January 28, 2010 

A few reminders for the coming week:

Ham and Bean Supper Friday at 6:00. No reservations needed. Adults $10; children $5. This is a fundraiser for our Outreach and Mission Projects; 85% of net will go to M&O projects, 15% to Saint Andrew's general fund.

Annual Meeting Sunday! We will have one service only at 9:00, followed by a sit-down pot-luck brunch. The meeting itself will begin at about 10:45 and will end at about noon.  Annual Reports are now available in you Parish Hall mailbox. This is the day we reflect on and celebrate what we have accomplished in the past year and look ahead to possibilities lie before us. The Nominating Committee will present an uncontested ballot which is in your Annual Report, though there is always the possibility of nominations from the floor. 

Voting members are those whose baptism has been recorded in the parish register and who have been active in the parish for at least six month. That said, we warmly welcome all to the service, the brunch, and the meeting!

Wednesday discussion group 10:00 to 11:30, Feb. 3:  Chapter 7 of Faith, Life, and the Episcopal Church, "What is God calling you to do?" 

Prince Room Eucharist at 11:45.

Next Sunday, February 7th: ONE service only at 9:00. Well-known area pianist, composer, performer, and good friend of this parish Dana Cunningham will be our guest musician and provide the music for our liturgy. 

Mission and Outreach: What’s next for St. Andrew's

18 of us gathered for a lively and thought-provoking conversation last Sunday. We are at an information-gathering stage, with small groups having committed to exploring a number of specific possibilities. As a next step in our discernment process, we will re-convene next Sunday, February 7th, after the 9:00 service (at about 10:20) to share the results of our research. If you have questions or suggestions, talk to Duane.

One specific focus of concern was Haiti. As follow-up to that, I pass along the following webpage which addresses the work of Episcopal Relief and Development: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_118854_ENG_HTM.htm 

* If clicking on the link above does not work: open a new browser window, cut and paste the link into the address bar, and press Enter.

Missing church windows? Just a reminder that many of our church windows have been removed for maintenance and painting. We are now looking for a few volunteers to do a thorough (indoor) glass-cleaning job on them before they are re-installed. If you are available to help, call the office.

Food for thought from theologian Hans Kung:

"The ticket to heaven is a group ticket! You don't have to do it alone!" (It's about community and relationships.)

See you in church.

Blessings,

Heidi+

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January 21, 2010 

A few reminders for the coming week:

Regular schedule of services for this coming Sunday, January 24th with services at 8 and 10. Annual Reports are now available in you Parish Hall mailbox. 

Mission and Outreach: What’s next for St. Andrew’s? Following the later service this Sunday all who are interested are invited to come together to continue last month’s conversation about the possibility of deciding on and committing to some particular project that we might support  on an ongoing basis, not only with our money, but with “on-site” involvement.  A parish in Haiti? A school in Kenya? Something closer to home? We see this meeting as a next step in our discernment process, recognizing that this is “not something to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly” [BCP p. 423]. Your thoughts, concerns, and passions are all an appropriate part of the process. Duane will facilitate the discussion.

The “Faith, Life, and the Episcopal Church” discussion group continues. This Wednesday (Jan. 27, from 10:00 to 11:30) we will explore chapter 6 on “Navigating the Church,” an exploration of how the church came into being and became what it now is.
An informal Service of Holy Eucharist follows at 11:45. If you’d like, bring a bag lunch and eat together. It’s an open group. Feel free to come, even if you have not read the book. 

Ham and Bean Supper here at St. Andrew’s at 6:00 on Friday, Jan. 29th, to raise funds for the organizations our parish supports through Outreach and Mission. Enjoy community and good food together. Invite your friends. $10 for adults, $5 for children. 

Explore the rest of our new website!
This Thursday Memo page is actually one page of our new Saint Andrew's website which Duane has been working on.  He asks me to let you know that it's still "in beta" (not quite ready for prime time)  - but you're welcome to poke around and send him your comments and suggestions (duane.dale@gmail.com).
   Under the photo on the left, the first of the "Quick Links" is "Home."  Click that, and you'll find links to all the rest of the site.
   Live, online calendar! One of the most exciting parts of it is the online Calendar and Committee Calendar. Don't count on them yet for all the upcoming events (Debra has been busy preparing the annual report, so Duane and Debra haven't had a time to get the calendars into full gear yet.) But I think you'll quickly see how useful this can be. 
  Also, the current issue of our Mountain Top newsletter is now available online. Click HERE and look in the right-hand column.


Three dates to save: 

Jan. 31 is Annual Meeting Sunday. We will have ONE service only, at 9:00, followed by a potluck brunch and the meeting. (Snow date is Feb. 7.) Remember…we count on the attendance of all members. 

Feb. 12 is Movie Night! Free movie (TBA). Free popcorn. 

Feb. 16 is Shrove Tuesday (last day before Ash Wednesday and Lent). Join us for our traditional Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper.

See you in church!
Pax, Heidi+

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January 14, 2010

A few reminders for the coming week:
Regular schedule this coming Sunday, January 17th with services at 8 and 10.

The "Faith, Life, and the Episcopal Church" discussion group continues. This Wednesday (Jan. 20, from 10:00 to 11:30) we will explore chapter 5 on Faith. If you'd like to join us and haven't yet, let me know and I'll photocopy the chapter for you and give it to you on Sunday. An informal Service of Holy Eucharist follows at 11:45. If you'd like, bring a brown bag lunch and stay to eat together.

Also on Wednesday: Ann Hamilton of the Cooperative Extension Service will be coming to offer a Class on Food Safety from 5 to 7. Dinner Bell cook teams and others who use the kitchen are strongly urged to attend. It will be preceded by soup at 4:30.

Other notes of interest:
Responding to the disaster in Haiti: We have placed envelopes in the pews to facilitate contributions through Episcopal Relief and Development. ERD has a strong, ongoing relationship with the people of Haiti through the 110 Episcopal churches and the 200+ Episcopal schools in the Diocese of Haiti which has 83,000 Episcopalians!!! As a relief organization, ERD is top-rated and highly effective. (Google Episcopal Relief and Development Haiti for background material.) Donations can be made on line as well, but if you would like to contribute through St. Andrew's then we as a parishcan be aware of the combined extend of our individual generosity. And, yes, 100% of your contribution will go to ERD Haiti Relief.

"Temporary inconvenience. Permanent improvement." A number of the church windows have been removed and now have plywood covering the openings. This is good! Our painter has removed them to take to his shop and work on restoring them. They'll return in a couple of weeks.

Mark your calendar:

We will host a Ham and Home-made Baked Bean Supper here at St. Andrew's at 6:00 on Friday, January 29th, a fundraiser for the organizations our parish supports through Outreach and Mission. Stay warm. Enjoy community. Invite your friends. $10.00 for adults, $5 for children.

Saturday additions (January 16th):

On the topic of Haiti...
I have received a number of calls suggesting that we consider some kind of commitment to Haiti at our upcoming meeting to discuss fine-tuning our parish focus on Mission and Outreach. I assure you, this will definitely be part of that discussion to which all are welcome which is scheduled for January 24th (a week from tomorrow) following the 10:00 service.

Also, any who are interested are invited to gather during coffee hour tomorrow after each service to share our concerns, information, prayers, hope, and support for each other as we all struggle to respond to the great pain of this disaster.

The National Cathedral in Washington DC will be offering a service of prayer for Haiti on Sunday afternoon at 6 pm. It will be led by our presiding bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, and the bishop of Washington, the Haitian ambassador, together with others. There will be live webcast as well as CNN coverage.
[Click here for webcast on demand from the National Cathedral's website.]

See you in church.
Blessings, Heidi+