| The Rector’s Metamorpho-News |
 Dearly transfigured people of God, Merry Christmas! Christ is born! Glorify Him! I pray that you feel the joy and hope given from God during these 12 days of Christmas. We begin on the evening of December 24 and we continue celebrating Christmas for 12 full days! The commercialized culture around us gives the impression that unless you are buying gifts, the holiday is over. It is just the opposite. Christmas begins on Christmas Day but it does not end after the gift-giving. Christians have commemorated the Nativity of Christ, or Jesus’ birthday, since the earliest days of the Church. St. Clement of Rome, writing circa 192 A.D., said that Christians of the time believed that Jesus was born sometime between November 18 and January 6. Although the early Christians did not celebrate birthdays, they nevertheless learned about and discussed Jesus’ birth to His mother, the Virgin Mary. By 336 A.D., St. Hippolytus documented that Christians fully celebrated the Nativity of Christ on December 25th, as new Christians brought their cultures with them into the Church. Today, there are still three dates where Christmas Day is celebrated. The Western Church, including Roman Catholics and Protestants, the Greek Orthodox Church, Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and the Romanian Orthodox Church celebrate Christmas Day on December 25th. The Eastern Church has more variety. The Russian, Serbian, Ethiopian, Coptic, Armenian, and Syriac Orthodox churches celebrate on January 7th. Uniquely among the churches of the world, the Armenian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem celebrates Christmas Day on January 19, the only church to celebrate on that date. If you are like me and want to keep celebrating Christmas as long as possible, you can join me in remembering each of these days where Christmas is celebrated. Next year, you can also remember the history of Christmas by beginning to decorate on November 18, when Clement believed Jesus was born, and continue to celebrate through January 19! Merry Christmas! Blessings, Fr. Caleb |
| Fr. Caleb deeply values the connection with the members of our congregation and welcomes your input. Whether it’s through office or home visits, phone calls, or email, he is here for you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any needs, or concerns, or simply want to chat. |
| This Weekend |
| Sunday, January 5, 2025 Second Sunday after Christmas 8:00am (spoken service – Rite II) Please see the Order of Worship in the pews or click here 10:00am (choral service – Rite II) Please see the Order of Worship in the pews or click here youtube.com/@transfigoffice7704/streams YouTube link (for streaming the 10:00am service) OR https://www.facebook.com/transfiguration.mesa Facebook link (for streaming the 10:00am service) We welcome Fr. Philip Stowell as our guest priest this weekend. Please join us for food, fellowship and conversation after each service in the Fellowship Hall. |
 Altar Guild Meeting Our Altar Guild will meet on Saturday, January 4 at 9:30am in the Rectory. If you’re interested in learning more about this vital ministry, please join us! |
 ECW Meeting The Episcopal Church Women will meet on Saturday, January 4 at 10:30am in the Fellowship Hall with a potluck to follow. We hope to see you there! If you would like to join via Zoom, see link below. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7409401419?pwd=bWNIbGNsdHowY1JaYUM3NDZzdlgvQT09 |
 Prayer and Reflection As a Christian community, fellowship and prayer are among the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Please, observe quietude when entering and exiting the sanctuary for worship so that members may greet one another quietly and also pray and light candles. For those in need of and seeking silence for prayer and reflection, we are opening the Parish House Chapel before each service for prayer. The Chapel will be open at 7:30am and at 9:30am respectively. Please observe silence when in the chapel so that this may be a space for those in need of silent prayer and contemplation. |
 Superstition Community Food Bank Suggested donations for this week are: canned meat and peanut butter. For next week: canned vegetables, instant potatoes and rice. Please place your donations in the basket at the back of the church or in the bin in the Fellowship Hall. |
| The Week Ahead |
| Tuesday, January 7 4:30pm Vestry Meeting 7:00pm Compline Wednesday, January 8 9:30am Wednesday Morning Prayer 11:00pm Wednesday Morning Eucharist 7:00pm Compline Thursday, January 9 10:00am Bible Study & Coffee Hour 1:00pm Stitchery Ministry 7:00pm Compline Sunday, January 12 8:00am Worship Service 10:00am Worship Service |
 Annual Meeting Please join us on Sunday, January 26 at 10:30am in the Fellowship Hall for our Annual Meeting and potluck lunch. We will have one service that day at 9:00am. Please bring a dish to share for the potluck! |
 Planned Giving Workshop On Saturday, February 8 from 10-11:30am, Clyde Kunz, Canon for Stewardship and Planned Giving for the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, will conduct a planned giving workshop, The Basics of Legacy Giving in the Fellowship Hall. For more details click here. Please let us know if you can attend by clicking here. |
| Worship & Formation |
 Compline We meet T, W and Th at 7pm via Zoom for Compline/Evening Prayer. The service is available on ZOOM. Meeting ID: 740-940-1419. Passcode: 514 514. Call Barbara Press for any questions at (847) 651-1396. |
 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 Barbara Press at (847) 651-1396. |
 Wednesday Morning Eucharist On Wednesdays at 11am we celebrate Holy Eucharist in the Parish House Chapel. |
 Bible Study & Coffee Hour Starting on Thursday, December 5, from 10 – 11:30am in the Fellowship Hall, there will be a four-part Advent series on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and his biblical inspirations. |
 Book Club The January Book Club will meet on Friday, January 17 at 10am AZ time via Zoom. We will discuss The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See. Lynn Graff will be the discussion leader, the Goodreads rating is 4.32, and click here for the review. |
 |
  |
| Upcoming Field Trip From Wayne Smith, Vestry and ECM Member: This past Saturday morning, a quick 45-minute trip to St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery in Florence was organized. The purpose was to bring back information in order to plan an early Spring field trip for all interested congregants to attend. The monastery is named after St. Anthony the Great and follows the cenobitic rule (monastic community) with over 50+ monks and nuns. Doors open at 10am and there is plenty of accommodation for those who just wish to sit and observe the beautiful surroundings. We can visit the church and each of the eight dedicated chapels. Fr. Caleb, who is very well educated in the Greek Orthodox, will gladly serve as our guide. There are guidelines on what to wear so please review their website (Day Visitor’s Guide) for more information here. It is a warm and spiritual place. Our personal tour will take us around the gardens, orchards, vineyards, fountains, ponds, and flowers… a beautiful desert oasis. The bookstore offers religious souvenirs and items from their home-grown gardens. This will be a wonderful experience to enjoy and perhaps enrich your personal spiritual connection. A future date and time will be set for our trip for those wishing to come along. If interested, contact ECM members Wayne Smith or John Collins. Let’s go and make friends and enjoy our Transfiguration family!! |
 Rector’s Gift Corner Devotional items are available for purchase in the Welcome corner of the Narthex. Proceeds raised will go to the Rector’s Discretionary Fund. There are prayer cards (50 cents), wooden crucifixes ($1), Icon Crosses ($4), and mini-statues of St. Patrick the Apostle to Ireland ($12). Comfort Crosses, the hand-held crosses, are free and donations are welcome. |
 Candles in the Sanctuary Candles represent our prayers and the light of Christ in our hearts. We invite you to walk around the sanctuary and light candles as symbols of your heartfelt prayers to God. Suggested donation for votive candles is 25¢; this helps us to cover the cost of ordering them. New 7-Day candles are also offered for prayer (see photo). If you have a special reflection or prayer request, we invite you to ask Fr. Caleb to light one of the 7-Day votive candles; suggested donation is $4 to cover the cost of ordering it. You can ask in advance through email or phone call or you can ask on Sundays before church. |
| FYI |
 |
  |
| This past Sunday we celebrated Ruby Seyffert’s 90th birthday with her family and her church friends. Congratulations Ruby!! |
 Vestry Openings We have two vacancies (two three-year terms) on the Vestry and an incumbent (Janet Kahn) who is up for re-election. We will vote on and elect parishioners for these openings at the January 26 Annual Meeting. If you’re interested in learning more, please contact Fr. Caleb. |
 Birthday Wishes The following parishioners are celebrating a birthday this week: Lee Holton on 1/4, Richard Sterba on 1/4, Falisha Mason on 1/5, Bill Robinson on 1/6, Vivien Warr on 1/8. Please wish them well and keep them in your prayers! |
 A list of those on our prayer list is posted in the Narthex. Prayers are offered up at Compline, by the Daughter’s of the King, and in the Sunday Services. Please contact the Church Office with your requests and updates. |
 Please get in touch with the contact listed in each section below if you are interested in serving in and/or supporting the following ministries. 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 as a general thanksgiving. If you would like to contribute to future altar flower displays, please contact our Flower Guild Director, Ruby Seyffert with your special requests. When using Zelle or a check, please designate ‘Altar Flowers’ in the memo field. Altar Guild Altar Guild members care for the altar, vestments, vessels and linens under the direction of the Rector, and prepare the altar and worship space for services including weekend worship, weddings, funerals and baptisms.The next monthly meeting will be on Saturday, January 4 at 9:30am in the Rectory.Please contact Barbara Press to volunteer or to learn more. Episcopal Church Men (ECM) All men who attend Transfiguration are included in ECM. Our next project is a spring field trip to St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery in Florence, AZ – more details to come and see article and photos in this week’s newsletter. If you have any questions, please contact John Collins at (480) 406-3121. Episcopal Church Women (ECW) All women who attend Transfiguration are included in ECW and invited to attend meetings and activities. Our next meeting is on Saturday, January 4 at 10:30am in the Fellowship Hall followed by a potluck lunch. For questions, contact Peg Wier. ECW member, Caryll Prokosch, is collecting aluminum cans. Please deposit all cans in the red bin located either in the Fellowship Hall or behind the Parish House on the patio. For inquiries contact Caryll at (480) 647-8127. God’s Soup Kitchen This group meets monthly in the Fellowship Hall kitchen to prepare soup for those in need. The latest offering is Cheese & Broccoli Soup located in the freezer in the Fellowship Hall. If you are interested in volunteering for this ministry, please contact Miriam Waddington. Lay Servers Would you like to be a greeter, member of the welcome team, chalice bearer, reader, torchbearer, crucifer or help count the offerings? Please contact the Church Office so you can find out more and assist. Stitchery Ministry This group typically meets the second and fourth Thursday each month at 1pm in the Parish House living room to knit, crochet, sew and quilt. Our next meeting is on Thursday, January 9 at 1:00pm. In addition to giving to our own members in need, the ministry donates prayer shawls and other hand stitched items to hospitals, nursing homes, shelters and other charitable organizations. Contact Linda Jo Johnson if you have questions. |
 Second Sunday Giving On the second Sunday of each month, all loose plate collection money (not tithes) will be given to a non-profit organization selected by your Vestry. Each organization reflects the mission and values of the Transfiguration Community and the Episcopal Church. January’s donation will go to Naco Wellness Initiative which is a partnership providing health care, garden and wellness education, and economic development to the residents of Ambos Naco (Both Nacos) on the U.S.- Mexico Border in Naco, Arizona (pop. 1,100) and Naco, Sonora (pop. 5,770). Online Giving Pledging and financial gifts to the Church of The Transfiguration can be made using the following methods:For credit card or ACH gifts, you can use the QR code on the back of the weekly bulletin or this link: https://onrealm.org/EpiscopalChurchTransfiguration/GiveIf you prefer to use Zelle via your banking app, you can find the church via our email address: officetransfig@gmail.comQuarterly Financial Report Click here to access our Q3 financial report. Hard copies will also be available in the Narthex. Planned Giving Planned Giving signifies the wise stewardship of personal resources bestowed upon us by God. Transfiguration offers various opportunities for making immediate and deferred gifts that reflect your dedication and devotion to God and our congregation. If you’re interested in exploring planned giving at Transfiguration, please reference our Planned Giving brochure (online or copies in the Narthex and Fellowship Hall) or contact the Church Office. |
| Around the Diocese |
 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. |
| Clergy and Staff Fr. John Caleb Collins, Rector transfigurationrector@gmail.com; office (480) 986-1145 or mobile (480) 980-1981 (call or text) Janice Scalzo, Office Administrator transfigbookkeeper@gmail.com Tami Root, Interim Music Director Office hours: M-T-W-Th. 9am – 1pm Vestry Fr. John Caleb Collins, Chair transfigurationrector@gmail.com Lynn Graff, Senior Warden lwgraff@yahoo.com Tom Kevern, Junior Warden Heidi Kinney, Treasurer churchtransfigtreasurer@gmail.com Diane Klock, Clerk John Bishop Ben Brooks Anita Joy Bob Kistler Janet Krahn Ruby Seyffert Garth Seiple Wayne Smith Jane Stoneback Social Media Tom Blum – website Tom Blum, Jo Laslo & Bill Robinson – Facebook page Mary Hovden – weekly e-newsletter (please send stories, announcements, photos, etc. to Mary here) Peg Wier – Worship service streaming |