October 24, 2021

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Fall Adult Education Classes

The Fall session of Adult Education ends this Sunday.

Faith in Finance: Making Giving More Meaningful

This Sunday, October 24, the Stewardship team presents its final session of “Making Giving More Meaningful” at 10:00 am in Fellowship Hall. If you’re unable to attend in person (either this session or earlier ones in the series), you can find a summary online at https://standrewlutheran.com/making-giving-more-meaningful.

Road Trip! The Missionary Journeys of Paul

What legacy did the Apostle Paul leave for the church and for us today? In his final class session this Sunday, Steve Christiansen will share ideas from Paul for a New Day, by Robin Scroggs. The author tries to clarify Paul’s message in today’s terms and highlights some theological ideas we could put into practice ourselves—ideas about justification, faith, the church community, and ethics.

Join Steve Christiansen via Zoom at 10:00 am on Sunday, October 24, to learn more about how Paul shaped the church.

Wednesday Evening Prayer

All are welcome this Wednesday, October 27, 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.

The Doctrine of Discovery

In 2016, the Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA adopted the “Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery.” The Doctrine of Discovery originated with a papal bull in the 15th century and codified both colonialism and religious intolerance into international law. The Doctrine of Discovery created a theological framework that supported racism, colonialism, and the annihilation of Indigenous people. Today it continues to support those evils and injustices
found in our church, U.S. law, and legal interpretation.

We’ll learn more about this important topic—both how it impacted the founding of our country and how it impacts us today—in our special Adult Education class between services on Sunday, October 31. You can ATTEND ANYWHERE. We’ll meet in Fellowship Hall or you can participate via Zoom.

Christmas Greenery Orders

The deadline to order Christmas greenery from Scout Troops 618 and 5618 is this Sunday, October 24. Please check the product flyer and price list on the communications table in the Narthex for details regarding the items available, or contact Amy Harker (email mimiweasel@gmail.com) and she’ll send you that information electronically. Prepayment is not required and can be handled at delivery on November 20-21.

Table Talk: What is Patriotism?

Tuesday, October 26, 7:00-8:00 pm (via Zoom)

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 next Table
Talk via Zoom on Tuesday, October 26, 7:00-8:00 pm.

In March 1941, German Lutheran Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer traveled to Switzerland on behalf of the conspiracy against Adolf Hitler. His role was to communicate with the Allies through ecumenical church leaders. At an evening gathering one ecumenical leader asked him, “What do you pray for in the current situation?” He responded, “Since you ask me, I must say that I pray for the defeat of my country, for I believe that this is the only way in which it can pay for the suffering which it has caused the world.” In April 1945 Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis for committing treason. But one could make a case that he was a true patriot fighting for the well-being of his nation.

In this Table Talk we will discuss what constitutes true patriotism in a time such as ours. Prior to our conversation, you are encouraged to read David Brooks’ New York Times editorial “How to Love America: Patriotism in a Time of Division”
(https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/04/opinion/america-patriotism.html).

Pastor Mark’s Upcoming Chi-Rho Lectures

This November 12-14, Pastor Mark will be delivering a weekend of lectures titled “Doing Ethics in Extraordinary Times: The Witness of Dietrich Bonhoeffer” at Central Lutheran Church in Eugene. German pastor and theologian Bonhoeffer is often celebrated as an example of a modern Christian martyr for his participation in a plot to assassinate Hitler, while he himself avoided justifying his actions. What does it mean to “do ethics in extraordinary times”? What does Bonhoeffer’s witness mean for us today?

All lectures will be held in person and via livestream and are free and open to all. Visit www.welcometocentral.org/chi-rho/ to learn more and watch this newsletter for further details to come.

A Blessing for Learning to Delight Again

This Sunday, Pastor Susan Kintner will reference Kate Bowler, author of Everything Happens and No Cure for Being Human.

You can learn more at http://katebowler.com or check out Bowler’s podcast, “Everything Happens.”

Bowler shares several blessings on her website and this one seems appropriate for us today:

A blessing for learning to delight again.

blessed are you, the pragmatic. you who have run the math and know what adds up…and what doesn’t. you have set it all down. you who don’t hope or dream or plan anymore because…what’s the point?

but blessed are you, learning to live here. your world has shrunk. pain or grief or fear has sucked up every bit of oxygen from the room and every ounce of delight has been squeezed from your hands.

but blessed are we, who discover that even in the smallness, our attention might compress even more.

we who pull out a magnifying glass to discover…to notice…to taste…to smell…the small joys and simple pleasures that make a life worth living.

you who wear the fancy blouse because it makes you feel nice, long after you thought your body was worth decorating. you who eat the over-the-top meal because that is what today can afford.

you who make the memory and plan the trip and who snap a picture because we know that this one, wild, precious life might cost us everything…so why not make it not just bearable, but beautiful.

Thank You

Dear Friends at St. Andrew,
Thank you so much for your generous donation of $400. The Domestic Violence Resource Center (DVRC) truly appreciates your commitment to supporting survivors of domestic violence in Washington County and we’re grateful for your kindness.

Since 1975, DVRC has been providing lifesaving services to survivors of domestic violence,
but our work would not be possible without the help of people like you! We thank you for continuing to support our mission of educating, supporting, and empowering those affected by domestic violence after so many years.

Rosemary (Rowie) Taylor
Executive Director

Thanksgiving is Coming

The Service Committee is once again sponsoring Thanksgiving meals for Community Action families and we need your help. Community Action works with families on parenting, financial stability, housing, and education. These are families that really need help.

Last year, generous donations from St. Andrew members enabled us to purchase $50 Winco gift cards for 75 families. We would like to achieve this goal again. Any donations that exceed our goal of $3,750 will be donated to the St. Matthew Food Pantry for feeding anyone in the community who needs food assistance.

If you wish to give on-line, select the Thanksgiving Food Drive fund or you can send a check made out to St. Andrew with “Thanksgiving Food Drive” in the memo line.

This is a wonderful way to live out our faith, as well as giving a needy family the chance to truly celebrate Thanksgiving. Please consider helping with a donation of any amount this year.

To give us time to purchase gift cards and get them to these families, our deadline for donation is Sunday, November 14.

Please contact LuAnn Staul (ljstaul@gmail.com, 503-314-6321) or Linda McDowall (mcdowall.ml@gmail.com, 503-649-5091) with questions.

Farm Workers Drive a Success

The Western Farm Workers Association fall drive was successful with more than 330 food and clothing items collected.

Among items donated were 183 articles of clothing, which included 40 coats, 31 sweatshirts, and 11 sweaters, as well as work pants, rain jackets, work boots, and other miscellaneous clothing items.

A total of 148 food items were collected, including 65 cans of tuna, 21 bags/cans of pinto beans, 9 bags of rice, 9 jars of peanut butter, 5 jars of jam, 7 bottles of cooking oil—plus other miscellaneous food items.

Everything was delivered to the Western Farm Workers office in Hillsboro on Monday, October 4. Peter Berger, WFWA operations manager, thanks the people of St. Andrew for their generosity.

Service Committee

Lutheran World Relief Ingathering Volunteers Needed

Your help is needed. Twice a year, St. Andrew coordinates the Lutheran World Relief Fall Ingathering for churches in Oregon, SW Washington, and Idaho, when we collect School Kits and Quilts. Churches are donating these gifts to communities around the globe. To learn more, go to https://lwr.org/kits/school-kits.

We are preparing for our Fall LWR Ingathering and looking for volunteers to help load the shipping container. Volunteers are organized in shifts of 2 hours. That’s right—we’re looking for just two hours of your time for this important ministry.

Churches will deliver their donations to St. Andrew on Friday, October 29, or Saturday, October 30. We need volunteers to unload boxes from cars or pack the boxes in the shipping container. The boxes weigh up to 45 pounds. The Friday shifts are 8:00 am to 10:00 am, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. The single 3-hour shift on Saturday is 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. St. Andrew COVID-19 guidelines apply to this activity.

If you haven’t already signed up or have questions please contact Roger Sandquist (503-840-0001 or rogersandquist@frontier.com).

Preparing for Reformation Sunday, October 31, 2021

Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34
Gospel: John 8:31-36

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

Bonhoeffer, The Church, and the Climate Question

Pacific Lutheran University invites the public to attend its 16th Annual David & Marilyn Knutson Lecture at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 2, via Zoom. This year’s speaker is James B. Martin-Schramm, professor emeritus of religion at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

The lecture will begin with Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s provocative 1933 essay on “The Church and the Jewish Question” and draw parallels to climate change. Where virulent anti-Semitism was the most important issue facing the church in Bonhoeffer’s day, Martin-Schramm argues Bonhoeffer would have grave concerns about the impacts of climate change on present and future generations. Martin-Schramm explains how Martin Luther’s doctrine of the two kingdoms shaped Bonhoeffer’s critique of the church and state in his day regarding “the Jewish Question” and ponders how Bonhoeffer might challenge the feeble responses of both the state and the church to the climate crisis. The lecture explores tensions between patriotism and resistance and considers how God is at work in the world today among all who are striving for climate justice.

For detailed information and to register for the free event, go to http://plu.edu/religion/knutson-lecture.

Keep Fright Away

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) advises that hosting a Halloween party for grownups this year is doable, but with the highly transmittable Delta variant, it does take some planning and caution.

“Make sure you’re vaccinated; that’s number one,” said Ali Hamade, OHA senior health advisor and deputy state epidemiologist. “Number two, wear a good face covering that is at least two layers thick. A Halloween mask will not do the job.”

Hamade adds that outdoor events are best because the risk of transmission is much lower than socializing indoors. Keep the guest list small and stick with vaccinated guests (no children under 12); discourage people from crowding together; wash your hands before and after eating; and don’t touch your face with unwashed hands. If guests go inside, remind them to wear their masks and physically distance. Open windows and run a fan or air purifier to maximize ventilation.

If your party takes place during trick-or-treating, please wear a mask when handing out candy.

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.

Kay (mother) Comfort, peace and God’s love as death nears Linda Olshausen
Maverick Dixon (unborn nephew) Complete healing in the womb AJ & Rebecca Uecker
Madeleine (granddaughter) Effective treatment and healing Mary Smith
Robert and Channa Support and Comfort Carol Harker
St. Timothy Episcopal Church
(Brookings, OR)
Positive resolution to community opposition India Jensen Kerr
Grunewald Guild staff and teachers Support and wisdom Susan Kintner
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
Zion Lutheran Church (Redmond, OR)
Shepherd in the Hills Lutheran Church (Sisters, OR)
Serving with us in the Oregon Synod Staff
Masjid Abu Bakr (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, October 24

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: The Missionary Journeys of Paul 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
Zoom
12:00 pm Virtual Coffee Time Zoom

Monday, October 25

6:00 pm Scout Troop Leaders St. Andrew Room
6:00 pm Scout Troop 618 Meeting East Parking Lot

Tuesday, October 26

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)
9:00 am Facilities Team Meeting St. Andrew Room
10:00 am T’ai Chi Fellowship Hall
12:15 pm Community Carbon Leadership Meeting Adult Library
7:00 pm Table Talk: “What Is Patriotism?” via Zoom

Wednesday, October 27 – Weekly News submissions due by 4:00 pm

10:00 am Yoga Class Fellowship Hall
6:00 pm Bells of Grace Rehearsal Sanctuary
6:45 pm Informal Gathering Time Zoom
7:00 pm Wednesday Evening Prayer Zoom
7:00 pm High School Youth Pumpkin Carving Fellowship Hall
7:30 pm Centering Prayer Zoom

Thursday, October 28

9:30 am Seekers of the Heart of God Bible Study St. Andrew Room
12:00 pm Team Ministry Meeting Chapel/Adult Library
7:00 pm IT Meeting Offsite

Friday, October 29

7:00 am Lutheran World Relief Ingathering Garden Parking Lot
10:00 am T’ai Chi Fellowship Hall

Saturday, October 30

7:00 am Lutheran World Relief Ingathering Garden Parking Lot

Sunday, October 31 – Reformation Sunday (Wear Red!)

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 (for grades 6-8) Adult Library
10:00 am High School Youth Group Youth Room
10:00 am Adult Education Special Topic: “The Doctrine of Discovery” Fellowship Hall and Zoom
10:30 am Virtual Coffee Time Zoom
11:00 am Worship with Communion (masks required)
Zoom Worship with Communion
Sanctuary
Zoom
12:00 pm Virtual Coffee Time Zoom

Connecting to Worship

Ways to Give: Thank you for supporting our ministries!




October 17, 2021

Want a printed copy of the Weekly News? Click on the printer icon to the right or download and print the PDF.

Weekly News Download

Fall Adult Education Classes

Faith in Finance: Making Giving More Meaningful

This Sunday, October 17, at 10:00 am in Fellowship Hall, the discussion will center around what we give. We’ll talk about time and talents, as well as financial resources, and we’ll examine various websites that can direct us to multiple opportunities to give to our community and world.

Road Trip! The Missionary Journeys of Paul

Paul’s story becomes even more interesting after his third missionary journey and return to Jerusalem. Some of his enemies stir up the crowd there and Paul is taken into protective custody. He’s allowed to speak to the people, though, and it all goes well until he says that God has called him to take his message to the Gentiles, whom the Jews perceive as enemies. The notion that Paul would minister to foes enrages the crowd and rekindles the riot. Ultimately, Paul is put
on a boat to Rome, where he wants to speak to the emperor. The boat crashes on the island of Malta, Paul proceeds to Rome anyway, and there he’s once more incarcerated, this time under house arrest. And that’s the end of Luke’s story of Paul. Was he executed in Rome? Or did Paul gain his release and continue his missionary work?

Join Steve Christiansen via Zoom at 10:00 am on Sunday to learn more about Paul’s life and preaching.

Wednesday Evening Prayer

All are welcome this Wednesday, October 20, 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.

A Hope For All Update

St. Andrew has just passed another milestone in the Hope For All Campaign. As of October 1, 2021, we now owe about $691,630 on the mortgage. A little more than a year ago that balance was just over $1,000,000.

The Financial team continues to make sound financial decisions in paying down the mortgage expeditiously, while keeping an adequate reserve for any unforeseen shortfalls. Now for every $1.00 contributed, about $.82 is applied to the principal on the loan. As the mortgage continues to be paid down, the percentage going to pay off principal will increase.

I want to thank everyone for your continued generosity and will continue to update you as we pass each $100,000 milestone. Our goal is to pay off the mortgage as soon as possible. Thank you.

Ken Reiner

Spirituality Book Group

The Spirituality Book Group will meet on Sunday, October 17, at 3:00 pm via Zoom. A Zoom 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 already on the Spirituality Book Group email list, please contact Mary Smith at dbits1@gmail.com.

On October 17, Kristin Sacks will lead our discussion of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson.

This outstanding book is more than a book on racism, more than history, more than social commentary, more than a lamentation. Although it is all of those things. The New York Times book review from July 2020 put it this way: “It’s an extraordinary document, one that strikes me as an instant American classic and almost certainly the keynote nonfiction book of the American century thus far. It made the back of my neck prickle from its first pages, and that feeling never went away.”

Future Reading:

November 21
The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah
Discussion Leader: Sharon Fako

December 19
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, by Ocean Vuong
Discussion Leader: Elaine May

January 23
The Vanishing Half, by Britt Bennett
Discussion Leader: Mary Smith

February 20
Nomadland, by Jessica Bruder
Discussion Leader: Carol Horton

March (TBA)
West with Giraffes, by Linda Rutledge
Discussion Leader: Susan Werner Reiser

Christmas Greenery Orders

Believe it or not, it’s not too early to begin thinking about decorating for Christmas. Scout Troops 618 and 5618 are once again selling wreaths, centerpieces, garlands, swags, and plants. Orders are due to Amy Harker (email mimiweasel@gmail.com) by Sunday, October 24, and will be delivered the weekend of November 20 and 21.

Please check the product flyer and price list on the communications table in the Narthex for details regarding the items available, or email Amy and she’ll send you that information electronically. Prepayment is not required and can be handled at delivery.

Farm Workers Drive a Success

The Western Farm Workers Association fall drive was successful with more than 330 food and clothing items collected.

Among items donated were 183 articles of clothing, which included 40 coats, 31 sweatshirts, and 11 sweaters, as well as work pants, rain jackets, work boots, and other miscellaneous clothing items.

A total of 148 food items were collected, including 65 cans of tuna, 21 bags/cans of pinto beans, 9 bags of rice, 9 jars of peanut butter, 5 jars of jam, 7 bottles of cooking oil—plus other miscellaneous food items.

Everything was delivered to the Western Farm Workers office in Hillsboro on Monday, October 4. Peter Berger, WFWA operations manager, thanks the people of St. Andrew for their generosity.

Service Committee

Special Topic Announced

What is the “Doctrine of Discovery” and how did it shape our country? Plan to join the Reckoning with Racism cohort on Sunday, October 31, at 10:00 am during a Sunday morning Adult Education special topic hour. We’ll take an enlightening look into this 15th century doctrine and explore its impact, especially on Native Americans. Details on how to participate will be forthcoming.

And the Bells Rang Out!

Happy Anniversary, Jerry and Anne!

The bells rang out (at least figuratively) 58 years ago on October 4, 1963, when Anne LeRoy walked down the aisle at St. Andrew to marry Jerry Williams. These longtime members have been faithful servants and frequent volunteers ever since. Congratulations on almost six decades of married life.

Thanksgiving is Coming

The Service Committee is once again sponsoring Thanksgiving meals for Community Action families and we need your help. Community Action works with families on parenting, financial stability, housing, and education. These are families that really need help.

Last year, generous donations from St. Andrew members enabled us to purchase $50 Winco gift cards for 75 families. We would like to achieve this goal again. Any donations that exceed our goal of $3,750 will be donated to the St. Matthew Food Pantry for feeding anyone in the community who needs food assistance.

If you wish to give on-line, select the Thanksgiving Food Drive fund or you can send a check made out to St. Andrew with “Thanksgiving Food Drive” in the memo line.

This is a wonderful way to live out our faith, as well as giving a needy family the chance to truly celebrate Thanksgiving. Please consider helping with a donation of any amount this year.

To give us time to purchase gift cards and get them to these families, our deadline for donation is Sunday, November 14.

Please contact LuAnn Staul (ljstaul@gmail.com, 503-314-6321) or Linda McDowall (mcdowall.ml@gmail.com, 503-649-5091) with questions.

Table Talk: What is Patriotism?

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 next Table
Talk via Zoom on Tuesday, October 26, 7:00-8:00 pm.

In March 1941, German Lutheran Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer traveled to Switzerland on behalf of the conspiracy against Adolf Hitler. His role was to communicate with the Allies through ecumenical church leaders. At an evening gathering
one ecumenical leader asked him, “What do you pray for in the current situation?” He responded, “Since you ask me, I must say that I pray for the defeat of my country, for I believe that this is the only way in which it can pay for the suffering which it has caused the world.” In April 1945 Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis for committing treason. But one could make a case that he was a true patriot fighting for the well-being of his nation.

In this Table Talk we will discuss what constitutes true patriotism in a time such as ours. Prior to our conversation, you are encouraged to read David Brooks’ New York Times editorial “How to Love America: Patriotism in a Time of Division”
(https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/04/opinion/america-patriotism.html).

Pastor Mark’s Upcoming Chi-Rho Lectures

This November 12-14, Pastor Mark will be delivering a weekend of lectures titled “Doing Ethics in Extraordinary Times: The Witness of Dietrich Bonhoeffer” at Central Lutheran Church in Eugene. German pastor and theologian Bonhoeffer is often celebrated as an example of a modern Christian martyr for his participation in a plot to assassinate Hitler, while he himself avoided justifying his actions. What does it mean to “do ethics in extraordinary times”? What does Bonhoeffer’s witness mean for us today?

All lectures will be held in person and via livestream and are free and open to all. Visit www.welcometocentral.org/chi-rho/ to learn more and watch this newsletter for further details to come.

Preparing for Next Sunday, October 24, 2021

Reading: Psalm 126
Gospel: Mark 10:46-52

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

Bonhoeffer, The Church, and the Climate Question

Pacific Lutheran University invites the public to attend its 16th Annual David & Marilyn Knutson Lecture at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 2, via Zoom. This year’s speaker is James B. Martin-Schramm, professor emeritus of religion at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

The lecture will begin with Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s provocative 1933 essay on “The Church and the Jewish Question” and draw parallels to climate change. Where virulent anti-Semitism was the most important issue facing the church in Bonhoeffer’s day, Martin-Schramm argues Bonhoeffer would have grave concerns about the impacts of climate change on present and future generations. Martin-Schramm explains how Martin Luther’s doctrine of the two kingdoms
shaped Bonhoeffer’s critique of the church and state in his day regarding “the Jewish Question” and ponders how Bonhoeffer might challenge the feeble responses of both the state and the church to the climate crisis. The lecture explores tensions between patriotism and resistance and considers how God is at work in the world today among all who are striving for climate justice.

For detailed information and to register for the free event, go to http://plu.edu/religion/knutson-lecture.

Aging with Grace

Coronavirus…wildfires…political uncertainty…social unrest…. This is a crazy and stressful time for all of us. What does current research reveal about how these stresses are impacting seniors? What do we know about effective coping strategies? How do we use what we’ve learned to move to a “new normal”?

Viva Village invites the public to join psychologist Meghan Marty and gerontologist Carolyn Aldwin for an online presentation and discussion on Saturday, October 30, 2021, from 1:00-4:00 pm via Zoom.

Register at vivavillage.org or call 503-746-5082. Viva Village members and volunteers may participate at no cost. The public participation fee is $10.

What to Do with All Those Single-Use Plastics? UGH!

Don’t you just hate throwing away all that plastic that you can’t put into the recycle bin? I sure do!

Luckily, help is on the way. There is a company called Ridwell that collects difficult to recycle items. And they make it so easy! They provide collection bins and bags for those difficult to recycle items and pick them up from your doorstep every 2 weeks. The basic categories they collect are plastic film, “threads” (cloth), batteries, and light bulbs. Your stuff gets recycled or reused by local partners dedicated to wasting less.

What’s What?

Plastic Film is anything that’s “scrunchable” and a single material (meaning it does not have metal or paper in it or affixed to it. Ziplock bags, bubble wrap, air pillows, grocery bags, Amazon Prime shipping bags, plastic wrap, and cereal
bags are all examples of plastic film. But the plastic has to be clean and can’t have food on it. Ridwell also recently started collecting those clear plastic clamshells that a lot of produce comes in.

“We learned plastic film is a component of decking material like Trex and are thrilled that our plastic film is used for this purpose instead of ending up in the landfill.”

Ridwell.com

“Threads” includes shoes, towels, sheets, fabric scraps. Anything that is not wet or contaminated or mildewed.

“We work with partners who will sort threads based on their condition. 45% of the clothes, shoes, and linens that get collected is reused or repurposed as secondhand clothing. Often times these go to low income members of the community who may not otherwise be able to afford clothing and shoes. 30% of what is collected is recycled into new things. This set eventually becomes things like insulation, pet bedding, and athletic equipment. An additional 20% is turned into fiber that can be used for carpet padding, home insulation, and raw material for automotive industries. Only 5% is sent to landfills and that number is even lower if people send contaminated material elsewhere.”

Ridwell.com

Batteries includes all used household batteries; alkaline, rechargeable, small electronics, and hearing aid batteries. Basically all batteries used around the house.

“While batteries are no longer toxic for the environment, they still have valuable materials for recycling.”

Ridwell.com

Light Bulbs includes LEDs, compact fluorescent, fluorescent, and incandescent. No broken bulbs or fluorescent tubes.

“We take all of your spent light bulbs and our partner separates the metal, glass, and plastic for further materials recycling. CFLs (the curly ones) have mercury in them so they need to be disposed of responsibly! And we want to make that easy. Just put them in your light bulb bag and we can take care of the rest. If you have light bulbs that are still good but you don’t need anymore, try your local Buy Nothing group for reuse in the community!”

Ridwell.com

Monthly Featured Categories Each month Ridwell also collects a 5th category such as Styrofoam, corks, small electronics, cords, chargers, printer cartridges, holiday lights, nonperishable foods, diapers, eye glasses, bottle caps, kitchen ware, etc.

Pricing Ridwell charges a household $16/month for a 3-month plan, $14/month for 6 months, and $12/month for a year. They pick up every 2 weeks. For more information, go to ridwell.com or contact me to learn about my own experience as a subscriber to Ridwell.

Liz Hardy, Earth Care Team

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.

Kay (mother) Comfort, peace and God’s love as death nears Linda Olshausen
Maverick Dixon (unborn nephew) Complete healing in the womb AJ & Rebecca Uecker
Madeleine (granddaughter) Effective treatment and healing Mary Smith
Robert and Channa Support and Comfort Carol Harker
St. Timothy Catholic Church
(Brookings, OR)
Positive resolution to community opposition India Jensen Kerr
Bee Bops Thanksgiving for the childcare they’ve provided Staff
Those confined to their homes:
Mareline Barnes, Dave Bumgardner,
Jean Fredrickson, Tara Harper,
Douglas Hooke, Betty Horst,
Dorothy Moore, Phyllis Morris,
Ed Pacey, Helen Rogers,
Dave & Sharon Roth,
Margie Schindele
Assurance of God’s presence Staff
All who are imprisoned Peace and strength Staff
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Blessings on their work Staff
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (Madras, OR)
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church (Prineville, OR)
Serving with us in the Oregon Synod Staff
Havurah Shalom (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, October 17

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
Zoom
12:00 pm Virtual Coffee Time Zoom

Monday, October 18

6:00 pm Scout Troop 618 Meeting East Parking Lot

Tuesday, October 19

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

Wednesday, October 20– Weekly News submissions due by 4:00 pm

7:00 am Bell Tree Practice Sanctuary
1:00 pm Caring Ministry Team Meeting Library
6:00 pm Bells of Grace Rehearsal Sanctuary
6:45 pm Informal Gathering Time Zoom
7:00 pm Scout Troop 618 Committee Meeting Children’s Library
7:00 pm Wednesday Evening Prayer Zoom
7:30 pm Centering Prayer Zoom

Thursday, October 21

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 Council Meeting St. Andrew Room and Zoom

Friday, October 22

10:00 am T’ai Chi Fellowship Hall

Sunday, October 24

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 (for grades 6-8) Adult Library
10:00 am High School Youth Group Youth Room
10:00 am Adult Ed: Road Trip: The Missionary Journeys of Paul Zoom
10:00 am Adult Ed: Faith in 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
Zoom
12:00 pm Virtual Coffee Time Zoom

Connecting to Worship

Ways to Give: Thank you for supporting our ministries!




October 10, 2021

Want a printed copy of the Weekly News? Click on the printer icon to the right or download and print the PDF.

Weekly News Download

Fall Adult Education Classes

Faith in Finance: Making Giving More Meaningful

This Sunday, October 10, at 10:00 am in Fellowship Hall, the discussion will center around the “when” of giving. The focus will not be on giving on Sundays, but the “when” of giving from a congregational, synod, and personal perspective. Do we give when we are joyful, refreshed humble, thankful?

Road Trip! The Missionary Journeys of Paul

Paul’s Third Mission Journey is a four-year jaunt, wherein he continues to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and to strengthen the churches he’d planted earlier. He spends more than two years in Ephesus, where his message is so popular that he ends up angering the silversmiths who make a living creating idols to the goddess Artemis. A riot ensues and Paul leaves town to take his message elsewhere. While traveling, Paul is also writing letters to Christians in Thessaloniki and Corinth. He may also have written the letter we know as the Book of Romans during this journey.

Join Steve Christiansen via Zoom at 10:00 am on Sunday to learn more about Paul’s preaching and the work he did to encourage and extend the Christian Church on his third journey.

Wednesday Evening Prayer

All are welcome this Wednesday, October 13, 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.

Wanted: Zoom Hosts

Are you a Zoom master? Can you spare an hour of your time once a month and host the Zoom meeting for St. Andrew’s education hour on Sunday morning?

The job is pretty simple: Log into the Zoom meeting room and send everyone to the appropriate Breakout Room for the class requested. Then send attendance numbers to Carol Harker after classes end.

Volunteering as a Zoom host is a great way to reconnect with people in our community and it would be a very big help on Sunday mornings. To volunteer, please email Allison Katsufrakis at allisonk@standrewlutheran.com.

Men’s Book Club

Members of the Men’s Book Club will meet Monday, October 11, at 7:00 pm at the home of Dan Fako to discuss This Tender Land: A Novel, by William Kent Krueger. Described “as big-hearted as they come,” the novel tells the unforgettable story of four orphans in the summer of 1932 who band together to flee the Lincoln Indian Training School in Minnesota to make their way south to relatives in St. Louis, where they hope to find a better life. On their odyssey into the unknown, they encounter others who are adrift and experience a variety of adventures. Somewhat reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn, This Tender Land shows how the American landscape connects us.

For more information about the Men’s Book Club, contact Gary Grafwallner or Tim Holte. The group reads novels, biographies, poetry, politics, spiritual books, science fiction, and more. Participants rotate hosting and selecting books to discuss. The Men’s Book Club meets monthly on the second Monday.

Spirituality Book Group

The Spirituality Book Group will meet on Sunday, October 17, at 3:00 pm via Zoom. A Zoom 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 already on the Spirituality Book Group email list, please contact Mary Smith at dbits1@gmail.com.

On October 17, Kristin Sacks will lead our discussion of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson.
This outstanding book is more than a book on racism, more than history, more than social commentary, more than a lamentation. Although it is all of those things. The NY Times book review from July 2020 put it this way: “It’s an extraordinary document, one that strikes me as an instant American classic and almost certainly the keynote nonfiction book of the American century thus far. It made the back of my neck prickle from its first pages, and that feeling never went away.”

Future Reading:

November 21
The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah
Discussion Leader: Sharon Fako

December 19
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, by Ocean Vuong
Discussion Leader: Elaine May

January 23
The Vanishing Half, by Britt Bennett
Discussion Leader: Mary Smith

February 20
Nomadland, by Jessica Bruder
Discussion Leader: Carol Horton

March (TBA)
West with Giraffes, by Linda Rutledge
Discussion Leader: Susan Werner Reiser

BottleDrop Fundraiser

Over the past several months, St. Andrew has raised more than $800 for youth programs…just by cashing in our cans! These funds will go toward youth events over this next year, especially the National Youth Gathering coming up next summer. To join in, you can find BottleDrop bags on the shelves in Fellowship Hall. Fill them with recyclable cans/bottles, and then drop them through the outdoor hatch at any BottleDrop Center. Thanks to everyone who is
taking part in this awesome fundraiser!

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

Christmas Greenery Orders

Believe it or not, it’s not too early to begin thinking about decorating for Christmas. Scout Troops 618 and 5618 are once again selling wreaths, centerpieces, garlands, swags, and plants. Orders are due to Amy Harker (email mimiweasel@gmail.com) by Sunday, October 24, and will be delivered the weekend of November 20 and 21.

Please check the product flyer and price list on the communications table in the Narthex for details regarding the items available, or email Amy and she’ll send you that information electronically. Prepayment is not required and can be handled at delivery.

Special Topic Announced

What is the “Doctrine of Discovery” and how did it shape our country? Plan to join the Reckoning with Racism cohort on Sunday, October 31, at 10:00 am during a Sunday morning Adult Education special topic hour. We’ll take an enlightening look into this 15th century doctrine and explore its impact, especially on Native Americans. Details on how to participate will be forthcoming.

Table Talk: What is Patriotism?

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 next Table
Talk via Zoom on Tuesday, October 26, 7:00-8:00 pm.

In March 1941, German Lutheran Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer traveled to Switzerland on behalf of the conspiracy against Adolf Hitler. His role was to communicate with the Allies through ecumenical church leaders. At an evening gathering
one ecumenical leader asked him, “What do you pray for in the current situation?” He responded, “Since you ask me, I must say that I pray for the defeat of my country, for I believe that this is the only way in which it can pay for the suffering which it has caused the world.” In April 1945 Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis for committing treason. But one could make a case that he was a true patriot fighting for the well-being of his nation.

In this Table Talk we will discuss what constitutes true patriotism in a time such as ours. Prior to our conversation, you are encouraged to read David Brooks’ New York Times editorial “How to Love America: Patriotism in a Time of Division”
(https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/04/opinion/america-patriotism.html).

A Hope for All Update

St. Andrew has just passed another milestone in the Hope For All Campaign. As of October 1, 2021, we now owe about $691,630 on the mortgage. A little more than a year ago that balance was just over $1,000,000.

The Financial team continues to make sound financial decisions in paying down the mortgage expeditiously, while keeping an adequate reserve for any unforeseen shortfalls. Now for every $1.00 contributed, about $.82 is applied to the principal on the loan. As the mortgage continues to be paid down, the percentage going to pay off principal will increase.

I want to thank everyone for your continued generosity and will continue to update you as we pass each $100,000 milestone. Our goal is to pay off the mortgage as soon as possible. Thank you.

Ken Reiner

Earth Camp 2022: Save the Dates

Dates have been set for next summer’s Earth Camp for grade school children. Mark your calendars now to save the week of Monday, June 27-Friday, July 1, 2022. The full-day program (9:00 am-3:00 pm) helps youngsters cultivate a deep love for our Earth home, learn about climate challenges, and discover several things they can do to protect God’s creation. The theme for 2022 is “All Things Bright and Beautiful.”

Preparing for Next Sunday, October 17, 2021

Reading: Isaiah 53:4-12
Gospel: Mark 10:35-45

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

Bonhoeffer, The Church, and the Climate Question

Pacific Lutheran University invites the public to attend its 16th Annual David & Marilyn Knutson Lecture at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 2, via Zoom. This year’s speaker is James B. Martin-Schramm, professor emeritus of religion at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

The lecture will begin with Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s provocative 1933 essay on “The Church and the Jewish Question” and draw parallels to climate change. Where virulent anti-Semitism was the most important issue facing the church in Bonhoeffer’s day, Martin-Schramm argues Bonhoeffer would have grave concerns about the impacts of climate change on present and future generations. Martin-Schramm explains how Martin Luther’s doctrine of the two kingdoms
shaped Bonhoeffer’s critique of the church and state in his day regarding “the Jewish Question” and ponders how Bonhoeffer might challenge the feeble responses of both the state and the church to the climate crisis. The lecture explores tensions between patriotism and resistance and considers how God is at work in the world today among all who are striving for climate justice.

For detailed information and to register for the free event, go to http://plu.edu/religion/knutson-lecture.

Aging with Grace

Coronavirus…wildfires…political uncertainty…social unrest…. This is a crazy and stressful time for all of us. What does current research reveal about how these stresses are impacting seniors? What do we know about effective coping strategies? How do we use what we’ve learned to move to a “new normal”?

Viva Village invites the public to join psychologist Meghan Marty and gerontologist Carolyn Aldwin for an online presentation and discussion on Saturday, October 30, 2021, from 1:00-4:00 pm via Zoom.

Register at vivavillage.org or call 503-746-5082. Viva Village members and volunteers may participate at no cost. The public participation fee is $10.

Thank You for Supporting Our Ministry

St. Andrew is able to do God’s work because of your generous gifts supporting our ministries. Thank you!

To learn more about the many ways you can give (by mail, text, church app, online, etc.), please go to www.standrewlutheran.com/giving.

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.

Kay (mother) Comfort, peace and God’s love as death nears Linda Olshausen
Corine Walker (mother-in-law) Comfort and peace in hospice care LuAnn Staul
Melissa and Noah Stone (daughter and grandson) Support and God’s comfort Julie Hoffmaster
Linda Fransen Effective treatment and healing Ed Fransen
Richard Walker Comfort & healing from COVID-19 LuAnn Staul
Susan Jacobi, Dr. Cara Steinkeler, Lee Anne Knapp, and all healthcare workers Endurance, strength, and safety in working with COVID patients Staff
Maverick Dixon (unborn nephew) Complete healing in the womb AJ & Rebecca Uecker
Barton Robison & Jason Wing Blessings on their married life together Staff
St. Andrew Council, Executive Committee, Staff Wisdom and discernment Staff
Karen Klingelhafer, Kyler Vogt, and all seminarians
India Jensen Kerr and all theology students
Encouragement and support Staff
Church of Living Waters (Burns, OR)
Peace Lutheran Church (Burns, OR)
Serving with us in the Oregon Synod Staff
Al-Furqan Islamic Center (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, October 10

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
Zoom
12:00 pm Virtual Coffee Time Zoom

Monday, October 11

6:00 pm Scout Troop 618 Meeting East Parking Lot
7:00 pm Men’s Book Club Zoom

Tuesday, October 12

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)
9:00 am Facility Management Team Meeting St. Andrew Room
10:00 am T’ai Chi Fellowship Hall
1:00 pm Lydia Circle St. Andrew Room
1:30 pm Service Committee Zoom
6:00 pm Girl Scouts Adult Meeting Fellowship Hall
6:00 pm HR Meeting Zoom
7:00 pm Finance Team Meeting Zoom

Wednesday, October 13– Weekly News submissions due by 4:00 pm

7:00 am Bell Tree Practice Sanctuary
10:00 am Yoga Class Fellowship Hall
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, October 14

9:30 am Seekers of the Heart of God Bible Study St. Andrew Room
12:00 pm Team Ministry Meeting Chapel, Library

Friday, October 15

10:00 am T’ai Chi Fellowship Hall

Saturday, October 16

9:00 am Nifty Notters Fellowship Hall

Sunday, October 17

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 (for grades 6-8) Adult Library
10:00 am High School Youth Group Youth Room
10:00 am Adult Ed: Road Trip: The Missionary Journeys of Paul Zoom
10:00 am Adult Ed: Faith in 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
Zoom
12:00 pm Virtual Coffee Time Zoom

Connecting to Worship

Ways to Give: Thank you for supporting our ministries!




October 3, 2021

Want a printed copy of the Weekly News? Click on the printer icon to the right or download and print the PDF.

Weekly News Download

Fall Adult Education Classes

Faith in Finance: Making Giving More Meaningful

This Sunday, October 3, at 10:00 am in Fellowship Hall, the discussion will center around the “how” of giving. We’ll talk about the many ways we can give (cash/check/electronic), as well as the many sorts of gifts we can share (money/time/talents). We’ll talk about how we make giving decisions and how we find meaning in giving.

Road Trip! The Missionary Journeys of Paul

Paul is accompanied by Silas on his second road trip, this one taking him to places we readily recognize, including the seaside city of Ephesus in modern-day Turkey, plus Thessoloniki, Corinth, and Athens in Greece. Again, the travelers encounter trouble in several places. Tune in via Zoom Sunday morning at 10:00 am to find out more.

Wednesday Evening Prayer

All are welcome this Wednesday, October 6, 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.

Wrapped in Healing Prayer

Satya has TREASURED the prayer shawl that we picked up at St. Andrew the day before her spinal surgery on September 1. Beginning in the hospital, but especially at home as Satya was healing on her back, she would cover her arms and tummy with the shawl, along with a hot pad. That shawl’s embrace as symbol of so many people praying for her, so often eased the nausea and pain during that first ten days following surgery. Even just last night, she asked for it, having trouble falling asleep. If you ever doubted whether those shawls make a difference…they do!

The church community is alive and well in Satya’s heart. In fact, she’s asked me many times, “Do you think I feel so little pain because so many people are praying for me?” ABSOLUTELY is always my reply.

Tracie Semenchalam

A Heartfelt Thank You!

Thank you to all my St. Andrew friends for the prayers, cards, emails, calls, books, lemon pie, and Prayer Shawl. They have strengthened me as I continue on my cancer journey.

Carol Means

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

School Bag Stuffing Party

St. Andrew seamstresses have done their work and have the school bags ready to stuff with all the supplies members of the congregation have provided for Lutheran World Relief’s school bag project. Each year St. Andrew packs up more than 100 bags for Lutheran World Relief’s Fall Ingathering. Now that the bags have been sewn and the supplies gathered, it’s time to put the two together.

Join the School Bag Stuffing Party from 9:00 am-Noon next Thursday, October 7, in Fellowship Hall. It’s a good time to catch up with your St. Andrew friends and do a good deed at the same time. If you have questions, please contact Amy Bailey.

Wanted: Zoom Hosts

Are you a Zoom master? Can you spare an hour of your time once a month and host the Zoom meeting for St. Andrew’s education hour on Sunday morning?

The job is pretty simple: Log into the Zoom meeting room and send everyone to the appropriate Breakout Room for the class requested. Then send attendance numbers to Carol Harker after classes end.

Volunteering as a Zoom host is a great way to reconnect with people in our community and it would be a very big help on Sunday mornings. To volunteer, please email Allison Katsufrakis at allisonk@standrewlutheran.com.

Earth Camp 2022: Save the Dates

Dates have been set for next summer’s Earth Camp for grade school children. Mark your calendars now to save the week of Monday, June 27-Friday, July 1, 2022. The full-day program (9:00 am-3:00 pm) helps youngsters cultivate a deep love for our Earth home, learn about climate challenges, and discover several things they can do to protect God’s creation. The theme for 2022 is “All Things Bright and Beautiful.”

Dear People of St. Andrew,

“Because kind people like you take action, lives like mine are transformed,” Ollie says. After scary times on the streets as a youth, Ollie found Outside In and the stability needed to earn scholarships, a high-end tech job, and a future full of hope.

Thank you for your donation of socks valued at $2,844 in support of our mission! Your gift, received on September 17, 2021, helps Outside In serve more than 11,000 people whose needs are great and whose way is difficult every year.

Your contributions heals, feeds, houses, educates, inspires, and renews lives. Donations like yours make it possible for us to:

  • Improve medical and mental health for more than 10,000 patients experiencing poverty and homelessness each year.
  • Create brighter futures for 1,000 young people experiencing homelessness each year by providing education and job training.
  • Prevent Chronic Homelessness through our successful housing program where 96 percent of those who participate are able to maintain safe and stable housing off the streets.
  • Provide 32,000 nutritious meals to nearly 1,000 youth experiencing homelessness.

Your investment in our work helps us reach those who need our services the most. Thank you!

With Warm Thanks,
Lori Slaughter
Director of Development
Outside In

BottleDrop Fundraiser

Over the past several months, St. Andrew has raised more than $800 for youth programs…just by cashing in our cans! These funds will go toward youth events over this next year, especially the National Youth Gathering coming up next summer. To join in, you can find BottleDrop bags on the shelves in Fellowship Hall. Fill them with recyclable cans/bottles, and then drop them through the outdoor hatch at any BottleDrop Center. Thanks to everyone who is
taking part in this awesome fundraiser!

Preparing for Sunday, October 10, 2021

Reading: Amos 5:6-7, 10-15
Gospel: Mark 10:17-31

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

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.

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.

Thank You for Supporting Our Ministry

St. Andrew is able to do God’s work because of your generous gifts supporting our ministries. Thank you!

To learn more about the many ways you can give (by mail, text, church app, online, etc.), please go to www.standrewlutheran.com/giving.

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
Corine Walker (mother-in-law) Comfort and peace in hospice care LuAnn Staul
Melissa and Noah Stone (daughter and grandson) Support and God’s comfort Julie Hoffmaster
Kay (mother) Good care and recovery Linda Olshausen
Linda Fransen Effective treatment and healing Ed Fransen
Sandi Beavers Healing and recovery from surgery Sandi Beavers
Richard Walker Comfort & healing from COVID-19 LuAnn Staul
Laura & Honoria Geczy-Haskins Healing and recovery from COVID-19 Laura Geczy-Haskins
Susan Jacobi, Dr. Cara Steinkeler, Lee Anne Knapp, and all healthcare workers Endurance, strength, and safety in working with COVID patients Staff
Maverick Dixon (unborn nephew) Complete healing in the womb AJ & Rebecca Uecker
Refugees and immigrants Acceptance, safety, and just treatment Staff
Military personnel, especially Justina Hailey Hope Brocker, Evan Dahlquist, Dawson Dethlefs, Neil Fiegenbaum, and Jerami Reyna Protection and safety Staff
Grace Lutheran Church (Bend, OR)
Nativity Lutheran Church (Bend, OR)
Serving with us in the Oregon Synod Staff
Congregation Beth Israel (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, October 3

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
Zoom
12:00 pm Virtual Coffee Time Zoom

Monday, October 4

6:00 pm Scout Troop 618 Meeting East Parking Lot

Tuesday, October 5

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
10:00 am Meals on Wheels/Loaves and Fishes Offsite
10:00 am Worship Planners Meeting Library
7:00 pm MACG Meeting St. Andrew Room

Wednesday, October 6 – Weekly News submissions due by 4:00 pm

12:30 pm Bonhoeffer Seminar Zoom
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, October 7

9:00 am School Bag Stuffing Fellowship Hall
9:30 am Seekers of the Heart of God Bible Study St. Andrew Room
12:00 pm Team Ministry Meeting Chapel, Library
2:30 pm Communications Team Meeting Zoom
7:00 pm Executive (Council) Committee Meeting via Zoom

Friday, October 8

10:00 am T’ai Chi Fellowship Hall

Sunday, October 10

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 (for grades 6-8) Adult Library
10:00 am High School Youth Group Youth Room
10:00 am Adult Ed: Road Trip: The Missionary Journeys of Paul Zoom
10:00 am Adult Ed: Faith in 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
Zoom
12:00 pm Virtual Coffee Time Zoom

Connecting to Worship

Ways to Give: Thank you for supporting our ministries!




September 26, 2021

Want a printed copy of the Weekly News? Click on the printer icon to the right or download and print the PDF.

Weekly News Download

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 Fellowship Hall

Sunday, October 3

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 (for grades 6-8) Adult Library
10:00 am High School Youth Group Youth Room
10:00 am Adult Ed: Road Trip: The Missionary Journeys of Paul Zoom
10:00 am Adult Ed: Faith in 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

Connecting to Worship

Ways to Give: Thank you for supporting our ministries!




September 19, 2021

Want a printed copy of the Weekly News? Click on the printer icon to the right or download and print the PDF.

Weekly News Download

Council Acts to Protect Our Youth

In preparing to resume fall programming at St. Andrew, the Reopening Team has recommended to the Executive

At their monthly meeting on September 16, members of the Congregational Council considered 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:

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.

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

Thomas 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.

Christian Education Begins September 19

A new education year begins at St. Andrew this Sunday, September 19, with a few twists. Check the details carefully to discover what is being offered in-person, online, or a hybrid of the two. Staff and volunteers have collaborated to create several opportunities for people of various ages, while being mindful of the ongoing risks from COVID-19.

High School Youth Group: The Dichotomy of God and Science
We’re looking forward to kicking off another year of High School Youth Group at 10:00 am in the Youth Room on September 19. This year, we’ll begin by discussing the centuries-old (but ever-present) false dichotomy of God and science, leading us to redefine what we’re talking about when we talk about God and opening us up to see the divine at work in real, meaningful ways in our everyday lives.

Confirmation
Confirmation for youth in grades 6-8 will begin in the Adult Library at 10:00 am the same Sunday, with a Zoom option for those preferring to participate remotely.

Concierge Treatment for Kids; ”The Roots” Postponed
After listening to our families with children too young to be vaccinated against COVID-19, we have decided to postpone the launch of our new Sunday morning children’s program, “The Roots.” We’re still excited about this program and believe it can be the future of our Sunday morning children’s programming, but we’ll start “The Roots” once we can do so safely and our families with children are comfortable to attend. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered for this program already.
In the meantime, to begin the year Donna Brocker will be hosting individualized time with children whose families are comfortable attending. Youngsters ages 3-grade 5 will gather at 10:00 am in the Children’s Library on September 19 for some special time.

Adult Education
Two classes will be offered during the five-week Adult Education term that begins Sunday, September 19, at 10:00 am. Steve Christian will teach his class, “Road Trip: The Missionary Journeys of Paul,” via Zoom, while Andy Roberts and Dwight Jerde invite people to join them in Fellowship Hall for “Faith in Finance: Making Giving More Meaningful.”

Pick up an Adult Education brochure at church or see the website for more details on St. Andrew’s classes and other opportunities for faith formation throughout the year.

Wednesday Evening Prayer

Midweek evening prayer services continue via Zoom. All are welcome this Wednesday, September 22, at 7:00 pm, when seminarian Karen Klingelhafer will focus her devotion on Teresa of Avila, a Spanish noblewoman who felt called to convent life in the 16th century. A theologian of the contemplative life and mental prayer, she was declared a Doctor of the Church more than four centuries after her death. Centering Prayer follows at 7:30 pm for those who would like to participate.

Bells of Grace Ring Out

The Bells of Grace rehearse on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm in the Sanctuary. We are masked during rehearsals to keep everyone safe. Please contact Deacon Susan Reiser if you are a returning ringer or want to join the choir. She is available between services to answer your questions.

What’s Up with Choir?

Minister of Music & Media Allison Katsufrakis recently announced to choir members that choir practice will not resume in September as it usually does. Instead, she hopes to begin rehearsals in October, with an eye toward the choir singing for Reformation Sunday (October 31) and the Advent/Christmas season. Meanwhile, special singing masks have been ordered.

Table Talk: Rights & 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.

Future Reading

October 17: Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson
Discussion Leader: Kristin Sacks

November 21: The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah
Discussion Leader: Sharon Fako

December 19: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,
by Ocean Vuong
Discussion Leader, Elaine May

January 23: The Vanishing Half, by Britt Bennett
Discussion Leader, Mary Smith

February 20: Nomadland, by Jessica Bruder
Discussion Leader, Carol Horton

March (TBA): West with Giraffes, by Linda Rutledge
Discussion Leader, Susan Reiser

Pastor Mark Gets Down and Dirty with Pearly Everlasting

Pastor Mark ventured out to the Reformation Garden this Wednesday to help plant some of the native perennials that
will make this area bloom. Here he’s planting Pearly Everlasting and showing he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty. Members of the Earth Care team have planted more than a dozen species of native flowering perennials and seeded
six native flower annuals in this part of the garden. If you’re interested in our plant choices, email Eric Luttrell (luttreem722@gmail.com) and he will send you two plant lists that may be helpful in planning your own wildflower garden.

Feeding the Hungry Under Ground

At Earth Camp this past summer, teacher Pat Christiansen engaged the youngsters in burying about one quarter of a cotton dish towel and a (supposedly) compostable cup on the edges of St. Andrew’s Reformation Earth Garden. They buried the same items in two places, one in relatively good soil near the Oregon white oak named Hope and the other in much poorer soil near Faith. The plan was to unearth these materials on September 12, when kids were expected
to register for Children’s Ministry.

When that event was canceled due to COVID, a few members of the Earth Care team joined Pat earlier this week in digging up the items to discover what happened. Surprise! The only thing remaining of the dish towel near Faith was a polyester thread that hemmed it. The cup hadn’t disintegrated at all. Meanwhile, a sorry remnant of the towel was found near Hope, as well as a small piece of a paper plate that had also been buried. In the 8.5 weeks since Earth Camp, lots of hungry soil organisms feasted on cotton and cardboard. Pat’s experiment shows how quickly microorganisms incorporate organics into the soil.

Synod Day of Learning

The Oregon Synod staff invite all of us to participate in the second annual Synod Day of Learning on Saturday, September 25, from 9:15 am-3:45 pm. The rise of the Delta variant will not stop us—workshops and the keynote address will all be offered via Zoom.

Conversations and workshops will follow the theme of the year at the Oregon Synod: Faithful in the Fray. This fall we will be looking at faithfulness as it applies to faith and racism, and we are delighted to share that local leader and author Pastor Lenny Duncan has agreed to be our keynoter. Workshops will be both morning and afternoon, with these afternoon options recently announced:

Afternoon Option 1: Collective Crafting of Liturgy and Ritual as Sacred Action
Explore ways to create liturgies that help us pray and breathe together as God’s people. Join Rev. Melissa Reed and Rev. Nikkeya Berryhill for a creative and engaging workshop.

Afternoon Option 2: Tough Conversations in Congregations
How do we make space in our hearts, minds, souls, and congregations for rich and authentic conversations on things that really matter? Margaret Marcuson will share tools and ideas to have loving, courageous, and honest conversations.

Afternoon Option 3: Acknowledging & Embracing Grief in the History of Racism
Deacon Matt Smith and Rev. Solveig Nilsen-Goodin will introduce practices to activate loving energy as we explore truth and experience grief stemming from our own participation in racist histories.

The entire day’s event is only $50 per screen for adults over 21. Under 21 is free. Scholarships are available by contacting the Bishop’s Office at office@oregonsynod.org. Registration closes on September 20 at 9:00 pm.

Preparing for Sunday, September 26, 2021

Reading: Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
Gospel: Mark 9:38-50

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

Deadlines to Note

Monday, October 4
Organ lesson scholarship applications due. For more information and to apply, please 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 Agnes Sandquist (mother) Peace and God’s comfort at her death Roger & Pat Sandquist
Family and friends of Lois Brass (longtime member) Peace and God’s comfort at her death Camille Jackson
Diane, Eunice & Rio (newly widowed) Comfort and strength Peggy Thompson
Dorothy Moore and Phyllis Morris Compassionate care and comfort Staff
Carolyn Cornie Effective treatment and healing Staff
Bob Cornie Healing and recovery from surgery Staff
Carol Means Healing and recovery following surgery Staff
Donna Faught Healing and recovery following cancer surgery Gretchen Bancroft
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
Sandi Beavers Comfort and peace awaiting surgery (Sept. 20) Sandi Beavers
All those suffering from natural disasters Protection and safety Staff
People in Afghanistan Safety and security Staff
Those confined to their homes:
Mareline Barnes, Dave Bumgardner,
Jean Fredrickson, Tara Harper,
Douglas Hooke, Betty Horst,
Dorothy Moore, Phyllis Morris,
Ed Pacey, Helen Rogers,
Dave & Sharon Roth, Margie Schindele
Assurance of God’s presence Staff
All who are imprisoned Peace and strength Staff
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Blessings on their work Staff
Ascension Lutheran Church (Medford, OR)
Zion Lutheran Church (Medford, OR)
Serving with us in the Oregon Synod Staff
Congregation Kesser Israel (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 19

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

Tuesday, September 21

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
10:00 am Worship Planners Meeting Library
6:00 pm Human Resources Meeting via Zoom

Wednesday, September 22 – Weekly News submissions due by 4:00 pm

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 23

9:30 am Seekers of the Heart of God Bible Study St. Andrew Room
2:30 pm Communications Team Meeting via Zoom
7:00 pm IT Meeting offsite

Friday, September 24

10:00 am T’ai Chi Fellowship Hall
6:30 pm High School youth: “Everything is Spiritual” (Rob Bell event) depart from Parking Lot

Saturday, September 25

9:00 am BSA Court of Honor Sanctuary of the Firs
7:00 pm Thomas Keesecker concert Sanctuary & Livestreamed

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 (for grades 6-8) Adult Library
10:00 am High School Youth Group Youth Room
10:00 am Adult Ed: Road Trip: The Missionary Journeys of Paul Zoom
10:00 am Adult Ed: Faith in 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

Connecting to Worship

Ways to Give: Thank you for supporting our ministries!




September 12, 2021

Want a printed copy of the Weekly News? Click on the printer icon to the right or download and print the PDF.

Weekly NewsDownload

Protecting Our Youth

In preparing to resume fall programming at St. Andrew, the Reopening Team has recommended to the Executive Committee that all staff and volunteers working with youth be required to be fully vaccinated. Members of the Executive Committee unanimously endorsed the recommendation and drafted the following statement for the Congregational Council to consider at its September meeting:

All employees and volunteers supporting the church or using church facilities who specifically work with youth, including organizations such as Scouts and Bee Bops Kids who use St. Andrew facilities, are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The only exceptions are for documented advice by a personal physician, or elevated risk because of anaphylactic shock caused by a previous dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

If approved by Council, the vaccination requirement would be effective October 18, thus conforming to the state mandate for teachers in Oregon.

September Drive for Western Farm Workers

During the month of September, the Service Committee will collect 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

Thomas 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.

11:00 am Worship Returns to the Sanctuary

On Sunday, September 12, the 11 o’clock service moves from the Sanctuary of the Firs inside to the Sanctuary itself. This is also the Sunday that we welcome Pastor Mark back to the pulpit following his productive and invigorating sabbatical.

Remember that all online worship options at St. Andrew remain available. If you feel apprehensive about gathering to worship together, simply connect to worship via YouTube or Zoom. You’ll find links in the email accompanying this newsletter.

Christian Education Begins September 19

Education classes are set to resume between services next Sunday, September 19, with a few twists.

Concierge Treatment for Kids; ”The Roots” Postponed
After listening to our families with children too young to be vaccinated against COVID-19, we have decided to postpone the launch of our new Sunday morning children’s program, “The Roots.” We’re still excited about this program and believe it can be the future of our Sunday morning children’s programming, but we’ll start “The Roots” once we can do so safely and our families with children are comfortable to attend. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered for this program already.
In the meantime, to begin the year Donna Brocker will be hosting individualized time with children whose families are comfortable attending. Youngsters ages 3-grade 5 will gather at 10:00 am in the Children’s Library on September 19 for some special time.

Confirmation
Confirmation for youth in grades 6-8 will begin in the Adult Library at 10:00 am the same Sunday, with a Zoom option for those preferring to participate remotely.

High School Youth Group: The Dichotomy of God and Science
We’re looking forward to kicking off another year of High School Youth Group at 10:00 am in the Youth Room on September 19. This year, we’ll begin by discussing the centuries-old (but ever-present) false dichotomy of God and science, leading us to redefine what we’re talking about when we talk about God and opening us up to see the divine at work in real, meaningful ways in our everyday lives.

Adult Education
Two classes will be offered during the five-week Adult Education term that begins Sunday, September 19, at 10:00 am. Steve Christian will teach his class, “Road Trip: The Missionary Journeys of Paul,” via Zoom, while Andy Roberts and Dwight Jerde invite people to join them in Fellowship Hall for “Faith in Finance: Making Giving More Meaningful.”

Pick up an Adult Education brochure at church or see the website for more details on St. Andrew’s classes and other opportunities for faith formation throughout the year.

I Am My Story

This year, The Immigrant Story plans to go live with four musicians and four stories of survival on one unforgettable
night, Saturday, September 11, at 7:00 pm. The event will be held at the Alex L. Parks Performing Arts Center, 9000 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy.

With storytellers from Burundi, Rwanda, Cambodia, and Syria, the program focuses on first-person tales of courage and fortitude. These stories of resilience in the face of unimaginable atrocities of war and genocide offer hope and inspiration at a time when we need them most.

The program will begin with a performance by renowned viola player Dijana Ihas, a professor at Pacific University who survived the war in Bosnia and was a member of the Sarajevo String Quartet, which played more than 200 concerts during the Siege of Sarajevo. She will be joined by three musicians from the Oregon Symphony.

MACG Leadership Training

You have heard the name “MACG” from time to time at St. Andrew. Perhaps you are wondering what this organization is all about. You are invited to attend a FREE leadership training institute in September. Come and see.

  • Come to learn fundamental organizing skills: Individual relational meetings, listening sessions, research and action to help obtain a concrete, winnable outcome.
  • Come to strengthen our St. Andrew community. We strive to engage people within a culture that is relational, action-oriented, and reflective.
  • Come to learn to distinguish problems from issues. We can help work for common good by moving from general problems to concrete, winnable issues by using relationships we have made with decision-makers in the public arena.

This training will be held from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday, September 18, and Saturday, September 25. The sessions will be held over Zoom, so you may join us from the comfort of your home.

Many St. Andrew members have taken this training (often more than once), and all have reported taking away important skills that strengthen our St. Andrew community as well as skills that are useful in their lives outside of St. Andrew.

To register, go to https://www.macg.org/sept_2021_leadership or visit the MACG webpage (www.macg.org) and scroll down to find the link to register.

Questions? Please contact any member of the St. Andrew MACG Core Team: Pat Christiansen, Larry Bliesner, Lynn Santelmann, Scott Taylor, Victoria Kovalenko, Bob Stadel, or Jan Smith.

Introductory Centering Prayer Workshop

Anyone interested in learning more about Centering Prayer? There will be a Zoom Introductory Centering Prayer Workshop on Saturday September 11, from 9:30 am-1:00 pm. This workshop is presented jointly by the Franciscan Spiritual Center and Contemplative Outreach of Oregon. The instructors are experienced in the Centering Prayer method developed by Trappist monk Father Thomas Keating 1981. This is the method Mary Smith and Ginny Link have followed in our Zoom Centering Prayer time on Wednesday evenings after the mid-week evening service.

Centering Prayer is described as “a receptive method of silent prayer”…“in which we experience God’s presence within us; closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. This method of prayer is both a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship.”

Cost for the workshop is $35. For more information about how to register for this workshop as well as Zoom follow-ups scheduled for September 18, 25, and October 4 and 11, go to: www.contemplativeoutreachportland.com/

Nifty Notters

The Nifty Notters will meet Saturday, September 18, from 9:00 am-2:30 pm in Fellowship Hall. Join us for all or part of the time to work on baby quilts and larger quilts for Lutheran World Relief. We’re trying to finish as many LWR quilts as possible so they’re ready to go at the October Ingathering. No experience is needed and all supplies are provided.

Please note that, at this time, we are not eating together inside the church, but we do recommend that you bring a snack or lunch. We’ll take a break to enjoy some fellowship time at tables outside.

Bells of Grace

The Bells of Grace will resume rehearsals on Wednesday, September 15, at 6:00 pm in the Sanctuary. We will be masked during rehearsals to keep everyone safe. Please contact Deacon Susan Reiser if you are a returning ringer or want to join the choir. She is available between services to answer your questions.

What’s Up with Choir?

Minister of Music & Media Allison Katsufrakis announced to choir members last week, that given rising numbers of COVID infections, choir practice will not resume in September as it usually does. Instead, she hopes to begin rehearsals in October, with an eye toward the choir singing for Reformation Sunday (October 31) and the Advent/Christmas season. Meanwhile, special singing masks have been ordered.

Please, everyone, get vaccinated, wear a mask, wash your hands , maintain physical distancing, and pray that by working together we can squelch the virus so no more waves of infection threaten our healthcare system and the valiant people it employs.

Native Wildflower Garden

St. Andrew’s Earth Care team is developing a new garden bed this fall in our Reformation Earth Garden next to the back patio. In the fall of 2020, we planted five native trees in the garden and this past spring we planted a number of native shrubs. With one exception, these woody plants are doing well.

We’re now working on a native wildflower garden just beyond the Reformation Cedar. Currently this wildflower garden is a large semi-circle of prepared soil surrounded by a low red brick border. Next week, we’ll begin planting 14 native flowering perennials and seeding six native flower annuals in this part of the garden. If you’re interested in our plant choices, email Eric Luttrell (luttreem722@gmail.com) and he will send you two plant lists that may be helpful in planning your own wildflower garden.

Synod Day of Learning

The Oregon Synod staff invite all of us to participate in the second annual Synod Day of Learning on Saturday, September 25, from 9:15 am-3:45 pm. The rise of the Delta variant will not stop us—workshops and the keynote address will all be offered via Zoom.

Conversations and workshops will follow the theme of “Faithful in the Fray.” This fall we will look at faithfulness as it applies to faith and racism, and we are delighted to share that local leader and author Pastor Lenny Duncan has agreed to be our keynoter. Workshops will be both morning and afternoon, with these morning options recently announced:

Morning Option 1: Discomfort as a Crucial Space for an Anti-racist Reading of Biblical Texts
In this workshop with Rev. Carmenmargarita Sanchez De Leon, we will take a panoramic look at how biblical texts have been used to justify racism and at the same time we will be invited to embrace discomfort as a learning space to delve into systemic racism and reach an anti-racist and feminist reading of biblical texts.

Morning Option 2: Facing the Climate Crisis and Holding Hope in Communion with our Ancestors
Led by Cherice Bock and Juan Carlos La Puente, we will explore in this session how our efforts toward climate justice and reckoning with racism are connected to our own intergenerational liberation and healing. We’ll expand our awareness of our bodies as sacred living memories that connect us to the earth and to each other.

Morning Option 3: Hidden Stories, Our Stories
How can we unearth the effects of racism and systemic injustices in our own stories? We’ll take time to explore our personal narrative and powerful tools for sharing those narratives, making room for the hidden stories we need to hear from one another. Led by Jordan Beck and Rev. Ron Werner, Jr.

The entire day’s event is only $50 per screen for adults over 21. Under 21 is free. Scholarships are available by contacting the Bishop’s Office at office@oregonsynod.org. Registration closes on September 20 at 9:00 pm.

Preparing for Sunday, September 19, 2021

Reading: Jeremiah 11:18-20
Gospel: Mark 9:30-37

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

Deadlines to Note

Monday, October 4
Organ lesson scholarship applications due. For more information and to apply, please 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 Don Brown (brother) Peace and God’s comfort at his death Bob & Mary Brown
Family and friends of Kathie Karl (Doug’s sister) Peace and God’s comfort at her death Doug & Jan Morrell
Family and friends of Lois Brass (longtime member) Peace and God’s comfort at her death Camille Jackson
Family and friends of Sharon McBride Peace and God’s comfort at her death Jim & Pat Hilliker
Family and friends of William Huffman Peace and God’s comfort at his death Pat Hilliker
Agnes Sandquist (Roger’s mother) Peaceful passing Roger & Pat Sandquist
Joyce (sister) Healing and recovery from COVID-19 Judy Scholz
Granddaughter of Bill & Sandi Beavers Healing and recovery from COVID-19 Bill & Sandi Beavers
Dr. Cara Steinkeler (daughter) Strength as she works with COVID patients Gary & Gail Grafwallner
Hospital staff in Oregon and beyond Protection, strength, and support Staff
Maverick Dixon (unborn nephew) Complete healing in the womb AJ & Rebecca Uecker
Sandi Beavers Comfort and peace awaiting surgery Sandi Beavers
Carol Means Healing and recovery following surgery Staff
Nan Thompson Healing and recovery following surgery Staff
Satya Semenchalam Healing and recovery following surgery Rakesh & Tracie Semenchalam
Ethan & Mary Brocker Blessings on their married life together Staff
All those suffering from natural disasters Protection and safety Staff
People in Afghanistan Safety and security Staff
St. Andrew Council, Executive Committee, Staff Wisdom and discernment Staff
Karen Klingelhafer, Kyler Vogt, and all seminarians
India Jensen Kerr and all theology students
Encouragement and support Staff
St. Andrew Foundation Blessings on their ministry Staff
Hope Lutheran Church (Klamath Falls, OR)
Klamath Lutheran Church (Klamath Falls, OR)
Serving with us in the Oregon Synod Staff
Bethany Musallah (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 12

8:30 am Worship with Communion (masks required)
Livestream Worship with Communion
Sanctuary
YouTube
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

Monday, September 13 – Labor Day

6:00 pm Scout Troom 5618 Meeting Fellowship Hall, St. Andrew Room
7:00 pm Men’s Book Club Zoom

Tuesday, September 14

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)
9:00 am Facility Management Team Meeting St. Andrew Room
10:00 am T’ai Chi Fellowship Hall
1:00 pm Lydia Circle St. Andrew Room
6:00 pm Girl Scouts Adult Meeting Fellowship Hall
7:00 pm Finance Team Meeting Zoom

Wednesday, September 15 – Weekly News submissions due by 4:00 pm

1:00 pm Caring Ministry Team Meeting Library
6:00 pm Bells of Grace Rehearsal Sanctuary
6:45 pm Informal Gathering Time Zoom
7:00 pm Mission Committee St. Andrew Room
7:00 pm Wednesday Evening Prayer Zoom
7:30 pm Centering Prayer Zoom

Thursday, September 16

9:30 am Seekers of the Heart of God Bible Study St. Andrew Room
7:00 pm Council Meeting Zoom & St. Andrew Room

Friday, September 17

10:00 am T’ai Chi Fellowship Hall

Saturday, September 18

9:00 am Nifty Notters Fellowship Hall

Sunday, September 19

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 (for grades 6-8) Adult Library
10:00 am High School Youth Group Youth Room
10:00 am Adult Ed: Road Trip: The Missionary Journeys of Paul Zoom
10:00 am Adult Ed: Faith in 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

Connecting to Worship

Ways to Give: Thank you for supporting our ministries!




September 5, 2021

Want a printed copy of the Weekly News? Click on the printer icon to the right or download and print the PDF.

Weekly NewsDownload

Guest Preacher Ron Werner, Jr.

On this final Sunday of Pastor Mark’s sabbatical, we welcome Ron Werner, Jr., pastor and
community organizer, to St. Andrew. Werner, Jr. is the founding director of Together Lab,
which accompanies people of faith out of isolation and into a leader-full ecology of movements and ministries in Oregon. Using a fusion of sacred organizing and design thinking, this work has led to the activation of cohorts, collectives, and circles exploring everything from Oregon’s hidden racist history to ecumenical youth ministry to immigrant justice to affordable housing to faith and the vaccine. Ron is an ordained pastor in the ELCA. At home, he loves to cook and dance alongside his wife, Erin and two young daughters,
Dylan and Averie.

Mask Mandate Inside and Out

Masks are now required at all in-person worship. As always, we request and expect all who
worship together at St. Andrew to be vaccinated. If you’re feeling apprehensive about gathering for worship together, that’s understandable. Please make decisions that are best for you and your household. Remember that all online worship options at St. Andrew remain available for everyone.

Public Prayer for Water Protectors

Public Prayer for Water Protectors – Open to all community members and faith traditions.
Beaverton City Library, Saturday September 4th
9:00 am: Gathering, 10:00 am Prayer
**COVID-19 MASKS REQUIRED**

Lutheran World Relief School Supplies

Good news! We have everything needed to fill 100 school bags for Lutheran World Relief. Thank you for your generous donations that enable young people around the world to access educational opportunities that will enrich their lives.
If you’ve already purchased school supplies but haven’t delivered them to church yet, feel free to bring them in and
we’ll store those supplies to provide a head start on next year’s campaign. Otherwise, consider donating your purchases to schools or other organizations supporting young people in need.

The Service Committee

Earth Care Books

It began with Kristin Ohlson’s book, The Soil Will Save Us, more than two years ago and, since then, members of St. Andrew’s Community Carbon and Earth Care Team have discovered even more books to inspire and instruct all of us who are motivated to protect our planet home.

Recently, the group presented our St. Andrew Library with seven highly recommended books:
Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Dirt to Soil, by Gabe Brown
Finding the Mother Tree, by Suzanne Simard
The Nature of Oaks, by Douglas W. Tallamy
Nature’s Best Hope, by Douglas W. Tallamy
Noah’s Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Back Yards, by Sara Stein
The Soil Will Save Us, by Kristin Ohlson

Please give Pam Farr, our adult librarian, a little time to get these catalogued and shelved, but then check them out. If you have questions about issues beyond these books or recommendations for other reading on the topic of Earth Care, feel free to contact any member of our team: Bev Briggs, Larry Bliesner, Pat Christiansen, Carol Harker, Liz Hardy, Allison Katsufrakis, Eric Luttrell, Don Nearhood, or LuAnn Staul.

September Drive for Western Farm Workers

During the month of September, the Service Committee will collect 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

MACG Leadership Training

You have heard the name “MACG” from time to time at St. Andrew. Perhaps you are wondering what this organization is all about. You are invited to attend a FREE leadership training institute in September. Come and see.

  • Come to learn fundamental organizing skills: Individual relational meetings, listening sessions, research and action to help obtain a concrete, winnable outcome.
  • Come to strengthen our St. Andrew community. We strive to engage people within a culture that is relational, action-oriented, and reflective.
  • Come to learn to distinguish problems from issues. We can help work for common good by moving from general problems to concrete, winnable issues by using relationships we have made with decision-makers in the public arena.

This training will be held from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday, September 18, and Saturday, September 25. The sessions will be held over Zoom, so you may join us from the comfort of your home.

Many St. Andrew members have taken this training (often more than once), and all have reported taking away important skills that strengthen our St. Andrew community as well as skills that are useful in their lives outside of St. Andrew.

To register, go to https://www.macg.org/sept_2021_leadership or visit the MACG webpage (www.macg.org) and scroll down to find the link to register.

Questions? Please contact any member of the St. Andrew MACG Core Team: Pat Christiansen, Larry Bliesner, Lynn Santelmann, Scott Taylor, Victoria Kovalenko, Bob Stadel, or Jan Smith.

Sabbatical Thanks

Thank you for our sabbatical journey and your warm welcome to our guest preachers over the past several weeks. We welcome Pastor Mark back to the church office on Tuesday, September 7!

Pastor Susan

Preparing for Sunday, September 12, 2021

Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a
Gospel: Mark 8:27-38

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

I Am My Story

This year, The Immigrant Story plans to go live with four musicians and four stories of survival on one unforgettable
night, Saturday, September 11, at 7:00 pm. The event will be held at the Alex L. Parks Performing Arts Center, 9000 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy.

With storytellers from Burundi, Rwanda, Cambodia, and Syria, the program focuses on first-person tales of courage and fortitude. These stories of resilience in the face of unimaginable atrocities of war and genocide offer hope and inspiration at a time when we need them most.

The program will begin with a performance by renowned viola player Dijana Ihas, a professor at Pacific University who survived the war in Bosnia and was a member of the Sarajevo String Quartet, which played more than 200 concerts during the Siege of Sarajevo. She will be joined by three musicians from the Oregon Symphony.

Thomas 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.

Organ Scholarship Applications Due

The St. Andrew Foundation is delighted to announce that it is continuing to offer a scholarship for organists ages 13-30. This award offers aspiring young musicians financial assistance to pay for organ lessons or other materials needed for their studies. For more information and to apply, please go to
https://standrewlutheran.com/give/st-andrew-foundation/.

The application deadline is Monday, October 4. If you have questions, please email foundation@standrewlutheran.com.

Synod Day of Learning

The Oregon Synod staff invite all of us to participate in the second annual Synod Day of Learning on Saturday, September 25, from 9:15 am-3:45 pm via Zoom.

Conversations and workshops will follow the theme of “Faithful in the Fray.” This fall we will look at faithfulness as it applies to faith and racism, and we are delighted to share that local leader and author Pastor Lenny Duncan has agreed to be our keynoter. Workshops will be both morning and afternoon, and will include themes such as anti-racist reading of the Bible, crafting new liturgies as sacred collective action, and honoring our grief around the history of racism.

The entire day’s event is only $50 per screen for adults over 21. Under 21 is free. Scholarships are available by contacting the Bishop’s Office at office@oregonsynod.org. Registration closes on September 20 at 9:00 pm.

A Book Sale’s Coming: It’s Time To Prune Your Collection!

Give me your tired, your broken, your worn-out volumes
Waiting for new homes,
The unwanted books of your o’er-flowing shelves.
Give these, the books, undesired unto me,
There’ll be a sale, to give them all new homes!

Yes, there’s gonna be a book sale, scheduled for Sunday, November 28, and we need all your cast-off and no-longer-desired books to sell. Simply put your donations in the boxes on the floor of the Adult Library or on the counter, if bending is hard for you. You can bring in magazines, too, children’s books, history, fiction, whatever you think you’re ready to pass on. Proceeds will enable us to purchase new books for our libraries.

Pam Farr
Adult Librarian

Introductory Centering Prayer Workshop

Anyone interested in learning more about Centering Prayer? There will be a Zoom Introductory Centering Prayer Workshop on Saturday September 11, from 9:30 am-1:00 pm. This workshop is presented jointly by the Franciscan Spiritual Center and Contemplative Outreach of Oregon. The instructors are experienced in the Centering Prayer method developed by Trappist monk Father Thomas Keating 1981. This is the method Mary Smith and Ginny Link have followed in our Zoom Centering Prayer time on Wednesday evenings after the mid-week evening service.

Centering Prayer is described as “a receptive method of silent prayer”…“in which we experience God’s presence within us; closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. This method of prayer is both a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship.”

Cost for the workshop is $35. For more information about how to register for this workshop as well as Zoom follow-ups scheduled for September 18, 25, and October 4 and 11, go to: www.contemplativeoutreachportland.com/

What’s Up with Choir?

Minister of Music & Media Allison Katsufrakis announced to choir members this week, that given rising numbers of COVID infections, choir practice will not resume in September as it usually does. Instead, she hopes to begin rehearsals in October, with an eye toward the choir singing for Reformation Sunday (October 31) and the Advent/Christmas season. Meanwhile, special singing masks have been ordered.

Please, everyone, get vaccinated, wear a mask, wash your hands , maintain physical distancing, and pray that by working together we can squelch the virus so no more waves of infection threaten our healthcare system and the valiant people it employs.

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 Don Brown (brother) Peace and God’s comfort at his death Bob & Mary Brown
Family and friends of Kathie Karl (Doug’s sister) Peace and God’s comfort at her death Doug & Jan Morrell
Family and friends of Lois Brass (longtime member) Peace and God’s comfort at her death Camille Jackson
Family and friends of Gloria Heidinger Peace and God’s comfort at her death Judy Heidinger (sister-in-law)
Family and friends of Sharon McBride Peace and God’s comfort at her death Jim & Pat Hilliker
Family and friends of Bob Carlson (uncle) Peace and God’s comfort at his death Carol Hogan
Family and friends of William Huffman Peace and God’s comfort at his death Pat Hilliker
Agnes Sandquist (Roger’s mother) Peaceful passing Roger & Pat Sandquist
Baby Raya and her family Strength and comfort Ginny Link (great-grandaunt)
Kay (mother) Effective treatment and recovery Linda Sah Olshausen
Joyce (sister) Effective treatment and recovery Judy Scholz
Satya Semenchalam Healing and recovery following surgery Rakesh & Tracie Semenchalam
Nan Thompson Healing and recovery following surgery Staff
Carol Means Comfort and patience awaiting surgery Staff
Maverick Dixon (unborn nephew) Complete healing in the womb AJ & Rebecca Uecker
John Fiegenbaum Healing and comfort Amy Fiegenbaum
Dr. Cara Steinkeler (daughter) Strength as she works with COVID patients Gary & Gail Grafwallner
Jan Smith & Sue Cahlander A COVID-free bubble during their travels Jan Smith & Sue Cahlander
All those suffering from natural disasters Protection and safety Staff
People of Afghanistan Safety and security Staff
Bishop Laurie Larson Caesar & Oregon Synod Staff Strength and wisdom Staff
Refugees and immigrants Acceptance, safety, and just treatment Staff
Military personnel, especially Justina Hailey Hope Brocker, Evan Dahlquist, Dawson Dethlefs, Neil Fiegenbaum, and Jerami Reyna Protection and safety Staff
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (Cave Junction, OR)
Calvary Lutheran Church (Grants Pass, OR)
Serving with us in the Oregon Synod Staff
Congregation Neveh Shalom (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 5

8:30 am Worship with Communion (masks required)
Livestream Worship with Communion
Sanctuary
YouTube
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

Monday, September 6 – Labor Day

Tuesday, September 7

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
10:00 am Meals on Wheels/Loaves and Fishes Offsite
10:00 am Worship Planners Meeting Library
7:00 pm MACG Meeting St. Andrew Room

Wednesday, September 8 – Weekly News submissions due by 4:00 pm

10:00 am Yoga (both Chair Yoga & Floor Yoga) Fellowship Hall
10:00 am Reopening Committee Meeting via Zoom
6:00 pm Sanctuary Team Meeting Library
6:45 pm Informal Gathering Time Zoom
7:00 pm Wednesday Evening Prayer Zoom
7:30 pm Centering Prayer Zoom

Thursday, September 9

9:30 am Seekers of the Heart of God Bible Study St. Andrew Room

Friday, September 10

10:00 am T’ai Chi Fellowship Hall

Sunday, September 12

8:30 am Worship with Communion (masks required)
Livestream Worship with Communion
Sanctuary
YouTube
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

Connecting to Worship

Ways to Give: Thank you for supporting our ministries!




August 29, 2021

Want a printed copy of the Weekly News? Click on the printer icon to the right or download and print the PDF.

Weekly NewsDownload

Mask Mandate Expands

The Delta variant has changed everything, including the statewide mask mandate that
now includes masking outside, a ruling that went into effect on August 27. Until further
notice, please wear a mask to Sunday morning worship in the Sanctuary of the Firs
, as well as to worship in the Sanctuary. We’ll have disposable masks available at both locations in case you forget.

If you are feeling more apprehensive about gathering for worship together, that’s understandable. Please make decisions that are best for you and your household. As always, we request and expect all who worship together at St. Andrew to be vaccinated. If you are not vaccinated and have no medical reason not to get the vaccine, we urge you to get vaccinated now. Regardless, be assured that all online worship options at St. Andrew remain available for everyone.

Wednesday Evening Prayer

Midweek Evening Prayer Services continue to be offered via Zoom, with Pastor Susan sharing thoughtful and sometimes playful meditations. All are welcome this Wednesday, September 1, for social time at 6:45 pm and service at 7:00 pm. Centering Prayer follows at 7:30 pm. Participate in all or part of our scheduled time together. Look for links to this worship service at midday on Wednesdays in the church email.

Sock It To Me – Outside In

This is the last Sunday for our sock collection for homeless youth and others in need. Take this opportunity to demonstrate Community and Neighbor Care by improving the lives of young people in our city. Since 1968, the Outside In has transformed lives by helping break the cycles of chronic homelessness, poverty, and poor health among
Portland’s LGBTQA+ community, people of color, those experiencing homelessness, and the underserved.

Currently, the Outside In is in high need of socks. Please purchase new men’s and women’s socks and bring them to church no later than August 29. You’ll find a barrel in the Narthex and the socks will be delivered to Outside In at the end of August. Both staff and clients of Outside In appreciate this congregation for all of our support over the past years and send their thanks once again for your contributions. Thank you!

The Service Committee

Guest Preacher Bishop Laurie Larson Caesar

This Sunday, we welcome Pastor Laurie Larson Caesar, bishop of the Oregon Synod of the ELCA, to the pulpit. Born and raised in the small logging town of Libby, Montana, where her great-grandparents and other Norwegian immigrants
founded Christ Lutheran Church, she was elected in May 2019 to be bishop of the Oregon Synod. Pastor Laurie was educated at Stanford University, Harvard Divinity, and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. She served as pastor of Spirit of Grace in Beaverton for 23 years.

Leadership Training Planned for September

MACG will hold a two-day Leadership Training Institute in September. More details will be coming soon, but for now, please save the dates: Saturday, September 18, and Saturday, September 25, 10:00 am–4:00 pm, at Spirit of Grace in Beaverton.

Don’t miss this terrific opportunity to learn how using organizing principles can strengthen relationships, build community, and work for common good in our community. Look for more information next week, but please contact any member of St. Andrew’s MACG Core Team if you have questions: Pat Christiansen, Larry Bliesner, Lynn Santelmann, Scott Taylor, Bob Stadel, Jan Smith, and Victoria Kovalenko.

Nifty Notters

The Nifty Notters will meet Saturday, September 4, and Saturday, September 18, from 9:00 am-2:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Join us for all or part of the time to work on baby and Lutheran World Relief quilts. We’re trying to finish as many LWR quilts as possible so they’re ready for the October Ingathering. No experience is needed and all supplies are provided.

Please note that, at this time, we are being asked not to eat together inside the church building. But please bring a lunch and we’ll gather at tables outside to enjoy some fellowship time.

Introducing: The Roots!

With the start of the school year comes something very exciting in our children’s ministry! This year we are launching an entirely new Sunday morning children’s program: The Roots! This program is designed to live into our vision for children’s ministry by emphasizing our core values and increasing the percentage of our congregation that is involved in ministering to our kids. It takes a village!

Check out the insert in this newsletter to read about the origin of this program, its name, its goals, and how you can be a part of it by leading 15 minutes once every six weeks—a total of only one hour over the whole school year!

Kyler Vogt,
Children & Youth Minister

ELCA Summer School

The ELCA’s Advocacy Summer School has already begun, but you can still register for the final two sessions and learn how to become more effective in addressing the justice issues that fuel your passion. Please go to https://tinyurl.com/tjzdzucp to learn more and to register for future sessions. The next session will be held Wednesday, September 1, at 11:00 am Pacific time. Please note that you must register separately for each week’s offering.

Save the Date for Lutherwood

Wednesday, October 6, 2021, 7:00 pm
An Online & Interactive Fundraiser

Preparing for Sunday, September 5, 2021

Reading: Isaiah 35:4-7a
Gospel: Mark 7:24-37

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

Time to Collect School Supplies for Lutheran World Relief

Education is one of the strongest tools a community has for breaking the cycle of poverty. Even better results occur when we can ensure that girls attend school in places where their access to education is not a priority. Lutheran World Relief (LWR) school kits contain essential supplies to help children learn in the face of serious obstacles.

With many retailers currently offering back-to-school sales, now is the time to help us stock up on supplies for LWR School Kits. Our goal is to collect enough supplies to fill 75-100 school kits by early September.

We are well on our way to being able to fill 100 backpacks; here is what we still need:

201 spiral bound notebooks
81 boxes 16– or 24-count crayons
69 pencil sharpeners
68 rulers (30-centimeters)
64 pairs blunt scissors
326 unsharpened No. 2 pencils with erasers
339 black or blue pens
25 erasers (2 ½ inch)

Thank you for your generous donations.

St. Andrew Service Committee

Organ Scholarship Applications Due

The St. Andrew Foundation is delighted to announce that it is continuing to offer a scholarship for organists ages 13-30. This award offers aspiring young musicians financial assistance to pay for organ lessons or other materials needed for their studies. For more information and to apply, please go to
https://standrewlutheran.com/give/st-andrew-foundation/.

The application deadline is Monday, October 4. If you have questions, please email foundation@standrewlutheran.com.

A Book Sale’s Coming: It’s Time To Prune Your Collection!

Give me your tired, your broken, your worn-out volumes
Waiting for new homes,
The unwanted books of your o’er-flowing shelves.
Give these, the books, undesired unto me,
There’ll be a sale, to give them all new homes!

Yes, there’s gonna be a book sale, scheduled for Sunday, November 28, and we need all your cast-off and no-longer-desired books to sell. Simply put your donations in the boxes on the floor of the Adult Library or on the counter, if bending is hard for you. You can bring in magazines, too, children’s books, history, fiction, whatever you think you’re ready to pass on. This is a used book sale to make money for our church libraries, not the Annie Bloom sale we’ve held in years past.

Pam Farr
Adult Librarian

I Am My Story

This year, The Immigrant Story plans to go live with four musicians and four stories of survival on one unforgettable
night, Saturday, September 11, at 7:00 pm. The event will be held at the Alex L. Parks Performing Arts Center, 9000 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy.

With storytellers from Burundi, Rwanda, Cambodia, and Syria, the program focuses on first-person tales of courage and fortitude. These stories of resilience in the face of unimaginable atrocities of war and genocide offer hope and inspiration at a time when we need them most.

The program will begin with a performance by renowned viola player Dijana Ihas, a professor at Pacific University who survived the war in Bosnia and was a member of the Sarajevo String Quartet, which played more than 200 concerts during the Siege of Sarajevo. She will be joined by three musicians from the Oregon Symphony.

Synod Day of Learning: Faithful in the Fray

It’s that time again! For many, September means new pencils, backpacks, friendships, and opportunities for learning. This unbounded curiosity is not simply a positive thing, but a significant part of our Lutheran heritage. Martin Luther preached that we are to bring our whole selves, body, spirit, and mind, to our faith. Intellectual questions, literacy, and science are never to be feared. As Paul says in Romans, continuing to grow in faith, understanding, and love is part of the discipleship path: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

The Oregon Synod staff invite all of us to participate in the second annual Synod Day of Learning on Saturday, September 25, from 9:15 am-3:45 pm. The rise of the Delta variant will not stop us—workshops and the keynote address will all be offered via Zoom.

Conversations and workshops will follow the theme of the year here in the Oregon Synod: Faithful in the Fray. This fall we will be looking at faithfulness as it applies to faith and racism, and we are delighted to share that local leader and author Pr. Lenny Duncan has agreed to be our keynoter. Workshops will be both morning and afternoon, and will include themes such as anti-racist reading of the Bible, facing the climate crisis with honesty and hope, hidden stories
from the margins and our own lives, crafting new liturgies as sacred collective action, how to have tough conversations in congregations, and honoring our grief around the history of racism in our state and world.

The entire day’s event is only $50 per screen for adults over 21. Under 21 is free. Scholarships are available by contacting the Bishop’s Office at office@oregonsynod.org. Registration closes on September 20 at 9:00 pm.

Flowers on the Chancel

The flowers on the chancel today are given to the glory of God by Doris Larson in memory of her husband Don, who died 12 years ago; her oldest daughter Roxanne and husband Jim Imbrie’s wedding anniversary on September 8; and her granddaughter Jessica’s upcoming marriage to Tracy on September 4.

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 Gloria Heidinger Peace and God’s comfort at her death Judy Heidinger (sister-in-law)
Family and friends of Bob Carlson (uncle) Peace and God’s comfort at his death Carol Hogan
Baby Raya and her family Strength and comfort Ginny Link (great-grandaunt)
Family and friends of infants Tucker and Bennet Peace and God’s comfort at their deaths Laura Geczy-Haskins (cousin)
Don Brown (brother) Patience, guidance, comfort in hospice care Bob & Mary Brown
Amy Marks (friend) and her husband Mark Comfort, guidance, and strength Bob & Judy Scholz
Kay (mother) Effective treatment and recovery Linda Sah Olshausen
Joyce (sister) Effective treatment and recovery Judy Scholz
Lisajoy Sachs (cousin) Comfort, healing, and recovery Sue Cahlender
Maverick Dixon (unborn nephew) Complete healing in the womb AJ & Rebecca Uecker
Carol Hogan Healing and recovery Staff
John Fiegenbaum Healing and comfort Amy Fiegenbaum
Karlene Peace and comfort Linda Fransen
Bernie Dwigans (father) Accurate diagnosis and healing Carol Hogan
Grandson of friend, Pat Successful surgery Linda Fransen
Maria Navarre Comfort and encouragement Lynn Santelmann
All those suffering from natural disasters Protection and safety Staff
People of Afghanistan Safety and security Staff
Springfield Lutheran Church (Springfield, OR) Serving with us in the Oregon Synod Staff
Islamic Center of Portland (Portland and Beaverton, 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, August 29

8:30 am Worship with Communion (masks required)
Livestream Worship with Communion
Sanctuary
YouTube
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

Monday, August 30

10:00 am Meals on Wheels/Loaves and Fishes Offsite
6:00 pm Troop 5618 Meeting Garden Parking Lot

Tuesday, August 31

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

Wednesday, September 1 – Weekly News submissions due by 4:00 pm

10:00 am Yoga (both Chair Yoga & Floor Yoga) Fellowship Hall
6:45 pm Informal Gathering Time Zoom
7:00 pm Wednesday Evening Prayer Zoom
7:30 pm Centering Prayer Zoom

Thursday, September 2

12:00 pm Team Ministry Meeting Chapel, Library
7:00 pm Executive Committee Meeting St. Andrew Room (also Zoom)

Friday, September 3

10:00 am T’ai Chi Fellowship Hall

Saturday, September 4

9:00 am Nifty Notters Fellowship Hall

Sunday, September 5

8:30 am Worship with Communion (masks required)
Livestream Worship with Communion
Sanctuary
YouTube
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

Connecting to Worship

Ways to Give: Thank you for supporting our ministries!




August 22, 2021

Want a printed copy of the Weekly News? Click on the printer icon to the right or download and print the PDF.

Weekly NewsDownload

Mask Mandate Returns

COVID is running rampant in Oregon. Please note that St. Andrew now requires EVERYONE—even vaccinated individuals—to wear a mask inside the building. Disposable masks are available at the Narthex entry if you need them. And, remember, we’ve already shown a good bit of discipline in the face of this virus and we can do this to protect each other and especially to protect our children who are not yet able to receive the vaccine. Masking is a profound and visible sign of our commitment to neighbor and community care.

If you are feeling more apprehensive about worshiping in the Sanctuary, as always, make the decision that is best for you and your household. Thankfully, we have a variety of worship options. 11:00 am worship in the Sanctuary of the Firs makes use of our outdoor space, and we are blessed with a talented team of technology wizards who make remote worship possible.

Wednesday Evening Prayer

Midweek Evening Prayer Services will continue to be offered through the summer months via Zoom. Meditations will be drawn from Devotional Classics. All are welcome this Wednesday, August 25 for social time at 6:45 pm and service at 7:00 pm. Centering Prayer follows at 7:30 pm. Participate in all or part of our scheduled time together. Look for links to this worship service at midday on Wednesdays in Allison’s email.

Western Farm Workers’ Fiesta

The Western Farm Workers’ Association is celebrating its 33rd anniversary, and you’re invited! They would like to recognize the help that St. Andrew has provided over the years in its September donations of warm clothes and cash support.

The free event, which includes dinner and a Mexican fiesta complete with music and dance performances, is this Saturday, August 21 from 6:00 pm—8:00 pm at Calvary Lutheran Church in Hillsboro. They ask that our members sit together at a reserved table for us. If you would like to attend, please call Fran or Ted Miller at 503-641-6519.

Guest Preacher Tim Overton-Harris

As Pastor Mark’s sabbatical continues, we welcome the Rev. Tim Overton-Harris, Columbia district superintendent of the Oregon-Idaho Conference of the United Methodist Church, to the pulpit this Sunday. More than a year ago Overton-Harris blogged about a theological quandary: whether and why to reopen churches in the midst of a pandemic. Go to www.umoi.org/blogdetail/13997649 to read his thoughtful essay and be certain to check out his words for us this weekend.

Introducing: The Roots!

With the start of the school year comes something very exciting in our children’s ministry! This year we are launching an entirely new Sunday morning children’s program: The Roots! This program is designed to live into our vision for children’s ministry by emphasizing our core values and increasing the percentage of our congregation that is involved in ministering to our kids. It takes a village!

Check out the insert in this newsletter to read about the origin of this program, its name, its goals, and how you can be a part of it by leading 15 minutes once every six weeks—a total of only one hour over the whole school year!

Kyler Vogt,
Children & Youth Minister

Sock It to Me – Outside In

Once again we have an opportunity to demonstrate Community and Neighbor Care by improving the lives of young people in our city. Since 1968, the Outside In has transformed lives by helping break the cycles of chronic homelessness, poverty, and poor health among Portland’s LGBTQIA+ community, people of color, those experiencing homelessness, and the underserved.

Currently, the Outside In is in high need of socks. Please consider contributing to this request by purchasing new men’s and women’s socks and bringing them to church between July 25 and August 29. There will be a barrel in the Narthex and the socks will be delivered to Outside In at the end of August. Both staff and clients of Outside In appreciate this congregation for all of our support over the past years and send their thanks once again for your contributions.

Service Committee

Welcome, Johanna

Please welcome our newest employee, Johanna Land, who is working Tuesday-Thursday as St. Andrew’s office assistant. You can reach Johanna by emailing office@standrewlutheran.com or calling the church phone: 503-646-0629.

We’re delighted that Johanna has joined our team! Please continue to send prayer and calendar requests, as well as material for the church newsletter, to the church office. Johanna will take care of you or forward your information appropriately.

And do stop by during Johanna’s work hours to say “Hi” and to introduce yourself.

Leadership Training Planned for September

MACG will hold a two-day Leadership Training Institute in September. More details will be coming soon, but for now, please save the dates: Saturday, September 18, and Saturday, September 25, 10:00 am–4:00 pm, at Spirit of Grace in Beaverton.

Don’t miss this terrific opportunity to learn how using organizing principles can strengthen relationships, build community, and work for common good in our community. Look for more information next week, but please contact any member of St. Andrew’s MACG Core Team if you have questions: Pat Christiansen, Larry Bliesner, Lynn Santelmann, Scott Taylor, Bob Stadel, Jan Smith, and Victoria Kovalenko.

Preparing for Sunday, August 22, 2021

Tim Overton-Harris will preach.
Reading: Ephesians 6:10-20
Gospel: John 6:56-69

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

ELCA Summer School

The ELCA’s Advocacy Summer School has already begun, but you can still register for the final three sessions and learn how to become more effective in addressing the justice issues that fuel your passion. Please go to https://tinyurl.com/tjzdzucp to learn more and to register for future sessions. The next session will be held Wednesday, August 25, at 11:00 am Pacific time. Please note that you must register separately for each week’s offering.

Time to Collect School Supplies for Lutheran World Relief

Education is one of the strongest tools a community has for breaking the cycle of poverty. Even better results occur when we can ensure that girls attend school in places where their access to education is not a priority. Lutheran World Relief (LWR) school kits contain essential supplies to help children learn in the face of serious obstacles.

With many retailers currently offering back-to-school sales, now is the time to help us stock up on supplies for LWR School Kits. Our goal is to collect enough supplies to fill 75-100 school kits by early September.

We need the following supplies for each School Kit:

70-sheet spiral bound notebooks (4 per kit)
1 box (16– or 24-count) crayons
1 pencil sharpener
30-centimeter ruler (1 per kit)
1 pair blunt scissors
5 unsharpened No. 2 pencils with erasers
5 black or blue pens
2 ½ inch eraser (1 per kit)

Thank you for your generous donations.

St. Andrew Service Committee

Organ Scholarship Applications Due

Please note that applications for the St. Andrew Foundation’s church organ scholarship are due no later than Monday, October 4. To address the critical shortage of church organists, the fund awards $800 towards organ lessons with a recognized organ teacher. Applicants from age 13 through 30 are invited to apply. Go to the Foundation page on our church website and scroll to the Organ Lesson Scholarship Fund section to download the 2021 Scholarship Announcement and Application. Applicants from a variety of faith traditions are encouraged to apply.

A Book Sale’s Coming: It’s Time To Prune Your Collection!

Give me your tired, your broken, your worn-out volumes
Waiting for new homes,
The unwanted books of your o’er-flowing shelves.
Give these, the books, undesired unto me,
There’ll be a sale, to give them all new homes!

Yes, there’s gonna be a book sale, scheduled for Sunday, November 28, and we need all your cast-off and no-longer-desired books to sell. Simply put your donations in the boxes on the floor of the Adult Library or on the counter, if bending is hard for you. You can bring in magazines, too, children’s books, history, fiction, whatever you think you’re ready to pass on. This is a used book sale to make money for our church libraries, not the Annie Bloom sale we’ve held in years past.

Pam Farr
Adult Librarian

The Chapel Oak

Don Nearhood continues to send us his lovely photos of plants living on our campus. This is a small Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana). At five years old it is only about two feet tall but looking healthy.
This particular tree has several names: the Chapel Oak, the Coming Home to Earth Oregon White Oak, and the Preschool Oak. Charissa White and her preschoolers (known as the Oak Room) nurtured the sapling as it grew in a pot in their classroom through the winter of 2015-2016. In the spring of 2016, the class planted the tree on the slope below the garden beds, with a ring of black stones placed around the baby tree. Each stone had one word written on it: Charity, Inspire, Dream, Friends, Trust, Believe.

If anyone remembers nurturing this tree or would like to help it survive and grow, please contact Don Nearhood or Carol Harker.

I Am My Story

This year, The Immigrant Story plans to go live with four musicians and four stories of survival on one unforgettable
night, Saturday, September 11, at 7:00 pm. The event will be held at the Alex L. Parks Performing Arts Center, 9000 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy.

With storytellers from Burundi, Rwanda, Cambodia, and Syria, the program focuses on first-person tales of courage and fortitude. These stories of resilience in the face of unimaginable atrocities of war and genocide offer hope and inspiration at a time when we need them most.

The program will begin with a performance by renowned viola player Dijana Ihas, a professor at Pacific University who survived the war in Bosnia and was a member of the Sarajevo String Quartet, which played more than 200 concerts during the Siege of Sarajevo. She will be joined by three musicians from the Oregon Symphony.

Chapel Oak

Don Nearhood continues to send us his lovely photos of plants living on our campus. This is a small Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana). At five years old it is only about two feet tall but looking healthy. This particular tree has several names: the Chapel Oak, the Coming Home to Earth Oregon White Oak, and the Preschool Oak. Charissa White and her preschoolers (known as the Oak Room) nurtured the sapling as it grew in a pot in their classroom through the winter of 2015-2016. In the spring of 2016, the class planted the tree on the slope below the garden beds, with a ring of black stones placed around the baby tree. Each stone had one word written on it: Charity, Inspire, Dream, Friends, Trust, Believe.

If anyone remembers nurturing this tree or would like to help it survive and grow, please contact Don Nearhood or Carol Harker.

New Books in the Library

Fiction
One by One by Ruth Ware
When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole
Esther’s Gift by Jan Karon
Faithful Place by Tana French
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

Fiction on CD
Sycamore Row, by John Grisham

Nonfiction
Framing Immigrants: News Coverage, Public Opinion, and Policy by Chris Haynes, Jennifer Merolla, and S. Karthick Ramakrishnan
The Gifting God: A Trinitarian Ethics of Excess by Stephen H. Webb

Biography/Memoir
Educated by Tara Westover
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas
Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

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 infants Tucker and Bennet Peace and God’s comfort at their deaths Laura Geczy-Haskins (cousin)
Phyllis Morris Peace and comfort in hospice care Staff
Karlene Peace and comfort Linda Fransen
Amy Marks (friend) and her husband Mark Comfort, guidance, and strength Bob & Judy Scholz
Maria Navarre Comfort and encouragement Lynn Santelmann
Kay (mother) Accurate diagnosis and treatment Linda Olshausen
Bernie Dwigans (father) Accurate diagnosis and healing Carol Hogan
Grandson of friend, Pat Successful surgery Linda Fransen
Lisajoy Sachs Comfort, healing, and recovery Sue Cahlender
Carol Hogan Healing and recovery Staff
Maverick Dixon (unborn nephew) Complete healing in the womb AJ & Rebecca Uecker
Those fighting or threatened by wildfires Protection and safety Staff
People of Haiti Help and recovery Staff
People of Afghanistan Safety and security 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 Tubb
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
Portland Taiwan Lutheran Church Strength and wisdom Staff
Faith Lutheran Church (Junction City, OR)
Faith Lutheran Church (Roseburg, OR)
Serving with us in the Oregon Synod Staff
Congregation Shaarie Torah (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, August 22

8:30 am Worship with Communion
Livestream Worship with Communion
Sanctuary
YouTube
10:30 am Virtual Coffee Time Zoom
11:00 am Worship with Communion
Zoom Worship with Communion
Sanctuary of the Firs
Zoom
12:00 pm Virtual Coffee Time Zoom

Monday, August 23

6:00 pm Troop 618 Meeting Garden Parking Lot

Tuesday, August 17

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 or across from the Community Garden, depending on the weather

Wednesday, August 18 – Weekly News submissions due by 4:00 pm

10:00 am Yoga (both Chair Yoga & Floor Yoga) Fellowship Hall
6:45 pm Informal Gathering Time Zoom
7:00 pm Wednesday Evening Prayer Zoom
7:30 pm Centering Prayer Zoom

Thursday, August 19

12:00 pm Team Ministry Meeting Chapel, Library
7:00 pm Council Meeting St. Andrew Room (also Zoom)
7:00 pm IT Meeting Offsite

Friday, August 20

10:00 am T’ai Chi Fellowship Hall

Saturday, August 21

9:00 am Nifty Notters Fellowship Hall

Sunday, August 22

8:30 am Worship with Communion
Livestream Worship with Communion
Sanctuary
YouTube
10:30 am Virtual Coffee Time Zoom
11:00 am Worship with Communion
Zoom Worship with Communion
Sanctuary of the Firs
Zoom
12:00 pm Virtual Coffee Time Zoom

Connecting to Worship

Ways to Give: Thank you for supporting our ministries!