This Week's Pete's Epistle

31st August, 2023

"Invite, Support, Encounter"

From the Rector...

Pastor James is currently on vacation.

Warden’s Corner

What a week! As we closed out our August Outreach Focus month we added another $1082 to our Parish Discretionary Fund for a grand total of $3442 for the month. The generosity and caring of our Fellowship Community never ceases to amaze me. This generosity was shown again when our Men’s Group voted to contribute $400 to Holy Innocents Episcopal Church in Lahaina Maui. The church was destroyed in the fire but our donation will help their Faith Community heal and also support their “Cup of Cold Water” ministry that will be assisting those affected with necessities such as food and water.

A big thank you to Carolyn Beougher who coordinated our Outreach Month. Carolyn’s testimonial last weekend with the slide show developed by Barbara Wood showed the diversity and effectiveness of our Outreach Ministries. I really appreciate everyone who makes these programs such a success. I hope that if you haven’t found your ministry yet you now have the information necessary to approach any one of them with an open mind and a loving heart.

The Montessori School Rummage Sale took place Saturday and raised over $600 for the school. There were many parents and church members assisting in the set-up, donations, and clean-up of this event. We will have another opportunity for the School and Church to work together when we have our Fall Festival on November 5. I’ll be looking for volunteers for our planning committee in the next couple weeks.

Finally – our hospitality is thriving in the library but we could use some more donations of snacks and juice. Keep that in mind as you do your weekly shopping and feel free to leave any donations in the kitchen and label hospitality. Marylyn Bradley will make sure everything is utilized! Many people have been wondering if we will ever have our oatmeal bar like we had several years ago when a former pastor decided it would be a healthy option for everyone. Well – look for a Fellowship Festival on September 24 between services when we will once again serve up fresh oatmeal with tasty toppings like blueberries, walnuts or brown sugar.

Tyler Dixon

Sr. Warden

Meditation: Temporarily Indoors

The 9:00 am Sunday meditation service will meet indoors in the Elementary classroom until the weather cools down.

From the parking lot take the first left past the archway; the Elementary room is the first door on the left.

After-Church Hospitality Moving to Library

Please join us after the 7:45 and 10:00 church services in the Library for coffee, tea, and baked goodies. A great opportunity to meet with and get to know newcomers, fellow parishioners, vestry members, wardens, and clergy.

We will move back to the patio after the weather has cooled down somewhat.

Do you Shop at Fry's? Help Our School!

If you have a Fry's VIP card, you can raise money for the school for free! Fry's will automatically donate funds to our school when you checkout using your linked VIP card (physical or digital). Linking is easy!

Linking Your Fry's VIP Card to St. Peter's Montessori School:

1. Download the Fry's app to your device and open.

2. Select the menu (three lines) in upper right-hand corner of home screen.

3. Select Rewards from the menu.

4. Select Community Rewards.

5. Select Search for Organization.

6. Type St. Peter's Montessori School in the search field.

7. Select Filter >> Education >> Apply Filter

8. Tap Search and scroll to St. Peter's Montessori School

9. Select Enroll

10. Voila, you're all set!

Instructions and a video demonstration of how to do so on the app, created by St. Peter's Montessori School parent, Rebekah Singh. It can also be done on the website. We challenge everybody to get three family members/friends signed up. St. Peter's Montessori Schools gets quarterly checks sent from this program. As long as you input your VIP card number for every Fry's grocery purchase, the school will get a percentage. Nothing extra needs to be done besides enrollment!

Social Emotional Learning

Recently, the school connected with Dr. Missy Gryder who runs a company that focuses on children’s Social & Emotional Learning. We worked out the opportunity for our church families to have access to the program alongside our school families. We hope you will take advantage of this offer that we are making available to all of you who have children or grandchildren. Click the button below for more information on this opportunity.

More info

Parents of Addicted Loved Ones

Parents of Addicted Loved Ones (PAL) offers free, weekly meetings in Goodyear, AZ that help parents and family members deal with the issues surrounding a loved one struggling with addiction by providing education, fellowship, and most importantly, hope. The meetings offer an evidence-based curriculum to help parents and family members learn healthy ways to deal with addiction challenges and provide support to exchange ideas and suggestions. The PAL meetings are open to parents, spouses, grandparents, siblings, and close friends, 18 and older. The Goodyear meetings are held Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., at Harvest Baptist Church, 535 N. Sarival Avenue, Goodyear, AZ 85338. Go to www.palgroup.org for information and locations throughout the valley.

Did You Know?

Nursery care is available Sunday mornings during the 10:00 service in St. Peter’s recently renovated nursery. Infants and toddlers are welcome to play in cool comfort while their parents worship. The children join their families for Holy Communion.

Save the Date...

Celebration of Life – Irene Gentry - September 22nd @ 11am

Please join us on Friday, September 22, at 11:00 am to celebrate the life of Irene, the mother of Alex Gribben. A lunch reception will follow in Celebration Hall.

Calling all Acolytes! Training September 24th @ 11am

To any St. Peter’s kiddos that are acolytes, or kiddos that have ever wanted to be an acolyte, this is your chance! On Sept. 24 after the 10:00 service, meet Jessica in the front pews to sign up and do a quick training. Acolytes can expect to serve about once every 6 weeks. Questions? Email Jessica at StPetersAZAcolytes@gmail.com.

Chancel Choir Resumes Regular Rehearsals - Weds, September 6th @ 6pm

Resuming our regular rehearsal schedule this Wednesday at 6pm in the Church. We will soon be getting ready for this year's Advent and Christmas seasons, including at Cantata on Christmas Eve. If you'd like to join us, just come along on Wednesday!

Beat the Heat and help our Montessori School - September 7th 3pm - 8pm

You are cordially invited to the Montessori School’s first restaurant fundraiser at Yougurtini Goodyear, (14175 W. Indian School Rd) on Thursday, September 7^th from 3:00-8:00pm. Flyers are on the table in the Narthex. 20% of sales during this time will go back to the school.

S. P. Kids Annual Cereal Drive - Starting September 2nd

..begins this weekend! Take advantage of the cereal deal of the week:

Fry's VIP Card deal - Save $1 each when you buy 5 or more - includes select Kellogg's, GM and Quaker cereals; final price, $1.99/box.

Help us reach our goal of 100 boxes for the Agua Fria Food Bank!

A Phone Call of Love

September is TeleCare Month! St Peter’s will fully launch the TeleCare Ministry during the month of September. Our TeleCare ministers will be contacting the remaining households after Labor Day, concluding our contacts by September 30. We hope to talk with you this month to let you know you are loved and prayed for by the St. Peter’s community.

TeleCare Ministry Team:

Carolyn Beougher, Michelle Clarke, A.D. & Lynn Cline, Tyler Dixon, Muriel Hiller, Darnnell Maxwell, Linda Silva, Mary Kate Stone Turco, Rich & Patti Whittig, Barbara Wood

September is Prison Awareness Month in the Diocese

Please see here for information about "What's Going On for Prison Awareness Month" around the Diocese.

RePete Boutique

Come visit St. Peter’s thrift store! New arrivals daily! The store is open Thursday – Saturday, 9:00am – noon.

Donate to Magdalene House

Our supplies are running low! We especially need these household items: paper towels, toilet paper, facial tissues, napkins, zip lock bags, dryer sheets, soft soap refills, Cascade^® dish soap pods, Gain^® laundry detergent, and spray air freshener. Please drop off your donations in the narthex.

Thinking about getting an Electric Vehicle?

There are several pros and cons to consider, click here to see some of the major ones.

Ultimately, whether an EV is a good choice for you depends on your driving habits, access to charging infrastructure, budget, and environmental considerations. The automotive industry is rapidly evolving, so it's a good idea to stay updated on the latest developments and compare different vehicle options before making a decision.

Perhaps you would like to see some models currently available, and perhaps test drive them. National 'Drive Electric Week' will be September 22nd - October 1st. A local event will be held on September 30th, 8am - noon at North Phoenix Baptist Church, 5757 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, where many different EVs will be on show and available for test drives. Click below for additional info.

EV Ride & Drive

Maui Wildfires

High winds from Hurricane Dora and drought conditions combined to accelerate the growth of brush fires that devastated the Lahaina community in Hawaiʻi. Episcopal Relief & Development is in contact with the Episcopal Diocese of Hawaiʻi in the wake of wildfires that have killed many people and displaced hundreds of families on Maui. They are calling on churches to help support the response. Please consider visiting episcopalrelief.org to make a donation today.

Diocesan Cycle of Prayer

This week we pray for Church of the Advent, Sun City West

We also pray for our companion Diocese: The Diocese of Western Mexico, Bishop Ricardo Gomez Osnaya.

Read the weekly email newsletter for the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona here. This newsletter includes reflections from The Rt. Rev. Bishop Jennifer Reddall, news, events, and updates throughout the diocese.