In this Edition:

• This Sunday – January 29, annual meeting and sledding
• Community of Hope International 
• Thank you to the Mill City String Quartet
• Prayer Update: Amara Strande
• Book Club 
• Invitation to be Vineyard Stewards 
• Help with Coffee Hour 
• ICA Update 

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Church this Sunday

8:00 and 9:30 Holy Eucharist

Children's Time 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 those who choose to stay home.

10:45-12:15 Annual Meeting

See invitation and annual report here.

Coffee hour this Sunday for the Annual Meeting will be hosted by Guy and Nan Drake in thanksgiving for their 50^th Wedding Anniversary.

Childcare will be offered during the Annual Meeting in the Nursery and Community room.

12:15-1:15 Sledding

Join us on the St. David's lawn for sledding and hot cocoa! Bring a sled and dress for the weather - it's going to be cold.

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].  

Thank you to Mill City String Quartet!

Thank you to the Mill City String Quartet for their wonderful concert this past Sunday.

Amara Strande

We have been praying for Amara Strande for many months. Amara was 16 years old when she was diagnosed with fiborolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, a rare cancer that strikes one in 5 million Americans between the age of 15 and 39. Now, at age 20, Amara is speaking out about the possible link between 3M's use of PFAA (sometimes called "forever chemicals") and the staggering statistics of cancers in the east metro, where Amara and her family live.

Amara and her mother, the Rev. Dana Strande, spoke this week at a press conference in support of legislation to ban "forever chemicals" in Minnesota. See link here.

Through Amara and her family's courageous witness, we see again how personal issues can be integrally connected to our public, civic life. May we continue to support Amara and her family with our prayers, and may we also be compelled to act for systemic change and environmental justice alongside them.

For more information about Amara, see this article.

Book Club Update

St David’s Book Club News

by Cathy Schwichtenberg

The St. David’s Book Club met on January 3 to discuss “Proud Shoes” by Pauli Murray and to set the schedule for 2023.  We have an interesting line-up of selections for the club this year and invite all St. David’s parishioners to participate.  We usually meet via Zoom on the first Tuesday of the month from 6:30 – 7:55.  Here is this year’s schedule – please join us!

Our Selection for the February Meeting is “Love is the Way” by Bishop Michael Curry.  

Meeting Link:    

St David's Book Club - February Meeting

Walk the path of love with one of the warmest, most beloved spiritual leaders of our time, and learn how to put faith into action. Much of the world (read: two billion people) met Bishop Michael Curry when he delivered his sermon on the redemptive power of love at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle. Here, he expands on his message of hope, in an inspirational road map for living the way of love, illuminated with moving lessons from his own life. As the descendant of slaves and the son of a civil rights activist, Bishop Curry's life illustrates massive changes in our times. Through the prism of his faith, ancestry, and personal journey, Love is the Way shows us how America came this far and, more importantly, how to go a whole lot farther. The way of love is essential for addressing the seemingly insurmountable challenges facing the world today: poverty, racism, selfishness, deep ideological divisions, competing claims to speak for God. This book will lead readers to discover the gifts they need in order to live the way of love: deep reservoirs of hope and resilience, simple wisdom, the discipline of nonviolence, and unshakable regard for human dignity".  ~ Hclib.org

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]

Thanks to you, we have been wonderfully cared for during coffee hour. Now your help is needed once more so please check out the new signup sheet for Coffee Hour hosts in the Undercroft. If you prefer to bring baked or store bought treats, that’s another way to help make this a favorite hour on Sunday.

Thanks. Sharon

ICA Update

Food Donations Needed

Did you know that more Minnesotans visited food shelves in 2022 than any other year on record?This month food donations are down significantly, which typically happens after the December holidays. ICA needs food right now. 

As you know, the first Sunday of the month is ICA Sunday at St. David’s. The next ICA Sunday will be on February 5th. Just giving you an early heads up about current ICA needs, so you can start gathering a few items to bring on the 5th or bring over early if you will be out of town that Sunday. The following food items are some of those in high demand right now:

   * cereal (hot & cold)

   * pasta sauce

   * canned soups & chili

   * peanut butter

   * tea, coffee

ICA also provides snack bins and weekend bags to local schools and need:

   * 1 oz. pretzels

   * .75 oz. goldfish crackers

   * 1 oz. baked chips

   * applesauce cups/pouches

   * breakfast bars

   * gluten-free snacks

   NOTE: All items should be nut-free.

And … your brown paper shopping bags & empty egg cartons ones are always needed. 

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. The cost of food has risen dramatically this past year as we all are experiencing. 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 you might consider to help ICA 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.

Another option that is always welcome is a cash donation. Every $30 donated will help provide 10 pounds of food to your neighbors experiencing food insecurity. You can donate by going to the ICA website & click on donate or by a check made out to ICA which can be dropped in the collection plate or sent to ICA at 12990 St. David’s Road, Mtka 55305. Many thanks for considering this option. 

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.