DESERT CROSS Weekly Newsletter Sharing | Loving | Serving Mission Statement: As a missional congregation, we celebrate Christ’s presence, invite people into a growing relationship with Jesus and equip them to serve in a broken world. Welcome to worship! All are invited to participate in Communion. During communion you are invited to kneel as you are able. Grape juice or gluten-free wafers are available. We love children worshiping with us. If you prefer, there is supervised nursery for ages four and younger. Friendship pads are used to stay connected. Please fill out the pad to let us know you were here and how we can keep in touch. Fellowship opportunities on Sunday: 9:00-10:45am in Tempe and in Gilbert following worship. Prayer of the Day: Gracious God, we want to put our lives in your hands, but too many times we hold back because of all the bad things that go on in this world. Help us to remember that you are in charge and that with you all things are possible. Thank you for that hope. Through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen Today’s Hunger Jar Offering will go to the ELCA Malaria Campaign. ATTENDANCE April 20 - 1,080 HUNGER JAR $906.27 NEXT GOSPEL Luke 24:13-35 April 26-27, 2014 Second Sunday of Easter WEEKLY CALENDAR TEMPE SUN (4/27) 8:00amWorship 8:30amFellowship 9:30amWorship 9:30am Sunday School 10:45amWorship 7:00pm H.S. Night MON (4/28) 7:00pm Ringing Praise TUE (4/29) 9:30am Joyful Noises 5:45pmSongleaders 7:00pm Band Rehearsal 7:00pmBasketball WED (4/30) 4:45pmIgnite 7:30pm Sanctuary Choir GILBERT SUN (4/27) 9:00am Sunday School 10:15amWorship 11:15amFellowship WED (4/30) 9:30am Joyful Noises THUR (5/1) 9:00am Coffee Fellowship 2:00pm Book Group 7:00pm Book Group SAT (5/3) 5:00pmWorship SUN (5/4) 8:00amWorship 8:30amFellowship 9:30amWorship 9:30am Sunday School 10:45amWorship 12:00pmCongregational Meeting 7:00pm H.S. Night THUR (5/1) 10:00am C3 Group SUN (5/4) 9:00am Sunday School 10:15amWorship 11:15amFellowship CHRISTCARE GROUPS Contact Denise McClellan at [email protected] or (480) 730-8600 for specific group locations. Sun 7:00pm Mon 9:30am Tue 9:00am, 10:00am, 2:00pm, 6:00pm, 6:30pm Wed 7:00am, 8:15am, 9:00am, 7:00pm Thu 7:00am, 6:15pm Flowers: Flowers on the altar are given by John Redmond in memory of Betty. The white carnations on the altar are in memory of Lois Meiche, of Ione Aldrich’s brother and of Sandra Fischer’s sister, Karen. STAFF CORNER Pastor Matt Dobyns He Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! We as people of faith gather during Easter (and all throughout the year) to mark the newness that comes because of what God is up to in our world; sometimes it even sneaks up on us. As I look out upon the next few months, I see lots of exciting and amazing newness that God has in store for us. WE90 begins in the fall, which will be an amazing time for our community to support young and old in the promises of our baptisms. We are taking a look at our facilities and dreaming together about how they can best be used for everything God has in store for us. We also look with anticipation at the possibility of a third pastor joining our community and the wonderful newness that will provide. Each of these possibilities, while they are independent of each other, when combined together provide some amazing possibilities for the community of Desert Cross. I truly see God alive and at work in this community of faith, and I see God calling us to be a voice and presence of Jesus for our world, culture shift and all. It is an absolute joy for me to journey with all of you into all of this newness God has prepared for us! Alleluia! SUMMER WORSHIP TIMES Beginning May 18, Sunday worship in Tempe will adjust to a summer schedule. The new times for worship services will be 8:30 and 10am. Saturday evening and Gilbert worship times will remain the same. CONGREGATIONAL MEETING Sunday, May 4, 2014 at 12:00pm • Tempe Sanctuary The purpose of the meeting is to address the agenda items listed below. We hope all will attend the meeting to address these important matters in the life of Desert Cross. AGENDA I. Land sale update and plans for sale proceeds II. Election of one Church Council member (Laura Krizan) and two Endowment Committee members (Bob Rose & Sharynn Jennings) *3 year terms for these positions.* Please note that there is still time prior to the meeting to submit additional nominees to the nominating committee. Please submit these names by April 24, 2014. III. Discussion and consideration of calling a third ordained pastor (follow-up to previous Congregational votes on June 24, 2012 and August 5, 2012. IV. IF a decision is made to move forward with the calling of a third ordained pastor, then election of a Call Committee V. Architect Will Bruder’s preliminary facility update. This is a follow-up to Will’s presentation/ information gathering session on March 2, 2014. Laura and Kurt Krizan and their 3 children have been members of DCLC for about 2 years. Laura is a Sunday School teacher, serves in worship and is a member of the Gilbert Hospitality team. Sharynn Jennings and Bob Rose have each been members of DCLC for 16 years. Are you willing to serve on the Call Committee? We are asking that those with an interest in serving on a Call Committee submit their names in advance. If the decision is made to call a third pastor, we will then be able to quickly move forward. As always, the goal is to have an inclusive, representative body. We are looking for three adults and one youth representative, to go along with one church staff member and one Church Council member. When submitting names for consideration, please include a brief statement as to the gift(s) you would bring to a Call Committee. These submissions can be sealed and put in the Sanders’ mailbox, dropped off in the office attention to Mark Sanders, or e-mailed to the Church Council at: [email protected]. School children smile in the Oshigambo WORLD MALARIA SUNDAY village of Namibia. Introducing the ELCA Malaria Campaign The ELCA is observing World Malaria Day on Sunday, April 27. The national goal is to raise $250,000 in one week, which is enough to kick-start malaria programming in Namibia. Already, the ELCA has joined hands with our brothers and sisters in 12 African countries, and have seen great progress. Together, let’s help make it 13. Malaria Sunday — April 27 World Please donate to World Malaria Sunday – April 27 by placing your donation in millions the hunger jar this weekend, orobserve puttingWorld a check in the Every year, of people around the globe Malaria Day offering marked “malaria” in the memo section. on April 25. The ELCA Malaria Campaign is turning this day intowww.elca.org/malaria a special week, and doing our part by observing World Malaria Sunday on April 27. Malaria is a leading cause of death in Africa. It claims the life of a child every 60 This isThe an 2011 opportunity for all of us to come together and the do something seconds. ELCA Churchwide Assembly voted to approve ELCA Malaria Campaign help eliminate deaths from thisand disease—for good. baptized big. Withtonearly 10,000 congregations over 3.9 million members, we are a church that rolls up its sleeves and gets to work. The Whyisus? Whygoal malaria? is to raise $250,000 in one week, which enough to kick-start malaria Working as a church, through churches in Justprogramming one bite from an infected mosquito in Namibia. Africa, we already have the structure in is all it takes for a person to come down with malaria. Almost 630,000 people die of place to reach individuals and communities We can doyear. more than alone. Already, we havereach. We that other organizations cannot malaria each Buttogether it shouldn’t bewe thisever could joined hands with our brothers and sisters in 12 African countries, andtrained way. We know what it takes to stop malaria. already have health care providers seen progress. Together, it 13. Thehave disease is great completely preventable and let’stohelp makemake a difference. treatable. Save the date and plan to participate inWhat’s World next? Malaria Sunday – April 27! Why now? We need your help. Your prayers, your Ending deaths from malaria is now leadership and your generous donations are a goal within our reach, thanks to a needed to meet our fundraising goal of $15 global movement of governments and million by 2015. Learn more at www.elca. international organizations. The ELCA and org/malaria. Lutheran churches in Africa are now part of this historic effort. ! Your gifts to the ELCA Malaria Campaign will help our companion churches in Africa provide mosquito SPECIAL HUNGER JAR OFFERINGS May 3 & 4 To support our Desert Cross Lutheran Church Feed My Starving Children packing event May 10-25 Grace Lutheran Church in downtown Phoenix distributes tens of thousands of water bottles to the homeless throughout the hot months. All hunger jar donations the weekends of May 10/11, May 17/18 and May 24/25 will be donated to Grace Lutheran for this special ministry. COMPASSION SUNDAY Desert Cross is participating in Compassion Sunday on May 3 & 4 at all Tempe worship services. This is a national event that helps us grow in our understanding of God’s very special love for the poor. It’s also an opportunity for each of us to intervene in the life of at least one child in poverty. For more information, contact Joy Petroff at [email protected] or visit compassionsunday.com HIDDEN TREASURES THRIFT STORE 610 N. Alma School Suite 30 • Chandler, AZ 85224 Hours: 9am-4pm Mon-Sat • 9am-6pm Thu (480) 857-8310 • www.treasuresthrift.com Thank you. Your donations help make the store successful. Your shopping and volunteer hours keep us going. You are essential. Mother’s Day is May 11th. Hidden Treasures has jewelry, books, clothing and décor items for Mom. There may be a specialty item in Silent Auction – check these out now. The store also has a large variety of basket to help you create a unique gift basket for Mom. Summer is approaching and many volunteers will be gone. Please consider helping out a few hours a week. YOU ARE NEEDED. Donations Needed: Jewelry (including broken pieces), greeting cards, kitchen items, craft items. Clothes: Maternity and scrubs. NEW GROUP IN GILBERT C3: Coffee, Conversation and Christ Thursdays at 10am • Gilbert Campus • Starting on April 24 You’ve been asking; so let’s do it. Coffee, treats, and you. The Group will determine the specific agenda: fellow, study, support, ministry activity? Ages 18 to 98 are welcome. ADULT FELLOWSHIP Shepherd of the Valley and Lunch at Mandarin Buffet Wednesday, May 7 The Adult Fellowship Group is going to visit Pastor Harold Stromer at Shepherd of the Valley. Shepherd of the Valley has a display of crèches from around the world for us to tour. We’ll also visit their Mission of Mercy outreach program. Mission of Mercy is a mobile medical van providing free health services to the uninsured. We’ll meet at Desert Cross Tempe for carpooling at 9:15 am. Please RSVP by Monday, May 5. Contact Ormal and Margie Saathoff at 480-883-7736 BOOK GROUP April 24-May 15 Tempe Community Center Adult Classroom 2:00pm or 7:00 pm We’ll be reading and discussing The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout. Afternoon group, contact Becky Endres at [email protected] or (480) 862-3137. Evening group, contact Denise McClellan at [email protected] or (480) 730-8600 CHILDREN’S MINISTRY Join us for Family Night April 30 • Gilbert • 5:30-7:00pm There will be family dinner from 5:30-6:00pm. Then parents will enjoy a guest speaker from Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, talking about children’s environmental health. The kids will be doing a service project and some fun games. Nursery is available for ages 2 and under, and youth are invited to help with the project/games. Families with kids of all ages bring your flock, friends, and neighbors…and join the fun! Field Trip of Faith: DCLC Packing Event at Feed My Starving Children Thursday, May 8 • 4:00-5:30pm Kids ages 5 years old and up can attend with an adult! This is a fun way to serve as a family! We have 45 spots available so please RSVP to Shannon Fossett ([email protected]) as soon as possible. The Feed My Starving Children Packing Site is located at 7965 S. Priest Dr., Suite 106 Tempe, AZ 85284. Mark Your Calendars for 2 Weeks of Fun at DCLC This Summer Registration forms are available on the website. We need lots of volunteers for these programs. Thank you for considering! Vacation Bible School Weird Animals Where Jesus’ Love is One-of-a-Kind June 9-13 Music Camp Joseph: From the Pit to the Palace June 16-20 SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY Desert Cross Students – Scholarships Available If you are a high school graduating senior or continuing college student and are a member of Desert Cross, the Desert Cross Endowment Committee will be considering scholarship requests at the May meeting. If you are interested in applying for a scholarship please submit an application form to the committee by May 7th. Forms are available in the church office. If you have any questions please contact one of the committee members. Bob Rose, Jim Mathews, Sharynn Jennings, Sue Eberle, or Mari Johnson. YOUTH MISSION TRIP Missionary Tree Look for the “Missionary Trees” in Tempe and Gilbert. These trees carry pictures of our Desert Cross Summer Mission Trip Missionaries. We will be traveling to Tijuana, Mexico to build homes for families in need. Also with these pictures you will see a small bio on the missionaries as well as a small red envelope. Our hope is that you take one of these ornaments off of our tree, pray for the chosen missionary and if possible, return the little red envelope with a donation in that persons honor. Any donation you make will go to help the entire team of approximately 40 people. 9th Annual Desert Cross Lutheran Golf Tournament Saturday, May 24 • 7:30am Shotgun Start Foothills Golf Club 2201 E. Clubhouse Dr. Phoenix, AZ 85048 Join us for a day of fun and golf. Tournament proceeds will benefit the Youth Mexico Mission Team. Registration available online, or register in person beginning Sunday, May 4 in Tempe or Gilbert. UPCOMING EVENTS Habitat for Humanity Golf Scramble Saturday, April 26 • 7:30am Shotgun • Club West Golf Club 16400 South 14th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85045 Cost is $95 per player (includes, golf, lunch, range balls, etc.). A flyer is available in the Tempe Narthex with additional information. So we can let the golf course know how many are planning on attending, please contact Mike Murray if you’d like to sign up. Mike Murray can be contacted at [email protected], (480) 345-7634 or (480) 600-4291. MS Bike Ride As many of you know, many of our own Desert Cross members are affected by Multiple Sclerosis. Help fight MS and join the movement by supporting Art Krzyzewski as he rides up to 150 miles on May 17 and May 18, 2014 along with the team he is on, “The Main Street Mashers.” You can go to bikemsarizona.org to donate directly or see Art at the Tempe site. If you have any questions, you can call him at (602) 292-0663 or e-mail Art at [email protected] Five B Barbecue Sunday June 1 • 4-6pm Come for an evening of fun and friends to benefit a great cause! Burgers, Brats, Beans and Bars the fifth B is bring a friend. The Five B Barbecue will benefit the Mexico Mission Trip . Craft Night Friday, May 17 • 6pm • Tempe Fellowship Hall Bring a craft, bring a friend, get your projects done! If you have questions or need directions, contact Shelley at [email protected]. THE DANIEL PLAN Celebration this Sunday! We have completed the first 6 weeks on The Daniel Plan and will be celebrating on Sunday April 27, at 11:00 am in the Community Center. We will be setting up at about 10:30 if you are available to help. Individuals will have a chance to share their experiences and we will enjoy snacks, finger food and dessert! Last names starting with A-L bring a Daniel Plan snack food or finger food and last names starting with M-Z bring a Daniel Plan dessert. We want to tally up our weight loss so if you have not given your total to your group leader you can send it to Kelly Murray, [email protected]. Please contact your group leader to see if your group will be meeting during the summer. Or you can always contact Kelly at (480) 345-7634 or [email protected] with any questions. STEPHEN MINISTRY Stressed? Feeling Down? Need Encouragement? Stephen Ministers don’t just provide care for people experiencing a major crisis. They also provide care and support for people weighed down by the little things in life. If you’re feeling down, lonely, stressed, or discouraged, you could benefit from the care, support, and MINISTRY encouragement of a Stephen Minister. It’s free. It’s confidential. And it will really make a difference in your life! To find out more, talk with one of our Pastors or Stephen Leaders: Denise Viker or Deb Christiansen. Our Stephen Ministers are there to care! STEPHEN LOCATIONS TEMPE 8600 S. McClintock Dr. Tempe, AZ 85284 (NW Corner of McClintock/Warner) GILBERT 3225 S. Lindsay Rd. #101 Gilbert, AZ 85297 (SE Corner of Lindsay/Pecos) CONTACT US 8600 S. McClintock Dr. Tempe, AZ 85284 (480) 730-8600 • www.desertcross.org MINISTRY STAFF Senior Pastor Dan Megorden [email protected] Office Manager Dawn Collins [email protected] Associate Pastor Matt Dobyns [email protected] Parish Nurse Denise Viker, RN [email protected] Operations & Property Doug Bjotvedt [email protected] Worship Coordinator Jacque Jecker [email protected] Adult Ministries Denise McClellan [email protected] Youth Ministries Chad Diegle [email protected] Children’s Ministries Shannon Fossett [email protected] Children’s Music Janet Katel-Johnston [email protected] Tempe Worship & Music Jane Yost [email protected] Gilbert Worship & Music Michael Lottes [email protected] Communications Coordinator Christy VandenBerg [email protected] Pianist Aimee Fincher & Janet Norman Church Council [email protected] PRAYER CHAIN Please send requests to [email protected] or fill out a prayer request form. NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS Please send submissions to [email protected] by the Tuesday prior.