File - Southside Presbyterian Church

FEBRUARY 2016
S-kehg Si’alim!
(“Good morning” in
Tohono O'odham)
The Newsletter of Southside Presbyterian Church
317 West 23rd Street, Tucson AZ 85713
STANDING AT THE CROSSROADS
“Thus says the Lord:
Stand at the cross roads and look
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way lies;
and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls.”
Jeremiah 6:16a
During our Lenten journey to the cross, we will be reflecting on the theme of CrossRoads
recognizing that in many ways, today we are standing at a fork in the road and what path we
chose to take is of utmost importance. As a denomination we are at a crossroads as we think
about who God is calling us to be in the midst of denomination division and overall declining
church membership. As a nation in the midst of a highly contentious presidential race, we are at
a crossroads in deciding who we are as a nation. And certainly in our own lives, we constantly
find ourselves in places of decision making. By exploring the biblical stories of people in
moments of discernment and decision making we will consider: what it means to be a people of
faith at the CrossRoads; what it mean to look and clearly see what lies before us; what it
means to ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies and what it mean to walk in it. We
hope you will join us as we seek to walk in the good way and find rest for our souls.
February 14 At the CrossRoads: Choosing Love
Ruth 1:1-18
February 21 At the CrossRoads: Choosing Healing
John 5:1-9a
February 28 At the CrossRoads: Choosing Courage
Mark 5:24b-34
March 6
At the CrossRoads: Choosing Compassion
Luke 10: 29-37
March 13
At the CrossRoads: Choosing Eternal Life
Matthew 19:16-22
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NEW SUNDAY MORNING ADULT BIBLE STUDY:
Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study
8:30am Church Library
Join us during the Lenten season for a 6 week session entitled
“Gospel Portraits of Jesus” written by Donald L. Griggs
“What can we learn about Jesus from the multitude of names he is
given in the New Testament? Plenty! Welcome to a six week course
that will explore a number of the names and titles for Jesus that appear
in the four Gospels, with some attention to relevant Old Testament
passages. The sequence of the names and titles of Jesus for our course
of study moves from the most familiar
name, Jesus, to Jesus' activities as teacher, to several common
metaphors such as bread, to more abstract names like Messiah and
Son of God, concluding with a focus on resurrection and life.”
Donald L. Griggs is a respected Christian educator, author, and former
teacher at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.
HOLY WEEK AND EASTER
Palm Sunday, March 20
Join us for the Procession of the Palms as we lift our voices up in
singing, “Hosanna!”
Maundy Thursday, March 24th 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Join us for a special Maundy Thursday service designed for all ages.
You are invited to drop in for a light soup dinner between 5:30pm
6:00pm in our Fellowship Hall. Following dinner we will move to the
Kiva and hear the story of Jesus’ last night with his friends. We will
wash feet and share communion with one another. We especially encourage our littlest friends to
attend this tactile and experiential worship service.
Good Friday, March 25th 7pm
Gather with us as we gather as a community around the cross and hear Jesus’ 7 last words. We
will focus our hearts around song, the lighting and extinguishing of candles, and prayer.
Easter Sunday, March 27
Easter Sunrise Service — 6:00 a.m.
Join us for our annual Easter Sunrise service as we renew our baptismal vows and celebrate the
good news of the Resurrection.
The youth will provide a breakfast following the Sunrise Service and because they
will be raising money for Triennium, the will be extending breakfast so that those
who want to come before the 9:30 service for breakfast may do so.
Traditional Easter Service — 9:30 a.m.
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CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Presbyterian Youth Triennium is a
gathering for high school age youth that
occurs every three years. Triennium is a life
giving, life changing, faith moving
experience and we have 3 youth who are
working hard to go this summer. We are asking for your support through buying tickets to the
play Fish Eyes, which will happen at 7:00PM on April 9th at St. Mark's. The youth will be
selling tickets for several weeks in February and March, after church. There will be another
fundraiser specific to our Southside youth attending Trienniem or of course you can donate in
the offering, with Triennium specified, thank you!
Sasha Enriquez is excited to go to Triennium to join in worship with youth from all over the country.
Mary Ruiz is excited to to go to Triennium because her sister went and had a wonderful time and
she is excited to meet lots of youth and be on a college campus.
Harmany Carranza is excited to go to Triennium to experience a trip away from home in a new,
fun place.
YOUTH RETREAT!!
January 1st-3rd AJ, Pastor Alison and Tyler took 12 enthusiastic youth
on wonderful retreat to a camp in Prescott.
We celebrated the New Year
and explored the meaning of
our new lives in Christ.
We enjoyed
Creation, climbing, ziplines,
food and fellowship!
Thank you to Southside for
your amazing support of the
youth program and these
extraordinary young people
growing in their faith.
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WORSHIP COMMITTEE
While not directly related to worship, your elder for the
worship committee, Mark Rein’l-Bautista, has a dream to
bring music to our worship space, the Kiva. Our Kiva has
been the home to weekly worship, meetings, rallies,
vigils, and sanctuary events. But, the Kiva can also be
thought of as a musical instrument itself, due to it’s size
and symmetry. Mark’s inspiration came while listening to
the sounds of Gary Stroutsos’s flute
playing during the November benefit
concert for Protecting Oak Flat.
So, if you’d like to learn more, please
contact Mark any Sunday, or email him at [email protected].
Mark is producing a return concert for Gary on March 5th at
7 pm (World Music From The Kiva) as a benefit for the building fund,
and would like to bring local and national artists to the Kiva on a
regular basis to benefit our community and our church. Also, there’s a
rumor that Mark Gordon Allen will be returning with the “Angel Boys”
sometime in May. Stay tuned. . .
CONGREGATIONAL NURTURE
CAMP OUT AT OAK FLAT!
March 12th
Join us as we head up to Oak Flat, the sacred land of the
San Carlos Apache. We will leave Southside at 8am and
caravan up to Oak Flat (about a 2 hour drive). Once up
there we will have a picnic, do some hiking around, and
hear from members of the San Carlos Apache community
about their efforts to protect their lands from proposed
mining. For those interested, there is the opportunity to
camp overnight on Saturday evening and returning late
Sunday morning to Tucson.
Sign ups for the picnic and for camping will happen
during the Fellowship time following worship
on February 21st and 28th.
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COMMUNITY NEWS
THE TEACHER/EDUCATOR DIALOGUE GROUP
3rd Sunday of the month at 4:30 p.m.
The Teacher/Educator dialogue group is a reading and discussion group that examines issues of
structural racism and the U.S. education system, as well as addressing issues of race, racism and
racial injustice in the classroom. This group is open to everyone: whether you identify as an
educator or not!
We meet every third Sunday of the month at 4:30 p.m. at Southside Presbyterian Church. The
Teacher/Educator dialogue group is a project of Tucson SURJ and the Tucson Black Lives Matter
Solidarity Group; although you don’t need to be a member of either group to participate. All
are welcome!
Tucson SURJ is a project of the Tucson Black Lives
Matter Solidarity Group. SURJ is a national
network of groups and individuals organizing
white people for racial justice. Through community
organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ
moves white people to act as part of a
multi-racial majority for justice with passion
and accountability.
http://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/
The Tucson Black Lives Matter Solidarity Group is a
multi-racial effort working to support the black-led
Black Lives Matter movement. Currently comprised of primarily white allies, this group
recognizes that solidarity is a verb and that our actions should reflect our positions as allies to
black-led social justice organizing.
THE LIVABLE COMMUNITIES ACADEMY
The Livable Communities Academy is coming
to Tucson! Developed in New Orleans
after Hurricane Katrina to help
communities mobilize to improve the livability
of their neighborhoods, the LCA is a free 8-week
training workshop designed to provide training and team building for neighborhood groups.
PCOA has obtained funding to focus on zip codes 85706, 85713, and 85714. Whether you
are a member of a neighborhood in those zip codes, or work in these communities, we hope
you will give us a call to learn more. The Academy seeks to help groups identify short and
long term goals, and implement a project of their choosing and design. PCOA will provide
ongoing staffing for each group to help ensure sustainability and success.
For more information, contact Sara Meza, Bilingual Outreach Coordinator,
at 520-276-5876 or [email protected].
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DEACONS AND ELDERS
Deacons
Sasha Enriquez
Deacon for Children and Youth
Yvette Gonzalez, & Jim Walsh
85614, 85713, 85714,
85735,85736,85746,85756,85757
Stephanie Jordan & Teena Cross
85701, 85702, 85705, 85706, 85712, 85747,
85742, 85743
Charlie Miller & Linda Leiphart
85653, 85658, 85737, 85755, 85745, 85704
Travonne & Vivian Smith, & Shari Larson
85710, 85711, 85716, 85725, 85732
Alisia Alverez & Connie Trecartin
85602, 85641, 85715, 85717, 85718,
85719,85730, 85739, 85741, 85748, 85749,
85750
“For the Son of Man came not to be served but to
serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45
Elder Responsibilities
Josefina Ahumada
Stewardship & Finance
Lisa Anderson
Adult Education
Paul Axinn
Personnel
Deb Bergman
Clerk of Session
Leslie Carlson
Social Justice
Corinne Chavez
Congregational Nurture
Greg Lewis
ECO
Jill Markwart
Children & Youth
Ellen Murphy
Children & Youth
Mark Rein’l Bautista
Worship
Sarah Roberts
Social Justice
Karan Stewart
Community Engagement
Robin Zenger
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Facilities & Maintenance
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
SOUTHSIDE WOMEN’S RETREAT
PRESCOTT AZ
APRIL 22 - 24
Join other Southside women for a
weekend of fellowship, fun, relaxation
and worship. Cost will be approximately
$125 and we hope that there will
be scholarships available.
Look for more details coming soon!
SOUTHSIDE MEN’S RETREAT
ROCKY POINT, MEXICO
APRIL 29 - MAY 1
Join the men of Southside on their annual retreat to Rocky Point.
The time will be filled with fellowship, fun and (of course) fishing.
See Bill Captain for more details
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