ST. ANDREW'S
eNews

worship. serve. learn. connect.

Friends,
 
It has been another week of experimenting, adjusting and learning as we continue to explore new ways for us to gather and worship from a distance. We are grateful and inspired by the outpouring of support and encouragement you all have extended to us and each other this week. Thank you!

It has been a joy to see you over virtual office hours, to worship together in morning prayer or compline and to connect over the phone and email. We cannot stress enough, please do reach out to us and to each other.

We have also made several tweaks that we hope will make things easier in the weeks ahead.
  • The worship schedule with links and our virtual office hours with links have all been posted on the homepage of our website.
  • We are recruiting ZOOMIES to help provide technical support with Zoom. If you'd like help from a ZOOMIE reach out to Fr. Andy.
  • Our 1833 Online blog is alive and active! This week we posted a reflection from Senior Warden, Sara Siegmann, a curated morning prayer service infused with musical offerings from Ken Stancer, and a little bit of humor.
  • We have moved the time of the four week book group to be over the Wednesday lunch hour (12pm-12:45pm). Grab your lunch and join us for discussion on Henri Nouwen's, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World. Sign up here.
  • The resource section below has been updated with several new opportunities for individuals, families and children.
  • On our homepage you can find a link for online giving. If you are in the habit of writing physical checks as a part of your giving to St. Andrew's, we encourage you to give this option a try for this season. We will continue to check the mail at the church however it may not occur every day.
 
And we will continue to learn, adjust and adapt as we walk through this time together.

This week I have been reminded of a saying from a beloved seminary professor, "It's hard, because it's hard." I think we all can agree that this is a hard time, and some of us are feeling that more than others. As we draw near to Holy Week we are reminded that we have a God who does not shy away from the hard things and who walks with us in the pain, heartache and despair. It is our prayer that you will find that indeed God's mercies are new every morning, and that even here God is present.
 
with love and gratitude,

Andy+ and Melesa+

WORSHIP
Sunday Schedule
10:00am | Diocesan Worship
Join on Facebook Live or Youtube by clicking either link

St. Andrew's Coffee Hour
Join us on Zoom immediately after the 10am service!
Call in: 1 -312-626-6799
Meeting ID:536443810#

5:00pm | Evening Prayer & Gospel Reflection
Posted on 1833 Online and our Facebook Page

Sunday Worship
On Sunday mornings we will be joining with others from across Southern Wisconsin in a diocesan worship service at 10am. The service will be live-streamed on Facebook Live and Youtube and will feature officiants, preachers, readers, and musicians from throughout the diocese.

Immediately following the diocesan service, we invite you to a virtual St. Andrew's coffee hour ! There we will have space for fellowship and community announcements.

Then at 5pm we will post a St. Andrew's led service of Evening Prayer including a gospel reflection from the clergy. Those will be available on our website and on our Facebook page.
Midweek Worship
Each week we will be offering two online midweek services from the Book of Common Prayer. We will gather on Zoom, which will allow us to see and hear one another across the digital space. Information on how to join these meetings is provided below.

Morning Prayer | Tuesday, March 30 at 7:00am

Compline | Thursday, March 26 at 8:00pm
Phone in: 1-312-626-6799
Meeting ID: 293776774
Don't know how to use Zoom?

Introducing ZOOMIES!
Need help figuring out how to use Zoom? We have people to help! Email Fr. Andy to get connected to a ZOOMIE.

A quick tutorial can be found here . You can join a Zoom conversation with a computer, mobile device or phone! If that is not a possibility, you can always call in and listen on the phone.
PASTORAL CARE
During this period of increasing isolation it is valuable that we find new ways to connect with one another. Starting next week Mtr. Melesa and Fr. Andy will be holding virtual office hours. What this means is that you can link on one of the links below during the times listed, and be connected to us and others in the community in a virtual Zoom meeting room. If you do not have access to the technology to make use of this way of gathering, know the we will be taking good old fashion phone calls too (see our cell phone numbers listed above).
Fr. Andy's Virtual Office Hours
Mondays | 9:00am - 10:00am

Mondays | 7:00pm - 8:00pm

Wednesdays| 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Mtr. Melesa's Virtual Office Hours
Tuesdays | 12:30pm - 2:30pm

Thursdays | 12:30pm - 2:30pm
RESOURCES
Virtual Foyer Groups
Share in some good table fellowship every 1-2 weeks with fellow St. Andrew's folk!

A Book Group
Interested in breaking the isolation with a book group? Join us for a lunch break discussion on Henri Nouwen's Life of the Beloved. Sign up by providing your information here.


More resource available here on our website! If you are not on the St. Andrew's family email list, please email Ruth Kearley to get signed up.
An Opportunity to be in Prayer with Members of Our Community

St. Andrew’s parishioners, Mtr. Lynne Carver and Susan Fiore, have been holding space for Contemplative Prayer at 7:00 on Tuesday nights at St Andrew’s. We don’t have to stop this practice just because we can’t gather in the Parish Hall.
OUTREACH
Cherokee Heights Food Pantry
St. Andrew's has been a committed partner of the Cherokee Heights Middle School Food Pantry that was started with the help of our very own, Beth Bookland. With the closing of the Middle School, the pantry is now in need of volunteers to help deliver weekly groceries to the 80 families they support each week. If you have 3-4 hours each week during this time of school closure, please consider delivering groceries to 3-4 families. A sign up can be found here.
Phone a Friend
As many in our community choose to self quarantine and social distance, the networks of support that we are so used to may begin to weaken. If you would like someone to give you a weekly phone call as you are isolated in your home or if you would be willing to make a weekly phone call to a St. Andrew's member who is sheltering at home, please let us know by signing up here.
ANNOUNCEMENTS

MARCH INGATHERING: HEALING HOUSE
Each month the St. Andrew's Outreach Committee identifies a need or organization in the community we designate our offering to on the third Sunday of each month. The March InGathering will be given to Healing House. Healing House is a place where a homeless child or family member can go to receive medical respite after surgery or medical crisis.  To learn more visit their website here .

20's & 30's Weekly Check In
Join us on Zoom each week for a 30 minute time to check in with each other at noon on Sundays:   https://zoom.us/j/509124787

REQUESTING PRAYER
We will continue to update the St. Andrew's Prayer List each week and share it with you in the Friday eNews. If you would like to request prayer, please email Dorie .

JULIAN GATHERINGS POSTPONED
The Madison-area Julian Gathering will take a break April - June, and re-convene when it's safe to do so. In the meantime, take to heart Julian's most well-known and well-loved words: "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well."  Lest you think Julian was a pollyanna, here are a few of the events that occurred during her lifetime: At least half the population of Norwich died from the Plague. Disease killed the cattle, and harvests failed. People became so desperate they rose up in revolt, looting the churches and monasteries. Lollards (heretics) were burned alive in a pit less than a mile from Julian’s cell. The Hundred Years War between England and France continued throughout her lifetime. The Great Schism split the Church, with one pope in France, the other in Rome. And in the midst of all this, Julian came to believe unshakably that “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

WEEKLY WORDS OF WELLNESS
Each week the Living Compass Wellness Initiative publishes  a short reflection that can be found here .
ST. ANDREW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
608.233.3249