Santa Cruz Lutheran Church6809 South Cardinal AvenueTucson, Arizona 85746

F Y I…...Christ in Our Home daily devotional booklets (in large and regular print) are available on the worship book cabinet for you to pick up quarterly. Large print copies of our weekly bulletins are also available on that same cabinet. Your Santa Cruz Newsletter may be picked up on the cabinet on the last Sunday of each month (there are a few extras for folks who have provided an email option).

...We thank each and every one of you who continue, week after week, to bring in canned and packaged items for our food ministry. During the summer months, we invite folks to bring in school items as well. We like to collect paper, pencils, pens, glue, notebooks, binders, crayons, and other school items to provide for the children of our food ministry clients.

…We are currently planning a Parish Life Meeting for Sunday, August 19th

following our 9:15 worship time. It will be an opportunity to plan events for the remainder of the year. New members are always welcomed, and we look forward to hearing the ideas of our present members.

VACATION BIBLE SATURDAY

IS HAPPENING HERE

JULY 14 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

(lunch will be served)

Polar Blast Bible Exploration guides our participants through God’s Word in unforgettable ways that make Scripture come alive. The Bible Point: “Jesus will always love you;” the Key Verse: “I trust in your unfailing love (Psalm 13:5);” the Bible Story: “Jesus welcomes the children (Luke 18:15-17).” We’ll begin the Shoes That Grow service project by inviting you to place your change (and bills) into the containers provided to purchase shoes for kids in third-world countries. Games, music, and snacks will round out your morning and show you Where Jesus’ Love Is Cool!

VBS is inter-generational for anyone over 3 years old, and is offered at no cost. A volunteer sign-up sheet is posted on the Kiosk,

July 2018

or you may let Carol Radler know you are interested in helping, and in what area your interests lie.

A pull-tab board of items needed to prepare our snacks and lunch is posted in the sanctuary. We invite you to take a look at the items and take a "tab" or two home with you and return the items on the date requested.

Pastor’s PageDear People of God at Santa Cruz,

During these summer Sundays, we are gathering once a month with one another to share meal, fellowship, Scripture study, prayer, and faithful conversation… all done in order to assist us in the task of better clarifying what we sense to be God's own vision for our congregation.

Why? It has been shown in recent years that the one characteristic shared by vibrant, growing churches is their strong sense and ownership of "vision", coupled with an equally powerful drive for "mission".

"Vision" and "mission" are similar, yet also different…

"Vision" is what captures your heart… "Mission" puts hands and feet to what's in your heart.

"Vision" is the horizon, the destination, the goal… "Mission" is what enables you to get there.

It is helpful to remind ourselves that neither congregations nor pastors have their own particular mission. Rather, we are all invited to participate in God's bigger mission. How a congregation discerns and lives-out its own role in God's mission depends upon its local context. Santa Cruz, for example, with its unique strengths and challenges, has been placed in this particular time and place for a specific, God-determined purpose.

These three summer gatherings are not identical, but they are designed to dovetail into each other. That is why your own faithful and focused participation is so important to their success.

In all, these gatherings will assist us, as a congregation, in asking and responding to these three key questions:

"What would it look like if we intentionally and more fully lived-out our understanding of God's mission right here in our own unique setting?"

"What do we need to do… what concrete steps can we take… to actually make that happen?"

And lastly,

"God's purpose for our congregation is……"

I look forward to our time together.

Pastor JimSERVE THE LORD WITH GLADNESS

9:15 WORSHIP TIME ONLY - JULY

ACOLYTES LECTORS 1 Yaniva Murrieta 1 Robert Encinas 8 Che Lopez 8 Marilyn McGarry 15 Leo Gracia 15 Lisa Wood-Hromidko 22 Yasmine Murrieta 22 Noel Palmer 29 Jasmine Gracia 29 Carlos Gracia ASSISTING MINISTERS COFFEE HOSTS 1 & 8 LeAnne Mitts 1 & 8 Dick & Jean Meyer 15 & 22 Sandy Skinner 15 Jim & Kathy Blake 29 Kenny White 22 Ches Gandy

29 Ruth Senkbeil

USHERS 1 & 8 Mark & Pam Kern, Arlen Holmes, Lynn Davis 15, 22, 29 Francis & Margaret Schofield, Joanie Contreras, Paul Bean

YOUTH – 1 ST BIBLE CLASS For youth who will be entering the 2nd grade in the fall, or those who have not yet received a Bible, there will be a 1st Bible Class – one time only – offered

JULY 1st

On Sunday, July 1st the Tucson Barbershoppers will be paying a return visit to Santa Cruz Lutheran Church (for the third year in a row!) at our regularly scheduled summertime worship hour (9:15). You won’t want to miss them!

We’ll enjoy “When I Lift Up My Head” during the prelude; The Lord’s Prayer; “This Little Light of Mine” during the distribution of communion; and “The Irish Blessing” as our postlude. So, don’t miss the opportunity for Santa Cruz to welcome back this group of singers on Sunday, July 1st.

in August (date TBD). For the parents of those eligible, you may come and pick up a Bible any time in July to have relatives and friends underline/highlight a verse or share a special saying inside the front or back covers before the kids take the class. They will be recognized at Worship the week following the class.

When we pray for one another it makes a difference. Include in God's care:Lori Ashford Yolanda Gonzalez David Kern B.B. NoeSandy Read Paula Skinner Dan Moore Renee RiegertPr. Kent Klophaus Mae Helmers Jo Conover Roxan BaldwinMark Kern Fred Nichols Ed Johnson Samuel ClemmonsWeston Koch Carrie Turpin Jamie Hensley Ivan CorralGayla Lukas Milo Hromidko Marilyn Fabian Lynn AlmsEsther Wood Avery Johnson Ruth Senkbeil Ray NecoecheaPaulette Archuleta Don Hunt Lois Bradshaw Pat MillyardSam & Carolyn Dodson Holly Peterson Gary V. Paul BeanRoyce Tollman Arlie Boatwright Maxine Schaller Betty LaytonMargaret Nichols Ron Geuder Dorothy Kern Larry Havenga

We grieve with...Lois Bradshaw and family as they mourn the passing of her brother Bob Knutson on June 17 th

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THANKS......to Gay Kline and LeAnne Mitts who attended the Synod Assembly along with Pastor Jim....to All who continue to donate canned and packaged goods, cake mixes, birthday candles, books, and games to supplement our food box distribution....to Kenny Morgan for installing a new timer on our Memorial Garden irrigation system, AND for his never-ending work around our church property.…to Kristin Smith for her diligence in making sure our Memorial Garden is properly watered, weeds removed, and spent plants replaced. We appreciate her tender loving care!…to Mark Herr for arranging special music each month throughout the summer. What a treat to hear the Southern Comfort Band in June, and we look forward to the Barbershoppers in July! Remember, we’ll have the pleasure of listening to the talents of a solo guitarist sometime in August.

SEVEN YOUTH and 2 adults will be back from the ELCA National Youth Gathering in Houston, TX on July 1st. We want to thank all of you for your generosity and support during our three years of fund raising. It has been touch-and-go the last three months, but I do believe we will have met our needs by the time we are scheduled to leave on June 27 th. We look forward to sharing our experiences at one of the upcoming worship times in late July or early August. – Carol Radler

CELEBRATION OF OUR SENIORS(members 80 years and older this year)

Following our 9:15 worship on Sunday, July 8 th we will celebrate our seniors with a cake in their honor. Santa Cruz is blessed with the following senior members: Shirley Biamonte, Lois Bradshaw, Chuck & Louise Conrad, Betty Durham, Dorothy Frenz, Ches Gandy, Don Genung, Dimas & Diane Gonzalez, MaryLee

Haag, Arlen Holmes, Betty Hossler, Winnie Keesler, June Keiflin, Betty Layton, Bruce Marks, Pat Millyard, Fred Nichols, Johnny & Beverly Palermo, Ray Rakow, Ruth Rice, Larry Ruder, Maxine Schaller, Lester & Freida Stehr, Dorothy Taylor, Daisy Whitten, Don & Esther Wood and Fred Young. We are blessed with your presence – near and far!

ACTIVE SHOOTER PRESENTATION – at the request of one of our members, and in view of the many shootings throughout the country, our Church Council has contacted the Pima County Sheriff’s Department to set up an Active Shooter Presentation here at our church. We’re planning the presentation on a Sunday in July following our worship.

POZ CAFÉ – each summer (usually in August) our congregation teams up with two other congregations to help plan, prepare, serve, and clean up a luncheon for folks living in Tucson with HIV/AIDS. It’s a nearly full-day event with volunteers meeting at St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church (4625 East River Road) at 8:45 AM until 2:00 PM.

Volunteer congregations are asked to provide food for the meal, items for the CarePartner bags (toiletry items they are unable to purchase with food stamps), and prizes for their raffle and Bingo games. Melody and Diane will be attending the planning meeting on Monday, June 25 th, so we’ll be able to provide more info following the meeting.

If you would like to volunteer at the Poz Café on Thursday, August 16 th, please be sure to let Diane know as soon as possible. We usually like to bring 5-6 volunteers. Volunteers help to set tables, prepare the welcoming snack, organize and assemble the CarePartner bags, prepare the meal with the aid of a chef, call bingo numbers, help with the raffle, and clean up after the event. There’s something for the very active, or not-so-active volunteer! Please let us know if you’d like to help.

OUR PRAYER SHAWL TEAM will gather on Wednesday, July 11th at 11:00 AM for continued work on the prayer shawls. As has been the practice, most work on the shawls is done at home; these gatherings are simply a time to reconnect, offer crocheting ideas, and enjoy fellowship. New participants are always welcomed.