This Week's Pete's Epistle

18th May, 2023

"Invite, Support, Encounter"

Last Chance

This weekend is your last chance to enter St. Peter's raffle to win a week at a luxury oceanfront condo in Kauai, Hawaii, with $2,000 to cover travel expenses. Get your tickets from any Party Team Member or the office.

A maximum of 300 tickets will be sold - $100 each.

All proceeds will support the Rock of Ages Fund for capital improvements around our campus.

From the Rector...

Dear Ones,

Trinity Sunday falls on June 4^th this year. We will recognize graduates on that Sunday. Children’s Minister Debbie Quick and I are excited to make this the first 10:00 am Intergenerational Eucharist celebration, and I plan to repeat it every first Sunday of the month. On this particular first time, I will make the 10:00 am service an “Instructed Eucharist,” to help all of us live into the ritual moments that have been part of the worship of the church since the earliest days of the Jesus movement.

So far inputs I have gotten about Second Tuesday Parish Forums have leaned to a 5:00 pm to 6:15 pm time, hybrid, over zoom-only at 11:30 am. Topics? I still don’t have enough inputs on that to decide how to begin, so please let me know what you’d like to know more or discuss.

On Tuesday we replaced our main 4 ton, 31 year old Air Conditioner & furnace with a heat pump/ac.

This Saturday my grandchildren arrive. I will be on partial “stay-cation,” for the week following, available, but seldom in the office, and I will see you, with the grandchildren, in worship!

In Christ's love,

James

Warden’s Corner

The drawing for the week in the luxury condo in Kauai will take place at 5 PM next Sunday during our Soup Supper Fellowship Festival. Get your tickets before then from the St. Peter’s office, Judy Bryan, or me! $100 for each chance and the odds are pretty good since no more than 300 tickets will be sold! Come partake of the variety of soups to be prepared by some of St. Peter’s culinary geniuses – first names only – John, Judy, Pam, Kathleen, Steve, Marylyn, and Debbie! If you are interested in sharing a pot of your personal recipe contact Pam Branfuhr! Excess soup will be sold for $5/quart. All proceeds including any faith offering will go towards our fellowship budget.

Deacon Michael Douglas and I took a self-guided tour around the new US Vets center at 28th and Cactus where a former Holiday Inn is being converted into transitional housing for Veterans needing a helping hand. Our Veterans Ministry currently serves around 100 veterans every 4th Friday in their current facility but this new facility will have the ability to serve 200+ guests. They have a lot of work still left by converting over 100 rooms which will each have a mini kitchen with a 2 burner stove, refrigerator, microwave and other comforts of a home. The facility will have a huge banquet room where guests can be served, classrooms for training, and other amenities to aid in the veterans journey back to a more normal existence. If you’re interested in volunteering with the St. Peter’s Veterans ministry contact Marylyn Bradley.

I had a nice visit with long time member Ed White who is currently home bound but was able to understand everything I said (which you know can be a lot!). Donna is taking good care of him and he has home health care visiting 5 times a week. We prayed together and as I was leaving Lou Gray (another long time member) stopped in with his daughter Allison to visit. Ed and I have this in common – he was working for the Pennsylvania Department of Emergency Management after the Three Mile Island accident at the same time I was starting my training in the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program at their school in Orlando. Both events had a huge impact on the Nuclear industry but I would venture to say the TMI event had a greater impact than my 30 years working in nuclear plants from a nuclear submarine to commercial plants in Nebraska, Florida, New York, Michigan and just west of Buckeye at the Palo Verde Generating Station!

See you all Sunday!

Tyler Dixon

Sr. Warden

Save the Date...

Elizabeth Johnson's Spiritual Journey - This weekend

Join us at all three indoor services this weekend (May 20 and 21st).

Elizabeth Johnson will be sharing her Spiritual Journey with all of us. Elizabeth, and her partner Marie, have been members of St Peter's Episcopal Church for five years. They are both very active in the life of the church. Elizabeth's life has not been a Cinderella story, but she tells us how her Faith and trust in God, has sculpted who she is today.

Please come and support her, as she shares her personal path of individual growth in faith.

Childcare will be offered in the Desert Room during the presentation.

Ministry Contact: Linda Schlabach lschlabach@aol.com

Vacation Bible School - June 26th - 30th

Compassion Camp: What Every Living Thing Needs is scheduled for June 26-30, 8-11 am and is open to children ages 3-11. Look forward to drama, creative play, upbeat music, yummy snacks, games, and more! We're currently building our volunteer team.

Click here for the printable registration form to turn in to the Church office.

If you have a Realm account, you can also register digitally on the Registration Events page.

Soup Supper Fellowship Festival – May 21st @ 3pm

Bring your soup bowl and spoon and dig into a variety of delicious soups while enjoying the company of your St. Peter’s family! This will be an opportunity to meet your Vestry; we’ll also have the long-awaited condo raffle drawing. Soup service will be 3:00-5:00pm, with fellowship continuing until 6:00pm.

This is a family-friendly event, with games and supplies to encourage the children to play together and perhaps get to know new friends!

Calling all Graduates! Be Honored on June 4th.

If you are graduating from high school or college this spring, we’d like to recognize your accomplishment! Graduates will be honored at the 10:00am service on June 4. Please contact the church office to be added to the list.

St. Peter's Ministries

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Are you passionate about preserving and protecting God's creation? Do you believe that we have a responsibility to care for the environment and leave a sustainable world for future generations? If so, we invite you to join our Creation Care Ministry Team!

At St. Peter’s, we are committed to promoting environmental stewardship and fostering a culture of sustainable living within our congregation and community. We believe that together, we can make a significant impact and create positive change.

By joining our Creation Care Ministry Team, you will have the opportunity to:

+ Engage in Meaningful Work,

+ Educate and Inspire Others,

+ Foster Connections,

+ Be a Catalyst for Change,

+ Grow Spiritually.

Whether you have expertise in sustainability or simply a desire to learn and/or contribute, we welcome individuals of all backgrounds and skill levels. Together, we can create a positive impact and be faithful stewards of God's creation.

If you're ready to act and join our Creation Care Ministry Team, please contact us. Let us join hands in making a lasting difference for our planet and future generations.

For more information, feel free to reach out. We look forward to welcoming you into our team and working together towards a more sustainable and vibrant future.

Click here for information .

Click Here to Show Your interest in Creation Care at St. Peter's

Baby Shower for Baby Gift Ministry - May 2023

St Peter’s is hosting a ‘baby shower’ for the Baby Gift Ministry in honor of all Mom’s during the month of May. Newborn items, new or gently used, are needed: bottles, diapers, wipes, clothing, formula, pacifiers etc. and can be dropped off in the Baby Gift Ministry box in the narthex during May. Baby Gift Ministry serves at-risk newborns and mothers in crisis in the West Valley.

Ministry Contact: Kathy Martinez kjmartinez1031@gmail.com

Summer Pick-Up Choir

Have you thought about joining the choir, but hesitant to commit to the weekly Wednesday rehearsals? Consider joining the summer choir! We meet on Sunday mornings at 9:00am and rehearse the music for that Sunday. Come and raise a joyful noise! Summer Choir starts on June 4th. Questions? Contact Diane at diane@stpetersaz.org.

Seeking Volunteers to serve at Luke AFB!

The Diocesan Veteran & Military team has been in contact with the Luke AFB to identify ways to serve our military members and their families in response to our parishioners who expressed an interest in serving the folks stationed at Luke. There are many Air Force service members stationed at Luke who are far from home, and who could use our help to stay connected to God on their spiritual journey. We have been in contact with the Chaplain and staff at Luke AFB and there are several opportunities to volunteer and serve at the base. Interested? Contact Deacon Michael Douglas, cell: (623) 680-6062, or email: mdouglas7@cox.net