September 24, 2020
Pastor's Column
With the beginning of limited, in-person worship, it feels as if the fall is now in full swing, albeit in different ways. Note the following activities and new patterns we are developing.
  • Super Wednesdays will continue to be through Zoom for the fall with more learning opportunities, food opportunities, and fellowship opportunities.
  • Sunday School continues to be a Zoom experience.
  • World Communion Sunday will arrive with voices and liturgy from around the world, literally!
  • The Stewardship campaign committee is hard at work putting together a campaign that utilizes videos you can watch at home, informs us about how to pledge and make gifts using technology besides the mail and showing up with a check, all the while providing us theological insights about giving in a time of pandemic.
  • A Brainstorming team is working to envision possibilities for St. Andrew that will be brought back to the Session and congregation
  • The Session and its committees continue to meet and do their work primarily on Zoom.
  • We will have our first hybrid congregational meeting to elect officers, which means some will be present physically following a worship service, and many will be Zooming in for the meeting.
  • We continue with limited, in-person worship. The first Sunday we estimate 75% of the worshippers did so from home with 25% in-person in the sanctuary. Our new cameras are being installed this week, so soon we will have better camera angles and zoom shots for our live stream!
 
Yours in Christ,
 
Richard B. Culp
Upcoming Sermon Series
September 27
The Crosses We Wear Preaching Series
"Broken Ones"

October 4
The Crosses We Wear Preaching Series
World Communion Sunday
"The Crosses We Wear: Shaped by Love"

October 11
Stewardship in a Time of Pandemic
preaching series
"Giving in times of uncertainty - invested and inspired"

October 18
Stewardship in a Time of Pandemic
preaching series
A new way of giving - innovative and indebted

October 25 
Stewardship in a Time of Pandemic
preaching series
"Connecting through giving - involved and included"

November 1 
Stewardship in a Time of Pandemic
preaching series
"All Saints - All In"

November 8 
The Crosses We Wear Preaching Series
"Family"
Genesis 50: 15-21

November 15 
The Crosses We Wear Preaching Series
"Connected to our Jewish heritage"
Isaiah 61:1-4

November 22
The Crosses We Wear Preaching Series
"Into the World"
Matthew 28: 16-20
In-person worship protocols:
  • If you are feeling sick, have a cough or temperature, been exposed to someone who has tested positive for Covid-19, or feel unsafe coming out to public places, please stay home and continue to watch the livestream of the 10:45 am worship service (it can be seen at a later time as well)
  • Masks must be worn at all times while in the church facility.
  • Please maintain a social distance of six feet
  • Use these two entrances/exits: Oak St. door and the historical entrance up the steps (just past the elevator entrance on the left and Fellowship Hall entrance on the left)
  • The elevator entrance will be available for those who are unable to use the other two entrances.
  • Once inside the church, find a pew with the number of bulletins on it that match the number of people in your group (based on the number on your RSVP). Do not congregate in the aisles.
  • The balcony is closed at this time.
  • Remain seated throughout the service.
  • With mask in place, sing and say the responsive parts softly to yourself.
  • Offering plates will not be passed, but can be found at the two entrances.
  • During the last hymn, worshippers will exit the church facility while maintaining social distance.
  • We will have masks and hand sanitizer available, if you need some.
  • The restrooms in the office hallway will be available.
  • The narthex will not be available for congregating but may be used to/from the elevator and to access the bathrooms.
Register Online for Your Place for In-person Worship
St. Andrew is preparing for in-person worship beginning on Sunday, September 20. In order to plan for the appropriate amount of social distancing for in person worship, St. Andrew is asking that people planning to register their place for in-person worship.

Registrations are being collected via St. Andrew Connect. You can login to St. Andrew Connect and find the registration by navigating to the Events link on the left part of the page and then finding the "Worship Service RSVP" page and following the prompts to register. Please note that there are three different screens to the registration process. Registration is not complete until you hit the blue "Register" button on the third page.

You can also visit the link below to register for in person worship if you're not yet signed up for St. Andrew Connect. A brief online tutorial is available via September 1's COVID-19 update (beginning at the 4:15 mark) available here. Questions? Please contact the church office.
Opportunities to Gather Virtually
Sunday, September 27
Activities
Preschool Class
8:30am

Coffee and Covenant
9:00am

Pathfinder’s Class
9:00am

Pastors' Class
9:30am
Elementary Class
9:45am

Middle School Sunday School
9:45am

Elementary Class
9:45am

High School Sunday School
7:00pm
Class meeting information will be available in the Sunday at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church email.
Worship Service
Sunday, September 27
Livestreaming at 10:45am
Wednesday, September 30
Activities
Puppet Ministry and Children’s Time
6:00pm

The Wave (College Group)
6:30pm

Taste and See Class
from The Classic Cafe at Roanoke
6:30pm
See announcement below
Steve Plunkett's Class
"Faith and Politics in a World Gone Awry"

Youth Group
7:30pm
Class meeting information will be available in the Super Wednesday at St. Andrew email.
The Pathfinders Class
Sunday, September 20
9:00am

Join the Pathfinders Class this Sunday, September 27 at 9 a.m. as we continue the study of Dr. Amy Jill Levine's book, The Sermon on the Mount: A Beginner's Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven.

The class will cover Chapter 1, The Beatitudes. We'll begin with the Chapter 1 video, followed by a discussion of the video and the chapter in the book.
Super Wednesday Taste and See Class
with The Classic Cafe at Roanoke
Wednesday, September 30!

Menu: Classic beef bourguignon with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, braised red cabbage, and garden fig cake with a buttermilk glaze, for dessert.
Cost is $14 | Pay online at St. Andrew or mail a check or cash
Order by Tuesday at noon from lisa@standrewdenton.com 
Pickup will be at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, September 30 at 4:00pm
Meal comes packaged with complete reheating instructions
Zoom with Curtis and Chris Wells at 6:30pm and the St. Andrew family 
Join us for dinner and bring your own if you didn’t order from The Classic Cafe at Roanoke
Thank You
Dear Friends,

Thank you for the gift, lovely necklace, beautiful cake, and sweet cards. God has blessed my life with a wonderful career at St. Andrew and I will forever be thankful.

Love always, Ms. Sue
Outreach Committee –Diaper Drive
Thank you Saint Andrew family. So far we have raised $155. We are on our way to providing needed diapers for adults, toddlers, and babies in our community. We will continue to take donations for the next several weeks. This year the Outreach Committee Diaper Drive benefitting Interfaith Ministries is being conducted on line. Every year Saint Andrew has collected diapers of all sizes and given them to Interfaith Ministries. This year we are asking for monetary donations through St. Andrew Connect, via the mail or in person drop off. If you have any questions, please e-mail Randy Whipple, rwhipple@racethewind.com. Interfaith Ministries distributes diapers to it’s clients, and Saint Andrew’s generous contributions are always greatly appreciated.
Diaconate Outreach
In a effort to continue to minister to St. Andrew during this time of separation and COVID-19, the deacons would like to extend helping hands. If you are in the high-risk category or immune suppressed and find yourself saying "I need someone to run to the store...pick up my medications...grab my kitty some kibble." Email the deacons at  diaconate@standrewdenton.com. Indicate your needed item, pick up instructions, payment method, your address and phone number and we will help locate a volunteer to courier your item to you. This will be a no contact delivery. The volunteer will ring your doorbell and leave the item for you on your porch. 

Want to participate? Email the deacon email your contact information if you are willing to participate in this ministry as a volunteer.
Give-a-Meal - $2.29
St. Andrew donated $1,098 to the Give-a-Meal program in August! Thank you for supporting the needs of those who are experiencing food insecurity during this time. A monetary donation of $2.29 feeds a person in need for a week. Donations can be made by mail or online. Please write Give-a-Meal-a-Month on your envelope or check when giving by mail. To give online, visit standrewdenton.com/give and be sure to choose Give-a-Meal from the fund options to the right of your monetary donation.

The Denton Community Food Center (DCFC) is open two days a week from 1pm-3pm. Families are only able to pick up food once a month. DCFC is asking for online donations so it can purchase essentials and limit how many people handle food items. Thank you so much for supporting this program since the number of people who are needing this service is only growing due to the economic fallout during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Feel free to contact church staff via email, text, or phone.
St. Andrew Presbyterian Church
300 W Oak St | Denton, TX 76201
(940) 387-3897 | Website | St. Andrew Connect