CROSS CURRENTS ISSUE 01 | VOLUME 2022 | FEBRUARY
F R O M PA S TO R P E T E Greetings St. Andrew’s! Happy February to you! It doesn’t take a groundhog to tell you February has a lot going for it! From 30 Hour Famine to Valentine’s Day to Lotsa Pasta for ICS. It’s National Snack Food Month, Bird Feeding Month, and I’d add the importance of recognizing African American History Month. As Rosa Parks once said, “I had no idea that history was being made. I was just tired of giving up.” While you or I may not have been involved with making history, it’s been very important to me to learn from people of color not only about history, but about how their experiences of living in our racialized society have been very different than mine. I’m grateful to Black brothers and sisters in Christ who have lovingly shared with me that there is a big difference between not being racist and being anti-racist. The Bible instructs us to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). As long as racism exists in some form, I believe it’s our duty as followers of Christ to be anti-racist, seeking to love our neighbors as ourselves, bearing witness to the love, justice, and grace of Jesus Christ. As the Confession of 1967 so eloquently states: “The new life takes shape in a community in which people know that God loves and accepts them in spite of what they are. They therefore accept themselves and love others, knowing that no one has any ground on which to stand, except God’s grace.” (9.22) This month, we are continuing in our worship series called “The Great Embrace.” One area of study for me has been about
leadership, especially during times of change. Even before the pandemic, our culture was riding the waves of something called discontinuous change. Without getting too academic, discontinuous change describes change that happens in fits and starts, big shifts followed by smaller shifts, then maybe a period of stability followed by another “big one.” (This is contrasted with incremental change, which is a process of change that happens steadily at a consistent rate over a period of time. Still change, but maybe easier to manage.) Some people get excited by innovation, others hate having to change, and I haven’t met anyone who enjoys “getting the rug pulled out from underneath them.” While changes can happen all around and even within us, we can be intentional in how we respond! While we may feel like we are losing a lot when changes come, it’s important that we not just see this as bad news. The church of Jesus Christ has persisted for
nearly 2000 years, and in every age the church has been led by the Holy Spirit to embrace the proclamation (kerygma) of the Gospel, the teaching (didache) of “the apostles,” and a devotion to common life and fellowship (koinonia). Join us as we continue to delve into embracing the beliefs and practices that define who we are as God’s people. This year the season of Lent begins in the first week of March. We are hoping that as many people as possible from St. Andrew’s could participate (safely in person, at the church, in homes, in outdoor meeting spaces, or virtually via Zoom…) in a “Lent Experience” group. This will be an opportunity to battle the isolation and loneliness of the past couple years by getting together in a group with others, to enjoy community together, and learning about incorporating Lenten spiritual practices into your life, to deepen your faith and prepare for the glory of Easter! Counting it all joy, Pastor Pete
UPCOMING WORSHIP SCHEDULE
The Great Embrace: The Fundamentals of Christian Community in an Age of Resignation – Acts 2:42-47 February 6 - Embracing Worship and Prayer February 13 - Embracing Testimony February 20 - Embracing Others and Their Burdens February 27 - Embracing Witness
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MISSION & OUTREACH
COMMUNITY D O N AT I O N S
D O N AT E TO T H E I C S PA S TA D R I V E # I C S LOT S A PA S TA
What is Lotsa Pasta? Throughout February, ICS has set the goal of collecting 5,000 - 1 lb packages of spaghetti and 5,000 — 24 oz CANS of pasta sauce. Faith Communities around Tucson will compete to see who can collect the most total, most per capita, and the most unique display! Why Pasta? Spaghetti is an easy meal to feed an entire family. 1 lb of pasta and a 24 oz can of sauce can feed a family of four for under $3. When? The entire month of February! Bring your donations to The Gathering Place or the Church Office from Tuesday, February 1, to Sunday, February 27.
CASA ALITAS
AID FOR MIGRANT FAMILIES Casa Alitas has a critical need for clothing for their migrant guests. Any clothing (in good shape) would be greatly appreciated. Please place clothing in a garbage/plastic bag and place outside RuthAnn’s office in the back of the Chapel or in The Gathering Place and label with Casa Alitas. Please do not drop the clothing off in the office. Clothing will be accepted through the end of February. Thank you for your help!
FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN MOBILEPACK
Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene is once again hosting the “Feed My Starving Children” event for the city of Tucson. This is a fun food packing event for all ages and will take place February 7-12. Gather your friends and family, check out the video THE FMSC MOBILEPACK EXPERIENCE to learn more about the event, and sign up at sapctucson.org. Here are the current COVID protocols in place for the mobilepack: extensive prescreening, thorough sanitization before each shift, airplane grade air scrubbers in the entire building which filter out 99% of viruses from the air. The current protocols are that masks are highly encouraged, but to not turn anyone away unless they can’t answer properly to all the questions. They will also have a separate room this year that is more isolated for those who have added personal COVID concerns. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus to those in need around the world! Questions? Please contact RuthAnn at rsmithrud@sapctucson.org. 2
ISSUE 01 | VOLUME 2022 | FEBRUARY
N O M I N AT I N G CO M M I T T E E 2022 NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN YOU have a vital stake in the composition of our governing leadership. It is a commitment and a joy to serve as an Elder, Deacon, or Trustee at St. Andrew’s. The Nominating Committee is currently seeking nominations for the various church officer roles, as well as members to serve on the Pastor Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee will begin meeting early March to review nominees, so please submit your nominations as soon as possible. Below is a description of each of the church officer positions and the role of the PNC. You can submit nominations now by visiting sapctucson.org/church-leadership. For questions, please email nominatingcommittee@sapctucson.org. ELDERS Serve on the Session and exercise leadership, planning, governance, and discipline for the life of the church. Jointly and individually Elders have the duty to strengthen and nurture the faith and life of the congregation. Elders are elected by the congregation for a three-year Session term providing church-wide ministry leadership. The spiritual gifts and qualities needed by Elders are first and foremost a deep abiding faith in Jesus Christ; dedication and commitment to the duties of being an Elder and to the church’s mission and government; willingness to lead a ministry; collaborative leadership skills; sound judgment and love for one another and the body of Christ. DEACONS Provide sympathy, witness, and service for the caring ministries of the church. Communion preparation, some church-wide events, blood drives, prayer, and pastoral care ministries are examples of what Deacons commit to in our congregation. Creating a loving environment for congregational care is one of their primary goals. The spiritual gifts and qualities needed by Deacons are a servant’s heart after the example of Jesus; warmth and compassion; commitment to the calling; love for one another and the body of Christ. TRUSTEES Develop and execute the long-range plans for the congregation. They communicate to the congregation the planned giving alternatives and support the operating and capital programs. Trustees exercise sound fiduciary responsibility for the management and growth of the church’s assets. The spiritual gifts and qualities needed for Trustees commitment to supporting the strategic and annual plans; knowledge and understanding of managing financial assets, planned giving alternatives, and sound financial investment strategies. THE PASTOR NOMINATING COMMITTEE The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC), representative of the whole congregation and elected by the congregation, has the ultimate responsibility for nominating a minister to the congregation for election as the next pastor or associate pastor. Over several months, the PNC will journey through the pastoral search process, seeking to hear the call of Christ and “to participate in God’s own choice” for our next pastor. Some of the responsibilities of the PNC include: completing the congregation’s ministry information form; receiving, reading, and evaluating Personal Information Forms (PIF) in a spirit of prayerful openness to the movement of God’s Spirit; regularly providing reports to the congregation on the pastoral search progress; selecting one nominee to present to the congregation; and present the nominee to the congregation for its vote.
VA L E N T I N E M A K I N G PA R T Y Join us for a valentine making/packing party on Thursday, February 3, from 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm in Friendship Hall! (You don’t have to stay the entire time!) We will be honoring our health care workers, Maldonado, Estes and Harelson Elementary Schools, our own preschool staff, and our St. Andrew’s friends that we haven’t seen in a long time! Your child can also make his/her valentines for his/her class! If you cannot make the party, we have some things that we need to make it special. Feel free to check out our sign up for those items! Thank you for sharing Jesus’ love for our city! 3
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CHILDREN’S DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRY HOLY MOLIES FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT
Holy Molies and their families are invited to a showing of “Rise of the Guardians.” We’ll meet in Room F on February 16 at 6:00 pm, eat pizza and popcorn, and watch the movie. Bring blankets, pillows, and lawn chairs.
VBS 2022
SAVE THE DATE: June 13-17 VBS REGISTRATION: Children and volunteer packets are coming soon! Packets will be mailed out mid to late March. Registration is open March 27 - May 20 online at sapctucson.org/vbs.
PRAYER PARTNERS
We are looking for Prayer Partners for Kindergarten and 1st Grade children. Having a strong faith foundation is integral for keeping children in church. Prayer Partners are playing a role in establishing this foundation with the children of St. Andrew’s. For Prayer Partners, adults are paired with a Kindergarten or 1st grade child. Both the adult and the child pray for each other every day and build a relationship with each other. Some partners do this by sending postcards when they travel, calling on each other’s birthdays, and chatting when they see each other at church. Prayer Partners is a commitment to help build a child up in faith. There are nine Kindergarteners active in the Sunday School program and each of them needs a partner.
SUPER FRIENDS
A SPECIAL NEED MINISTRY The Children’s Ministry at St. Andrew’s is launching a new program we are calling Super Friends. This is a once-a-month group for parents of kids with special needs and their children. We realize that being a parent of a child with special needs can be isolating. We’d like to support parents in their unique parenting journey. We also want to connect parents who are raising children with special needs. During the parent meeting, Children’s Ministry staff and volunteers will meet with children and lead them through activities that help support their individual spiritual development. We welcome children of all needs and abilities to be a part of our Sunday School, VBS, and other programs. However, we recognize that children with special needs may need extra support and reinforcement when it comes to learning. We want to help them know that they are special and loved by God. In fact, they are Super Friends of God! God created them in a unique, special way and for a purpose. Elementary school age siblings are welcome to attend too. Childcare is available for siblings who are under five. This group will meet the first Sunday of the month starting February 6 at 10:30 am in Sunday School Rooms. Contact Shelly at sakins@sapctucson.org with questions or to sign up. 4
Prayer Partners will meet each other and go through prayer stations together during the 9:00 am Sunday School time on February 20. If you or someone you know would love to be partnered up with a child and pray for them, contact Shelly Akins at sakins@sapctucson.org or call her at the church office at 297-7201. If you had a prayer partner in the past, and would like to pray for an additional child, contact Shelly.
ISSUE 01 | VOLUME 2022 | FEBRUARY
YOUTH DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRY
MOONLIGHT DINNER & AU C T I O N
30 H O U R FA M I N E
SUPER SIGN-UP S U N D AY
Our Youth Group is participating once again in World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine in February. We don’t think it’s right that thousands of kids are dying from hunger each day. We are going without food for 30 hours to raise money so others can eat. Just $40 can help feed and care for a child for a month. Our goal is to raise $10,000 to help feed and care for over 11 hungry kids for two years. With your help, we can literally change the world! Here’s how you can help: Pray, and ask God to bless our students as they overcome hunger. Volunteer, come join us during our famine weekend. Give, make a difference in the lives of children by donating online or after services on Sunday, February 6. More information and online donation can be found at sapcyouth.com or 30hourfamine.org.
Save the date for Super Sign-Up Sunday! Every summer during July, both Middle School and High School head to Forest Home Camp in the San Bernadino Mountains. It is an amazing week filled with games, worship, teaching, zip-lining, hiking, blobbing, competitions, night games, friendships, and more! Spaces are limited and go quickly. Super Sign-Up Sunday is your best, and possibly only, chance to get your spot. Show up to line up in the Boondocks with all of your camp forms and deposit ready. Registration will be open online at 12:00 pm on Sunday, March 6. All of the forms will be available in the Youth Office and online at sapcyouth.com starting the beginning of February. We can’t wait for you to join us! The dates for summer camp this year are July 3-8! 5
Save the date for the Moonlight Dinner and Auction, the biggest youth fundraiser of the year! Funds raised go to Youth Missions, Youth Scholarships and our Youth Intern Program. It is a huge event and we need your help to make it happen. The Moonlight Dinner and Auction will be May 7, starting at 6:00 pm in Friendship Hall. Please save the date and consider how you can volunteer or support the event! Tickets will go on sale at the beginning of April! DONATIONS NEEDED! We are currently accepting donations to be auctioned off. Some of the popular items in the past have been timeshares, dinner parties, service projects, sports memorabilia, large diamonds, and private yachts. Please consider donating and attending our fun event! If you have questions, please contact Tim Christian at tchristian@sapctucson.org.
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A D U LT D I S C I P L E S H I P M I N I S T R Y
FAITH
UNCORKED
Ladies, come join the fun and fellowship on February 4 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 - 8:00 pm at the home of Jan Olafson (9670 N. Cliff View Pl., Tucson 85704). RSVP to Connie at c ra n d a l l @ s a p c t u c s o n . o r g . Women of all ages are invited as we encourage each other to keep on keeping on in our journey of life and faith!
ST. ANDREW’S WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB St. Andrew’s Women’s Book Club will meet on February 22, at 7:00 pm in the Gathering Place to discuss Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie. The story begins in Kyoto Perfecture, Japan 1948 and spans decades and continents as ‘Nori’ comes of age in post-war Japan as a mixed- race child being raised by her Royal pedigreed grandparents. I am sure we will have another great discussion! Please join us even if you have not read the book. (We will be wearing masks.) Email Katrina Lantz for more info at Klantz@comcast.net or call 520-401-0897
THE LENT EXPERIENCE Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 2, 2022. This year we are looking ahead to the Lenten Season as a way for us to grow in our faith and together. We are inviting all of St. Andrew’s to join together as groups to “The Lent Experience.” The Lent Experience was created by Eric Ferris of the Ride the Ferris Wheel in 2013 as a way to reimagine 2,000 years of Christian tradition, capture the heart of Lent and reimagine it. Whether you’re a veteran of observing Lent or a rookie who is jumping in for the first time, you can join thousands of people from all over the world for an experience that just may surprise you. It’s not just more teaching or more information and it’s not some stuffy, religious obligation. This is an invitation
to do something different! So, we invite you to join together with an existing Small Group, Conversation Group, or Life Together Group, or gather a new group together. This can be done via Zoom or in person. This will begin the first week of Lent which starts on Ash Wednesday, March 2, 2022. The material consists of a video to watch together and a personal journal for discussion and self-reflection. Sign-Up for one of the following: • Participate with an existing group • Be a leader and gather a group • Participate as a new group member
L E A R N M O R E A N D S I G N U P AT S A P C T U C S O N . O R NoGfAf iMc iIiDs vMeOn Ld Oi c Ra bE o . 6
ISSUE 01 | VOLUME 2022 | FEBRUARY
S TAY I N G W E L L I N A S T R E S S F U L W O R L D
FA I T H C O M M U N I T Y N U R S E S
handling our stressors through the power of thought. If we believe in God and Christ and place our trust there, we will have peace (Proverbs 3:5-8; Isaiah 12:2; Matthew 6: 25 -34) while John 14:25 and Psalms 55:22 tell believers to “cast your burdens upon the Lord, and He will sustain you.” I Peter 5:7 urge us to cast our anxieties on God The Bible long ago told us the because He cares for us. power of thought -“as a man thinkest so is he” Proverbs 17:22 The release of our burdens reads “A joyful heart is good can be accomplished through medicine, but a broken spirit prayer. Philippians 4:6-7 tells dries up the bones.” Roman 12:3 us to let our requests be known tells us that we can change our to God with thanksgiving, and thinking, while Proverbs tells us we will have peace of God. to seek wisdom in our thinking Sometimes we spend too much for “a wise man is strong and time worrying or rethinking and man of knowledge increases reliving stressful situations in power.” (Proverbs 24:5). The our lives. These activities can Bible also gives us insight in reduce the effectiveness of Stress can be the reaction to excessive change requiring us to adapt, but it can also come from the way we look at life and how we think. Studies discovered the actual mechanism that connects the human brain to the immune system proving that what we think can affect our ability to resist disease.
the immune system. The New Testament tells us to think on whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, and if there is anything that is worthy of praise, let your mind dwell there (Philippians 4:8). Colossians 3:2 reads “Set your mind on things above and not things that are on the earth.” Science has borne out the positive health effects of love, hope, trust, and optimism. These qualities are based on wise thinking. We have the responsibility to take care of our bodies as the Temple of the Lord, and how we think is an important part of our spiritual, mental, and physical health.
FLOWER ARRANGING WORKSHOP If you would like to learn some basics on how to make flower arrangements - whether for your home, to give as gifts, or for St. Andrew’s Sunday Services - please join the St. Andrew’s Flower Team on Saturday, February 5, from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm in the Garden Room (NE campus, next to the Chapel). Debi Kromer, Flower Team member and former flower shop owner, will be creating an altar arrangement and sharing ‘insider secrets’. Or if you just want to learn more about joining the Flower Team, you’re welcome to attend as well! Please RSVP to Lisa Behr at lkbehr@comcast.net.
STEPHEN MINISTRY
Our world can feel dark and lonely. Please know that you are not alone, and you are loved. If you are struggling with grief, a problem that won’t go away, or just need someone to talk to, ask for a Stephen Minister. This is a free, confidential, caring resource-especially for you. For more information visit sapctucson.org/care or call the Church Office, 520-297-7201, or Cheryl Smith at 520-297-7201.
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GALLERY ARTIST BIO
Pablo de Leon studied at The Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and was a graphic designer in Chicago for 35 years. After discovering the beauty of the Sonoran Desert, he moved to Tucson to pursue his career in fine art painting. “I typically work small and focus mainly on en plein air oil painting. This enables me to capture the light and the essence of the desert and mountains and lends a freshness and an in the moment feeling to my work,” he says. Pablo was commissioned for numerous paintings of Chicago landmarks and has shown in several galleries there in addition
DID YOU KNOW? The SAPC Gallery Art Committee invites local artists to show their works in the SAPC Narthex Art Gallery. The various shows last approximately five weeks and all the art that is sold by the artist results in 15% that goes towards St. Andrew’s. Our current artist is Pablo de Leon, a member of SAPC.
to the former Rosequist Gallery and Tansey Gallery of Tucson. He has studied under noted artists David Leffell, Taos, N.M; Scott Tallman Powers, Montana; Matt Smith, Scottsdale; Ken Auster, California; and Russell Recchion, Tucson. He is a member of The Chicago Plein Air Painters, The Palette and Chisel Academy of Chicago, the Tucson Plein Air Painters Society, and the Tucson Barrio Painters. He has shown at the Ironwood Gallery at the Sonoran Art Museum 2021 and currently in a show at the Four Corner’s Gallery, Tucson.
FINANCIAL UPDATE December total revenue $264,174 Monthly revenue required $245,787 Difference $18,387 Year to date revenue YTD revenue required Difference
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$1,929,144 $2,022,859 ($93,715)