September 15, Fourteenth Sunday
after Pentecost
The Holy Eucharist, 8 a.m., Rite I
The Holy Eucharist, 10 a.m., Rite II
Fr. John Thorpe, officiating
Church School 10 a.m. | Child Care 9:45 a.m.
Choir Rehearsal 9 a.m.
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Worship notes
The Collect:
O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever.
Amen
This week’s lessons: Exodus 32:7-14; Psalm 51:1-3, 9-11; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10
Epistle
“The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost.” 1 Timothy 1:15
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The Gospel | Luke 15: 1-10
All the tax collectors and sinners were coming to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."
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So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, `
Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost
.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
"Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.'
Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
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Schedule
for the week of September 15
Monday, 6:30 p.m., Girl Scout Troop 816
Tuesday, 10:00 a.m., St. Julian of Norwich Prayer Group
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Parish Updates
- United Thank Offering Fall Ingathering September 29 - The Fall UTO Ingathering at St. Andrew’s will take place Sunday, September 29. The United Thank Offering Mission Statement calls us to action: “Put gifts into the Blue Box with thanksgiving, prayer and generosity. Take Blessings out of the Box for grants serving the church’s mission.”
- City Park Book Fair a Success! - The St. Andrew's Book Fair went on the road last week...but not too far, only to City Park in Edwardsville to participate in the first Edwardsville Book Festival. It was a great event and $723.25 in books was sold with just four tables! Thank you to Elizabeth Edwards, Doug and Maxine Callies, Marilyn Strangeman, Julie Hamilton, Fredna Scroggins and Mike and Cindy Reinhardt for volunteering for this event.
- Book Sale Help Needed September 21 -The Book Fair is invited to return to City Park on September 21 when the Madison County Historical Society and Colonel Benjamin Stephenson House are presenting "Living History Days: A Chautauqua with Mark Twain and Friends." It should be a fun event, but volunteers will be needed between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Please contact Cindy Reinhardt if you are able to volunteer for part of the festival. Help is especially needed with set-up and take-down. Many hands make light work!
- Church Phone Line - ATT restored service for 618-656-1929 on Tuesday, September 10. For the time being, 618-656-7982 is still connected. Both lines ring through to the church answering machine. An interesting footnote to the "saga of the vanishing phone line" is that a very dedicated ATT tech support person named "Angel" was on the phone with Marian Smithson on/off over four+ hours on September 9, and it was his research that led to ultimate resolution of the problem with 1929. Many thanks to our ATT Angel!
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Highlights of September 11 Vestry Meeting
- Search Committee - The committee is following up on the August 18 meeting with the bishop.
- Tree removal and trimming - The vestry approved removal by Arbor Management of the two story oak tree at the back of the paved parking lot plus the trimming of the sycamore tree in the south parking area. Two bids were considered and reviewed. Cost: $3200. This expense will be covered by a gift from a parishioner.
- Cleanup of the paved parking area on Hillsboro - Removal of brush, vines, and volunteer trees, plus trimming of the arborvitae is needed. One bid of $960 has been submitted and a second bid is being obtained from Arbor Management as the work could be done when they come to remove the oak tree.
- Sign area of paved parking lot - Currently, the sign indicating this lot belongs to St. Andrew's is blocked by a barberry bush and magnolia tree. The vestry approved removal of the barberry bush and will look into disposition of the magnolia tree.
- Junior Warden report - Fire extinguishers have been inspected; batteries in the keypad lock have been changed; signage for the new handicapped parking spaces have been installed; and the irrigation service has been serviced.
- Phone issues: Phone line 656-1929 is working after significant work by ATT.
- Communications - On average, 70% to 75% of those receiving the parish newsletter are opening (and assumedly reading) the weekly newsletter and a new page on the parish website has been created for clergy interested in our rector position opening.
- Facilities Use Policy - Issues raised about the serving of alcohol in Pearson Hall for church-sponsored events and non-church sponsored events will be investigated with the Church Insurance Company before further consideration of the overall policy for facilities use.
- Deanery and Synod Meetings - Kevin Babb and Marian Smithson will attend the Darrow Deanery meeting at St. George's on Sunday, September 15. Kevin Babb and Bill Schaefer will attend Synod meeting on October 18-19 at the Alton parish.
- Parking lot at 417 Hillsboro - Bill Schaefer will be consulting with the City of Edwardsville regarding the possible merger of the gravel lot with the paved lot.
- Treasurer's report - Riley Atwood indicated that transition to the new company, Aplos, is progressing and parish accounting records are current with Aplos through May 31. A motion was made and approved that Marian Smithson will serve on the audit committee this year.
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A Murderess among Us?
I was recently paging through an old
Service Record Book
that Jane, acting for the History Committee, had arranged to have rebound. It contained the usual: dates of church services, the names of celebrants, the number of communicants and plate offerings – all pretty boring stuff.
Then I came upon an entry for April 17, 1935: “Mrs. Puhse commuted to life imprisonment.” That got my attention! The only sentence that could have been commuted to life imprisonment would have been one of death, and the most likely crime punishable by death was first degree murder. Who was this Mrs. Puhse, and why was there a notation about the commutation of her sentence in our service book? Was she a member of St. Andrew’s?
A little on-line research revealed that Gertrude Puhse was a Granite City housewife who had been involved in a long-term affair with one Thomas J. Lehne. Both were tried in Madison County Circuit Court for the murder of Mrs. Puhse’s husband, Charles Puhse, on the night of January 26
th
, 1934. Lehne, with Mrs. Puhse’s assistance, had entered the Puhse residence and fired a .32 caliber bullet into Mr. Puhse’s brain while he slept. The two were found guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to death in the electric chair.
But that still left unanswered the question of her relationship to St. Andrew’s. Jane found the answer in an entry that I had overlooked: “Private communion for Mrs. Gertrude Puhse in county jail.” On six occasions Fr. Robert A. Martin, our rector at that time, had brought the sacrament to Mrs. Puhse, who had been scheduled to die on April 23, 1935.
On the bottom of the same page in the service book
where the reference to the commutation of Mrs. Puhse’s sentence appears is the following notation: “St. Andrew’s has been denied representation in the synod of this diocese for the attitude shown in not paying assessment, quota, and pension of many years standing. The rector has done all he could to avert this condition.”
There was no commutation of St. Andrew’s sentence. The parish was condemned to demotion to the status of mission. -Jim Weingartner
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Announcements
American Cancer Society Breakfastival, Saturday, September 14
This Saturday is the Edwardsville-Glen Carbon ACS Breakfastival of Hope! This event replaces the traditional Relay for Life with a new kind of fundraiser: visitors purchase a wristband that allows them tastings at booths from various local restaurants and caterers, trying out breakfast foods from around the region. Regular wristbands are $15; the VIP wristband is $25 and includes a T-shirt as well as unlimited tastings.
St. Andrew’s Relay for Life will be operating a fun photo booth on site! Come by and make a face as a comics superhero or a Disney character, and help us raise money for the American Cancer Society!
Breakfastival of Hope will be in Miner Park in Glen Carbon 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, check out the
event
on Facebook. Come by and cheer on St. Andrew’s Relay for Life! -Elizabeth Donald
Donate Shoes to Help Neighbors in Need
Please bring those gently-used shoes to Pearson Hall during September. There are containers along the west wall. Your shoes are sold to a company that resells them in developing countries. The Shoeman uses the proceeds from his sales to dig water wells in countries where fresh water is desperately needed. -Fredna Scroggins
September 16 Book Club Meeting Cancelled
Members will discuss Tara Westover's book at a future meeting.
Coffee Hour
Thanks to Kim Berger the September 22nd slot for Coffee Hour has been filled! Please check the signup sheet on the bulletin board by the women’s restroom for Sundays still needing volunteers. –Pat Rudloff
Meals on Wheels Volunteers Needed!
It is St. Andrews time to do Meals on Wheels, an outreach project to the community. Our dates are Monday, September 30, through October 11.
Volunteers need to pick up the meals at 10:30 a.m. at the Main Street Community Center and deliver them. The number of meals varies from day to day, but the approximate time is 1 to 1.5 hours. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board by Pearson Hall. Questions? Please contact Lyndia Pezza at (401)463-8049 or
lyndia1231@gmail.com
.
Wanted: Church School Teachers!
The St. Andrew’s Church School program invites parishioners to volunteer to teach during the 2019-2020 academic year. Church school occurs each week from the beginning of the 10 a.m. Sunday Mass until after the homily. Each volunteer commits to teaching for one month during the year. If you have questions or would like to volunteer, please e-mail Nichole DeWall at
dewall.n@gmail.com
.
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The St. Andrew's Week-End Update
, a weekly emailed newsletter, is designed to keep parishioners up to date on church activities. Please send news items to Editors Marianne Cavanaugh and Jane Weingartner by 11 a.m. on Tuesday to have them appear in the following Friday's newsletter.
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St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
406 Hillsboro Avenue Edwardsville, Illinois
618-656-129
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