KICK-OFF SUNDAY! - Ringing in the 2025-2026 Program Year!

This Sunday, September 7, 2025

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

One Service of Holy Eucharist at 9:30am

The Nursery will be open during the 9:30 service and forum time.

Forum: Potluck Picnic

We continue to Facebook Livestream the Sunday 9:30 service and upload to YouTube.

Sunday Bulletin

Worship Team Schedule

Upcoming Dates

- This Sunday: September 7

• Kick-off Picnic - RSVP and Sign-up for the Potluck!
• ICA Sunday
• Youth Programming: Godly Play (ages 3-6) AND Peace Table (ages 7-11)

- This Tuesday: September 9

• Loaves & Fishes - Sign-up in the Undercroft!
• Bible Study Event

- Next Thursday: September 11

• ISAIAH Townhall - Register to attend!

- September 14 - Creekside Service

- September 18 - Wonder Women Social

- September 19 - Ensemble Aventura Concert

September 7th Kick-off Picnic and Sign-Up 

The Bouncy House has been ordered, the grills are getting cleaned, the bubble station is ready to roll, and our time to gather for an old-fashioned church potluck picnic has “finally” arrived.

All are welcome to participate in this fun, delicious get-together on Sunday, September 7th immediately after church. Remember, there is only one service at 9:30 a.m. on the day of the picnic. This is also the day 13 lucky winners will find out if their ticket is a cash winner from our summer-long Gratitude Raffle fundraiser!

RSVP & Sign-up Up to Bring a Potluck Dish - Click Here!

Here’s to seeing all on Sunday, September 7th under seasonal, sunny skies…. fingers crossed! 

Brought to you by your 2025 Vestry. Questions, contact Ann Robinson, arobinson2663@gmail.com, or Mike Sandsmark, mjsandsmark@gmail.com

ICA Sunday - THIS WEEK!

This Sunday, September 7, is the first Sunday of the month and, thus, St. David’s ICA Sunday. Please note that in the needs list below, there are still kid-friendly items. Now that school has started, ICA works with local schools in a variety of ways including:

1. ICA provides local schools with weekend bags to provide additional food to students when school breakfasts & lunches are not available.

2. ICA also provides individually packaged items for hungry students in School Snack Bins. These snacks are made available when additional food has been identified as needed. 

Current needs include:

The above lists are suggestions. Anything you wish to donate will be appreciated. You can bring your items to church this Sundayor drop them off at your convenience in one of the ICA baskets at the church entrances. 

While food donations bring in supplies for immediate use, a financial donation to ICA will help ensure the shelves can be well stocked. A check made out to iCA can be dropped in the Sunday collection plate. You can also go to www.icafoodshelf.org, choose Donate from the menu, then follow the prompts. 

Your Vegetables & Fruits for ICA

Are you still collecting an abundance of vegetables & fruits from your garden? If you have more than your family can eat, please consider sharing some of your bounty with neighbors in need. ICA will accept any produce (including herbs) in good condition. Please drop them off at ICA’s K-Tel location (11588 K-Tel Drive, Hopkins) at the garage door (just ring the doorbell, if it isn’t open). Be sure to check hours they are open on the website

(www.icafoodshelf.org/Donate/Donate Food). 

ICA Community Town Hall on September 18th

You are invited to a Community Town Hall on Thursday, September 18 at 5 pm at the K-Tel location (11588 K-Tel Drive, Hopkins). This gathering is a chance for neighbors, volunteers, donors and community leaders to come together around one shared goal: making sure everyone in our community has what they need to thrive. 

At the Town Hall, you’ll hear about where ICA is today, the challenges many of your neighbors are facing and the ways ICA is working to meet those needs. Most importantly, we’ll talk about how together we can keep building a stronger, healthier community. 

If you are interested in coming to this Town Hall, please RSVP on ICA’s Facebook page. 

Save the Date: October 21 - The Great Taste

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 21 for The Great Taste 2025. This 12th annual celebration of community, generosity and neighbors will be held once again at the Oak Ridge Country Club. Tickets are on sale online at www.icafoodshelf.org, under Events. 

Our mission: To create a healthy and stable community for all

Our vision: A community where everyone has the resources to thrive

Our belief: ICA’s presence in our communities makes our neighborhoods more stable and secure

Communion Bread Update

On Easter Day of this year, we began the practice of offering gluten-free bread for all at the communion table. The impetus for this change was a growing awareness of the prevalence of gluten intolerance and Celiac Disease, both at St. David’s and within the larger population, alongside a desire to practice radical hospitality, a core value of our congregation. 

Prior to this change, our practice had been to serve wheat bread, offering gluten-free wafers as an option. Yet we heard from some that this practice had the unintended consequence of causing them to feel “othered” or set apart in an exclusionary way. There was also a concern expressed that the previous practice could be risky due to a possible cross contamination of the gluten-free wafers with the wheat bread at the altar.

The change at Easter seemed, at the time, like an easy switch to make…why not? And yet we’ve met with various challenges and have had a significant learning curve along the way, namely, finding a gluten-free bread that is workable and responding to a wide range of input from parishioners.

You likely have noticed that we’ve experimented with breads from multiple bakeries. Across the board, the consistency of the bread has made it hard to distribute (too crumbly, doesn’t hold together). Second, the taste has not been to everyone’s liking, and some have not wanted to receive it altogether. Finally, even though we heard that some homemade recipes might fit the bill, we learned that to truly offer safe bread to those with Celiac Disease, it would need to be baked in a gluten-free kitchen. 

Given all our learnings and continuing to try to live into our values of radical hospitality, we have arrived at a decision on how to proceed: we will offer the wheat bread on the first Sunday of each month, with gluten-free wafers as an option, and gluten-free bread for all on the other Sundays of the month. At this point, the gluten-free bread we are currently using seems the best candidate for our use.

I will say, this is not a perfect scenario, but it is as faithful a path as we could chart.

I want to thank all of you for your patience, understanding, input, and support during this time of transition. I want to also thank the Altar Guild for flexing and shifting so much, including studying how to microwave frozen gluten-free bread to get things just right!

I must say, the complexity of this surprised me. To some, these intricacies might seem frivolous or silly. To others, it’s been a topic of much import. Fundamentally, as followers of Jesus who gathered his disciples around a table and bids us to do the same, the Eucharist is our primary act of worship. This meal matters. Bread matters. May we continue to share this feast, with grateful and open hearts.

In Thanksgiving,

Katherine

Click Here to learn more about Celiac and the rising rates of gluten intolerance.

2025 Raffle for St. David’s Episcopal Church

It’s time for our summertime raffle benefiting St. David’s Church; our programming, ministries and projects! We need your support and here’s your chance to win one of 13 cash prizes! Tickets cost $100.00 each. and can be purchased by mail or stop by our sales table and speak to a friendly ticket agent any Sunday this summer! 

Thirteen Cash Prizes

• 1 - $1,000.00 Prize
• 2 - $ 250.00  Prize
• 10 - $100.00  Prizes

Drawing will be held on September 7^th, 2025

You do not have to be present to win!

A limited number of tickets will be sold.

Tickets purchased are not tax deductible

For more information and ticket sales contact any of us on the leadership team:

David Pearson at: 952-412-7678

Randy Lindquist at randyanddale@me.com

Karin Lindquist at Lindquist.karin@hotmail.com

Julia Moser-Hardy at office@stdavidsparish.org

We thank you for your participation and support of St. David’s.

Click Here! 2025-26 Children and Youth Registration Form

Kickoff Sunday – September 7th

Kicking off fall programming, THIS SUNDAY, September 7th, we will run two classrooms – yes – BOTH Godly Play (ages 3-6) and The Peace Table (ages 7-11).

The following weeks we will alternate meetings between the two curricula like last year. See the Children and Youth Calendar (linked below) for full schedule.

Also happening this Sunday,

• Blessing of the Backpacks - bring your backpack, or just yourself, for a blessing as we begin another school year. We will have special backpack tags to take with you!
• Visit the Children and Youth Programming Table outside the bouncy house for printed calendars, registration, and more!

Save the Dates:

• October 4-5 - Pre-YE: Diocesan Middle School Youth retreat at St. Christopher's in Roseville. You can learn more and register here.
• October 24-25 - 3-5th Grade Overnight at Trinity

Click Here to view the Children & Youth Calendar for the 2025-2026 Program Year

Tuesday Sept 9: Bible Study Gathering - You're Invited!

Tuesday, September 9th

11:00am-12:30pm

A special invitation to all past, present and future bible study participants! Come help us celebrate and recall our past plus energize the exploration of our future. We’ll meet in the place where it all began 25 years ago, the library at St. David’s. Bring your ideas and a snack as together we join our thoughts and prayers in this important endeavor.

Loaves and Fishes

Please join us as we prepare and serve delicious meals for those in need.

Tuesday, September 9th

Monday, September 22nd

Tuesday, September 30th

The need for meals is growing each week. We invite you to prayerfully consider joining in this vital ministry, serving as the hands and feet of Christ for those in need.

Please contact Sue or Basil Owen to sign up or sign up in the Undercroft. Sue’s cell is 612-716-1945. Basil’s cell is 612-716-0683 or email at bowen3@fastmail.com.

The Isaiah Lighthouse Community Forum

Register Today!

Join Minnetonka neighbors, faith communities, nonprofits, and local leaders for a discussion with MN State Legislators about how we can protect essential public safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAP food assistance even in light of recent federal budget cuts. This event is hosted by ISAIAH and the Minnetonka Lighthouse Team, a group of local churches and synagogues who have come together in response to ongoing threats to civil rights and safety net programs.

We invite you to register to attend this meeting by clicking the link below. Everyone is welcome— Diverse perspectives make our community stronger and more inclusive. This meeting is non-partisan and intended to provide information with out favoring any political party or candidate.

REGISTER HERE!

Date & Time: September 11^th, 2025 from 7:00-8:30pm

Location: St. David’s Episcopal Church – Sanctuary

Legislators in attendance:

• State Senator: Steve Cwodzinski
• State Senator: Ann Johnson Stewart
• State Representative: Patty Acomb
• State Representative: Alex Falconer

About Isaiah

ISAIAH is a statewide, multiracial coalition of faith communities, Black barbershops and salons, childcare centers, and other organizations dedicated to advancing racial and economic justice in Minnesota. Representing over half a million people, ISAIAH includes more than 100 churches, 40 mosques, 500 childcare centers, and 20 Black-owned barbershops and salons. It is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization based in St. Paul, MN. (ISAIAH, 2023)

Welcome, Cambria Bold!

I couldn't be more pleased to announce that Cambria Bold will be joining our community as an intern as part of the process in her call to the priesthood. Cambria will be with us for 9 months, from Sunday, September 7 (Kick Off Sunday) through Sunday, May 31. You'll see her serving in worship, preaching, and participating and leading in other ways. Please read her bio here and please welcome her personally as she joins us!

In Gratitude,

Katherine

Meet Cambria!

Cambria Bold is a third-year M.Div student at Duke Divinity School and a postulant for Holy Orders in the Episcopal Church of Minnesota. She is delighted to be serving as an intern at St. David’s over the 2025-2026 program year. 

She grew up as a missionary kid in Vienna, Austria and received her B.A. in English Literature from Wheaton College. Prior to discerning a call into ministry in 2021 (a surprise to her!), she worked for many years as a digital media editor and writer. (She still does, in fact, on a part-time basis.) She is also a trained singer with a background in musical theater, sacred choral music, and a more expressive style of cantoring. 

As a postulant for the priesthood, Cambria has a deep love for The Episcopal Church and its people. She believes that the mysterious aspects of our faith and tradition — the spiritual stirrings brought about by liturgy, music, sacred space, and the sacraments — are an important part of our witness to a frenzied, distracted culture. She continues to discern how God has called her to faithfully and seriously play her small part in God’s great work in the world.

Cambria comes to St. David’s from her sending parish of St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul, where she lives with her husband and their two terrific daughters, ages 8 and 11. When she’s not otherwise occupied with divinity school, work, or church life, she indulges her love for interior design, poetry, good food, and most of all, time spent with her family. She’s always dreaming of her next visit to Lake Superior. 

Creekside Service: Save the Date - Sun. September 14

Sunday, September 14th we look forward to gathering on the banks of Minnehaha Creek at the Mills Park Gazebo for our annual Creekside Service including a baptism!

Details:

• Bring a chair or blanket to sit on, if you are able (we will have some chairs available).

• Wear water shoes if you wish to wade in the water! We'll also have creek water in a basin for those who wish to dip their fingers in after we renew our baptismal vows.

• In case of rain, worship will be indoors at church. Be on the lookout for an early Sunday morning email or check updates on our website, www.stdavidsparish.org.

• Bring a friend!

Directions and Parking 

--We'll be just east of Plymouth Road on Minnetonka Blvd and just west of the Dairy Queen, by the park gazebo. 

--You may park in the main St. David's Center lot off of Plymouth Road or park at the church and walk down. For those needing to park closer, there are a limited number of spots on Bridge St. east of the park gazebo.

Wonder Women Social Hour

St David's Wonder Women gatherings are fun and a "wonder-ful" way to get to know people better on an informal basis. Please join us for snacks, beverages, and conversations. Our next gathering is:

Thursday, September 18th 5:00-6:30 - hosted by Cathy Schwichtenberg 

14610 Woodruff Rd

Wayzata 55391

Appetizers and beverages are welcome but not required - your presence takes precedent. 

If you are willing to host or willing to double up with someone and co-host - let Nan Drake know at drake.nan@gmail.com or 612. 590.9092. October is still available if you are interested in hosting. Thursdays seem to be good days but the host can choose- keep in mind other church events happening so we don't overwhelm our involvement and commitments.

Ensemble Aventura Concert: “Voices of Protest and Resilience”

Friday, September 19 at 7:00pm

St. David’s Sanctuary

Join global-jazz quintet Ensemble Aventura (including our Minister of Music, Roger Stratton!) for a free concert of music from troubled times and places – songs both feisty and tender, celebrating the eternal struggle for liberation.

The Good Courage Farm FCSA Model: Nourishing Our Neighbors

Your FCSA Membership Contribution makes it possible to feed Minnesotans facing hunger, thank you. If you're a member, please watch for Kerri’s weekly email with updates and deliveries.

Upcoming Events:

• Sat. October 4th: Harvest Festival on the Feast of St. Francis - More info to come!

Experience the farm! - Click on this Link for a full list of opportunities

Have an announcement you would like to share in this weekly email?

Send it to office@stdavidsparish.org before 9:00 am on Wednesday to be featured.

What else is going on at St. David's?

Want to view the full calendar for the week? Click here to view the St. David's website complete with a calendar to keep you updated on events and offerings! Scroll all the way to the bottom to view it.

Pastoral Care Line: 952-767-0891