St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death, and brought life and immortality to  light: Grant that your servant, Nancy, being raised with him, may know the strength of his presence, and rejoice in his eternal glory; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen A Celebration of the Life of Nancy Karcher September 7th at 2 p.m. There are some people, who from the moment we meet them, we know will make a profound difference in our lives. It was so with Nancy. She was one whose heart was always known to all through her smile. She was one of the kindest, gentlest, generous, and faithful people I have ever met. I thank God for her presence among us and the gift of her life that we will forever carry forward within our hearts. Her burial service will be at St. Andrew's on September 7th at 2 p.m. We are blessed that Mother Betsy will be with us to celebrate Nancy's life. We invite you all to join us. With love, Mother Barbara

Here is a message from Susan Briggs and her siblings regarding their mother's death -- It is with much sadness that we share with each of you the passing of our mother, Nancy Gingras Karcher. As many of you may know, our mom was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis approximately 8 years ago. The disease had taken its toll on her, but she remained strong until this past Spring, when we started to notice a decline in her stamina. We had hoped to have more time with her, as she had several things on her to do list, but it was not to be. She left us on Friday, August 16th.   Our mom held each of you in her heart, and we wish we could reached out to each of you individually, to let you know how important you were to her, but as you can imagine this is an emotionally difficult task.   We are holding a service in honor of our mom at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, September 7 th , at 2 P.M., with a reception to follow. Despite our mom’s love of gardening and flower arranging, we are asking donations be made in lieu of flowers to:    Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation 230 East Ohio Street, Suite 500 Chicago, IL 60611 https://www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org/   We realize many of you will not be able to attend this service due to distance but wanted to share this information for those of you who are local and wish to come celebrate our mom with us.    My parents celebrated their 58 th  wedding anniversary this past June. Please keep our Dad in your thoughts and prayers. He has lost his best friend and love of his life. He is remains strong, but each day is a challenge. If you would like to reach out to him, he can be reached at: 6757 Fairway Drive, East Fayetteville, PA 17222   or vickarchersr@comcast.net   Thank you all for the role you played in our Mom’s life. She was an amazing person who will be missed.   With heavy hearts, Susan, Vic Jr., and Richard

This coming Sunday we will worship outside on our own front lawn. We did this a few years ago and it was a really wonderful experience, so we're going to do it again! Our worship will be a bit more relaxed, we will be outside enjoying the glory of the much cooler weather, and we will be a strong witness to those passing by that something's happening here at St. Andrew's that can't be contained within the walls of our church building. We will have music, it will be joyful, and we will praise God within God's creation.

Please come at 8 a.m. to help set up the chairs and altar for our outdoor worship. We need all the help we can get! And we promise all those who will need help walking on the uneven grass will be given all the help they need. This will work for each of us!

Preparing for Sunday August 25th at 9 a.m. To read the lessons in advance, please click here. To read Mother Barbara's sermon from last week, please click here.

Worship Ministers Crucifer: Bill Gawors Altar Guild: Laura Bonanni, Mary Grace Shearer, Lisa Woolley, Susan Sanders Celebrant: Mother Barbara Coffee Hour: Jennifer Romine Counters: Ken Dotson, Jean Shepherd Deacon: The Venerable Jane Miron Eucharistic Ministers: Ken Dotson, Melisa Dotson Gospel Bearer: Andi Swab Greeters: Dan Swab, Julianne Swab Lectors: Steve Smith, Roseann Sysko Preacher: Dina Carter Isher

Lay Eucharistic Visitor Training this Sunday

We will also welcome 4 members of Trinity Episcopal Church, Chambersburg to be trained with us. It is always a good thing when churches can come together to be formed to be disciples and servants, bringing the love of God to those in need. This Sunday, 8/25 following the 9 a.m. service There is a calling within some of our hearts to bring the sacrament of the Eucharist to those who can't be with us on Sundays due to health or other reasons. We are grateful that a number of people are feeling this call at St. Andrew's as there are a number of people in our beloved parish family who would love to receive this sacrament regularly in their homes. There will be training offered this Sunday, following the 9 a.m. service by our Archdeacon of Deacons, Jane Miron. This is for those who are interested in exploring this ministry, those who hear this call new to their hearts and those who need their licenses renewed (every 3 years). If you are interested in attending this training, please email Mother Barbara right away.

Do you feel an urge to grow spiritually?

Sometimes when we hear the phrase, "Spiritual disciplines" we image a rigid structured way of doing what we "need to do" or "what we should do" if we want to be good Christians. It often feels like a "should" rather than something we want to do. But one definition I have learned thus far in the course is that "God has ordained the Disciplines of the spiritual life as the means by which we place ourselves where God can bless us" Now, that's a shift. Rather than thinking of praying the Daily Office or engaging in lectio divina, or meditating for 20 minutes a day as something I "should do", I can now look at each of these contemplative activities as what will open me up to God's blessing. With that perspective, why ever would I not want to do them? If you want to learn how to do these or how to gather a community around you as you explore, we're here for you. Spiritual Practices Course Several of us are taking a 10-week course through the Stevenson School for Ministry on Spiritual Practices. It is an intensive program that is designed to provide the spiritual tools and disciplines that open ourselves up to the presence of God in our daily lives. PLUS, we are taking the course so we can be equipped to be able to bring much of this conversation to you. What we are learning will be brought into our Wednesday evening series on "Ways to Pray" which will start in September. We can so often feel overwhelmed or unprepared or even afraid to engage in practices that open that space for God to roam in our hearts, but it is what I believe all of us deeply desire. And I believe the spiritual practices are mean to bring the abundance of God into our lives. If you want more information on how to deepen your spiritual life, please see me! I'd love to have this conversation with you.

Summer Service Schedule Survey

Thank you for responding to our survey regarding the Summer Service Schedule. Here's a recap of the results; 2/3 of the votes were for one service, with 1/3 of the votes for two services. This information will be taken to the next Worship Committee meeting for their consideration on the way forward. If you missed our survey last week and would like to share your thoughts, please email me directly. Thanks. Mother Barbara

Survey for interest in a Choral Program at St. Andrew's

The Music Director/Musician Search Committee completed their initial objective of finding and hiring a Musician for our Church this spring. Our goal now is to determine the interest within our church community for having a choir program and director. The Search Committee requests feedback from the congregation on what interest there is for committing to and supporting a choir program at St. Andrew’s. We acknowledge parishioners have many commitments with family and work related activities. Therefore having weekly choir rehearsals and performances at each Sunday morning worship service is not necessarily feasible. In the past, there were occasions when there were not enough choral members to perform the planned choir piece for the service. Committing to week-night rehearsals became difficult as many members were unable to show up. The Search committee brainstormed these issues and came up with several scenarios for having a choral program. We ask for your input on the level of commitment for your active participation for these proposals.

Would you like to see a choral music program at St. Andrew's? Yes Select No Select

If so, do you agree the choral program could be performed fewer times a year, instead of weekly Yes Select No Select

Would you like to have our youth musicians and soloists perform on occasion? Yes Select No Select

Can you commit to participate in a choir program? Yes Select No Select

Would you be willing to commit to weekly rehearsals either before or after Sunday Services? Yes Select No Select

Would you be willing to commit to perform choral music for 4-6 times a year + major feast days? Yes Select No Select

Can you commit to rehearse and perform on Christmas Eve & Easter? Yes Select No Select

Upcoming Events

‌ Welcome Back Sunday is September 8th! Potluck Picnic and activities for all ages at 11:15 a.m. There's a spot waiting just for you!

"Welcome back" is an invitation to each one of you who is reading this e-newsletter, whether you come all the time, used to come, attend once in awhile, or are just thinking maybe you'd come one of these Sundays. This isn't just about gathering as people who already know each other, but more about welcoming and loving everyone who walks through our door. You can make this a special event by your presence. We have a special place waiting just for you!! If you can, please bring something to share for a potluck meal. There will be activities for each one of us to participate and special games and fun things for our young people to enjoy. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience what it means to be a part of the Body of Christ -- belonging to something that is true and good. See you then!

Upcoming Diocesan Event with our Bishop

Family Day with Bishop Scanlan  Saturday, August 24 THIS EVENT IS FOR ALL AGES! Join Bishop Scanlan for a fun youth and family day on Saturday, August 24 at Camp Mount Luther. We will enjoy a day together meeting other families and youth from the diocese. There will be activities all day, such as hikes, ropes courses, and games. We will end the day with worship. Join us for a great day!

Is your heart calling you .... on a pilgrimage to Scotland?

There is a wonderful opportunity offered to us by our diocese to join others who are on a spiritual pilgrimage to tour sacred spots in Scotland in 2020. Mother Barbara plans to go and would love for you to join her. For more information, please click here. It promises to be a time of exploration and discovery.

For your spiritual nourishment

Friends of Christ - Br. Lucas Hall Luke 6:43-49 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I tell you?" It is easy to hear this question harshly. It is easy for me to imagine Jesus asking this, vexed, frustrated, indignant, angry, at his wit's end. And that's a challenge. Read more www.ssje.org

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church www.standrewsshippensburg.org 717-532-8089 Mother Barbara rector@standrewsship.org 717-333-5590