Reach Out. Proclaim. Inspire.

Aug. 5, 2015

Opportunities to Serve!

Contact: Pastor Valerie Strand Patterson, vstrand@spdlc.org or Cindy Carlson at ccarlson@spdlc.org. To learn more, visit our website.

Feed My Starving Children - Aug. 25
Messiah Food Pantry - Aug. 14 and 22
Interfaith Outreach - Aug. 12

We are also looking for a scheduler of volunteers for Messiah Food Shelf.

The Texts this Weekend

This weekend is the 11th Sunday after Pentecost. The readings include 1 Kings 19:4-8, Ephesians 4:25-5:2 and John 6:35, 41-51:

Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, 'I am the bread that came down from heaven.' They were saying, 'Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, "I have come down from heaven"?' Jesus answered them, 'Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, "And they shall all be taught by God." Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.'

All Church Summer Picnic - Aug. 9

Sign up today for the All Church Summer picnic. The picnic will be on Sunday, Aug. 9 at 5 p.m. at the Three Rivers French Regional Park picnic area. The Park is on Rockford Road, just east of Northwest Blvd. There will be live music, food, games and a vespers service. We hope you will join in the fun!

We will have hot dogs and brats on the grill, and you are asked to bring a dish to share (salad, dessert, fruit, baked beans, etc). Cost is $5 per person, or up to $20 per family. (Kids under 3 years, no charge.) Register online or stop at the hospitality desk in the upper level atrium. Please also let us know if you can help with grilling, food service,games, set-up or clean-up. Contact Cindy Carlson with questions: ccarlson@spdlc.org.

It's going to be fun -- you won't want to miss it!

Register Now for Fall Faith Creek

Fall Faith Creek will begin Sept. 12-13. It's time to get signed up! To register your children (ages 3 through 5th grade) you can go to: spdlc.churchcenteronline.com or visit the website under Children's Ministries, Faith Creek Church School. Don't miss the fun!

Register for Children's Choirs

Do your kids love to sing? It's time to get them signed up for choir this fall. Dynamic Deacons is a choir for kids aged kindergarten through 2nd grade, and Chancel Choir is for kids in grades 3-5. These choirs meet on Tuesday evenings. Sign up online today!

Donate School Supplies - Through Aug. 16

Bring school supply donations now through Aug. 16 to Fellowship Hall. To make a financial contribution, add the line "School Supplies" in the note on your check to St. Philip the Deacon, and give it during the offertory in worship, or bring your check to the church office.

Suggested items:

Backpacks (large, solid colors)
Wide or college rule spiral notebooks
Pocket folders
Composition notebooks
3-Ring binders (1 1/2 inch)
Calculators

Learn more at spdlc.org/school.

Bike Club Rides Again - Aug. 6

Join our SPD summer Bike Club! Every Thursday this summer at 9 a.m. we'll meet at a different place to explore our local bike paths, enjoy God's creation and fellowship with one another. And there will be an evening ride each month on the fourth Thursday. Our next rides are:

Thursday, Aug. 6 at 9 a.m.
Meet at Dakota Junction in Mound (2281 Commerce Blvd, Mound, MN 55364). We will head West on the Dakota Rail Trail. We have biked part of this trail from Wayzata, but we will explore new territory by starting further west. Let's plan to stop for a bite to eat after the ride. The Dakota Junction opens at 11 a.m.

Contact Pastor Cheryl Mathison for more information: cmathison@spdlc.org or 763-475-7128.

Full Throttle Fishing Tournament Kick-off - Aug. 7

Phil's Guys is hosting the kick-off dinner for the Full Throttle Fishing Tournament on Lake Minnetonka. Full Throttle is a non-denominational Christian organization that features faith-based fishing events. The event, held in the lower parking lot on Friday, Aug. 7 at 6 p.m., will feature a grand display of awesome fishing boats that all are welcome to come and admire.

As hosts for the event, Phil's Guys are looking for friends to help with grilling and serving dinner to the club members. Contact Ben Hovland at philsguys@spdlc.org for more information.

Thank You, Jeremy! - Aug. 9

This Sunday Aug. 9, we will be saying "Thank you and Farewell" to Jeremy Lahaie who has been our Sr. High leader for the past ten years. Jeremy and his wife Myka (who has been accepted as a doctoral student there) will be moving to England to begin new adventures. Please join us for a rite of sending in worship, and a cake reception between worship services.

Worship in the World - Aug. 12

Join us on Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 6:30 p.m. for a two hour cruise aboard the Minnehaha Steamboat on Lake Minnetonka. We will board at the Wayzata Depot. SPD member Bruce Warner will be our captain. Our cruise will include a simple worship service with music led by John Roth and Linda Wrobel and we will remember our baptisms as we tour the lake. Registration is required. Space is limited. Cost is $20 per person or $40 per family. Please note: Since the Minnehaha is a floating museum, no food or beverages are allowed, other than water in a capped water bottle.

Pro-Karting with Sr. High Youth - Aug. 15

Sr. High students, both guys and gals, are invited to and afternoon of fast-paced fun. Meet at the church on Saturday, Aug. 15 at 12 noon for lunch, and then we'll carpool to the Maple Grove ProKart track, where we'll have an absolute blast racing each other. Cost is $50. Register online now!

Birds, Wildflowers and Bog - Aug. 18

SPD Outdoors invites you to enjoy a lovely evening out in nature! Meet us at Theodore Wirth Park at the Eloise Butler Sanctuary on Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 6:30 p.m. for an evening stroll in a wildflower garden. It's a bird-watching haven! There is also a children's garden and quaking bog. The serenity of the park and woods lets us forget just how close we are to the heart of the city.

Encounter: Minnesota Arboretum - Aug. 19

"Encounter" takes a journey to the Arboretum on Wednesday morning, Aug. 19 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. We will begin with a light breakfast and devotions at church, and a presentation by SPD member Susan Ramlet on how she sees the world through her digital camera and cell phone camera, capturing images that are beautiful and interesting. We will travel by coach to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum where we will walk the grounds and, putting to use what we learned from Susan, take some photos.

Bring your phone or digital camera! Don't have one? Just let us know and you can borrow one for the event.

The cost of this Encounter is $20 per person. (If you are a member of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the cost will be $11 per family member.) You may register online or at the Hospitality Desk on the upper level. For more information, please contact Cindy Carlson at ccarlson@spdlc.org or Pastor Mathison at cmathison@spdlc.org.

Confirmation Begins Sept. 16

Confirmation starts up again on Wednesday, Sept. 16. Clay Thomas, Director of Middle School Ministries, will be sending out registration information soon to parents of confirmation aged students. To help you plan your school weeks this fall, the weekly meeting times for confirmation will be:

Wednesdays

5:30 p.m. Pizza supper
6:30 p.m. Large and small groups

Sundays

11 a.m. Large and small groups

Also, 6th graders and their parents are invited to an orientation session on Tuesday, Aug. 18 from 5-7 p.m. No registration is necessary. Dinner included. Please bring your Bibles!

Book Club - Sept. 15

Join Pastor Mathison for a discussion of Roz Chast's memoir, Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant, as she brings her wit to the topic of aging parents. Spanning the last several years of their lives and told through four-color cartoons, family photos, and documents, Can't We Talk is as full of laughs as it is with tears. For anyone experiencing the life-altering loss of elderly parents, this book and our discussion is sure to bring comfort, and a relief that you are not alone.

We meet Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. in the Nook. Participants can purchase a copy of the book at the SPD upper level hospitality desk ($20) or borrow it from the library in the Nook, or acquire one from a bookstore or online.

Read more about Book Club on our website.

DivorceCare Group for Women - Sept. 22

Separation and divorce are painful and stressful experiences. They are confusing times when you feel alone and have lots of questions. DivorceCare is a confidential group support program to help participants discover hope and experience healing. Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Sept. 22 through Dec. 15. This group will be for women. A men's group will be offered in the spring. Contact Pastor Valerie Strand Patterson at 763-475-7126 or vstrand@spdlc.org to sign up. Learn more about DivorceCare.

In This Issue

Summer Church Picnic

Register for Faith Creek

Register for Children's Choirs

Donate School Supplies

Bike Club - Thursdays

Full Throttle Fishing Tournament

Thank You, Jeremy!

Worship in the World

Sr High ProKarting

Birds, Wildflowers and Bog

Encounter: Minn. Arboretum

Confirmation Begins Sept. 16

Book Club

DivorceCare for Women

I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.

O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed.

This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.

Psalm 729

For Reflection

"The real trouble about forgiveness is that you do it on Monday and then find on Wednesday that it all has to be done over again." - CS Lewis

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

Faithful Parenting

How to Avoid Being Taken Hostage by Kids' Demands

Holding a child accountable for his actions starts with training outside the context of demands or rigidity. With simple explanations and roleplays when all is calm, even young kids can learn that being demanding is not helpful and won't get them what they want.