The J2A is selling poinsettia plants during the month of December. They will be in 8" pots wrapped in gold foil, for $25. There will be a limited number of plants for sale each Sunday, beginning at 8 a.m. If you want to be sure of getting a plant, you may pre-order by contacting Yvonne or call 991-3789.



The Newcomer Ministries will host a Newcomers Welcome at 10:15 a.m. on Sunday, December 8, in the Ferguson Room.  The Ferguson Room is located at the end of the colonnade walkway on the east side of the Church. If you need directions, one of the ushers can direct you. Donuts and coffee will be available along with greetings and information on up-coming newcomer orientation sessions scheduled to begin in February. The welcome will be hosted by Roger Rainbolt, newcomer ministry coordinator, and representatives from our youth groups.   If you are new to St. Philip's, please plan to stop by and enjoy a treat and conversation!

The December show in the Murphey Gallery features the Tucson Pastel Society's Holiday Show. The show kicks off with a reception on Sunday, December 8, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Come meet the artists!



The J2A Youth will be hosting a gift-wrapping fundraiser on Sunday, December 15 from 8:30 a.m. till 12:30 p.m. in Palo Verde. Help support the youth as they raise money for their pilgrimage and remove one item from your holiday to-do list. Bring gifts that need wrapping to church on December 15th, and drop them off either at the J2A table in the Perry Garden area or in Palo Verde. Your wrapped gifts can be picked up in Palo Verde. The J2A Youth will also be hosting a gift-wrapping fundraiser along with a bake sale on Sunday, December 22nd, during the Greening of the Church, starting at 12:30 p.m.

St. Philip's "Seasoned" Singles will hold our Holiday Luncheon in the East Gallery on Sunday, December 15, at 12:30 p.m. Menu details will be in our email announcement. We will share the costs. To RSVP, ask questions, or get on our email list, call Jo Ann Alldredge, 307-3379, or Joyce Schumann, 529-7421. "Seasoned" Singles is now about 5 years old. We welcome "seasoned," single men and women, widowed, divorced, or never married to all our activities.

Collection for this years Children's Christmas Project begins this Sunday and will continue each Sunday until Christmas. This project provides a Christmas gift of money to the children of the three schools with which St. Philip's has a special relationship, Imago Dei, Rio Vista, and Holaway. The money is used by the schools as an emergency fund, for eye glasses, clothes, family emergencies and special student incentives. Last year, through this Christmas collection, St. Philip's was able to give a gift of $2300 to each of the schools. In his thank you letter to the church the principal of Holaway wrote: "In very difficult times it is the most courageous and most honorable that come to the aid of others. Your parish clearly meets this honorable charge. I am not sure you realize the benefits a gift such as this can provide for a school and its students. The donation helps support students in all aspects of their education." The challenge to us at St. Philip's is to once again respond to this need through our Christmas giving. Tables for collection will be in the Perry and Fish Pond Gardens every Sunday. Checks should be made out to St. Philip's with Children's Christmas Project in the memo line. They may also be mailed to the church. Read more about the project.

St. Philip's Border and Immigration Ministry invites you to an evening of remembrance with Tucson's immigration reform community on Thursday, December 12. We'll pray for our brothers and sisters who perished or were lost in the desert while seeking a new life free of hunger and deprivation and learn about recent developments in US immigration and border policies and ways that we can participate in constructive change. The vigil is a brief and beautiful immersion into song, fellowship, prayer, and reflection. The vigil is held outdoors at El Tiradito Shrine. It is sponsored by Derechos Humanos and is held every Thursday at 7 p.m. On Thursday, December 12, you are invited to meet members of the Border and Immigration Ministry at El Minuto Restaurant, Main and Cushing St., at 6 p.m. for dinner. After dinner we'll walk across the parking lot to El Tiradito Shrine for the vigil at 7. Please RSVP for dinner by Wednesday, December 11, so we can reserve a table for St. Philip's. To carpool from St. Philip's, leaving at 5:30 p.m., contact Suzanne, BorderImmigrationMin@stphilipstucson.org.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Casa Maria sandwich-making ministry's clothing drive last month. Our next project is collecting Christmas cookies for our December 7 sandwich making. All kinds of cookies are appreciated (we need 85 dozen). Please bring them on Saturday, December 7, at 7:45 a.m., and stay to help make lunches to feed our neighbors in need. Thanks!

Tucson Community Against Gun Violence (TCAGV) is reaching out to the families of Newtown, CT, with words of sympathy, support, and healing. They are asking for personal cards, notes, or letters to share your heartfelt messages of comfort and condolence for those families whose lives were changed forever by the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The first anniversary of this tragic event is December 14. Cards and letters will be collected through December 10. Please send your cards to: TCAGV, 4729 E Sunrise Drive #502, Tucson, AZ 85718.

St. Philip's Mental Illness Ministry hosts a mental health book club sponsored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Southern Arizona. The group meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 6:30 to 8 p.m. There will be no meeting in December; the January topic will be Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America (2010) by Robert Whitaker. Read about the group here. Space is limited -- to enroll or for more information including a reading list, please contact Dio de la Vina or call 270-4794.

St. Philip's Mental Illness Ministry welcomes those who have a brain disorder, their families, their friends, and others who want coffee, conversation, and companionship to "The Haven." Ordinarily we gather on first and third Sundays at 10:15 a.m. in the Bride's Room, but during Advent "The Haven" will be offered each Sunday. For more information, please contact the Rev. Anne Strong (275-7582), Cheryl Mason (318-1511), or Dr. Sharon Nielsen (299-0682).