Last week Pastor Stephen shared a little history about our parochial church, St. Andrew’s Mission, so this week I thought I would share more details of how our relationship with St. Andrew’s came to be and what St. Andrew's is all about.

In 1986 the rector at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Sebastopol, asked the deanery to start a mission church. The church formed in that year, meeting in several buildings in the Guerneville/Monte Rio area. In the late 80’s, early 90’s, the mission moved into its current location permanently. After some rector changes at St. Stephens, Incarnation was asked to engage in a transition of oversite. At this time St. Andrew’s had a regular Sunday attendance of 25 and the blessing of many retired priests and bishops preaching on Sundays.

In 2003 the St. Andrew’s congregation started a food program to meet the needs of food insecurity along the Russian River area serving people all the way to Jenner. In the meantime, St. Andrew’s carried on with Sunday services and morning prayer, and then opened the building to Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings.

In the following years, St. Andrew’s experienced some conflicts of leadership that eventually affected Sunday attendance. No matter the size of services, St. Andrew’s continues to be a beloved part of Monte Rio. It is seen as the hub of the community, providing much needed support through the food program, AA and NA meetings, and Sunday services.

During the transition of leadership, Incarnation not only took over management of the mission but became its sole financial support. There have been times in our history with St. Andrew’s that the congregation was small but mighty and it is continuing to hold up that tradition. The food bank serves 140 households a week as well as meals to go, and has continued to stay open throughout the pandemic.

In 1998, St Andrew’s was gifted money from Maureen and Don Green which has kept the doors open for all these years. As Pastor Stephen mentioned last week, we are now blessed with the leadership of the Rev. Canon Mary Goshert and attendance has grown. A small but mighty worship community is forming once again.

Over the next few weeks, you will be hearing more about St. Andrew’s and what makes it a unique and special place. For now, please pray for St. Andrew’s, its members, and all who are touched by its ministry.

Stay tuned!

Daphne Vernon

Director of Spiritual Formation

As we resume regular in-person services, our 10:00 liturgy will continue to be livestreamed on both Zoom and Facebook. Those participating on Zoom will be able to be seen and heard by in-person participants, reflecting our unity in Christ even as we are together at a distance.

·    To use Zoom for online services: Visit https://zoom.us/j/997787434.

·    To dial in: Call (669) 900-9128. Enter meeting ID code: 997 787 434 #

We are also livestreaming each Zoom service on our Facebook page, so you can also watch the service on Facebook, and it will be archived there for viewing later in case you're not able to join in live. You don't need to be a Facebook member to see the live stream on the Facebook page.

If you aren't able to attend in-person services and would like to receive Communion at home, please email Pastor Stephen at sshaver@incarnationsantarosa.org or call the church office at (707) 579-2604 to make arrangements to pick up a Communion kit or have one brought to you. We will not have kits available for pickup in the parking lot or create a separate Zoom gathering for home Communion as we’ve done for earlier occasions—just call or email and we will make a plan to get Communion to you. If you would like to receive Communion during the 10:00 a.m. livestream on a given Sunday, you may get a Communion kit in advance containing the reserved Sacrament from the previous Sunday's service.

Members of our congregation are invited to join family and friends of our parishioner Don Green for a memorial service on Friday, July 23, at 2:00 p.m.

The service will take place in the church, with face coverings required for all participants. Music will be provided by members of the St. Cecilia and Sonoma Bach Choirs, both of which Don and his wife Maureen sang with for many years.

Seating in the church will be limited to 120 people. Additional seating will be available in Farlander Hall where a live video stream will be available. Those seated in Farlander Hall will also be able to receive Holy Communion.

A reception will follow in the quadrangle courtyard.

Notes from the Organ: Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748)

 Each year, I play a lot of music by J. G. Walther, and although he only wrote about 120 pieces for organ, they are all well-written, easily learned and generally short enough to be useful as voluntaries in the church service.

His early years were spent in and around his birthplace, the city of Erfurt. It was here that he obtained his first position as organist and where he attended the University. In 1707, he accepted the organist position at the church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Weimar where he remained for the rest of his life. In Weimar, he became the teacher of the Duke’s nephew, Prince Johann Ernst. J.S. Bach joined the ducal orchestra in 1708, and he and Walther became good friends and colleagues. Bach stood godfather to Walther’s eldest son.

Around 1721, he got the brilliant idea to compile a “Musical Lexicon” which would include biographies of contemporary musicians as well as definitions of musical terms. This monumental work was published in 1732, and along with his chorale variations for organ, is what he is most remembered for today.

Sunday Open Table continues providing hot breakfasts for unsheltered persons who live in our city. Our numbers have been a bit smaller lately, usually less than 80. There are a lot of changes going on and we know that the County and other services are working to reduce Covid infections in this population. We have been very fortunate to have new enthusiastic volunteers recently who have helped us out a lot when other volunteers are vacationing. There is always room for more, so please consider signing up. Even once a month would be helpful.

We are continuing to wear masks during our service for the time being and are asking guests who are not vaccinated to do the same. Some of the tasks are food prep on Saturday, coffee service or food service on Sunday and help with light clean up. We have openings for first timers so you can come in, connect and see what we’re doing.

If you want to know more about volunteering, you can talk directly to Mark Neumann at markscomputer@gmail.com or 707-292-6710 or Allan Bolchazy at allanbengr@gmail.com 707-312-3778. You can volunteer at incarnation.ivolunteer.com.

If you are looking for other ways to help, Sunday Open Table will also appreciate cash donations. We have successfully provided food every Sunday even during the pandemic. Unfortunately, we were not able to have our usual fundraisers during the past year and a few events will not be scheduled for 2021. We have a reserve fund, but any contributions will help us continue to provide food and coffee into the future. Your support is a blessing to this ministry.

This event is offered on Zoom only. Register for the Zoom link by clicking here.

Dr. Susannah Heschel will discuss her father's deep commitment to human rights, his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, and his vision of a Jewish spirituality that combines the inner life with social and political commitment... Read the full article.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, all our various ministry groups, classes, etc., have been meeting online. Now, as pandemic restrictions ease, we are starting to have the possibility for small groups to meet on campus. If you are the leader of a group that would like to request permission to meet in person on Incarnation’s campus, click here to fill out a brief request form. The rector and wardens will review requests at their weekly meetings and will be in touch to let you know how you can move forward.

...Ashley, Linton, Krissy, Mary, Dicksie Tamanaha, Gretchen, Manuel, Harriet, Monica, Courtney, Noah, Arnold, Joe T., Elizabeth, JoAn Blackstone, Nate, Peggy Zimmerman, Caroline, Alyce Sugiyama, Marsha F., Kate, Shelby, Demi, Ethan, Drew, Susan, Grizel, Pamela H., Alice, Sonja, Cindy Leonard, John C., Ed, James & Priscilla Carvalho, Lila Kane, Mary Knutsen., Amy C., Don Baier, Matt, Gene & Elizabeth Wright, Francoise LePage, Hugh & Angela Stevenson, Robyn Chew-Gibbs, Amanda Cortese, Ed, and Nancy Hanke.

...for those who have died: Katrina, Don Green, Mary Wolfskill, Gabrielle Jefferess, Mickey Halberg, Shawna, Doug Cannedy, Sally, Shirley, Brenda, Rob McIntyre, Janet, Geoff Wright.

click here for the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer.

click here for the Anglican Cycle of Prayer.

Monday, July 26

Thursday, July 29

Could you use a prayer or a listening ear? Do you have ideas you'd like to share? Pastor Stephen is available to talk in person, by phone, or via Zoom. If you'd like to find a time to talk with Stephen, you can call Alison at 707-579-2604 or email Stephen directly at sshaver@incarnationsantarosa.org.

If you know of anyone, including yourself, who could use a communion visit or a prayer, please call the church office (707-579-2604) or email alison@incarnationsantarosa.org

To sign up for the Diocesan Newsletter click HERE.