Volume 6, Issue 6

June 2014

ExodusExodusExodusExodus

TTTT he story of the Exodus from Egypt is foundational in our Judeo-Christian faith

tradition. Freedom is at the heart of our salvation and features prominently throughout the Scriptures. In Christ, we’re freed from all types of slavery, including all forms of injustice, inequality, and even our slavish devotion to the idols of our lives. Our idols are anything or anyone that gets between God and us, or that becomes a barrier to worshipping the Lord. Even today, there are systems and power structures that still promote oppression, and injustice. In faith, God opens our eyes to injustice and helps us work for freedom. By God’s grace and our faith in Christ Jesus, we celebrate our freedom from sin and death. This is Christ’s gift to the whole world through His life and death, His resurrection and ascension.

TTTT he exodus out of Egypt into the wilderness was far from comfortable or easy for the Israelites.

They complained bitterly about the harsh conditions, they were hungry, thirsty, exhausted, and struggled repeatedly to obey God’s commands. For years, they failed to notice God’s providential care, or to trust and depend on God for everything they needed. They regularly forgot God’s promises, steadfast love, and deliverance. When Moses was called up the mountain to meet with God face to face, and receive the Ten Commandments, the Israelites made a golden calf, and worshipped it, quickly turning from God to ribald idolatry! Through regular worship, and by learning to follow God’s ways, the people were eventually shaped and transformed to be God’s faithful light bearers.

TTTT he story of Exodus reflects many aspects of our own spiritual journeys. Most of us have had

our rebellious phases: forays into idolatry; times when we think we know best and try to save ourselves; or get ahead by worldly standards, even if that wounded others in the process. The exodus story highlights how difficult change can

be for all of us, even when it’s necessary for growth. It also teaches us that consistent practice of our spiritual disciplines helps us to stay faithful. Every parent can attest to how stressful growing pains are for children. We all know how rebellious teens can become as they struggle to grow into the responsibilities of adulthood.

AAAA s we welcome the fiery tongues of the Holy Spirit’s coming at Pentecost, let’s remember

that the summer months are deeply formative for us in terms of our own spiritual growth. We have to water our spiritual garden regularly to grow and flourish in all that we’ve learned through Christ’s incarnation, life, death, resurrection and ascension. So let’s try to resist the temptation to associate summer with an exodus from worship and all the good habits we’ve been learning that keep us close to God in Christ Jesus. There are plenty of great things going on at St. James. Stay close to God in prayer and worship. Join one of our Bible studies. Be a part of our June outreach ministry through Camp St. James. Help out at our fabulous Vacation Bible School and bring bottled water for the local homeless shelters. Participate in our great fellowship groups. Staying close to God means that we’re better equipped for all our ministries.

IIII nstead, take an exodus from the distractions of the world. Be a part of summer at St. James as

we learn together how glorious God’s freedom in Christ really is. That’s freedom to explore all the exciting possibilities that God has planned for each of us, and this community of faith; freedom from fear; freedom to be and become all that God desires, as we love God and love our neighbors; as well as freedom to grow in faith, trust and discipleship. May the flames of the Holy Spirit ignite our passion for ministry, as we gather and grow, learn and serve together.

Susan+

Look Inside For. . .

Page 2 Vacation Bible School

Page 3

Bishop Committee Reports

Page 4 Sign Project

Page 5

2nd Annual Ladies Tea Christian Formation

Page 6

A Word from Father Steve

Page 7 Stewardship Report

Aly’s BBQ Graduation & Confirmation

Page 8 Fellowship Opportunities

Page 9

Youth Group News VBS News

Page 10

Preschool News

Page 11 Deacon’s Corner Acolyte Schedule

Mark Your Calendar….

On Sunday, July 6th, we’ll be having a very special “meet and greet” service! This is your opportunity to meet all the folks you may not normally see at our ONE SERVICE that day at 9:30am. Join Fr. Steve+ and our wonderful organist, John McIlray, for this special service and enjoy a special coffee hour with the whole St. James community!

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Vacation Bible School Sunday, June 22 — Thursday, June 26

6:00 — 8:45 pm

Are you ready to hit the beach? When the weather

turns hot and humid, there’s only one place to

go—THE BEACH! At the beach, where cool water

meets a blue sky warm with sunshine, life seems

easier. . . This summer, you can take the sights,

sounds and smells of the best beach trip ever

right here in the Valley! At SonSurf Beach Blast,

kids experience God’s Word in fun and

unforgettable ways! As your kids are engaged

with imaginative, beachy surprises, you’ll see

amazing things happen. The delighted smiles. . .

the memorable Bible stories. . . the unforgettable

music. . . they all add up to making a life-long

difference in the lives of your children!

We need Crew Leaders!!!!! We need Crew Leaders!!!!! We need Crew Leaders!!!!! We need Crew Leaders!!!!! Please see Eileen if you

would like to volunteer.

Registration Forms Available in �e Nar�ex!

Financial Snapshot

May is continuing the trend in the right direction with a more positive income result and hopefully we will continue to do so.

To reiterate from last month’s newsletter we are also starting to get into the summer months when the temperature rises and our contributions tend to fall. The preschool closes for June and July. This is typically a time when our savings get drawn down to meet expenses. Again I would urge everyone to not forget their monthly contributions to St. James as they take those summer vacations.

Treasurer’s Commentary

My time as the temporary treasurer for St. James is finally coming to an end as the Bishop’s Committee selected McKee Lundberg as the new treasurer. We should all wish him well in his new ministry to the church. We have come a long way since I accepted the temporary role from Kerry some years ago. We went through Kerry’s departure, continued our worship with our interim minister Rick, and now with Pastor Susan we are once again poised for growth in our ministry and outreach programs. In my time as treasurer we switched our financial institution, had both internal and external audits performed and have made steady improvements in our financial position. We still have a long way to go as we continue to be subsidized by the Diocese but I have confidence that we will continue to make great strides in our ministries, outreach and finances.

Remember God’s gifts to you and don’t forget to give back to St. James and our ministry to God’s service. We cannot exist without your support.

Jim Disney

Save the Date! Well, we need to set a date first. But when the date is set, save the date. We are

asking Bishop Smith to install Pastor Susan as Vicar. When Pastor Susan came to St.

James in February of 2013, she came as “Priest-in-Charge under special circumstances”.

Time flies when good things are taking place and this past February the letter of

understanding between Pastor Susan, St. James and the Arizona Diocese expired. When

Bishop Smith called and inquired about the expired letter of understanding, our answer

was obvious and swift. Under the guidance and teaching of Pastor Susan, St. James has

taken off in exciting directions. We have a vision of what our purpose is and where we

are going. It will still take hard work from all of us, but we are moving forward with

excitement and smiles on our faces. We are hoping to have this ceremony sometime

shortly after school resumes again in August. We will let you know as soon as the date

is formalized. So, save the date!

Peace,

Bob Klassen

Treasurer’s Report

May 2014

Diocesan Support $4,167.00

From Savings $0.00

All Contributions $12,693.00

Total $21,439.00

Total Expense $19,903.00

Surplus/(Deficit) $1,536.00

Preschool $4,579.00

From the Senior warden Bishop’s Committee Meeting

June 18th

6:30 pm

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Bob Klassen (Bishop’s Warden)

Larry Kenyon (Junior Warden)

Jim Disney (Treasurer)

John Barnabas

Gerry Carlston

Carol Justice

Chris Papaccio

Janie Studt

At Your Service:

Your Bishop’s Committee

Jim —

You have served faithfully and with distinction. From the whole St. James community, a huge thank you for all you have done, and continue to do.

Blessings, Susan+

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We’ve been exploring ways to make St. James as beautiful on the outside as our members

make it on the inside. Your Bishop’s Committee has approved some changes in our outdoor signage, but we need your help to make sure that our Building Fund doesn’t get dangerously

low. If you like what you see (the pictures are up on the noticeboard by the fellowship table) and would like to support our “first impressions facelift” for your spiritual home, please help

us out with an additional donation to the Building Fund. No gift is too big or too small. The overall cost for our smart new look is a little over $3000. Thanks so much for your help!

Both corners:

Warner/Rural & Rural/Warner

Preschool Office Building

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2nd Annual Ladies Tea - Saturday, May 3rd

Wonderful afternoon with great food and great fellowship!

Join us next year on May 2, 2015!!

During June we’ll continue our series

on the Letter to the Ephesians. The

overarching theme of Ephesians is God’s

sovereign power and the love and unity

that Christ’s body brings to the world.

The letter presents us with a glorious

liturgical celebration of God’s eternal

purpose in Christ, and details of how

we, as followers of Christ, embody and

live out that purpose in our daily lives.

Our study together involves a slide

show presentation covering the key

points and other teachings of the week,

as well as opportunity for questions,

discussion, and making it real for our

own lives. Please join Susan+ in the

library between services from 9:45-

10:15am each week and discover more

about your faith in Christ Jesus, and

how we live out our Baptismal covenant

as children of light.

Christian Formation For All — CFFA!!

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A Word from Father Steve

Taming the Bureaucratic BeastTaming the Bureaucratic BeastTaming the Bureaucratic BeastTaming the Bureaucratic Beast

A now-dead former actor and US president was once accused of conflating real life and cinema, and on

occasion he undoubtedly did. But there’s nothing wrong with that. Good movies are meant to examine some aspect of life and reality, and fudging a little on what’s being examined can sometimes produce valuable insights.

O n my way to Hanoi, where I’m writing these erudite words, I managed to look around Tokyo some in the

course of a twelve hour “layover.” I was awed by the incredible rebuilding that’s taken place since the mid-twentieth century rampage of Godzilla. Despite the claim in a current film that the rampage never took place, it was, in fact, captured on black and white footage in 1954 and shown in theaters throughout Japan and America. The original Godzilla, one might recall, was brought to the earth’s surface by massive displays of power in the south Pacific. He knocked down Tokyo buildings with his huge reptilian torso and destroyed entire neighborhoods with his fiery breath. Apparently by grass-roots consensus, most new buildings appear to be giant reptile-proof. It’s reminiscent of New York City, where without any official edict, high-rises constructed since 1933 have been unclimbable by oversize apes. Local problems breed local solutions; communities seem instinctively to know how to build themselves up from near ruin by unwieldy giants.

I f Hanoi’s mid-century destruction came from a huge creature, it was a creature called Bureaucracy, and its work

was slow and insidious. Occasional American bombing raids targeted mostly industrial areas and the Long Bien Rail Bridge, isolated and privileged national leadership left rebuilding òf collateral damage to local residents. Financial and human resources were drained away by the Central Committee to fight increasingly nasty battles in the South. Money was lost to constructive use, and human casualties never came home. At the same time, a growing power elite was siphoning away even more money for administration and economic planning, which usually bore no fruit at all. It simply wasted resources. By the end of the Viet Nam war, per capita annual income here was in the neighborhood of $300.

H anoi today remains a very poor city, at least on paper. Per capita income is a dismal $1500, yet

economic vibrancy is obvious almost everywhere and people are moving in from the countryside in ever increasing numbers. The secret, apparently, is that leadership has pretty much given up on social and economic planning, aware since the 1990s that such things don't work in multicultural societies. Neither do huge bureaucracies work well anywhere. Most economic activity is nơ cash only, and most workers are paid “under the table.” Few records are kept and very little in tax money is collected. Now there’s very little money to support an increasingly irrelevant regime. Small

businesses thrive, neighborhoods have upgraded themselves and public services are locally provided. Slow, steady crumbling has been replaced by community-based restoration and renewal.

I t’s no secret that Liberal Protestantism is suffering destruction and rapid decline. It’s been argued that ours is

a movement which has simply run its course -- that the Spirit is now at work elsewhere. I’m not convinced, however, that God is quite through with us yet. Instead, we’re gradually crumbling for a variety of reasons, many of our very own making. Certainly cultural change is leading many people of faith to find spiritual fulfillment in contexts other than

churches. In our own Episcopal case, however, millions upon millions of dollars are being wasted to fight increasingly nasty “culture wars” in secular courts; this is money lost f o r e v e r t o m i s s i o n a n d ministry. Court battles, moreover, produce casualties who will never come home. National Church and diocesan bureaucracies and expenses

seem never to mirror numerically decl ining constituencies. Instead, they keep on growing, which is the nature of all unharnessed bureaucracies. And they increasingly make decisions (e.g. clergy placement, how money ís to be spent, etc.) for communities about which they know little or nothing.

P erhaps Hanoi’s grass-roots revival might provide insights for Episcopalians as we begin to “re-imagine” our Church.

What if we suddenly stopped paying for continuous court battles and sold the Church Center (as General Convention House of Deputies voted to do in 2012) and retired litigation debt? What if we reduced diocesan funding and staffing to reflect the actual canonical functions of dioceses, which are really pretty minimal? And what if our National Church bureaucracy was radically reduced to reflect that TEC is now the same size as it was in the 1930s? Suddenly considerable resources would be available for congregations to reach out to and actually serve their local communities. Residents of neighborhoods impacted might actually become involved in the life of the local church. And giving might well increase as parishioners could see the tangible results of their stewardship of time and talent and treasure.

W e might think about re-imagining our Church to be giant bureaucracy-proof. Perhaps the steady decline of

neighborhood churches can be reversed by taming the destructive beast and redirecting resources to the ministries of local congregations. The slow crumbling of parishes and missions is a largely local problem. By keeping sufficient resources for ministry, their members are undoubtedly quite capable of developing effective local solutions.

Father Steve+

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Good Stewards of Your GiftsGood Stewards of Your GiftsGood Stewards of Your GiftsGood Stewards of Your Gifts

At the May meeting of your Bishop’s Committee we discussed how to best serve St. James’ financial needs as good stewards of all monetary gifts beyond your regular gifts and plate offering. The discussion also included monies raised to support St. James ministries. Overall the new policy approved by your Bishop’s Committee applies to non-designated or general fundraising, as well as to non-designated financial gifts made or bequeathed to St. James. It was the decision of your Bishop’s Committee that all such funds raised and monies donated will be split as follows. Thirty-four percent (34%) will be directed to our operating account; thirty-three percent (33%) to outreach; and thirty-three percent (33%) to the St. James building fund.

Please note that this policy does not apply to approved fundraisers where the proceeds are pre-designated, for example our pre-school fundraisers, which are already designated to support the pre-school. Again, by way of example, monies raised by the youth group that are advertised and designated for outreach like Feed My Starving Children, or for specific youth activities. Nor does this policy apply to monies donated or bequeathed that are designated for specific uses at St. James.

Please know that your Bishop’s Committee is working hard to keep our expenses as low as possible, and is always looking for ways to reduce expenses. We welcome your suggestions and your help by switching off lights, and remembering to turn off A/C units if you have been using our facilities.

As always, we are deeply grateful to all our generous donors, and give thanks for your participation in the many wonderful ministries of St. James!

Congratulations, Class of 2014…Congratulations, Class of 2014…Congratulations, Class of 2014…Congratulations, Class of 2014… The Sky’s the limit!The Sky’s the limit!The Sky’s the limit!The Sky’s the limit!

Luke MullerLuke MullerLuke MullerLuke Muller

Confirmation 2014 Congratulations, Tre!

Sunday, June 29th 5:00 to 7:00 pm

Aly Houle is working on her Silver Award project for Girl Scouts. With the help of the Flock's, she

is hosting a BBQ at the church to raise money for various projects around the church that she

wants to take on. We will have hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken breast, salads and ice

cream. Cost for hot dog/hamburger is $5. Cost for chicken breast is $7 with a maximum per

family of $20. There will also be a couple of door prizes. Get your tickets soon!Get your tickets soon!Get your tickets soon!Get your tickets soon!

Wednesday 4:00-5:00 pm

Room 4 of the Ed Building

Join Us for Lunch!! Thursday, June 26th

11:30 am

Jason’s Deli 7230 W Ray Rd, Chandler, AZ

TUESDAY, June 10TUESDAY, June 10TUESDAY, June 10TUESDAY, June 10 6:00 pm6:00 pm6:00 pm6:00 pm

Chili’sChili’sChili’sChili’s 3015 W. Chandler Blvd, Chandler

(at the Chandler Fashion Center)

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St James BookiesSt James BookiesSt James BookiesSt James Bookies

June’s book is Plum Island by Nelson DeMille.

We will meet Sunday, June 29th, after the

10:30 service at Paradise Bakery, Chandler

Pavilions, 940 N. 54th Street, Chandler,

85226.

Adult Singles Group

Join us for a movie and a meal/coffee afterwards!

Saturday, June 21st

12:00 Noon (tentative time)

We’ll meet at St. James and then caravan to the movies.

You’ll have a selection of 3 or 4 movies to choose from.

For more info, call Ellen Rose, (480) 246-9866.

A sign up sheet will be available at the sign up table

in church on Sunday, June 8th.

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This isn’t your parents’ youth group…. We’re getting real about growing in God, living life in your

world, serving our neighbors, and having fun.

Know any Teenagers that might want to Volunteer for VBS? Please give them my name and phone number: Eileen Flock, (480) 586-1124. I am going to have an in-service for the crew leaders on June 18th from 12:00 pm-2:00 pm in the Library here at St James. Please let me know if you are unable to attend but are able to volunteer. Thank you.

Next Work Party: Saturday, June 7th from 9:30am to 11:00am. I will provide a light snacks and drinks for the work party.

Thank you, Eileen

Craft Supplies: ∗ 30 pairs of white adult tube socks, white ∗ White Felt ∗ Craft Foam all colors preferably sticky back ∗ Sea Life/Beach Stickers ∗ Magnet Strips ∗ Coffee Stir straws 1 box ∗ Gallon Size Ziploc bags 4 boxes ∗ Food Coloring ∗ Wax Paper (1 roll) ∗ Pipe Cleaners (Blue, Red, Green, Purple) ∗ Jumbo Pasta Shells 5-6 boxes ∗ Medium Pasta Shells 5-6 boxes ∗ Rubbing Alcohol 2 bottles ∗ 28 MM Wiggle Eyes ∗ Fabric Markers-Crayola ∗ Glue Dots/Glue Strips ∗ Elmer’s Glue ∗ Duct Tape 3 rolls

Snack Supplies that can be brought in advance: ∗ 3 cans Frosting White ∗ 3 Tubs of Whipped Cream Cheese ∗ Big Jar of Strawberry Jam ∗ Pretzel sticks (3 bags) ∗ 2 boxes of Teddy Grahams ∗ 4 boxes of “Finding Nemo” Fruit snacks ∗ 3 bag of Yogurt covered Raisons ∗ Sugar cookies (5 packages) Food needed the week of VBS: ∗ Fruit-

⇒ Bananas - 20 ⇒ Kiwi - 30 to 40 ⇒ Cuties - 3 bags

∗ 4 Blocks of Cheese (Cheddar) ∗ Flour Tortillas (2 bags of 16 count)

EYC is not taking a summer break

this year. we will be having

some fun events and meetings in

June, July and August. Check

on the Bulletin boards in the

sanctuary for more details.

Summer is here and Camp St James is in full swing. The Preschool has had an awesome first week of camp. Our campers have been busy with crafts, stories and Chapel. We even made S'mores in our homemade solar oven for science.

Thank you everyone who contributed to the "Fill a Bus" program. All of our backpacks have been filled and we are ready for the Fall Semester. The preschool is blessed by your generosity!!

Blessings, April

Preschool

End of Year

Performance!

What a

Great year

We had!

May 19, 2014

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Acolyte Schedule for June 2014 Please refer to the Schedule posted on the Bulletin in the Library. Remember to contact a replacement if needed, follow the process posted and email Deacon Robin (robin.b.hollis@gmail.com).

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DEACON'S CORNERDEACON'S CORNERDEACON'S CORNERDEACON'S CORNER

Some of the most spiritually moving moments of my life have occurred while I have been ill or in the hospital. Most of

those have been triggered by the visit of a friend, par�cularly a church friend. This can certainly be a member of the

clergy, but the most special have been visits by laity. Clergy are certainly appreciated, especially communion visits,

but the lay visits when they occur are special.

The lay person represents the religious community in a special way that to me expresses the love and concern of the

community, and reinforces the feeling that I an indeed a member of that community not just a member of the parish,

but a valued individual. To my mind this breaks that boundary of the concept that this visita�on is an obliga�on of the

Church, and is the visit of a true friend, a comrade in arms.

It is likewise so with all our outreach ministries. I believe that having developed from a

State Church we have too long followed the belief of "let the clergy do it". Indeed the

clergy should do it, but likewise we should all follow our Bap�smal Covenant, be ministers

of Christ, in order to act out the Great Commission of Christ and His Gospel.

Let's all do what we can to represent Jesus the Christ in our Church and in our civic

communi�es.

Deacon Fritz

DATE 8:30 am Service 10:30 am Service

2014 June 1 Simon C = Morgan BU=Cam

Pentecost Sunday,

June 8

C = Steve TB = Barbara & Pamela

(may use Dove Kites in lieu of torches)

C = Piper BU=Steve TB = Ashley and Abby (may use Dove Kites in lieu of torches)

Trinity Sunday, June 15

John B. C = Cam BU=Morgan

22 Pamela C = Aly BU = Ashley

29 Steve C = Kyle BU=Lindley

The Day of Pentecost … Speak Up! At the Gospel reading on the Day of Pentecost it’s wonderful to hear voices from all over the sanctuary speaking in different languages. If you have that gift to share and can read a couple of lines from Scripture in the language of your choice, please help us to experience the fullness and joy of the coming of the Holy Spirit, the gift of speech, and the exciting events that led to the birth of the Church. We will celebrate The Day of Pentecost on June 8th at both 8:30 and 10:30 services. Sign up today. Come Holy Spirit, come!