St Andrew’s Newsletter
August September
Garden (Work) Party
A work party is scheduled for Saturday, August 22nd. During that time we’ll search out and repair peeling paint on the outside of the building. We’ll also polish up the church and grounds in advance of having guests at Old Home Sunday on September 13th.
Old Home Sunday
A reminder that we will be having our Old Home Sunday Picnic on Sunday, September 13th at 11 am. A sign up sheet for both set up and clean up, as well as one for those who want to bring food, is now available.
Concert Announcement
The Coastline Chorale and chamber orchestra, directed by Ian and Joy Dorsch, will perform Haydn’s “Nelson” Mass on Sunday, September 13 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. There is no charge for the concert.
Votive Candles: An Invitation to Pray
St. Andrew’s devotional candles are placed at the back of our sanctuary, where you will find a comfortable kneeler, a candle lighter, and privacy for your prayers. You are invited to offer your personal devotions, light one of the candles, and leave knowing His light endures.
The tradition of lighting candles for prayer is an ancient Judeo-Christian practice. Devotional votive candles symbolize prayers offered to God, uniting personal devotion with the Church’s ancient symbolism of Christ’s enduring light. The flame represents Christ as the Light of the World, illuminating darkness, guiding believers, and serving as a visible sign of devotion, intercession, and spiritual intention. Votive candles are commonly lit in designated candle stands at side altars, where the flame continues the prayer even after the person leaves. Lighting a candle expresses a prayer intention physically and symbolically, allowing the flame to “carry” the prayer.
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
Our School Supply Ingathering date is Sunday, August 23rd.
State of the Building
We now have grounded outlets in both offices. The work was completed by Reliable Electric on Monday, August 10. The same day a large lift was delivered to St. Andrew’s parking lot by Lupo Construction. They will clean and repair the roof of the bell tower, pressure wash and replace missing siding on the tower, search for and seal all potential bird entry places, clean the gutters, and repair the leak around the west Whiteside Room window. Thank you to the people of St. Andrews who fund these projects to keep our building in good repair and up to date!
From the Vestry
The Vestry met for their usual monthly meeting, a week early this month due to a calendar conflict. Our first, and arguably most important, act was to consider whether or not to recommend Kerry Tadique to the Commission on Ministry and bishop for Postulancy for Holy Orders. We interviewed Mary Jo and Suzanne, both members of St. Andrew’s, and members of the Diocesan Discernment Committee, as well as Kerry herself. It was the unanimous vote of the Vestry to recommend that Kerry be granted Postulancy for Holy Orders leading to her ordination as a priest in God’s church. That recommendation will be considered by the bishop and Commission on Ministry and, assuming it is granted, will move Kerry one major step closer to ordination. Kerry will continue with her schooling at the Iona School and will do her field education/internship at St. David’s in Shelton this coming year. Congratulations to Kerry!
After celebrating this milestone, we received a report from our Treasurer. Our financial situation has not changed as we continue to be ahead of budget on pledge income due to pre-paid pledges and we are at or below budget in most other areas. We have been doing so well that, up until now, we haven’t had to tap money held in our Money Market Fund for expenses. As anticipated, that will change beginning next month as we begin to draw down those funds. Since we haven’t needed them before, we’ve parked them somewhere where they’ve been earning about $100 a month in interest. Now, we’re moving them into our checking account. We continue to be grateful for the major donation to the Permanent Maintenance Fund, which is funding both the office electrical upgrades and the “lift work” (see below).
After the Treasurer’s report, the Vestry moved on to consider the One Parish – One Prisoner program. There continues to be some concern that members who sign up to participate in this program take a chance of being exploited for their generosity and openness, but the majority of the Vestry voted to present this opportunity to the congregation and see if there was a group of people interested in becoming involved. This involvement would involve training in supporting a prisoner from our local community due to be released in a year as well as establishing a relationship that person who is participating in the program. More information will be shared at the congregational meeting on August 30.
The Vestry then moved on to review the Mutual Ministry goals and objectives, with Fr. Tom updating everyone on progress in various areas. There was some discussion regarding removing the back two pews and relocating them to Giles Hall to make room for a welcoming table as well as providing more room for the choir and other processional members to gather before the service. As people are attached to “their” pew, this may cause some disruption, but Fr. Tom said that he would be happy to meet with anyone concerned to talk about the reasons for the move.
The Buildings and Grounds Committee continues to work on a five year maintenance and refurbishment plan which they hope to complete in the next few weeks or months. The biggest challenge is attaching dollar amounts to projects that may not occur for years. One current project is “lift projects” (cupola cleaning and painting, window repair, bird access blocking, etc…) which should occur in the next week or so.
The Hospitality Committee continues to fill in Coffee Hour host slots, so feel free to sign up for those Sundays you are interested in hosting. As Old Home Sunday approaches, they are assembling volunteers to help with shopping, setup, and cleanup. Fr. Paul will be preaching and Fr. Tom will be celebrating on that Sunday, September 13.
Finally, it was noted that Vestry meetings have stretched from 1 ½ hours to 2 hours for several meetings and there was a desire to streamline things a bit more. The Senior Warden will meet with Fr. Tom to talk about ways of doing this.
From Desk of the Priest-in-Charge
As we continue to move through August, fall is just around the corner. We will be kicking off our program year with Old Home Sunday, where we will welcome Fr. Paul back as our preacher and celebrate the long history of St. Andrew’s. I am also putting the finishing touches on plans for a “Thursdays with (Fr.) Tom” series for which I hope to gather a small group of interested parishioners to talk about how to be a faithful disciple of Jesus. More to come, soon!
Earlier than the above, I look forward to gathering for our fifth Sunday potluck and congregational meeting to update you on our goals and objectives and to give you a chance to ask the Vestry and me any questions you might have and provide feedback. One of our objectives for this year is to discern a new vision statement for St. Andrew’s which will guide our future decisions and direction as a congregation. When you think of St. Andrew’s, what words, values, or visions come to mind?
I continue to have a steady stream of people calling me for financial assistance with rent, gasoline, utilities, medication, etc… Most, if not all, of these referrals are from other organizations like PUD, CCAP, etc… I’m hoping to connect with these various organizations this fall, as well as fellow mainline and other churches, to see if we can better coordinate assistance. I’m feeling like St. Andrew’s is people’s only source for help. I know that isn’t the case, but it sometimes feels like it! We continue to focus our own outreach efforts on Family Promise, Aberdeen Food Pantry, and other local relief efforts.
Looking forward to kicking off the fall with Old Home Sunday!
— Fr. Tom+
Coffee Hour Rotation
Beginning Sunday, October 4, we will be moving from a sign-up sheet to a monthly coffee hour hosting rotation. Please see Nancy Olsen or Ronni Enstrom for details. We are still in need of individual Sunday hosts to sign up in the meantime. Thanks in advance!
Food Bank Reminder
We are still collecting egg cartons, as well as other items for the food bank, especially protein. Also, remember that milk and butter are in short supply, so things that can be made with just adding water are preferred.
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, Mason A, the members of the AA and NA groups, , Sara, Dom Philip Bernard, Louise B, Ginger H, Mike A, Don & Judy M, Danny S, Paul & Susie T, Dianne M, Muriel, Richard H, Michael R, Debby M, Lorene H, Lisa N, Dennis D, Elaine P, Mike A, Cheyenne B, Don H, Barb S, Dale O, Nichole H, Angela B, Shelley C, Bill E, Casey K, Rodney H, Terry, Shirley.
Those in current military service:
Andrew Roth, Breanne Gunther, Ian Gunther, Nicole Hyde, Jordan Bush, Josh Sindorf,
Madison Sylvester, Brandon Roeseler, Casey Sindorf, Gabriel Calderon.
Prayers for Israel, Gaza, Iran, 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.
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
September
Anniversaries: Doug & Merry Jo Z, Rob & Denise C, Maria & Tim B
Birthdays: Shaen D, Anne B, Glenn S, Erich S, Dennis D, Joshua B, Eric H, William S
Church Calendar
August
- August 22nd—Garden Work Party at 9 am to 11 am
- August 23rd—School Supply Ingathering
- August 27th—Building and Grounds Meeting at 9:30 am
September
- September 2nd—Evening prayer at 6:15 pm
- September 9th—Evening prayer at 6:15 pm
- September 10th—Building and Grounds meeting at 9:20 am
- September 13th—Old Home Sunday; service at 11 am
- September 16th—Evening prayer at 6:15 pm; Vestry meeting at 7 pm