St. Andrew's News

Bizarre photos from the Bazaar

2008-11-01T18:02:00.000-07:00

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!

VBS pics now online!

2008-07-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Dee McCrae, who shot a handful of pictures at this week's Vacation Bible School. Click here to see the kiddies.

Thanks to the VBS staff

2008-07-25T06:51:00.000-07:00

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+

Youth Group beach cookout

2008-07-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

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

From the cradle to the grave

2008-07-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

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+

The Wisdom of Parables

2008-07-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

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+

It's Italian, and it's coming this way!

2008-07-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

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.

Newsletter and calendar posted

2008-07-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

The July edition of the St. Andrew's newsletter Loaves and Fishes and the July calendar are now available for download at the St. Andrew's web site.

Click here for a PDF version of Loaves and Fishes.

Click here for a JPEG version of the calendar.

Jesus as Divine Wisdom

2008-07-04T17:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Saint Andrew’s,

Last Sunday, we reflected on Jesus words of radical welcome, “Whoever welcomes you, welcomes me.” This Sunday we will put Jesus’ words into practice by wearing nametags. Our ushers will ask everyone to make a nametag as they come in the door. This way, we can call each other by name as we greet each other at the peace (e.g. “The peace of the LORD be always with you, John.”). Nametags will also be helpful as we get to know each other better at coffee hour. Many thanks to our coffee hour hosts Sue and Charlie Evans (8:00) and Jim and Nancy Meade (10:30).

Since summer is the time that most people relocate, this is a particularly important time to be focused on “welcoming everyone as Christ.” We had 7 visitors last Sunday!

This Sunday, we will be reflecting on one of my favorite topics, understanding Jesus as Divine Wisdom. Wisdom is personified as a woman in ancient Hebrew writings. In Proverbs, she is the hostess at a great banquet. She invites those who are unwise to come to a feast that she has prepared. She issues an invitation to walk in God’s ways, a way that leads to life.

In Sunday’s gospel, Jesus says to the crowd,

“…the Son of Man came eating and drinking and they say ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

Jesus as Divine Wisdom is not just an esoteric theological topic. It has real importance for each of us as we seek to deepen our spiritual lives. Having an experience of Christ that encompasses both male and female enriches us. Jesus was of course a man in history. But knowing that God is Spirit and that Spirit is neither male nor female, experiencing Christ as both male and female gives us a fuller image of God.

I look forward to our worship together on Sunday. For those who are traveling over the holiday week-end, we pray for traveling mercies.

Yours in Christ,
Shearon+

Hospitality is an all-encompassing ministry

2008-06-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Saint Andrew's,

Last Sunday was an especially wonderful day for visitors. We had 6 newcomers, 5 of whom found us through our new and improved website. Many thanks to our webmaster, Jay Friess, for the great work he has begun! Stay tuned for further developments.

People are attracted to Saint Andrew's for lots of reasons, but hospitality is at the very top of the list. Visitors often tell me, "Gee, everyone is so friendly here!"

Hospitality is an all-encompassing ministry. It begins when someone surfs the web and looks at our website, thinking "hmmmm....this church is beautifully inviting."

Hospitality continues when a newcomer walks in the door thinking "this usher is very friendly."

Hospitality is a major thread throughout the service, particularly at the exchange of the peace, when a visitor thinks, "wow, they don't even know me and they are getting out of their pew to come greet me."

Hospitality is perhaps experienced most profoundly when we join together for the eucharistic feast, when we literally share the Body and Blood of Christ, a very intimate experience indeed.

Hospitality continues after church when the feast that began at the altar continues at with coffee, snacks and conversation. Newcomers walk into the parish hall and say, "people really love each other here and I want to be a part of this."

This Sunday, our ministers of hospitality (a.k.a. coffee hour hosts) are the Vallandingham family at 8:00 and the Fallon family at 10:30. Thank-you for your ministry!

Jesus has a lot to say about hospitaity in this week's Gospel, Matthew 10: 40-42.

"Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. "

All of us are ministers of hospitality on Sunday morning. When we think about welcoming everyone as if we were welcoming Christ, this changes everything! Whether we are an usher, a nursery caregiver, a lay reader, a coffee hour host or a person in the pew, we are all called to be on the look out for Jesus everywhere. He shows up as a little child and he shows up as a senior adult. I wonder how Jesus will visit us this week?

In faith, hope and love,

Shearon+

"Open our eyes to see your hand at work in the world about us"

2008-06-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Saint Andrew’s,

What a glorious day!

As we look forward to our worship on Sunday, I invite you to think about Eucharistic Prayer C, which asks God to “open our eyes to see your hand at work in the world about us.”

Training our eyes to see the world this way is hard work! That’s why it’s important to join together with others who are on the same journey.

Coming to church is like going to the gym. Just as we exercise our bodies to keep ourselves healthy and strong, we exercise our spirits in a similar way. (This is a thinly veiled invitation to come to church this summer!) :-)

Our reading from Genesis 21: 8-21 is about training our eyes to see God’s hand at work in the world.

Sarah becomes jealous when she sees her son, Isaac, playing with Ishmael, the son of Sarah’s husband, Abraham, and the slave woman, Hagar. Abraham reluctantly sends Hagar and Ishmael into the wilderness with only bread and water.

When their water is gone, Hagar casts her son under a bush because she can not bear to watch her little boy die. While she sits weeping, an angel of the LORD says, “Do not be afraid…. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand… Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.”

This is such a rich passage! I look forward to exploring it together.

Speaking of God’s hand at work in the world….

Please remember that we are bringing contributions to the H.O.P.E. food pantry EVERY Sunday this summer (since children are at home and the need is particularly great.)

In thanksgiving for all of God’s blessings,

Shearon+

Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?

2008-06-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Saint Andrew’s,

Summer has begun! I hope everyone is enjoying thoughts of vacation and respite, taking time out for simply being.

Saint Andrew’s is a place of refreshment. It is very interesting to think about our history in that light. For many years, Saint Andrew’s was a summer chapel, an oasis from the heat. Our history has formed us to be a people who are mindful of the importance of coming to church each week as a way of being renewed.

This Sunday’s Old Testament lesson is a story of refreshment.

In Genesis 18, Abraham offers hospitality to three strangers who seek respite from the desert sun under a large tree near Abraham’s tent. Abraham brings water to wash their feet, weary from travel. Sarah bakes bread to assuage their hunger. Servants prepare a calf for celebration.

After resting and eating, these mysterious strangers tell Abraham that Sarah will have a son. Who are these men that seem to speak for God? Sarah laughs in disbelief because she is far past child-bearing years. But God’s response to her laughter is simply this.

“IS ANYTHING TOO WONDERFUL FOR THE LORD?”

Sarah did indeed have son and he was named Isaac, which means “he laughs”. The “impossible” announcement by the three mysterious visitors became a glorious reality.

I look forward to our time together on Sunday, a time set apart for God, a time to be refreshed, a time full of possibility.

In faith, hope and love,
Shearon+

Welcome to the St. Andew's Online Bulletin Blog

2008-05-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

Behold, the first post of the St. Andew's Online Bulletin Blog.

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