St. Matthew's Midweek Update August 9, 2018 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, Sobaipuri and Tohono O'odham nations. We pay our respect to them for their care of the land. - Fr. Rick Note from Fr. Rick A NOTE FROM THE RECTOR I have just finished putting together the outline for the second month of my sabbatical presentation I am doing later this evening. That month I was staying at Mt. Calvary Episcopal Benedictine Monastery in Santa Barbara. It is a marvelous facility located in an incredibly beautiful part of Santa Barbara (as if any part of Santa Barbara isn't beautiful). The three monks who live there are Br. Will, Fr. Tom, and the prior Fr. Adam. A fourth was to be joining them sometime this summer. They live authentically the Benedictine charism of hospitality. They certainly made me feel most welcome.
I wanted a refresher on liturgy and preaching during this second month. The books I read are as follows: 1. Celebrating the Eucharist 2. Liturgical Life Principles 3. Liturgical Spirituality 4. Preaching as Pastoral Care 5. Preaching as Prophetic Calling 6. Provoking the Gospel of Luke 7. Provoking the Gospel of Literary Lectionary What made this month even more meaningful was participating daily in Holy Communion at noon and at Evening Prayer at 5:00 pm. (Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa, I must admit I slept in to 8:00 am missing the 7:00 am morning prayer.) I was able to have a great deal of time to reflect on what I was reading and spend time in prayer. The monastery is a little less than 2.5 miles from the beach. Almost every evening, I would drive to the beach around sunset. I have always valued this time of day. I refer to it as, "God sipping brandy" time. To me, there is a stillness at that time when day and evening touch as if to acknowledge each other and offer the rest of us the beauty of their simultaneous "Hello/Goodbye." I can imagine day and evening saying to us, "we are here for you." Liturgy is central to us as Anglicans. In the mid-sixteenth century when Thomas Cranmer made available the Book of Common Prayer, he opened a vast wealth of prayers to his contemporaries. Our Book of Common Prayer is part of his legacy. We as members of the Anglican Communion are united with other Anglicans through our liturgies. If one is asked what do Anglicans believe, one can easy answer with the expression that is attributed to 5th century Christian writer Prosper of Aquitaine. The expression translated is "as the church prays, the church believes." The Book of Common Prayer reveals what the church believes but it does not confine itself to any one theological interpretation. We are after all, a church of Evangelicals, Anglo-Catholics and Progressives. For some, the lack of being given a strict list of what you must believe and what theologies you must claim as your own is frustrating. Recalling 11th century Christian philosopher and theologian St. Anselm's definition of theology as faith seeking understanding, we are encouraged to ask those questions.
I recall a former Rector of mine, Gordon McBride, used to say, "We are not here to give people the answers; we are here to provide the environment to ask their questions." The liturgies we celebrate can be places of asking questions and encountering mystery. One of the aspects of the monthly Celtic liturgy we have is the discussion after a question has been asked by the homilist. I have often been amazed at the beauty of what people have shared regarding their journey. The liturgy refresher was excellent as it awakened me again to the power of a celebration that encourages us to be aware God is with us. God's Peace! Fr. Rick Did you Know? Other than the Sunday morning liturgies, we have other services at St. Matthew's. * Every Thursday at 10:00 am except the 2nd Thursday, we have Morning Prayer with Eucharist (Communion). At this service, instead of a homily, we offer the names of those on our prayer list. Sometimes this service is called the Prayer Circle. At the second Thursday service, we have a Healing Service with Eucharist taken from the Episcopal worship book, Enriching Our Worship. Anointing of the sick is offered. * Every Wednesday at 6:00 pm, we have Evening Prayer in Spanish. Omar and Edwin Rodriguez alternate as the officiant. The Book of Common Prayer that is used is in Spanish. Evening Prayer has a long history within the Anglican Communion as does Morning Prayer. As the day comes to an end, Evening Prayer has a way of reminding us of the God who is ever present. * Every first Saturday of the month at 5:30, we have a Celtic Liturgy. It is chiefly from the Iona Abbey Worship Book, liturgies from the Iona Community (an ecumenical resident community living at the Abbey.) Chants are part of the service and instead of a homily, we have a discussion arising from a homily-related question. It is quite a bit different than our Sunday morning Communion Liturgies.
*On Thanksgiving Eve and midway through Lent, we have a Taize Holy Communion. Both are held on Wednesday nights. For Thanksgiving, we offer gratitude for the many blessings we have. For mid-way through Lent, we take time to reflect on our Lenten journey, a time of self-examination and prayer. The service draws heavily from the ecumenical community in Taize France. Allow yourself to experience any and all of these times of worship. Each has some special to offer but you have to participate to see what it is. Sabbatical Sharing August 15; 7:00 pm in Matt's Place: Sabbatical Sharing of the third month (in England, Scotland, and Ireland). The study for this month was Celtic Christianity in liturgy and spirituality. There will be treats available! NEW ANOUNCEMENTS DREAM STUDY Saturday August 11, 2018 and Saturday August 25 2018
Matty's Angels The next scheduled event for Matty's Angels is the Annual Hatters' Tea on September 8, 2018 in the Parish Hall. The Chairpersons for this event are Lisa Butler and Caroline Smith. Be sure to mark your calendar! The time of the event has yet to be determined. More information about the Hatter's Tea will be announced very soon but do start to plan your "hat". Nursery Caregiver Position Available The purpose of this position is to work with the other Nursery Caregiver in providing nursery care for the children aged 3 and younger attending the 10:30 Sunday liturgy. Essential Duties and Responsibilities With the other caregiver, do the following: Make sure the nursery area is prepared for the children's arrival. Respectfully greet parents and children. Have clean crib sheets readily available and have a plan for making sure used crib linens and changing table covers are washed and returned each week. See that toys are washed on a regular basis with a non-toxic detergent, and that toys handled by children with colds are washed immediately. Have disinfectant hand cleaners available for caregivers. Assist with the vacuuming of the nursery carpets and the wiping down, dusting, cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and toys every Sunday following the departure of the last child. Qualifications, Education and/or Experience Must be 18 years of age or older. Must have experience with watching infants, toddlers, and other children up to the age of 3.
Must have completed Safeguarding God's Children (caregivers paid to take this training). Must have background check (provided at St. Matthew's expense). Work Location Nursery within the church worship building of the Episcopal Church of St. Matthew, Tucson AZ; 9071 E. Old Spanish Trail. Interested? If you are interested, contact Fr. Rick Wilson at 520 298-9782 or 520 203-4703 (cell) or saintmatthewsrector@live.com. Poz Café Contact person: Ed Cabrera Matty's Men will be participating once again in their annual service project, Poz Café, on August 16. Poz Café is a monthly luncheon put on by TIHAN, Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network, and made possible through monetary contributions and volunteers on the day of the luncheon from different Tucson faith organizations. The monthly lunch is an opportunity for people living with HIV/AIDS and their care partners to enjoy a meal in comfort and safety. This will be St. Matthew's seventh year of participation. The lunch will be at St. Francis in the Foothills UMC. We need to provide six volunteers on that day and participation is open to all. The time is from 8 am to 2 pm. and involves a considerable amount of standing performing different tasks. Lunch will be provided. If you wish to make a donation towards this event, make check payable to St. Matthew with a Poz Café notation on the Memo line, or put cash in an envelope with Poz Café notation on it. If you would like to volunteer on that day or need additional information regarding this event, please speak to me. Thank you for considering this worthwhile event. Ed Cabrera (520) 395-8214
St. Matthew's Polar Blast 2018 Vacation Bible School August 17 and August 18 St. Matthew's Polar Blast 2018 Staff is ready to help your child discover that Jesus' Love is Cool and that Jesus will always love us! When: August 17th (5:30-8:15pm) and August 18th (9:00am - 1:30pm) Where: Matt's Place Who: Pre-K through 6th grade We will start on Friday night, August 17th with a musical opening as we learn to trust in God's unfailing love (Psalm 13:5). On Saturday, we will continue with Cool Bible Adventures, Frozen Fun and Games, and crafts. Lunch and snacks will be provided. Registration is free and limited to 25 children. Online registration closes at 5pm on August 15th or when we have reached capacity! Please register early to ensure your spot. vbspro.events/p/97b8b9 If you have any questions or are unable to register online, please contact Kristen Wendler, VBS Director, at kristen.wendler@gmail.com or 520-247-8280. Additionally, we are in need of volunteers to assist with VBS - please let us know if you are able and willing to help - we would love to have you!
Diocesan Announcements EfM Education for Ministry (EfM) is a weekly seminar program created and administered by the School of Theology at the University of the South. The program reflects the basic Anglican belief that God is working in the world and in your life. EfM enables you to learn more about God and yourself by relating history, culture and scripture to your own experience of the world. EfM suggests that your own life experiences are primary resources for your theological education. Over four years of study, worship and personal reflection with a group of 6-12 others, you will share your insights and discoveries about your perceptions of God and what God might be saying. The group meets from 6:30-9 pm on Mondays, September through May. Although EfM is a 4-year program, each participant enrolls for just a year at a time. Tuition is $375 per year (but partial scholarships may be available). EfM is a big commitment, meeting 2 1/2 hours per week for 34 weeks each year, and requires 2-3 hours of individual study each week. Registration deadline is Sunday, July 29. The group is limited to 12 participants, however, so once it is filled, it is filled! Please talk with EfM mentor Clyde Kunz if you have questions about the program or would like to register. We'd love to have you join us in this journey! Clyde Kunz (520) 977-4019 Kunz@cox.net
ATTENDANCE & CHURCH DEPOSIT The Attendance for the week of August 5, 2018 8:00 AM 24 10:30 AM 61 Celtic 6 Total 91 Amount deposited 8/6/18 not including direct deposits $5966.00 Procedures for Submitting Announcements to the E-Bulletin and/or Sunday insert Submit to the office or via email to parish01stmatts@outlook.com or saintmatthewsrector@live.com 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. If your announcement includes a collection of anything, make sure you have cleared with the Rector the location if the collection is to be on the church campus. If it is to be elsewhere, identify where that location is. Either way, have the collection location in the announcement.
Provide a small description exceeding no more than a paragraph. The announcement may be edited for space requirements. Pictures may be submitted but only in a JPEG format. No more than 4 pictures per article and text description must accompany the pictures. Posting up to more than 5 but less than 10 pictures of a St. Matthew's event or activity will require a separate electronic mailing. Hard copies of the postings will be available on the narthex table. Episcopal Church of Saint Matthew 9071 East Old Spanish Trail Tucson Arizona 85710 (520) 298-9782 stmatthew.azdiocese.org Instagram: Saintmatthews_Tucson Mailing address PO Box 17116 Tucson, AZ 85731