Turning Up the Heat & Being Cool C

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1 Volume 10, Issue 7 July 2018 Look Inside For... Page 2 Bishop Committee Reports Page 3 Children & Family Ministries VBS 2018 Page 4 VBS 2018 Page 5 C FFA Adult Bible Classes First Fruits Acolyte Schedule Page 6 Fellowship Opportunities Do You Have? GoodShop Page 7 Lent to Lent Bible UMOM Monthly Outreach Bishop s Committee Page 8 Deacon s Corner Family Camp Diocesan Spiritual Retreat Bishop s Committee Meeting Wednesday, September 19th 6:30 pm Turning Up the Heat & Being Cool C olloquialisms are fun, but can be confusing if we re trying to communicate clearly with a lasting message. For example, what does turning up the heat suggest to you? Is it all about the scorching July weather here in Arizona, or does it have other, less salubrious connotations? We sometimes talk about law enforcement putting pressure on villains as turning up the heat, but you and I can feel all kinds of pressures in daily life and have to figure out how to deal with them. W hat about being cool? Most of us immediately recognize the idiom as staying calm under pressure or at least pretending to be somewhat detached in an otherwise stressful situation. The big question is how we deal with life s pressures, like health issues, job and family issues, finances, aging, and big transitions like getting married or divorced, buying a house, raising children, or retirement, to name a few of life s pressure points? A s the heat rises, then we start to realize that we can t do it alone. One of the foundational stories of the Judeo-Christian tradition is Israel s exodus from slavery and oppression in Egypt to freedom and abundant life in the Promised Land. It was not an easy transition. It involved a brutally long and arduous journey through the wilderness with many physical, emotional and spiritual challenges along the way. Many died. The Israelites were frequently tested, and frequently failed to stay cool when the heat was on. In fact, the story becomes almost predictable in terms of how often the Israelites whined and complained to Moses and God. A s followers of Jesus, we too are tested through our own type of exodus from slavery to sin and death through our selfish ways, our over-dependence on worldly goods and pleasures, and our often militant independence to gain our freedom in Christ. Our journey is life-long and involves significant trials along the way. Just as it was for the Israelites, we too are learning to put our trust in God, to simplify our way of being in the world so that no one is subject to violence or oppression on our account, and to learn what it means to listen and follow God s ways and God s will. A gain, as followers of Jesus, we re learning that to be cool under pressure is about relying on God, and leaning on the Lord. The way we re equipped to stay cool when the heat is on is through consistent spiritual practices like prayer, worship and the study of God s word, as well as other spiritual disciplines like meditation and reflection, lectio divina, practicing gratitude and generosity, hospitality and vulnerability, and serving the needs of our neighbors. This helps us to know and understand where God is leading, what God is pruning out of our lives, and what doors for ministry God is opening or closing. If we neglect our relationship with God, then how will we know God s plan, or be able to hear it? How can we discern a Godly way of living and being in the world if we ve become spiritually deaf or hardhearted? Here are some final words of wisdom from the Book of Proverbs: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6 Susan +

2 Page 2 Treasurer s Update We can safely say that this month marks the fulfillment of our 1/2 yearly mission share to the Diocese. We continue to stride in our quest to become a full parish again by December,2018. We could not have accomplished our goal without the help of our good & faithful community. Our link to Amazon Smile is up & running. As you shop online at Amazon Smile part of the proceeds will be directed to our church at no additional cost to you. Keep shopping! Our registered name is Saint James the Apostle Episcopal Church. Make sure it says Tempe, AZ along with our name. Many of you have already set up your Fry s VIP shopper s card so that St. James receives a small donation every time you buy groceries. Ann Marie Bellamy-Bartholomew (abellamybartholomew@hotmail.com) Gerry Carlston (pgcarlston@cox.net) Co-Treasurers January 1 through May 28, 2018 Actual Budgeted YTD Operating Income $ 113,434 YTD Operating Expense $ 108,462 YTD Surplus / (Deficit) $ 4,972 $ 119,113 $ 122,361 $ -3,248 From the Senior Warden On Father s Day, I took time to give thanks and to recognize the life of privilege I have been given. To have the ability for us to treat our daughters and their plus 1 s to Happy Hour filled with food and laughter is the best present I can imagine. It also made me realize that my place in time and geography is also a privilege. The tragic separation of children from their parents at our southern border was happening at the same time I was celebrating with my own family. Fortunately, this was a topic of discussion that was not lost while we were together. This also made me face some of the memories I have tried to hide from my childhood. I consider myself beyond fortunate to have been born and raised in the land of the Diné. I have vivid memories, during the 1960 s, of some of my young Navajo friends being removed by the federal government from their families. They were then put on a Continental Trailways bus at the Chapter House and sent to out-of-state Boarding Schools to be assimilated. I still see my parents emotionally struggling while embracing the grieving parents as they watched their children being taken away. It makes me sad to see our country repeating this unfortunate time in our history. I am proud of the stand the Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has taken with many interfaith leaders on this forced separation of children. I am proud of how Pastor Susan and other clergy friends of mine have spoken out against this injustice. I am proud of the members of St. James who took to the streets to denounce this injustice while facing physically aggressive and violent, racist opposition. I am also proud that every week we say the following prayer: We acknowledge, pay respect and pray for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community as the original people of the land and their role as custodians of this land given to them by our one and only Creator God. We commit ourselves to actively work alongside indigenous people for reconciliation and justice as we live into our Baptismal Covenant and respect the dignity of every person. Peace, Bob Klassen You have probably noticed the storage shed in the west side parking lot. With SAARC expanding into the classrooms four and five, St James has lost some storage space. So, a special thanks to Larry Kenyon for arranging the delivery of the 10 by 12 foot shed. As part of SAARC s expansion, we have put in new hot water tanks in each of the classrooms. The State of Arizona requires that there be handwashing facilities with specific water temperatures. We have had the volleyball posts removed from the sand lot on the north side of the church. In the next few months, we will begin preparing the area for a labyrinth. Finally, as your Warden, I want to be responsive to your suggestions and concerns regarding the physical structure of St. James. I cannot address issues if I don t know about them, so please feel free to contact me at my address (queenbead1130@gmail.com), by phone ( ) or talk to me directly when you see me at Church. Denise Boyd

3 I cannot thank all of you enough for making this years VBS such a success. We had a wonderful time bringing to life the shipwrecked theme to dozens of youth and teens each night. Thank you for all of the donations we received before VBS started and after it began. Summer is here and the weather is very hot. It s a great time to get the water ministry up and going. We are collecting gallon jugs of water, so we can freeze them and hand out cold water to the homeless around Tempe. We will be collecting water throughout the month of July. The youth group will also be putting hygiene bags together the second Sunday of August. (Hygiene bags have shampoo, deodorant, snacks and water.) Thank you all for your continued support of the youth of St. James. Eileen Flock eflock@cox.net (480) (cell phone) Page 3 Vacation Bible School 2018 Good times! Amazing Memories!

4 Page 4 MORE VBS FUN! Join us next year for...

5 Christian Formation For All (CFFA) Our Journey s with Jesus in the Bible takes a couple of weeks off this month for vacation! Classes will be held on Sunday, July 1st, 22nd and 29th. We take a vacation break on July 8th and 15th. Other CFFA Opportunities Susan + Centering Prayer for spiritual health is a wonderful spiritual discipline that increases our peace and focus, our sense of God s presence in our lives, and our ability to deal with life! All are welcome and invited! Due to vacation time, centering prayer will be offered on Wednesday, July 25th at 3:15-3:45 pm in the sanctuary. Women in the Word, our Women s Bible Study group, will be taking some vacation time in July. We will resume our walk through the Hebrew Scriptures on Wednesday, July 25th at 4:00 pm in the sanctuary. All women are welcome! Men s Bible Study meets every Thursday at the home of Deacon Fritz Huls (2620 N. 68th Street, Building 7, Apt. 103, Scottsdale, 85257) at 6:30 pm. All men welcome! Page 5 The greatness of community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members, a heart of grace and a soul generated by love. -- Coretta Scott King First Fruits Sunday, July 1st! We celebrate the first Sunday of each month as First Fruits Sunday. Thanks to all who already bring in non-perishable food items. Your gifts make a difference. This is a great way to put our faith into action, and to continue our Lord s mission to care for, and feed our hungry neighbors. Spirituality is about being ready. All the spiritual disciplines of your life - prayer, study, meditation or ritual, religious vows - are there so you can break through to the eternal. Spirituality is about awakening the eyes, the ears, the heart so you can see what's always happening right in front of you. - Richard Rohr Acolyte Schedule for July 2018 DATE 8:30 am Service 10:30 am Service 2018 July 1 John B./Simon C = Brandon BU=Dylan July 8 Elliot C = Pam H. BU=Collin July 15 Elliot C = Collin BU = Allison July 22 Pamela C = Dylan BU = Allison July 29 Elliot C = Allison BU=Brandon

6 Page 6 Tuesday, July 10th 6:00 pm La Madeleine French Bakery & Café 3605 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler, Biscuit s 4623 E. Elliot Road, Phoenix (SW corner 48th & Elliot) Join Us for Lunch!! Thursday, July 26th 11:30 am St James Bookies July s book is Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan. We will meet Sunday, July 29th, after the 10:30 service at Panera Bread, 1707 W. Warner. Do you have: Joint pain? Fatigue? Depression/anxiety? Weight gain? IBS? Coming soon A Series of HOW TO sessions to help alleviate & improve these & other conditions through proper diet. We have a great way for you to help support our church every day just by shopping online or dining out at your favorite restaurants!! We ve registered St James with GoodShop.com, a company that helps nonprofits like ours raise funds through the every day actions of our members. Every time you use a GoodShop merchant, they donate approximately half of the revenue they make to the non-profit you ve designated. Here is how you can help: Please join our community on GoodShop.com and help us raise money for our mission. Our profile name is St James the Apostle Episcopal Church. Search for the Tempe St. James to be sure you support us! Get started by clicking the Sign Up button. Use GoodShop.com when you shop online they work with more than 2,500 major brands, have over 100,000 coupons and donate a percentage of every purchase you make to us. You must go through the GoodShop website each time you shop and make sure to sign in every time. Please see Diana if you have any questions! Here s just a sample of the merchants donating through GoodShop: Barnes & Noble Groupon Macy s PetsMart Bath & Body Works Home Depot Nordstrom Starbucks Online Crate & Barrel Kohl s Office Max Target

7 Page 7 With the Word through our Lent-to-Lent Bible Challenge In June, we followed the transition from King Saul to King David and heard much about the early exploits of the great shepherd king. We continue to experience the delights of the Psalms and begin to follow Paul s conversion and journey s through the Acts of the Apostles. What a great month with much to reflect on. Here are some questions to keep us thinking and applying God s word to our lives as we live in faith and grow in the Lord! At the end of 1 Samuel we read about Saul s tragic suicide. There has been much in the news about suicide and suicide prevention, especially amongst young people. What is God s perspective on suicide, which is so often accompanied by some form of mental illness (as it was for Saul)? David was anointed king over Israel quite some time before Saul s demise. 2 Samuel 5 describes David formally becoming king of Israel. What are some of David s first acts as a new King? Why are these things significant? Why do we still speak truth to power? (See 2 Samuel 12) Sexual misconduct and sexual assault have also made significant headlines recently with the #metoo movement. The rape of Tamar (see 2 Samuel 13) is tragic on many levels, and even more so for David s failure to deal appropriately with the perpetrator. How do we work for justice today in all aspects of life and for all God s children? David and Bathsheba s son, Solomon, becomes king after David dies. What is Solomon known for and how is that gift received? What causes Solomon s relationship with God to become strained? (See 1 Kings 11) What then happens to the kingdom? God responds to Israel s faithlessness by raising up a prophet. Who is that prophet? (See 1 Kings 17) God takes care of the succession planning! Who is anointed prophet to follow Elijah? For quite some time Israel and Judah form the divided kingdom with a series of kings who are faithful to a greater or lesser extent. Finally, Josiah becomes king. In 2 Kings 23 what do we learn about Josiah? Does Josiah s reign prevent the fall of Jerusalem? Psalm 95 is also known as the Venite. When do we read it? The final Book (Book V) of the Psalter begins with which psalm? What is Ananias and Sapphira s sin? What happens next? (See Acts 5) Why is Stephen stoned to death? Who is at the stoning and what does this presage for followers of The Way? (Acts 7 c.f.) How does Lydia model her spiritual gifts? (See Acts 16). What are your spiritual gifts and how do you live them? Paul s ministry involves a lot of travel. Where does Paul finally end up? Does his arrest stop his ministry? Why or why not? Susan + St. James Monthly Outreach to our hungry neighbors is at the UMOM Halle Shelter. There are 7 spots available each month. Please sign up for our next service evening beginning at 5pm and ending about 6:00pm on Friday, July 13th. The Halle shelter is located at 3424 E. Van Buren Street, Phoenix, AZ Anyone who is 13 years and up is welcome to be part of the team. Also, please remember that if you sign up you are committing to show up, otherwise we ll be short staffed. If you can t come please arrange for a replacement. At Your Service: Your Bishop s Committee Bob Klassen (Bishop s Warden) Denise Boyd (Junior Warden) Anne Marie Bellamy-Bartholomew (Co-Treasurer) Gerry Carlston (Co-Treasurer) Mary Hovden Larry Kenyon Tara Papaccio

8 Page 8 Serving our Border Ministry & Honoring our Baptismal Covenant You too, can minister at the border. With all of the information and publicity about the current border situation, many are searching for ways to serve and help. The Bishop s Pastoral Letter this week outlines our responsibility as Christians and provides more background information. Where our Diocesan Border Ministry can use help is with prayer and funds. Currently our parishes at the border have become the leaders in bringing the communities together to help and serve. There are two ways you can help: 1) Make an online donation to our Border Ministry at 2) Or send a check to St. Andrew s Episcopal Church, 969 W Country Club Drive, Nogales AZ ****please note Cruzando Fronteras in memo line**** The Deacons in the southern Arizona parishes have been working non-stop to ensure that all the funds get to the correct recipient. Monies are needed for water, food, and medical supplies. Any amount is gratefully appreciated. Please be prayerful about this and find how you too, can be part of our border ministry. Blessings, Deacon Robin Around the Diocese Unplug and Reconnect July 5-8 Family Camp is an opportunity to use your family vacation time to unplug from the busyness of daily life and reconnect with your children and with the God who made you a family. It is challenging in this over-programmed, screen-filled culture to take the time out to be present to the people in our families. Chapel Rock is a place where screens are put away and there is space and time to listen to God and to each other. We will experience prayer, music, free time exploring the beauty of Prescott, and old-fashioned camp fun, like arts and crafts, a campfire, the ropes course, and games. Invest in your family, and come join us! Register at Council of Native American Ministry Annual Spiritual Retreat Please join with the Council of Native American Ministries, The Rev. Canon Debbie Royals and special guest and spiritual leader, Steve Darden, for an opportunity to experience Native American spirituality and continue to engage with Native traditional values and processes. Steve is wellknown in Native circles and wellness programs. He regularly works with Native People in recovery, is part of the Navajo Human Rights Commission and is a ceremonial leader. Friday, August 24 Saturday, August 25, 2018 at the Franciscan Renewal Center located at 5802 E. Lincoln Drive, Scottsdale, AZ. Double room rate - $75.00, commuter meals only - $ Register for this event by going to: Deadline for housing is August 3, If you need help to register, contact Dawn Jackson at (602) or dawn@azdiocese.org. For more information on this event or Native American Ministries, contact The Rev. Canon Debbie Royals at revdebroyals@gmail.com. Steve Darden Dine (Navajo)