St Andrews Newsletter
July–August
Vestry Car Wash
The annual vestry car wash is August 10th during and after the church service. Proceeds from the car wash go to benefit the Jeri Trudell Scholarship Fund that was established by Malcolm and Joan Mitchell. The fund honors a former long-time office secretary, as well as our current graduates. Even if your car is angelically clean donations are appreciated, so bring your cars and support our graduates!
School Supply Drive
Each year, at the later part of the summer, St. Andrew’s has a school supply drive. The supplies are distributed to schools as far away as Queets, Satsop, Ocosta, and places in between. People can either bring in supplies or contribute cash which we use to purchase more supplies. Actually, cash can be donated throughout the year. Your generous contributions have made a great impact on the students we supply. When there is a need, the people of St. Andrew’s follow their faith and make a difference. God bless to all of you.
-Phil MacNealy
Camp Huston Events
October 30th–November 2nd—Autumn Art Retreat
November 27th–30th—Thanksgiving Family Camp
December 4th–7th—Quilter’s Holiday
All-Parish Breakfast Results
We will be having another all-parish breakfast on August 24th. On those days, there will be a shorter service, followed by a light breakfast. Those signed up for coffee hour will be hosts, and everyone else is encouraged to bring sides, such as fruit, boiled eggs, muffins, or juice.
The questionnaire results from July’s breakfast are as follows:
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What do you love about St. Andrew’s?
- People (friendly, caring, accepting, kind, loving, open, welcoming, humor, generous, joyful) – this was mentioned on nearly every note
- People help you in different ways
- Food
- Giving to the community
- Moderate weather
- Beautiful topography
- Lots of places to visit
- Beautiful building, architecture, history, old church
- Music, choir
- Tradition
- Fellowship
- Non-political
- The service
- Rector
- Outreach
- Communication
- Close to home
- Inclusive catechism
- Old home Sunday
- “Parade” of interims
- Christmas Eve Mass
- Red doors
- Family feel
- Altar guild
- St. Francis day
- Victorian tea
- Dedication of members
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What are some good ideas or aspects from other churches?
| · Special Happy Birthday song for birthdays | · More Steward of the earth friendly bulletin |
| · Altar flowers for shut-ins | · Lenten prayer retreat |
| · Pumpkin patch for the community (fundraiser) | · Printed newsletter to increase sharing, available with bulletins |
| · Young people | · New people |
| · Music, more modern | · Pet/dog show |
| · Taize Prayer | · Hawaiian BBQ with music |
| · Spaghetti dinner with wine bottle | · Wooden cross necklaces to visitors |
| · Introduce guests | · Lesson on the use of the AED |
| · More children and child activities | · A lightning rod |
| · If the church were larger, we could offer two services with more modern music | |
A Successful Garden (Work) Party)
In addition to all the other hard work our Building and Grounds Committee does, we are pleased to say that the latest garden party was particularly effective. Gerhard wielded his gas-powered hedge clipper with surgical precision. Russell appropriately manned the “Grandpa’s Dandelion Puller”, and Allice, Kerry and Merry Jo went after weeds all up and down the beds and fence line. Merry Jo noted with dismay the return of a big patch of Japanese Knotweed. We plan one more shot at the gardens before the Old Home Sunday picnic, with details to follow.
Active Listening– A Skill That Everyone Should Master
Fr Mikel has written an article on active listening that he would like to share with us:
Listening is arguably the most important element of interpersonal communication. Our ability to listen well impacts the quality of all of our relationships, and not just at home with our family and friends—it can also affect our relationships and interactions on the job as well as the effectiveness and quality of our work.
Listening is not something that comes naturally or easily for most of us, however; it is a skill that must be cultivated and practiced. Active listening means, as its name suggests, means that we make a conscious and concerted effort to fully engage with the speaker. Active listening is the difference between simply hearing, and listening with the intent to truly understand. It is a subtle but important distinction.A Few Active Listening Guidelines
- Give Focused Attention—Try to minimize external distractions. Turn down the noise, and put down or step away from what you’re doing if possible. Also, set aside other internal thinking and dialogue. Don’t watch the clock, fidget or go over your to-do list for later.
- Maintain Eye Contact—Direct eye contact shows your attention and intention to listen. This doesn’t mean stare though. Intense eye contact can be intimidating to some—especially the shy or introverted. Be reasonable, but try not to let your eyes wander to whatever is going on around you.
- Smile—Facial expressions convey a lot, and a smile is open, inviting, and encouraging.
- Watch Body Language—Be conscious of your body language. Keep an open posture, a non-aggressive stance, face the speaker(s), lean in rather than away, watch your hands, how you tilt your head and your expressions. (For instance, I tend to cross my arms in front of me because it feels comfortable and wrinkle my brow because I’m concentrating, but this body language can appear defensive or critical, so I need to make an effort to soften a bit.) Pay attention to the speaker’s body language as well. It works both ways.
- Offer Encouragement—Nod occasionally, and offer a judiciously placed ‘Yes,’ “OK”. ‘I understand”, or “Good”. Just be careful not to overdo it or you risk coming across as irritating or rushing. If used sparingly and authentically, encouragement is affirming.
- Allow Silence—Silence in a conversation can be scary, but a pause allows the speaker to gather their thoughts and for you to digest what is being said.
- Don’t Interrupt—It’s disrespectful and distracting.
- Reflect Back—Restate, but don’t repeat verbatim. Paraphrase what you think the other party is saying with responses such as: “What I’m hearing is…” or “Let me see if I’m following you…” Reflecting back what you’ve heard signals that you’re attempting to understand fully.
- Clarify—Ask relevant questions to make sure you understand. Make them open-ended questions, if possible. A “yes” or “no” may confirm, but an explanation offers more information. Probe for feelings. Sometimes the emotions behind the words are more important than the words themselves when someone is seeking to be understood.
- Keep an Open Mind—Defer judgments, whether agreement or disagreement and don’t make assumptions. Wait until the speaker is finished before formulating opinions. It’s so hard not to think about what you’re going to say next, especially if there’s disagreement, but you miss what is being said if you’re thinking about your own response.
- Respond Appropriately—Be open and honest in your responses. Share your thoughts, insights and feelings in a clear, but respectful and considerate manner. You can acknowledge the speaker’s concerns and thoughts even if you disagree…especially when you disagree.
Active listening is a model for good communication. Remember that listening is not just to gather information and share ideas, but also to gain perspective and understanding. It takes practice to develop active listening skills, and it’s a habit that has to be reinforced. Remind yourself that the goal of conversation is not merely to trade words, but to truly understand what the other party is saying and to be understood in turn.
Coffee Hour
We are in need of coffee hour hosts for several upcoming Sundays. If you are interested, the sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board across from the kitchen.
Prayer Chain
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. Prayer requests will initially go out through the church’s email, but if you want to make sure to receive Laurel’s emails going forward, make sure to add hir email address to your address book!
PRAYER LISTS
The following is a list of people for whom our prayers are asked. For the sick, lonely, and suffering; for those who mourn, and for those who rejoice, and others: JoAnne A, Bob A, Mason A, the members of the AA and NA groups, Mert T, Marsha, Sara, Dom Philip Bernard, Louise B, Ginger H, Mike A, Don & Judy M, Danny S, Maurice F Jr, Paul & Susie T, Alice & Gunter B, Dianne M, Muriel, Richard H, Pat M, Debby M, Lorene H, and Kay & John D, Lisa N, Dennis D.
Those in current military service: Andrew Roth, Breanne Gunther, Ian Gunther, Nicole Hyde, Jordan Bush, Josh Sindorf, Madison Sylvester, Brandon Roeseler, Casey Sindorf.
Prayers for Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East: Loving and liberating Creator, send your healing Spirit upon all involved in the current conflict and violence in the Middle East. Comfort those who mourn or who have been harmed by brutality. Stand with those who are fearful. Protect and provide for the powerless and the vulnerable. Inspire a spirit of forbearance and understanding within all and uphold those who even now work for a just and durable peace. In the name of Christ. Amen.
July
Anniversaries: Rob A & Dorothy A-A
Birthdays: Shaen D, Anne B, Glenn S, Erich S, Dennis D, Joshua B, Eric H, William S
August
Anniversaries: Chris & Shari H, Donn & Annette P, Gunter & Alice B, Phil & Nancy M, the Aberles
Birthdays: Martha C, Gunter B, Andrew C, Mary C, Charlie C, Merry Jo Z, David B, Will B, Mark H
Church Calendar and Events
August
- August 6th—Evening Prayer at 6:15 pm
- August 10th—Scholarship Car Wash
- August 13th—Evening Prayer at 6:15 pm
- August 16th—Summer Fest
- August 17th—Guest Preacher/Celebrant Fr Dale McQueen
- August 20th—Evening Prayer at 6:15 pm
- August 24th—All Parish Breakfast, School Supply Ingathering ends
- August 27th—Evening Prayer at 6:15 pm
September
- September 3rd—Evening Prayer at 6:15 pm
- September 10th— Evening Prayer at 6:15 pm
- September 14th—Old Home Sunday Picnic
- September 17th—Evening Prayer at 6:15 pm
St Andrews Event Schedule 2025
School Supply Ingathering Sunday, July 6th – August 24th
All Parish Breakfast Sunday, July 27th
Scholarship Car Wash Saturday, August 10th
Summer Fest Saturday, August 16th
All Parish Breakfast Sunday, August 24th
Old Home Sunday Parish Picnic Sunday, September 14th
Blessing of the Animals Sunday, October 5th
Holiday Bazaar Saturday, November 8th
Undie Sunday Sunday, November 16th
Greening of the Church Saturday, December 20th
Twelfth Night Dinner Saturday, January 3, 2026