Russian Musical Treasures  

St. Philip's Friends of Music presents "Russian Musical Treasures" at St. Philip's In The Hills Episcopal Church, in the Bloom Music Center, on Friday, November 18, at 7 p.m. Pianist Alexander Tentser and violinist Anna Gendler present a program of works for solo piano and piano/violin duo by Russian composers. Being trained in Moscow, Alexander and Anna have been brought up in the great Russian music tradition as originated in the 19th century.

Alexander will perform preludes by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Alexander Scriabin, as well as Theme and Variations in F Major by Peter Illich Tchaikovsky. Alexander and Anna together will perform a sonata for violin and piano by Sergei Prokofieff.

As well as local and national solo and chamber music appearances, Alexander and Anna are on the faculty at Pima Community College, and Anna is a violinist with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. Alexander and Anna frequently appear as a violin and piano duo and in collaboration with other musicians.

Admission is by donation to St. Philip's Friends of Music (suggested donation $15). Friends of Music provides support to the music program at St. Philip's, through sponsoring concerts, special musical events, commissions, scholarships, and community outreach programs.

The "Kirking o' the Tartans" will be celebrated at St. Philip's on Sunday, November 20, at the 9 and 11:15 a.m. services. The Tucson Seven Pipers Band, a bagpipe and drum corps, will head the procession to and from the church.

Scottish and nae-Scottish parishioners and visitors are encouraged to wear their tartans to this service. They will be invited forward at the conclusion of the service to have their tartans blessed.

Kirking o' the Tartans is said to have originated during the 18th century, when the English rulers attempted to subdue rebellious Scottish people by prohibiting them from wearing tartans, symbols of their clans and family solidarity. Some hid wee bits of their tartans under their clothes and had them blessed at church. However apocryphal this tale, St. Philip's uses this occasion to celebrate the Scottish heritage of the Episcopal Church. The Scottish Episcopal Church is important in our history because it is independent of the Church of England. This allowed the consecration of the first Episcopal bishop in the fledgling United States, Samuel Seabury, in 1784, because it took place in Scotland and thus he did not have to swear allegiance to the British crown. As a result, the Communion rite adopted by the Episcopal Church in 1790 was closely based on the Scottish liturgy, rather than the English. At the services on November 20, the Eucharistic Prayer will come from the Scottish Prayer Book.

Join your St. Philip's family and friends for our annual Thanksgiving dinner in the Murphey Gallery, following the 11 a.m. Thanksgiving Eucharist, on Thursday, November 24. Parish Life will provide turkeys -- please bring one of the following dishes for 8-10 guests, based on your last name. A-B, breads; C-H, vegetables/salads; I-M, potatoes/ stuffing; N-T, desserts; U-Z, sauces including cranberry. And, mindful of those less fortunate than ourselves, please also bring a nonperishable food item for St. Philip's food pantry. You can let us know what you plan to bring and how many in your party by e-mailing parishlife@stphilipstucson.org, signing up at the hospitality table in the Perry Garden during Coffee Hour, or phoning the church at 299-6421. Come share delicious food and good company!

Plans are underway for an extraordinary journey to Israel, May 30-June 10, 2012. Walk the land of the Bible (but with more modern accommodations) in Summer 2012 with our Rector, the Rev. John Kitagawa, and Rabbi Samuel Cohon. The trip will feature two parallel journeys for members of St. Philip's and Temple Emanu-El. Our two groups will travel to unique Christian and Jewish sites and come together along the way for shared reflection and teachings by Rabbi Cohon and our Rector.

Walk the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, pray at the Western Wall, recall the footsteps of Jesus along the Via Dolorosa, tour the Golan Heights, climb Masada by cable car, float in the Dead Sea, tour Safed, a center of Jewish mysticism and a contemporary artists' community, and experience the vitality and dynamism of today's Israel in Tel Aviv. There will be special private briefings on political and social issues in Israel. Plus much, much more. Don't miss this inspiring journey!

Two information sessions are set with the Rev. John Kitagawa on Tuesday, November 29, at 5:30 p.m. in the West Gallery and on Sunday, December 4, at 10:15 a.m. in La Paz. Presentations will be the same, so choose the day and time that works best for you. For more information, contact the Rev. Greg Foraker.

The annual Poz Cafe, sponsored by Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network, is a holiday dinner for people living with HIV/AIDS. This event is coming up on December 15, and TIHAN is looking for volunteers to help serve the dinner, as well as toiletry items (toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, body wash, laundry detergent, lotion, deodorant, toothpaste & brush, etc.) to give out at the dinner. If you would like to help with the dinner, please contact Taina or call 299-6647. Please bring any toiletry items to the church on Sundays and put them on the chest near the southeast door into the church, by the Fishpond Garden (where First Sunday food offerings are left). Any questions, please contact Nancy Atherton or call 269-0699.

Solar Project Update 

About two months ago, John Kitagawa announced the receipt of an anonymous gift to St. Philip's from a parishioner in the amount of $500,000 -- restricted for the purchase of solar panels for the church. Since that time, a committee was formed from members of the Green Team and other parishioners with solar energy experience/knowledge. The committee was chaired by Steve Brong, Parish Administrator. Bids were put out to three of the top solar vendors in Tucson and proposals were received from each company. Presentations were made to the solar committee by each vendor and a summary review given to the Vestry at their September meeting. One vendor, TFS (Technicians for Sustainability), stood out from the others due to years of experience in the business and the number of similar solar projects they had completed for other churches and non-profit organizations in Tucson as well as projects for other commercial entities. Upon receipt of their contract documents, Steve met with Dick Duffield, parishioner and attorney, who reviewed the contract documents. Once a few contract issues were resolved, the contract was signed and TFS is currently moving forward with development of the final plan drawings. 

During the process, the committee decided to go with a carport structure-mounted solar panel system, rather than mounting solar panels on the roofs of our existing buildings. The new solar carport structure will be erected in the east parking lot to the east of the Children's Center building and will provide approximately 60 covered parking spaces in addition to serving as the structure for the solar panels. 

As part of the process, St. Philip's also submitted a proposal to Tucson Electric Power (TEP) to receive a grant for performance based renewable energy credits as part of their non-residential grid solar energy production program. We recently received notification that the grant has been approved, which will pay St. Philip's $0.13 per kilowatt hour generated by our system over a period of 15 years. 

The tentative construction schedule has electrical trenching and parking lot reconfiguration beginning mid- to late November. There will be a break during Christmas time so that we have full parking lot access for our Christmas Eve worship services. Construction will resume after the first of the new year with anticipated completion in mid-March to early April. The system will then go "live" and begin generating electricity. Once operational, savings to our operating budget through reduction in our electric bill are anticipated to total $30,000-$33,000 per year, which equates to about 70% of our current electric utility bill.

Parishioner Nancy Phillips has generously donated a tiled concrete table with four bench seats to the church. We have placed it in the northeast corner of the Perry Garden for use by parishioners, staff and visitors as a quiet place to meet, have lunch or for reflection.

St. Philip's will accept donations from parishioners of certain furniture items that can be used in or around the church buildings and gardens. If you have an item you would like to donate, please contact Steve Brong, Parish Administrator, or telephone at 299-6421, ext. 39. Unfortunately, all items can not be accepted, so please contact Steve to discuss your proposed donation.