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Welcome Sunday
At the 8:30 am service this Sunday, December 5, we welcome Sam Harker, Julie Hoffmaster, Bobbie Larson, and Ginny Vick as they reaffirm their baptisms and join in membership. Welcome to St. Andrew!
Donations Needed
Thank you to everyone who has already donated to making the season more festive for Barnes Elementary School families in need. This year we are collecting donations to put toward gift cards for these families. Please make your gift no later than Sunday, December 12. For each donation that is received, we’ll add an ornament to our Giving Tree.
One of the families St. Andrew is assisting suffered an apartment fire a few months ago, where they lost everything. That family is currently living in a shelter. In another situation, grandparents are caring for four young children and trying to make ends meet after their son went to prison. They are doing all they can to make life safe and secure for their grandchildren.
In addition, our area is welcoming hundreds of Afghan refugees who are navigating a new culture after having to leave so much and so many behind.
Organizer Donna Brocker is working to assist these families and many more. If you have questions, call Donna at 503-502-6156.
Adult Ed: “The Kairos Hermeneutic” with Kyler and the HS Youth!
It’s hard to read the Bible. Modern biblical readers have massive separations in history, culture, and language to overcome in the process. Yet, reading the Bible gets even tougher when Christian tradition tells us that the Bible—containing fantastic tales of miracles, gory acts of violence, and outdated legal text all set in a culture bearing little resemblance to our own—is supposed to be the pinnacle of truth and the ultimate authority for our modern lives. To many modern people, this has become a deal-breaker in their faith. In this class, I will show you a way I have learned over the last several years that allows me to read the Bible as truthful, authoritative, and deeply meaningful—even if it isn’t always right.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! My vision for this class is to give our congregation a glimpse into a typical Sunday morning with our high school youth. You’ll get to see how we check-in about our weeks, what kind of conversations we have, and witness how deeply we can dive into difficult and complex issues together. So you can get the full experience, this class will be held in-person at 10:00 am in the Youth Room on December 5, 12, and 19. If you have any questions, or if you just want to let me know you’ll be there, contact me at kvogt@standrewlutheran.com. I hope you will join us!
An Advent Journey Towards Anti-Racism
Please join St. Andrew’s Reckoning With Racism cohort in a six-part exploration of how racism has played a role in the history of Oregon, and how we can all move toward being anti-racist.
Whether or not you are able to attend the class sessions, you are invited to take part in a congregation-wide Racial Equity Challenge. The goal is to do at least one thing each week that brings each of us closer to becoming anti-racist. The website 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge—America & Moore is filled with suggestions for ways to read, listen, watch, notice, connect, engage, act, reflect, and stay inspired in the journey. Watch this newsletter for a description of each week’s class and suggestions for which challenges are related to that topic. A complete schedule can be found on the St. Andrew website.
We are hoping to document our efforts as a community of faith toward the goal of becoming anti-racist. In the narthex, you will find a display board and paper candle cut-outs. Please write what you did in the past week on one of the candles, and add it to the board. Together, we can shine some light in the darkness of racism.
December 5: Janet Vorvick will explore Asian Americans in Oregon, from an historic background through modern day issues.
Racial Equity Challenge suggestions: 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge — America & Moore
Read: Infographic: What Is Tone Policing And Why Is It Wrong?
Listen: Do the Work
Watch: What kind of Asian are you?
Notice: What are the last five books you read? What is the racial mix of the authors?
Connect: APIAHF – Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Engage: Find a mentor within your own racial group to support and guide your growth.
Act: Interrupt the pattern of white silence by speaking openly with family, friends, and colleagues about what you’re doing and learning in the 21-Day Challenge.
Reflect: Take time everyday to reflect on what you chose to do, what you’re learning, and how you are feeling.
Stay inspired: Create a Soundtrack4Justice playlist that fuels you and/or can serve as a conversation starter with people of all ages.
Advent Evening Prayer
Julie Aageson will offer a meditation on the beauty of darkness at Advent Evening Prayer this Wednesday, December 8. Join in worship in the Sanctuary or via Zoom at 7:00 pm. Our theme for the season is “Holy Darkness.”
Baby Rose
The rose on the altar this Sunday celebrates the birth of Joy Alexandra, granddaughter of Joel & Beth Johnson. Born on Thanksgiving Day to parents Jed & Emily, Joy is aptly named to reflect all the feelings her arrival un-leashed. Congratulations to the entire family!
Lydia Circle
Lydia Circle will meet Tuesday, December 14 at 1:00 pm in the St. Andrew Room. Our Bible study is taken from the December Gather magazine and is entitled “Women of Advent.” We’ll be looking at the lives of Hannah, Mary, Elizabeth, and Anna and find inspiration in their stories as our spiritual grandmothers. All are welcome and you need not have read the lesson to take part. If you have questions, contact Mary Brown at 503-439-3917.
Nifty Notters
You are invited to join the Nifty Notters on Saturday, December 18, for our last meeting of the year. We meet from 9:00 am-2:30 pm in Fellowship Hall. Come for all or part of the time to help work on quilts for Lutheran World Relief and NW Children’s Outreach. All materials are provided and no experience is necessary. Home projects are also available. Children’s Outreach is a new recipient of our baby quilts and the people there were excited to get their first donation of quilts. They distribute the quilts to local benevolent agencies requesting baby quilts for their clients. If you have questions, contact Mary Brown at 503-439-3917. We will NOT meet Saturday, January 1.
Candle Lighting Litanies
If you have an Advent wreath in your home and ceremoniously ignite another candle each week prior to Christmas, you might appreciate the Advent litanies we share on the church website. To help proclaim that God’s new world is at hand, the people of the Salt Project begin each litany by telling the truth about our broken world and then cry out with all people of faith—past, present, and future—that God is, even now, overwhelming the world!
End-of-Year Stock Donations
Greetings from your Financial Secretaries. As the end of the calendar year approaches, we want to remind you of the process for donating stock to the church.
Contributions must actually be paid before the close of the year to be deductible in 2021. Please allow at least 3 weeks for the completion of the stock transfer sale. If you intend to donate stock this tax year, please start the process as soon as possible.
- Download the Stock Transfer Form from the church website or contact the church office.
- Contact your brokerage firm to initiate an electronic transfer of securities.
- Complete the form, including your intentions for the use of the donation, and email a copy to financial-secretary@standrewlutheran.com. Or you may send a copy to the church office marked “Confidential for Financial Secretaries.” This form must be turned in at the beginning of the process. Without it, we cannot complete your request.
- Upon receipt of the form, one of the financial secretaries will contact you regarding the progress of the electronic stock transfer to Charles Schwab, the church’s securities firm.
Thank you for your generosity to the Mission and Ministry of St. Andrew.
Tammy Piscitelli
on behalf of the Financial Secretaries and Finance Team
Finding Liturgy in Life and Life in Liturgy
An Oregon Synod Lay Education Course
How does liturgy shape us? How might we shape it? Gather with people from across the Oregon Synod this January and February to explore liturgy in daily life, communal worship, and public witness. We’ll pay particular attention to the seasons of the church year, the flow of worship, the invitation of sacraments, and daily practices that help us cultivate a life of depth and meaning. We’ll create space for the integration of blessing, celebration, lamentation, prayer, song, symbols, and ritual crafting. You’re encouraged to bring your whole self as we seek to live in holy rhythm. Pr. Matta Ghaly will be the primary instructor. The course is designed with a Lutheran lens and inclusive heart; all are welcome.
This on-line course is offered through the Oregon Synod’s SALM and Lay Education Program. We’ll meet the following eight Tuesday evenings on Zoom from 6:30-8:00 pm (Pacific Time): January 11, January 18, January 25, February 1, February 8, February 15, February 22, and March 1. Authentic participation and relationship-building are the priority. Course participants and/or their congregations are encouraged to donate, as they are able, on a sliding scale between $20-$160, but donations are not required to register. If you’d like to sign up for the course, please do so through the registration form.
A Used Book Sale Success!
Thank you for a most successful used book sale! Once everyone’s paid up, we’ll have made $611. Plus we have a credit at Powell’s, where we were able to sell some of our remainders.
A huge thank you to Dan & Sharon Fako, Bob & Mary Brown, Rob Dieffenbach, Don Near-hood, and Barb Gutzler, my trusty sidekick. Also to my poor old worn-out husband and to Pam Meredith, who stood ready to function as backup cashier.
Donna Brocker took several books for the kids at Barnes School and some carefully selected titles for Afghan refugees. All the lovely Bibles are going to Portland Rescue Mission with some children’s books for their women’s and children’s shelter. I have already begun feeding the Little Free Libraries with books Powell’s won’t buy. This is a real pleasure for me as I have indulged in them quite often.
To all of you who came to the sale, saw, shopped, and bought books, thank you. And to everyone who donated so many lovely books, thank you huge for allowing me to have such a good time!
Pam Farr
Adult Librarian
Congratulations!
Dear Mark, Susan, and Saints,
You have made great progress on your loan with the Mission Investment Fund. Congratulations! With gratitude for you and all the good work that you do, may God bless your ministry.
Joel
Mission Investment Fund
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
Second Sunday of Advent
Happy New Year! The Christian year begins with the season of Advent, and this way of beginning is itself significant. You might think the year would begin with the trumpets of Easter, or the softness of Christmas Eve, or the fires of Pentecost — but on the contrary, we begin in the shadows of despair, war, sorrow, and hate. For it’s precisely there that the God of grace will arrive, and accordingly, it’s precisely there that God’s church is called to light candles of hope, peace, joy, and love. It’s worth remembering this deep poetry: as the Christian new year begins, we join hands and enter the darkness, actively waiting, singing, and praying anew for God’s light to overwhelm the world.
from SALT Project
Preparing for next Sunday, December 12, 2021
Lesson: Isaiah 12:2-6
Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25
Go to the “Preparing for Worship” webpage for the bulletins, the complete Lectionary, and more.
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 Keith Poppert | Peace and God’s comfort at his death | Claris & Corky Poppert |
| Family and friends of Jack Warnes (brother-in-law) | Peace and God’s comfort at his death | Suzanne Warnes |
| Joe Baker and all who mourn the death of his parents Bill & Marna | Peace and God’s comfort | Pastor Mark |
| John Fritz | Comfort and wisdom in a time of transition | Staff |
| Sam Harker | Successful surgery (December 8) and a smooth recovery | Carol Harker |
| Angie Mitlehner | Healing and recovery | Angie Mitlehner |
| Chris Entrikin | Healing and recovery | Jerry Entrikin |
| Lynn Santelmann | Healing and recovery | Paul Navarre |
| John Trom | Healing and recovery | Pastor Susan Kintner |
| Dr. Cara Steinkeler | Strength as she supports dying COVID patients and their families | Gary & Gail Grafwallner |
| 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 |
| Gloria Dei Lutheran Church (Coos Bay, OR) Faith Lutheran Church (Coquille, OR) | Serving with us in the Oregon Synod | Staff |
| The Jewish community | Blessings for Hanukkah | Staff |
| Muslim Educational Trust (Tigard, 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, December 5, Second Sunday of Advent
| 8:30 am | Worship with Communion (masks required) | Sanctuary and YouTube |
| 10:00 am | Adult Ed: A Journey Towards Anti-Racism, Part 2 | Fellowship Hall or via Zoom |
| 10:00 am | Adult Ed: The Kairos Hermeneutic | Youth Room |
| 10:00 am | Children’s Ministry | Children’s Library |
| 10:00 am | Confirmation | Library and via Zoom |
| 10:00 am | High School Youth Group with Adult Ed | Chapel |
| 10:30 am | Virtual Coffee Time | Zoom |
| 11:00 am | Worship with Communion (masks required) | Sanctuary and Zoom |
| 12:00 pm | Virtual Coffee Time | Zoom |
Monday, December 6
| 6:00 pm | Scout Troop 618 Meeting | Fellowship Hall, St. Andrew Room |
Tuesday, December 7 – Weekly News submissions due by 12:00 pm
| 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, December 8
| 10:00 am | Yoga Class | Fellowship Hall |
| 6:00 pm | Sanctuary Team Meeting | Library |
| 6:00 pm | Bells of Grace Rehearsal | Sanctuary |
| 6:45 pm | Informal Gathering Time | via Zoom |
| 7:00 pm | Advent Evening Prayer | Sanctuary or via Zoom |
| 7:30 pm | Sanctuary Choir | Sanctuary |
Thursday, December 9
| 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 | HR Meeting | via Zoom |
Friday, December 10
| 10:00 am | Tai Chi | Fellowship Hall |
Sunday, December 12, Third Sunday in Advent
| 8:30 am | Worship with Communion (masks required) | Sanctuary and YouTube |
| 10:00 am | Adult Ed: A Journey Towards Anti-Racism, Part 2 | Fellowship Hall or via Zoom |
| 10:00 am | Adult Ed: The Kairos Hermeneutic | Chapel |
| 10:00 am | Children’s Ministry | Children’s Library |
| 10:00 am | Confirmation | Library and via Zoom |
| 10:00 am | High School Youth Group with Adult Ed | Chapel |
| 10:30 am | Virtual Coffee Time | Zoom |
| 11:00 am | Worship with Communion (masks required) | Sanctuary and Zoom |
| 12:00 pm | Virtual Coffee Time | Zoom |
Connecting to Worship
8:30 am: Worship in the Sanctuary or watch the livestream of worship on YouTube.
- The same link will bring you to the recording of the service to watch anytime after the livestream ends.
- An audio recording of the 8:30 am service will be available Sunday afternoon by simply dialing 503-643-9416.
11:00 am: Worship in the Sanctuary or participate in worship via Zoom
The link will be sent via email and by notification from the church app.
- To participate via Zoom, you can use a smart phone, computer, tablet, or a telephone.
- To participate in “Virtual Coffee Time” simply log in early or stay logged in after the Zoom worship service ends.
Not getting church emails? Click on the green button below to contact the church office to recieve the livestream worship link and zoom invitations.
Need Help? If you discover that you need help connecting to St. Andrew’s online worship services and meetings, please email Rebecca Fako Uecker. She will be available by 9:30 am on most Sunday mornings and 5:30 pm on most Wednesday evenings to provide same-day help for church-related purposes.