Sunday, October 14, 21st Sunday after Pentecost

The Holy Eucharist at 8 a.m., Rite I, Fr. Pence officiating
The Holy Eucharist, Rite II, Fr. Hoffman officiating

Church School at 10 a.m.; childcare available 9:45 a.m.
Worship notes

The Collect:
Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. A men.

This week’s lessons: Amos 5:6-7, 10-15; Psalm 90:12-17; Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31
 
The Epistle:
“Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
The Gospel | Mark 10:17-31
"But many who are first will be last..."

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
The week of October 14

Sunday, 8 a.m., The Holy Eucharist, Rite I
Sunday, 9 a.m., Choir rehearsal
Sunday, 10 a.m., The Holy Eucharist, Rite II
Sunday, 10 a.m., Church School
Childcare available 9:45 a.m.

Monday, 1 p.m., Book Group
Monday, 6:30 p.m., Girl Scout Troop 816
Tuesday, 10 a.m., Julian of Norwich Prayer Group
Tuesday, 10 a.m., Quilt Guild sewing day
Wednesday, 8 a.m., The Holy Eucharist, Rite II
Wednesday, 10 a.m., Quilt Guild sewing day
October 10 Mission Leadership Team Meeting Highlights
 
  1. Kevin Babb announced that Father Morsch is projected to arrive at St. Andrew’s in mid-to-late November, with a parish welcome party to follow in December. Kevin also indicated that the December MLT election will include three slots for two-year terms, vacated by Kevin, Mary Caspers, and Jane Weingartner; and three for three-year terms, vacated by Duane Douglas, Liz Edwards, and Frank Sauermann.
  2. Stewardship pledge cards for 2019 will be distributed this coming Sunday, October 14, and blessed on November 4, All Saints Day.
  3. Mary Caspers recommended the adoption of a more orderly system of arranging for major repairs and improvements to the parish. The Building and Grounds Committee would discuss these matters with the Parish Warden, following which they would be brought before the MLT for consideration and approval.
  4. Treasurer Riley Atwood reported that preliminary estimates of the cost of replacing the two failing air conditioning systems (including furnaces) for the 2001 parish addition is $33,000. He further announced that the Finance Committee will meet on October 21 and that parishioner contribution statements will be distributed on Sunday, October 14.
  5. Nichole DeWall announced that the Church School Christmas Pageant has been scheduled for Sunday, December 23.
Did you save the September 14 Members and Friends Directory?

A notice and link to an updated parish Members and Friends Directory appeared in the September 14 newsletter. A few parishioners have indicated that they did not save the document for later reference so click on this link if you still need a copy. A few updates to the listing have been reported and will appear in a new directory published by early January.
A Close Call!
 
Bishop George F. Seymour, first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Springfield (1877-1906), was a formidable figure. A graduate of Columbia University (then Columbia College), he had delivered a graduation oration in classical Greek, “an iambic trimester poem, which was greatly admired for its Attic purity of style, beauty of diction and sublimity of sentiment.” But as a cleric, Seymour had a practical side. He understood the importance of money to the Church and became an effective fundraiser. St. Andrew’s would have reason to be grateful.

Bishop Seymour visited St. Andrew’s on April 11, 1882, a precarious time in its history. His visitation diary records that he “…preached and introduced the Rev. John W. Birchmore as the Missionary to take charge of the congregation. This substantial brick church had been sold under foreclosure of mortgages and arrearages of interest and had been purchased by the Roman Catholics. The Bishop rescued it from the jaws of those who were ready to eat it up a few days before the time for redemption had expired.”

Father Becker may be right that “one’s stewardship is the best possible indication of one’s personal commitment to Jesus Christ,” but it is also crucial to the survival of a parish.

-Jim Weingartner
Announcements
 
Book Club Meets Monday, October 15, at 1 p.m. in Pearson Hall
Book Club will discuss Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward., a book featured in The Week magazine’s “Book List.” column, in which a well-known author of fiction or non-fiction comments on several of his/her favorite books.
 
The author for the October 12 issue is Jodi Piccoult. Two of her six book selections, The Book Thief , and Lincoln in the Bardo, are past Book Club selections. A third is Salvage the Bones of which she writes: “Ward is, simply put, a legend in the making. This story haunts me, illustrating how the fierceness of family can be both tender and as destructive as the storm—Hurricane Katrina—that provides the novel’s backdrop.” Will our Book Club “reviewers” agree with Picoult’s assessment? We shall see…. –Pat Rudloff
White Elephant Boutique Contributions Needed
ECW will be offering upscale artwork or prints, linens, glassware, pottery, silver or brass, antiques, china, jewelry fashionable purses, upscale kitchenware, seasonable items (Christmas and Halloween) and collectibles at its White Elephant Boutique. Please bring donations for the sale to the sitting room on the lower level as soon as possible so they can be priced for the upcoming sale on October 19 and 20. If you have questions, please contact Mary Jane Helsel at 656-7653.
-Nancy Dickens

Relay for Life Volunteers Needed
The St. Andrew’s Relay for Life team is running its annual used-book sale at Leclaire Parkfest on Sunday, October 21! Volunteers are needed, especially for setup and tear down. If you are interested in helping, please contact team captain Elizabeth Donald at elizabethdonald@yahoo.com or 618-973-7293. And please come by the festival itself, pick up some terrific books and enjoy all the great activities at Parkfest! All profits will go to the American Cancer Society. –Elizabeth Donald
 
Preparing for November’s Book Fair
The Fall Book Fair is less than a month away. If you are interested in volunteering to work the sale and are not already on our volunteer list, please call Mike and Cindy Reinhardt at 618-656-1294. Having a long list of volunteers means everyone doesn't have to work at every sale.

The Fall Book Fair is Friday, November 2, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, November 3, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. About 20 volunteers are needed during the sale itself, and additional help is needed in the weeks prior to the sale to organize the books. 
 
We have received over 200 boxes of book donations since the Summer Book Fair in August so if you have books to donate, we would appreciate it if you would hold onto them until after the November sale. -Cindy Reinhardt
 
Coffee Hour Update
Only four Coffee Hour dates need volunteers before the end of the year — November 18 and 25, and December 16 and 23. It is not too early to sign up for Sundays in 2019 for those who would like to make their wishes known now.
 
Please email Pat at silverlining6@charter.net or see her after church to get your name on the calendar. -Pat Rudloff
 The St. Andrew's Week-End Updat e , 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.