September 23, 2014

Join the Rev. Greg Foraker for our next parish pilgrimage for adults May 4-18, 2015, to walk the pilgrimage road to Santiago, Spain. This journey to follow the Way of St. James has been a path taken by pilgrims for centuries across the northern region of Spain. After beginning our pilgrimage in Avila at the 500th anniversary of St. Teresa's birth, our group will travel north to make the journey from Roncesvalles to Santiago. Along the way villages, towns, and cities including Burgos will inspire our journey. Sacred places will stir our spirits including the Santo Domingo de Silos Monastery.

Information Sessions have been scheduled for Sunday, September 28 at 10:15 a.m. or Thursday, October 16, at 6 p.m. in La Paz. This active walking pilgrimage involves vigorous physical activity including the ability to walk 5-7 miles, climb steep hills, and be "on one's feet" for several hours on many days. Attend any information meeting to learn about this inspiring journey. All presentations will include the same material, so please choose the day and time that is best for you.

Several parishioners made this pilgrimage independently last summer. Read their stories here.



St. Philip's In The Hills Episcopal Church is offering a new series of the grief support program Walking the Mourner's Path®: Transforming Grief into Joyful Living. The series is a Christ-centered, faith based, 8-week, non-denominational  grief program and is open to anyone who has experienced a death within the last 24 months. Each session is facilitated by two Mourner's Path certified facilitators as well as a member of the clergy. Sessions are Wednesday evenings, beginning October 1 through November 19 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Room 10. The fee of $75 covers the cost of materials. Registration is required; contact MournersPath@stphilipstucson.org or Richard Kuns at 615-9527.

Are you an adult in the first half of life looking for spiritual camaraderie? Spirit Lab is a casual gathering that meets first and third Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. to talk about life and everyday spirituality. Join us as we discuss how faith plays into daily situations, with open discussions about Christianity in the modern world. Location: Desert Sage room. Contact Cosmo Spears or call 342-8998 for more information.

St. Philip's is hosting an Open House on Sunday, October 5, from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. Please attend and bring a friend! Come to the Open House to deepen your knowledge of the multitude of ministries offered at St. Philip's, engage with your fellow parishioners, and welcome guests who may be checking us out for the first time. We're showcasing our more than 90 inspiring ministries and classes, renowned worship music, and thriving children's and youth programs. Visitors can take a guided or a self-guided tour of the campus, and experience our stunning architecture, beautiful gardens, meditation labyrinth, fully stocked library, and renovated Children and Youth centers. We will also have a Food Truck Round-up in the east parking lot!

To encourage community members to discover our wonderful church, we will all need to practice "invitational hospitality." Think about the people you know -- your neighbors, co-workers, family members, friends from other activities -- who might find meaning and joy at St. Philip's. Invite them to come with you! Post about the Open House on social media! You can also send them to the website to begin learning about who we are and the ways we serve each other and the community around us.

St. Philip's features special liturgical music on the first Sunday of each month at the 9 and 11:15 a.m. services, October through May. First Sunday Music on Sunday, October 5, will be Franz Schubert's Mass in C Major, D. 452. Schubert, known as the composer with ingeniously pleasing tunes and warm harmonies in his music, wrote this mass following the style of his predecessors, Haydn and Mozart. While he exerts his charming melodies for the soloists, Schubert maintains the wonderfully harmonious characteristics of the sacred mass. The mass will be presented within our liturgy, sung by our staff singers as soloists and the St.Philip's Singers, Canterbury Choir, and Canterbury Apprentices with chamber orchestra.

As is usual on First Sundays, we will be accepting donations of nonperishable food for St. Philip's food pantry and of paperback books (new or used, any subject) for Reading Between the Bars.

Members of St. Nicholas Choir and Schola Cantorum have been invited to be the resident choir at Worcester Cathedral in July 2016. Please help make this trip possible for our young choristers by supporting our fundraising opportunities. October Fest is our kickoff event on October 5, from 4 to 6 p.m. - a tasting party of British beers at the Serenidad Community Pool and Ramada. Tickets are $35. Look for our ticket table between services, or tickets are available online.

The October show in the Murphey Gallery will be paintings by students of the Desert Plein Air watercolor class instructed by James (Chris) Larsen. The show will run from October 5 to November 5, with an opening reception on october 5 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.The show is a tribute to Larsen by his students, some of whom have been in his class for over twenty years. Larsen took over the class run by the Tucson Museum of Art in 1977 and he has taught the course ever since. His students, who meet with him once a week at a variety of outdoor venues around Tucson, maintain that his unique method of instruction, which focuses on endless encouragement as well as lecturing and demonstration, is not only entertaining, but productive as well. Larsen, a graduate of the University of Arizona in the late 1960s, has won awards for his own works in shows that include those of the National Watercolor Society, Arizona Watercolor Association, Arizona Aqueous, Louisiana Water Color Society, and New Orleans Art Association.



Come share what it means to be a woman on a journey. Women's Wisdom Circle offers a safe space to be heard and seen in the wholeness of who we are, to listen to each other without judgment, to give and get support from each other, to laugh and cry together, to share wisdom, heal, rest, thrive and leave refreshed. We are respectful of our differences, and grateful to find similarities. Women of all denominations or no denomination welcome. Who is a wise woman? A women who wants to learn, change and grow and who believes in her own innate wisdom. Does this sound like you? Then please join us! We meet on first and third Sundays at 12:30 p.m. in the Children's Chapel. See you in the circle!

On Sunday, October 12, at 2 p.m. in the Church, Friends of Music presents Duo Amabile, featuring Steven Moeckel on violin and Paula Fan on piano. This recital is one of a series of events celebrating the 150th birthday of composer Richard Strauss and will showcase the young Strauss's lyrical and heroic Sonata for Violin & Piano in E flat major, Op.18, as well as the engaging and acerbic rhythmic interaction of the Sonata by John Corigliano. The dynamic musical partnership of Steven Moeckel and Paula Fan has been delighting audiences around the world since the two met in Tucson over a decade ago. As Duo Amabile they have received rave reviews for their passionate and virtuosic performances and for the sheer joy of their music making. Suggested admission $20. For more information see the Friends of Music web site.

The Tuesday Bible Discussion Group will reconvene Tuesday, October 14, at 10:45 a.m. in La Paz with discussion leader Richard Kuns. We will explore the seemingly contradictory themes in scripture of "saved by grace through faith not works" (Ephesians 2: 8-9) and "What good is it ...if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?" (James 2: 14) We will explore the stories of faith, grace, and works throughout the Tanakh and New Testament. Bring your Bible and a desire to learn by sharing. We meet in Room 10. Spiritual Formation.

Responding to Scripture's exhortation to care for those in need, Outreach Ministries is sponsoring a viewing of Robert Reich's powerful documentary film, "Inequality for All" on Sunday, October 19, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. in the East Gallery. The movie analyzes the impact wealth disparity is having on our fellow Americans. The 90-minute film will be followed by a question and answer period with two local experts. Peggy Hutchison is the Chief Executive Officer of The Primavera Foundation and a Co-Chair of the Mayor's Commission on Poverty. Julia Smith is the co-author of a research report on poverty in Tucson, prepared for the Mayors Commission on Poverty, and a doctoral candidate in UA's College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.  Please rsvp to Jane Prescott-Smith.

We have just completed the first two weeks of our After-School Music and Homework Program. The children are wonderful and our new systems are working so well. We are still very short on volunteer coverage. We need one homework helper on Monday, one on Tuesday, one on Thursday 1-3 p.m., and three on Thursday 3-5 p.m. We also need a van rider on Monday and Thursday. Many of our "regulars" are traveling or are winter members and are not yet back in Tucson, so if you can substitute now and then please let Barby know. Especially needed are substitutes for piano teachers and practice supervisors. If you love children and would like to take advantage of this rewarding and fun opportunity, please contact Barby Goldschmid, 237-8881. Thank you.

Pima County Interfaith Council (PCIC), Literacy Connects, and the University of Arizona College of Education will sponsor an Education Accountability Session for Candidates for the Legislature, Pima Community College Board, and other positions on Sunday afternoon, September 28, at 4 p.m. at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 1300 N. Greasewood. Candidates have confirmed their attendance. The candidates will discuss education issues such as school funding and quality and the future of the community college, in addition to health care, immigration, poverty, economic development, the environment, and the 2014 County Bond for funding an animal care center. For more information contact Leah Sandwell-Weiss at lsandwellweiss@gmail.com.

Read Between the Bars (for which St. Philip's Prison Ministry collects books each first Sunday) has regular packing parties to fulfill book requests from inmates in the Arizona prison system. The next party is on Sunday, September 28, at 3 p.m. Donations of books, postage, or money towards postage are always appreciated, but certainly not required. Held in the guest house behind 2832 E. Edison St., Tucson, AZ 85716. For more information contact Laura Gutowski LGutowsk@hotmail.com.

St. Michael and All Angels is hosting a forum on climate change, on Saturday, October 4, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Panel host is Ke Chiang Hsieh, Professor Emeritus of Physics at UA and Senior Warden at St. Michael's. The panel will address dynamics and effects of climate change and the likelihood of adapting. To RSVP, send your name, affiliation, and number of people attending with you to church@stmichael.net or call 886-7282 Monday through Thursday. Please RSVP by September 29.

Library Seeks Book Donations

The ever-popular Renouf/Nelson Library's Used Book Sale is right around the corner (November 1 and 2). The Library Committee gratefully accepts donations of used books to sell at the Sale. All profits go towards the purchase of materials for the Library. Please bring your book donations directly to the Library. Thank you.

Border and Immigration Ministry is sponsoring a Social Justice Reading Group, Wednesdays from October 8 through 29, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Renouf/Nelson Library. This short study may answer questions -- "I want to help but how do I start, where do I go?" "Am I ready?" "Will I have to do this alone?" "What if I'm nervous, apprehensive, lack confidence?" -- about our readiness and willingness to venture into action for social justice! This opportunity is an outgrowth of the Nuns on the Bus book group that met in July. That experience was so inspirational and helpful to those of us who participated that we wanted to continue our conversations and open the group to the parish. Learn why and how to become involved in an aspect of social justice and receive limitless motivation from the Gospel. Experience spiritual, scriptural, attitudinal and philosophical formation to prepare for engagement in the many areas of social justice that need active allies. We'll discuss the broad framework of social justice action as well as specific issues. Our book selection is Called to Question:  A Spiritual Memoir, by Joan Chittister. This group is participant-led. We'll share the responsibilities of prayer and moderating the discussions at each meeting. Limited  to 15 participants. If interested contact Suzanne at BorderImmigrationMin@stphilipstucson.org.
Thank you so much for joining us as a home building sponsor on Building Freedom Day, the national day of service and remembrance! On September 11, 2014, we came together to raise the walls on four new houses, repair and paint neighbor's homes, complete a mural, plant trees, and lay the foundation for a community garden. The efforts of more than 300 Building Freedom Day volunteers made a positive impact in the Copper Vista Neighborhood.  Thank you for partnering with us and the community for a day of service and remembrance. We are glad to have such committed partners like St. Philip'ss in tackling the big issues in this community.