News You Can Use – 11/2/23
| A Message from Fr. Caleb |
 Dear saints of the Lord, Happy All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days! This is one of my favorite times of the year and is my third favorite Christian holiday season after Easter and Christmas. Wait? Is Halloween a Christian holiday? Yes, it sure is and, as with Christmas and Easter, the commercialization of holidays has obscured the Christian meaning and roots, but a majority of Americans continue to celebrate each of these Christian holidays. Recent statistics show that 91% of Americans celebrate Christmas, 80% celebrate Easter, and 73% celebrate Halloween. The name Halloween is a contraction of “All Hallows’ Eve” or the eve of All Hallows’ or All Saints’ Day. Between 731-741 AD, Pope Gregory III declared November 1 to be All Saints’ Day for Rome. In 837 AD, Pope Gregory IV declared the date as an observance for the whole Church. In Celtic and English-speaking cultures, many of our traditions come from a blend of the pre-Christian Samhain harvest celebrations of the British Isles and the Christian traditions observed for All Saints’ which date back to ancient Christian Rome. Other Christian cultures have also preserved their pre-Christian cultural traditions while celebrating All Saints’ Day such as Dia de los muertos or Day of the Dead in Mexico. On Halloween and All Saints’, the Church remembers all of the saints who have fallen asleep in the Lord and have entered into eternal life. The dressing up in costumes aside, meant to scare off any evil spirits, the abundance of lights represents both the seasonal darkness of Autumn, and the coming Winter, and the light of the saints who show us the way to Christ. We invite you to light a candle for your loved ones who have passed away and remember that their light shines forever in the Kingdom of God through our Savior, Jesus Christ. Blessings, Fr. Caleb+ |
| This Sunday |
| All Saints Sunday November 5, 2023 Holy Eucharist Rite II, in the Sanctuary 8am (quiet without music) 10am (music with choir) Please pick up special Order of Worship in the Narthex or click here 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, November 6 7:00pm Compline including Spiritual Communion Tuesday, November 7 7:00pm Compline Wednesday, November 8 9:30am Morning Prayer 7:00pm Compline Thursday, November 9 10:00am Coffee Hour w/Fr. Caleb 7:00pm Compline Friday, November 10 7:00pm Compline Sunday, November 12 8:00am Worship Service 8:45am Choir Rehearsal 10:00am Worship Service Refreshments after both services |
 Stewardship Campaign Our stewardship campaign is underway. We are currently at 20% of our goal in pledges so far. 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 12th to the office, in the Sunday plate collection, or completing an online pledge card (link here). Thank you for your continued generosity and support in time, talent and treasure! |
 ECW Meeting and Potluck Saturday, November 4 at 11am is the next ECW meeting followed by a potluck lunch. We hope you can join us. ECW is open to all women at Transfiguration and we are in the process of making final plans for the upcoming rummage sale along with other wonderful projects. Zoom link to the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83206441912?pwd=RWV1a3M1bm0wTzJmSGNnT3VVWlVCZz09 |
 All Saints Sunday On Sunday, November 5 at both services, please bring photos of your departed loved ones so we can offer up a special blessing for them. We will also honor four departed Transfiguration siblings during the service: Walt, Marge, Jodene and Gary. |
 Coffee Hour w/ Fr. Caleb Please stop by for coffee & conversation in the Parish Office living room continuing on November 2, 9 and 30. 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. |
 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. |
 Thursday Bible Study Starting on Thursday, December 5 at 10am in the Parish Office living room, we will begin a weekly bible study. If you are interested in leading the discussion on an occasional basis, please let Fr. Caleb know. More details coming soon! |
| Announcements |
 Trunk or Treat We parked our cars and gave away lots of goodies at Trunk or Treat on Tuesday, October 31. We had almost 50 people of all ages attend throughout the evening. We’re already planning and looking forward to next year’s All Hallows’ Eve!! |
 Road Maintenance on Broadway The Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will be applying slurry seal to seal cracks, restore lost flexibility to the pavement surface and help preserve the underlying pavement structure from Thursday, November 2 – Thursday, November 9. Work zones that will affect us are on Broadway Road, Ellsworth Road to 104th Street and Signal Butte Road to Meridian Road. Work hours are M-F, 7am to 5pm. |
  Stitchery Ministry We had 13 large bags of yarn donated to the church for the Prayer Shawl ministry! Here is Linda Jo with one of her prayer shawls and the donated bags. If you can knit or crochet, please get in touch with Linda Jo or the church office so you can pick up yarn and help create gorgeous prayer shawls! |
 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 are available for pick up at church. Did you know that financial gifts can be made via Zelle using our email address – officetransfig@gmail.com? |
 Superstition Community Food Bank Suggested donations for this week are: canned or dehydrated soups. For next week: canned meat and peanut butter. Please place items in the basket at the back of the church. |
| Worship |
 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. |
 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. November collection: RIP Medical Debt |
 RIP Medical Debt uses your donations to purchase bundled medical debt portfolios from hospitals and on the secondary debt market, and then forgives that debt at pennies on the dollar. |
| Travel Photos |
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  From Lynn Graff: “Halloween fun in Kentucky – so spooky!!” 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 |
 Annual Diocesan Convention Review The 63rd Annual Diocesan Convention took place on October 17th & 21st, 2023. Click the link below to see the full review of the convention along with photos and videos. Annual Diocesan Convention Review |
 Diocesan PublicationsPlease 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 – 1pm Vestry 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 |