 after the 10:30 service. Lunch will be provided (lasagna and salad). Matt's Place will be set up on Saturday the 27th at 11:00 am. If you are able to help with setting up on Saturday, serving the lunch on Sunday or cleaning up on Sunday, please contact Tricia Galvin at or The Annual Meeting is important in so many ways! Among them are the election of new Vestry members and the election of new delegates to the Diocesan Convention. The election of new Vestry members. We have three people being elected to the Vestry this year! They are Cheryl Burke, Linda Konkel, and Jim Nelson (completing a partial term currently). In December an e-announcement was sent out with short bios of these three. It will be re-sent on January 15 and be available in hard copy on Sunday January 21. It is exciting to have people of such commitment representing the parish!

2 The election of delegates to the Diocesan Convention. Ever year in the fall, the Diocese holds its annual convention. Delegates from every parish, mission, and campus ministry come together to participate in workshops, celebrate the Eucharist together, socialize, vote on resolutions and address other business matters of the diocese. For me, one of the highpoints is the celebration of Holy Communion on Saturday morning. More than 600 people from all over the state of Arizona gather to share this most central liturgy of our Anglican tradition! It is truly a statement that we belong to something bigger than ourselves. Anyway, three people will be voted on as delegates to the Convention and three alternates will be voted on as well in case one or both of the delegates cannot make the Convention. Going to the Convention is a sacrifice however. One is in Phoenix all day Friday and may not be able to leave until late afternoon on Saturday, depending on how much business there is to do. St. Matthew's only covers the cost of the registration for the delegates which means another sacrifice they have is of the expense for the hotel and dinner on Friday night. But the experience is valuable if not for any other reason than it shows our strength as a diocese. I am always curious to see which of our parishioners will go. There is much more at the St. Matthew annual meeting - the recognition of people in leadership positions, the "thank you" to outgoing Vestry members, the receiving of the 2017 Annual Report, the presentation of the Financials (both 2017 year end and Financial Statement of Mission 2018) and certainly the enjoyment of the lasagna luncheon. Thank you, Tricia Galvin, for organizing! This is one of the few occasions that attendees of the 8:00 am and 10:30 am liturgies are together. It is something to which to we can look forward! God's Peace! Father Rick

3 NATIVE AMERICAN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT As Rector of the Episcopal Church of St. Matthew, I speak on behalf of our community that we acknowledge the traditional peoples of the land on which we stand especially the Pascua Yaqui and Tohono O'odham nations. We pay our respect to them for their care of the land. - Fr. Rick MINISTERIAL NEEDS Coffee Hour Hosts Needed for the 10:30 service. Coffee hour is our primary opportunity to fellowship with one another after we have worshipped together. We are in need of additional coffee hour hosts. Would you be willing to provide this service to your fellow parishioners? It is an important ministry at St. Matthew's. If you are interested, please contact Gini Jones at Thanks for your help. Nursery Caregiver Needed We have an opening for a new nursery caregiver. Details about the position are as follows: This position is for Sunday morning from 10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Our nursery is for children, 3 years of age and younger. A safety training course is required and the successful candidate will be compensated for the time spent doing the no-charge training. A background check is also required and will be provided at our expense. Following the departure of the last child, both caregivers will sanitize the nursery in preparation for its next use. If you are interested, contact Fr. Rick at or at saintmatthewsrector@live.com.

4 Altar Guild The Altar Guild is seeking new members. Serving on Altar Guild is very rewarding as we prepare the altar for each liturgy and care for the items used. It is a blessing to have a part in preparing the space for our services. If you would like to be part of this vital ministry, or would like more information, please contact Caroline Wolstenholme at or nickandcarolinew@msn.com. Greeter Ministers Needed Do you like to be energetic and welcoming? Can greet parishioners old and new? Then we can use you as a greeter. If interested please contact Jessie Billhardt at with days you can greet, in case you do other things in the church. I need to know soon so I can start a schedule. The Daughters of the King have taken this project on but we need more people if interested. OCCURENCES THIS WEEKEND Matty's Angels Announcement Annual Planning Meeting, January 13, 2018 Matty's Angels monthly meeting has been rescheduled for January 13, 2018 at 9:30 AM in the Parish Hall due to Dee Sweet's Celebration of Life Service at 11:00. We will be planning and scheduling events for the upcoming year for Matty's Angels. Do come and share your ideas for service, fellowship, and fun!

5 Women in Jesus' Genealogy Study January 14 Sometimes we miss important clues about the message of the Gospels because they are buried in obscure or seemingly irrelevant passages. A good example of this is the genealogy in the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. The inclusion of the names of four women in the long, difficult to pronounce list of men should make us ask some questions. Why were these four, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and the wife of Uriah the Hittite named as female ancestors of Christ and what do their stories have to tell us about our stories. I have been exploring this question for some time and I invite you to join me as we meet these women and discover what do they have to tell us about our faith. We will meet in the library between services January 24. The Rev. Ellen Morell will be presenting this study. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Monthly Celtic Liturgy Saturday February 3, 2018 The next monthly Celtic Liturgy will be Saturday, February 3, 2018, 5:30 pm. The liturgy is based primarily on A Celtic Eucharist, compiled and edited by Brendan O'Malley. The Eucharistic Prayer is taken from the Scottish Book of Common Prayer. O'Malley says of this liturgy represented in his book, "drawing together from Scripture, the mainstream Irish, Scottish, and Welsh traditions, and contemporary spirituality, A Celtic Eucharist is a vital liturgy that relates to the here and now while it fosters a connection to the past." It is a different experience from the regular Sunday morning liturgies.

6 CONVERSATION & COFFEE WITH A JESUIT Sunday February 4, 2018 What's on your mind? Civil, Serious, Sensitive Conversation in the library, Sunday February 4, at 9:15 am. Join Fr. Frank Bergen for an hour and share your concerns about everything from the congregation to the cosmos. We may or may not find answers. And when we do, we may not all agree, but we will enjoy the questions and find areas of agreement where we may least expect them. See you for caffeinated conversation, February 4, 2018! Dream Study The normal schedule of the second and fourth Saturdays will resume in January. Nancy Haugh APPEALS MONTHLY FOOD COLLECTION REMINDER Food collection on the first Sunday of each month is for the Community Food Bank. Food collection for Gale Elementary School is on the third Sunday. Feel free to bring food any and every Sunday! There are people in our community who are hungry and we can help! COMMUNITY WIDE ANNOUNCEMENTS WANT TO GO TO THE HOLY LAND? The Dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, the Very Rev. Troy Mendez will be directing a 12 day journey to the Holy Land. See Bethlehem, the Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Jordan River and many other significant places of Biblical importance.

7 The dates are from November 5 through 16, The cost of this journey is $2,650 plus airfare. Single supplement fee of $560. The cost includes: 1. Hotel Accommodations; 2. All meals (drinks not included); 3. Transportation in Deluxe buses as per program; 4. Guiding fees; 5. All entrance fees mentioned in the itinerary; 6. Guest speakers; 7. Portage at all hotels; 8. Tips for restaurant and hotel staff; 9. Bus driver tips; 10. Farewell dinner. To reserve: A deposit of $500 should be made by January 31, To make payment, please contact Ms. Ernie Stuckey at pilgrimage@trinitycathedral.com. St. Michael and All Angels' Twice a Month Taize Service Every first and third Sunday, St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church has a Taize service. It begins at 6:45 pm and goes until 7:30 pm. The church's location is at 602 N. Wilmot Road. What exactly is a Taize service? It is a contemplative service of music, prayer, spiritual readings, silence and meditation. It is a time to rest in God, to let the words listened to and sung penetrate one's being. [Brother John, a Taize Community monk] Information about Donations for Homeless Vets Folks can make donations at Esperanza and Escalante building on Escalante road. To reach it: as you exit the base on Wilmot road, turn right on Escalante and after the first curve turn right into village. Proceed to building with flagpole and flag. Donations are needed to help homeless vets, men and women. Anything is appreciated. If you have curtains, pans, sheets. etc. Information from Gloria Smith of M.A.C. committee (Military Affairs Committee.

8 Healthcare Prayer Almighty and most merciful God, we remember before you the poor, the neglected, and the sick who rely on the generosity of our nation's people and government to live meaningful lives. Help us to not forget people living with homelessness and people who are destitute, people who are elderly, sick and everyone who has no one to care for them nor the financial means to provide for their well-being. Guide the Congress of our country to develop just laws which follow the words and actions of your Son who taught us that we all have a responsibility to care or those who are in need within our society. Amen. [Unknown deacon of the Episcopal Church] ONGOING ANNOUNCEMENTS Name Badges at Liturgy The value of name badges at worship is considerable. Wearing a name badge allows the person extending the body of Christ to say the communicants' name. Also, wearing the name badge gives us at the Exchange of Peace an opportunity to get to know one another's name. If you do not have a name badge, please sign-up to get one. The sign-up sheet is located in the narthex (church entranceway) next to the large name badge holder. Getting to know each others name can be helpful as we fellowship in the Parish Hall after the services. There, we can go up to someone whose name we just learned and introduce ourselves and have a longer conversation than what the brief Exchange of Peace allows.

9 Desert Chrism Chapter of the Order of the Daughters of the King We are very proud to be a part of St. Matthews ministries and invite you to inquire about our group. Our goal is to assist St. Matthews in the spiritual upbuilding of the parish. We are doing this by working with all members of our parish to greet visitors and provide a welcome packet which gives them an idea about who we are and activities provided. The Daughters also are organizing the Caring Casseroles Ministry, I like to call them the Kitchen Angels. They assist parish members by providing meals to those who are ill and/or recovering. I know that sometimes just a few meals and loving thoughts can help one heal faster. All interested in being part of either group please contact Karen Hatfield at or k.hatfield@att.net. Men's Gathering: Matty's Men 3rd Saturday The third Saturday of each month, Matty's Men (St. Matthew's Men's group) meets at 7:30 am at Breakfast Stop Family Restaurant 6135 E. 22nd Street for breakfast and fellowship; then meets in the Parish Hall from 8:30 to 9:30. Please consider joining us to get so we can get to know each other better and hatch our plans to reach out into the community. If you would like to get our s, please contact Bob DeLaney ( ). Little Free Library We have had lots of activity around the Little Free Library since it was installed last June. Many strangers have donated books. It is important to rotate the selections and I do that every Sunday. We do have a sizable supply of children's books at this time but are definitely in need of contemporary adult fiction. There is a plastic bin in Parish Hall labeled for this. If you would please look through your slightly used books at home and possibly donate a few to the library it would really help keep it vital. Many parishioners have heard from passers-by how much they appreciate it. Any questions? Please ask Cheryl Burke ( ).

10 Healing Prayers after Sunday 10:30 Liturgy Need prayers for a friend, family member, or yourself? Healing prayers are offered after the 10:30 service at the back of the church by Judie Bass. PRAYER CHAIN CONTACT Judie Bass is serving as the Prayer Chain Coordinator. If you have any prayer requests for which you would like to have the prayer chain activated, please contact her at (520) Additions to the prayer list can be made by informing the office. The church number is (520) Rector's Discretionary Fund Every fifth Sunday of the month, the general collection goes to the Rector's Discretionary Fund. This Fund exists primarily for emergency situations. There are five such Sundays in Additional contributions to the Rector's Discretionary Fund can be made at anytime by designating the donation as restricted to Rector's Discretionary Fund. Your generosity makes possible the assistance we can give to people in need. Thank you. - Fr. Rick P.S. One purpose of the Fund is for you to defer to me anyone who approachs you for assistance at St. Matthew's. Episcopal Church of Saint Matthew 9071 East Old Spanish Trail Tucson Arizona (520) stmatthew.azdiocese.org Instagram: Saintmatthews_Tucson Mailing address PO Box Tucson, AZ 85731