Reach Out. Proclaim. Inspire.

May 13, 2015

Opportunities to Serve! Contact Pastor Valerie Strand Patterson, vstrand@spdlc.org
Find more service opportunities on our website.

May 13 - Serve at the IOCP food shelf and resale store.
May 16 - Shop at the IOCP Plant Sale!

The Texts this Weekend

This weekend is the Seventh Sunday of Easter. The readings include 1 John 5:9-13 and John 17:6-19:

"I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.

"And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth."

Disaster Relief for Nepal

A second major earthquake struck eastern Nepal on Tuesday, May 12, less than three weeks after the country was devastated by a quake on April 25, causing even more massive damage to buildings and infrastructure. Thousands have been injured or killed, and many more displaced. Please continue to pray for those affected by the earthquake in Nepal and for all who are working to respond to the disaster.

Help continues to be urgently needed. You can donate to Lutheran Disaster Response by phone at 800-638-3522, online at Lutheran Disaster Response Nepal, or by mail:

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

ELCA Gift Processing Center

P.O. Box 1809

Merrifield, VA 22116-8009

Please write "Nepal Earthquake Fund" on the memo line of your check.

You can also donate to Lutheran Disaster Response through SPD. Your check, payable to SPD with "Nepal Earthquake" on the memo line, can be placed in the offering plate, and we will forward your gift. When you donate to Lutheran Disaster Response, you can rest assured your dollars are used wisely.

Planning a Funeral - May 14, 21 and 28

Our pastoral care intern, Rebecca Hinz, is teaching a class on how to plan a funeral. The dates are Thursdays, May 14, 21 and 28. A morning class meets at 10 a.m., and an evening class at 7 p.m. We will cover wills, trust and power of attorney documents, and discuss the information needed for the funeral home and for planning the service itself with the pastor. For more information contact Rebecca Hinz at rhinz@spdlc.org.

IOCP Plant Sale - May 16

IOCP is hosting their annual plant sale in our north parking lot on Saturday, May 16, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Shop a fantastic selection of perennials, annuals and heirloom veggies, and a garden bazaar with an assortment of quality garden items, all while supporting our mission partners!

Interested in volunteering? Contact Jackie Archbold (612-280-8873, jiversarch@comcast.net) or Joan Floren (952-475-0914, jbfloren@gmail.com). Do you have some healthy plants to donate? Please contact Jackie or Joan before May 9 for more information.

SPD Choirs in Concert - May 17

On Sunday, May 17 at the 11 a.m. worship time, all the choirs of St. Philip the Deacon will give praise to God in a special spring concert. Sanctuary Choir, Dynamic Deacons and SPD Singers will share special anthems and lead the hymns.

Soul Sisterhood Fifth Anniversary - May 17

2015 marks the five-year anniversary of the creation of The Soul Sisterhood -- a ministry of St. Philip the Deacon -- which provides opportunities for young women to engage ever more deeply in relationship with God, make new friends, and gain confidence as they explore their gifts of creativity. We will comission the Soul Sisterhood's new camper van, "Ruthie," for mission and ministry as we expand our outreach for Summer 2015 with Little Sister and Wayfarer Day Camps. Join the celebration Sunday, May 17 at 2 p.m. Everyone is welcome!

Giving Statements

2015 Year-to-Date giving statements will be in the mail next week. The statements will show totals for contributions from the first four months of 2015. If you have any questions on your statement, please contact Cheryl Sjaarda, csjaarda@spdlc.org or 763-475-7124.

Thank you for your support of the mission and ministry of St. Philip the Deacon!

Book Club - May 19

Book Club meet on Tuesday, May 19 at 7 p.m. to discuss the book "7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess" by Jen Hatmaker. "7" is the true story of how Jen (along with her husband and her children) took seven months, identified seven areas of excess, and made seven simple choices to fight back against the modern-day excesses of greed, materialism, and overindulgence: Food. Clothes. Spending. Media. Possessions. Waste. Stress. They spent thirty days on each topic. Please join us for what promises to be a lively discussion. Books are available at local bookstores and on Amazon.

Since this is our last book club of the season, please come with the title of a book or two you would like to see on the list for next year. For more information contact Pastor Mathison at cmathison@spdlc.org.

Lilly Pad Storytime - May 20

Lilly Pad Storytime is scheduled for Wednesday, May 20 at 10 a.m. in the Lilly Pad Library. This will be last Storytime until Oct. 21, when the fall series begins. Storytime is scheduled on the third Wednesday of each month Oct. through May.

Yoga Devotion - May 16 and 23

Come to Yoga Devotion, a Christian-based yoga class that gives you time to focus on peace as well as health. Join us Saturday morning at 10 a.m., May 16 and 23. Cost is $10 per class. Take time to stretch and pray!

Encounter: Mission Partners Field Trip - May 27

On Wednesday, May 27 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. we'll take a field trip to visit our mission partners in the city. Stops will include Messiah Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Social Services' Center for Changing Lives, Families Moving Forward, and Redeemer Lutheran Church in north Minneapolis. The cost is $15 and includes lunch. Register online at stphilip.smartevents.com, stop by the hospitality desk in the atrium at church, or contact Cindy Carlson at ccarlson@spdlc.org or 763-475-7115.

Vacation Bible School - June 15-18

Vacation Bible School is fast-approaching. You can still register to join us! Please go to stphilip.smartevents.com to sign up today! VBS will be held June 15-18 from 8:45-11:45 a.m. each day.

We Can Help Wednesdays

There is still room in the our elementary school We Can Help Wednesday program as well, although deadlines are near. Check the registration page for further details.

Get ready for some summer fun!

Summer St. John's Retreat - July 30-Aug. 2

This year's summer spiritual growth retreat at St. John's University is called "Balance." Through worship, prayer, reading, meditation and activity, we'll explore what it means to live a balanced life. Journey together in an eclectic group of people for few days of refocusing on God in creative ways in a very beautiful and relaxing setting. Contact Pastor Valerie Strand Patterson at vstrand@spdlc.org or 763-475-7126 for more information. Register online by July 20.

In This Issue

This Weekend

Disaster Relief for Nepal

Planning a Funeral

IOCP Plant Sale

SPD Choirs in Concert

Soul Sisterhood Anniversary

Giving Statements

Book Club

Lilly Pad Storytime

Yoga Devotion

Encounter: Mission Partners

Vacation Bible School

We Can Help Wednesdays

Summer St. John's Retreat

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,

or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;

but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.

They are like trees planted by streams of water,

which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.

In all that they do, they prosper. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 1

For Reflection

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."

- Albert Einstein

See more thoughts like this at fb.com/spdlc.

Faithful Parenting

Three Signs of Unhelpful Consequences... and How to Fix Them!

Consequences are an important teaching component for our kids. When parents learn to wield consequences well, kids tend to grow in wisdom about how their words and actions (or inaction!) impact others. They teach kids that they are responsible for their actions and their lives.