C O N T E N T SOctober 2003 | Vol. XVIII, No. 5Progress afoot in the North Room
Blessing the Animals
SAINT ANDREW’S FAMILY OF FAITH Loyalty, fellowship, and generosity If this is October, it must be…the beginning of our annual stewardship drive. The stewardship committee, headed by Al Mosk, has been formed and in the next few weeks its members will be working hard to remind everyone of how vital individual financial commitment is to the future of the church. A series of social events and presentations will stress that pledging some part of your income doesn’t just lend Saint Andrew’s material support by keeping the doors open and the lights on. It is also an act of loyalty, fellowship and generosity, one that links the spiritual life of every single person to the work of the whole church. Above all, your pledge is an expression of belief in the future—a promise that has the power to build, maintain, and even expand Saint Andrew’s family of faith.! Vespers for All Hallows' Eve Halloween—a.k.a. All Hallows’ Eve—isn’t just for trick-or-treating this year. On Sunday, October 26, Saint Andrew’s celebrates a special Vespers at 6 p.m. The service begins in darkness and continues with the summoning of light out of shadow, life out of death, and alternative, even offbeat, spiritual expressions out of time-honored scriptural and liturgical traditions. So think of spending part of your All Hallow’s Eve at Saint Andrew’s. You don’t have to be a lost soul to participate in this uniquely Episcopalian Day of the Dead!
FESTIVITIES: Caila Poythress, right, watches as Paul Sammon prepares his next move in a challenging game of Mangala at the Sept. 14 Homecoming Picnic (held after the 10 a.m. service), as Carolyn Ybarra, left, and Alice Verano observe. Reflections on living in communion I find it illuminating to think of these webs of relationships which constitute our lives as being force fields of energy in which our various perspectives and ways of embodying the Gospel constantly interact—challenging and enlarging one another, and thereby more fully revealing God’s truth. Difference, and the capacity to welcome otherness, are essential to the vitality of these various force fields. And the energy which gives them life is love. This is my understanding of what it means to be the body of Christ. We are members one of another, differentiated and yet one, not according to our notion of unity but one in the power of the Holy Spirit who binds us together. So, the fundamental question is not how do we create unity or overcome our differences, but rather how do we live into the communion into which God is always drawing us. The challenge before us at the present moment is to live into that communion, to go to the deeper place and draw more fully from the springs of God’s eternal and deathless life, which alone can give life to us all. |
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The Bishop’s Committee of Saint Andrew's would like to give a short update on the progress of work in the North Room. As of Sunday Sept. 28, we have stripped down the floor, removed and relocated the previous cabinets and applied the first coats of floor finish. Sunrise Sobriety has also provided wonderful support and help with this project, providing the 60 new folding chairs, the manual labor to remove the cabinets, and additional assistance.
All creatures great and small are cordially invited to come to church on Oct. 5. The occasion is of course the Feast of St. Francis, friend of all four-footed beasts, so if you have one of those in your house, please bring him or her to either the 8 or 10 a.m. service for a special blessing. Of course, the guest list isn’t restricted to Fido and Fluffy: turtles, gerbils, and all other family pets are also welcome, including stuffed animals and your favorite boa constrictor (under the circumstances, we forgive and forget anything unpleasant that happened in the Book of Genesis). And if your pet is skittish or too big to fit through the church doors, a photograph will work just fine! 
