St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

Boca Grande, Florida

December 17, 2021

• Sunday Worship Information
• Advent Series: It's a Wonderful Life
• Help Us Decorate the Christmas Tree
• Christmas Worship Schedule
• Save the Date: Faith and ... series
• Save the Date: Organ Dedication
• Habitat for Humanity
• Volunteer Opportunties
• Financial Status YTD
• Upcoming Events
• Prayer Requests & Prayer Lists
• News and Bulletin Submissions

Sunday Worship Information

The Fourth Sunday of Advent

Year C

December 19 2021

We hope you will join us for worship in-person (at 8:00 a.m. or 9:30 a.m.) or online at 9:30 a.m. this Sunday. The link to watch "Live" is available below as well as a link to watch the service at your convenience anytime after Sunday afternoon.

Masks and social distancing are encouraged while on campus.

Click on the images below Sunday morning to be linked to

the Live-Stream service and/or the bulletin.

Covid Friendly Service ~ Sundays at 8:00 a.m.

There will not be any music nor singing and masks are required at this service.

We will continue our 9:30 a.m. service with music and choir

for those who are comfortable in that setting.

Help us decorate the

Saint Andrew’s Christmas tree

on our front porch!

Make or bring an ornament from home anytime through the Christmas season and put it on our tree. This can be a prayerful act of hope. The tree will stay outside, so please bring something that can withstand the weather. Be part of this new Saint Andrew’s tradition as we celebrate Christmas together.

A Little Bit About our Christmas Eve guest

Maria Wirries

Maria is a graduate of the musical theatre program at Penn State. She was most recently seen in the Broadway traveling company of Dear Even Hansen. Her other theatre credits include the Broadway revival workshop of Once on This Island; The Artist Series Hot and Cole; Penn State School of Theatre’s Be More Chill, Sweet Charity, Hair, Titanic, and The Players Theatre’s Master Class. Maria also performs solo cabarets and often collaborates with the Sarasota Orchestra on their Master Works series.

Maria has a huge appreciation for new work and has performed newly commissioned pieces by composers and artists James Grant, Dick Hyman, Alex Rybeck, and Sheridan Seyfried. At Penn State, she also participated in a commission project of a new theatre piece written by Mike Reid and Sarah Schlesinger as well as participating in the world premier of Love in Hate Nation, a Joe Iconis musical. 

Maria also writes her own songs that can be heard on her SoundCloud account.

December 21, 2021

You Touch More Lives than You Realize

(Luke 1:39-55)

Save the Date

Habitat for Humanity

(Apostles Build)

January 8th @ 8:30 a.m.

Calling all able Volunteers

Saturday, January 8^th from 8:30 a.m.

until completion (~3:00 p.m.)

This is a new home build, exterior wall sheathing work-day.

A signup sheet and additional information is located in the narthex.

St. Andrew’s project coordinator is John Lovo you may contact him for additional information at (571) 213-5159.

The home is located at at 18077 Ardmore Ave., Port Charlotte for a family of six selected by the County Family Selection Committee.

** IMPORTANT **  If you have not already done so, to comply with the HfH organization legal and insurance requirements to (annually) renew your VOLUNTEER APPLICATION for 2022 before arriving on the work site. The application process (initial or renewal) is now a fully on-line and simplified process. If you have not completed your renewal, please don't procrastinate! Thank you for volunteering your valuable time and talent for this very worthy cause.

Save the Date ...

January 11, 2022 at 4:00 p.m.

“Faith and … Life after Death Experiences” 

presented by

Dr. Mary Neal 

St. Andrew’s welcomes #1 New York Times bestselling author of “To Heaven and Back,” Dr. Mary C. Neal, as our first guest speaker in the ”Faith and…” speakers series. Dr. Neal’s presentation will be held in the church Tuesday, January 11^th at 4:00 p.m. and will be Live Streamed for those who wish to observe social distancing.

In addition, there will be a reception and book signing in the Chapter House (fellowship hall) immediately following Dr. Neal’s presentation.

Copies of “7 Lessons from Heaven” and “To Heaven and Back” are available for purchase through Amazon.com. The presentation and reception are free and open to the public.

Dr. Mary Neal is a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon who drowned while kayaking on a South American river. She experienced life after death. When she first chronicled the unforgettable account of her 1999 kayak accident, the near-death experience that followed, her journey to heaven and her return to life on earth, she changed lives. But, after reading thousands of letters, she discovered she had yet to answer the biggest question of all: How does knowing there really is life after death change the way we live on earth today? This is what Dr. Neal will be addressing in her presentation. Her story gives reason to live by faith and is a story of hope.

Save the Date

Organ Dedication



On February 11^th at 4:00 _p.m. we will have our organ dedication followed by a reception. The concert will feature an organ performance by Jeremy Filsell.

Jeremy is the Director of Music at St. Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York. He is acknowledged as one of only a few virtuoso performers as both pianist and organist. British-born, Jeremy leads the prestigious St. Thomas Choir or Men and Boys in New York City and is one of a remarkably few virtuoso performers who concertizes equally as organist and pianist and who often performs recitals featuring both instruments. Filsell’s discography comprises more than 35 solo recordings. His concerto repertoire encompasses Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven through to Shostakovich, John Ireland and Rachmaninov.

At St. Andrew's we have a few different ways for you to be involved in our worship service.

We are seeking ... Lectors, Ushers, and Donors for Altar Flowers

• Mother Michelle will provide training for lectors and ushers if this ministry is new to you.
• The cost for the Altar flowers is $65 per bouquet. We have two arrangements per week.

Let us know ministries you are interested in and Robin, our Parish Administrator, will contact you with more details.



I am interested in ...

YTD Financial Status

Managing God's Gifts to Us

As of November 31, 2021 ...

• 2021 Operating Budget: $526,558

• Your Pledge and Gift offerings YTD: $517,187

• Total Operating Budget revenues spent for Outreach: $ 47,700

• Additional cash donations for the Red Bag Ministry: $11,330

(supports feeding the hungry in our community).

Thank you for your generosity and support of St. Andrew's 



Bible Study and Fellowship Links

Fridays @ 10:00 a.m.

Every other Monday at 9:00 a.m.

Next Meeting:

December 20

Men's Bible Study is on Christmas break and will resume on January 4

at 8:30 a.m.

Your prayers are asked for...

Announcements for the bulletin and newsletter are due by noon on Tuesdays of each week.

You can email them to Robin at mail@standrewsbocagrande.org 

Announcements may be subject to editing due to limited space.