December Newsletter

St Andrews

Newsletter

State of the Building

Business has slowed slightly for the winter, but the Building & Grounds Committee continues in their tireless upkeep of our building. Some of the highlights for this month include bringing in A-1 Performance to clean the sanctuary rugs (turns out they’re RED, not burgundy!), putting up boards on the sanctuary windows in anticipation of the Christmas Greening; and monitoring water flooding in the basement during high rains. They have also repaired damage from vandalism to the water supply pipe on the west side of the building, which supplies water to the sacristy, and replaced the downspout boxes that were stolen from the alley side of the church.

They’ll be putting together separate schedules for vacuuming and dusting the sanctuary, picking up trash around the building, and cleaning up the gardens.  If you can help with any of these tasks, please let Merry Jo Zimmer know.

Evening Prayer Service

Join us as we pray the office on Wednesday nights at 6:15 p.m., starting January 1st, led by Kerry Tadique. This peaceful prayer service will include song, prayer, and communal reflection on Scripture. It’s a beautiful way to draw closer to God in the new year!

Twelfth Night Dinner

We will be having our annual dinner to celebrate the Epiphany on Saturday, January 4th. The evening will begin with a social hour at 5 pm, with the grand dinner following at 6 pm. Save the date now for a real St. Andrew’s tradition! Make your reservation by Thursday, January 2nd  by phoning the office or signing up via the sheet on the bulletin board across from the kitchen. A goodwill offering to cover the cost of dinner is appreciated.

A Homily                       

Here is a homily by Betty Paulsen for our Morning Prayer this month.

Good morning to each of you,

Father Paul asked me to give the sermon today in the context of the Morning Prayer service.  My first thought was “are you sure”, there are others that can give a sermon.  The look on his face told me, discussion is closed. 

In the second lesson Paul talks about the compassion of Christ Jesus, that your love may overflow more and more.  Compassion is the operative word.  Compassion, stepping out from ourselves to serve others in Christ.  It can also be a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for someone who is experiencing a misfortune, accompanied by the desire to alleviate the suffering.

Somehow, the definition in Webster’s does not begin to describe the compassion that is present at St. Andrews.  We, the members of St. Andrews care about and take care of each.  Our gifts are many.  Last Sunday I had the joy of worshipping at a small church in Eagle River, Alaska with Michelle and Daren Williams.  Michelle grew up in St. Andrews and referred to Bob and me as her church dad and mom.  Why would I share this with you…well, when we got to church, their pastor was sick and no one was available to lead the service.  Daren stepped forward and offered the sermon, another person the music and yet another person for the prayers.  The members each offered their gifts, and the Holy Spirit was present.  The feeling was love and joy.

Growing up in Westport was much the same, neighbors cared for neighbors. My uncle was Downs Syndrome and did not know a stranger.   When life came full circle and Bob and I became his guardians, Uncle Pat attended church here.  Cora Payne, Dorothy White, Helene` Hobbs and Father Bob Carver as well as many others made certain that he felt welcomed with treats and coffee—that is compassion—stepping out to help one another.

For nearly five years, St. Andrews has been in the search process.  The Search Committee has spent many hours working on the search process, which is not an easy task.  We offer each of the members of the Search Committee, Ann, Suzanne, Shari, and Bette a heartful thank you.  There were others that also served, and we say thank you to each of you.

We have reached a point in the search process where the Vestry will be calling a Priest in Charge.  The Vestry wants each of you to know what the process really means for each of us.  To be as clear and transparent about the process as possible, the Vestry will be giving updates and information during the calling of a Priest in Charge.  The Diocese will be sending a candidate for the Vestry to interview for the position.  The Vestry will be using information and questions that the Search Committee feels is important for our parish.  Assuming the candidate is a good fit for our parish, the Vestry will offer a call to the person.  If the candidate does not meet the guidelines that we feel are necessary, we will ask the Diocese for another name.  The process seems technical; however, it is an exciting time in our Parish.  During the first three years of Priest in Charge, St. Andrews’ vestry can offer the Rector position to the Priest in Charge. 

How does the word ‘compassion’ fit into all this information?  We know that God is in charge and His Holy Spirit guides each of us.  We are a beacon of hope on the corner of First and G street with our red doors open to all.  Let us step out from ourselves to serve others in Christ.

Amen.

Letter of Thanks

The clothing bank would like to thank St Andrews congregation for the “Undie Sunday” donation of 60 pair of women’s socks, 58 pair of men’s socks; 86 pair of women’s underwear and 32 pairs of men’s underwear. The volunteers appreciate your support of our mission.
Sincerely,
Mary V Keinath

Prayer Chain

A reminder that we have started a prayer chain to better support each other. If you, a friend, or a family member are in need of prayer, please contact Laurel Sheffield with the details you are comfortable sharing at laurelcsheffield@gmail.com or 859-457-0550 (text only) and your request will be passed on to the congregation to be lifted in prayer. If you want to make sure to receive Laurel’s emails, make sure to add hir email address to your address book.

Thank you to:

  • Those who helped with the Greening of the Church
  • Everyone who donated towards the flower fund for the season.
  • Our choir, bell choir, and other musicians for lending their talents to our Christmas Eve service.

 Church Events

December

  • December 24th—Christmas Eve service
    7 pm—The music of Christmas

7:30 pm—The Candlelight Mass of Christmas

January

  • January 1st—Evening Prayer at 6:15 pm
  • January 4th—Dinner in honor of Twelfth Night; social hour at 5 pm, dinner at 6 pm
  • January 8th—Evening Prayer at 6:15 pm
  • January 12th—Building and Grounds Meeting at 9 am
  • January 15th—Evening Prayer at 6:15 pm
  • January 22nd—Evening Prayer at 6:15 pm
  • January 26th— Building and Grounds Meeting at 9 am
  • January 31st—Evening Prayer at 6:15 pm