Dear Friends in Christ,

How many times have you spoken or heard the words, "attitude of gratitude?" A grateful heart enables healing, growth, and relationship. My heart is full of gratitude this week for our community for so many reasons. This past Sunday, I was completely taken by surprise by two baskets given to me at the outdoor service. One was a "stay healthy" basket with all kinds of goodies from vitamin C to hand sanitizer and toothpaste. I can assure you I have l have already begun preventative measures! The other basket was full of cards expressing gratitude! Thank you!

With only a few months at St. Andrew's, I’m loving our community and am so grateful for each one of you. The cards are overwhelmingly wonderful! Please know how grateful I am to serve our Lord with you in our community!

In Scripture, I love to go to St. Paul's letters for reminders of gratitude.

There is so much in our lives and in our humanity to lead us astray from gratitude in our own lives and it can be difficult (to say the least) sometimes to find moments of gratitude. Store it up when times of gratitude are plentiful and seek it in times of drought. I have a feast of gratitude before me with all of you and know that we may find it in abundance when we seek Christ in relationship with each other.

As we continue to seek our mission and discipleship, let us always begin with gratitude! For in it, we find the path and the way of life and hope.

I look forward to seeing you all this weekend online and in person (weather permitting).

In Gratitude,

@ 6:00 p.m. – Evening Prayer Service

@ 8:00 a.m. – Liturgy of the Word

@ 9:00 a.m. – Bible Study (Mtg# 142 074 0872 | password: CMrCxTkf488)

@ 10:00 a.m. – Liturgy of the Word (also on Facebook)

@ 11:00 a.m. – Coffee Hour (Mtg ID: 847 0278 7729 | password: 437719)

@ 11:15 a.m. – Adult Forum (same link as Coffee Hour)

@ 9:00 p.m. – Compline with St. Phoebe's (via Zoom)

@ 9:30 a.m. – Morning Prayer Service

@ 10:30 a.m. – Bible Study (Mtg ID: 884 0844 2173 | password: 313159)

Note: When joining any of our Zoom meetings, please make sure your name is displayed.

2nd Note: If any of the service links above don't work, check our website for updated links.

Your one stop shop for everything happening at St. Andrew’s this weekend. Links for these events are also available on our website.

Also, please remember to register your children for Sunday School.

We worship, serve, and belong as One Together. This includes our gifts of time, talent, and treasure.

This week, you should have received a Pledge Packet in the mail from us. It includes a pledge card, a letter from the Stewardship committee, and a pre-stamped envelope for its return. We ask for you and your family to prayerfully consider your pledge for the upcoming year. We also ask for you to listen to this weekend’s Stewardship Homily at any of the weekend services (Saturday @ 6:00 p.m., Sunday @ 8:00 or 10:00 a.m.), before this thoughtful discernment process.

We touch lives here at St. Andrew’s in so many ways. We ask for your Pledge, even in these stressful times, and for you to be there for us, others, and God in a time where it is needed most. We continue to serve the Lord, and our manifold missions…One Together.

The Annual Ingathering will either be by mail, or if you would like to drop it off at church, on Sunday, November 1st from 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Father Will, the Stewardship Committee, and the Vestry will participate in a safe, socially distanced, drive-through Ingathering. You can drive around the front of the church, and place your pledge in a basket, to remain touchless, and without having to leave the safety of your car.

If you did not receive a Pledge Card, please contact Emily (emily@standrews.net), and one will go out immediately to you. Please include a current address in your email.

Contact: Darren Williams & Karan Wright (stewardship@standrews.net)

Tomorrow, Saturday, October 24th, at 11:00 a.m., there will be an online service and celebration in remembrance for the life and ministry of Vivian Eggers. The celebration of her life with commendation and committal will take place at a later date. Should you want to attend tomorrow, you may do so here.

Third Quarter Contribution statements are coming soon! We have recently switched to new software that allows us to send these easily and quickly via email and plan to use email as the main form of distribution going forward.

If you do not wish to receive your statement by email and would prefer it to be mailed to you instead, please contact Michelle Ramsdell prior to October 25th. Please also contact Michelle if your email address has changed or if you would like to verify that we have the correct email address for you. Thank you!

Contact: Michelle Ramsdell (michelle@standrews.net)

The annual CROP Walk will be held Sunday, November 8th after the outdoor service! Stay tuned for details, and email Mark and Carl if you’re interested in helping out.

Contact: Mark Foster & Carl Jones (outreach@standrews.net)

Are you curious about how our pledge and plate donations are used at St. Andrew’s? Just like a family household, the church must know both total income and expenditures in order to carefully spend and save money. And, of course, just like a family household, some expenses are predicted and known, and some can only be estimated.

There are the known expenses like salaries and benefits for clergy and staff, a mortgage, facility insurance, and monthly utility costs. The St. Andrew’s Vestry places money in a building reserve savings account for unexpected costs like roof damage, and pledges money to support the Diocese each year. We also have a Rector’s Discretionary Fund to assist parishioners with dire needs and help our postulant with education-related costs. St. Andrew’s substantially supports our youth mission trips and other community outreach projects, which are the programs we all love and care about the most.

2020 certainly showed us why we all must budget for the unexpected. Some of St. Andrew’s finances had to be spent on items needed to be able to safely hold indoor church services, such as an electrostatic cleaner, hand sanitizer stands and gel, disinfectants and cleaning tools. There are plenty of facility-related plans that may be put on hold for a while. The Vestry recently discussed what St. Andrew’s needs versus “nice to haves?” And, what can be delayed to be addressed later? Have you noticed the weeds growing in the many cracks of the parking lots? Have you noticed the outdated church kitchen? Some items that would be nice to take care of will just have to wait; that’s what budgeting and prioritizing is all about. Money will be spent on those items parishioners and Vestry decide are the most important for our St. Andrew’s community, and for necessary items needed for the church facility itself.

Please help St. Andrew’s plan and budget for the future: fill out your pledge card.

Karan Wright

Stewardship Co-chair

The Vestry discussed at their last meeting that the number of folks who ask for assistance from ECHO has increased significantly due to the pandemic. We would like to support their needs more regularly than the occasional food drive.

So we are asking folks who come to in-person Sunday worship to bring something from their pantry to share with our neighbors in need. It doesn't need to be a great quantity of items (unless you so desire) but a couple of non-perishable items.

There will be a box designated for ECHO at the check-in table. We will make sure they get to ECHO in a timely manner. We know they would appreciate all the support.

Contact: Mark Foster & Carl Jones (outreach@standrews.net)

Father Will would like to meet with each and every one of our parishioners in person or by Zoom. He will be hosting a series of small group meetings (up to 10 people) in the mornings (10:00 a.m.) and evenings (7:30 p.m.) to get to know the people of St. Andrew’s. Outdoor meetings will require you to bring your own chair and wear a mask. These meetings will be held until November 30th on Mondays and Tuesdays.

A Sign-Up Genius has been created, so pick a time that works best for you/your family and sign up here to schedule a meeting.

We hope you take advantage of this time to meet our new Priest-in-Charge.

Contact: Betsy Cotten and Rebecca Umberger (fellowship@standrews.net)

During these unprecedented times, we are called into community in unprecedented ways. Your financial gifts to St. Andrew’s are of vital importance to support our ongoing ministries and our outreach to the most vulnerable among us. Please continue to offer your faithful gifts by:

Contact: Michelle Ramsdell (michelle@standrews.net)

Please keep these members of our community in your prayers: 

Clayton Farnham (friend of Chris Umberger)

Contact: Deborah England (prayer@standrews.net)