From the Rector
Shrove Tuesday at Saint Andrew's

Last night, we gathered with our neighbors from Saint Paul United Methodist Church in the Saint Andrew's Parish Hall for a pre-Lenten feast of pancakes, sausage, and scrambled eggs. Then, we headed outside for a ceremonial burning of the palms from last year's Palm Sunday services (both from Saint Andrew's and Saint Paul) to make ashes to be used by both churches at today's Ash Wednesday services. Finally, with the help of some of the children from both churches, we buried the "alleluias" (or, more specifically, a box full of multi-colored "alleluias" prepared by the children--and some child-at-heart adults). 

Thank you to everyone who helped with making this year's Shrove Tuesday dinner such a success -- especially everyone who worked so hard in the kitchen preparing our meal! It was a delight to be able to share table fellowship, palm burning, and alleluia burying with our neighbors at Saint Paul United Methodist Church. Below are some of the images captured last night. (And thanks to John Conrad and Rusty Infinger for their photography skills!)
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After all the festivities of last night, we were well prepared to enter the Season of Lent this morning.

I look forward to the opportunity to be in conversation and reflection with all of you as we continue to walk faithfully through Lent together. In particular, I hope that you will consider participating in the Lenten study on Preparing a Personal Rule of Life that I will be leading on Sundays and Wednesdays. (Scroll down to the announcements for more details.)

Grace & Peace,
Fr. Gary+
Worship Schedule
Wednesday, February 26
Ash Wednesday
6:30 PM Sung High Mass with Imposition of Ashes
Sunday, March 1,
The First Sunday in Lent
8:30 AM Low Mass
(Rite II)
9:30 AM Sunday School
10:30 AM Sung High Mass
with Great Litany (Rite I)
Wednesday,
March 4
John and Charles Wesley, Priests
(observed)
6:30 PM Low Mass with Unction and Healing Prayers
Prayer Requests
The following people have been commended
to the prayers of the parish:
Ann, Audrey, Barbara, Bill, Bob, Chuck, Corinne, Dave, David, Dick, Eddie, Edward, Ena, Ginger, Hamilton, Hannah, Ian, Jodi, James, John-Frank, Leigh Ann, Margaret Lee, Marie-Therese, Mary, Nancy, Nell, Sandy, Wade, Weesie, Willie, Winnie
To add someone to the Daughters of the King prayer list, please e-mail
daughters1913@gmail.com . There is also wooden box in the Narthex where you can fill out prayer cards. The Daughters will add your names to their prayers. 
Announcements
Ash Wednesday Mass with Imposition of Ashes
February 26 | 6:30 PM
The season of Lent began today, Ash Wednesday, which is one of the most solemn days of the church year.  We have already had two Ash Wednesday masses earlier today at 7 AM and Noon. If you have not made it to a mass yet, please plan to join us at 6:30 PM this evening as we gather again to enter a Holy Lent together as we begin the forty day penitential journey to the Cross.
Committal Service for Richard "Dick" Manchester
This Sunday, March 1 | After the 10:30 AM Mass
This Sunday, immediately after the 10:30 AM Mass, we will have a Committal Service at the Saint Andrew's Columbarium for our beloved parishioner, Dick Manchester, husband of Sheila Manchester. Dick, who was a faithful and active member of Saint Andrew's for many years, died on February 7th. After the Committal Service, a reception with family will be held in the Parish Hall.

Dick's obituary can be found online via this link . Dick's family is also planning to hold a memorial service for him this coming summer in Sausalito, CA.

May Dick's soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Sunday School for Children and Adults
This Sunday | 9:30 AM
Our  Children's Class will meet in the Lady Chapel continuing with the  Hearts Alive  lectionary-based curriculum. In addition, for infants and toddlers, we have the  Nursery  open during the Sunday School hour (in addition to the 10:30 AM Mass).

Our Adult Class will gather in the Parish Library where Father Gary will begin our new Lenten Study on Preparing a Personal Rule of Life (see following announcement.
Lenten Study on Preparing a Rule of Life
Sundays & Wednesdays in Lent
During Lent, Father Gary will be leading a study on preparing a Personal Rule of Life, which will be offered at two different times each week – the first option is during the Sunday School hour (starting this Sunday), and the second option is during the noon lunch hour on Wednesdays (starting next Wednesday, March 4). Depending on your schedule and availability, you have the option of attending either session each week.

A personal Rule of Life, which has its origins in the communal Rules of Life established by monastic communities, is a written document that serves as a guide to how we, as individuals, will orient and direct our lives to grow in the knowledge and love of God. Please join us for this study as we seek to deepen our relationships with God and with one another here at Saint Andrew’s through Lent and beyond.

Below is an outline of the schedule for the class:

  • SESSION ONE - Introduction to the Concept of a Rule of Life
  • Sunday, 3/1, 9:30 am OR Wednesday, 3/4, 12 noon
  • SESSION TWO - Beginning to Prepare a Personal Rule of Life
  • Sunday, 3/8, 9:30 am OR Wednesday, 3/11
  • BREAK (from 3/15 to 3/22) - Father Gary and his wife, Kacey, are planning to be on a Diocesan Medical Mission trip to Haiti and will be away for two Sundays (3/15 & 3/22) and one Wednesday (3/18). During this time, participants will be work on a first draft of their Personal Rule of Life.
  • SESSION THREE - Reviewing our Draft Personal Rules of Life
  • Wednesday, 3/25, OR Sunday, 3/29
  • SESSION FOUR - Finalizing & Moving Forward with a Rule of Life
  • Wednesday, 4/1, OR Sunday, 4/5
Episcopal Relief & Development's Lenten Meditations
Each day during Lent you can receive a daily reflection, co-authored by a group of faith leaders from across the Episcopal Church. During this season of reflection on our Christian faith, their writings can enhance your spiritual journey as they both inspire and challenge you. Each daily meditation is presented in both English and Spanish.

If you would like to subscribe to Episcopal Relief and Development's Lenten Meditations emails, please click on the button below.
West End Association Meeting | Tuesday, March 3
6:30 PM | Parish Hall 
Saint Andrew’s will host the monthly West End Neighborhood Association meeting. They will discuss numerous topics that relate to the neighborhood, downtown and our surrounding community. All are invited.

First Wednesdays Men’s Group | March 4 | 7:30 AM | Church
All men are invited for this 20-minute prayer service with Morning Prayer, Rite II. Afterwards, we’ll have breakfast at a local restaurant. For additional information, please contact Tommy Watson.

Parish Spring Clean Up Day | Saturday, March 21
9:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Please help us prepare our church grounds for Easter! A hot dog lunch will be served at 12:30 PM.
Next Rebuild Upstate Workday: Saturday, March 28
Volunteers Needed!
We are again teaming up with Rebuild Upstate for our  THIRD  project! Any skill level and all ages are welcome to help with the construction work. Rebuild Upstate repairs and improves existing homes for disabled, low-income and elderly people. You can sign up online through the St. Andrew’s link or use the sign up form located in the parish hall.
Music at Saint Andrew’s | Presbyterian College String Quartet Concert | Saturday, March 28 | 5:00 PM
The concert is held in our church and admission is free, so please invite your friends and help us spread the word! Saint Andrew’s member, Harris Banks, is the cellist. A wine and cheese reception will follow.
Sunday Altar Flower and Presence Candle Dedications
On Sundays, we have the opportunity to offer a special dedication of the altar flowers or presence candle in honor, memory, or celebration of loved ones. ( Please note that, during Lent, we only place flowers on the altar on Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Lent, which falls on March 22 this year.) The cost to the church for altar flowers is now $100 per Sunday, so we are suggesting that donations for dedicating altar flowers be in the range of $50 to $100 to help us cover those costs. The suggested donation for a presence candle dedication is $10.

If you would like to sign up for a Sunday, please see the sign up sheet on the bulletin in the Parish Hall or click on the button below. You may place a check in the offering plate with "Altar Flowers" or "Presence Candle" noted in the memo.
Parking at Saint Andrew's
With the repaving and repainting of the Pendleton Street Baptist Church (PSBC) parking lot (the lot that is adjacent to the church), all of the parking spaces in that lot are now marked with white numbers -- so Saint Andrew's parishioners no longer need to worry about yellow vs. white vs. red spots in that lot . For your information, based on our agreement with PSBC, we are able to use that parking lot as follows:

  • Sundays - All available spots are open to folks who are coming to Saint Andrew's for worship.
  • Weeknights & Saturdays - All available spots are open to folks who are coming to Saint Andrew's for worship or other church-related activities. (Availability may be limited due to baseball or other events.)
  • Weekday Business Hours - Up to five open spots (preferably the spots closest to the stairs from the parking lot) are available for Saint Andrew's parishioners and staff here for church-related events. (If we foresee the need for more than five on a particular weekday, we will notify PSBC to obtain their permission for additional spots.)

Please note that, in addition to available on-street parking, we continue to have access to all of the "permit only" spots on the ground floor of the Homewood Suites Hotel on all weeknights and weekends (including Sunday mornings).

For all of this parking, we encourage folks to have a Saint Andrew's parking sticker visible in their rear window. If you do not have a sticker, please contact the parish office to get one . Finally, if you ever get a parking envelope/ticket while using the PSBC lot for a church-related event, please do not pay it. Instead, bring it to the parish office so that we can notify PSBC and have the ticket canceled.
Service Opportunities
Nursery During 9:30 AM Sunday School and 10:30 AM Mass Every Sunday
Staff member Amanda Abreu oversees our Sunday morning nursery during the 9:30 AM Sunday School hour and the 10:30 AM Mass. Each week, we need at least one parish volunteer to serve with Amanda as our second nursery caregiver. If you have gifts for working with infants and young children--and have “Safe Church” training, we could use your help!
Join the choir! Wednesday evening rehearsals at 7:30 PM
This is a reminder to any interested Saint Andrew's Church friends or members that our regular Wednesday evening choir rehearsals are held in the Parish Hall after the 6:30 PM Mass. If you know of any prospective new choir members, bring them along with you! If you need transportation to rehearsal and or church, or if you have questions, please e-mail our organist/choirmaster John Gilbert.
Sunday Coffee Hour Refreshments
We are blessed to be a growing parish, and one of the ways that we offer hospitality to our many visitors is through our coffee hour after the 10:30 AM mass every Sunday. Please consider signing up for a Sunday on one of the sign up sheets hanging on the parish bulletin board. 
Feed Thy Neighbor on Saturday Mornings
Feed Thy Neighbor is a cooperative effort of the Episcopal community in Greenville. Parish volunteers from Saint Andrew’s, Saint Peter’s, Saint James and Christ Church feed the homeless each Saturday from 7:30 to 8:30 AM in the Saint Andrew's Parish House. The Third Saturday of the month is Saint Andrew's particular responsibility. Come and join us! Set-up and cook team start at 6:30 am. Clean up team start at 8:00 am. Individuals interested in this ministry opportunity, please contact the office at 235-5884.