May 2020 Cross Currents

Worship With Us Each Sunday morning, we will be streaming on our website, YouTube, and Facebook. Choose the one that will work best for you! Services will stream live at 9:00 am and 10:45 am and recordings will be available anytime after the service at sapctucson.org. We are also now providing a call-in option for those without computer access. You can call by phone to listen to our livestream at 844-470-5750.

Make the most of your online worship experience.

FELLOWSHIP WITH ONE ANOTHER: Before or

Here are some tips on participating in worship via

after the service, reach out to a few friends.

livestream:

Check on one another in the same way you

FOLLOW YOUR NORMAL SUNDAY ROUTINE:

would in The Gathering Place. While we are

Get dressed, have breakfast, grab some coffee. In

practicing distancing, this does not mean will will

the same way it helps your brain to get ready for

give up meeting together and spurring one

the day before working from home, it helps

another on. Call or text someone on your heart

prepare your heart to get ready before worship.

and connect.

WATCH ON YOUR LARGEST SCREEN: If you have a smart TV, watch through the YouTube or Vimeo channel/app or watch online on your

STAY CONNECTED

biggest computer screen. Sit together with your family and watch the same screen if possible.

PARTICIPATE IN THE SERVICE: Sing out loud to worship songs and hymns, do your online giving during the offertory, take notes during the sermon. All of these things will help make the most of oour worship time together.

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A Letter from Daily Bread Thank you, St. Andrew's, for being a church zealous in love for Christ and others! Because of you, Daily Bread continues to provide lunches and pantry items to the clients of La Frontera.

Many of those clients are children! This is new to us because we are now serving La Frontera's Southside clinic as the other sites have closed. LFS ministers to both adults and youngsters.

These precious children are so grateful for the food. We were also able to bless them with Easter boxes. Several are keen little writers and I have received thank you notes in the mail via their case workers.

There is the nine year old boy with liver disease being raised by his grandmother who is also in ill-health. The suddenly unemployed single mother of three. Another woman who is currently raising her three children, all of whom suffer with the serious challenges of autism, Down Syndrome, and ADD. The first time they received lunches and grocery items she sobbed at the sight of the food.

Your generous gifts make this possible and point others to our Bountiful Lord, the Bread of Heaven! May He continue to be greatly glorified through your love.

-Louise Boost

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Our Not So Secret Operation Thank you St. Andrew’s! You have been the hands

who is isolated. You can drop it in the mail to

and feet for Jesus… answering the Lord’s call to help

RuthAnn and can find her address in the directory or

with our elderly and hospital outreaches with calls,

email her at rsmithrud@sapctucson.org to receive it.

texts, and emails that ask “Can you meet me ___ so

Thank you again to everyone who donated finances,

that we can give you ___ ?” What a wonderful and

prayed, and delivered supplies during our drive

blessed opportunity for us to be the Body of Christ

through days! We love you and are so thankful for

during this unprecedented situation! Please continue

you!

to write cards of encouragement. A couple of sentences make a big difference in someone’s life.

Your child’s handprint on one or more of his/her artistic drawings would mean the world to someone

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C H I L D R E N ' S

D I S C I P L E S H I P

M I N I S T R Y

Kids Participate in Amazing Race SAPC Kids and their families participated in the Amazing Race to Easter during Holy Week! Each day, Ms. Shelly emailed out 2-3 challenges. Families completed the challenges. They sent pictures or videos to Ms. Shelly as proof of their completed challenges.

“It was great to see the families working together and being creative,” said Shelly, Children’s Ministry Director.

“I loved opening my email and text messages and seeing their faces each day.”

THE WINNERS OF THE AMAZING RACE WERE: First Place: Thompson Family (Sarah and Melanie) Second Place: Andrew Family (Titus and Blaise) Third Place: Mejias Family (Ben, Emmi, and Haddie) Each day, families read a part of the Holy Week story in their Bibles. Then the challenges went along with the scriptures that they read. Families created crowns of thorns, found new life on a walk, mailed letters, and cooked or baked together. They also cleaned their houses, created crosses, and sent Ms. Shelly pictures of their best friends. There were 17 challenges in all, and an additional Easter Scripture Scavenger Hunt.

“She is loving the challenges,” said Jocelyn Marble’s mom, Caitlin.

“I love this idea,” said Kristi Mejias about making a focus prayer jar with her kids. “Perfect tool to help us endure being in the house together for so long and to focus our prayers.”

Fifteen families participated in at least one challenge during the week. Ms. Shelly sent each of the winners a pizza to share as a family.

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D I S C I P L E S H I P

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Youth Group Continues Online As we navigate this interesting time SAPC Youth is committed to meeting together! We are having weekly Zoom Youth Group on Tuesday and Wednesday at 6:00 pm and hope that your student will join us. Be on the look out for weekly challenges on social media!

A D U L T

D I S C I P L E S H I P

M I N I S T R Y

Beyond Sunday GROWING IN GRACE Springtime is the season we associate with growth and beauty.

As followers of Jesus, each of us is

encouraged to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). In this two hour workshop, spiritual director and former pastor, Reverend Carla Williams, will teach and facilitate conversations that help us see more clearly what that looks like and how that happens. So join us, Saturday, May 2, 9:30 am - 11:30 am. Email Connie Randall at crandall@sapctucson.org and she will send you Zoom instructions and login information. We hope to see you there!

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A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

Financial Update

Ways to Give

Dear St. Andrew’s members, friends, and family, The past couple months have been filled with uncertainty and anxiety as we cope with the COVID-19 crisis. In March, the Board of Trustees and our Stewardship Team shared the importance of continued giving to support our ministries and our staff, and you have responded wonderfully.

HERE IS A FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT AS OF MARCH 31, 2020: Planned Revenues

$754,113

Actual Revenues $719,975

MAIL YOUR GIVING Mail your check to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church 7650 N Paseo del Norte Tucson, AZ 85704

Shortfall ($34,138) Thank you for your continued giving. Although we are short of our plan, it could be much worse given the circumstances. This shortfall includes a loss of revenue from our Preschool & Kindergarten ministry closing as well as the effects of the stock market on our short-term investments; both due to COVID-19.

TEXT TO GIVE Text $___ to 520-263-0034.

The school is closed for the remainder of the year and the market is still volatile, so our deficit is likely to increase in the months ahead.

We ask that you’ll prayerfully continue to give as you are able.

We are happy to receive checks mailed to the church, or you can give by text or online through our website. Our text and online giving by credit card does have a 2.6% fee associated with each transaction, so in an effort to maximize donations

GIVE ONLINE Give online by visiting sapctucson.org/giving.

received we’ve added a voluntary option for the donor to pay this convenience fee to offset cost to the church. If you select the bank account (ACH) option, you may deselect the voluntary convenience fee because credit card fees aren’t charged for this transaction type.

SHELBYNEXT GIVING APP Search your App Store for the ShelbyNext Giving App.

We are so thankful and blessed by your support.

Brad Engel Business & Operations Director -

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Do you need assistance?

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, we are coming together with our partners to provide food and supplies to people in need around the city. If you are in need of food, supplies, or prayer, we would like to help. To request assistance, please fill out our online form at sapctucson.org. For more information, contact RuthAnn Smithrud at rsmithrud@sapctucson.org.

In Memoriam As our day to day lives continue, there are those within our church family who have lost loved ones.

Under normal circumstances, we would have been able to gather, to honor and celebrate the lives of these valued church members and friends. Gathering together for a memorial service is an important part of the grieving process. Until we are able to be together, please keep loved ones of these beloved members and friends in your prayers:

Alice Bostrom January 5, 2020

Dean Schoff March 9, 2020

Donald Pierson April 9, 2020

Debbie Bouchard February 13, 2020

Dorothy Vanek March 25, 2020

Barbara McLean April 16, 2020

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