This Sunday at Nativity - Third Sunday of Lent

Holy Week at Nativity

Palm Sunday, April 9. Services at 9:00 and 11:00 begin outside with the Palm Sunday gospel. We process inside, waving palms, and then hear the dramatic reading of the Passion, followed by the sermon and communion.

Maundy Thursday, April 13, 7:00 p.m. Remember Jesus’ last night with his disciples, his commandment to love, and his institution of the Eucharist. The service includes beautiful music, washing of feet, and communion.

Maundy Thursday Prayer Vigil. Sign up for a one or two-hour shift to pray with Jesus overnight between Maundy Thursday at the end of the service and the Good Friday noon service. Contact Kathy Graf at KGraf518@aol.com to sign up for a shift.

Good Friday, April 14.

Remember our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s gift of himself on the cross, and worship the Son of God.

Noon Spoken Service includes veneration of the cross and communion from the reserved sacrament.

5:30 p.m. Stations of the Cross is led by our Youth Group using artwork prayers, and Bible and poetry readings.

7:00 p.m. Service includes music of our adult choir, veneration of the cross, and communion from the reserved sacrament.

Easter at Nativity

Saturday, April 15
Easter Vigil Service, 7:00 p.m. The Easter Vigil begins in the dark with the first fire of Easter. We process inside by candlelight and experience the dawning of Easter. The Vigil service will include incense and beautiful music of our adult choir. A dessert reception will follow the service.

Sunday, April 16
9:00 Family Service features beautiful music of our adult and children’s choirs, adult sermon, and children’s Flowering of the Cross. Celebrate the Lord’s resurrection!

10:15 Easter Brunch and Children’s Easter Egg Hunt

11:00 Festival Service includes adult sermon, music of our adult choir and guest musicians, and incense. Celebrate the resurrection!

Get the Service on Your Tablet or Smartphone!
If you would like to see Sunday's Powerpoint presentation on your device instead of on the screens, please go to nativityscottsdale.org/bulletin and click on the icon there.

CHRISTIAN FORMATION

Centering Prayer
Many are familiar with God’s invitation expressed to us through the Psalmist: “Be still and know that I am God.” While we may long to accept this invitation to know God, it is not unusual for us to discover that “being still” is not as easy as it sounds. Our muscles twitch, our emotions roar, and our minds tempt us with thoughts that keep us endlessly busy. Learning to be still takes practice. Please join us Wednesday March 8 at 10:00 a.m. in the Youth Room for a time of centering prayer through which we can learn to quiet ourselves to stillness so that we may encounter the God who is with us always. Then, continue to practice centering your prayer of stillness with us on a weekly basis. The typical on-going weekly format will include a 20 minute silent sit, viewing of a portion of a DVD series presented by such speakers as Thomas Keating, Richard Rohr, James Finley, Cynthia Bourgeault and others, and a time for reflecting together on our spiritual journeys. Interested? Have a question? Call or e-mail Vicky Dinneen, 480 459-5535 / dinneenv@earthlink.net.

Faith in the Public Square
During Sundays in Lent, Pastor Susan will be leading a discussion of how Christian faith interacts with our lives in the public square. This is not a class focused on political issues, but rather on the different ways Christian theologians have made sense of our faithful responses in public. We will explore a range of Christian authors, including St. Augustine, Stanley Hauerwas, Will Willimon, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King, and others. The class will begin the choir area after the 10:00 service on March 19, and April 2. This Sunday's topic: Christian Views of War: Just War, Pacifism, and Nonviolent Resistance.

Bible Study Wednesday
Bible Study Wednesday continues this Wednesday, March 22 at 6:30 p.m. The Lenten season focuses on the last half of the Gospel of Matthew. Dr. Wayne leads the study of this important witness to the life and work of Christ in the Longley-Cook Children’s Center. All are welcome.

Power Bible Study
The topic for Sunday Morning Power Bible Study with Dr. Wayne resumes on March 26.

OUTREACH

Ministry Saturday – April 22^nd
Sign up for one of four outreach activities on Saturday April 22^nd.

Working on a Habitat for Humanity project. The current build is in Tempe. As we did last year, parishioners from Santa Maria will be asked to join us. You can also help by making sandwiches for the work crew.
Visit our sister congregation, Santa Maria, and make piñatas to be used for festivals and also make painted crosses to be given to Santa Maria children making their First Communion.

Preparing weekend food packs for needy children from CASA Academy. Many poor children face the prospect of little or no food during weekends when they don’t have schools providing lunches.
Work at St. Mary’s Food Bank. Parishioners will go to the world's first food bank and help pack emergency food packages.

Outreach Opportunity - On the second Saturday of each month a large trailer truck from the St. Mary’s Foodbank delivers a variety of bulk vegetables, fruits, canned and dry food, and bread to be distributed to 150 to 200 needy families. The parishioners of Iglesias Santa Maria, our sister congregation in Phoenix, repackages the food and distributes it to the family. If you would like to join fellow Nativity parishioners in helping Santa Maria, please contact Paul Rank (paulrank1@mac.com 513 300 3729). The food is distributed in the parking lot of Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church located at 6501 N 39th Ave, Phoenix. You should arrive about 9:30 and should be finished by about noon.

YUMMY!!!
What a treat...Gayle Jameson and her mom, Theresa Stirling donated homemade cookies for our February Sack Lunch Program. They made 23 1/2 dozen cookies!!! We're sure that the people who received the lunches loved this special treat. Many thanks to Gayle and Theresa

FELLOWSHIP

Newcomers' Cafe, This Sunday, March 19 at 9:15 a.m.
Are you new to Nativity? Would you like to meet some of our leaders, hear about our ministries, and find out ways you can get involved? Come to our Newcomers' Cafe, Sunday, March 19 at 9:15 a.m., and enjoy some refreshments and time together! To RSVP, please contact Cindy Cohen at scohensc@bellsouth.net.

Ones and Twos - Friday, March 17
We will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on Friday, March 17^th at 6:00 PM at the home of Keith and Carol Stott. Please bring a small plate to share and your favorite libation. Cake will be served for dessert. Their address is 18301 E. Tonto Verde Drive in TONTO VERDE. Travel East on Dynamite all the way to the end. Turn right on Forest Rd. and make your 1^st right (West) thru the Tonto Verde gates. Stay to the right on Tonto Verde Dr. to the end of street and the house is the last on your left. If it is easier to come thru Fountain Hills take McDowell Mountain Rd North out of town about 10 miles to Forest Rd. Turn left and go to the TONTO VERDE gates and turn left(west). Stay to your right to the end of Tonto Verde Dr. to last house on your left. PLEASE REMEMBER TO RSVP so we have an idea on how many to expect. carolstott@q.com or susan4420@gmail.com Stott Home phone: 480 471 3637.

April Ones and Twos 2017
Our April Ones and Twos is scheduled for Friday, April 7th , from 6 to 8pm at the home of Susie and Glenn Paulson. Their home is located in the Country Club of DC Ranch which is off Thompson Peak Road just east of Pima. From Pima Road, take Thompson Peak Parkway east to the second light and turn left on Desert Camp Road to the West Gate of DC Ranch. They will leave your names at the guard station and they will give you directions to their home at 9290 E. Thompson Peak Parkway #410. Please RSVP to Susie at skp2944@icloud.com.

Dinner and a Movie
What a great combination to kick off a new group at Nativity. A Film Club with Dinner! Like a film (or book club) we will see a movie on our own time and then get together for dinner every few weeks. We will rotate each time with a new person selecting a film (that can be in theaters or a classic). Email or call the Smiths with RSVPs.
Movie: Fences. When: Saturday, April 8th, 6:00 p.m.
Where: Claire & Steve Smith's house - 6839 E. Kelton Lane - Scottsdale, AZ 85260
RSVP: csmith@lifetouch.com.

Nativity FUN DAY on March 31st

EGG-A
Please join us at 10 a.m. at Nativity on March 31st to help stuff plastic Easter eggs with jellybeans and hard candies. The eggs will be donated to the Phoenix Rescue Mission for their Easter celebration and egg hunt for the kids. After stuffing the eggs, the fun continues with...

GAME DAY
Bring a game (if you'd like), a friend and your gaming skills as the fun rolls on.
Let's make it a great Nativity FUN Day; first we give back to help kids have a fantastically fun egg hunt and then we give to ourselves with games and laughter. A really FUN Day!

Scent Free Seating in the Nave - Because some folks have allergy issues, we have created a scent free section in the front right part of the sanctuary. Please sit in that section only if you are free of scented items such as perfume, after-shave, body spray, hand lotion, etc. It’s an act of hospitality.

Come to our Second Annual Parish Lenten Retreat!
We'll be going to the beautiful Chapel Rock Camp and conference Center in Prescott, AZ March 24-26! There will be programs for all ages: Adult, Children and Youth. The adult program, led by Pastor Susan, will be about Discernment: how do you pray in a way that lets you listen for God's answer? How do you discern God's will for your life? The sessions will include teaching on a number of different prayer practices using different methods - physical, artistic, etc. - as well as time to practice and learn. Additionally, there will be a bonfire and talent show, prayer stations and worship that all ages do together. Join us in this idyllic place for some peace and growth time to start your Lent off right! There are bunk rooms $135) and linen rooms ($220 - $180) and children K-11 years old staying with an adult ($50). These prices include lodging and four meals. Signup begins this Sunday after services, and is also available online at http://nativityscottsdale.org/2017-parish-lent-retreat/. Look for more details at church or contact Shelley Byrnes at shelleybyrnes@thenativity.net.

Did you notice something different in Christopher Hall?
One of our parishioners, Ann Phillips, has collected crosses during her travels around the world and she donated them to Nativity. We thought what a great display for our Hall and even better if others brought a cross back from their travels too. So if you will be traveling to a country not already represented in the display, buy a cross, bring it back and we will hang it on our cross wall. Any questions, Barbara Worthington bandb718@msn.com

Easter Flower Dedications
The flower guild invites you and your family to honor loved ones in thanksgiving or to memorialize those we have lost by providing flowers for our Easter Sunday worship service. These dedications will be included in our Easter bulletins and will help to beautify our worship space. A donation of $20 per dedication is suggested. Please provide the following information to Mina Rafferty via email at minarafferty@thenativity.net by April 9th.

In memory __________________________

In thanksgiving _______________________

Contribution amount ___________________

Given By ____________________________

Deadline for dedications is April 9th