Epiphany of Christ News - February

1050 W Superstition Blvd. Apache Junction, AZ 85120

Phone: 480-982-1569 – Website: epiphanyofchristlutheran.org

Pastor Steve Crittenden

From the Amazed Church Council

Thank You: The Council is grateful that many in

our church family have been able to increase

their contributions to help meet our budget

deficit. We are truly appreciative that so many

have found the extra resources to respond to

Clay Worst’s moving message, a message

outlining the history and challenges facing our

church family. Again, Thank You!

Thank You: Wow! The Council is delighted by

the huge attendance at the first service. We are,

however, fast approaching the maximum seating

capacity allowed by the Fire Marshall. It is truly

wonderful to have this problem, but the Council

is dreading the day they may have to say: “Sorry,

there is no more room in the inn.” We’re

wondering if there might be a few fairly flexible

folk who might consider going to coffee and

donuts first and then attending the second

service where there is plenty of seating. Just a

small thought for your consideration.

Thank You: This small congregation has always

been noted for their outstanding generosity in

supporting the various monthly mission projects.

Last year heaps of diapers, piles of canned food,

a whole lot of hygiene products, and over

$10,200 were donated. These gifts to those

most in need of God’s care are truly

appreciated. Thank You!

Are you 70 1/2 or older? Do you have an Individual

Retirement Account (IRA)? Would you like to pay

less income tax in 2020? If so, please keep reading!

The recently passed tax law raises the standard

deduction to $12,000 for single filers and $24,000 for

married couples. This means a lot of our members who

used to itemize their tax deductions will now only take

advantage of the standard deduction in 2019. That

means your church donations will no longer be

deductible.

If, however, you’ve been using some of your taxable

retirement withdrawals for your church donations, you

may want to consider what’s commonly referred to as a

“Charitable Rollover”. A Charitable Rollover allows

you to give directly from your IRA without having to

pay taxes on that distribution. In effect you can now

get three benefits: no taxes on the distribution, the

new higher standard deduction, plus an additional

deduction for your church donations. A win-win-win

situation. .

Because we’re in the Jesus business, not the tax

business, please consult your tax or financial advisor

before doing a Charitable Rollover. We just want to

make sure you’re aware of this great opportunity.

Thank you for your gifts, no matter how you give.

God’s purpose for our church is to invite all to worship and grow through study, fellowship and mission.

We cordially invite

you to join our church

family:

Contact Pastor Steve for

Regular Membership

or

Associate Membership

for our very welcome

winter visitors.

In Memoriam:

Herbert W.

Chilstrom, 88,

the first presiding

bishop of the ELCA,

died Jan. 19 at his

home in Green

Valley, Ariz.

Have you signed up for a

name tag? Forms are located

on the table outside as you

enter. We’d like to know you

by name!

NOTICES: The harp lady will be here for a

wonderful performance on Wed. Feb. 19th at 10 a.m.

DID YOU KNOW??

We collect aluminum cans, newspapers and other

paper products in the yellow recycling dumpsters

at the northwest end of the parking lot. The

proceeds from these collections go to help fund

our Mission Projects. Three of the dumpsters are

for paper products, one is only for aluminum cans

– they are labeled so it is easy to deposit in the

correct dumpster. What an easy way to help

fund these important projects. Last year we

collected almost $600. Thank You

THANK YOU!

Attention Ladies: There is a new opportunity to share

in the study of the Bible, to meet for fellowship, and

to enjoy breakfast. The ladies will meet every

Thursday at 8:00 a.m. at Mickey D’s on Apache

Trail. The guys will continue to meet at 6:30ish.

BOOK CLUB

The Club meets at 10 AM on the 2nd and 4th Wed. of each month in the conf. room. Wed. Feb. 12th we will be discussing “Orphan Train.” Each month we choose a new book provided by the local library. Each following 4th Wed., we will be reading a chapter of the Bible following the church year lectionary. Chapter 2 of Matthew will be our second effort. ----- Contact: Fran LeVeque (480) 812-5900 ----

Opportunities for Service

There are sign up sheets in the entrance hall for

Ushers, Communion Servers, Readers and in the

Friendship Hall a sheet for Coffee Servers. New

members to the choir are always needed and

welcome. We hope that you can help with these

important services for your church family.

Can you share some of your time with our volunteer

church yard and maintenance group?

We do minor church tasks and work to maintain our

beautiful church grounds and rose garden. We meet

on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and occasionally

on Friday. Tasks last sometime from 7:30 till Noon.

--- (We almost always have time for coffee/rolls) ---

Call Don Gimpel to see what tasks are on the list and

let him know what day you are available: 651-261-

2381

Quilting for Charity

Do you have some quilting or sewing skills? The

church has loads of material (some precut in

squares) to piece at home or at the church. Then

join the group to tie in the quilting room.

------ Contact: Carolyn Lewis (612) 226-4321 ---

We’re always accepting items for next year’s huge church

patio sale. Please bring only items in good condition and

no mattresses. The proceeds from the sale are used for

the Summer Fund supplementing the church budget.

Mission Needs:

February --Women’s Hope Center – Gift cards in $10

increments for Walmart, Walgreens, Fry’s, Circle K and

the like.

March --Evang. Luth. Church in America (ELCA) Missions

1. Water Filters ($30)

2. Mosquito Nets ($10)

3. Honeybees ($20)

Drivers Needed: Eliminating the paid driver was one of

the unfortunate cuts made necessary by the budget

crunch. The Council is wondering if there are some

generous souls out there who would be willing to pick up

elderly or disabled for church services. If you think that is

something that you might be willing to do, contact the

church office for more details. Another Thank You for

considering this service opportunity.