The Messenger
In Christ, We Worship, Love, Grow, Serve and Send.
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APRIL 2021 | Vol. XXXXII No. 4 |
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ALLELUIA! CHRIST IS RISEN!
CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!
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Thank you to Sammie Smith and Isla Bussone
for creating this beautiful ALLELUIA banner!
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FROM THE COUNCIL PRESIDENT
by Jen Fisher
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Happy Easter!
I hope you are well and enjoying the warmer weather. I think that spring has finally arrived, and with it, it seems to be bringing hope (and a lot of rain)! Hope for the Easter promise and resurrection and hope for a return to more normalcy from the pandemic we have all endured for the last year.
First, thank you to everyone who has completed the member opinion survey that we sent out last month. I have spent many days reading very carefully over each and every response. Your feedback helps our church leaders to determine how to better serve our congregation, and we are taking your feedback very seriously. ...Read more.
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WE MADE THE CHALLENGE!
Thanks to all who participated!
We would like to thank Ruth Schreiner for her generosity in helping to supply the rewards for St. Andrew's older children and adults who participated in the Bishop’s 40-40-40 Challenge. The Challenge ends Saturday, April 3. To receive your reward, please email Connie Pearson at cpgrants@comcast.net to inform the Health Ministries Team of your completion of the exercise portion of the challenge.
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Covid-19 Herd Immunity: Why be Vaccinated?
by Cornelia Pearson, RN, MN
It is hard to believe that the American population began extreme lockdown due to COVID-19 in March one year ago! We know that all of the accompanying mask wearing, social distancing, frequent hand washing, staying out of crowds, being isolated at home, etc., has caused much stress both mentally and physically. We soldiered on during 2020 following guidelines about how to stay COVID-free with the hope that a vaccine would help the pandemic come to an end so that we could get back to “normal life.” Some, no matter how hard they tried to follow the guidelines, have been or will be exposed to COVID-19. The larger percentage of the individuals who have become ill from the virus have had mild illnesses and recovered within a few weeks. Others, even with mild illnesses, continue to have debilitating symptoms following their initial recovery. Our hope for a back to “normal life” has been bolstered in Tennessee by the fact that everyone 16 years of age and older will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination beginning April 5. WOW! That is great news but that does not mean that everyone 16 years of age and older will want to be vaccinated. In spite of the availability of three approved vaccines, 25 percent of Americans participating in a Monmouth University poll state that they are unwilling to take a vaccine. ....Read more.
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GRADUATES OF ALL AGES We want to celebrate you!
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We want to celebrate your graduation achievements in upcoming newsletters! Any age, preschool to doctorate programs! Please send your graduation information and picture to share your happy news!
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Graduation at JSMT!
Mari Yamada has been a student at JSMT (Japanese Supplementary school in Middle Tennessee) since first grade and graduated on March 13, 2021! She studied every Saturday using Japanese textbooks as Japanese students do in Japan. JSMT is for students who live here temporarily while parents work in the US. They learn to read, write, listen, and speak in Japanese. Sara Yamada graduated from JSMT a few years ago and is planning to study Japanese as her minor at the university she will attend this fall. Congratulations to both Mari and Sara!
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COVID-19 Mass Vaccination
in Nashville, TN
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MANY THANKS TO BETH FIKEJS who recently helped at the first COVID-19 mass vaccination event in Nashville on March 27. 10,000 people were vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at this event!
The event was really well organized with 10 lanes open which went quickly to get 10,000 people vaccinated! Music artists sang the entire time Beth worked from 12 noon to 7:00 PM.
During the event, Beth would help recipients with the vaccination questions, determining how long they would wait after they received their shots before leaving the site. Beth had a great time helping out and putting her nursing skills back in practice! We are grateful for her help!
Music City Center is open daily and they have many appointments available every day for those wishing to get their vaccination!
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A HUGE thank you to Dale (Gus) Gustafson, who recently built and finished a new memorial cross for St. Andrew. Gus is a skilled woodworker and learned we had a need for another memorial cross since our other cross is almost filled up. The memorial cross will hang in the vestibule as you come into the nave. We thank Gus for his loving care, time, and talents in making this special cross to hold the plaques of our saints of St. Andrew. Pictured to the left in the meditation garden are Gus and Jackie, holding the finished memorial cross.
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Jackson Short, a Boy Scout in Troop 130, recently completed his final requirement of those needed to obtain the rank of Eagle Scout. This included doing a project for the benefit of the community. For this project he constructed a greenhouse at the Lions Club Sensory Garden for the Blind. This greenhouse will allow the garden to keep plants alive and growing during the cold season. With the help of fellow scouts and adult leaders such as Paul Perutelli, Dan Hurley, David Wuller, David Short, and many others, Jackson was able to complete the project this past fall/winter. He now looks forward to the Eagle Ceremony this upcoming fall. Jackson is the grandson of Elizabeth K. Short and Jesse E. Short. Congratulations to Jackson for a great project and on earning his Eagle Scout Award!
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Dear St. Andrew,
We are so grateful for your dedicated support! As we grow in serving more neighbors, our need for more space grows as well. Please pray with us for God’s direction and provision in this regard. We will keep you posted.
Yours in Christ,
Valencia Breckenridge, GraceWorks CEO
GRACEWORKS UPDATE: Greater Service in 2021
Last year’s challenges left many in Williamson County and surrounding communities overwhelmed with situational poverty for the first time. Through God’s grace, we were there to help 16,823 of our neighbors in need -- 63% more than last fiscal year! In 2021 we will continue improving the ways we serve. ...Read more.
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An Empty Stomach Has No Ears
by Denise Gudlin
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There is a well-known phrase in Haiti that says, “An empty stomach has no ears." Think about that for a minute. Can you imagine being SO hungry that you literally cannot retain anything you are taught? One twelve-year-old girl explained how she lost her sight due to having nothing to eat for several days. Fortunately, after receiving desperately needed nutrition, her eyesight returned. This is real-life in Haiti and Trinity HOPE is helping solve this terrible challenge.
Trinity HOPE began in 1999 and partners with Christian schools to share the love of Jesus with the children of Haiti one meal at a time. We are tremendously blessed to be able to add an additional 12,000 children, teachers, and cooks to the feeding programs throughout the country this school year. Through God’s grace, we are now serving over 42,000 meals each school day to these hungry children in over 200 Christian schools throughout the country. That is over 7,500,000 meals per year! Beyond receiving a nutritious noon meal each day to sustain their life, each child is now also better equipped to hear and retain the Gospel message their teachers and pastors are sharing with them at school. If you would like to learn more about Trinity HOPE, please visit our website at www.trinityhope.org, or call us at 615-394-4950. We thank and praise God for allowing us to serve these additional children and for your continued support of Trinity HOPE.
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Correspondence from Acquier, St. Andrew's Sponsored School in Haiti
March 2021
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Dear Members of St. Andrew,
Greetings in Christ Jesus, from the children in Haiti and the ministry of Trinity HOPE. The school year is now half over, and the children continue to be blessed by the nutritious meal you are providing them every school day. For the most part, Haiti has been spared the wide-spread challenges we are facing here in the U.S. with COVID-19. Despite limited medical resources and an inability to effectively social distance in the densely populated areas, God has continued to protect most Haitians from the worst of the pandemic. The children continue to be able to go to school in person, and many are wearing masks in their classrooms. This is a tremendous blessing considering remote learning is really not an option in Haiti. ...Read more.
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Thank you for supporting healthy gardens! |
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Garden Drive Continues...benefitting the Healthy Gardens Program
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Our Youth and Children's Ministries are partnering with Inspiritus and continuing to collect garden items to benefit local families in Middle TN. The Inspiritus Healthy Gardens Program helps local families by establishing raised garden beds and teaching families how to grow their own vegetables. The youth (and other members) of St. Andrew can help by donating seed packets and garden tools.
Items can be dropped off at the administration entrance during the week by contacting the office for a time to drop them off.
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WELCA meets on Tuesday, April 20, 2021
at 6:30 p.m.
Let's Have Some Fun on Game Night!!!
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April will be fellowship and games month. Let's spend some time with one another and have some fun. Be sure to have a few snacks and a drink to keep your brain in good working order and don't forget to have a pen/pencil and a pad of paper handy. Bring a friend (send them the link!) and your sense of humor and join us in some laughter and fun. The more the merrier. |
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Meeting ID: 861 3384 9904
Passcode: WELCA
Dial by your location - 1.301.715.8592
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April 6 Kirk & Julie Bednar
April 7 Mike & Susan Pavlos
April 8 Roger & Ethel Meyerhoff
April 8 Sam & Kris Helou
April 25 Richard & Roberta Edwards
April 25 Keith & Linda Wolfgram
April 29 Lee & Pat Harms
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APRIL BIRTHDAYS
For a list of April birthdays,
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NEXT NEWSLETTER DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2021.
Jolene Richardson, The Messenger Editor
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ST. ANDREW LUTHERAN CHURCH | www.saintandrewchurch.com
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