News You Can Use – 10/19/23
| A Message from Fr. Caleb |
 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” Dear people of the resurrection, These last 15 days have brought us sad news. Several members of our congregation have fallen asleep in the Lord. Every death is sad and brings grief. Experiencing several at once compounds the grief we are processing. In times like these, it is comforting and healing to remember that every Sunday is an Easter Sunday or a Resurrection Sunday. In the Western (Latin) Church, of which The Episcopal Church is part, we wear green during Ordinary time to symbolize the green of growing life in the forests and fields. We also wear white during Easter or at Celebrations of life to remind us that the Lamb rose again for us. In the Eastern (Greek) Church, they use the same colors as we do but use them differently in the Church Year. There are fewer hard guidelines about what colors should be used and the primary guidance is that the colors for Easter are white and gold and the colors for Ordinary time should be bright colors. That is why, even in Lent, Greek Orthodox churches wear gold vestments on Sunday. Purple is worn during weekday services but Sunday is always Easter. We grieve as all people do. We mourn and we experience sadness, depression, and all of the human emotions. We also trust in the resurrection of the dead and in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is why we grieve, but we do not grieve like those “who have no hope.” We grieve with hope in our hearts. Again, we grieve and we are sad. The pain is not gone. But, we also carry hope in the midst of pain. God is with us even in the saddest times. Psalm 139:8 “If I go up to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in the place of the dead, You are there!” In our baptism, we are promised that God is with us even in our deaths and that we are raised to new eternal life. We begin our resurrected lives here right now. Amen. Prayerfully, Fr. Caleb+ |
| This Sunday |
| Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost October 22, 2023Holy Eucharist Rite II, in the Sanctuary 8am (quiet without music) Order of Worship – click here 10am (music with choir and celebration of life service for Jodene Weeter) Please pick up special order of service from your greeters Facebook link (for streaming 10am service): https://www.facebook.com/transfiguration.mesa OR YouTube link (for streaming 10am service) youtube.com/@transfigoffice7704/streams Coffee, snacks and conversation follow the 8am and 10am services in the Fellowship Hall |
| The Week Ahead |
| Monday, October 23 7:00pm Compline including Spiritual Communion Tuesday, October 24 7:00pm Compline Wednesday, October 25 9:30am Morning Prayer 1:00pm Endowment Committee 7:00pm Compline Thursday, October 26 10:00am Coffee Hour w/Fr. Caleb 2:00pm Stitchery Ministry 7:00pm Compline Friday, October 27 7:00pm Compline Sunday, October 29 8:00am Worship Service 8:45am Choir Rehearsal 10:00am Worship Service Refreshments after both services |
 Coffee Hour w/ Fr. Caleb Please stop by for coffee & conversation in the Parish Office living room every Thursday in October from 10-11am. This is a great opportunity for us to become better acquainted with Fr. Caleb and with each other. Coffee will be provided and you’re welcome to bring potluck snacks. |
 Stewardship Campaign We will kick off our Stewardship Campaign this Sunday, October 22 and will distribute pledge packets; Ruby Seyffert will also share a stewardship message at both services. Please prayerfully consider what you plan to give to the church next year; the information will be used by the Treasurer and the Vestry to help determine our budget for 2024. Our pledge financial goal is $160,000. We also want to find out what talents or time you would be willing to share with the church next year. We would appreciate you returning your pledge card by November 12 or completing an online pledge card (see link below). https://onrealm.org/EpiscopalChurchTransfiguration/AddPledge/pledge2024 |
 Trunk or Treat Please join us on Tuesday, October 31 from 5-7pm in the church parking lot for Trunk or Treat. More details to come! |
 ECW Rummage Sale The ladies of ECW will hold their annual rummage sale on November 16, 17 and 18. Please bring your donations to the Parish Hall. If it is after office hours, please call Jo first before bringing any items over. For questions, contact Jo Laslo at jfaith3844@aol.com or (818) 825-3007. |
 Book Club This month’s book club discussion will be held on Friday, November 17 at 10am AZ time via Zoom. The selection for November will be The Book of Goose, a novel by Yiyun Li; our discussion leader is Jane Weichert. It is 368 pages long, the Goodreads rating is 3.74 and the link to the Goodreads review is here. |
| Announcements |
 God’s Soup Kitchen Members of God’s Soup Kitchen encourage parishioners to pick up their latest offerings of soup from the Fellowship Hall freezer: potato, ham and cheese or pasta e fagioli. Delicious soups from this faithful group can be given to those who are ill, those in need and those who are unable to leave their homes. |
 Name Tags Wearing your name tag in our church service can be a helpful way for people to connect and build a sense of community. It will also help Fr. Caleb get acquainted with us. If you would like a name tag, please contact the church office here. |
| Stewardship |
 3rd Quarter Financial Overview Copies of the third quarter financial overview will be available for pick up at church. Thank you to Heidi for preparing this informative report!! Did you know that financial gifts can be made via Zelle using our email address – officetransfig@gmail.com? |
 This week, we donated the following:$1,244 for Coffee Pot Farms (2nd Sunday Plate Collection for October)$1,079.83 for Jose’s Closet (from Alleluia Fund)$1,079.83 for Gathering Humanity (from Alleluia Fund) |
 Superstition Community Food Bank Suggested donations for this week are: canned fruits, puddings and gelatin. For next week: boxed cereals, crackers. Please place items in the basket at the back of the church. |
| Worship |
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| Sunday Servers Would you like to be a greeter, chalice bearer, reader, torchbearer, crucifer or help count the offerings? If so, please contact Janice Scalzo so she can arrange for training and schedule you to serve. |
 Altar Flowers Altar flowers can be dedicated in honor of special life events such as birthdays and anniversaries, in memory of a loved one or just as a general thanksgiving. If you would like to contribute to future altar flower displays, please contact the Church Office, use Zelle or put “Altar Flowers” in the memo when placing your check in the offering plate. |
 Choir Come make a joyful noise! We rehearse on Sundays at 8:45am, before the 10am service. If you are interested in singing in the choir, please reach out to Mackenzie Marr for more information. All are welcome to join! |
 Compline Come pray with us! We meet M-F at 7pm via Zoom for Compline/Evening Prayer. The service is available on ZOOM. Meeting ID: 740-940-1419. Passcode: 514 514. For additional information, please contact Thomas Blum.Every Monday at 7pm, Compline will include Spiritual Communion for those who cannot receive the Sacrament of Communion due to physical distance or medical reasons. |
 Morning Prayer Please join us every Wednesday morning at 9:30am via Zoom to prayerfully start the day. The service is available on ZOOM. Meeting ID: 740-940-1419. Passcode: 514 514. For additional information, please contact Ann Williamson. |
| Second Sunday Giving |
| On the second Sunday of every month all loose plate collection money (not tithes) will be given to several non-profit organizations. These organizations were selected by your Vestry because they reflect the mission and values of the Transfiguration Community and The Episcopal Church. For a complete list click here. October collection: Coffee Pot Farms |
 Coffee Pot Farms is a 36-acre farm located in Dilkon, Arizona. Yazzie says she founded the farm on the belief that “food is the first medicine, as it comes from Mother Earth, and that food sovereignty is the critical first step to creating healthy communities and healthy families.” Our focus is on producing the highest quality produce and making them available to low-income families. In addition, we grow good food for the health of our people. |
| Travel Photos |
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| From Lynn Graff: “Here are some photos from my time in Kentucky. The mornings are brisk and chilly – temps range 40-80 degrees. Gas prices are $3.20-3.40. Good to visit with family and friends. Still a lot of green as well as crops being harvested so quite a change from AZ. Lovely rolling hills with pastures of beautiful horses. Fall colors are showing in patches. Mississippi river is way down so barge traffic is limited to smaller loads. The Church was destroyed by two different tornados, the last one in 1918. We are related to about 3/4 of the small congregation there.” Please send your travel/adventure/special moments photos and accompanying stories/text to the News You Can Use editor, Mary Hovden at click here. |
| Diocesan News |
 Creation Care Ministry Here is an article written by Bill Robinson about the ministry of St. Francis. https://azdiocese.org/2023/10/meditations-on-the-ministry-of-st-francis/ |
 Diocesan Publications Please contact the church office if you would like to receive the Arizona Episcopalian, a free quarterly publication from the Diocese. To sign up for the weekly Diocesan email E-Pistle click here. |
| Who We Are |
 The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration is an open and affirming Christian community in the Episcopal branch of the Jesus movement. We acknowledge the living culture of the Salt River Pima and Maricopa people, the traditional custodians of the land we stand on, and pay tribute to the unique role they play in the life of this region. We are a member of the Union of Black Episcopalians, whose mission is “to unite the diverse cultures, concerns and gifts of Black Episcopalians by providing preparation and encouragement for living the Baptismal Covenant and fully participating in the mission and governance of The Episcopal Church.” |
| Clergy and Staff Fr. John Caleb Collins, Rector transfigurationrector@gmail.com; office (480) 986-1145 or mobile (480) 980-1981 (call or text) Mackenzie Marr, Choir Director & Pianist www.mackenzielynmarr.com Linda Ostmeyer, Office Manager officetransfig@gmail.com Janice Scalzo, Bookkeeper transfigbookkeeper@gmail.com Office hours: M-T-W-Th. 9am – 1pmVestry Lynn Graff, Senior Warden lwgraff@yahoo.com; mobile (480) 201-2939 Heidi Kinney, Treasurer churchtransfigtreasurer@gmail.com Diane Klock, Clerk John Bishop Ellen Jackelen Bob Kistler Barbara Press Garth Seiple Jane Stoneback Peg Wier Social Media Tom Blum & Ben Brooks – website Tom Blum, Jo Laslo & Bill Robinson – Facebook page Mary Hovden – News You Can Use e-newsletter (please send stories, announcements, photos, etc. to Mary here) Peg Wier – Worship service streaming Lynn Graff – Vestry liaison |