Stewardship: More Than Just the Annual Pledge
Drive
By TED WRIGHT, Stewardship Chair
When someone mentions
stewardship, do you think of something at the core of our Christian faith? Or do you,
instead, have images of the church asking you for money each fall?
Jim Anderson Tapped as New
Minister of Music at Saint Andrew’s
By KATHY
KUCZYNSKI, Worship Committee Chair
The search committee for the new Minister of Music, in consultation with the choir, is
pleased to announce the confirmation of Jim Anderson as our new Minister of Music. Jim is
a familiar face at Saint Andrew’s, and has certainly shown his dedication to the
music program of our congregation He has done a terrific job of setting in motion our
Youth Choir, something many have advocated for a long time.
Easter Potlucks Set for
April, May
By NINA
MACDONALD, Easter Potluck Coördinator
There will be three Easter-season potlucks for all members of the congregation and their
families. The dinners will start at about 6:30 p.m. and children are welcome. There will
be sign-up sheets at church for several weeks before each dinner, or you may call Nina
Macdonald to RSVP.
Worship Committee Meets,
Plans
By CANDICE CROCKER, Education
Chair
The
Worship Committee at Saint Andrew’s has undergone changes since the retreat of the
Bishop’s Committee in February. The scope of the committee includes not only the text
of the service but the music, and aspects of ensuring smooth flow. Christian education is
also now under this heading.
Children’s Stewardship
Restarts
By TED WRIGHT, Stewardship
Chair
In
the middle of March, Saint Andrew’s renewed our children’s stewardship project.
This project has two parts. The first involves teaching children to recognize God’s
gifts and helping them to formulate responses to those gifts. As part of this process, the
parents of our children received a letter suggesting how they might help their children
along this spiritual path and, as a tangible manifestation, to formulate a pledge to
church.
Keep Kay’s Can
Well-Stocked
By MARY ANN HAYES
The baskets containing food donations for Kay’s Cornucopia (these are the baskets
brought up at the offering) are getting fuller each week. So far we have delivered 100
lbs. to the Episcopal Service Alliance food bank and we have another 67 lbs. ready for
delivery. (Forty-nine pounds came in on Sunday, March 7). We managed to exceed our goal of
25 lbs. that week. We are slowly but surely working out the kinks in how we collect,
store, and transport the food. And, several people have volunteered to take this project
over and keep it running.
Everything You Always
Wanted to Know About Scrip...
By JEAN SPENCER, Office
Manager
There have been lots of questions asked about
the scrip program at Saint Andrew’s. Here are some answers to allay some fears that
people may have about the hows, whys and wherefores!
Outreach Opportunities
By JOHN RODRIGUES, Outreach
Chair
There have been lots of questions asked about
the scrip program at Saint Andrew’s. Here are some answers to allay some fears that
people may have about the hows, whys and wherefores!
Saint Andrew’s
Looking for a Few Good LEMs
By RICK WHITTAKER, LEM
Coördinator
Have
you ever sat in the Sunday worship and wondered who those people are in the funny robes
with the odd purple sashes around their necks? They are Lay Eucharistic Ministers or LEMs.
The robes they wear are called “albs” and the purple sashes are indeed odd, but
no odder than many articles of liturgical vestment (take for example, the hats bishops
wear (they’re called mitres)—who thought those up?).
An Episcopal Visitation
By LELAND JONES, The
Vicar
The
Rt. Rev. Sylvestre Romero, Bishop of Belize, is scheduled to be our presider and preacher
on Sunday, April 25. Bishop Romero and his family were very welcoming to the Vicar during
his sabbatical in 1997 and it is a pleasure to be able to offer hospitality to him. It is
planned that he will attend the previous day’s seminar on "Purpose-Driven
Churches" (which members of the Bishop’s Committee are attending) as our guest
and that we will have a special coffee hour and possibly a potluck barbecue on Sunday
evening in his honor.
Volunteers Make a
Difference, Each and Every Day
By LELAND JONES, The
Vicar
A
non-profit, charitable organization relies on the goodness and talents of volunteers in
order to exist. Just the Sunday services (a -little over two hours in duration) require
the work of altar guild (4), acolytes (4), choir (14), coffee-makers (4), greeters (2),
lay eucharistic ministers (4), oblation bearers (4), teachers (6), ushers (4). A
conservative estimate of these person-hours is around 85 per week!
Holy Week: A Focus on
Spiritual Renewal
Holy Week is that period of each
year in which Christians celebrate the last week of Christ’s redeeming work in this
world. Holy Week begins Palm Sunday, and culminates on Easter Eve, April 3. This week has
also been known at various times throughout Christian history as Paschal Week and Great
Week.
Acolytes Look to Retain
Title in Basketball
By SANDY WHITTAKER, Acolyte
Coördinator
On May 2, 1999, after the 10 a.m. service
there will be another "Adults vs. Acolytes" basketball game. Hot dogs,
snacks and drinks will be sold during the event. All money raised will go to the acolyte
fund for supporting an acolyte social event during the year.
Acolytes Venture to Palace
Park
By SANDY WHITTAKER, Acolyte
Coördinator
On
Feb. 28, nine acolytes attended "Acolyte Day at Palace Park." This was an event
to thank the acolytes for their dedication of service throughout the year. A good time was
had by all.
Any Acolyte Aspirants? If you will be entering grades 6 through 12 in the fall and are interested in assisting in the worship service you may want to consider becoming an acolyte. The acolytes are the youth who assist the clergy during the service by leading the processional and recessional; lighting and extinguishing candles; and assisting in the offertory and communion preparation.
NETLINEIf you are interested, please contact Sandy Whittaker.
Easter Egg Hunt for All Kids Again this year, the youth group of Saint Andrew’s is inviting all children from our congregation and the Children’s Center to an Easter Egg Hunt directly following the Easter morning 10 a.m. service. We will have designated areas for different age groups and will provide bags for the collecting of the goodies. Please join us for this Saint Andrew’s tradition! Confirmation Class Forms Our Deanery 10 Confirmation will be on Saturday, May 8 at 10 a.m. at St. Margaret of Scotland Church in San Juan Capistrano. In preparation, youth Confirmation classes will be held on the three successive Saturdays prior to May 8: April 17, 24 and May 1, from 9 a.m. to noon on each day. Again this year, Saint Andrew’s will be joining with Saint Michael and All Angels in Corona del Mar to present these classes. The first class, on April 17, will be at Saint Michael’s; the April 24 and May 1 classes will be offered at Saint Andrew’s. Young confirmands are usually in the eighth grade and older. If you need more information, or have questions, please contact Fr. Gordon at extension 20 at the church.
THE PEOPLE'S WARDEN'S POINT / Phil Schwartz
Looking Good, Feeling Good
Billy
Crystal, through his Fernando character on "Saturday Night Live," told us that
looking good was more important than feeling good. Looking marvelous was the goal.
Ascetics and sages throughout the ages have told us that feeling good, or inner peace, was
all that mattered and that external appearances mean nothing. While I would put more
credence in the words of the latter, I am not convinced that that’s all there is to
it.
THE VICAR'S VOICE / Leland Jones
‘The
Work of the People’
Recently,
a member of the congregation asked about the timing of our worship services; specifically,
the period of silence between readings. It seemed that there was concern that the lectors
were drawing attention to themselves by not stepping right up to the ambo to commence one
lesson at the conclusion of the previous one. I indicated that this was a planned time of
quiet to encourage a few seconds (we request a count of 10 from the Lay Eucharistic
Ministers) for meditation on God’s word.
ON PILGRIMAGE / Gordon B. Yeaton
Somehow
Changed
It seems as if my life is getting
back to normal, somehow. After so many months of not feeling well, and then the seemingly
endless wait before the surgery and the recovery time after, it is akin to coming out of a
fog and finding most everything as I left it, but somehow changed. I know my life has been
altered. First, there is the miracle and mystery of the entire kidney transplant
experience. Then, there is the renewed love and vitality of my biological family, followed
by the warm embrace of my family at Saint Andrew’s, and the staff and students at
Irvine High School, and of course, my close circle of friends. All of this convinces me,
more than ever, that I am a truly blessed person. Blessed by a loving God, held in the
palm of the hand of the Creator, cared for by my Savior, and refreshed and sustained by
the Holy Spirit. New eyes and new hope exist in all I see and do.