Our guest preacher this Sunday is Rev. Dr. Khalif Smith, our Desert Southwest Conference new Director of Connectional Ministries. The child of a United Methodist pastor and raised in New York City, Khalif graduated college and seminary in Georgia, where he served several UMCs before transferring to our annual conference, where he was appointed first to Trinity UMC in Las Vegas and then First UMC Mesa. We welcome Pastor Khalif to Dayspring! (Pastor Jeff is attending a retreat on Celtic Spirituality led by John Phillip Newell this weekend.)

It's time to pull out your picnic basket, blanket, and camp chairs! The Children’s Ministry is hosting a church picnic this Sunday, February 4, at 11:30 at Kiwanis Park in Tempe. There’s no football that day, so you have no excuse not to go! Bring your lunch and enjoy an afternoon at the park with Dayspring friends. There will be a baked goods competition and children and adults are encouraged to bring their best home-baked treats for everyone to enjoy. We will also have tug of war, potato sack races, kickball, and much more fun! You don’t want to miss it! 

NOTE: The closest parking to our ramada is off BASELINE at the north end of the park.

We host Family Promise, a temporary shelter for homeless families, the week starting this Sunday, February 4. Volunteers are needed to setup the bedrooms, cook, entertain, spend the night, chaperone, and tear down/reset the rooms for Sunday.

Saxophonist Mary Petrich's deep love for creativity and improvisation has led her to explore both traditional and non-traditional approaches, developing into a very personalized style of playing music. Joined by Claudia Bloom on piano, this inspired duo will feature re-imagined approaches to jazz as well as popular standards and spirituals this Sunday, February 4, at 3pm.

Souper Bowl Sunday is February 11. Before that other special bowl, children in BeTween will share information about hunger, then after the 10:00 service look for the kids with the big soup pots and drop in your spare change to help fight hunger in our community. In honor of Alice Conner, our donations this year will benefit the Tempe Community Action Agency Food Bank.

Ash Wednesday is February 14. Drive-thru ashes will be offered in the Tempe parking lot from 7:00-9:00am and 11am-12:30pm in the Tempe parking lot. A delicious, homemade soup dinner will be served at 5:00 in the Fellowship Hall, followed by an Ash Wednesday Service in the Sanctuary at 6:00. 

We will host a candlelit labyrinth walk on Ash Wednesday between 5:00-7:15pm. We will also have a sitting labyrinth experience with handheld labyrinths available in the Palo Verde Room during that time. Trained facilitators will be present for guidance/support in both areas from 5-6pm and following the 6pm service. Come spend the whole hour or just walk for a few minutes to ground yourself and prepare for Lent.

We are offering three different studies during Lent:

• Journeying with Jesus: Renewing Ourselves in the Gospel of Luke (Tuesdays, 10-11:30 am, Friendship Village, Feb. 20 - Mar. 26)
• Multiplying Love: A Vision of United Methodist Life Together (Wednesdays, 10-11 am, Room 112, Feb. 21 - Mar. 20)
• The Poetry of Lent: Poems of Mary Oliver (Thursdays, 10-11 am, Zoom, Feb. 15 - Mar. 21).

We will also have a stand-alone lenten devotional, Mary Oliver and the Poetry of Lent, available online and in print starting next Sunday, February 11. Every journey needs a guide - and what better guide to the 40 days of Lent than the beloved poet, Mary Oliver? Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, Oliver is widely celebrated as an accessible, insightful observer of the natural world, the life of faith, and the interplay between the two. Imagine a six-week journey with Oliver at your side, illuminating ancient passages of scripture; provoking bite-sized meditations on key Lenten themes; and pointing toward everyday practices for individuals and families.

Go to dayspring-umc.org/lent for more information.

Parable of the Talents is coming up again on February 25. Throughout the month, kids will be hard at work making things during Sunday school. Children can also sign up outside the narthex on February 4 (before service only) and 11 (before and after service) if they would like to create something at home or use their other talents to share with the congregation. You can also email Andrea to sign up or if you have any questions. This event is open to all children, so join us as we put this parable into action to do some good in our world. All money earned goes to Project Hope, our clean water project in Africa.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) includes $369 billion for “Energy Security and Climate Change,” the single largest climate investment in American history. This includes rebates and tax credits for household energy efficiency improvements. Even if you don’t need a new appliance today, it’s good to learn what’s available so you can plan ahead. Check out the IRA Explainer (key programs and what they mean to you), as well as the IRA Savings Calculator.