April 2022 Cross Currents

CROSSCURRENTS FROM PASTOR PETE

Greetings St. Andrew’s!

No foolin’, it’s already April!

The season of repentance and preparation called Lent continues this month along with our worship series Resilient: Equipped with Faith to Follow Jesus. Jesus dealt with challenges and disruptions during His earthly ministry – none greater than the events of Holy Week, culminating with His crucifixion. I hope you plan to join us in person or streaming online for Sunday worship, and for Holy Week worship on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. It’s not too early to begin praying for who you will invite

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to join you for Easter worship!

Some people invite friends and family to join them for in person worship service, and others have creatively opened their homes to neighbors and shared the live-stream experience with them. Either way, it’s a chance to connect with people at a time when they are open to being invited to worship! 95% of Christians came to church because of an invitation from a family member or friend! In addition to our regular Sunday services on Easter, we’re also excited to have a Sunrise Service on our campus – find the details in this edition of Cross Currents,

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and don’t forget to bring a lawn chair!

So many good things are happening this season at St. Andrew’s, so please take some time to read this issue, and pray for God to continue to bring transformational healing and resurrection hope to this community of faith in Jesus Christ!

On April 9 join us for an exciting intergenerational Eggstravaganza!

This month marks the oneyear anniversary of the death of Jim Toole. What better way

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(cont. from page 1) to remember and gives thanks for Jim and Pati Toole than to gather at Riverfront Park on April 23 for the Jim Toole 1K! I want to share some updates about our church staff.

Thank you for continuing to support our staff through your encouragement and prayers!

They are amazing!

New Assistant Director of Youth Ministry - We are celebrating the blessing of welcoming to our ministry staff Logan Schmidt, who will serve in vital ministry with our students!

Preschool & Kindergarten Leadership Transition – With the resignation of Corey Planer as our Preschool Director at the end of February, the Preschool Governing Board has responded positively to provide leadership and support to the office administrative team, teachers, students, and families of the school. Carolyn Rapp (Preschool Business Manager/ Acting Director) and Katie Vidal (Administrative Assistant) have stepped up and have been given additional responsibilities to provide day-to-day leadership for school operations. Our church ministry staff has also

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stepped up to provide support and connections so that the transition may go as smoothly as possible. The Personnel Committee will form a search team this month to find a new director to lead this important mission outreach of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church.

I pray you are encouraged this season by the power of Christ’s resurrection to live a resilient life of faith.

Counting it all joy, Pastor Pete Interim Pastor / Head of Staff

April 2022 Worship Schedule

Resilient: Equipped With Faith to Follow Jesus April 3, 2022 | Flourishing Over Failure With Forgiveness Luke 7:36-50 - Lent Experience Challenge #5 Forgiveness April 10, 2022 | Putting Down Pessimism With Praise Luke 19:28-42 - Lent Experience Challenge #6 Bible Reading April 17, 2022 | Easter: Resurrection Resilience Luke 24:1-12; 36-49 - Lent Experience: Wrapping It All Up April 24, 2022 | Expunging and Eliminating Errors With Evidence Luke 24:13-35 FIRST STEPS TO FINDING OUR NEXT PASTOR

As you may know, we have started the process of finding our next installed pastor. One major step in this process is the formation of the Congregational Mission Study Team. This team held its initial meeting on Monday, March 28, 2022. The team is excited to get to the work of examining our church history and our surrounding community, gathering input from our congregation, and determining our future pastoral needs. Once completed, this work will be summarized and provided to the congregation, and it will provide a foundation and direction for the future Pastor Nominating Committee which will be elected to discern whom God is calling to serve as our next installed pastor. It is a long journey, and we have taken the first steps! Updates will be available on the pastoral transition section of the church website.

- From Kevin Oxnam, Congregational Mission Study Team Leader

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PALM SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES

Join us on Palm Sunday at our regularly scheduled services: 7:30 am | Communion Worship | NE Chapel 9:00 am* | Contemporary Worship | SW Sanctuary 10:45 am* | Traditional Worship | SW Sanctuary There will be NO EGG HUNT on Palm Sunday. This year our eggstravaganza egg hunt will take place the day before on April 9 at 2:00 pm. Check the website for further details!

PALM SUNDAY CONCERT

You are invited to the 9th Annual Palm Sunday Concert featuring the St. Andrew’s Chancel Choir, Orchestra, and Wittman Ringers. This year, the program includes Adolphus Hailstork’s I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes Cantata, Barber’s Adagio for Strings, as well as an arrangement of In Paradisum from Faure’s Requiem.

You won’t want to miss this exciting program Sunday, April 10, at 3:00 pm in the SW Sanctuary.

MAUNDY THURSDAY WORSHIP SERVICE

This Maundy Thursday, celebrate the Last Supper with us.

Worship with us as we remember the day in which Jesus broke bread, prayed in the Garden, and yielded to His unjust arrest.

Join us Thursday, April 14, at 7:00 pm in the SW Sanctuary for this powerful time of worship, led by our Contemporary Worship Team in-person or online.

GOOD FRIDAY WORSHIP SERVICE

Our Good Friday service will walk through the last days of Christ through the Crucifixion. This Traditional Service will be led by our Chancel Choir and Orchestra on Friday, April 15, at 7:00 pm in the SW Sanctuary in-person and online.

EASTER SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES

Join us as we celebrate the Risen Christ this Easter at SAPC! Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022 6:00 am | Outdoor Sunrise Service | NE Courtyard 7:30 am | Communion Worship Service | NE Chapel 9:00 am* | Contemporary Worship Service | SW Sanctuary 10:45 am* | Traditional Worship Service | SW Sanctuary *Available live online

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JIM TOOLE 1K

The Jim Toole 1K is April 23 from 9:00 am - 11:30 am! In honor of the one year anniversary of the passing of Pastor Jim Toole, we will be walking the loop at Riverfront Park and celebrating Pastor Jim’s life well-lived! Pastor Jim loved how our church served the community. We will be honoring him by collecting food items for the new Haven Totes food pantry in Amphi Middle School which will eventually serve families in the schools in need in the southern end of the Amphitheater School District. The items which will help entire families are: cereal, canned green beans, boxed meals such as hamburger or tuna helper, boxed mashed potatoes, Mac N Cheese, noodles, and canned pasta sauce.

Please bring your items to the event. Questions? Please contact Pastor Mat Grover at mgrover@sapctucson.org or RuthAnn at rsmithrud@sapctucson.org. Thank you!

RESPONDING TO HUMAN NEEDS IN UKRAINE: AN INVITATION FROM PANTANO CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN TUCSON Pantano Christian Church has a team in Ukraine getting funds and supplies to 19 churches and organizations that are feeding, housing, providing medicines, and evacuating people in desperate need throughout Ukraine. They are evacuating women and children also.

Our Ukrainian brothers and sisters have distributed funds and supplies worth a total of $48,000 through Monday, March 7. Pantano Christian Church has invited us to join in this effort. Watch for more information coming Easter Sunday!

EMERGENCY: PREPARING FOR THE UNEXPECTED Faith Communities in Tucson are a very important part of the local emergency response. In emergency situations, details on St. Andrew’s role will be broadcasted from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through local Red Cross chapters. Preparedness plans include: • Create an Emergency Communication Plan. Choose an out-of-town family contact to check on each other. Also, inform your child’s school and workplace of this new contact. Local communication can be overwhelmed or disrupted.

• Establish a meeting place. Having a predetermined meeting place away from home will save time and confusion if evacuated is required. Think St. Andrew’s parking lot.

• Assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit. You might be asked to evacuate your home or “shelter-inplace” and having needed supplies will increase family comfort. > Make your kit in an easy to carry container --a duffle bag or plastic trash can. > Include “special needs” items each family member uses: baby formula, prescription medications, change of clothes and bedrolls per person, battery powered radio, extra batteries, food, bottled water, and tools. > Include cash and copies of important documents (birth certificates, passports and licenses).

• Check on your child’s School Emergency Plan. Does school keep the child there until a parent or designated adult picks them up or send them home alone? Ensure the school has current information to reach parents and responsible caregivers for pickup. Ask what authorization the school requires to release children to your designee. In emergencies school telephones could be overwhelmed. (From your Faith Community Nurses)

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ADULT DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRY SHARE YOUR STORIES WITH US! We want to hear about your Lenten Experience! Share your stories with us! What did you learn about Mercy and Love on Ash Wednesday?

What are some things you learned about fasting? How was it for you to experience the gift of repentance?

Send your stories to Connie at crandall@sapctucson.org or fill out our online form at sapctucson.org.

HUGS HUGS, our non-denominational senior outreach ministry offers socialization, stimulation, and a wholesome environment for senior adults living with family members, alone, or in residential care facilities in the NW region of Tucson. Join us on Wednesdays at 10:30 am - 12:30 pm in Friendship Hall. Lunch is included for $3. For questions, contact Susan Lane at 520 297-4885 or laneslink@msn.com.

Upcoming HUGS Schedule: April 6 - Birthdays & Bingo with prizes April 13 - Closed for Holy Week April 20 - Desert Belles Chorus with Susie Melton April 27 - Cheaper Than Therapy Quartet with Fran Tuell May 4 - Cinco de Mayo celebration with Trio Los Amigos Mariachi’s

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FAITH UNCORKED Ladies come join the fun and fellowship on April 22 for our monthly time together.

Being together will encourage each of us, help us with all of our life stuff and we’ll have FUN! Bring your favorite appetizer and adult beverage. We’ll meet from 6:00 pm 8:00 pm at the home of Susan Wiggins, 11375 N. Skywire Way, Oro Valley 85737.

RSVP to Connie at crandall@sapctucson.org.

Women of all ages are invited as we encourage each other to keep on keeping on in our journey of life and faith!

THE LIBRARY IS OPEN! Did you know SAPC’s Library is back open and ready for you to come and visit!? Our Library is a great resource for Christian literature, Christian fiction, and we have a children’s section, too! Come in and say hello. Check out a book or two! A library card is easy to obtain, and we have cheerful library assistants ready and willing to show you around and help you find what you would like to read.

Our current focus book subjects on display are Easter, Lent, and spiritual disciplines. A member of the Library Committee is usually in the library to assist before the 9:00 am Service, and in-between the 9:00 am and 10:45 am service. The Library is located through the doors on the NW side of The Gathering Place. Step inside! We’d be delighted to meet you.

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CHILDREN’S DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRY EGG-STRAVAGANZA: AN EASTER EVENT Join us for the Egg-stravaganza Event! Come for the Egg Hunt at 2:00 pm on the Patio of the SW Campus, then head inside and participate in five challenges as you roam through the book of Romans! Can you complete each one? Don’t have kids? Come anyway! Set up a lawn chair, watch the Egg Hunt, then head inside to try your hand at the challenges! Each challenge is inspired by a passage from the book of Romans.

VBS 2022 VBS Registration is now open! Register your children to attend or register as a volunteer. VBS will be June 13-17. You can register by going to sapctucson.org/kids.vbs or scanning the QR codes below.

Scan to Register!

Use your camera app to scan the codes to register your kids or register to volunteer! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

HOLY MOLIES Holy Molies is a 4th and 5th grade fellowship group. We meet once a month from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm in Room F. Upcoming Holy Molies: April 20: Game Night May 18: Pool Party at the Grovers

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YOUTH DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRY FOREST HOME CAMP SIGN-UPS!!

It’s that time again for Middle and High School students to register for Forest Home Camp in the San Bernardino Mountains! Students completing the 5th - 12th grades are invited! It is an amazing week filled with worship, teaching, zip-lining, hiking, blobbing, competitions, night games, friendships, and more! Scholarships are available as well as sibling discounts. Please use scholarships if you need them. We don’t want financial cost to stop kids from going to camp! Contact Tim at tchristian@sapctucson.org or Logan at lschmidt@sapctucson.org for questions or if you want to sign up!

5TH GRADER PREVIEW MAY 15 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | BOONDOCKS All 5th Graders (incoming 6th Graders) and their parents are invited to a Youth Group Preview. This is your opportunity to check out the Youth Ministry, play games, meet leaders, eat pizza, and ask questions.

Join us Sunday, May 15, in the Boondocks, lower level of Westminster Hall. For questions, please contact Tim Christian at tchristian@sapctucson.org.

SUMMER INTERNSHIPS Are you interested in what goes on behind the scenes of the Youth Ministry? The Youth Ministry is currently accepting applications for volunteer and paid interns this summer! Interns will spend the summer learning and serving in the Youth Ministry while growing in their own personal faith!

High School students who have completed their sophomore year are invited to apply to be a volunteer intern. Young adults who have graduated from High School qualify to apply to be a paid intern. More information and applications are available online at sapcyouth.com. Applications are due Sunday, May 15.

MEET LOGAN! OUR NEW ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF YOUTH MINISTRY! I’m overjoyed to be joining the St. Andrew’s staff as the Assistant Director of Youth Ministry. I have grown up in and around the Church, Christian schools, and Christian summer camps.

The oldest of three siblings and a (mostly) Tucson native, I have been volunteering as a youth leader for the past three and a half years. The students of St. Andrew’s youth group have won me over and I am so excited for all the youth group nights, service events, and Forest Home trips to come!! Here are some fun facts about me!

My Midwest roots come through strongest with my love of Chicago sports, especially the Cubs.

I love to travel all over the world and my favorite destination so far has been Norway.

I am currently in the process of earning a second bachelor degree, this time in nursing.

MOONLIGHT DINNER DONATIONS & TICKETS It’s that time of year again! We are collecting items for the 2022 Moonlight Dinner and Auction on May 7. Your donations are tax deductible. All money raised at the event goes to support the Youth Intern Program, Camp Scholarships, and mission opportunities. Items can be donated through the youth office. For more information, contact Logan Schmidt at lschmidt@sapctucson.org . Thank you so much for helping support the Youth Ministry. Tickets for the evening are available at sapcyouth. com for $25/ticket or $150 for a table of eight. (Kid meals are free!)

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CROSSCURRENTS EASTER PRAYER VIGIL May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

(Romans 15:13)

St. Andrew’s invites everyone to celebrate the glorious resurrection of our Lord and Savior by participating in an Easter prayer vigil Saturday, April 16, the Saturday before Easter. Sign up in a half-hour slot. Multiple people can sign up in the same slot and individuals can sign up for more than one slot. Let’s share with our Heavenly Father our concerns and our thanksgiving.

To pray in the Prayer Tower, a slot can be chosen from 7:30 am - 3:00 pm. There will be a sign-up poster at all three services for the next two weeks. Our St. Andrew’s campus closes at 3:00 pm. If you would like to pray at home, between 3:00 pm and midnight when our church campus is closed, please choose a half- hour slot by signing up online at sapctucson.org.

EASTER FLOWERS If you would like to place a blooming plant in one of our Easter Worship services, in honor or in memory of a loved one, you can sign up by visiting sapctucson.org or contacting the Church Office. The cost will be $25 and you may select whether you would like the plant to be placed in the Chapel for the 7:30 am Service or in the Sanctuary. The plants in the Chapel may be taken home following the 7:30 am Worship Service and the plants in the Sanctuary may be taken home after the Traditional Worship Service. Check with the Church Office early in the week if you would like to pick up your plant after Easter to see if there are still plants available. Some of the left over plants may be brought to Care Centers.

STEPHEN MINISTRY You or your loved one has been given a life changing health diagnosis. You have more questions than answers and are waiting to know how to move forward. Sharing your feelings and questions with someone who will listen and pray for you can make a huge difference in how you face this challenge. If you or anyone you know might benefit from having a Stephen Minister, please visit sapctucson.org/care or contact the Church Office at 297-7201 or Cheryl Smith at 520-271-6591.

SAPC FINANCIAL UPDATE February total revenue Monthly revenue required Difference

$140,549 154,955 ($14,406)

Year to date revenue YTD revenue required Difference

$405,326 383,349 $21,977