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August | 2006
Bring a Friend to Jesus
Come on, now, be honest. How many of you recoiled in horror when you read that title? How many of you ex—(insert your previous denomination here) shuddered, crying, “That’s why I left (same as above)!” And I know you cradle Episcopalians were aghast, mumbling to yourselves, “We’re Episcopalians. That ‘bring a friend to Jesus’ jazz is for (insert someone else’s previous denomination).” Well, you’re right. That’s just not our style. We Episcopalians have never been much for waiting at bus stops handing out tracts. Never really been a wave-your-Bible-on-the-street-corner kind of a crowd. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Maybe if we had a few more folks standing on street corners waving Bibles there’d be a few less standing there waving guns. But that’s another story. No, we’ve never been into the whole ‘bring a friend to Jesus’ deal. Not because we don’t have friends, either. We have friends, yessiree. And we bring ‘em places, too. Bring ‘em to the movies and to the lake. Bring ‘em to the Ski Lodge and to the Country Club. We bring our friends to the golf course and to our favorite restaurant. Why, if we like ‘em enough, we’ll even bring our friends home to meet mama. Ya’ know, in the Episcopal Church, the 90’s were the “Decade of Evangelism”. And our membership numbers declined. Declined! I’m not even kidding. It would even be funny if it wasn’t true. But it’s not because we don’t have friends. It’s not because we refuse to bring our friends places. It’s not even that we won’t (believe it or not) bring our friends to church. We invite our friends to church. They just don’t come. Oh, they’ve got so many other things to do. They’re busy, and Sunday is the only day they have to relax. They’re tired, and Sunday is the only day they have to sleep late. They already have a church home – of course, they haven’t been since their wedding….They’re golfers, and Sunday… now here you have to realize something – if it’s 10:30 on a Sunday morning and you’re standing on the 7th green inviting your friend to church next week, you’re fighting an uphill battle. So here’s what we’re going to do. Stop. That’s right. Quit. Halt. Desist. Do NOT invite your friends to church. Stop laughing. I’m serious. Don’t do it. Don’t invite them to church. Sure, sure, you want your friends to know the joy and peace you’ve found in Christ. Yeah, you want your friends to experience the love and forgiveness of God. I know, you might even want them to share in the abundant and eternal life Jesus gives. Then don’t invite them to church. Invite them to something else instead. Invite a friend to Alpha where he can hear the gospel message in a non-threatening, culturally-relevant and really funny manner. Invite a friend to a GC Group where she can know the community and connection found within a small group of believers. Invite your friend on a Mission Trip where he or she can experience the life-transforming principle of serving others. Hey, just invite ‘em over for dinner one night with some people from church, so they can see for themselves that Christians are goofy and messed up and fun to be around. Used to be that Christians wanted to convert someone before inviting them to share in our community. Maybe it even worked. But it doesn’t anymore. Instead, we need to invite people into our community and let Jesus convert them when and how He sees fit. After all, conversion is His job, not ours. Remember that as you hear more about Alpha and GC Groups and Rally Day and all the rest of the life of the church. You’ve got friends. Invite them. Don’t be scared. All they can do is say no. Invite them to Alpha. Invite them to a GC Group. Invite them to dinner. Just don’t invite them to church. ~Father Jay
Rally Day is Upon Us The Summer is almost over. For some of us, this means that it is time to go back to school. For some of us, it means back to work (teachers, counselors, administrators, etc.). But for all of us, it means that it is time to resume our regular schedule. Our church will be celebrating Rally Day on Sunday, August 20th. Rally Day is the way that St. Andrew’s kicks off the new academic year. At 9:15 the kids will check out their Sunday School classes and learn what they will be doing for the year. The youth will talk about Sunday School as well, but they will also talk about what Clark has planned for them this Fall. And the adults (and I use that term loosely) will meet in McKeogh Hall to talk about Adult Christian Formation, including Sunday School for the fall. This will also be an opportunity for us, as a church, to cast a vision for the life and ministry of St. Andrew’s. There will be fun and games for the kids, and there will be a special ‘competition’ for the adults (see the next article). So please be at church August 20th from 9:15-10:15 for Rally Day. ~Father Michael
The Gauntlet has been thrown As a way to spice up Rally Day and because I love to eat, Rally Day will be BYBB. Before you heathens get too excited, that stands for Bring Your Best Breakfast. This is an opportunity for all of you to bring whatever it is that you cook for breakfast that you consider your best breakfast, and to share that meal with others. If you have a recipe for blueberry muffins that originated with your great-grandmother; bring them. If you make a breakfast casserole that has been described as “if God made a casserole, this is what it would taste like;” bring it. I personally think that I am the Martha Stewart of instant oatmeal, but my wife does not seem to be impressed by this talent. Now, there are some logistical problems, i.e. there is limited oven/stove access in the church kitchen, but I will leave it up to you to overcome whatever hurdles stand in your way. And be prepared, there is a chance that I will find some judges, who will decide, once and for all, who indeed Brought the Best Breakfast. ~Father Michael
Best-Laid Plans I was taking a walk the other day, and just as I got to the far end of our farm, as far away from the house as possible, the sky turned dark and it started to rain. And it wasn’t just a soft drizzle. It was big drops. Close together. Which was a blessing, because we needed the rain. But I certainly hadn’t planned on being so far from my house when it finally hit. Plans are funny, aren’t they? While I wouldn’t win any prizes for being the most organized person in my family (have you met my sister Kelly?), there is no doubt that I am a planner. I have a calendar. Well, several. I have a list. Okay, several lists. I most definitely like knowing how things are going to go ahead of time. But lately, I’ve noticed that there is a common thread running through all of my various plans: things aren’t going according to them. Big, life-altering plans. Little, minute plans. All of it. For several months now, I can’t even seem to get through a day without things going off in their own direction. Could it be possible that I am supposed to learn something from this? Does God have to strike me with an actual lightning bolt for me to stop and glean whatever it is? This brings us back to the walk in the now-torrential downpour… As I started to hurry back toward my house, with the rain coming down harder and thunder rolling in the distance, I had a strange moment of realization. It was as if my soul opened to accept a gift I didn’t even know was being handed to me. The rain felt amazing. The ground smelled wonderful. The warm glow of the lights inside my house in the distance gave me a great sense of comfort. And the walk in the rain turned out to be far better than the walk I had set out to take. In fact, I finally stopped walking altogether, and just stood there for a while. If anyone had seen me, they would’ve thought I was nuts. But the truth is, once I opened my mind to let go of my plans and experience the gift of the reality, it felt so good, I hesitated to go inside, even though I was soaked. One of my all-time favorite quotes of Emily Dickinson is “the soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.” Could it be that by so carefully etching my plans into stone, I might have become, well, less than open-souled? Less than open-minded. Have I been letting my own plans limit whatever God might want to do in my life, and in the process, robbing myself of the amazing things He has in mind? But that brings up a familiar difficulty. If I just let God’s plans dictate my life, I won’t know what’s coming. What kind of laser-like faith will I have to maintain to be able to release my preconceived hopes and notions and let go of the whole “what happens next”? It’s human nature not to be comfortable with that. After all, what, exactly, are God’s plans? The Bible is full of answers to that question. It tells us that God will meet our needs; that all things—even the heartbreaking things—go together for good somehow; that we don’t need to be anxious about anything; that He’ll be with us every second. And it clearly tells us that Jesus came that we might have life, and have it to the full. (Yes, Father Jay, it’s beginning to sink in.) So that’s the plan. Life. To the full. I think I can live with that. After all, bottom line, that’s what we all want. Isn’t it? In the end, I’ll have to keep my calendar and my lists—because you can’t really function very well in this day and age without them. The thing I am laying down is the burden of letting them be too important. Doing that means changing my perspective—realizing that calendars and lists are just about what I do all day. They don’t cover what happens to me. I’m leaving that up to God. And even as all of my best-laid plans are shattered and carried away like dust in the wind, I know this for sure: that I am standing on solid rock. That an amazing and mighty God has made big plans. For me. And those plans are unthinkably good. Because when I let go and open my mind…it makes the difference between the hot, sweaty walk I was planning on taking and the refreshing, amazing walk in the rain I ended up with. Which would you rather have? ~Tracy Aubin, Editor
Flowers at the Altar The flowers that we see at the Altar every Sunday are a gift! They are a gift to the Glory of God, and they are God's creation that represent life on earth. Here at St Andrew's the flowers are often given as a family or personal remembrance, as for the celebration of an event, in thanksgiving for, or in memory of. In the "Life of the Church" on Sunday you will read of such a remembrance so that you too will know of this special time in the life of a parishioner. It is through your donation to the Flower Fund that we have, at the Altar each Sunday, this gift to the Glory of God! For many years we have not had to raise the cost of the two Altar arrangements. It has become evident now that an increase in the cost of the two arrangements is a must. Our parish florist, Amy Collins, gives of her time and beautiful talent to fill our needs with flower arrangements each Sunday. She is also able to arrange for weddings and other special flower needs here in our church. Soon the Altar Guild will have a frame in the Narthex which will show a Flower Chart for the year. It will be there for you to mark the month and date when you would like to give to the Flower Fund, with an envelope for the information and a personal check. A "locked box" will hold your envelope and be collected from there by Altar Guild. Flower arrangements will be ordered with thanks for your donation.
Alpha Update: It’s almost here! The Alpha Course is coming to St. Andrew’s in September! Many of our congregation attended last fall, and I am sure they would tell you that it was something they are glad that they didn't miss. It answers basic questions about Christianity; it attracts unchurched people to join us here at St. A’s. In other words, it was a great success. This year’s course will be another great success if each of you will invite someone you know who has questions about the existence of God and whether Jesus Christ has any real relevance for their lives. Please pray about this 12-week class—which also includes a great weekend getaway—and ask about it from those who benefited from Alpha last year. ~Joan Moore, Evangelism
Have you noticed the Narthex Frames? Our Bishop Lillibridge blessed the area in the Narthex and the Frames following the 10:30 service on May 28, 2006. Now work is progressing towards finishing the Frames for Information in the Narthex. The various ministries at St Andrew's will then have a new space for displaying information pertinent to activities; for example, there will be a Flower Chart and there will be a Prayer Chart. When all is finished there will be space at which a number of ministries at one time will display information for forthcoming events at St. Andrew's. However, there will also be a system as to how that information to be added into the frame. A sheet of poster board will display the appealing looks of the announcement, much like what ministries have used in the past, only the easels will no longer be used for the "Frames" will take the place of the easels. The poster boards will be the background medium used to display all information, whatever the color chosen, with well thought out and visually appealing information written on the poster board or on paper adhered to the poster board by gluing or using two sided tape to the poster board. The frames each have a slot in one side where the poster board will be inserted. These are not push pin type bulletin boards; the frames are backed with wood which you will see as you insert your information poster board. The end result will be good looking, well thought out displays in frames.
Needlepoint, anyone? The Altar Guild of St Andrew's is looking for a few good needlepointers! We have some projects to do and we are inviting anyone who does needlepoint to give us a hand. There are two kneeling cushions needing needlepointed tops which will be on the kneeling benches at the Columbarium. We would like to replace the Reserve Pew Markers with needlepointed markers, and would need 8 to 12 of these. The designs on these items would be simple and resembling the needlepointed cushions that we now have. You may be one who is interested in learning the art of needlepoint. Please call Sue Merkle @ 830.914.3206, or you may e-mail her at merkleg@texas.net. We would like to get started this summer. Needlepoint can be carried with you and pulled out to work on when you are waiting for someone, waiting to enter an appointment, going somewhere in the car when you are the passenger, a few stitches before bed, while you are sort of watching television, and I could go on and on. The time is out there and just waiting for you to say Yes! I'll help. Please consider this form of art and know how you would be helping to enhance the beautiful appointments of St. Andrew's Church. ~Sue Merkle
Getting a new computer? Give us your old one! Bill and I recently went with the mission teams to
Honduras. So much has changed in 20 years! In 1986, electricity was
erratic, and few schools had it. Roads were sometimes nothing more than
cow paths. Now, the remotest school we visited had electricity and, for
the most part, the gravel roads were fairly smooth. Of course, sometimes
it takes two hours from Siquetepeque to reach a school within the school
district. Most of the schools are composed of a few sturdily built classrooms
with porches. They are simple but usually well maintained. There seems to
be a desk and chair for every student. Usually, a rural classroom is bare
except for a chalk board and a few visual aides. In Him, Lynn Campaigne (372-0017)
Come To Me “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28) Join the Women of St. Andrew’s for a Fall Retreat, October 27th – 29th, at Mo Ranch in Hunt, Texas. Total cost for the weekend is only $125 per person if we fill all of the spaces. Only 30 spaces are available, so reserve your spot quickly!! A Deposit of $75 is all it takes (checks made out to St. Andrew’s – Memo: Come To Me) Contact Jamie George, 401-5983, to reserve your spot. Please do not let the cost be an obstacle to attending. Scholarships are available. Call Jamie for any special needs.
Make a note: ▪Don’t forget to make a habit of bringing one can every Sunday for the Christian Cupboard. Or how about bringing several cans once a month? However it works best for you, it is a very easy way of making a real difference to the less fortunate people in our community. ▪A Call for Cookies! If you haven’t gotten around to getting a batch of cookies ready for the prisoners in the Conally Unit, now is the time! Warren Wundt is collecting them, and needs them by August 2nd—which is just around the corner. Even if you can just grab a bag of Chips Ahoy on your next trip to the store, it would be greatly appreciated! ▪The new August-October issue of Forward Day by Day is now available. Pick up your copy from the tract racks in the narthex or McKeogh Hall. If you can leave a small donation, that’d be great. ▪Alpha Lunch/Auction August 27th—the Sunday after Rally Day. We still need some great items for the auction, so call Joan Moore (379-6562) and let her know what you can donate!
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