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We are a Christ-following community that brings ourselves and
others closer to God.
This wonderful prayer is by Christine Sine. You can read more about breathing prayers here.
Breathing and Praying
Lord Jesus Christ,
I breathe in the wonder of your love,
And say thank you.
I breathe in the fragrance of your life,
And say thank you.
I breathe in the joy of your presence,
And say thank you.
Thank you for love and life and presence.
Thank you for abundance and generosity and faithfulness.
Thank you for blessings that overflow.
I breathe in and am filled with the glory that is You.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!  This Sunday, May 3 is Commitment Sunday! You are invited to return your 2015-2016 Financial Giving Pledge next Sunday to help our church leaders form a responsible ministry budget for the next year. Many of you will receive a pledge card in the mail, and pledge cards will be available in our worship services on May 3. Also, you can complete your pledge online here. An explanation of the pledge process is here.  There will be a fun celebration of our commitments to support God's work through Catalina after each worship service.  All three tradtional services will have celebrations on the west lawn (near the three crosses fountain) and The Refuge services will have celebrations on the south lawn.  Don't miss the fun!
Above, there are two photos from our South District Game Night last Sunday! Some of you recognize that game: LIFE SIZE Hungry Hungry Hippos!  Alex is part of the traffic jam on the left, and that's Tanner doing his best on the right! More photos are here.
Below are a couple of photos from Earth Day worship last Wednesday! It was a fun and inspiring community event! The south lawn was filled with people (and quite a few dogs!), many of them not our Catalina regulars! (Kind of the point: to be a community event!)  We appreciate the Tucson Food Truck Round Up for getting the party started!
Join us for an exciting week of Christian Family Fun! All the info is here.

Check out the May Family Ministry Calendar here!

YOUTH NEWS

Spring-Summer Youth Newsletter is here.
PAINTBALL! May 3 Details here. There will be NO Sunday night youth group on May 3. Partial scholarships are available for paintball!
Youth 2015 Update
We have raised almost half of what we need for our trip to YOUTH 2015 this summer!
If you missed your opportunity to pick up an envelope to support our youth group's trip to YOUTH 2015, you can still get one from Richard. But wait! There's more!
You can also make your donation online. Go here and scroll down to the box that is labelled "Other Restricted Fund" and enter your amount. Beside that box, type "Youth Fundraiser" in the box. 
And start saving your change, especially quarters, for a special collection in early spring! You can track our progress, and see a new message from our youth every 100 miles closer we get to our goal. Look for the maps in the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall.
This Sunday, our communion offering will go to earthquake relief in Nepal. You can read about UMCOR's work there and find a link to donate here.  Updates and specific prayer concerns can be found here.  Our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones, and those who have suffered so much.
This is our current study in ALL worship services! 
On May 3, we will conclude our four-week sermon series called Ignite! Jesus gave the disciples (and US) the mission to take the light and love of God to our world! The stories of Luke 24 will remind us that the resurrection of Jesus was not the last chapter in the Christian story--God is still telling that story through your discipleship!
COMING EVENTS

Letter Carriers Food Drive is Saturday, May 9!  Put out a can with your mail on May 9 for Stamp Out Hunger, then help unload the donations at the Sun Station. More info is here.

Change the World Saturday is May 16! There are so many ways to change the world, and so many people to do it for! YOU can volunteer with Catalina. Register here. 

CPR and FIRST-AID TRAINING will be offered on Sunday, May 17 here at Catalina. Contact Kristin for more information.

Vacation Bible School Join us June 1-5 for an Out West Adventure! The first volunteer meeting is Sunday May 3 (DATE CHANGE!) at 12:15 in room E-18.

Online Giving

Did you know that giving to support God's work through Catalina UMC is as simple as clicking here? It is!

A gentle reminder: The handicapped parking lot on the northeast corner of our property, just outside of the northeast sanctuary door, is primarily designated handicapped parking. Please do not park in a spot designated "handicapped" unless you have the proper designation visible on your car. Thank you for being hospitable to our disabled neighbors!
 

There is MUCH MORE!

There is a good online devotional here.
Read about everything going on at Catalina in the Catalina News!

By the way, church news and church event photos are always welcome!
Send submissions to richard@catalinamethodist.org by Tuesday noon. We intentionally keep this email brief (so we cannot include everything) and we intentionally keep it about Catalina (so, please, no requests to announce outside events). If you are submitting a photo, send it to richard.lee.jones@gmail.com (Gmail works better with large attachments like photos).
We are experimenting with a smartphone app for our church. Would you be willing to check it out and let us know what you think?
Here is how you find it: 

ANDROID
1-Search the Play Store for "My Church App" [by Custom Church Apps] and install the app. 
2-Open My Church App
3-Tap "Find My Church".
4-In the box the says "Enter church, pastor, or location", type in "Catalina".
5-When Catalina United Methodist Church is returned as the result of your search, tap Catalina United Methodist Church.
6-When the dialog box asks if you want to set Catalina as your default church, choose yes.
7-Now, whenever you open My Church App, it will open the Catalina app.

IPHONE/IPAD
1-Search the App Store for "My Church App" [by Custom Church Apps] and install the app. 
2-Open My Church App.
3-Tap "Find My Church".
4-In the box the says "Enter church, pastor, or location", type in "Catalina".
5-When Catalina United Methodist Church is returned as the result of your search, tap Catalina United Methodist Church.
6-When the dialog box asks if you want to set Catalina as your default church, choose yes.
7-Now, whenever you open My Church App, it will open the Catalina app.

Check it out, play around with it, and if you have any comments, email Richard. Thanks for your time!


THE GREAT COMMISSION: It's the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples to spread the Good News. Do you know what occurred during his instruction? Why is it important to Christians? Watch here!