Saint Andrew's held its annual autumn fundraiser - the Bizarre Bazaar - today in the Parish Hall and on the lawn. Click here to see if the roving camera caught you! For those who missed today's event or didn't get their fill, there are still items for sale in the Hall!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Bizarre photos from the Bazaar
Saint Andrew's held its annual autumn fundraiser - the Bizarre Bazaar - today in the Parish Hall and on the lawn. Click here to see if the roving camera caught you! For those who missed today's event or didn't get their fill, there are still items for sale in the Hall!
Monday, July 28, 2008
VBS pics now online!
Thanks to Dee McCrae, who shot a handful of pictures at this week's Vacation Bible School. Click here to see the kiddies.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Thanks to the VBS staff
Dear Saint Andrew’s,
As I write these words to you, the sounds of children are all around me. Everyone is having a wonderful time at Vacation Bible School. I am very grateful for Cathy Walls’ ministry as VBS Director. She has done a great job of planning and orchestrating the week. All of her organizational work has created a framework for creativity and fun. Thank-you, thank-you to all the teachers, kitchen volunteers, and contributors of every kind. VBS at Saint Andrew’s is truly a community effort!
Each day has started with a procession from the parish hall to the church, led by a crucifer. We have had a great time talking about the Bible story for the day and singing songs. The children have lots of great insights. After assembly, each class has made crafts and done a variety of activities. The teachers have done a wonderful job engaging the children.
Vacation Bible School has given all of us a wonderful experience of God’s love.
This Sunday we will be having a Vacation Bible School focus at the 10:30 service. All children are invited to process. VBS crafts will be displayed, the children will be singing two songs and the older children will be doing a short play in place of the sermon. We will even have special communion bread that the kids made. There will also be a sampling of VBS snacks at coffee hour. I look forward to our worship this Sunday.
Sadly, I share with you that Enis Robinson, the mother of The Reverend Paula Robinson, died early this morning. Please join me in praying for the repose of her soul and comfort for Paula and her family. If you would like to send your condolences, contact the church office for her mailing address.
I leave you with a portion of Sunday’s reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans that speaks to the all-encompassing reality of God’s love, a love that is felt through the joy of VBS and through the comfort of friends at times of great loss.
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? … For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, not things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our LORD.”
In faith, hope and love,
Shearon+
As I write these words to you, the sounds of children are all around me. Everyone is having a wonderful time at Vacation Bible School. I am very grateful for Cathy Walls’ ministry as VBS Director. She has done a great job of planning and orchestrating the week. All of her organizational work has created a framework for creativity and fun. Thank-you, thank-you to all the teachers, kitchen volunteers, and contributors of every kind. VBS at Saint Andrew’s is truly a community effort!
Each day has started with a procession from the parish hall to the church, led by a crucifer. We have had a great time talking about the Bible story for the day and singing songs. The children have lots of great insights. After assembly, each class has made crafts and done a variety of activities. The teachers have done a wonderful job engaging the children.
Vacation Bible School has given all of us a wonderful experience of God’s love.
This Sunday we will be having a Vacation Bible School focus at the 10:30 service. All children are invited to process. VBS crafts will be displayed, the children will be singing two songs and the older children will be doing a short play in place of the sermon. We will even have special communion bread that the kids made. There will also be a sampling of VBS snacks at coffee hour. I look forward to our worship this Sunday.
Sadly, I share with you that Enis Robinson, the mother of The Reverend Paula Robinson, died early this morning. Please join me in praying for the repose of her soul and comfort for Paula and her family. If you would like to send your condolences, contact the church office for her mailing address.
I leave you with a portion of Sunday’s reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans that speaks to the all-encompassing reality of God’s love, a love that is felt through the joy of VBS and through the comfort of friends at times of great loss.
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? … For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, not things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our LORD.”
In faith, hope and love,
Shearon+
Monday, July 21, 2008
Youth Group beach cookout
Hi St. Andrew’s Youth Group!Hope you’re all having a terrific summer. Remember that the youth group cookout at the Stein’s is this Sunday, July 27th at 4 p.m. We’re going to cook out and generally have a great time at their beach. Bring your bathing suit, a towel, sunscreen, and any fun beach toys you like. Anyone have a badminton or volleyball set up? Frisbees? Maybe we need water guns too. What do you think?
This will be a great opportunity to welcome the rising 6th-graders to the awesome youth group, so be sure to be ready for the “initiation ceremony” Just kidding….
Bring a clean, white t-shirt to tie-dye. Tie-dyeing is messy business, so bring or wear stuff you don’t care about getting messed up. We’ll grill hamburgers and hotdogs, eat chips and other junk food, and wash it all down with plenty of soda. If we’re not in a sugar inspired coma after all that, we’ll make s’mores. Then we’ll twist Mr. Stein’s arm until he plays the guitar for us. Shouldn’t take too much twisting…
This is going to be an awesome time. I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone again!
Ellen Lewis
Ellen Lewis
Friday, July 18, 2008
From the cradle to the grave
Dear Saint Andrew’s,
Vacation Bible School starts this coming Monday. Cathy Walls, our VBS Director, and many others, are hard at work making preparations for this very important summer ministry. As of today, 34 children are registered!
In anticipation of VBS, we will be blessing our new children’s processional cross at the10:30 service. This colorful wooden cross was made in Central America and is light enough for a very young crucifer to carry. Many thanks to my husband, Robbie, for assembling it into a processional cross.
One of the many wonderful things about our community is our inclusion of children in worship. We are all reminded of our identity as children of God as we join together each Sunday to continue a lifelong journey with God, a journey led by Jesus, the one whom we seek and who eagerly seeks us, even unto death.
At 1:00 this Sunday, we will be having a committal service to inter the ashes of Thomas F. Bennett, Jr. and Mary Ruth Bennett, the beloved parents of Susan Bennett and long-time parishioners of Saint Andrew’s. All are invited.
I leave you with a portion of our psalm for Sunday (139):
LORD, you have searched me out ad known me;
You know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
You trace my journeys and my resting places
and are acquainted with all my ways…
Where can I go then from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I climb up to heaven, you are there;
If I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
Yours in Christ,
Shearon+
Vacation Bible School starts this coming Monday. Cathy Walls, our VBS Director, and many others, are hard at work making preparations for this very important summer ministry. As of today, 34 children are registered!
In anticipation of VBS, we will be blessing our new children’s processional cross at the10:30 service. This colorful wooden cross was made in Central America and is light enough for a very young crucifer to carry. Many thanks to my husband, Robbie, for assembling it into a processional cross.
One of the many wonderful things about our community is our inclusion of children in worship. We are all reminded of our identity as children of God as we join together each Sunday to continue a lifelong journey with God, a journey led by Jesus, the one whom we seek and who eagerly seeks us, even unto death.
At 1:00 this Sunday, we will be having a committal service to inter the ashes of Thomas F. Bennett, Jr. and Mary Ruth Bennett, the beloved parents of Susan Bennett and long-time parishioners of Saint Andrew’s. All are invited.
I leave you with a portion of our psalm for Sunday (139):
LORD, you have searched me out ad known me;
You know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
You trace my journeys and my resting places
and are acquainted with all my ways…
Where can I go then from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I climb up to heaven, you are there;
If I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
Yours in Christ,
Shearon+
Friday, July 11, 2008
The Wisdom of Parables
Dear Saint Andrew’s,
This Sunday we will be trying something new at the 10:30 service. The liturgy will be from Enriching Our Worship, a supplemental Episcopal resource created to compliment the Book of Common Prayer and broaden the language and images used in worship. (See July newsletter article for details). As a means of being more hospitable to those who are unfamiliar with Episcopal worship, the entire liturgy is in the bulletin. I am very grateful to Kara Mattingly, our parish secretary, for her hard work in creating our beautiful new bulletin.
In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tells the following parable:
“Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” Matthew 13: 1-9
Jesus’ disciples were forever trying to get him to speak in plain language, but Jesus often chose to teach in parables. I think he taught this way as a means of getting people to really ponder what he was saying. I imagine people walking away from his teachings, scratching their heads, ruminating over his words, and then some time later having an “aha” moment. There is great wisdom in this way of teaching. It enables the cosmic Word of God to take root in the ordinary, often messy and ambiguous circumstances of our lives.
Please remember in your prayers the Lambeth Conference, a once a decade gathering of bishops from the world-wide Anglican Communion. As you are probably aware, there is much that divides us, issues of interpretation of Scripture, human sexuality and gender. Our Presiding Bishop, The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, asks that we pray for the bishops attending Lambeth, using this beautiful prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, page 515:
“O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our LORD; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
I look forward to joining with you as we come together as Christ’s wonderful and sacred mystery on Sunday.
In faith, hope and love,
Shearon+
This Sunday we will be trying something new at the 10:30 service. The liturgy will be from Enriching Our Worship, a supplemental Episcopal resource created to compliment the Book of Common Prayer and broaden the language and images used in worship. (See July newsletter article for details). As a means of being more hospitable to those who are unfamiliar with Episcopal worship, the entire liturgy is in the bulletin. I am very grateful to Kara Mattingly, our parish secretary, for her hard work in creating our beautiful new bulletin.
In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tells the following parable:
“Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” Matthew 13: 1-9
Jesus’ disciples were forever trying to get him to speak in plain language, but Jesus often chose to teach in parables. I think he taught this way as a means of getting people to really ponder what he was saying. I imagine people walking away from his teachings, scratching their heads, ruminating over his words, and then some time later having an “aha” moment. There is great wisdom in this way of teaching. It enables the cosmic Word of God to take root in the ordinary, often messy and ambiguous circumstances of our lives.
Please remember in your prayers the Lambeth Conference, a once a decade gathering of bishops from the world-wide Anglican Communion. As you are probably aware, there is much that divides us, issues of interpretation of Scripture, human sexuality and gender. Our Presiding Bishop, The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, asks that we pray for the bishops attending Lambeth, using this beautiful prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, page 515:
“O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our LORD; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
I look forward to joining with you as we come together as Christ’s wonderful and sacred mystery on Sunday.
In faith, hope and love,
Shearon+
Monday, July 7, 2008
It's Italian, and it's coming this way!
Do come. Join us for a Potluck dinner in the Church Hall Friday evening July 11 at 6:00. Our theme will be "Italian Night." So get out your best recipes and join us for great food and good conversation with your fellow parishioners. We do need to know how many people are coming so we can be ready for the hordes. Please call the church office or e-mail cynandjess[at]aol[dot]com to let us know you will be coming.
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