What's New
Bye Bye Birdie!
St Francis Creative Arts Team and its children and youth program present the musical production of a well-loved, Tony-Award winning story of Conrad Birdie, a rock-n-roll idol singer going off to war and its effect on a small town in Ohio. Music and Lyrics by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse
May 9-11 at 7:00 pm
General Admission: $8.00
For reservations call Chris Rupley at 419-1871
What You Don't Know About Sleep Can Hurt You
A discussion re: insomnia and sleep apnea
Presented by Dr. Phillip Eichling
Certified Sleep Specialist and Director of Comprehensive Sleep Solutions
Sunday May 19th
St Francis UMC in the Foothills UMC
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
in the center
Perfect Health
For those looking for a free meditation opportunity, go to meditationchallenge@chopra.com
This is a free 21-day brief meditation on different health related topics that are guided by Deepok Chopra.
There is no fee to sign up for this website. It is co-sponsored by Oprah Winfrey,
Brought to you by the St. Francis Health Ministries Team
Emotional Freedom Technique
On May 12th there will be an Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) training in Room 30/31 from 11:00 AM to 1 PM. EFT is a simple, quick, and very effective way of releasing stress, anger, hurt, pain, etc. People do not realize that negative emotions frequently lead to physical health issues. If you are using EFT whenever you are stressed you can stay healthy. EFT is taught by Mary E. Stafford, M.Ed., L.P.C., EFT Master who has been training people in EFT for the last 15 years.
Sponsored by the St Francis Health Ministries Team
Adult Education Topics and Presenters
May 26, 2013
A Game For the World
Moderated by Anne Harmon, creator of Game for the World &
Natalie Brown, Chair of Desert Southwest Conference AIDS Task Force
11:00 am to 12:15 pm in Center
WORLD RELIGIONS INSIDE OUT
Summer 2013
June 2 - Introduction to Exploring Religious Practices Around the World – Frank Williams
We will initiate the series with a class focused on taking an inclusive, yet discerning view of world religions. As Stephen Prothero, author of God is Not One, states “opening our eyes to religious differences can help us appreciate the unique beauty of each of the great religions.”
Frank Williams, founding pastor of St. Francis in the Foothills, is presently Social Services Director at Casa de la Luz Hospice. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona, his Masters of Sacred Theology from Boston University School of Theology and his doctorate from Boston University.
June 9 & 16 – Hinduism – Sanjay Manchanda
This class focuses on the practical and mystical aspects of Hindu philosophy and practice. This is an experiential class that will explore how Hindu mystical understanding is connected to and relevant in our current Western and modern context. Two key Hindu texts will be emphasized: the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras.
Dr. Sanjay Manchanda has been studying meditation and yoga for over twenty years. He has studied Vipassana, Zen, Tibetan Buddhism, Yoga and in the Non-Dual Advaita Vedanta tradition. He is a licensed psychotherapist with a background in Jungian, Body-Centered and Transpersonal therapy, and is board-certified in Neurofeedback.
June 23 & 30 – Buddhism – Brad Stroup
June 23: (The Fire Sermon) We will experience the 3nd sutta given by the Buddha to novice monks in the 5th c. BCE India. We will look at what he was trying to get those people to understand, and see if it means something to us today.
June 30: "Master, What is the Way?" This question, asked by novices, was found in three separate koans from 9th c. China. Zen abbots worked with monks in hopes of having them experience kensho or enlightment.
Brad Stroup is a retired businessman from the computer industry. He has followed a Zen and Vipassana Buddhist practice for over 30 years and is only a beginner.
July 7 & 14 – Islam – Sidney & Esther Sharrif
By using Prophet Muhammad, Allah's last Messenger (pbuh) ("peace be upon him") and his Sunnah ("his way"), we plan to present Islam to our audience as an inclusive way of life for all humanity. Islam is not a religion as it is understood in most of the western world. The human being must rise above the status of plants and animals, because according to the Qur'an, the Holy book of the Muslims, the Spirit of Allah commands it.
Sidney and Esther are married grandparents, who became residents of Tucson AZ in 1999. They founded the Islamic Inmates Corrections Association of America to make the community a better place by mentoring inmates at Wilmot State Prison and assisting them upon release.
July 21 & 28 – Kabbalah – Mark Rosenberg
Together, during our two meetings, we will uncover some of the Kabbalistic interpretations of the Genesis creation myth. We will concentrate on the Kabbalistic insight offered through the very old and cryptic book: The Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation) and then we will study creation as envisioned by the great Kabbalist: Isaac Luria.
Mark Rosenberg, a native New Yorker and veterinarian, started exploring his spirituality after time spent on the Hopi reservation. In 2010 he received a Masters in Jewish Studies from Gratz College in Philadelphia. His thesis was Kabbalah and Lurianic Soul theory.
August 4 – Bahai – Kaveh Shahidi
"So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole world" (Baha'i Writings). Let us explore a set of principles from the Baha'i Faith, which aims and strives to unite the humankind.
Kaveh Shahidi is a member of the Baha'i community and has passion to see the civilization advance through collaboration and justice. He works with like-minded individuals in many communities to learn about achieving unity by overcoming our differences.
August 11 -- Celtic Spirituality – Dan Meyer
We will explore the rich tradition of Celtic Spirituality, with its focus on the wild and elemental in nature; a love of poetry and story-telling; and the thin veil between the everyday world and the active life of the spirits. A suggested reading is Anam Cara (Soul Friend), by John O’Donohue.
Dan Meyer developed an interest in Celtic spirituality from his Irish roots and travels around the Emerald Isle. He has been a member of St. Francis for 30 years.
August 18 – Final Class Exploring World Religions–Frank Williams
In looking over a summer of learning about religious practices around the world, we will discuss what personal meaning we have derived from the classes, the practices that were the most impactful and make plans for possible follow-up classes or groups.
Casa Maria Soup Kitchen 2013 Schedule
Location: Casa Maria Soup Kitchen, 352 East 25th Street (SW corner of S. 3rd Ave & E. 25th Street
2013 Dates: January 5th, February 2nd, March 2nd & 30th, April 27th, May 25th, June 22nd, July 20th, August 17th, September 14th, October 12th, November 9th, December 7th
Time: 8:15 am--11:15 am or so. Stay as little or long as able.
What: Volunteer by helping to prepare chili or sack lunches. It is a very simple way to volunteer.Dress comfortably and enjoy helping others.
Questions: Contact Fran Donnellan. fdonnellan@msn.com or 520-780-2002
A Reading from “When the Heart Waits” by Sue Monk Kidd
The image of coming home is a powerful, archetypal symbol for returning to one’s deepest self, to the soul. To come home is to return to the place of inner origin, that original imprint of God within.
Therefore, coming home fills us with a sense of being in the right place, a sense of deep spiritual belonging. We all have this profound longing to come home, whether we recognize it or not.
The root spiritual problem of our time is that modern people have lost their way home and have lost the directions to find it. The Church seems at times to have forgotten its role as the custodian and guide of the way home. Rather than helping us grow our souls to the deep inner ground, it frequently majors in theological propositions, dogma, intellect, and institutional agendas.
Without maps and signposts, we search for our inner home in the wrong places: professional success, material status, persons, pleasure. But none of these can ever be home. We end up spiritual refugees.
And then a crisis comes, like the cyclone in the Wizard of Oz. We have a choice either to withdraw into a storm cellar or to allow the whirlwind take us to a new place, the holy heart of transformation, which will allow us to ultimately come home.
As TS Elliott put it,
“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time”
St. Francis in the Foothills UMC Reconciling Ministries Network
The St. Francis in the Foothills UMC Reconciling committee is
closely aligned with the national Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN). We share
a common mission and vision for our efforts to make the entire United
Methodist Church (UMC) more welcoming of all people, including our Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) family.
Mission Statement:
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Reconciling Ministries Network mobilizes United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to transform our Church and world into the full expression of Christ’s inclusive love.
Vision:
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Reconciling Ministries Network envisions a renewed and vibrant Wesleyan movement that is biblically and theologically centered in the full inclusion of God’s children.
Reconciling Ministries Network is committed to making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world by living out the Gospel’s teaching of justice and inclusion.
Activities:
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In support of this mission and vision, the St. Francis reconciling committee is involved in many activities at St. Francis and throughout the Desert Southwest (DSW) annual conference. We hold monthly meetings at St. Francis on the fourth Tuesday of each month. At these meetings we plan internal events such as a yearly reconciling Sunday and various adult education classes. Within the DSW, we plan a yearly witnessing to the annual conference during the month of June in Phoenix, AZ through an information table. At the national level, the reconciling committee participated in trainings in preparation for the UMC general conference which occur every four years.
History:
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In 1987, St. Francis started an all-congregation, year-long study on reconciliation and what it meant for our congregation. By a unanimous vote, St. Francis became a reconciling congregation in 1988; the first reconciling congregation in the Desert Southwest annual conference. Since that time, St. Francis and its reconciling committee have worked to further reconciliation efforts at St. Francis, the Desert Southwest annual conference, and the entire UMC.
Currently:
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Through the continuous efforts of many, including the St. Francis reconciling committee, the Desert Southwest annual conference has a total of five (5) reconciling congregations. In 2009 the DSW annual conference voted to become a reconciling conference. Soon after in 2011, the DSW annual conference created a Welcoming and Reconciling committee with the Board of Church and Society.
Contact Information:
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For information about RMN or information about joining the reconciling committee please contact St. Francis UMC or Mark Moellenhoff at markmoell@yahoo.com .
Introduction to the St. Francis Children Youth and Family Team
The Children Youth and Family team is dedicated and committed to helping your children discover their own spirituality and God of their understanding. We offer 3 levels of classes for children 4 years and up. All 3 of our core teachers are current or retired educators. Chris Rupley leads our 4 – 6 year olds in a weekly discovery of self and spirit, focusing on kindness and compassion. Lessons are taught through books, songs, art and stories. Judy Robinson leads our elementary class in a weekly discovery of spirituality through the “Way of the Child” curriculum. Virginia Encila leads our middle and high school class in a weekly discovery of self and spirituality through discussion, reading, music, art, performance and mission projects. We are always eager to have children join any of our classes and eagerly accept dynamic parent support. Any inquiries about children’s classes can be addressed to Chris Rupley at crupley@stfrancisumc.com and inquiries about youth programs to virginiaencila@gmail.com.
