Notes from the Parish Office and Terri Smith

Notes from the Parish Office

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Please see the note below from Terri regarding at last week-end's Cursillo in Phoenix. May God continue to richly Bless Terri!

•  Bishop Kirk Smith has designated March 25 as Chapel Rock Sunday throughout the Diocese. On next Sunday, he is asking each church and individual members to support the Chapel Rock Campership Fund for the benefit of our campers. The camp is fun, Christ-centered, and allows kids to practice drawing close to God through the beauty and power of our Episcopal Church traditions. Envelopes will be in the pews. 

• Don't forget this Sunday, March 18th, there is a Social Action Committee meeting after the 10:15am Mass. Just get a cup of coffee and join us in the Womble Library. All are Welcome! 

Peace and stay happy!

Nancy

A Note from Terri Smith:

What is a Cursillo? – a three-day period of spiritual renewal stressing the dynamic,

communitarian and personal aspects of the Christian faith.

My thoughts were tumbling around my head from all that I encountered, felt and saw this past weekend at the Cursillo.  I’ve been attempting to put into words all that

I had experienced so that I could share with you.

What exactly did I experience??  A series of events including times of reflection,

perseverance, healing and Palanca’s.  For those who shared that with me, prayed

over  me and loved me thru this time…….my heart is filled.  Your Palanca’s

strengthened me when I needed it most.

If, in the future, someone approaches and asks you if you would like to attend a

Cursillo, I hope you will answer YES.

My walk is closer and stronger, calmer and deeper.

This will not be forgotten.

De Colores!!!

In Him,

Terri

And while we're at it...

Special Message from Bishop Smith 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

Many seasons overlap during this time of year. We are in the middle of the Lenten season, and the bees are already swarming desert willow flowers in this early spring. This is also the season when the taxman knocks at our doors. We rarely think that tax season has much in common with Lent and Spring beyond a coincidence of dates on the calendar. However, in Arizona, tax season gives us an opportunity to do Christ's work and to create a springtime rebirth and renewal in our communities. Yes, we can do the work that Christ calls us to do when we file our taxes. 

If you owe taxes in Arizona, the State gives you a credit that you can give to schools, and I am writing today to ask that you invest your tax credit dollars in the Arizona Episcopal Schools Foundation. It's very simple: you fill out a short form that tells the State that you wish to give your tax money to Arizona Episcopal Schools, and the State takes the money off of your tax bill. This is not a donation: it is money that you already owe the State that the government will do with as it pleases, unless you tell them otherwise. This costs you nothing, because the State will require that you pay the money in taxes no matter what you do. By investing your tax credits in Episcopal schools, you provide scholarships to young people who are being raised in the Episcopal tradition to extend our work of stewardship into the next generation. I have agreed to serve as an honorary board member of the Arizona Episcopal Schools Foundation, and I will soon be forming a diocesan committee on corporate tax credit giving. 

Jesus teaches us to be wise stewards of the resources God has given us, and he also teaches us to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's. The Arizona tax credit allows us to invest our resources wisely, to be good stewards, while at the same time taking a little bit of what is Caesar's and giving it to God. When you invest tax credit dollars in Episcopal schools, you multiply the silver that God has given you by using it to transform the lives of children. The Lenten season reminds us of the sacrifice of Jesus, and springtime reminds us that new life rises from death in a natural cycle. Now, let us allow tax season to remind us that we can create the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth through thoughtful stewardship of our earthly resources. You have until April 15th to invest your 2011 Arizona tax dollars in the future of a young Episcopal scholar. 

Faithfully, +Kirk 

The Rt. Rev. Kirk Stevan Smith, Ph.D., D.D. 

V Bishop of Arizona

Notes from the Parish Office

Tragedy in Florida
Many of you have heard of the very tragic events at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville, Florida last Tuesday. An employee who was dismissed in the morning by the Headmaster, Mrs. Dale Regan, returned to school in the afternoon and fatally shot Mrs. Regan, and then turned the gun on himself. No students, faculty or staff were harmed. Mrs. Regan was a great leader of the Episcopal school and had been the head of the school since 2006 and served as administrator and teacher since 1978. Please keep Mrs. Regan and her family in your prayers this weekend. May Dale Regan’s soul and all the souls of the departed, through the mercy of God, Rest In Peace. Amen †

Up coming events: 

• This weekend, The Rev. Lucas Mix, from the U of A, will be preaching.
• Last call for donating cleaning supplies, toiletries, etc. for TIHAN and those suffering with HIV/AIDS.
• We need a few more volunteers for the “Poz Café” that St. Michael’s will be hosting at St. Francis in the Foothills on Thursday, March 15. Sign-up sheets are in the back of church.
• St. Patrick’s Dinner Buffet this Saturday, March 17th at 6:30 PM. $10 per person, sign-up sheets in back of church.
• Vestry Meeting next Saturday, March 17th beginning with Mass at 8:30 AM and then moving to the Parish Center at 9 AM for the meeting.
• Copies of the March Messenger are located in the back of church.
• Mass Assignment Schedules are located in the back of church.
• St. Michael’s Parish Day School is having a “BOOK FAIR” this coming week in the Parish Center. Stop by and purchase a book for your children or grandchildren or that special child. 

May God continue to richly Bless St. Michael's and all who enter here †

Nancy

Come to Guatemala! - A Call for Volunteers

St. Michael’s Guatemala Project

Call for Summer Team Volunteers

Coordinator Ila Abernathy will be in-country approximately June 5 - August 14. She will be on all teams.

TEAM I – June 9th – 24th with RN/midwife Kerry Griffin – 2 spaces available.
(extension to overlap one week with next team possible)

• Area Xeputul (3 communities reached on foot in a walking “gira”)
• one larger resettlement community
• one or two Nebaj-area resettlements

TEAM II – June 26th – July 24th
with RN Sarah Roberts and UA medical students – Full.
Backup applications still accepted.

• one resettlement community
• Areas Cabá and Santa Clara (7 communities, 2 ½ weeks, the most difficult walking)
• one Nebaj-area resettlement

TEAM III – Late July – August 9th with the coordinator, others – 3 spaces available.

• remaining resettlement communities.
• followup for patients with more needs.

INFORMATION BELOW
Call or e-mail Ila Abernathy for additional information.

Photos: “Clinic,” resettlement Nuevo Amanacer Sumalito, walk out, Cabá;
hemoglobin testing, Cabá, with lead health promoter Pedro Bernal.

Announcements for Week Ending March 11th, 2012

Announcements

Come and volunteer with other Casa Maria volunteers this Friday, March 9th at 5:30 PM, in the Parish Center to prepare sack lunches. Your help is needed - extra hands and shelled hard-boiled eggs are always welcome! Please join us for fellowship, good conversation, and help us with this good work.

Help TIHAN and St. Michael's collect essential items for around 80 people living with HIV/AIDS!
St. Michaels is sponsoring “Poz Café” on the 15th of March. We are collecting toiletries to be handed out at the end of the meal, including shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, toothpaste, individually wrapped toilet rolls, etc. None of these items may be bought with food stamps. One brown grocery bag filled with donated toiletries is very much appreciated. If you are able to help, there is the gold “treasure chest” in the back of church where you may place your gifts. (Regular or large sizes are preferred.) Donations may also be brought to the parish office. We thank you for your generosity. Call Tish Newell for more information.

Saint Patrick’s Day Buffet - Saturday, March 17th, 6:30 pm ~ Parish Center. Traditional corned beef and cabbage will be served, along with drinks, music and fun. Sign-up Sheets in back of church. $10 per person (donation for child).

The Social Action Committee meets Sunday, March 18th in the Womble Library, following 10:15 a.m. Mass. All are most welcome, with a voice and a vote (if needed -- we try for consensus). Agenda items: Chair Peggy Van Norman.

Guatemala Project Summer teams are filling fast, in part because UA med students will participate for the first time. A few spaces remain for June 9th to 24th and July 31st to August 9th (or a bit longer). If you want to consider joining a team, pick up the "call for summer team volunteers" on the table at the back of the Church, and call coordinator Ila Abernathy.

You are invited to join us for the Stations of the Cross each Wednesday during Lent following the 12:10 Healing Mass. All are welcome to attend this Lenten observance.

Opportunities for Learning...

• Lectionary Bible Study continues with two opportunities to attend. Wednesday morning at 10:00 AM and Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM. The Bible Study is facilitated by our own Peter Schmidt and takes place in the Womble Library. All are Welcome.

• Women’s Bible Study continues each Wednesday evening in the Parish Center at 6:30 PM. All women are invited.

• The Academy of Theology also continues each Sunday at 9:00 AM in the Womble Library. We are currently watching a series of videos about the History of the New Testament. Join us for lively discussions.