Dear Siblings in Christ,
We are just one week away from our joint project with New Spirit Lutheran Church and San Juan Bautista Iglesias Luterana Church. This annual event is an opportunity for members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to join together in service, showing up in our communities as the hands and feet of God in ways that impact the lives of our neighbors.
It can be a challenge to respond to the needs of our neighbors when they feel constant, ever-growing, and overwhelming. Compassion fatigue and aging bodies may lead us to claim it is time for someone else to take up the mantle. I do understand this challenge. Yet, there is still a place at the table for all who come eager to serve. Wherever there is a willing heart, there is a need in the community to be met. It really does take a village, whether packing the care kits on September 7th or gathering around the table in cross-generational faith formation beginning September 22nd at 9 am.
Your journey as a disciple does not rely upon the abilities of your joints to cooperate, only your heart. If you are unable to join us in person on September 7th, pray for the work that will be done and the lives that will be touched. As we work to serve our community, let us remember this is only one day, one way, that God has called us to action. There are so many more opportunities for us to show up as disciples, proclaiming God’s love into this world, and together we can do so much more!
Faithfully yours,
Pastor Naomi
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Sunday Bulletin and
Worship Service Links
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This Sunday, September 1st ~ 15th Sunday after Pentecost
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+8:00a -- Discussion Eucharist: Learning Center.
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Growing in Faith Together: Intergenerational Sunday School begins September 22.
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+10:00a -- Sunday Celebration: Sanctuary. (In-person and live-streamed on YouTube)
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11:15a -- Meet the Pastor: Immediately after church in the Pray-Ground area.
+ Service includes Holy Communion.
Monday, September 2
- LABOR DAY HOLIDAY - The church office is closed.
Tuesday, September 3
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Tuesday through Friday, 9:00a to 3:00p -- Church Office is open: Use the south entry door and ring the doorbell if the door is locked.
- 1:00p to 3:00p -- Affirming Lutherans of Tucson: Activities Room. Contact Leslie Johnson or Kristen Birner for more information.
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5:30p to 7:00p -- Intentional Visioning Team meeting: Activities Room.
Wednesday, September 4
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10:30a to 11:30a -- Staff meeting: Church Office.
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Noon -- Articles are due for "Weekly Footnotes": Church Office.
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4:30p to 6:00p -- Los Campaneros handbell rehearsal: Activities Room.
Thursday, September 5
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10:00a to 11:30a -- Coffee Talk: Meets at Bruegger's Bagels (corner of Sunrise and Swan).
Friday, September 6
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5:45p to 8:00p -- AA PreWeekenders & Al-Anon Sunset: Activities Room. (Community groups)
Saturday, September 7
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9:00a to 11:00a -- God's Work. Our Hands. at El Pueblo Center, building 15. (See article below.)
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11:00a to 12:30p -- Potluck at San Juan Bautista Lutheran Church. (See article below.)
Coming Up
- Sunday, September 8 -- God's work. Our hands.
- Saturday, September 14 -- Celebration Choir rehearsal.
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God's Work. Our Hands: September 7!
The congregations of Lutheran Church of the Foothills, New Spirit Lutheran Church, and San Juan Bautista Lutheran Church will join together on September 7 from 9:00a to 11:00a to make Heat Care Kits for the City of Tucson's Housing First program. All ages are welcome! The kit assembly will occur at Building 15 of the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center complex at 195 W. Irvington Road, Tucson. Click here to access the map and parking directions.
Immediately afterward, the volunteers will meet for lunch in the fellowship hall of San Juan Bautista Lutheran Church, 1130 E. Bilby Road, Tucson. The meat (chicken fingers) will be provided. See the Activities Counter to sign up to bring desserts and drinks and pick up directions to El Pueblo Neighborhood Center. For more information, contact Pastor Naomi.
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Help Save Two Lives at One Time
During September our Community Service Team is introducing us to “Soldier’s Best Friend,” an Arizona organization with two purposes:
1. Serving our veterans who are living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
2. Making a positive impact on the Arizona pet overpopulation problem.
Since 2011 Soldier’s Best Friend has been dedicated to pairing rescued dogs with veterans and training the two together at no cost to the veteran. Pairing a veteran and a dog enables a veteran to live their life more fully and gives a dog a loving forever home. The dog learns skills specific to its veteran’s needs; the veteran learns proper service dog care.
One symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can be an elevated startle response to people approaching. A service dog can alert its veteran when someone is approaching, and the veteran is better able to adjust to being out in an uncontrollable environment. On the home page under "What We Do," click on Veteran/Dog Teams or visit their Facebook site Soldier's Best Friend to read stories about other ways service dogs are helping their veterans by “having their six.”
The pairing and training are provided at no cost to the veteran and are completely supported by charitable donations (the average cost of training a veteran/dog team is $7,500). This month you can help support Soldier’s Best Friend by
- Praying for their staff and the veteran/dog teams
- Giving monetary support through Lutheran Church of the Foothills
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Purchasing items online from their Amazon wish list (SBF Amazon Wish List)
- Volunteering to help with administrative duties, fundraising events, and more
- Becoming a Foster Volunteer, housing a rescued dog for a brief amount of time while it is evaluated for being a suitable candidate for service dog training
To learn more, visit the Community Service display table in the lobby, or click on https://soldiersbestfriend.org/. Better yet, come to social time in the Activities Room after worship on September 22 to hear more from a representative of Soldier’s Best Friend and be introduced to the veteran/dog team accompanying them.
~ Community Service Team
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Sign Up for the Next Primavera Hot Stew Meal
Our next opportunity to provide a hot stew dinner at the Primavera Men's Shelter is September 20. You can participate by signing up on the clipboard on the Activities Counter or calling the office to prepare the food in your home kitchen, provide side dishes and desserts, or serve the meal at the Shelter.
Thank you for your participation in this ministry! For more information contact Sylvia Strauss-Kolb.
~ Community Service Team
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Partnering with Interfaith Community Services
Thanks to all you faithful grocery shoppers! There is an updated list of food items posted in the lobby. Interfaith Community Services (ICS) is providing healthier options to the people they serve. The additions are canned meats, small containers of fruit for children, shelf-stable milk, and pop-top cans for the unhoused people they serve plus all the other food items that we routinely donate.
The person who received our donation wanted us to know how much ICS appreciates all the food we donate and that they use all the food quickly. They are serving more people than ever. Many thanks.
~ Beth Daum
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Habitat Tucson: Faith Build Committee Invites You
The need for affordable homeownership has never been greater. Habitat for Humanity Tucson's Faith Committee invites you to answer a call to hope at an Afternoon of Community, September 16, from 2:00p to 4:00p hosted by Bryan and Beth Daum at Haciendas del Conde Clubhouse, 5910 N. Pontatoc Road, Tucson, AZ. Join them to hear from two new homeowners, Kristina and Ida, and learn how the challenges of affordable homeownership are being addressed. Light appetizers will be served.
Please RSVP by Monday, September 9 to Katherine Richard, Donor Database Manager at katherine@habitattucson.org or call (520) 497-2385. All are welcome so please bring a friend! For more information, contact Beth & Bryan Daum.
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TIHAN Is Looking For Volunteers!
Many of us look for caring, compassionate, and impactful ways to put our faith into action. Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network (TIHAN) has a wide variety of volunteer positions available, including administrative and fundraising, direct (non-medical) support to people living with HIV, and opportunities on the Board of Directors or committees.
For more information about the current volunteer openings, go to www.tihan.org and click on "Volunteer" and "Current Volunteer Opportunities." TIHAN's next volunteer orientation will be on September 5 at 1:00p. To register for the volunteer orientation, call Susannah at 520-299-6647 (ext. 204) or email her at volunteering@tihan.org.
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The Heat Is On!
Summer has arrived at Sister José Women's Center a low-barrier shelter for women without housing. Staff and volunteers at the shelter see more sunburned faces, peeling lips, and dog paws that are inflamed from the hot, concrete sidewalks.
During the hot summer months, requested donations include essential clothing such as shorts, tank tops, shirts, lightweight pants, sandals, sneakers, individual-sized toiletries, rolling suitcases, and backpacks.
Because many guests have pets, booties for dogs, dry food or canned food with pull tabs for dogs and cats, kitty litter, and coats and beds for both dogs and cats are needed. The Center will also take new or gently used pet supplies such as beds, leashes, and collars. Now through mid-September, donations should be dropped off directly at the Center on 1050 S. Park Avenue, Tucson.
~ Patrice Frame
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ELCA World Hunger
Proceeds placed in the World Hunger Appeal Contributions Jar (on the stand inside the entrance to our worship area) are shared with the ELCA’s World Hunger program. Thanks for your generosity. July total: $79. ~ Ann Krohn and Carol Lundberg
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Welcome & Hope Since 1939
Global Refuge is the largest faith-based national non-profit exclusively dedicated to helping restore a sense of home to immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. For more information, go to their website: https://www.globalrefuge.org/
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ELCA Disaster Response
To help with our church's response to current crises here in the United States and around the world, look for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Lutheran Disaster Response forms on the Activities Counter in the lobby.
~ Community Service Team
Image by Matthias Fischer from Pixabay
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Join the Webinar on Congregational Safety
Hosted by Bishop Hutterer of the Grand Canyon Synod and other synod leaders, the webinar will be held on September 5, 2024, at 10:15a on the topic "Conversations about Congregational Safety." This crucial event will address concerns about political violence and share resources from the FBI and the ELCA on Christian Nationalism. Register here to be a part of the conversation.
Image by Drew Force from Pixabay.
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Join Bishop Eaton and Be Part of the Movement!
Join ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton for a conversation about God's Love Made Real. This ELCA movement encourages us to create a world where we can experience the difference God's grace and love in Christ make for all people and creation. The FREE, Zoom-only event for the Sierra Pacific, Southwest California, Pacifica, Grand Canyon, and Rocky Mountain synods will take place Tuesday, September 10, at 12:00p. Registration is encouraged, but not required. If you want to watch from home, click here to access the Zoom link. Individuals are also encouraged to watch and join in the discussion from the Activities Room at Lutheran Church of the Foothills. Sign up on the clipboard on the Activities Counter if you are interested in attending.
Learn more about God's Love Made Real at https://lovemadereal.elca.org/
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Democracy, Faith, and Peace-Building in 2024
Join best-selling author and Sojourners founder, the Reverend Jim Wallis, in reflections on the current state of our democracy and his most recent book, The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy. The presentation will be held at Southside Presbyterian Church, 317 West 23rd St., Tucson, on September 11, 2024, at 6:00p. Click here to register.
Copies of Rev. Wallis' book are available for purchase at Antigone Books. This event is being co-sponsored by Arizona Faith Network, Southside Presbyterian Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, and Arizona Democracy Resiliency Network.
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Lift Up Your Voice in Praise!
The Celebration Choir will be starting up again soon. We will begin rehearsals on Saturday, September 14, at 10:00a in the sanctuary. If you read music, that’s great, but it is not a requirement. The choir is a great place to serve and make closer connections with our church family, especially if you are new to the congregation. Please see Andy Bade for details.
Image by David Beale from Unsplash
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Grand Canyon Women of the ELCA: 2024 Retreat
Join the Women of the ELCA on October 4-5, 2024, at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, 1200 N. Campbell, Tucson for the weekend retreat "Holy Spirit Set My Heart on Fire." Registration, which includes Saturday lunch, is $120 per person. The deadline for registrations is September 21. Register online at https://grandcanyonsynodwomen.regfox.com/2024-grand-canyon-womens-retreat
For more information, see the flyer on the Activities Counter.
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Coffee Talk: Every Thursday During the Summer
It's summer and time to kick back and relax! Thursday Journey changes its name to Coffee Talk during the summer and meets informally at 10:00a each Thursday at Bruegger's Bagels (at the corner of Swan and Sunrise) for a little food, beverages, and engaging conversation on current events. Thursday Journey will resume in September with a topic yet to be determined.
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Learn with Read & Yak
"There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island."
– Walt Disney
Read & Yak is a diverse group that meets on the fourth Saturday of every month in-person in the Activities Room and on Zoom. The next meeting is on Saturday, September 28, at 10:00a to discuss the Pulitzer Prize winner Trust, by Hernan Diaz. Click here to join the Read & Yak Zoom meeting. Meeting ID: 822 7558 0676 Passcode: 844657
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"Let There Be Peace on Earth"
Last month, we sang, “Let There Be Peace on Earth.” In this article, you will have a better understanding of how this song was created and the power of singing this hymn.
This beautiful song was written by Jill Jackson (lyrics) and her husband, Sy Miller (melody). In the interview aired on David Freudberg’s National Public Radio program "Humankind," Jill talked about her background and the context of the song. In 1944, after having experienced deep depression, she attempted suicide but failed. “….I knew for the first time unconditional love—which God is. You are totally loved, totally accepted, just the way you are. In that moment I was not allowed to die, and something happened to me…..I had an eternal moment of truth, in which I knew I was loved, and I knew I was here for a purpose.”
This realization led her to explore her spiritual nature and her relationship with God. After marrying her husband Sy Miller in 1949, she began writing songs with him. The song, “Let There Be Peace on Earth”, written in 1955, was introduced at a California retreat to a group of 180 teenagers who were from a wide variety of religious, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. As these young people locked arms, formed a circle, and sang a song of peace, they felt that singing this song helped to create a climate for world peace and understanding. This song received the George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge for “Outstanding achievement in helping to bring about a better understanding of the American Way of Life.” It also received a Brotherhood Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
~ Ji Sun Lee, Music Director, DMA
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We pray for . . .
- Nicole and Bianca (Colette Barajas' & Kristen Birner's nieces);
- Jeremy W.;
- Brandon, Kathy, Danna & Gina James (friends of Sylvia Strauss-Kolb);
- Pat Walker (former member);
- Mandy and children (friends of Liz Zidel);
- Susie, Lance, Jan, and Michelle (friends of Sylvia Strauss-Kolb);
- Robert Olson (Pastor Naomi's father);
- Bryce Lich (Michael Lich's nephew);
- Kathi, Lisa, Blake, Erin, Jadyn, Evie, Brooke, Landon, Aidan, Kayla, Sean, Liam, Caitlyn, and Connor (relatives of Carol Lundberg);
- Vicki Becker; and
- Sue Thompson.
Names will remain on the prayer list for three weeks unless otherwise notified.
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