In this Edition:

• This Sunday January 22 - Special Guests, the Rev. Daniel Romero and the Ven. Rena Turnham
• Annual Meeting
• Mill City String Quartet Concert - Jan 22
• Faithful Innovation - What's that all about?
• Community of Hope International
• Vestry Update
• Children and Youth Committee Meeting
• Invitation to be Vineyard Stewards
• ICA Update

Have an announcement you would like to share in this weekly email?

Send it to [email protected] before noon on Wednesday to be featured.

Church this Sunday

The visit from the Rev. Kerri Meyer, originally planned for this Sunday, will be postponed.

8:00 and 9:30 Holy Eucharist

Godly Play will take place during the 9:30 service for children age 3 through grade 5. 

We will continue to Facebook Livestream the Sunday 9:30 service and upload to YouTube to accommodate for those who choose to stay home.

We welcome guest preacher, the Rev. Daniel Romero

The Rev. Daniel Romero, an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), is First Nation Pueblo, indigenous Aztec, and Spanish. Daniel is the Immigration Legal Services Consortium Coordinator for the Minnesota Council of Churches. His ministry focuses on working with immigrants and refugees, and especially with undocumented communities. Prior to becoming a Pastor, Daniel served as a Global Minister in the West Bank of Palestine, as a social worker, and as a community organizer where he led and organized dozens of social justice campaigns in several states. To contact Daniel, email him at [email protected].

10:45-11:30 Financial Plan Presentation

Godly Play 2 will take place during the presentation for kids ages 3- grade 5.

11:45-1:15 Confirmation Class

We welcome guest instructor, the Ven. Rena Turnham.

The Venerable Rena Turnham is a ‘daughter’ of St. David’s, having grown up in the parish, and returned with her own family so her children could have the same wonderful experience she had. Thirteen years ago, Rena heard a call to the diaconate, after serving as the senior warden, and entered the discernment process. 

Rena serves as a deacon empowering and equipping others for service, advocacy, and social justice ministries. She has served at St. Stephen’s-Edina, Gethsemane and St. Mark’s Cathedral.  Rena currently serves as one of three archdeacons in ECMN, supporting deacons in the West Metro, Central Metro, and SW Mission Areas.  Rena also serves as a Deputy to General Convention and as the Vice Chair of the ECMN Cuban Ministry Commission.

The St. David's Annual Meeting will take place during the community forum time on January 29th

Kids are invited to come sledding on the St. David's lawn during the annual meeting.

Mill City String Quartet Concert

Sunday, January 22 at 3pm, St. David's Sanctuary

Easy as 1, 2, 3

Please join members of Mill City String Quartet for a wonderful concert of Solos, Duets, and Trios! St. David's very own Music Director, Roger Stratton, will be performing for this concert as well as our newest quartet member, violist Coca Bochonko. This concert features amazing pieces by Elaine Fine, Max Reger, Dimitri Shostakovich, Amy Beach, Vittorio Monti, and Sergei Prokofiev! Come let this vibrant music warm your heart on a cold winter's day. 

Faithful Innovation

The Faithful Innovation process is launching soon at St. David's.  A Guiding Team has been established, including Diane Curley, Gervaye Parent, Diane Barnett, Guy Drake, Anna Brock and Nan Drake.  Katherine Lewis is part of the team as Rector and Laura Natta is the coach.  Team members attended a training at the ECMN offices on 1/7/23, led  by Canon Blair Pogue.  The team is now busy preparing for the first phase of the Faithful Innovation process:  LISTENING.

Parish members will be asked to listen deeply as they read scripture, share stories and walk attentively through their neighborhood.  The goal for these practices is to help us begin to answer the question, “What might God be up to?”  

When the 3 spiritual practices have been completed, the Guiding Team will use the feedback to develop simple, low cost experiments designed to expand  the energy we have discerned.  Our membership numbers may or may not increase as a result of this process.  However, our connections with God, ourselves, each other and our neighbors are certain to be strengthened.

The first step will be taken in February when the Guiding Team will ask any small group to read a designated passage of scripture using the ancient practice of Dwelling in the Word.  This practice involves listening to scripture with an open heart and mind.  It depends on listening with curiosity and a willingness to be shaped by whatever God might want to say to us.  Three questions will be used to guide our listening:

1. What caught your attention?
2. What question or questions does this passage create for you?
3. What do you think God might be saying to you or to us as a group through this passage?

The practice begins with listening to the Word together;  it is read twice with intervals for reflection on the 3 questions. After listening and silently reflecting, there is a short time for sharing with one other person.

Stay tuned to this space to learn what the Spiritual Practices for March and April will bring!  Please feel free to talk to any members of the Guiding Team with any questions you may have about this process.

Invitation to Participate in Community of Hope Training

Community of Hope equips lay people to serve in pastoral care, creating communities, steeped in Benedictine Spirituality, to serve others through compassionate listening.   

What:  a fourteen module course of study covering listening skills, prayer, meditation and silence, pastoral care of seniors, pastoral visit and boundaries, coping with loss.   

Dates:   

Friday, February 24, 6:00-9:00 pm and Saturday, February 25, 9:30-2:30, in person opening retreat at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral 

Saturday mornings, 9:00-11:00, via Zoom: March 4, 11, 18. 25; April 1, 15, 22; May 6 

Saturday, May 20, 9:30-1:30, in person closing retreat at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral 

Who: St.  David’s has offered two training sessions in the past, but this one is sponsored by Episcopal Church of MN.  Training will occur with other faith members in our diocese.   Each session will be led by a professional faculty member. 

FAQ: 

Is it required that I attend all the sessions including the in-person retreats?  All are required to attend the in-person retreats.  Participants may miss up to two of the Zoom sessions, although attending every session is ideal. 

Is there a cost to participate?  $45 fee  

What is the location of the retreat?  The opening and closing retreats will be held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral.  The other sessions will be held on Zoom. 

How do I sign up?  Please reach out to Diane Curley or Carol Johnson (contact information below) who will provide you with an application for participation. 

I still have questions and would like to speak with someone who has taken the training.  Who do I contact?   Diane Curley, [email protected], Carol Johnson, [email protected] or the Rev. Katherine Lewis, [email protected].  

Vestry Update

The St. David’s Vestry met on Monday, January 16^th, Via Zoom.  Jeff Strommen led the group in a spiritual reflection, and we then went into discussions on the items on the agenda.  

The financials for the end of the year were approved.  We also approved the minutes from the December meeting.  

Cathy Schwichtenberg and Steve Johnson presented the financial plan for 2023.  The Vestry reviewed and recommended the 2023 financial plan for presentation.  The plan will be presented during coffee hour on January 22^ndand will be voted on for approval during the annual meeting on January 29^th. 

The Vestry reviewed the agenda, the vestry slate, and the recommended by-law changes for the annual meeting.



We also spent some time reflecting on the past year and celebrated the accomplishments for the year.



Randy Schwichtenberg

Senior Warden

Volunteer with St. David's Children and Youth!

We are so lucky to have a committed and enthusiastic group of kids here at St. David's. And that group is growing! With more kids, we need more adult volunteers. Specifically, we need a second adult to serve with Sara or Anna on one Sunday morning a month. Please prayerfully consider this opportunity!

Email Anna at [email protected] if you are interested.

Please join our children and youth committee meeting on January 24th at 7:00pm via zoom. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89424235889



This is an open committee, meaning that anyone feeling called can jump in, and that anyone can say “not this month” during a busy season. A goal for this committee is to serve from a place of lightness and joy.

Invitation to be Vineyard Stewards

Hello St. David's folks!

I'm personally planning to sign up and join a cohort for this opportunity at Good Courage Farm, and I want to pass along the invite to anyone else who may be interested. It's a small group ministry program where we tend to a grape vine together in their vineyard, returning throughout the growing season to prune, net, and harvest the grapes, and finally, press wine to be used at Eucharist. Please check out the link to learn more https://www.goodcourage.farm/smallgroupministry

And please let me know if you'd like to join me!

-Anna Brock (just as a fellow parishioner this time)

[email protected]

ICA Update

ICA mission: To create a healthy and stable community for all.

ICA has a New Look

Starting now in January, this vital organization in our community will be known as ICA, not ICA Food Shelf. This change better reflects ICA's overall resources and community outreach efforts. Services offered through ICA include food services, financial assistance and referral services and employment services. Please read the letter below from Dan Narr, ICA Executive Director and check out the new logo!

Dear ICA Community,

Last year, ICA was in the midst of celebrating our 50th anniversary. It was a year of reflection for many of us within the organization, as we acknowledged how much we had grown and expanded since our founding in 1971. As we turn our attention to the next 50 years of service, we recognize how much our community continues to change as we emerge from the pandemic.

Unfortunately, the need for resources has not waned, offering new challenges that provide us an opportunity to rethink our approach and strategically redefine access to meet the needs of people and families closer to where they live and work.

To put it plainly, we have an obligation to change in accordance with the community around us.

As we strive to provide the very best services to our neighbors, we feel it's time to update our image to better reflect our overall resources and community outreach efforts.

More than ever, we’re aspiring to become a true community organization, where all neighbors in need are welcome and surrounded by people who care and want to help.

For us it means opening food markets and resource centers right inside local schools, so parents and kids can get food and other assistance without having to plan an extra trip outside their daily routine.

It means expanding mobile deliveries to service homebound seniors, neighbors with disabilities and community members who lack access to reliable transportation.

It means expanding our interpreter services so non-English speaking families can feel welcomed and comfortable with ICA.

And it means emphasizing ICA’s other services like employment assistance, homelessness prevention and community referrals, which connect people and families with what they need to thrive.

Please know that we will never abandon our central food shelf and the goal of making the experience like shopping in your local grocery store.

I couldn’t be more proud of the entire ICA community as we embark on this new and exciting era of service.

With gratitude,

ICA Executive Director Dan Narr

Bagging for Tips at Cub Foods

One third of the food available for our neighbors at the K-Tel location is actually purchased to supplement food donations, etc. As we all are experiencing, the cost of food has risen dramatically this past year. It is expected that ICA will need $250,000 more this year to buy the same foods purchased last year! 

Here is one easy way that you might consider helping ICA to raise funds to purchase food. On Saturday, February 4th you can help by bagging groceries at Cub Foods on 101 & 7. If you are interested, go to www.icafoodshelf.org. Choose Upcoming Events in the menu, then Cub Foods Bagging for Tips to access the sign-up genius.

Want to view the full calendar for the week? Click here to view the St. David's website complete with a calendar to keep you updated on events and offerings! Scroll all the way to the bottom to view it.