Saint Simon, St. Jude in 1410 painting from StraFburg Museum, Frankfurt
St. Simon - St. Jude Feast Day is Wednesday, October 28
Holy Eucharist Rite II, Sunday, Oct. 25, 10 a.m.
In-person attendance for up to 35 worshippers
Please register in advance here.
Also live-streamed at 10 a.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite I, Sunday, Oct. 25, 8 a.m.
In-person attendance for up to 35 worshippers
Registration not required.
Worship Notes

  • October 25, Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost
Fr. Ben Hankinson, officiating
Liz Edwards, Drake Depew - Eucharistic Ministers
Henry H. Evans, Organist

  • Coffee Hour I via Zoom, following the 10 a.m. service.

  • Coffee Hour II, church lawn, following the 10 a.m. BYOCoffee.

  • Communion will be distributed on the back lawn of the church from 12 noon to 12:30 p.m., weather permitting.
Worship Information:
Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost

  • Old Testament - Leviticus 19:1-2,15-18
  • Psalm 1
  • 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
  • Matthew 22:34-46
The Holy Gospel | Matthew 22: 34-46

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him,
  • “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
  • ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Make Your Offering
Schedule for the Week of October 25

  • Evening Prayer, Sunday, 7 p.m.
  • Compline, Monday, 7 p.m.
  • Midday Moment: Noonday Prayer, Tuesday, 12:05 p.m.
  • Children's Ministry via Zoom, Tuesday, 5 pm
  • Midday Moment: Noonday Prayer, Wednesday, 12:05 p.m.
  • Class with the Rector via Zoom on The Psalms, Wednesday, 6 p.m.
  • Holy Eucharist, Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude , Wednesday, 7 p.m. (in-person and livestream)
  • Midday Moment: Noonday Prayer, Thursday, 12:05 p.m.
  • Morning Prayer with Great Litany, Friday, 9 a.m.
  • Edwardsville Drive Thru Trick or Treat at Plummer Family Park, 6 p.m. | St. Andrew's will be participating.
  • Compline, Saturday, 7 p.m.
Looking Ahead
  • Christmas Eve Service, 7 p.m., Thursday, December 24 (one service)
  • Christmas Day Service, 9 a.m., Friday, December 25
Wednesday Psalms Class, 6 p.m. Only

Fr. Ben will be teaching ONE class on the Psalms each Wednesday at 6 p.m. via Zoom. Watch for the parish Facebook page posting with the Zoom link prior to each class.
Halloween and The Church

In the church, we find a number of the great days in the year have long been celebrated with various festivals and customs. The Holy Days of the church were the holidays of old, and these days were observed by more than just a quick church service to commemorate it. Many of the days were of such significance that the celebrations lasted for days and sometimes began the evening before (The Great Vigil of Easter or Christmas Eve anyone?).

One of the most natural intersections of secular and sacred celebration we have is Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday which occurs on the eve of Ash Wednesday and our Lenten observance. This kind of festivity, including masquerades and feasts and even a bit of mischief, were common in the celebrations of old, including All Saints’ Eve also known as All Hallows’ Eve or Halloween. The difference between the celebrations of old and the present day is that then, the clear culmination of these parties was in the solemn worship of the church. All of which is to say that, in order for us to have a right understanding of Halloween, we must remember that for Christians it is inherently tied to the great feast of All Saints.

"The practice of a festival day to honor the whole communion of Saints seems to happen for the first time with the consecration of the Pantheon as a public place for the Church’s worship. This happened in the year 609 (or 610). The Pantheon had been originally dedicated for the use of Roman religion where all the gods would be honored. Boniface displaced the images of the gods and gave the building over to the Saints of the Church, particularly the Martyrs. This was a kind of “in your face” to pagan culture. Boniface was saying that the old gods had been defeated and were defeated by the faith of the Church’s Martyrs." - Fr. Steve Grunow, Word on Fire.

We then draw a distinction between the secular celebration and the yearly observance of the church. Much of what we commonly see and know as Halloween is relatively recent and totally secular in its development. That’s not to say that we cannot enjoy the occasion, but rather that we keep some perspective about it. While there have always been variations based on cultural context, the church seeks to remember St. Paul’s admonition, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2). The original feast of All Saints is one example of such a transformation, both in its origins and hopefully in its continued celebration within the church.

So however you choose to observe Halloween, perhaps dressing up as your favorite saint this year, let us remember that as members of Christ’s body the proper culmination of our festivities is found not in candy or costumes, but in the worship of the church across the generations in the joyous celebration of the Feast of All Saints. -Fr. Ben
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We are participating in the city of Edwardsville drive thru Trick-or-treat next Friday, October 30. If you would like to contribute towards that endeavor, we are in need of candy to distribute. Bins are available at the ramped lower entrance as well as the entry to Pearson Hall. Additionally, if one or two folks are interested in helping us decorate a trunk, table, or even Fr. Ben’s truck bed, please reach out to let us know and make plans accordingly.

Check out next week’s news for information on our observance of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days. For those who would like to have someone included in our Commemoration of the Faithful Departed, the necrology can be found in the Narthex or else names may be submitted to Fr. Ben via email for their inclusion during the Requiem Mass.

Thank you for your gifts to St. Andrew’s in 2020. Supported by many hours of volunteer service and generous financial gifts, St. Andrew’s has carried forward the mission of worshipping God and serving our neighbor in difficult times.

October is Stewardship month, a time when all of us reflect on the past year and make a pledge to the church for 2021.

We hope you received and enjoyed Fr. Ben's video message sent to you earlier this week. It is one of three stewardship messages coming to your inbox. You will also receive your pledge packet via email this weekend and are requested to return your pledge form prior to November 8, when the pledges will be blessed at the altar. We hope you will continue to support the good works of our parish!

The Stewardship Committee: Kevin Babb, Riley Atwood, Marian Smithson, Marilyn Strangeman, Jane Weingartner

Updated Former Clergy & Friends Directory
(Click here to view and print.)

This additional directory replaces prior listings of former clergy and friends (not be confused with the parish directory). Please save a copy to your cell phone in an appropriate app and to your laptop, desktop, or iPad in addition to printing a copy. Updates can be sent at any time of year to info@standrews-edwardsville.
Scrip News

During the November Book Sale Fredna Scroggins will be posted at the back door of Pearson Hall (next to the soda machine!) with scrip cards for sale on Friday from 7—8 p.m. and Saturday from 2—3 p.m. She will have a supply of the cards most frequently purchased such as Kohl's, Target, Panera, and Starbucks, as well as Dierbergs.

Anyone who wants a specific card that we do not as a rule carry, should contact JoAnn Nabe (see directory for e-mail or phone) by the evening of Sunday, November 1. She will place an order the first thing on Monday if your card is available.
-Fredna Scroggins
Keeping the Spirit of the Angel Tree

With the uncertainty of the status of the pandemic the Outreach Committee has decided to make our Christmas giving as contact free as possible. We will be foregoing our usual Angel Tree and will be giving gift cards.

We realize there will be more need so we are asking for those who can to give generously. Please make your checks to St. Andrew’s and put outreach in the memo line. We know this is early but we have had inquiries and wanted everyone to be informed. Thank you for your support.
-JoAnn Nabe
Help Provide Thanksgiving Baskets to the Needy In Our Area

Faith Coalition Edwardsville invites St. Andrew's to join other churches and businesses in Edwardsville to provide Thanksgiving Baskets to the clients of GlenEd Pantry, Each basket contains all the fixings of Thanksgiving dinner for one family. The projected cost for a basket is $30 and the goal is to provide 250 baskets. 

The deadline for donations is November 16. Checks should be made out to "Faith Coalition Edwardsville" and sent to Faith Coalition Edwardsville, P.O. Box 84, Edwardsville, IL 62025. Questions? Call 618-670-8977.
Voting Faithfully

2020 election information is available from the Madison County Clerk's website, MadisonVotes.com.
Click here for a voter guide/specimen ballot.

Early voting information:

  • Edwardsville - County Administration Building, 157 N. Main Street
  • Weekdays - October 26-30, and November 2, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Saturdays - October 24 and 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Sundays - October 25 and November 1, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
  • Weekdays - October 28-30 - Hours: Noon - 5:00 pm
  • Morris University Center, Willow Room
The St. Andrew's Week-End Update, a weekly emailed newsletter, is designed to update parishioners on church activities. Please send news items to Jane Weingartner
by 11 a.m. on Tuesday to have them appear in the following Friday's newsletter.

Newsletter Editor and Designer, Marian Smithson
Newsletter Editor Jane Weingartner | Newsletter Editor, Marianne Cavanaugh