All parishioners are invited to the After-School Music Program's monthly Evening Prayer Service on Tuesday, January 28, at 5:30 p.m. This half-hour service is a wonderful opportunity to experience our children in action. They will read the lessons, lead the prayers, and their choir will sing. I hope you can join us. Questions call Barby, 237-8881.


First Sunday Music at the 9 and 11:15 a.m. services on Sunday, February 2, will feature the the perennial favorite "Missa Dixie" jazz mass, written by local jazz legend Jeff Haskell. The mass will be presented by the St. Philip's Singers under the direction of Haskell with a combo of Tucson's first-call jazz musicians: Jason Carder, trumpet; Kelland Thomas, soprano saxophone; Rob Boone, trombone; Dylan DeRobertis, bass; and Fred Hayes, drums. Some of the hymns in the service will feature Haskell's arrangements. Be prepared for lively worship!

In addition, the First Sunday Food Drive takes place all morning in the Fishpond Garden. Food offerings are used to replenish our Food Pantry to help our neighbors in need. Also, please bring any new/used paperback books, on any subject. They will be taken to Reading Between the Bars of Tucson who will send them to prisoners in Arizona. "Just Coffee" is offered for sale on the first Sunday of each month ($10/lb, beans or ground). This fair-trade coffee supports a cooperative of coffee growers in Mexico.

The "9:00 class" is now focusing on different ways of thinking about Christianity, called "Skeptics and Believers." Discussion is led by Brad Stroup. Read more. At 10:15 a.m., join our Rector as he begins a three-part series called "Children of Abraham." his series is rooted in John's recent participation in a course at St. George's College, Jerusalem. Read more. Also at 10:15 a.m., the Border and Immigration Ministry Forum features Ila Abernathy, coordinator of the Guatemala Project at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. Read more.

Deepen your connections at St. Philip's. Newcomer Orientation Sessions provide the perfect opportunity to ask questions and gain information about the life of the Parish. Sundays in February at 10:15 a.m. in the Renouf/Nelson Library. February 2: Singing and Praying (overview of the music program); February 9: Caring and Sharing (overview of the many ministries serving the congregation, the surrounding community, and the world); February 16: Giving and Receiving (information about how the practice of good stewardship can enrich the lives of not only those who receive but also those who give); February 23: Preaching and Teaching (information about the clergy, the various worship services, and the varied, interesting, and inspiring Adult Formation offerings). Attend any or all sessions.

On Sunday, February 2, at 10:30 a.m. there will be a blessing and prayers for the library ministry and the new plaque commissioned by Corky and Andrea Gabbert in memory of Dean Nelson. The Library Committee thanks Corky and Andrea for their generous gift to the Renouf/Nelson Library. The mosaic was created by Santa Theresa Tile Works and states a favorite saying of Dean's: Cave Ab Homine Unius Libri, which translates "Beware of Anyone Who Has Only One Book."

A LEM (Lay Eucharistic Minister) is a member of St. Philip's who takes communion to members who are not able to attend church. We visit twice a month at homes or assisted living facilities. This enables members of the Body of Christ who have been unable to attend church services to join in partaking of our common meal. We LEMs often say that being a LEM enriches our lives, as it opens us up to the suffering, pain, and acute needs of others. This ministry to others is an expression of Christ's ministry to us; it is, in fact, one of the ways God touches others. Do you seek a deeper relationship with God? Are you being called by God to this ministry? The next LEM training will be held on Sundays, February 2, 9, and 16, at 10:15 a.m. or 12:15 p.m. To enroll in the training or learn more about this ministry, please contact Kathy Zwald or call 203-1234.


St. Philip's American Sign Language (ASL) classes will be offered during the month of February, at 10:15 a.m. on Sunday mornings and at 7 p.m. on Thursday evenings. Learn ASL from someone whose first language is sign language. Parishioner Clifford R. Rowley was a research chemist until he retired in 2001. After retirement, he taught at TUSD for a few years as a substitute teacher at Tucson Magnet High School. He serves on the board of the New York School for the Deaf. Both returning students and new students are welcome. Registration is requested: contact Cliff.

On February 2, at 12:30 p.m., St. Philip's Prison Ministry will host a showing of the documentary Herman's House in the La Paz meeting room. A light lunch will be offered. Reservations are not required, but would be much appreciated to help with the lunch count. Please contact Don or Eileen Veitch or call 978-618-5048.
"Herman Wallace spent more than 40 years in a 6-by-9-foot cell in solitary confinement in the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Imprisoned in 1967 for a robbery he admits, he was subsequently sentenced to life for a killing he vehemently denies. Herman's House is a moving account of the remarkable expression his struggle found in an unusual project proposed by artist Jackie Sumell. Imagining Wallace's "dream home" began as a game and became an interrogation of justice and punishment in America. The film takes us inside the duo's unlikely 12-year friendship, revealing the transformative power of art."  (www.pbs.org). Read more.

The February show in the Murphey Gallery at St. Philip's In The Hills Episcopal Church is entitled "The Art of Hooked Rugs," featuring the hand-hooked designs of the Old Pueblo Rug Hookers. An artists' reception will be held on Sunday, February 2, from 12:30 to 3:00 p.m. Come meet the artists!