In this Edition:

• This Sunday  
• Music for Black History Month  
• Wednesday Lenten Series 
• Men's Retreat  
• Joe Davis joining Vocal Essence at Orchestra Hall
• St. Patrick's Day Dinner
• Letter Writing Campaign
• Variety Show on Cinco de Mayo  
• Global Health Ministries, Ecumenical Youth Ministry Fellowship + more children and youth updates!
• Annual Meeting Minutes
• Vestry Update
• Job Posting - We're seeking a part-time Sexton!
• Livestream and Recorded Service update
• Don't Take the Bait! Warning about uptick in Phishing Scams
• Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative
• ICA Update
• Book Club   

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Church this Sunday

One service at 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 those who choose to stay home.

10:45-11:30 Listener's Dare - Community Forum

Join us for a series of Sunday community forums where we as listeners dare to hear a word from God.

In his book “Listener’s Dare: Hearing God in the sermon” Bishop Will Willimon reminds us of the audacious claim that Jesus made as he sent his followers out in pairs to testify to the Good News “whoever listens to you, listens to me”!  For reasons known only to God, preaching is the primary way that God choses to speak to God’s people. So join us as we spend time in small groups, reflecting on the sermon and the scripture readings and asking questions that help us better understand… What is God saying to us today?

11:45-1:15 Confirmation Class

Session 4 out of our 4 class series - Our Local Ministry

We'll meet in the Library for Pizza and our final class together!

Music for Black History Month: Dr. Carl W. Haywood

For the past three weeks, we have been singing a setting of the Gloria written by Dr. Carl W. Haywood, and this Sunday we will sing his arrangement of the African-American spiritual “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me”.  As one of the editors of the hymnal “Lift Every Voice and Sing II: an African American Hymnal” and a major contributor to “Wonder, Love and Praise”, his music is sung widely in the Episcopal Church. He has serves as Director of Choral Activities at Norfolk State University (his alma mater), where his role has been described as “conductor, composer, educator, administrator, church musician, mentor, and promoter of student success.” At St. David’s, we look forward to singing many more of his inspiring, well-crafted compositions.



Enjoy this video of Dr. Haywood performing his own “Chorale Improvisation on We Shall Overcome”: https://youtu.be/jAYeoCM9Swc?t=1925    

This Lent, we’ll be singing a new set of acclamations for the Eucharistic Prayer. Here is the St. David’s Choir with a preview of the Sanctus.

What is God Up To?

Wednesday Lenten Series 2023

During Lent this year, please join in on an intergenerational experience called, “What is God Up To?”  We will connect for a time of reflection with a focus on spiritual practices and community.  All ages are welcome and encouraged.  

When:  Wednesday evenings starting at 5:30 for dinner with the series from 6:15 – 7:00.  

·      March 1 – What is God up to? Introduction and group activity “Dwelling in the Word”

·      March 8 – What is God Up to In Our Lives?  Sharing our stories

·      March 15 - St Patrick’s Day Feast – a special social event with no programming

·      March 22 – What is God up to at St David’s? Sustaining vitality.

·      March 29 – What is God up to in our neighborhood?  Listening and learning from those outside our faith community 

Note that you are welcome to come for only the dinner or for only the program.

Men's Retreat

Men’s Retreat: What Does it Mean to Live A Courageous Life?

Sat., Mar. 11, 8:30-11:30 AM | St. David’s Episcopal Church

If we can stand whole-heartedly wherever we are and notice the Spirit stirring us to live – really live, then we have everything we need to stop waiting for improvements in this circumstance or that and start with the next step God is calling us to take. Join spiritual directors Peter Watkins and Sam Rahberg for thoughtful examination and meaningful conversation. We’ll have morning prayer, short presentations, and discussion. Then we’ll bless wherever the Spirit is leading each of us. Come for coffee at 8:30 AM. We’ll adjourn by 11:30 AM and you’re welcome to stick around for lunch.

For more information, contact the Rev. Guy Drake, [email protected].

See more Lenten Opportunities in our 2023 Lent, Holy Week, and Easter Brochure!

Joe Davis joins Vocal Essence at Orchestra Hall

CONCERT: WITNESS: REAWAKENING LOVE

Feb 26 @ 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm | $15 – $45

Minneapolis-based artist, author, educator, and speaker Joe Davis joins VocalEssence choirs along with The New Renaissance, a multi-media production company that cultivates immersive experiences, and chamber orchestra in a call for the revival of love, the rebirth of peace, and the emergence of a community where violence ceases. Experience a fusion of musical styles interwoven with stories of struggle, resilience, and celebration as we honor lives lost and renew our commitment to a freedom that is wide enough in which all can thrive.

https://www.vocalessence.org/event/concert-witness-reawakening-love/

St. Patrick's Day Dinner

After a three year absence the March Wednesday dinner will once again celebrate St. Patrick's day with corned beef and cabbage and other delicious dishes.

To help us with our shopping, please sign up using the link below or the sign-up sheet in the narthex.

https://forms.gle/ektpzYjAM7dsjD4V6

Thank you!

Letter Writing Campaign

The Justice Collaborative is hosting a Letter Writing Campaign for the neighborhood on March 7th, at 7pm in the Undercroft. We're writing letters to the Minnetonka City Council in support of the Mills Church Affordable Home Ownership Project. The City of Minnetonka needs to approve the proposal to rezone Mills Church's acreage for residential use. Mills has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to help make this happen and ensure that the new town homes are as beautiful as they are affordable. People who work in Minnetonka should be able to live here too. Let the Minnetonka City Council know how you feel. Your voice matters! Anyone with a Minnetonka address or ties to a local church should attend and sign a letter. Light snacks, form letters, stationary, talking points, and stamps will be provided. Bring a friend! Let's make a difference!

Variety Show on Cinco de Mayo

Children and Youth Ministry Updates

On March 1st, we're heading back to the Global Health Ministries warehouse in Fridley to volunteer. Our volunteer slot is 6:00-8:00pm. All youth grades 6-12 are invited to join. Confirmation students are especially encouraged to attend as part of their service to community exploration. The carpool will leave at 5:30pm. Please RSVP to Anna if you plan to attend! [email protected]

Ecumenical Youth Ministries Fellowship

Calling all Youth ages 6-12 grade! We have some exciting events coming up with our Youth Group friends from Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Trinity Episcopal Church & Excelsior United Methodist Church.

We are planning a dinner, coffeehouse and bake sale on April 22nd to help raise money to see The Prom at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre on May 19th. We will be creating small music groups to play at the event and baking goods at Youth Group the Wednesday prior for the bake sale. Please contact Anna Brock with any questions.

** EYMF Dates **

Wednesday, March 22 | 6:30-8:30 PM | EYMF Youth Group – Planning for April 22 | Trinity

Wednesday, April 19 | 6:30-8:30 PM | EYMF Youth Group Baking & Music Rehearsal | Mount Calvary

Saturday, April 22 | 5:00-7:00 PM | Worship & Youth Coffeehouse, Bake Sale & Dinner | Mount Calvary

Friday, May 19 | 6:00 PM | THE PROM | Chanhassen Dinner Theatre

Annual Meeting Minutes

Please take a look at the minutes from our Annual meeting on Sunday, January 29th, including our amended By-Laws. Click the button to download.

Vestry Update

Your Vestry has been busy since the Annual Meeting last month! 

On February 10^th and 11th, we gathered for a retreat in the Jones Room of the ICA Building to kick-off our year together. We enjoyed taking time to build our connections with each other and plan for the year ahead. We reflected on the many ways we are already living into ECMN's Four Commitments to Congregational Vitality and brainstormed a lot of new ideas we could pursue. We reviewed the Faithful Innovation program St. David's is embarking upon and look forward to seeing "What God is up to" in our wonderful community and beyond. We really enjoyed the space and so decided to move our monthly meetings to the Jones Room going forward. In addition, we further discerned on the importance of sharing meals together, and made the decision to take turns providing a simple meal for the group to start our meetings. 

We had our first monthly Vestry meeting with the new format in the Jones Room this week. We took some time to review Vestry job description, St. David's policies, our financial reports while enjoying a delicious chili dinner before the official meeting. In the meeting we learned about the Community of Hope program that is kicking off this weekend and continued to discern on live-streaming and recording worship including a review of the recent survey results. Please see below for our update on livestreaming and recording services. We concluded with a small social gathering to recognize the outgoing Vestry members.  

Please reach out if you have any questions or suggestions for the Vestry.

Blessings,

Allison Ferro

Sr. Warden

St. David’s is seeking a part-time Sexton

We are looking for someone willing to work 17-20 hours a week taking care of our building, arranging furniture as needed for services and programs.  A position description that lists responsibilities and expectations can be found on our website at:  www.stdavidsparish.org (under careers) or by contacting us at [email protected]

Update on Livestream and Recorded Services

The Vestry has been discerning whether to continue recording/streaming our weekly services. We appreciate the input of everyone who completed the Tech Survey recently, as this has greatly shaped our discussions. There was a wide range of opinions reflected in the survey responses.  In light of these many varied views and considerable discussion among the Vestry, we have discerned, for now, to continue both the livestream and recorded YouTube options using low-cost equipment to meet the needs of many of our parishioners, as well as extend our reach beyond our current St. David's families. At this time, we don't know if this will continue to be each Sunday 9:30 service, or a more intentional approach in deciding which services and/or other events to record. 

Having made this decision, we know that the audio quality is a significant hindrance, and we will continue working to improve this as much as possible given that we don't want to dedicate significant financial resources to the endeavor. We also welcome assistance from anyone who has experience with livestreaming or would be willing to occasionally help with recording the services. The process has been simplified by the use of a church-owned iPad, and training can be provided. Please reach out to Senior Warden, Allison Ferro, at [email protected] if you are interested.

Don't Take the Bait!

Unfortunately, there has been an uptick in "phishing" schemes targeting churches via email and text. We are aware of a recent attempt at St. David's, so wanted to alert and remind the congregation to be vigilant.  

Phishing is when someone reaches out to an individual via email or text pretending to be someone known to the individual, typically with an end goal of getting money out of the individual, but in rare cases in an attempt to cause harm to the individual or congregation. This is most often accomplished via a spoofed email account where the name on the account is changed to a name known to the individual.

The recent attempt at St. David's involved an email appearing to come from me asking several staff members to send me a copy of the Parish directory. This was obviously an attempt to get more of the congregation's contact details. The email showed my name as the sender, but was clearly not my email address.

Here are a few tips:

• If a message sounds suspicious, trust your gut reaction. Many times these messages have grammatical errors or just don't sound like the person they are supposedly from.
• If you receive a suspicious message, always look at the email address or phone number and verify its authenticity. Anything official from church will come from a stdavidsparish.org email account. If a suspicious message appears to be from another member of the congregation, confirm the email address or phone number is correct by looking at past messages from them or checking the parish directory. 
• Know that we will never ask for money or gift card purchases.
• Do not click on links in any emails or text messages from suspicious messages
• If you are in doubt, forward the message to [email protected] and we can investigate further.

Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative

Our shared efforts around Bring it Home, Minnesota are making a difference! We've learned that the Housing chairs in the Senate and House both see this legislation as a top priority and want to include it in their budgets. But so much will depend on how much money is allocated to housing by legislative leadership, which means WE need to keep Bring it Home, Minnesota front and center for them!

Early March is a critical time for us. We need all hands on deck - yours, your congregations, and your friends and networks.

Will you commit to joining us for these two important events?

Rent is Due: Day of Action - Wednesday, March 1, 8:30 - 9 a.m.

We'll be taking action to contact key legislative leaders, asking for a commitment to fund Bring it Home, Minnesota in their budgets. Be sure to join this Zoom meeting to get the latest updates, hear our strategy for the next few weeks, and engage in coordinated action together. RSVP for login info by clicking here.

Bring it Home, Minnesota Rally - Monday, March 20, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

No exaggeration, we need HUNDREDS of people showing up in solidarity at the State Capitol Rotunda for this rally. Let's find a way to get our friends, neighbors, families, congregations, and coworkers there as we demonstrate the need and the desire for this transformational legislation! The media and elected officials pay attention to crowd size, so let's make sure they get the message loud and clear: it's time for Bring it Home, Minnesota! Say you'll be there by registering here.

Finally, one of the best ways you can support the campaign any time and from anywhere is by liking, tweeting, sharing, and commenting on our posts on social media. Follow and engage on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! 

Thanks for your commitment to this life-changing campaign to ensure every single one of our neighbors gets the rent support they qualify for. Can't wait to see you on March 1 and March 20 and engaging on social media!

Thanks,

  ~ Ben

Ben Helvick Anderson, Vice President of Policy and Organizing

ICA Update

Food Shelf Visits Set Record in 2022

The need for food assistance last year exceeded preliminary projections. Minnesotans visited the state’s food shelves more than 5.5 million times in 2022. That’s nearly 2 million more visits than in either 2021 or 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic began, an increase of more than 50%. Similarly, the number of visits to ICA have increased and continue to increase. ICA does not turn anyone away. Your help is really needed and always most appreciated.

MN FoodShare March Campaign

Did you know that March is historically the time of year when ICA endures its lowest period of inventory? Started over 40 years ago, Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign is an effort to restock local food shelves during this time. In fact, this campaign has grown into the largest grassroots food and fund drive in the state. 

ICA’s March campaign actually runs from February 27th to April 9th. Please consider helping ICA collect food and raise funds for neighbors facing food insecurity in our community.  In support of this important MN FoodShare Campaign, St.David’s will be collecting your food, personal products and household products TWICE THIS MONTH. These collections will be on Sunday, March 5 (St. David’s usual ICA Sunday) and on Sunday, March 19. You can either bring your items to donate to church on those Sundays or drop them off at your convenience in the ICA baskets located at the east and south church entrances.

And of course, a cash donation to support our neighbors is always welcomed. Every $30 provided will help to provide 10 pounds of food. To contribute financially can be done in a number of ways. You can drop a check made out to ICA in the collection plate. You can make an online donation on the website icafoodshelf.org/march-donation. And finally, you can simply use the QR code.

Many thanks for supporting ICA’s outreach to our neighbors in need during this special month. 

Brown bags needed!

ICA is in urgent need of brown paper bags. As the shopping numbers continue to increase, the food shelf is going through paper bags even faster! If you have any spare bags at home, please consider donating them to ICA.  You can put your bags at any time in the ICA baskets.  

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!

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.