Cross Currents
FEBRUARY | VOLUME 2025 | ISSUE 01
from pastor john
Dear St. Andrew’s,
I’m so excited about World Vision’s heart for the world! I love that we have such a robust and vibrant 30 Hour Famine with our student ministries that makes a huge impact on not only our youth and adult volunteers, but our community and world. I love that many at SAPC have participated in Team World Vision marathons and races to raise awareness and help for ways to bless and partner with communities around the world to flourish physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually in Christ.
A formative part of my spiritual growth in high school back in the 1980s, was not only participating in the 30 Hour Famine, but having the privilege of sponsoring Nishimyamana Mumbuko of Rwanda. I loved
ST. ANDREW’S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
having him as a pen pal and it was an honor to scrounge up the funds each month to empower his growth and flourishment.
I’m excited to announce that we have been invited by World Vision and our Session has approved for SAPC to participate in World Vision’s Chosen experience. Many of you may remember when we did this in 2019 through World Vision with a community in Guatemala. Pastor Jim and Pastor Mat were able to visit and share about the experience. A number of you continue to sponsor a child from that region and we affirm your special relationship. If you have more room in your heart to sponsor an additional child or you are not presently sponsoring a child, you have a great opportunity before you!
On Sunday, February 23, at all three services, we will have a
upcoming EVENTS
2025 Chosen experience at SAPC. We will have a guest preacher from World Vision and you will be invited to be a sponsor for a child in Uganda. If you decide to participate, your picture will be taken and Pastor Mat and I will leave that same morning to visit the community in Uganda we are paired with. The children there will then look at your pictures and each will choose which person or family from our church who will sponsor them. Our family is really looking forward to participating and being Chosen! The following Sunday, March 2, will be the reveal to find out which child chose YOU for sponsorship. You’ll be getting more details in the coming weeks. I can’t wait to share this experience with you all!
Joyfully,
Pastor John
FEBRUARY 16, 2025
MATTHEW 25 INVITATION
FEBRUARY 23, 2025
CHOSEN LAUNCH
MARCH 2, 2025
CHOSEN REVEAL
ABOUT WORLD VISION
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization conducting relief, development, and advocacy activities in its work with children, families, and their communities in nearly 100 countries to help them reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, please visit WorldVision.org.
MATTHEW 25 CHALLENGE
TAKE THE MATTHEW 25 CHALLENGE: Experience God’s Word in community through a week-long daily text challenge inviting families and individuals out of their comfort zones through one daily sacrificial challenge - bringing to life Jesus’ call in Matthew 25.
RECEIVE A DAILY TEXT WITH:
DAILY CHALLENGES:
MONDAY FEBRUARY 17
Skip lunch, and break your fast tonight with rice & beans
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 18
Give up all drinks except water.
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 19
Sleep on the floor tonight.
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 20
Wear the same clothes you wore yesterday
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 21
Reach out to someone going through a difficult time.
“I was hungry” “I was thirsty” “I was a stranger” “I needed clothes” “I was sick... I was in prison”
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 22 WEEKEND SERVICES
Take a 30 minute prayer walk.
Come back to church to celebrate together!
“...whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.”
1) Sign up and submit your photo. Your name and photo will be sent to a community in Uganda where local staff are preparing a time for kids to choose their sponsors.
2) Then a child will choose YOU. A child in need will see photos of people waiting to be chosen and one special child will choose your photo. Everyone who signs up is chosen.
3) Find out who chose you. You’ll soon get a photo of your new sponsored child holding YOUR photo, plus a letter about why you were chosen.
Your monthly gift will combine with other sponsors’ gifts to show God’s love, helping kids and families get sustainable access to life’s basics. Then you’ll get regular updates on their progress. Because of World Vision’s community-focused solutions, for every child you help, four more children benefit, too!
OUR 2025 CHOSEN COMMUNITIES
Morungatuny, Uganda
World Vision has been in this community for 11 years. In Morungatuny, the terrain is a flat, savannah plateau covered with tropical rainforests. The climate is warm and the terrain is grassland with tall trees. Many families live in small mudbrick homes with tin or thatched roofs. A typical diet consists of rice, millet, groundnuts and vegetables. With your help, we'll continue to support children and families here, empowering them to give their children a better future, especially the most vulnerable.
Harugale-Busaru, Uganda
World Vision has been in this community for 1 year. Harugale-Busaru is a community in western Uganda. This area’s rainforest climate, along with its highland terrain, exposes it to frequent flooding and continuous rainfall. Most people reside in the lowlands, where they rely on subsistence farming for their livelihood.
Some of the Harugale-Busaru community includes single mothers and elderly people. Cocoa is a significant cash crop. However, over half the population lives below the poverty line, and many people don’t get enough diversity in their diet, hindering proper nutrition. Many refugee families from neighboring countries have sought safety in this area as well, and resources are stretched thin.
Families in the Harugale-Busaru community don’t have access to adequate water, healthcare, or education. Infrastructure challenges and poor accessibility to schools contribute to the high school dropout rate of 40% and literacy rate of 65%. Healthcare facilities operate at a limited capacity, leaving families without proper access to medical services. The extensive rainy seasons threaten already dysfunctional water points, leaving many areas without clean and safe water for extended periods of time.
Harugale-Busaru
Morungatuny
hope for christmas: adopt-a-family recap
We had a wonderfully full, Spirit-led, Christmas season blessing thirty-five families and eight seniors! One of the seniors even called our office and insisted to speak to Pastor John about her wonderful gift that had included everything that she had asked for. She was in tears feeling so blessed.
St. Andew’s generous congregation bought shoes, coats, all kinds of incredible presents, and books! On top of this, we gifted more than 80 Bibles in four age ranges to the children!!
We were blessed with outside funding totaling $4700 plus two additional $250 Thrivent grants. This additional funding allowed us to gift generous food gift cards with additional gifts for the parents.
We supplied toilet paper, paper towels, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, shampoo and conditioner, and hand soap. One of the teen boys was so excited when he was given the toilet paper and exclaimed, “Oh! We really need this! Thank you!!”
STEPHEN MINISTRY
“I don’t have enough time to meet with a Stephen Minister.” How much time do you spend worrying about a problem or a hurt that life has handed you? Meeting with a Stephen Minister
We were also very blessed by our Preschool & Kindergarten and its families who donated close to 2000 items so that the 94 children could have full stockings! Our own Katie Vidal printed out each child’s name for the stockings and then volunteers ironed them all on! It was such a beautiful project!
We were greeted with many tears and warm hugs by the families. A new laptop was donated and gifted to an 18 year-old young man. His grandmother told us that it was going to change his life. He had tried to piece together a computer from four old computers, but it kept breaking down. She was overjoyed for him! This grandmother had made a fireplace and tree out of cardboard the year before with no gifts for the children. But it was quickly told to her that this was the way her deliverer had grown up and to not discount the love that was put into her efforts. This bonded them immediately.
Our Hope for Christmas, Adopt-a-Family program has long been a St. Andrew’s tradition offering a significant impact on the givers and recipients in a truly meaningful and life-changing way. Thank you again for your kindness and generosity!!!
only takes one hour, once a week. That’s it. Invest this time in yourself and be amazed at what God will do. For more information visit sapctucson.org/care or call the Church Office, 520-297-7201, or Cheryl Smith at 520-271-6591.
Children's Ministry
SUPER FRIENDS-A SPECIAL NEED MINISTRY
Our next meeting of Super Friends and parents will be on February 2 at 10:30 am in the Sunday School Rooms. Contact Heather at hbrannock@sapctucson.org with questions or to sign up.
HOLY MOLIES FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT
Holy Molies and their families are invited to a showing of “Overcomer.” We’ll meet in Room F on February 19 at 6:00 pm, eat pizza and popcorn, and watch the movie. Bring blankets, pillows, and lawn chairs.
VBS 2025
Save the Date for VBS 2025: June 9-13
VBS Registration:
Children and volunteer packets are coming soon! Packets will be mailed out mid to late March. Registration is open March 23 - May 16 online at sapctucson.org/kids.
VBS Station Leaders Needed
Are you interested in helping to plan our 2025 VBS? We need volunteers to head up the VBS teams: Imagination Station (science experiments), games, Bible Adventure (a handson way to tell the Bible story), Sticky Scripture (a fun way to learn each day’s Bible Memory Verse), snacks, Preschool, and decorating. Let Heather know if you’re interested in any of these areas at hbrannock@sapctucson.org.
financial update
As of December 31, 2024
KINDERGARTEN PRAYER PARTNERS NEEDED
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 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 five Kindergarteners active in the Sunday School program and each of them needs a partner.
Prayer Partners will meet each other and go through the prayer stations together during the 9:00 am service on February 16.
If you or someone you know would love to be partnered up with a child and pray for them, contact Heather Brannock at hbrannock@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 Heather.
Thank you for your support of our ministries. Please contact Brad in the business office at (520)297-7201 if you have questions.
decorating committee
After many years of being the chairperson of the Decorating Committee, Debi Kromer is stepping down from her position. Thank you, Debi, for all of your amazing work and service in this role! You are a blessing!
We are looking for new folks (it can be two co-leads) with some new ideas to step in. There will be a binder provided of pictures and checklists that tells you step by step of what needs to be done for each holiday. The position basically involves communicating with the Office and the team members prior to an upcoming holiday and then being present on decorating and undecorating days to give direction as to what needs to be done. The majority of the team already knows what to do since they have done it before. Debi plans on being available to help the new leader(s) in the beginning, so you would not be on your own. It’s not a difficult job, plus it’s fun!
Please be in prayer about considering accepting this fun position or about God leading someone else to volunteer. If you have any questions and are interested, please email Debi at dskromer@comcast.net.
youth Ministry
30 HOUR FAMINE: FEBRUARY 8-9
Come help make a difference!
We are fasting for 30 hours while serving in the city of Tucson and helping create change around the world!
When you participate in the Famine, you’re not just raising funds for a cause. You’re helping
to save lives! Seriously. Raising just $40 can help feed and care for a child for an entire month. You will literally change the world. Learn more at register at sapcyouth.com!
*While we do encourage your student to fast from food for the entire time, the 30 Hour Famine Experience is an inclusive event - as such, we know it’s not realistic for some people to go without food for 30 hours. Please don’t let this hinder you from participating in this experience. Talk to Tim and he will help you find solutions!
30 HOUR FAMINE DONATE SUPER SIGN-UP: SAVE THE DATE
The 30 Hour Famine isn’t just for students. There are many ways that parents and the congregation can participate:
• Sign up to volunteer for Rise Against Hunger meal packing
• Donate to students serving at the Famine
• We need pairs of new socks and underwear for donation to folks in need. Donations are being accepted through February.
For questions or to sign up, please visit sapcyouth.com or email Tim Christian at tchristian@sapctucson.org
SAVE THE DATE FOR SUPER SIGN-UP SUNDAY! Every summer during July, both Middle School and High School students head to Forest Home Camp in the San Bernardino 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. Spots were sold out within 45 minutes last year. Registration will be open online at 2:00 pm on Sunday, March 2. We can’t wait for you to join us! The dates for summer camp this year are July 6-11. Cost is TBD. Sibling discounts and scholarships are available!
preschool & kindergarten
REGISTRATION OPEN FOR THE 2025-26 SCHOOL YEAR!
We are excited to announce that registration is now open for our 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, and Kindergarten classes!
Our Preschool and Kindergarten programs offer small class sizes, two dedicated teachers per classroom, engaging indoor and outdoor play-based learning, and a curriculum rooted in faith. To start the Admissions Process, please email Katie Vidal at kvidal@sapctucson.org to share your intent to enroll and receive an invitation to join Brightwheel, our all-inclusive school app, to complete your registration.
From the very first day we have been warmly welcomed on campus, not to mention, by first name basis. The communication is above and beyond. If you’re looking for a genuine and trustworthy school, look no further you will experience unmatched learning and success!
- Preschool & Kindergarten Family
SUPPORT OUR KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM
Looking for ways to make a difference? Consider making a Tax Credit donation to support our Kindergarten program! Your contribution can provide financial assistance to families while offering you a dollar-for-dollar credit on your state income taxes.
For the 2024 tax year, the maximum donation amounts are $2,910 (married filing jointly) and $1,459 (single) or your actual tax liability, whichever is less.
To donate or learn more, visit:
• Institute for Better Education (ibescholarships.org)
• Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization (acsto.org)
You can also call the School Office at 520-742-2969 or pick up donation brochures in the Narthexes on both campuses. Thank you for your generous support! Together, we can help every family access the blessing of a faith-based, early childhood education.
FLOWER MINISTRY
Would you like to honor a loved one or celebrate an event through flowers? The St. Andrew’s Flower Team creates an arrangement on the first Sunday of each month to be used on the chancel for Worship Services. As a donor, your message would be included in St. Andrew’s weekly email and a pre-service slide! It could be in memory or honor of a loved one, to celebrate an anniversary or birthday, or just because! Following Sunday services, small bud vases are created from the arrangement for the Care Team to share with our ill and homebound members.
There are three ways you could sign up to be a donor:
1. On the Flower Team Board on the wall in the Gathering Place (near the TV)
2. At sapctucson.org - Select ‘Ministries’ at the top of the page, then select ‘Worship & Music’ from the drop-down menu, then scroll down to Flowers.
3. By calling the Church Office.
For Sundays other than the first Sunday of the month, for baby bud vases, or if you have questions, please contact Lisa Behr at LKBehr@comcast.net
Thank you for supporting the flower ministry! New flower team members are always welcome.
check this out: New Books to the SAPC LIBRARY
Why Did God Do That? Discovering God’s Goodness in the Hard Passages of Scripture, by Matthew Tingblad with Josh McDowell - “Find confidence and joy in discovering that God is good—always good—even in the passages of Scripture that appear to convey otherwise.”
Words of Love: A Healing Journey With the Ten Commandments, by Eugenia Anne Gamble - “Dives into each of the Ten Commandments and examines their application for modern-day Christians.”
The People of the Parables: Galilee in the Time of Jesus, by R. Alan Culpepper - “Describes life in first-century Galilee as it was experienced by the characters in Jesus’ parables.”
Every Step Is Home: A Spiritual Geography from Appalachia to Alaska, by Lori Erickson - “A travelogue about areas of the United States that have had sacred and spiritual meaning to people now and throughout history.”
Life After God: Finding Faith When You Can’t Believe Anymore, by Mark Feldmeir - “Offers an introduction to a God that many people weren’t aware existed—a mysterious, uncontainable, stillactive God who loves and cares for real people with real problems.”
Establishing Home: Creating Space for a Beautiful Life With Family, Faith, and Friends, by Jean Stouffer - An inspiring story about the intersection of faith, family, and design by Pastor John Tittle’s older sister.
Elisabeth Elliott: A Life, by Lucy S. R. AustenTakes readers on an in-depth journey through the inspirational life of missionary Elisabeth Elliot.
Grace Abounds: God’s Abundance Against the Fear of Scarcity, by Walter Brueggemann“Reveals how God’s abundant grace encourages us to overcome fear-driven scarcity and embrace a life of generosity and trust.”
Knowledge For the Love of God: Why Your Heart Needs Your Mind, by Timothy Pickavance - “Explores the crucial connection between faith and rationality. “A wonderful guide for young Christians who want to know how to live the Christian life thoughtfully and intentionally today.” — Sean McDowell
How to Read and Understand the Psalms, by Bruce K. Waltke & Fred G. Zaspel - Gives readers tools to learn how to properly interpret and internalize the Psalms.
Undone: A Modern Rendering of John Donne’s Devotions, by Philip Yancey - This modernization of classic devotions written during a 1623 London pandemic makes them accessible to modern readers.
Stop by the Church Library on Sunday mornings (or any time the SW Campus is open) to check out these books and more!
from your faith community nurses
IMPORTANCE OF VACCINES
Research shows that severe infections – both viral and bacterial- are associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer and vascular dementia. Flu, herpes, respiratory and skin infections were associated with brain atrophy, which is correlated with cognitive decline.
Scientists hypothesize that serious infections cause significant immune response, which is detrimental to the brain. Vaccines offer the most protection against both infections and the postinfection dementia risks; therefore consult with your medical doctor regarding the importance of keeping your “Temple of God” healthy by staying up-to-date on suggested immunizations.