Month: September 2021 - St. Andrew Lutheran Church

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Fall Adult Education Classes

Faith in Finance: Making Giving More Meaningful

Join Rachel Roberts, a member of St. Andrew’s Stewardship Committee, this Sunday, September 26, at 10:00 am in Fellowship Hall for the second session of “Faith in Finance,” when the focus will be on “who” we give to and “where” we give. By exploring the depth and breadth of our congregation’s giving, Roberts hopes to offer inspiration through stories of what giving can accomplish.

Road Trip! The Missionary Journeys of Paul

In Acts chapters 13 and 14, Luke tells the story of the Apostle Paul’s first journey. Join Steve Christiansen via Zoom at 10:00 am this Sunday to discover the cause of the falling out between Paul and his travel partner Barnabas. While they were initially welcomed to many of their destinations in Asia Minor, once they began attracting crowds of people, Jewish authorities in the synagogues turned against them. Human nature hasn’t changed much in the past 2,000 years.

September Drive for Western Farm Workers

During the month of September, the Service Committee is collecting food and clothing items for the Western Farm Workers. Please donate new or gently used clean coats, sweaters, rain pants, and work boots in all sizes for adults and children.

The WFW also has an urgent need for food items this year: pinto beans, white rice, peanut butter and jelly, cooking oil, and canned tuna. Please place items in or near the collection barrel in the Narthex. Thank you,

The Service Committee

Keesecker in Concert Live & Livestream

St. Andrew Lutheran Church
Saturday, September 25, 2021
7:00 PM | Sanctuary | Freewill offering

Thomas Keesecker will perform music from his best-selling “Quiet Series” piano collections in an hour-long program of piano music, congregational song, and poetry. Tom is a well-known Lutheran church musician and composer whose informal folksy programs have been compared to a show featuring Garrison Keillor and George Winston. A Lutheran pastor described Tom’s piano style as a blend of Paul Manz and Thelonious Monk! People have been touched by his arrangements of Beautiful Savior, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, There is a Balm in Gilead, and his Celtic and Jazz influenced stylings of other well-known hymns.

CDs of his music will be available for purchase at the performance.

Wednesday Evening Prayer

All are welcome this Wednesday, September 29, when midweek evening prayer services continue via Zoom. Informal gathering time begins at 6:45 pm, with the devotion at 7:00 pm. Centering Prayer follows at 7:30 pm for those who would like to participate in this receptive method of silent prayer.

Table Talk: Rights and Responsibilities

Gathered around the table in his home, Martin Luther talked freely and openly with his colleagues and students about matters of faith, theology, and varied aspects of daily life. In an effort to cultivate this kind of spirited discussion we have a tradition at St. Andrew of gathering for Table Talks. Pastor Brocker invites you to participate in the first Table
Talk of this new program year via Zoom on Thursday, September 30, 7:00-8:00 pm.

The current surge in COVID cases has been referred to as primarily a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Many of the unvaccinated have claimed that they have a right to decide whether or not to be vaccinated. But that right is not unlimited. We also have to talk about responsibilities. So many hospitals are currently filled with unvaccinated COVID patients that some vaccinated patients are having their surgeries delayed. Our rights do not give us a license to engage in acts of commission or omission that have destructive consequences for others. In this Table Talk we will discuss how we balance rights and responsibilities.

To prepare for this Table Talk, you are encouraged to read the California Catholic Conference’s article on “Rights and Responsibilities” (https://cacatholic.org/article/rights-and-responsibilities). You may also want to read the New York Times editorial entitled “Biden Is Right: Vaccine Refusal ‘Has Cost All of Us’” (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/10/opinion/biden-covid-vaccine.html?referringSource=articleShare).

Spirituality Book Group News

The Spirituality Book Group will meet on Sunday, September 26, at 3:00 pm via Zoom. A link will be sent out to all book group members a few days before the meeting. If you would like to attend, but are not on the Spirituality Book Group email list, please contact Mary Smith at dbits1@gmail.com.

This month, we’ll discuss The Paragon Hotel, by Lindsay Faye, a book with serious implications disguised as a great read. It takes place in Portland in the 1920s and includes some interesting Portland history. The Paragon Hotel is the fictional name for the landmark Golden West Hotel, which was the only all-Black hotel in the city during the 1920s. The story includes a gang moll from NYC, the KKK, some colorful characters, and a mysterious kidnapping. Mary Ann Snider
will lead the discussion.

Thank You!

The Service Committee would like to thank all who donated socks to the Outside In. This past month, we collected 711 pairs of socks for the young men and women who live on the streets of Portland and they were delivered this past week! The Outside In is eternally grateful—they were truly in need. Your donation is an outward sign of showing God’s love through Community and Neighbor Care. THANK YOU!

Service Committee

Financial Review Team

Two volunteers are needed for St. Andrew’s Financial Review Team and, if you have accounting or bookkeeping experience, that is helpful. I am the third team member.

The time commitment is only a few hours annually, when the Financial Review Team does a review of St. Andrew’s finances.

Currently St. Andrew is working with Portland’s St. Luke Lutheran Church to review each other’s finances. A St. Luke team will review our finances and our team will review theirs.

If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact me [larrybliesner@comcast.net].

Larry Bliesner

Council Update

At their monthly meeting on September 16, members of the Congregational Council approved a recommendation from the Reopening Team and Executive Committee to require all volunteers and staff working with youth on the St. Andrew campus (and all sponsored activities) to be vaccinated. Following a thoughtful discussion about the COVID-19 pandemic, our core care values, individual and group rights and responsibilities, and the ramifications of such a policy for the church community, particularly Scouts and Bee Bops staff and families, council members voted (10 in favor, 2 opposed, and 1 abstaining) to adopt the following policy:

All employees and volunteers supporting the church or using church facilities who specifically work with youth, including organizations such as Scouts and Bee Bops Learning Center who use St. Andrew facilities, are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 18, 2021. The only exceptions are for reasons documented by a licensed personal physician.

Since the decision one week ago, St. Andrew children and youth programs have restarted and will operate in compliance with all safety policies. Likewise, the BSA Scouting programs continuing at St. Andrew will incorporate the vaccine requirement for adult volunteers into their existing youth protection policies.

Bee Bops, however, has informed us of their decision to close the learning center at St. Andrew on October 15. We had hoped that the Bee Bops directors would be willing to abide by the policy for the safety of the children, their families, Bee Bops staff, and the community. While we are sad about the impact this closure will have on those connected with Bee Bops, we feel we did what was necessary to provide appropriate care for children and families. St. Andrew will likely take a collective breath and wait before discerning together the best use of the children’s learning space for enhancing the lives of our families and community.

In living out our faith, we acknowledge the rights and freedoms granted to everyone, along with our responsibilities. We are to love and respect one another just as God has loved us. We have an opportunity to show our love and respect for the community during this pandemic by being responsible; wearing masks and being vaccinated. COVID-19 vaccines are both safe and effective at preventing the disease. And if COVID-19 is contracted, being vaccinated lessens the severity of illness and reduces transmission to others.

The Council and leaders are grateful for the love and grace, strength and perseverance that St. Andrew has displayed during this pandemic. May we continue to protect, love, and care for one another, our neighbors, and especially our youth, who are not yet able to be vaccinated.

Mark Brocker, Lead Pastor
Scott Taylor, Council President
Carol Harker, Parish Manager

COVID Relief Funds Requested

While the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Oregon dropped below 1,000 a few days ago, the virus is still wreaking havoc with people’s lives. If you would like to assist Bee Bops families and staff as they go through a period of transition, please consider donating to St. Andrew’s COVID Relief Fund.

Since the pandemic began, we have been able to provide a measure of relief to families and individuals struggling to meet their basic needs. We’d like to continue to show God’s love in that way, particularly for Bee Bops families and staff who may not have the financial resources they need at this time.

EcoFaith Climate Justice FUNdraiser at Spirit of Grace

Spirit of Grace Labyrinth
(7400 SW Scholls Ferry Rd, Beaverton)
Saturday, September 25

4:00 – 6:00 pm: Intergenerational dancing with masks (snacks provided)
6:00 – 7:30 pm: Bring your own picnic dinner and beverages to enjoy with others on the labyrinth

Let’s come together on the beautiful Spirit of Grace Labyrinth
to enjoy laughter, community, and crazy dance moves
while supporting EcoFaith’s work.

Preparing for Sunday, October 3, 2021

Reading: Genesis 2:19-24
Gospel: Mark 10:2-16

Go to the “Preparing for Worship” webpage for the bulletins, the complete Lectionary, and more.

Metropolitan Alliance for Common Good

All St. Andrew members are welcome to attend the MACG Delegate Assembly on Thursday, September 30, from 6:30-8:30 pm via Zoom. Mary Nemmers, our lead organizer, is retiring on October 1. This meeting will celebrate Mary’s time with us and look ahead to the future of MACG. Please register at https://www.macg.org/sept_da_20210930. Questions? Contact Pat Christiansen or any member of the St. Andrew MACG Core Team.

Let Evening Come

Our yoga teachers are traveling in September. Wednesday morning classes for both floor and chair yoga will resume

Let the light of late afternoon
shine through the chinks in the barn,
moving
up the bales as the sun moves down.

Let the cricket take up chafing
as a woman takes up her needles
and her yarn. Let evening come.

Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned
in long grass. Let the stars appear
and the moon disclose her silver horn.

Let the fox go back to its sandy den.
Let the wind die down. Let the shed
go black inside. Let evening come.

To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop
in the oats, to air in the lung
let evening come.

Let it come, as it will, and don’t
be afraid. God does not leave us
comfortless, so let evening come.

by Jane Kenyon
from Otherwise: New and Selected Poems

Deadlines to Note

Monday, October 4
Organ lesson scholarship applications due. For more information and to apply, go to: https://standrewlutheran.com/give/st-andrew-foundation/.

Now—Mid-November
This fall, make room on your bookshelves and help the St. Andrew libraries at the same time by pruning your collection. Drop off your donations in the Adult Library. A Used Book Sale to fund purchases of new books is scheduled for Sunday, November 28.

A Note about Yoga

Our yoga teachers are traveling in September. Wednesday morning classes for both floor and chair yoga will resume
October 13 at 10:00 am in Fellowship Hall.

In Need of Prayers…

If you know someone in need of prayers, please contact the church office by phone at 503-646-0629 or email office@standrewlutheran.com Tuesday-Friday, prayerchain@standrewlutheran.com Saturday-Monday.

Family and friends of Paul Roblyer (nephew)	Peace and God’s comfort at his death	Jim & Teri Brosh
Family and friends of Agnes Sandquist (mother)	Peace and God’s comfort at her death	Roger & Pat Sandquist
Diane, Eunice & Rio (newly widowed)	Comfort and strength	Peggy Thompson
Dorothy Moore and Phyllis Morris	Compassionate care and comfort	Staff
Linda Fransen	Effective treatment and healing	Ed Fransen
Carolyn Cornie	Effective treatment and healing	Staff
Sandi Beavers	Healing and recovery from surgery	Sandi Beavers
Bob Cornie	Healing and recovery from surgery	Staff
Donna Faught	Healing and recovery following cancer surgery	Gretchen Bancroft
Corine & Richard Walker (mother-in-law)	Comfort & healing from COVID-19	LuAnn Staul
Laura & Honoria Geczy-Haskins	Healing and recovery from COVID-19	Laura Geczy-Haskins
Brooklyn (granddaughter of Bill & Sandi Beavers)	Healing and recovery from COVID-19	Bill & Sandi Beavers
Lee Anne Knapp	Comfort and protection as she works with COVID patients	Lee Anne Knapp
Ryan (nephew)	Healing and recovery	Peggy Thompson
Maverick Dixon (unborn nephew)	Complete healing in the womb	AJ & Rebecca Uecker
Teachers & Students	Protection from COVID-19	Staff
Those facing ongoing illness or distress: Tandy Brooks, Dave Bumgardner, Vic Claar, Gary Grafwallner, Ian MacDonald, Gary Magnuson, Hugh Mason, Brian McKiernan, Carol Means, Ed Pacey, Corky Poppert, Jolie Reyna, Nan Thompson, Shane Throckmorton, Gary Tubbs	Healing and assurance of God’s presence	Staff
Bishop Elizabeth Eaton	Wisdom and discernment	Staff
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America	Blessings on our ministry	Staff
Taiwan Lutheran Church	Strength and wisdom	Staff
Trinity Lutheran Church (Tulelake, CA) St. Timothy Lutheran Church (Portland, OR)	Serving with us in the Oregon Synod	Staff
Masjid An-Noor (Portland, OR)	Blessings on our interfaith partners	Staff
Individual friends and loved ones in need of prayer	Whatever they most need; say their names in your heart or aloud	Everyone

Highlights for the Week

Go to the complete online church calendar for the most up-to-date information.

Sunday, September 26

8:30 am	Worship with Communion (masks required) Livestream Worship with Communion	Sanctuary YouTube
10:00 am	Children’s Ministry with Donna Brocker	Children’s Library
10:00 am	Confirmation	Library and via Zoom
10:00 am	High School Youth Group	Youth Room
10:00 am	Adult Ed: Road Trip: Paul’s Missionary Journeys	via Zoom
10:00 am	Adult Ed: Faith and Finance: Making Giving More Meaningful	Fellowship Hall
10:30 am	Virtual Coffee Time	Zoom
11:00 am	Worship with Communion (masks required) Zoom Worship with Communion	Sanctuary of the Firs Zoom
12:00 pm	Virtual Coffee Time	Zoom
4:00 pm	Portland AGO – Installation Service	Sanctuary

Monday, September 27

6:00 pm

Scout Troop 618 Meeting

East Parking Lot

Tuesday, September 28

7:00 am	Sunrise Women	Elmer’s Restaurant on 158th (1250 Waterhouse Ave)
7:00 am	Men’s Gathering & Bible Study	Elmer’s Restaurant on 158th (1250 Waterhouse Ave)
10:00 am	T’ai Chi	Fellowship Hall
12:15 pm	Community Carbon Leadership Meeting	Library

Wednesday, September 29 – Weekly News submissions due by 4:00 pm

1:30 pm	Service Committee Meeting	Library
6:00 pm	Bells of Grace Rehearsal	Sanctuary
6:45 pm	Informal Gathering Time	Zoom
7:00 pm	Wednesday Evening Prayer	Zoom
7:30 pm	Centering Prayer	Zoom

Thursday, September 30

9:00 am	LWR School Bag Stringing	Fellowship Hall
9:30 am	Seekers of the Heart of God Bible Study	St. Andrew Room
12:00 pm	Team Ministry Meeting	Chapel, Library
7:00 pm	Table Talk	via Zoom

Friday, October 1

10:00 am

T’ai Chi

Fellowship Hall

Saturday, September 25

9:00 am

Nifty Notters