August 2023 Cross Currents

FROM PASTOR PETE

Greetings St. Andrew’s Family! Monsoons are here! “Weather” you love them or not, there is no denying the power of these seasonal storms that are so unique to the desert Southwest. A monsoon provides water our desert needs and a cooling effect that brings relief from summer heat. And within the same event, violent wind, rain, and hail sometimes damages and uproots. The same can be true of our lives’ experiences. We revel in showers of blessing, and we lament when we experience hurt or loss. Psalm 107 reminds of how God has been faithful to His people through all the situations of their lives, because God is good, and His love endures forever. While we might be focused on our momentary experiences – especially when we are afraid, sad, or angry – God’s promise is that we are never alone. Verse 43 says: Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.

This month we will be concluding our summer sermon series on the books of Colossians and Philemon called Jesus + Nothing = Everything. As Jesus is first and preeminent over both creation and the new creation, this isn’t just an abstract concept to think about. In chapters three and four of Colossians and in Philemon, Paul gets very practical about what this means to live a transformed life in Christ, even in the mundane. There isn’t any aspect of our lives that isn’t impacted by the Gospel, and this has profound implications for our actions and relationships.

Sunday, August 27, will be Rev. Connie Randall’s last day serving as SAPC’s Director of Adult Discipleship, as well as a day to celebrate her service and honor her decision to retire. Connie will be preaching the message that day, and we hope you will join us showing our gratitude to her for her ministry service.

The Pastor Nominating Committee is continuing their work, and they reached a milestone accomplishment in completing the Ministry Discernment Profile (PDP), which has been approved and posted on the denominational website called Church Leadership Connection (CLC). Please regularly pray for the PNC as they walk together through the next phases of their process. Updates and information can be found on our website: sapctucson.org/pastortransition

Counting It All Joy,

Pastor Pete Seiferth Interim Pastor / Head of Staff

PASTOR TRANSITION UPDATE

Pastoral Transition Process Checklist

[italic=completed, bold=in process, regular=to be completed]

• Hire Interim Pastor/start date: July 12, 2021

• Session consultation with and the Presbytery Commission on Ministry (COM)/Transitions Work Team. December 14, 2021.

• Mission Study. Session appoints a “Transition Mission Study Team” as an ad hoc committee to work with Interim Pastor to prepare the Congregational Mission Study. This can be a lengthy process involving new learning, careful design, communication with the congregation, examination of the community context, and then preparing a final report. The final mission study report has been completed, and approved by Session on March 14, and Presbytery COM on March 21, 2023.

• The Nominating Committee begins to seek candidates from the congregation to serve on the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC). The PNC was elected by congregation on March 26, 2023.

• The PNC will receive training from the COM about the specific steps in the call process of calling an installed pastor. The PNC’s work is confidential.

• The PNC will prepare a Ministry Discernment Profile (MDP) based on the findings of the Mission Study, which is used to advertise the position nationally. Once drafted, the MIF must be approved by the Session and the COM.

• Once the MDP is posted, the PNC chairperson will begin receiving PDPs (Personal Discernment Profile) of potential candidates. The PNC will determine a strategy for evaluating PDPs, interviewing, and selecting a candidate who will ultimately be presented to the congregation.

MISSION

TRINITY BIBLICAL INSTITUTE

TBI trains pastors in English speaking East and Central Africa through an accredited Bible College serving poor rural communities in Uganda. Emanating from a main campus in Uganda, teaching occurs at other locations in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Burundi. A new campus in Rwanda is being completed now. The church in Africa is growing very rapidly, having over 600 million members. However, there is a theological famine wherein there is only one pastor for every 450,000 Christians in Africa (as compared to one for every 600 in America).

TBI is the main work of Trinity Center for World Mission, TCWM, which planted dozens of churches along with schools and an orphanage, but now focuses on training pastors.

We create seminaries

Which create pastors

Which create churches

Which create disciples

Our students need scholarships which provide the majority of their expenses, although not all. The students are mentored so as pastors they can teach the reformed faith accurately, ie full of grace. During famines, TCWM has been able to provide much food to our students and faculty which is all African. TCWM supports a clinic with free medical service for all who come. St Andrew’s first supported TBI in 2019.

Each of these steps have now been completed and the position has been posted. Our PNC will now begin the process of receiving candidates.

LOCAL OUTREACH

MOMENT FOR MISSION: COMMUNITY RENEWAL

Our Moment for Mission this month is Community Renewal, a faith-based nonprofit organization and one of our mission partners. Community Renewal partners with churches, other nonprofits, para-churches, and government to help under resourced people in the Tucson community. Community Renewal has doubled its intakes of clients in need of assistance with rent, utilities, food, gas, car repairs, etc. Calls for assistance have increased so much that they have created a waiting list for those who call once all of their appointments are filled. Their process entails two appointments. For the first appointment, they do an assessment where they ask the clients questions about their family, education, job history, spiritual background, if they

have any. They also inquire about what financial debt the clients may have; what strengths they see in themselves, and what goals they may have. This helps Community Renewal define the resources clients may or may not have, and how they can help them move toward any goals they would like to achieve. Community Renewal gets to know the clients on a personal level and provides counseling as well as financial assistance. In the second appointment, CR helps the clients with budgeting to empower them to rise up out of their situation and hopefully get them to a point where they can thrive in their lives. For more information, check out community-renewal.com.

Thank you for your partnership with Community Renewal!

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN MISSIONS?

OUTREACH TO OUR HOMELESS FRIENDS

We are still visiting Casa Maria Soup Kitchen to help the clients who are homeless with their needs. We are collecting men’s belts, gently used t-shirts, (no pants), hats, new socks, washcloths, and gently used tennis shoes. We are also collecting recycled bags to make mats for those who are homeless. Please make sure that the bags have no food, etc. in them. Please drop all donations in the Mission/Outreach bin in the Gathering Place. Thank you so much for your continued kindness!

St. Andrew’s has a very active Mission Committee which supports 42 different Mission Partners around Tucson and internationally. The Mission Committee is in need of a few new members for next year. Duties include attending meetings once per month and being in touch with 2-3 partner organizations. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity or would like to nominate someone to join, please email Danielle Oxnam at dmoxnam@gmail.com

YOUTH MINISTRY

This summer was full of fun events at SAPC Youth. We held Pool Parties, Water Baseball, and Youth Groups on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Our Summer Interns were Sedona Robinson, a recent graduate of IRHS, and Richard Leggarra, a recent graduate from Flowing Wells. Together we planned Youth Groups and learned the ins and out of Youth Ministry all while they volunteered their Wednesday nights to lead Middle Schoolers and their peers, ending the summer sharing their testimonies of how God has moved in their lives thus far.

We participated in our Middle School Mission Days this summer, worked with TIHAN on Monday, and on Thursday, we went to Tucson Community Food Bank and helped sort

pallets of canned food to be distributed in their warehouse.

We were lucky enough to once again attend Forest Home this summer. We took 60 Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers to camp with us along with nine volunteer leaders. God moved in incredible ways, building strong connections between our students and leaders. We were able to dive into deep and meaningful conversations about faith removed from distractions of everyday life while enjoying all the fun that Forest Home has to offer.

We had an incredible summer at SAPC Youth and we are so excited to jump into the fall with our students.

For more info about Youth Ministry, contact Tim at tchristian@sapctucson.org.

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS NEEDED

We are looking for Sunday School teachers for the 9:00 am and 10:45 am Sunday School times. All the curriculum and supplies are provided to you as well as support in teaching. If you’re interested or want to know more, contact Heather at hbrannock@sapctucson.org

SUPER FRIENDS

Our August outing is to the bowling alley! We’d love to have you join us for an afternoon of bowling on Sunday, August 6, starting at 1:00 pm at Fiesta Lanes. Preregistration is required. The cost is $12 per bowler and includes 90 minutes of bowling plus shoes. You can sign up at sapctucson.org. This event is open to anyone, not just families with special needs.

In September we will gather on Mt. Lemmon during the Labor Day campout for an activity.

If your family or a family that you know has a child with special needs, we’d love to have them join us!

VBS WRAP-UP

For VBS 2023, we discovered God’s stellar love! Kids participated in different stations that helped seal the daily Bible point in their minds and hearts. We had 111 elementary children and 41 preschoolers attend. This amazing week would not have been possible without the donations of time, supplies, and scholarships from this wonderful, giving church.

Mark your calendars for VBS 2024 on June 10-14 when we will travel under the ocean for SCUBA VBS!

THIRD GRADE BIBLES

Third graders will receive their Bibles during the 9:00 am service on September 10. If your 3rd grader would like a Bible, please RSVP to Heather by September 5 so that we can have a Bible ready for them on September 10.

For more info about Children’s Ministry, contact Heather at hbrannock@sapctucson.org.

ADULT MINISTRY

GET CONNECTED LIVE

You are invited to “Get Connected Live” on Sunday, August 20, after the 9:00 am and 10:45 am Worship Services, in the Narthex on the SW Campus. This is a yearly event provided as an opportunity for you to become aware of the many ways to grow in your faith, get involved, get connected, and meet those who are leading each ministry at St. Andrew’s. *Coordinated by your Adult Discipleship Team

SUNDAY PRAYER CONNECT

FRIDAY WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY

Would you like to meet more women at St. Andrew’s? Feel more connected? Join us on Friday mornings. As we study God’s Word we develop relationships through sharing, fellowship, and praying for each other. We will start September 15 with our study on the Parables. Contact Jan Littlefield for more info at jan.littlefield@comcast.net or 520-299-6851.

FAITH UNCORKED WOMEN’S MONTHLY FELLOWSHIP

Women of all ages are invited to come together at one of our homes on August 18, from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm for fellowship, food, fun, and prayer for each other. Bring an appetizer to share and an adult beverage if you like. Contact Connie at crandall@sapctucson.org

Let’s pray together for St. Andrew’s and our community! Join us on August 6, between the 9:00 am and 10:45 am services. Location will be announced on that morning.

COURSE ON SPIRITUAL GIFTS

Have you ever asked yourself:

• Who am I?

• Why am I here?

• What’s my place in the world?

• How can I make a difference?

• What does God want me to do with my life?

The course Discovering God’s Vision for Your Life: You and Your Spiritual Gifts will address these questions and more. Along the way, course participants will discover their gifts and consider how to use them.

Here are some examples of course content:

• The Jesus Connection

• Love: The Heart of Spiritual Gifts

• Spiritual Gifts and Burnout

• Bloom Where You Are Planted

Beginning Sunday, September 10, the class will meet every week at 10:30 am. The course will conclude with a celebration on November 19 which will affirm participant efforts and accomplishments and help explore their interests and involvement in using their gifts.

A registration fee of $25 covers the cost of materials and supplies. To learn more about the course, contact Jan Foran at 520-300-1782 or email her at jgforan@comcast.net.

PRESCHOOL & KINDERGARTEN

Word is getting around about how amazing our Kindergarten program is and we are blessed to see a 70% increase in Kindergarten enrollment for the 2023-24 school year when compared to last school year. That’s good news!

We work with the Institute for Better Education to remove any financial obstacles that stand in a family’s way of choosing St. Andrew’s Kindergarten for their child. For the past several years, your generous tax credit donations have blessed all of our Kindergarten students with full-ride scholarships to our excellent program! Thank you!

Because of our increased enrollment for this coming school year, we have exhausted our existing tax credit funds and are not able to fully-scholarship all students who have applied.

Here’s how you can help! By making your tax credit donation now for the 2023 tax year, you will help our Kinder families start school with confidence in knowing their child’s tuition will be fully covered and that all they have to do now is learn and grow!

time up until April 15, 2024 and we have an immediate need for funds now due to our increased enrollment!

The best part? When you give, you can receive a dollar-for dollar credit on your Arizona state income taxes! For the 2023 tax year, you may donate up to the maximum amounts: $2,609 (married filing jointly), $1,307 (single), or your actual tax liability, whichever is less. You can make your donation any

PRAYER & CARE

For more information and to make a donation to our general scholarship fund, which we use to help all of our Kindergarten students, please visit the IBE website at ibescholarships.org. If you would prefer to make a donation to a specific student with greatest financial need, please call the school office at 520-742-2969 for more information. You have the ability to invest in future generations and make a significant difference in the life of a child and their family by making a donation to the Arizona Private School Tax Credit Program on behalf of St. Andrew’s Kindergarten today!

Did you know that St. Andrew’s has a new resource for prayer? You can not only submit a prayer request, but you can view prayer requests of others and pray for them. If you’d like to share a public prayer request or if you are led to pray for others go to the Prayer & Care page, under Ministries, for more information. Submit your prayer request at sapctucson.org/prayer. You can choose to make your request public to appear on the wall so others can pray for you. You can also make it private so it goes only to our team and keep your request confidential. For questions, contact our team at care@sapctucson.org

FROM YOUR FAITH COMMUNITY NURSES

LET’S GOOGLE IT!

We can just “Google it” is becoming our standard response to unanswered questions in life. However, Faith Community Nurses suggest that inaccurate or irrelevant health information could potentially have detrimental impact on our well-being.

To evaluate health related website United States Department of Health and Human Services National Institute of Health suggests considering the source.

Web addresses that end in the following:

• “.gov” means it is a government sponsored website and can be trusted.

• “.edu” indicates an educational institution and can be trusted if the information is produced by the institution. Personal pages of individuals at an institution may not be trustworthy, even though they have “edu” addresses.

• “.org” is a noncommercial organization and doesn’t guarantee that the site is reputable; there have been instances where phony “.org” sites were set up to mislead consumers. Also some legitimate sites belong to organizations that promote a specific agenda and their content might be biased.

• “.com” is a commercial organization.

Most medical providers appreciate informed patients and are happy to give their opinion.

STEPHEN MINISTRY FINANCIAL UPDATE

Do you enjoy listening to friends and coming alongside those who are going through a tough time to encourage them? Do you want to learn more about drawing closer to Christ and learning practical ways to become a better friend, and encourager? Stephen Ministry training will begin on November 12. For more information call the Church Office, 520-297-7201, or contact Cheryl Smith at 520-271-6591 or clsmith1000@hotmail.com.

During the months from May through September our income regularly falls far below the expenses for the same period.  This is a good illustration of the need for more regular pledged giving, so revenues continue to meet expenses during the times that many of us are away from Tucson.