November 21, 2021

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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 the Weekly News 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.

November 21: Sharon Fako and Liz Hardy will lead a session about Black Americans in Oregon, providing an historic background for modern-day issues.

Racial Equity Challenge suggestions: 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge—America & Moore.

Read: Redlining Was Codified Racism that Shaped American Cities and This Exhibit Shows It Still Exists

Listen: 1619, a podcast from the New York Times

Watch: We the People — the three most misunderstood words in US history, Mark Charles, TEDxTysons

Notice: Test your awareness: Do the Test

Connect: Movement for Black Lives (https://m4bl.org/)

Engage: Join a Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) chapter in your area.

Act: Prepare yourself to interrupt racial jokes. Click HERE for some advice about how.

Stay Inspired: Create a Soundtrack4Justice playlist that fuels you and/or can serve as a conversation starter with people of all ages.

“Leading in a Liminal Season”

This Sunday, Pastor Susan continues her Adult Education class, “Leading in a Liminal Season,” at 10:00 am via Zoom. The class is based on Susan Beaumont’s 2019 book, How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You Are Going, Leading in a Liminal Season, published by Rowman and Littlefield. We will be on Zoom; please bring your bible.

Pastor Susan

Advent Evening Prayer

Beginning December 1, Advent Evening Prayer will be returning, with worship offered in-person in the Sanctuary as well as via Zoom if that can be arranged. The theme for the season of Advent is “Holy Darkness.”

In lieu of gathering on Wednesday, November 24, worship planners encourage you to use the Thanksgiving Devotional being emailed to the congregation. Hard copies are also available in the Narthex.

Spirituality Book Group

The Spirituality Book Group will meet on Sunday, November 21, 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 on the Spirituality Book Group email list, please contact Mary Smith at dbits1@gmail.com.

Sharon Fako will lead our discussion of Kristin Hannah’s novel, The Four Winds, which an Associated Press writer described as “an ode to the strength and ferocity of mothers.” The book reveals the battle between the haves and the have-nots escalated by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl storms that accompanied it, but it also testifies to the resiliency of the human spirit.

Future Reading

Giving Tree Donations Needed

As the Christmas season approaches, we look forward to once again sharing our love and care with Barnes Elementary School families in need. This year we will collect donations to put toward gift cards to make the season more festive 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 the Giving Tree in the Narthex.

Along with the Barnes Elementary counselors, project organizer Donna Brocker is working to assist immigrant families this year. If you have questions, please contact Donna at 503-502-6156.

Welcome Sunday

We will celebrate Welcome Sunday on December 5. If you would like to affirm your baptism and become a member of St. Andrew, please contact Pastor Mark Brocker, 503-646-0629, ext. 201, or email brockerms@standrewlutheran.com.

Flooring Feedback

The Facilities Management Team is seeking input on Sanctuary flooring. Should the carpet be replaced or should we investigate hard-surface options and costs? A pending gift to St. Andrew would cover 90-100 percent of the cost of new carpet and its installation. Moneys in the PIPE (Property Improvement) Fund itself are not sufficient to cover either the carpet option or a hard surface alternative. Please submit your feedback via this Google form or call Pam Meredith at 503-475-3568. Responses will be accepted through Friday, November 26. Thank you!

Hanging of the Greens

Please join us Saturday, December 4, at 9:30 am for the “Hanging of the Greens.” We’ll set up the Christmas tree and decorate the church for all to enjoy as we celebrate Advent and
the birth of Christ. Boy Scout Troop 618 is generously donating the wreaths and greens to deck our church again this Christmas season. If you have questions, please contact Tammy Piscitelli.

Book Sale Help Needed

I’m going to need help setting up for the big day of St. Andrew’s Used Book Sale. Needed are three people who can stand still holding ten pounds over their heads for five minutes, repeatedly. It won’t be for hours and hours, just long enough for me to hand down books above the top shelf, after which they’ll be put on carts and pushed into Fellowship Hall. So, 3 people, 10 pounds over your head, at 1:00 pm on Saturday, November 27; go home when you get tired. Thank you!

Pam Farr
Adult Librarian

Table Talk: Back from the Climate Brink

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. 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, November 30, 7:00-8:00 pm.

Seminarian Karen Klingelhafer is currently working on a course paper focused on how the life and writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King, Jr. can help us address the climate crisis and move us toward a safer planet. She has offered to lead our November Table Talk. In preparing us for this Table Talk she writes: “The smoke – layered on top of a housing crisis wrought by last year’s wildfires, a resurgent strain of COVID-19 and a crippling drought – has left many in the region teetering on the brink. Among the most vulnerable to the overlapping crises: people experiencing homelessness and those who work in the agriculture industry.” Are we at a crisis situation with climate change? Is there a consensus throughout the world? With so many concerns, what do we focus on? How
can we (as a church, as individuals) make an impact?” This is an especially timely topic given that the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) is being held in Glasgow, Scotland, October 31 – November 12.

Book Sale Next Sunday, November 28

The magical day is coming soon! Thank you for all the great books you’ve brought in to make it happen. And it’s not too late to bring in more. Just look at how much neater all your houses are simply from going through your books. Think of what more you can do in the coming week—and all the new reads you’ll pick up at the sale next Sunday. You’ll be ready to welcome the cold and wet with some special finds. And the prices are really good!

$2:    Hardcover adult and young adult books

$1:    Soft cover and mass market (smaller, old-style paperbacks)

$2: Newer, nicer children’s hardcover books

$1: Older children’s hardcovers

$1: Children ‘s paperbacks with spine

3/$1 or 50 cents each:   Children’s paperbacks without a spine

4/$1:   Magazines

We have a complete set of yellow spine Nancy Drew mysteries for $1 each, but you must purchase the entire 56-book set. (Note: This set is available on ebay for $175.) Also for sale are two complete sets of the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis, each with some damaged books that are priced accordingly.

Plus, we have a huge box of free books. While damaged, all except two of these are complete, with no pages missing. The free box also includes magazines. Please note that the quilt magazines available may not have all their pages, so be sure to check that the quilt pattern you want is all there.

Go to Fellowship Hall between services (9:30-11:00 am) or after the second service (12:00-2:00 pm) to shop. Book tables will be arranged alphabetically by topic, but some of those topics are a bit creative as I couldn’t think what to call them.

So, do come! And, if you don’t like the prices, we’ll be glad to negotiate—or you can always pay more! Cash and checks accepted. Wows welcome!

Pam Farr
Adult Librarian

Baby Roses

What joy! Two St. Andrew families have welcomed newborn daughters, born on the same day and just in time for Thanksgiving. The roses on the altar this Sunday celebrate their births.

Congratulations to Carl & Laura Geczy-Haskins on the birth of Florence Margaret, who joins three-year-old Honoria in the family. Florence Margaret was born November 12.

Congratulations also to John Giddens & Sovathana Ly on the birth of Kakruna Giddens Ly on November 12. This new little one, whose name means compassion in Cambodian, is exactly what big sister Meta (now two) insisted she wanted: a little sister to love!

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.

1. Download the Stock Transfer Form from the church website or contact the church office.
2. Contact your brokerage firm to initiate an electronic transfer of securities.
3. 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.
4. 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

Celebrating a Milestone

Bill and Sandi Beavers are celebrating a milestone. Congratulations to both of you on your 50^th wedding anniversary! Bill & Sandi were married on November 27, 1971 at Bethany Lutheran Church in northeast Portland.

An Ordinary Sunday

November 26 is the birthday of American writer Marilynne Robinson, born in Sandpoint, Idaho, in 1943. Robinson is most famous for her Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel, Gilead, written in the form of letters from an elderly, ailing pastor to his young son. 

Here’s a taste: “Sometimes I have loved the peacefulness of an ordinary Sunday. It is like standing in a newly planted garden after a warm rain. You can feel the silent and invisible life. All it needs from you is that you take care not to trample on it. And that was such a quiet day, rain on the roof, rain against the windows, and everyone grateful, since it seems we never do have quite enough rain. At times like that I might not care particularly whether people are listening to whatever I have to say, because I know where their thoughts are.”

Robinson said: “I have spent my life watching, not to see beyond the world, but merely to see, great mystery, what is plainly before my eyes. I think the concept of transcendence is based on a misreading of creation. With all respect to heaven, the scene of the miracle is here, among us.”

And again: “At this point, right across the traditions, there is nothing more valuable to be done than to make people understand that religion is beautiful and it is large.”

The article above is excerpted from Salt’s
Theologian’s Almanac for Week of November 21, 2021

Council Decision on BSA Charters

Thank you to everyone in the congregation who took the time to provide input on whether or not the Council should authorize signing BSA charter agreements for 2022 with the two Scouts BSA Troops (618 and 5618) and Venturing Crew that St. Andrew currently charters.

To summarize, respondents shared a wide range of views. Generally, the people responding to the request for input were either all-for or all-against signing charters for next year. The majority of feedback received came from individuals with longstanding relationships with the Scouts.

After reviewing the feedback and entering into extended open and honest discussion, the Council voted not to sign charters with the two BSA Troops and Venturing Crew for next year. Instead the Council approved a motion to seek to enter a Facilities Use Agreement with the units for 2022. The Council also concurred that all groups seeking to use St. Andrew facilities be required to sign a Facilities Use Agreement that will be developed.

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.

Food Pantry Help Wanted, 2022

St. Andrew members have continued to serve at the Food Pantry at St. Matthew during the pandemic. We had to make a few changes. Families came and met us outdoors while we all wore masks. While families have missed the opportunity to come inside and select food, they were fed well with fresh produce and a bounty of packaged food, meat, dairy products, and also some surprises such as pumpkin pie. Our volunteers took orders in English, and sometimes in Spanish, and we packed bags with creativity and a prayer. On some dark rainy nights, our main challenge was to find the correct car for each grocery cart of food. Thank you: Steve Grover (and friends); Jim & Pat Hilliker; Roger & Pat Sandquist; Dan & Sharon Fako; and Eric & Jan Luttrell.

We look forward to getting our families back into the pantry sometime in 2022. In the meantime, here is a plea for more volunteers.

In addition to helping serve families at the center, we need volunteer pairs of two to deliver food to families who are not able to come to the center. Volunteers pick up a pre-packed box for the family and add fresh and frozen or refrigerated items. Deliveries could be scheduled on a Sunday afternoon or a weekday between 2:00-8:00 pm. The time involved is 1-2 hours. You do have to have a car and be ready to locate the address. You will be given information for 2-3 families and you will call to learn more about food preferences and a time that will work for delivery. This does not have to be a long-term commitment. A team can serve one time only or once a month or twice a year, or whatever works with their schedules.

This seems to be a great family opportunity and folks can try this out and see how it works. If you have questions, contact Sharon Fako at sfako24@comcast.net or erica97229@gmail.com.

Thanksgiving Devotionals

Check your email inbox for St. Andrew’s devotional to guide a short service of gratitude before your Thanksgiving meal.

Preparing for next Sunday, November 21, 2021

Lesson: Isaiah 40:1-11
Gospel: Luke 1:5-20

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.

Jack Warnes (brother-in-law) and family	Peace and God’s comfort as his death nears	Suzanne Warnes
Nan Thompson	Affirmation of her decision to forego further cancer treatment and acceptance by family and loved ones	Nan Thompson
Dr. Cara Steinkeler	Strength as she supports dying COVID patients and their families	Gary & Gail Grafwallner
Lynn Santelmann	Successful surgery (November 23) and recovery	Paul Navarre
Ginny Link	Healing and recovery	Ginny Link
John Trom	Healing and recovery	Pastor Susan Kintner
Chris Sinn (brother)	Healing	Randy & Michelle Sinn
John Fiegenbaum	Comfort and pain relief	Amy Fiegenbaum
Madeleine (granddaughter)	Strength and healing	Mary Smith
Jason and family	God’s direction and support	A. Grapa
Kakruna Giddens Ly	Thanksgiving for her birth	John Giddens & Sovathana Ly
Florence Margaret Geczy-Haskins	Thanksgiving for her birth	Carl & Laura Geczy-Haskins
Kay (mother)	Blessings as she celebrates her 90th birthday	Linda Olshausen
Those confined to their homes	Assurance of God’s presence	Staff
	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
All who are imprisoned	Peace and strength	Staff
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon Holy Trinity Catholic Church	Blessings on their work	Staff
Peace Lutheran Church (Pendleton, OR) Grace and Mercy Lutheran Church (Umatilla, OR)	Serving with us in the Oregon Synod	Staff
Bilal Masjid (Beaverton)	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, November 21

8:30 am	Worship with Communion (masks required)	Sanctuary and Livestreamed
10:00 am	Adult Education: A Journey Towards Anti-Racism, Part 1	Fellowship Hall and via Zoom
10:00 am	Adult Education: Leading in a Liminal Season	via Zoom
10:00 am	Children’s Ministry with Donna Brocker	Children’s Library
10:00 am	Confirmation (for grades 6-8)	Library and via Zoom
10:00 am	High School Youth Group	Youth Room
10:30 am	Virtual Coffee Time	Zoom
11:00 am	Worship with Communion (masks required)	Sanctuary and via Zoom
12:00 pm	Virtual Coffee Time	Zoom

Monday, November 22

6:00 pm

Scout Troop 618 Meeting

Fellowship Hall, St. Andrew Room

Tuesday, November 23 – 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

Wednesday, November 24

10:00 am

Yoga

Fellowship Hall

Thursday, November 25

Thanksgiving, Church Closed

Friday, November 26

Staff Holiday, Church Closed

Saturday, November 27

9:00 am

Book Sale Preparation

Library, Fellowship Hall

Sunday, November 28

8:30 am	Worship with Communion (masks required)	Sanctuary and YouTube
9:30 am	Book Sale to Benefit St. Andrew Libraries	Fellowship Hall
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
12:00 pm	Used Book Sale to Benefit St. Andrew Libraries	Fellowship Hall

Connecting to Worship