voice 2:7:2020 pdfgoodshepherdaz.org/docs/the voice junev4.pdf · the voice june 19, 2020 . monthly...
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THE VOICE June 19, 2020
Monthly newsletter of Good Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church
6502 E. Cave Creek Rd. Cave Creek, AZ
Church Office & Mail To: Good Shepherd of the Hills
6502 E. Cave Creek Rd Cave Creek, AZ 85331
Rev. John Christopher, Interim Rector 602-757-9282
Jim Lillis, Asst. to the Priest
480-488-3283 [email protected]
Jarrod Phillips, Youth Ministry 602-413-5972
Ashley Phillips, Children’s Ministry
623-570-1103 [email protected]
Randi Smelko Gold Mine Manager
480-313-2768 [email protected]
(Cont.)
Fr. John’s Musings
Celebrating the Gospel in Action
And now for some really amazing stories and events that people from Good Shepherd have accomplished in spreading the Gospel in our town and State. There are even some heroics thrown in and it is heartwarming to see so many partaking in our Mission work. I extend a large “THANK YOU” to everyone who weekly donate to the Food Bank, which not only feeds local folks but is also shared with Black Canyon City, an area even harder hit than ours. The best word, although it may not seem like it, is Consistency. Our disciples are a dedicated lot and you all deserve so much credit. Our Sandwich Project is more alive than ever, and we have a church goal of trying to best our previous months total. So far, so good—first month =98, second month=115. This is great, simply great.
It is such a pleasure to be a part of this and do take the time to read through this edition of the Voice.
May you all stay safe, and both Love and Blessings to you all. Fr. John+
HE VOICE MARCH 13, 2020 PG. 2
Your Vestry Senior Warden Steve LaMar [email protected]
Junior Warden Todd Knape [email protected]
Treasurer Tom Witt [email protected]
Secretary Dianna Slockett
Mike Powell [email protected]
Margaret Walker [email protected]
Andrew Wilson [email protected]
Beth Hatcher [email protected]
Mary Pierce [email protected]
Barbara Popejoy [email protected]
A Call for Help! Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As many of you know my neighborhood on the west side of Cave Creek on the northeast corner of the Cave Cree Regional Park took the brunt of the Ocotillo fire with several buildings and 85%-90% of our land burned. The fire literally burned to the edge of my pool. We have been working for years to repair our crossing at Cave Creek. We are in the midst of an appeal from a MCFC refusal to issue an approved plan after a year’s work and thousands of dollars spent in engineering costs and fees paid to Flood Control. They acknowledged that our plans are approved and have no adverse technical or environmental effect on the wash or surrounding properties, but have refused to issue the permit despite on the record admissions that the Az law, the facts, the equities, and public safety support the issuance of the permit. They instead have required that an absentee landowner in Iowa must approve our plans, contrary to well settled Arizona Court of Appeals and Supreme Court cases. We warned of the danger we live with. We were ignored, treated like criminals and dismissed. A week later fire ravaged our homes with fire trucks and fleeing residents bottle necked at our nearly impassable crossing. We need your help. Please go to the Cave Creek Town website, go to Town Council, the Council members are listed with phone numbers. Please call them and ask them to support our efforts to get safe access to our homes with litigation. Reach out to people you know and ask that they call as well. Peace be with you, Steve LaMar Senior Warden
Hero Times 2! Ismael Garnica, GSOTH’s wonderful landscaper, jumped into hero mode when he stopped to help put out a fire alongside the road at 35th St and Carefree Highway across from the Transfer Station. His quick thinking along with several other bystanders prevented the fire from spreading until the Fire Department arrived. Ismael is also being credited with helping to save a local property from the Ocotillo fire that burned 980 acres including many structures and homes in Cave Creek. Ismael and another landscaper spent several days clearing out the heavy underbrush along the property line which the owner states prevented the fire from spreading onto the property.
Way to go Ismael!
Good Shepherd of the Hills Church was chosen at the end of May to be part of a 3-church donation drive for the Hualapai (pronounced Wal-lah-pie) Tribe in NW Arizona. Due to the high number of COVID-19 cases the tribe has been quarantined since the end of April. These lock downs along with the tribe’s remote location resulted in a shortage of everyday necessities. After just 13 days from being notified of the situation and our role in the relief effort, GSOTH had donated $1900 dollars and 33 boxes containing toiletries, cleaning items, sleeping bags, tents, blankets, baby items and paper products! Thank you to all that participated! Special thanks to Beth Hatcher and Barbara Popejoy for handling the boxing (and weighing), Isaiah for loading, and Dianna Slockett and Ann Spolarich for transporting. It really does take a village! Excerpt from email from Bill Robinson @Transfiguration Mesa on June 10. Early this morning a squadron of 12 Angel Flight West aircraft lifted off from Falcon field with a cargo of 2,233 pounds of emergency relief supplies for the Hualapai Tribe in NW AZ. The Hualapai have the highest per capita infection rate of COVID-19 of any US Indigenous People. Supplies, and a generous cash donation, were provided by 3 Episcopal Parishes, Transfiguration Mesa, St. Peters Litchfield Park, and Good Shepherd of the Hills Cave Creek. All three churches have representatives on the Episcopal Diocesan Council for Native American Ministries. Thanks to all of you (and many, many others!) who had a loving hand in this project. And to Candida at the Hualapai Tribe, Alexandro from Angel Flight, James at St. Peters. Beth at Good Shepherd, and the farmers at the Crazy Chile Farm at Transfiguration who worked so tirelessly on planning and logistics, I have no words. All I can say is what Candida said in her own language...Hankya, Hankya, Hankya. 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Hualapai Relief Flight Donation Drive
The Foothills Food Bank has included Good Shepherd of the Hills in its Summer 2020
Newsletter! We are so blessed to be able to work with such an amazing organization that helps so many! GSOTH’s year to date donations include over 1000 pounds of food and $7000.00. Thank you to all that donated and continue to donate
weekly! Be sure to pick up at copy of their Newsletter when it comes out at the end of the
month!
Sandwich/Meal Ministry Raises the Bar!
The June prepacked sandwich/meal count exceeded all expectations with a whopping 115 Meals dropped off at Maitland Hall for the St. Vincent De Paul Dining Room. Thank you to everyone for your generosity! Also, a big thank you to Jarrod and Tom (Xuanang) Zhang for volunteering to transport for us!
On June 1, Arizona Cattle Dog Rescue sponsored a community spay/neuter event in partnership with Dr. Kelly's Mobile Vet, the Foothills Food Bank, Good Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church, and the Gold Mine Thrift Shop. A canopy and the mobile vet truck were set up in GSOTH’s parking lot where Dr Kelly and her team performed 41 spay/neuter surgeries and provided many vaccinations for pets of food bank clients, at no cost to the pet owner. -Randi Smelko
Each of you should use
whatever gift you have received to serve others,
as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms
1 Peter 4:10
Photo by Beth Hatcher
Although the store is closed currently, the staff is working hard bringing in dropped off donations, sorting, organizing and displaying all the amazing stuff they have been receiving! The pictures are just a peek at the great job they are doing! Thank you to all that have been dropping off donations!
CHILDRENS MINISTRY
Vacation Bible School Update. Hello everyone! We are saddened to announce that this year we will be unable to have VBS at Good Shepherd in person but are very excited to announce our VBS in a Bag. In partnership with a grant from Episcopal Children’s Services we are going to be bringing Vacation Bible School to the homes of our children! Beginning the week of July 6th- bags will be available for pickup or drop off for all interested. The children wanted to do a "rainbow" theme this year in honor of God's promise and to bring hope during these hard times. The bags are a five-day curriculum that will come with a Bible story for each day of the week, a link for songs to play, a snack, a craft or science activity, and a prayer. Our hope is that these bags will be used by families to help strengthen faith and connectedness and keep the tradition of VBS for our children that look forward to it each summer. If you would like a bag for someone special to you- a neighbor, grandchild, etc.- please email Ashley Phillips at [email protected] ASAP so we can make sure enough materials are ordered and prepared. Thank you! -Ashley Phillips
VACATION BIBLE
SCHOOL
VBS
GSOTH
We are having a great time with our weekly youth group check ins via Zoom. Our attendance has been awesome, and it is a great way to connect, pray, and read the word together. We are staying busy with weekly food bank collections and involving the students in helping with the St. Vincent de Paul sandwich ministry as well.
YOUTH MINISTRY
- Jarrod Phillips
Thanks to our Children’s Ministry Sunday School participants for the beautiful drawings & paintings!
While the originals will be gifted, the copies will be made into GSOTH notecards and postcards!
In May we were happy to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating seniors- Daniil Apet, Emily Knape, and Robby Madden. The graduating seniors were recognized during the May 17th service as well as with a gift- a framed print, a package of Ramen to get them started on their college diet, and a gift card to Walmart for college supplies. We also were happy to celebrate Tom (Xuanang) Zhang who graduated from ASU. Tom started as a student in our youth group and continued to serve as a leader these past four years, making the weekly trip from ASU. We wish all our graduates well and look forward to the blessings to follow. It was a privilege to be able to give the invocation at Bella Vista’s graduation service on Friday, May 22nd.
YOUTH MINISTR
Y
-Jarrod Phillips
Students and youth leaders were able to gather for a socially distant lunch at Barro’s to wish Daniil Apet goodbye and God speed as he moved to Florida at the end of May. Daniil will be attending college in Prague and is awaiting international air travel to open so he can make his way there. Please keep him in your prayers.
G R A D U A T I O N
PIZZA PARTY TIME