Dear Friends in Christ: What a wonderful time my wife, Donna, and I had on our journey to Morenci and surrounding parts this past weekend! We began by visiting a family from the congregation for a delicious luncheon on Saturday in their lovely home near Duncan. The whole family of-fered us great hospitality and a time to get to know one another better, their dusty and road-weary trav-eling guests. We also had a marvelous time sharing with many of you in a beautiful wedding celebration at the church, joining with old friends from All Saints in Safford, and the families of now husband and wife, Ahnalisa and Ruben Alvarez, and then partying with folks at the reception in the Morenci Club afterward where we made new friends, too. While some folks were away traveling or working for the Memorial Day weekend, our worship service on Trinity Sunday none-the-less, had a fine turnout and a good spirit of fellowship followed in the parish hall. We concluded what felt like a very productive week-end with some great sharing with a local church member over coffee, cheesecake, and brainstorming at a local cafe. What a blessing and surely the pres-ence of the Triune-God was evident throughout the weekend in so many ways. When I think about that, and this being Memorial Day weekend and Trinity Sunday, I want to reiterate the theme of my homily - “finding the patterns or traces of God's Trinitarian presence in all of our living.” In his wonderful book, Soul Making, The Desert Way of Spirituality, Dean Alan Jones reminds us of the earli-est pattern of the Trinity of God's manifestation is perhaps seen in the Old Testament story of Gen. 18:1-5, where three young men appear to Abraham and Sarah and the couple respond in simple hospitality in their tenting-home with a meal served to these an-

Vicar’s Vibes by Fr. Allen Breckenridge

Bishop’s Committee

Vicar: Rev. Allen Breckenridge Sr. Warden: Samuel Tachie-Menson

Jr. Warden: Bill Cuthbertson Treasurer: Suzanne Cuthbertson

Clerk: Jackie Hale

The Episcopal Church of Saints Philip and James, Morenci, Arizona

The Morenci Episcopalian June 2013

Volume 1, Issue 1

June

Birthdays and Anniversaries

22nd—Barbara Armstrong

24th—Jackie Hale

Inside this issue:

Announcements 2

Health News 2

First Grade, Here We Come 3

Sunday School Teacher 3

Church Cleaning Day 3

Greatest Generation 4

Guitar Lessons 4

gelic messengers of God. “This act” says Jones, “became an icon of the Trinity of the Christian revelation and also a sign of the pattern of human relations for those who believe they are made in the divine image. From the perspective of soul making, the doctrine of the Trinity is one not only about God, but about how human beings are. We have a Trinitarian form.” To further image that notion, I want to refer you to a great web site I mentioned in my sermon as to this an-cient 1400's iconic tale artistically captured in what's referred to as the “Troika or Rublev Trinity.” It's a great interactive website well worth checking out for the icon image and guided meditations on this ancient artist, theologian, and mystic's work. You'll find the site at: ht tp ://www.wel lspr ings.org.uk/rublevs_icon/rublev.htm As individuals, as church, as community it seems that whenever we live and reflect the kind of image of God shown in the Trinitarian self-revelation of God – Father/Mother, Servant Son, Inspiriting Breath and Power - we are bringing to the world around us the power and mys-tery of the Trinity. In hearth and home, church or civic center, in family or alone, where hospitality welcomes friend or stranger, we are being “Trinity-patterned.” In Memorial times for fallen veterans, when we remem-ber those who've given very life for friend and stranger alike, we are remembering and putting on the model of the Son of God - Trinity person who has taken our very DNA into the Godhead and the God-head into our living, suffering, and dying. Finally, when we seek to serve oth-ers around us, with power and Trinitarian authority to change, heal, liberate, and make whole the world, we are putting the Trinity-pattern to work in our homes, work places, our community, and the world.

(continued on page 2)

Vicar’s Vibes (continued from page 1)

Page 2

Norovirus is a term for a group of viruses that cause diarrhea and vomit-ing. Some people call this the” stomach flu,” which is an inaccurate term. Norovirus has no relationship to the flu, which is a respiratory illness caused by a completely unrelated group of viruses. Norovirus illnesses are very contagious. People can become infected by touching contaminated surfaces, from infected people or from contami-nated food or water. The virus causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, cramping, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. There are many different types of norovirus, so people can get sick with a norovirus illness multiple times in their life spans. New strains of the virus are emerging, including one originally discovered last year in Australia. This strain is currently responsible for most of the norovirus infections in the US. The Centers for Disease Control note that when new strains emerge, there is usually an increase in disease. There is no vaccine and no treatment, except for relief of symptoms. The disease can be dangerous for people with compromised immune systems, the elderly and young children. Dehydration can be a problem. Most peo-ple will feel better in a day or two. Infected people can transmit norovirus even after they are feeling better because the virus can remain in stool for up to two weeks. Foods which often are involved in virus transmission are raw vegetables like salad

Health News — Norovirus —by Mindy Weisser-Lee (RN, Retired)

So, I think we are challenged to look for the patterns or traces of Trinity in all we are, see, and do. With God's continuing graces, we can reflect that pattern to all the world as it unfolds in our time. Julian of Norwich, the 14th century mystic, said it this way: “We are en-closed in the Father, and we are enclosed in the Son, and we are enclosed in the Holy Spirit. And the Father is enclosed in us, and the Son is enclosed in us, and the Holy Spirit is enclosed in us; Almightiness, All Wisdom, All Goodness, One God, one Lord.” ** What do you think? Sources:

Soul Making, The Desert Way of Spirituality by Alan Jones Prayer for Parish Groups by Donald Harrington & Julie Kavanagh www.wellsprings.org.uk

Coffee Hour Sign-up You are always welcome to bring something for coffee hour after church

Ministries Volunteers Needed

Volunteers are needed to serve on the ministries team as a sacristan (altar), a reader, morning prayer leader, Sunday school teacher or aco-lyte/chalice. Training will be provided. Please talk to Kate, Suzanne or

Samuel.

Summer Camp Scholarships Available The Bishop’s Committee voted at their last meeting to make funding avail-able to sponsor youth and children to summer church camps. If you are interested in sending your child to summer camp, please talk to Fr. Allen or Suzanne Cuthbertson about the scholarship. Camp information can be found at Chapel Rock website, http://chapelrock.net/camps.htm. Various camp opportunities are available from June 2 to July 6, for all school-

going ages

Father Allen’s Scheduled Dates In Morenci June—8-9 and 22-23 July—6-7 and 20-21

greens and shellfish. People who have or are recovering from a norovirus infection should not prepare food for at least three days. They should be especially vigilant about hand washing as well. Hand washing is a major way to prevent acquiring norovirus. The best way to ensure the virus is not on your hands is to wash thoroughly with soap and water. Alcohol sanitizers may be of some value, but are not nearly as effective as soap and water washing in the case of norovirus. It is also important to wash raw fruits and vegetables before eating them. This rule includes washing vegetables and fruits that are normally peeled before eating, as a contaminated knife can spread viruses to the surface of the food. Washing laundry thoroughly will remove viruses from any contami-nated clothing or bedding. Cleaning the bathroom with a diluted bleach solution will kill viruses that may be on surfaces there. Many of us rely very heavily on alcohol hand sanitizers these days. Be-cause norovirus spreads so easily, it is important to remember that these products are not the optimum way to clean our hands, especially in the case of norovirus. Best wishes for a safe and healthy summer, Mindy This information was taken from cdc.gov, the web site of the Centers for Disease Control of the US Public Health Service.

Announcements

Kate Tachie-Menson graduated with an associates degree in General Studies at the Eastern Arizona Col-lege on May 10. She was joined by her family and many friends from Morenci, Safford, Texas and New Mexico to celebrate this special day at the Thatcher campus of the college. Kate started taking classes in 2008 to keep her academically active while still raising her three children. She already has a bachelor’s degree in economics and is a trained teacher. She hopes to go back into teaching this year. Kate has been the sole Sunday School teacher at Saints Philip and James and All Saints the past few years. The Sunday School has been made up of her own kids most of the time. She is married to Samuel Tachie-Menson, senior warden at Saints Philip and James. Congratulations, Kate!!!

Two of our younger parishioners completed kindergarten this May and are ready to take on first grade. Esther Tachie-Menson and Madison Savage were both at the Fairbanks Elemen-tary school kindergarten in Morenci. On May 20, they celebrated the completion of kinder-garten with their class mates and Hawaii style. Esther received the number one academic award in her class and was one of the few stu-dents that completed all six months of the Book It! Program sponsored by Pizza Hut. Esther will be going to Mrs. Hjorth’s first grade class, and Madison to Mrs. Pollock’s class. The picture on the right shows from left to right, Danielle, Esther, and Madison, after the kindergarten program.

First Grade, Here We Come

Page 3

Congratulations to our Sunday School Teacher

The weeks before and after May 18 were very busy for us at Saints Philip and James. We put a lot of work into cleaning, upgrading and repairing parts of our facility to make it what we want and also to prepare for the wedding of Ahnalisa and Ruben. We mowed grass, trimmed hedges, cleaned up trash, cleaned windows, floors and furniture, put up smoke alarms and signs, painted the front porch and window frames and so on. Thanks to all those who found time to come and help. Photos: left– Charlie, Ahnalisa and Jackie washing the windows. Middle— Ruben and Bill painting the front porch. Right—Suzanne deep cleaning the carpet. Also, Patsy cleaned the brass items and found someone to wax the hard floor, Dennis repaired fans and put up signs.

Church Cleaning Day Went Very Well

Reaching out, welcoming and supporting God’s People

Keep in touch with the larger church to which we belong

The Episcopal Church

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/index.htm

The Diocese of Arizona http://www.azdiocese.org

Check out the Bishop’s E-pistle each week and the news of the Diocese

of Arizona

Facebook Pages for the congregation

Episcopal Church of Sts. Philip &

James, Morenci

The Greatest Generation

Page 4

Phone: 520-808-4073

saintsphilipandjames@gmail.com

Web:

http://www.philipandjames.azdiocese.org

Web Master: Samuel Tachie-Menson

Church of Ss Philip and James

930 Mountain Ave. Morenci, AZ 85540

By The Rt. Rev. Kirk S. Smith, Bishop of Arizona The Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, Phoenix. Full article and comments at http://www.azdiocese.org/dfc/newsdetail_2/3159814 About ten years ago, the former TV news anchor, Tom Brokaw, came out with a book that proved to be a runaway best-seller. It was called The Great-est Generation, and I suspect that many of you may have read it. It chronicled the lives of Americans who had grown up during The Depression and who had fought during the Second World War or con-tributed to that effort. Brokaw said, “This genera-tion is, I believe, the greatest generation any soci-ety has ever produced." He argued that these men and women fought not for fame and recognition, but because it was the right thing to do. When they came back, they rebuilt America into a superpower. This generation was characterized by a sense of duty, patriotism, and self-sacrifice. This past weekend, I had the chance to observe this "greatest generation" up close as I accompanied my dad to Washington, D.C. as a part of the Honor Flight program. This effort, funded by numerous corporations, seeks to bring WWII veterans to visit the World War II Memorial in the nation's Capitol, as well as monuments to their various branches of service, and to witness the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery. It is not an easy trip for these vets, either physically (many are in wheelchairs and all are about 90 years old) or emotionally, since it often brings up feelings of loss and sadness over lost comrades and remembrances of horrors they witnessed and have tried to forget. I know that my dad and his veteran friends were touched by the honor and gratitude given them. They received the red carpet treatment wherever they went, and were often approached by strangers thanking them for their service and children asking for their autographs. Still, there was an feeling of embarrassment among many. I often heard expressed, "we were just doing what we had to do, we were certainly not looking for glory or praise."

There are some theological implications here. Jesus tells the story of the servant who waited on his mas-ter, simply because that was his job, his duty. We don't hear much talk of "duty" in the church today. Often today, the Gospel is presented as a kind of route to self-fulfillment. "Follow Jesus and be happy, wealthy, and wise!" So goes the "feel good Gospel" of Robert Schuller or Joel Olsteen. But, self-actualization is not in Jesus' vocabulary. Rather, Jesus speaks the language of trust, faith, duty, and commitment - concepts hardly popular in today's world. When we become followers of Christ, we hardly know what is store for us. Like those brave men and women of the Greatest Generation, we could be called upon to give up possessions, health, or even our lives in the service of a greater cause. But, we do so because we know that cause is worth it, for it is nothing less than the Kingdom of God, in which we have been promised an eternal place. This Memorial Day, those World War II vets I got to know will be very much on my mind. They played a vital part in our nation's history, and they did so without complaining or looking for "what's in it for me." They were the Greatest Generation, yet all Christians are called upon to be an even greater generation, the beloved Sons and Daughters of God, and that truly is something to remember.

Amos took guitar lessons from Fr. Allen after ser-vice and coffee hour on May 5. We hope to have another guitarist soon, Amos.

Guitar Lessons