St. Matthew's Midweek Update February 28, Welcoming all, growing in God, serving our neighbors!

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1 ebruary 28, 2019 St. Matthew's Midweek Update 1 of 10 3/1/2019, 5:43 PM Like0 Share Share: Tweet St. Matthew's Midweek Update February 28, 2019 Welcoming all, growing in God, serving our neighbors! 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, Sobaipuri and Tohono O'odham nations. We pay our respect to them for their care of the land. - Fr. Rick In charge: Sharon Stetz, Senior Warden (in charge of the parish in Fr. Rick's Absence; telephone number (520) ; address: anamcara.sharon@gmail.com. Emergency calls: Fr. Frank Bergen, Priest Associate, taking emergency phone calls during Rector's leave; telephone number (520) ; address: fjbergen@comcast.net. Pastoral Care Clergy: Deacon Kim Crecca, doing pastoral care visits while Rector is on medical leave; (847) ; address:

2 2 of 10 3/1/2019, 5:43 PM Parish Administrator: Brian Arthur; hours: Tuesday through Thursday 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm; (520) [church number], parish01stmatts@outlook.com. The next monthly Celtic Liturgy will be Saturday March 2 at 5:30 PM. The service is a balance of chanting, praying and quiet contemplation. What's on your mind? Civil, Serious, Sensitive Conversation in the library, Sunday March 3, 2019 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 not all agree, but we will enjoy the questions and find areas of agreement where we least expect them. Bishop Smith has designated March 3rd as Chapel Rock Sunday throughout the Diocese. On that day, the Bishop is asking each church and congregation members to support the newly created Bishop Kirk Smith Children & Youth Campership Fund. The experiences that our campers have at Chapel Rock are life changing and extraordinary. Every

3 ebruary 28, 2019 St. Matthew's Midweek Update 3 of 10 3/1/2019, 5:43 PM year, when we read camper evaluations, camper after camper says, "That was the best week of my summer!" It is fun, Christ-centered, and provides the opportunity to grow closer to God through the beauty and power of our Episcopal Church traditions. Help send children and youth to camp this summer! There will be a collection taken to support the campership fund Sunday, March 3rd. You can also contribution online at (note the URL is case sensitive). Shrove Tuesday is coming up on Tuesday, March 5th. We will be having a pancake and eggs breakfast from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. Mattie's Men will be providing the pancakes again (Thank you!) The parish will need to work together on the set up of Matt's Place on Sunday, March 3 starting at 12:30 pm. Sign up sheets for this will be in the parish hall. We are holding the cost for this to $5.00 again this year. Kids 10 and under will be free. I hope everyone comes out and enjoys true fellowship before moving into Lent. Many items for the Lucky Winners! Handmade and artistic and others. Proceeds to support our many charitable events. $1 for one $5 for six Available from an Angel Drawing at Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner. You do not have to be present to win! We would like to have you there to enjoy your new prize and us. Thanks for your support!!

4 4 of 10 3/1/2019, 5:43 PM If you are interested in or have signed up to participate in bringing ashes to those who cannot be with us on Ash Wednesday, please come forward during the special prayers before the service this Sunday (March 3rd) for a blessing. After the service, please meet with Deacon Kim in the Parish Hall for brief instructions and to receive your prayer card. We still need a couple more participants! If you have a small potted cactus or succulent plant that you don't mind loaning to the church during Lent, please sign up on the sheet in the Parish Hall and bring your plants to church on Sunday, March 3rd. We will be using these potted cacti in the Sanctuary to help convey a desert journey as we move through Lent toward Easter. Your plants will be returned to you on Palm Sunday, April 14th.

5 5 of 10 3/1/2019, 5:43 PM Stations of the Cross can be rich, deep, and meaningful, but at the same time we can lose sight of their significance and how to relate them to our everyday lives. This year at St. Matthews, we will be presenting a different version of the Stations of the Cross at 6:00 PM every Friday during Lent. The various versions connect us with contemporary issues such as social justice, the terminally ill, and the needs of the world. We are also presenting versions that approach the stations from several different perspectives including a bystander at the Crucifixion, Mary the Mother of Jesus, and Jesus's viewpoints. Our final Stations of the Cross on Good Friday will involve the children and offer a tactile approach. The full schedule for the Stations is posted below. A vegetarian soup will be provided in the Parish Hall after the Stations conclude each evening. A signup sheet for providing the soup and crackers or bread is on the counter in the Parish Hall. We hope that you will join us for one or all of these services and invite friends and family to participate as well. Come and be involved emotionally, spiritually, and physically in Christ's journey to the Cross of our salvation. 3/8: Refugee/Immigrant Social Justice Perspective led by Jay Johnson 3/15: Cancer Patient Perspective led by Pat Anderson 3/22: Bystander Perspective led by Sharon Stetz 3/29: Mary's Perspective led by Kim Crecca 4/5: Meditative with Taize Chants led by Jim Nelson and Clyde Kunz as cantor 4/12: Jesus's Perspective led by Fr. Rick 4/19: Children's Version led by Nadine Cole A retreat for women with Deacon Brigid. Saturday, April 13, 2019, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm, Matt's Place.

6 6 of 10 3/1/2019, 5:43 PM Their journeys: one twist, one turn, one unexpected challenge after another. Have the twists, turns, mountains and valleys on your journey stolen your JOY? Join us for a day of fun, fellowship and fantastic stories. Fill up with joy as we learn about and from the journeys of these three scriptural sisters who walked with God through the toughest things in life. How do their journeys relate to our own? Where did they find joy along the way? Cost of $20/ person includes lunch and materials. Scholarship funds available. Flyers and registration forms available in the Narthex. Bio Deacon Brigid has 20+ years of experience in creating and directing women's retreats, sharing what she has learned as a spiritual director, Episcopal Deacon, bible study mentor, women's ministry leader, mother of 4 and grandmother of 6. She finds joy in road trips, laughing, throwing parties, and writing women's retreats. She loves connecting women with each other -- and with God. Brigid encourages women through humor, warmth, transparency and strength. Lent is fast approaching and that means that the new season of Lent Madness begins on March 7! Want to be inspired by some saintly souls this Lent and have fun along the way? Join with thousands of Christians across denominations who have discovered the joyful online learning community that is Lent Madness. With its unique blend of competition, education, and humor, Lent Madness allows participants to be inspired by the ways in which God has worked through the lives of saints over the generations. Based loosely on the NCAA basketball tournament of a similar name, this online devotion pits 32 saints against one another in a single-elimination bracket as voters choose their favorites throughout Lent. Here's how to participate: on the weekdays of Lent, information is posted

7 7 of 10 3/1/2019, 5:43 PM at about two different saints (or you can sign up online to receive the daily faceoff in your inbox). Each pairing remains open for 24 hours as participants read about and then vote to determine which saint moves on to the next round. Sixteen saints make it to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen; eight advance to the Round of the Elate Eight; four make it to the Faithful Four; two to the Championship; and the winner is awarded the coveted Golden Halo. The first round consists of basic biographical information about each of the 32 saints. Things get a bit more interesting in the subsequent rounds as we offer quotes and quirks, explore legends, and even move into the area of saintly kitsch. This year, Lent Madness features an intriguing slate of saints ancient and modern, Biblical and ecclesiastical heavyweights include Ignatius of Loyola, Nicodemus, Margaret of Cortona, John Chrysostom, and Nicholas of Myra (aka St. Nick). The competition kicks off on "Ash Thursday," March 7, with an epic battle between Biblical saints Mary and Martha. If you're looking for a Lenten discipline that is fun, educational, occasionally goofy, and always joyful, join the Lent Madness journey. Lent needn't be all doom and gloom. After all, what could be more joyful than a season specifically set aside to get closer to Jesus Christ?

8 8 of 10 3/1/2019, 5:43 PM Recently, Eleanor Sergi, our Service Commission Chair and I spoke with Ms. Osollo, the principal of Gale Elementary. One of the things we asked her was regarding the food collection we have every third Sunday for Gale Elementary. We asked if there were certain foods that were needed more than others. She said breakfast items are always needed such as cereals. Peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti and spaghetti sauce were other items that are always needed. Ms. Osollo expressed appreciation for the food collection for the students' families. The Altar Guild works behind the scenes to prepare our beautiful spaces for the various liturgies of our parish. Altar Guild members find great satisfaction and fulfillment in this vital service to our congregation. The ministry commitment is usually one weekend per month, with other services as scheduled. Particularly needed are those who are 8:00 service attendees, but of course everyone is welcome! If you would be interested in learning more about serving our parish in this way, please contact Caroline Wolstenholme at or nickandcarolinew@msn.com. An opportunity has arisen, we are in need of Money Counters. This opportunity consists of counting all of the proceeds from collection from

9 ebruary 28, 2019 St. Matthew's Midweek Update 9 of 10 3/1/2019, 5:43 PM the Sunday Services. Counting takes place on Mondays in The morning. Anyone wishing to take advantage of this opportunity should contact: Allan Jones Telephone # or adjones9966@yahoo.com Bishop-Elect Reddall's Consecration service is coming up quickly! We're hearing a lot of excitement across the diocese and interest in the details. As many of you know, we put a Save the Date in the AZ Episcopalian magazine, and the event is listed on the Events Lists on our website ( < ). For now, that's all we are allowed to publish. As we have learned during this transition process, there are certain protocols that have to be followed. In this case, we have to wait for permission from the General Convention Office to be able to give out any other details. Permission will be granted after a certain number of consents are received from bishops and dioceses across The Episcopal Church. Once we receive that authorization, information will be sent simultaneously to all of our churches about event tickets, which will be REQUIRED for attendance, even though there is NO cost. We hope to be able to live-stream the service, so those who aren't able to attend can still enjoy the celebration. More information will be communicated at a later date about that option, as well. Please share this information with those in your congregation and ask that any inquiries about this event are directed to our office. Do NOT call Church for the Nations (the event venue) ; they will re-direct calls to the Diocesan Office. We appreciate your patience! Nicole A. Krug

10 ebruary 28, 2019 St. Matthew's Midweek Update 10 of 10 3/1/2019, 5:43 PM Canon for Media & Communications Submit to the office or via to and copy to no later than Tuesday at 4 pm for the weekly e-bulletin and/or Sunday Bulletin. Identify yourself and the reason for this particular St. Matthew event or activity. Activities and Events other than St. Matthew's require the approval of the Rector. Include how long to run the announcement. The announcement will be printed as you submit so make sure everything you want to say and how it is to be said is in the announcement. Do not forget to place in your announcement the name of the contact and that person's contact information if a response is requested.the announcement may be edited for space requirements. 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 Confirm that you like this. Click the "Like" button.