Weekly Sunday service information and parish news.
Fr. John Henry, Celebrant
Celebrant October 24

In light of the recent State of Illinois indoor mask mandate, all worshippers are asked to wear masks when attending church, including those who are fully vaccinated. We pray that through compassionate fidelity to the common good, we will see the present surge subside.
October 24, Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost

Religious Study
Sunday Adult Forum - 9:15 in Pearson Hall with Fr. John
Church School for Children - 9:15 in the church garden

Holy Eucharist | Rite I, 8 a.m. | Rite II 10 a.m. (Sung)
In-person attendance for up to 75 worshippers | Masks required.
Facebook Live at 10 a.m.
Coffee hour following the 10 a.m. service.
Readings for Sunday, October 24

  • Jeremiah 31:7-9
  • Psalm 126
  • Hebrews 7:23-28
  • Mark 10:46-52

Make Your Offering!
Mail: Send your check to St. Andrew's Treasurer, at 406 Hillsboro Avenue, Edwardsville 62025.
The Week of October 24

  • Stephenson House lectures (2), Pearson Hall, Sunday, October 24, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. May occur if rain cancels the outdoor event at the House.
  • Fr. Ben away October 22 - 27.
  • Feast Day of St. Simon and St. Jude with a service of Holy Eucharist on Thursday, October 28, at 5:30 p.m.
  • St. Andrew's at City of Edwardsville Candy Walk on October 30. Link.

Future Dates
  • All Saints Day, Holy Eucharist, November 1, 5:30.
  • All Souls Day, Holy Eucharist, November 2, 5:30
  • Fall Book Fair, November 5 and 6.
  • Walk Abouts to meet the candidates for 12th Bishop of the Diocese of Springfield, November 9 through 12, starting 5 pm. (See separate notice.)
  • First Sunday of Advent, November 28
  • Christmas services will occur on December 24 and 25.
Highlights of the recent Thursday, October 21, Vestry meeting and selected other news will be published Monday due to the amount of Bishop Election information that is being sent today.



In this morning's letter to the parish from Fredna Scroggins, I commend to you the information on the upcoming walkabouts along with directions for making plans to attend (due by October 27). Please be sure to check out that material as well as this post.
 
In advance of those events, the Election Committee is soliciting questions from the Diocese to be asked during the Q&A portion of those sessions. If there is something that you prayerfully consider helpful to you and others in this season of discernment, then I hope you will take the time to submit it by the November 2 deadline. (More information below.)
 
The format of the walkabouts, with both formal and informal times of engagement, provide more than just answers to questions. We get a sense of who the candidates are and how they interact with people, questions, and situations. One of these three will be engaging with us for mission and ministry in the years ahead, and we would do well to avail ourselves of the chance to get to know them better as we invite them to get to know us.
 
The walkabout for the Darrow Deanery will be on Friday, November 12, at St. Michael’s, O’Fallon, though if you cannot make that one you are welcome to go to another one. Additionally, the formal Q&A time from each of the four days will be recorded and made available on the diocesan website, and I commend those to you as well since each session will be asking different questions.
 
This is an important opportunity for us to engage with the final candidates for next bishop of Springfield, and I strongly encourage as many as are able to make plans to attend. I hope to see you there as we move one step closer to the Electing Synod in December.

-Fr. Ben
Submit Your Candidate Questions for the Walk Abouts Via the Web
 
The faithful of the Diocese of Springfield are invited to propose questions for the three (3) final candidates for the 12th Bishop of Springfield to answer at the series of Walk Abouts in the Diocese on November 9 through 12. Questions should be submitted on or before Tuesday, November 2, via the form provided at the web link at the bottom of this article.
  
As we get to know the candidates over the course of the walkabouts, we want to provide the diocese an opportunity to gain a stronger sense of their personality, spirituality, and overall approach to leading a flock. Well-framed questions help to give the candidates the best opportunity to share themselves with us with integrity and honesty as we enter this next phase of our discernment together.
 
Tips for submitting questions: Open-ended questions that invite a story are more effective than questions that only ask for a yes or no answer. We ask that submitted questions seek to elicit a candidate’s perspective or feelings about a particular issue or position, rather than a simple yes or no. For example:

  • Yes or No Question:          Do you feel Holy Scripture is authoritative?

  • Open-ended Question:      What are your thoughts on the authority of scripture?
 
In addition, while there might be a few issues that lend themselves to hypothetical or what-if questions, we further ask that questions focus on being primarily behavior/experience-based. Questions should elicit stories of what candidates have done in the past rather than try to predict future performance. For example:

  • Hypothetical Question:       How will you grow the Diocese of Springfield?

  • Performance-Based Question:     How have you grown your current or another congregation spiritually and numerically? What results did you see?
 
Performance-based questions generally reveal more about what someone is likely to do in the future than responses to hypothetical situations.
 
The Election Committee reserves the right to edit questions for clarity or to better elicit a Candidate’s views on an issue. Related questions may be combined for efficiency. Only questions received in advance will be asked at the Walk Abouts. When it makes sense, questions pertaining to specific Deanery issues will be grouped by Deanery. Questions asked in the Video Interviews that will precede the Walkabouts will not be asked again. Due to time constraints at the sessions, not all questions submitted can be asked. 
Parish Notes

  • Lyndia Pezza is the new Altar Guild coordinator, following the retirement of Donna Ireland a year ago and the interim service of Jane Weingartner in the past year. Congratulations, Lyndia!

  • St. Andrew's will participate in the Edwardsville Candy Walk in City Park at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 30. Please donate candy on Sundays October 17 and 24. Collection baskets are out in the parish hall and narthex.

  • All Souls Day is observed on November 2. Send names to Fr. Ben at rector@standrews-edwardsville.com for the necrology commemorating the Faithful Departed.

  • Help needy families who regularly rely on the Glen-Ed Pantry to make ends meet by providing supplies for a good Thanksgiving dinner. Donate a Thanksgiving basket for $30. Send your check to this address:
  • Faith Coalition Edwardsville, P.O. Box 84, Edwardsville, IL 62025.

  • Fr. Ben's fall study class began on Wednesday, September 22, and continues on fall Wednesdays at 6 p.m via Zoom. The topic is the Timeline of the Bible. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5094879945
St. Andrew's Communications
Communications Coordinator and Newsletter Editor-in-Chief, Marian Smithson
Newsletter Editor, Jane Weingartner | Newsletter Editor, Marianne Cavanaugh