Christmas Poinsettia Pick-up
Tuesday through Friday, 3 p.m.!
(Except New Year’s Day)
Our Christmas poinsettias are waiting for you to pick them up!
Please stop by the church (come to Door A) now through Friday at 3 p.m. (except New Year’s Day) and help yourself to some of these beautiful seasonal plants. You are welcome to take a plant whether you sponsored one or not. We always have extra!
Church Hours:
Tuesday—9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesday—NEW YEAR’S DAY we will be closed.
Thursday—9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Friday—9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more than 30 years now, St. Philip the Deacon has conducted Capital Appeals every three years. As you would expect the headlines and priorities for these appeals have varied. In some cases, the emphasis has been on supporting mission partners around the world or in our own neighborhood. We have, for example, provided clean water in Malawi; raised funds for Christian micro-loans in Colombia; built dormitories for a school in India and medical clinics in Tanzania; and supported our friends at Interfaith Outreach and developers of affordable housing in Minneapolis.
In other appeals, the emphasis has been on expanding or improving our physical plant so we can better serve our members and the community. The following spaces are all the result of these past efforts: our Sanctuary; the Center for Faith & Life; the Learning Center; the Music rehearsal room; and improvements to our Middle Level, the Fellowship Hall, the Atrium, the lower-level entrance, and the office suite. All these spaces continue to bless our mission and ministry today.
Faithfully managing our mortgage has also been a part of all these appeals—important in that this allows us to be fiscally responsible and have enough margin for effective ministry.
For the upcoming three-year cycle, all of these will be a part of what we’re doing—we’ll continue to partner with Mental Health Connect and Rise Early Learning Center; we’ll make some modest repairs and improvements to our physical plant; and we’ll continue to faithfully manage our mortgage, and even pay downsome principal.
The headline for this appeal, however, is really about making what is already a healthy and vital and vibrant church even more effective at spreading God’s love in a hurting world.
As New York Times columnist David Brooks writes, “We live in a time that is weirdly dehumanizing. We’re in the middle of a social crisis.” In his recent book, How to Know a Person, he outlines statistic after statistic that confirms this. To take just two of these, one recent survey finds that 54 percent of Americans report that no one knows them well. Another finds that 36 percent of Americans report that they felt lonely frequently or almost all of the time, including 61 percent of young adults and 51 percent of young mothers.
Here’s the thing: In this time of disorientation and crisis, the church can actually do something. And, more specifically, a healthy church like St. Philip the Deacon can make an outsized impact.
And so, in this appeal—in which we ask God to help us become the salt that flavors the world, and the light that can shine God’s love and hope into a hurting world—we are investing in ways to build community, to teach and engage our young people, to expand our educational
and spiritual growth opportunities, to help people connect through service and engagement, and to engage more people through our digital outreach.
Friends, the need is great, and—as we say all the time—it turns out that your gifts really can make a difference. I invite you to join your brothers and sisters at St. Philip the Deacon in this important work and to help us become salt and light for God’s world.
Schola Divina: Praying for Our Schools
September Prayer Practice
This month we will practice Schola Divina. Like Lectio Divina (praying God’s Word) or Visio Divina (praying with an image or artwork), this is a prayer practice of taking time to really sit and hold a particular thing in prayer. Schola is Latin for school. So, for Schola Divina, you are invited to pray for schools, educators and places of learning. Though it’s not necessary to be physically in front of an school, this practice is perfect for those of you who see schools in your neighborhood, throughout your day, or are held captive by carpool pickup!
Download a PDF Guide to Schola Divina. You can also pick up a copy of this hand-out at the information desk in the atrium.
As we approach the start of the fall, we’re excited to offer a number of educational opportunities for adults. A brochure has been sent uot to all SPD households withinformation about these offerings, including:
- a course on mourning, led by Pastor Strand Patterson
- conversations about the faith stories of our four pastors in October
- an introduction to C.S. Lewis in November
- ongoing Holy Grounds devotion and study sessions
- a Spiritual Growth Workshop about eliminating hurry from our lives
- two retreat opportunities for women in October and November
In addition to these courses and conversations, we are also excited to be part of a cohort of twelve churches from across the country for a series on Tuesday evenings this fall led by Dr. Allen Hilton. Learn more at spdlc.org/house-united.
We are excited to be part of a cohort of twelve churches from across the country for a series on Tuesday evenings this fall led by Dr. Allen Hilton. Dr. Hilton, a professor and pastor who has taught at Yale, is the founder of a non-profit called House United, committed to helping to bring people together from different perspectives for the common good.
During a contentious and polarizing election cycle, Dr. Hilton will help us to celebrate our unity amid differences with other Christians from around the country, reminding us that these differences should be an asset, not a threat. He will lead and guide us as we move toward our neighbors to help us flourish with our families, our churches and our communities.
Dr. Hilton was a speaker from last year’s Faith & Life Series with his talk on “Faith & Polarization: Surviving and Thriving in a House Divided.” We commend this talk to you if you are interested in getting a sense of Dr. Hilton’s approach and tone, and encourage you to join us for the kick-off event for this series on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m.
With you, we celebrate all of the opportunities we have to learn and grow together this fall, and we look forward to seeing you at these and other events as we begin the program year.
Dear Friends,
I am delighted to announce that Jen Galley will be joining the St. Philip the Deacon team as our first Director of Adult Education. In this role, Jen will be responsible for curating and overseeing in-person and online learning opportunities for adults that build faith and deepen community. She will begin her ministry with us on Sept. 8.
Jen comes to St. Philip the Deacon with rich teaching experience in both church and college settings, and holds degrees and certificates in ministry and spiritual direction from Luther Seminary, Christos Center for Spiritual Formation, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and North Central University. Look for more information later this summer about new learning opportunities for the fall.
I am also delighted to announce that JoBeth Ranfranz will join our team as Director of the SPD Ringers. With more than 25 years of experience leading handbell choirs, JoBeth has served as a regular substitute director for us, so is already well-known to our handbell choir. We are glad to have her continue to build on and expand the work of this ensemble.
In addition to these staff additions, I am pleased to announce some changes to roles and responsibilities for existing staff, as follows:
Kathy Hagedorn will now be focusing her energy on programming for our Pre-K children, including oversight of our Childcare Center.
Norah Long, who worked with our Sunday School children approximately once a month last year, will expand her presence in K-4 Sunday School to multiple weekends a month. She and Pastor Makayla Dahleen are already at work to refresh the curriculum for this important ministry.
Charlie Olson, who joined us last year as our Middle School intern, has accepted our offer to lead our Middle School and Confirmation Ministries.
Renee Putnam has moved into a role focused on Service and Engagement, where she will help plan and oversee opportunities for members to give back and build community.
Please join me in celebrating all of these new additions and changes, and keep all of these individuals in your prayers as we prepare for an exciting fall!
Grace and Peace,
Tim Westermeyer
Senior Pastor
