Scenes from an Execution
Our own Catherine Babbitt is starring in SCENES FROM AN EXECUTION at the Jump Start Playhouse in the Blue Star Art Complex. This is a play about the confrontation between the Venetian Doge and the artist, Galactica, over a mural of the great naval battle of Lepanto over how war is to be portrayed.
Play dates: Thursday, Friday, Saturday 22-24 at 8:00 pm; Sunday at 3:00 pm.
Tickets are $15 in advance online or call the box office, $20 at the door.

Back to School is right around the corner and we need your churches help!
CAM will be providing backpacks with school supplies, shoe vouchers, and uniforms to clients unable to purchase these items for their children. We are requesting donations of outgrown school uniforms to distribute to these kids! We will be collecting all of the items and packaging them on August 13th, so we like to have everything by then. Give us a call if you need us to pick up donations or if you would like to contribute to this effort in other ways.

As always, thanks for all your support!
Forrest Anderson, Director of Development
210.223.4099

Writing Advent Liturgies for All God's People
Instructor: The Rev. Kelly Allen, Pastor
Details: Wednesdays, September 15, 22, 29, and October 6
Time: 10 a.m. - 12 noon
Tuition: $25 Deadline: Register by September 8.
Location: 300 Bushnell Ave at Shook, 78212
Contact: 210-732-9927 or solcenter@upcsa.org
Enrollment Limits: 10 min./25 max.

Course Description: A writing workshop for congregational worship leaders, this workshop will offer participants the opportunity to explore the meaning and themes of the advent season; to explore the Old and New Testament lectionary texts for the four Sundays in Advent; and to receive coaching in the creation of fresh new resources for use in worship. With the guidance of biblical scholars and writing coaches, a collection of liturgical materials will be created, collected and shared for participants to use in their own congregations.

About the Instructors: The Rev Kelly Allen, pastor at University Presbyterian Church, holds a Master of Divinity with honors from Columbia Theological Seminary and a Master of Arts in Politics and Religion from University of Birmingham, London, England. C.W. (Bill) Spinks, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of English, Trinity University, earned his Ph.D. in Nebraska. His major research interests have been Trickster, Romantic Poetry, Semiotics, Myth, and Science Fiction. He is the former Editor of the Proceedings of the Semiotic Society of America, and President of the Society in 2003, Publisher and Editor Trickster's Way, and founder and chief dirt dauber of the Raven's Mud Project for computer recycling and re-sourcing. Rubén R. Dupertuis joined the Religion Department in 2006 as an Assistant Professor. He received a B.A in English Literature from the University of Michigan, an M.A. in Theological Studies from Claremont School of Theology, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Early Christian Literature from Claremont Graduate University. Mary Lou Mueller, Professor Emeritus, Religious Studies, University of the Incarnate Word received her M.A. in Theology and Ph.D. in Religion from the University of Notre Dave, South Bend, IN. After a decade of teaching elementary school, she began her 40 year career in the Religious Studies Dept. at the University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas.

Lucy Greer Burton
Director, SoL Center at
University Presbyterian Church
300 Bushnell Ave at Shook
San Antonio, TX 78212
210-732-9927

Christian Education
The Adult Class will meet in the Church Parlor at 9:30 A.M. to continue its series, "Thinking Theologically about Current Events and Issues." The series will be lead by Ilene Dunn.

House of Neighborly Service (HNS)
2010 Back-to-School Supplies Project

Hi Everyone!
House of Neighborly Service is currently accepting school supplies for the 2010 "Back-to-School Supplies" Project. The focus of the project is to provide Westside children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade with basic supplies they will need in their classrooms for starting off the school year. Churches and individuals are being asked to donate school supplies, or funds to purchase school supplies, to ensure that 145 children in need are equipped with supplies for school.
Common school supply items needed include:

Jumbo crayons Spiral notebooks (70 pages, wide rule)
Regular crayons (8, 16, or 24 per box) Blunt end scissors
Bottles of glue (4 oz. and 8 oz. sizes) Pointed end scissors
Husky pencils Soft pink erasers
#2 pencils Pencil tip erasers
Red lead pencils 12" rulers (marked in centimeters)
Ballpoint pens (blue or black) Pint and gallon size zip lock bags
Colored map pencils Bottles of antibacterial hand soap
Boxes of non-toxic markers Large boxes of tissues
Pocket folders (in multiple colors) Toothbrushes (for 3 to 5-year olds)
Pocket folders with brads (in multiple colors) Tubes of toothpaste
Primary writing tablets Loose-leaf notebook paper (wide rule)
About 20 sleeping mats for pre-kindergarten children are also needed.
While the focus is on pre-kindergarten through 5th grade children, HNS will accept CLEAR or MESH back-packs, narrow ruled paper, and other items to distribute to older (middle to high school) students.

Supply donations should be dropped off by Friday, July 30th, at the House of Neighborly Service, 407 N. Calaveras, San Antonio, TX 78207. When you arrive at HNS with the supplies, please ask for Freddie Castro, Ruth Harper, or Nancy Shaw.
Financial donations for purchasing school supplies should be mailed to the House of Neighborly Service, Attention: Nancy Shaw or Monica Deckard, 407 N. Calaveras, San Antonio, TX 78207. Checks should be made payable to the House of Neighborly Service, specifying "Back-to-School" Project in the memo line. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Nancy Shaw, Executive Director of HNS, at 210-434-2301 ext. 1 or nanceshaw@yahoo.com

HNS staff and volunteers will fill bags with school supplies for the various age and grade levels. The bags of supplies will be distributed to the families of Westside children during the first few weeks of August, in time for the beginning of the school year. Through your generosity, HNS distributed supplies to 141 children last year, and this year we hope to help approximately 145 or more children.
THANK-YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!

Help Me Build A Treasure Chest

Our Church Mission Statement says we are welcoming, open community for all, we bear witness to God’s unconditional love, we minister to the needs of our members, and we serve as agents of God’s love, reconciliation, peace and justice in the community and in the world.
These statements correctly reflect what we believe and (we assume) what we do – in our community and in the world. But we don’t have any story complete enough to fully represent who we are to visitors, to inquisitors, to friends, even to ourselves.
Therefore, a group of members are embarking on a treasure hunt, and we are inviting all members of MSPC (or friends or visitors or inquisitors) to share your story with us – so that our “story” can become complete enough. The treasure we seek is your story – why you are a member of MSPC, why you come to MSPC, what MSPC means to your spirituality, your ministry, your vocation, your avocation. Tell us what being “grounded” at MSPC means to you, what it allows you to be, to become. Tell us how you talk with others (at home, at play, at parties) about MSPC and your place within this community and in the world.
Our group will gather your responses and will start creating our “fleshed out” story. It will always be “in process”, just as most of us are “in process” of becoming Disciples. We will not use names of people or places as we build this story, but we do have to be able to provide context – like work in the medical field – to better portray who we are, where we are.
Thanks for your help. We look forward to gathering your stories very soon.

Email your stories to: richnelson2001@yahoo.com

Christian Education
The Adult Class will meet in the Church Parlor at 9:30 A.M. to continue its series, "Thinking Theologically about Current Events and Issues." The series will be lead by Rich & Holly Nelson.

Roley Lectures
All those interested in the future of the Roley Speaker Series are invited to meet after church on July 11 for a time to reflect on where we have been and where you would like to see the series go in the future. Bring new ideas. Bring names to pursue. And yes, bring your committment to work on future events. A light lunch of cucumber sandwhiches and petite scones will be served (or sandwiches and chips).

Pride Celebration
Pride Celebration Religious Service - July 11, 7 pm. @ at Divine Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 407 N. Calaveras. All are invited to this special service sponsored by PRO San Antonio, Progressive Religious Organizations of San Antonio.

Lunch with the Fam-O-lee
Lunch with the Fam-O-Lee July 18, immediately following worship @ Candlelight Coffeehouse. Our first gathering was a great success! All are invited. We hope you will join us. Some have asked why we spell "family" the way we do for this gathering. Blame it on Pastor Kenny's love a Texas singer/songwriter named Robert Earl Keen. He sings a totally inappropriate Christmas song about a dysfunctional family, or so it seems the first time you hear it. Pretty soon you realize that what Keen has laid out is a family that everyone can be a part of...and that's Madison Square. By the end of the song you are singing the song with everyone else..."merry Christmas from the fam-o-leeeee."

Christian Education
The Adult Sunday School Class will not meet this Sunday, July 4th. We will resume the class on July 11.

Thanks
Thanks to everyone who donated blood and registered for the National Marrow Donor Program. I really appreciate your support.
Liz Huggins

From the Building and Grounds Committee
The Building and Grounds committee is looking to spruce up the church grounds. Due to the drought, followed by some pretty cold nights we have lost several of our outdoor plants. If you would be willing to donate a drought resistant plant(s), potting soil, mulch or money towards our project, please contact Tammy Griswold at 210-875-5261. The following link provides information on types of plants that do well in the Texas heat http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu/HomeHort/F4Best/nTxLSPerennials.htm#local

Undie Sunday - First Sunday of the Month
July 4
Calling all Undies!
Christian Assistance Ministry, our downtown center for emergency clothing, food, financial assistance, and SAMM Ministries, our shelter for the homeless, always needs mens' white socks and men's underwear, either new or clean and usable, as well as women's and children's underwear and socks.

Please bring undies the first Sunday of the month to help those in need in San Antonio.

Thanks!
Rebecca Baker, Mission Committee

MADISON SQUARE FACEBOOK UPDATE
Madison Square's Facebook group page has grown to 85 members. Group members are discovering that the page is a good way to communicate and share information about what's going on with each other, our church, our community, and our world.

Anyone who already has a Facebook page can join the group. It's a good way to communicate and see what's going on with each other, at our church, and in our community and world.

Anyone in the group can post information, pictures, contribute to discussions, start discussions, and request event set ups by one of the page administrators.

Joining the group is easy. If you have a Facebook page already, just do a search for Madison Square Presbyterian Church from your home page. For anyone who doesn't yet have a Facebook page, get one of your friends who does have one to "invite" you. You can also start your page by going to www.facebook.com and following the instructions from there.

Please join us on Facebook! Feel free to contact Donna Neilson, 499-0230, with questions or for additional information.

Presbyterian Night at the Ballgame
Benefiting the House of Neighborly Service (HNS)
Thursday, July 8, Dollar Night
San Antonio Mission vs. the Arkansas Naturals
All tickets for purchase will be $8 for upper reserved seating whether you attend or donate for HNS families.
$2 from every ticket purchased is donated to HNS.
Contact: HNS Coordinator - Perry Deckard - 210-216-1407 or
email: Perry@gilliamcpapc.com

ROLEY COMMITTEE MEETING
Sunday, July 11 - after worship
If you are interested in the future work of the Roley Lecture Series join us for a time to reflect and organize for the future.

MISSION STATEMENT
MADISON SQUARE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

The mission of Madison Square Presbyterian Church is:

· to be a community that is open and welcoming to all people, without regard for nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status;

· to bear witness, both in word and in deed, to the universal and unconditional love of God as made known through Jesus of Nazareth;

· to minister to the spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and physical needs of its members, their families, and any others in need of such ministry;

· to serve actively and creatively as an agent of love, reconciliation, peace, and justice in the community and in the world;

· to work in harmony with all who share any aspect of this mission; and

· in all things, to seek and be receptive to the guidance of the Spirit of God.

Please email your announcements to be published, questions, and comments to: church@msqpc.org