THE ST. ANDREW MESSENGER St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 908 Murfreesboro Road, Franklin, TN 37064 In Christ, We Worship, Love, Grow, Serve, and Send. Vol. XXVI No. 4 APRIL 2015 Pastor The Rev. Dr. Michael A. Lippard [email protected] HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE Pastor Emeritus The Rev. Eric C. Pearson [email protected] MAUNDY THURSDAY Thursday, April 2 at Noon and 6:00 p.m. Vicar Katherine Museus [email protected] On this day, the Christian community gathers to share in the holy supper which Christ gave the church to reveal his unfailing love for the human family. From this gathering we are sent to continue Christ’s actions in daily life: to serve those in need, to offer mercy, to feed the hungry. Director for Youth & Children’s Ministries Sandy Vollmer [email protected] Organist Dr. Darryl Miller [email protected] Director of Music Kimberly Sprinkle Hopkins [email protected] Parish Administrator Newsletter Editor Jolene Richardson [email protected] Administrative Assistant Jean Pryzborowski [email protected] Children’s Choir Director Katherine Mansouri [email protected] Sunday Schedule 8:30 a.m. Holy Communion 9:50 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Holy Communion 5:00 p.m. SLY & STAKK Nursery available throughout the morning Congregational Council: President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Financial Secretary Finance Christian Education M embership M inistries Administration Outreach M inistries Stewardship Worship and M usic Fellowship Nurture Youth Representatives M itch Counts Kevin Reynolds Juli-Kay Baumann Shirley Swan Bruce Wegner M arty Emrath Susie M iller Cindy Hale Chuck Campbell Doug Paton Christy-Lee Lowe Nick Hafner Beth Lindsay Linda Strickland M ason Schey Lindsey Brownrown The first liturgy of the Three Days (Triduum) has no ending; it continues with the worship of Good Friday and concludes with the Vigil of Easter. Together the Three Days proclaim the mystery of our faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Z Z 12:00 Noon - A service of corporate confession, individual absolution, scripture readings, and Holy Communion. 6:00 p.m. - A service of corporate confession, individual absolution, scripture readings, Holy Communion, and dinner. RSVP for dinner by calling the church. GOOD FRIDAY - STATIONS OF THE CROSS Friday, April 3 at 10:00 a.m. A Stations of the Cross devotion led by children, youth, and young adults for God's children of all ages, will be held at St. Andrew on Good Friday, April 3 at 10:00 a.m. in the church nave. Each station will consist of a reading, response, prayer, and time of meditation and reflection as we remember Jesus' suffering on his way to Calvary. We are reminded of how much God loves and cares for us as our Savior and Redeemer. (Continued on page 2, see Holy Week Schedule) Page -2(Holy Week Schedule continued) GOOD FRIDAY - TENEBRAE SERVICE Friday, April 3 at Noon and 7:00 p.m. At the heart of the Good Friday liturgy is the passion according to John, which proclaims Jesus as a triumphant king who reigns from the cross. Our reading of the passion today receives its shape from the medieval Tenebrae (Latin for “darkness”) service. Seven lit candles are serially extinguished during the reading of the passion. The ancient title for this day—the triumph of the cross—reminds us that the church gathers not to mourn this day but to celebrate Christ's life-giving passion and to find strength and hope in the tree of life. In the ancient bidding prayer, we offer petitions for all the world for whom Christ died. Today's liturgy culminates at the Great Vigil of Easter. THE GREAT VIGIL OF EASTER WITH HOLY COMMUNION Saturday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m. RESURRECTION OF OUR L ORD EASTER D AY FESTIVAL SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION Sunday, April 5 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. Today is the day Jesus Christ rose from the darkness of the grave to new life. Today is the first day of the new creation. Today is the day when the church celebrates its birth from the waters of baptism and its new life in the holy supper. Though suffering, injustice, and sin continue to mark the world in which we live, the Christian community goes forth from font and table with Christ’s mission to heal, liberate, and forgive. In the Fifty Days of Easter, the church, rejoicing, asks the question: how does our baptism send us forth in hopeful service to the world? This ancient service, the last of the Three Days, is our congregation’s first celebration of the resurrection. We begin outside around a newly struck fire, then move to the nave where the Easter Proclamation announces, “This is the night in which all who believe in Christ are rescued from evil and the gloom of sin, are renewed in grace, and are restored to holiness.” This is the crowning moment of the church’s year. The church celebrates the presence of the risen Lord as he brings us to new life in baptism, gives us his body and blood, speaks his word of promise, and comes to us in the Christian community. If you haven’t been to a Vigil, this is a great opportunity to experience the church’s primary celebration of the resurrection. It begins at St. Andrew at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 4. May “the light of Christ, rising in glory, dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds.” (ELW, p. 267) ANNUAL EASTER BREAKFAST Come and join us for our annual Easter breakfast on Sunday, April 5 hosted and served by the youth. The breakfast will be served in the fellowship hall from 9:00 until 11:00 a.m. Please bring your family after the 8:30 worship or before the 11:00 a.m. worship for a great meal and fellowship. A freewill offering will be taken. Youth are needed to volunteer to help serve breakfast. Join us for a delicious Easter morning breakfast, and support our youth! Page -3- FROM THE PASTOR FROM THE PASTOR EMERITUS Give Thanks It is hard to believe that we have been in our beautiful nave for five years! It seems like only yesterday that we were scurrying around preparing to make the big move from the old worship space to the new, looking for just the right spot to call “home” in our new surroundings. A great deal has happened in those five years, not the least of which is that we have welcomed approximately 250 new members into the St. Andrew family of believers! That growth continues unabated as each week visitors come seeking the risen Lord. Please do not overlook the worshipers who may be sitting beside you. Some of them may be "veterans," while others may be new or first time visitors and to them, everything is new and unfamiliar. For these folks there are no comparisons to be made between the "old nave" and the "new nave." They have no recollection of how things used to be. They have come to worship, and as the "oldtimers" in the group it is our duty and our joy to make them feel welcome. From the moment they drive into the parking lot they are forming opinions about St. Andrew Lutheran Church, and those opinions are reinforced when they meet you in the narthex or in the nave. Make them feel welcome as once you were made to feel welcome. We have a fine group of official greeters and ushers who do just that, but the lion's share of welcoming depends on everyone extending the hand of Christ. Your warm welcome may make the difference in a visitor's decision to return - or not. Quite a few years ago, when Susan, Hannah, and I were living in Tupelo, MS, I remember that a great quartet sang an anthem at the Thanksgiving service we did each year with the local Episcopal church. That year, the service was at our church, Christ the King Lutheran. The pastor, my wife, had arranged for a quartet from a local African-American church to be with us. The song they sang was "Give Thanks." I remember being incredibly moved by their offering to us. It wasn't long after that, as I recall, when Tupelo lost the leader of that group to a shooting. It was a hard loss to take: give thanks. And yet, that's what the community did: we gave thanks for the life and witness of this man, Charles, who had done so much to promote peace in our city. We gave thanks for the beauty of his voice, and the beauty of his life. If I ever knew anybody who illustrated Easter, it was Charles. When I think about everything that goes on at St. Andrew, of all the volunteers who give so much of their time and attention to our many ministries, I feel a deep sense of gratitude. So many acts of service and love happen here that are never even seen. You, the people of this parish, give generously of your selves, your time, your talents, and your money. I've been in some great parishes, and I've heard about some great parishes, but I don't know of any that have the same passion for service as the people of St. Andrew. It is a great privilege to serve as a pastor here! Thank you for everything you do to share the love of Jesus in this place, in our community, in our synod, in the ELCA, and throughout the world. Yours in Christ, Pastor Lippard + Grace and Peace, Eric C. Pearson+ Pastor Emeritus Newsletter Deadline ALL articles and photographs for the May 2015 newsletter must be submitted to the Parish Administrator at [email protected] The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 10, 2015 Page -4- FROM THE DIRECTOR OF YOUTH AND CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES Some might be a little noisy and whisper a bit too loudly. Some come running and skidding to their place as if sliding into home plate for the winning run. Some come shyly grasping the hand of a parent, grandparent or sibling. Some come bouncing or skipping and grinning. Who is this coming and where or what are they coming to? They are children, the youngest members here at St. Andrew, and they are coming to worship. They are coming up to the front of the church for the children’s sermon, to the table for Holy Communion, and to the baptismal font for the best seat in the house. It’s a highlight during worship to watch the children as they come. It’s a treat to listen as they add their precious, unique insights to the message. And it’s a joy to watch as they receive the body and blood of Christ or a blessing at the table. As a parent, I will admit that at times I have been a little leery of what might come out of my child’s mouth during worship. As we all know, children can speak silly and sometimes honest things. But Jesus says in Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” Children learn by doing and seeing. During worship they have the opportunity to learn just by being present. It’s o.k. if they have a coloring bag or a toy in hand. By being present they are listening, and like little sponges they are soaking it all up. Children watch their family and those around them as they worship. They observe the pastor and worship leaders during this special time together. They notice the colors on the altar, and if the baptismal font is full and the candles lit. They delight in the music and singing and get excited when the star on the organ spins. Bringing children, and youth for that matter, to worship can be a lot of hard work. I have experienced that some things worth doing are going to be hard but then realize that the benefits can be great. I will admit that getting out of the house and to church on time is a challenge some days. I am thankful for children in worship. I am thankful that we as a church family and faith community are welcoming to these young members, and I am thankful for the parents, grandparents and friends who bring their children to worship. God’s Peace, Sandy Vollmer DYCM FROM THE VICAR It’s hard to believe that I am officially halfway through my internship here at St. Andrew. It feels like I just got here yesterday, but it also feels like I’ve been here for a lifetime -- in a good way! To mark this midpoint on my journey with y’all, I thought I’d share the five most surprising things I’ve learned from St. Andrew thus far: 1. The BBC television series The Vicar of Dibley is way more popular than I thought it was. 2. I can love someone I’ve never had the chance to meet, just by hearing about them from others who loved them so well. 3. Wearing a collar is great in the wintertime -- it keeps my neck warm! 4. Sometimes I feel like I need to hear the gospel even more frequently now that I am in a full-time pastoral role. If I’m paying attention, I can hear it often and in some very unexpected places. 5. In moments when I am crabby or exhausted or selfish or doubtful, when I just don’t have the energy or attitude to be a minister, even then God can make good things happen. And so the moments when I am most doubtful of my own abilities are the moments when God shows grace all over again. Since we are all members of the “priesthood of all believers,” I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve seen God do the same thing in your lives. Pretty amazing! Thank you all for playing such a central role in my journey to be a pastor! This has already been such an amazing and transformative part of my life, and I’m excited to discover what the next five months bring. In Faith, Hope, and Love, Vicar Katherine Museus Page -5- FROM THE COUNCIL PRESIDENT FELLOWSHIP NEWS A Birthday Worth Celebrating Graceworks’ February birthday dinner was truly a celebration of the past 20 years, and St. Andrew was well represented. Nick and Amy Hafner started the process off by purchasing two tickets for any St. Andrew parishioner to use. Unfortunately, only one of the tickets was used, but myself, Tamara, Emma, Frank and Cindy Hale, Rand Smith, Juli-Kay Baumann, Frank Thomas and Patte Belin did attend and had an excellent time. It was an awesome night, full of inspiring stories from the founders who saw a need and came together from various churches and groups to start a new organization to help struggling families in Williamson County, and heartfelt gratitude from families that were helped in 2014 by the generosity of Graceworks. The growth in twenty years of Graceworks’ existence has been astounding. For example, in 1995, $14,000 worth of food was distributed in Williamson County. Last year, in 2014, Graceworks distributed $1.1 million in food alone. This special evening included an excellent dinner, and entertainment by singer/songwriter Calvin Nowell, emcees Doug and Jaci from the FISH FM, and music by Sammy Sylvester, Carlton Taylor, Brad Graci and Demarco Johnson. Gracework supporters occupied 34 tables at the Embassy Suites, and at $800.00 a table, that alone brought in over $27,000 for Graceworks to use in 2015. The silent auction included over 100 items and with additional table contributions, brought in an additional $32,000 for a total to date of $59,000. As a “partner church” with Graceworks, I feel that St. Andrew has a special responsibility to sponsor a table at this annual dinner every year. For those of you who didn’t attend this year, please consider doing so next year. Tamara and I haven’t missed one of these in the last three years and are already looking forward to next year’s event. I believe we were enriched even more than the multitudes of Williamson County residents that have been helped by the various programs that Graceworks has offered in the last twenty years. In Christ’s service, Mitch Counts Congregation President ANNUAL FAMILY EASTER EGG HUNT AND PICNIC FOR LITTLE ONES! Saturday, April 4 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. STAKK youth will host the annual Easter egg hunt, activities, and a picnic on Saturday, April 4 at the home of Chuck and Sandy Vollmer, 1479 Kittrell Road, in Franklin. This event is for all families with young children; infant, toddler, preschool through the 4th grade. Please bring your picnic blanket and chairs, Easter baskets, and a potluck dish to share. Please RSVP - a sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board in the fellowship hall. Come enjoy the fun and fellowship together. SASSY Saint Andrew Seniors Staying Young ~ April 9 Saint Andrew Seniors Staying Young will meet on Thursday, April 9 at 11:00 a.m. for lunch and Bingo. Please note this is the second Thursday of the month. SASSY is for all retired people in the congregation! SASSY will be on the Road in May For May, SASSY and St. Andrew will sponsor a field trip to Chaffin’s Barn Theatre to see the production, “Cliffhanger.” We have room for 25 participants on the bus. Transportation is provided and our own Bill Dickerhoff will drive the group to Chaffin’s. The cost of the show is $19 and a box lunch will be provided. If you are interested in attending with SASSY, please contact Hank and Micki Fengler at 615-472-1977 or at [email protected]. Page -6- NURTURE COMMITTEE NEWS Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. Philippians 4:6 Reduce, Reuse and Recycle! We frequently read about how Americans consume too much and recycle too little. This message becomes even more apparent when one views the overflowing garbage cans each week in a typical American neighborhood. Did you know that 12 percent of the world's population lives in North America and Western Europe and ac-counts for 60 percent of private consumption spending. Slightly more than 33 percent of the world's population lives in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa yet accounts for only 3.2 percent of consumption spending? Each year for the past 44 years, Earth Day, a nationwide event to honor the earth, has been celebrated on April 22, the first day of the northern hemisphere Spring. This year is no exception with the theme of Earth Day being Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! The concept of reduce, reuse and recycle has been promoted for years in recycling programs, is easy to understand and does not take much money or thought to incorporate into our daily habits. We have only to read Psalm 24, Verse 1 to be reminded "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world and those who dwell therein." What are we each doing in our small space in this world to care for God's earth? Have you made recycling a part of your weekly activities? Did you know that St. Andrew recycles paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, batteries, and cardboard? Copier ink cartridges are returned to the company after they have outlived their usefulness at St. Andrew. As caretakers of God's world we are reminded that we must do a better job of reducing our consumption, reus-ing the resources that we can and recycling what we cannot reuse. The following 2013 Eleven Facts About Re-cycling from http://www.dosomething.org tell us that humans (especially Americans) on God's earth have a long way to go before meeting our obligations to God in caring for His world. 1. The average American uses 650 pounds of paper each year - 100 million tons of wood could be saved each year if all that paper was recycled. 2. Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour. 3. A typical family consumes 182 gallons of soda, 29 gallons of juice, 104 gallons of milk, and 26 gallons of bottled water a year. That's a lot of containers that can all be recycled or not used in the first place! 4. About 80% of what Americans throw away is recyclable, yet our recycling rate is only 34.1%. 5. Every month Americans throw out enough glass bottles and jars to fill up a giant skyscraper (think: Empire State Building), but all of these jars are recyclable! 6. Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1,000,000 sea crea-tures a year! Have you heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? It's twice the size of Texas and is floating somewhere between San Francisco and Hawaii. It's also 80 percent plastic, and weighs in at 3.5 million tons. 7. Recycling one ton (about 2,000 pounds) of paper saves 17 trees, two barrels of oil (enough to run the average car for 1,260 miles), 4,100 kilowatts of energy (enough power for the average home for six months), 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space, and 60 pounds of pollution. 8. The 17 trees saved by recycling one ton of paper can absorb a total of 250 pounds of carbon di-oxide out of the air each year. 9. If all of our newspapers were recycled, we could save about 250 million trees each year! If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we could save about 25 million trees each year. 10. More than 20 million Hershey's Kisses are wrapped each day, using 133 square miles of alumi-num foil. Believe it not, ALL that foil is recyclable, but not many people realize it so most it goes in the trash! 11. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours. In spite of this, Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild our entire commercial fleet of airplanes eve-ry three months! If you have not found a recycling center close to you, look for one and give God a hand by doing your share to care for His world! Develop a habit of making Earth Day every day and Reduce, Reuse and Recycle! Connie Pearson, Chair Health Ministries Team References: Do Something, 2013, http://www.dosomthing.org. Earth Day, Wik ipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, wik ipedia.org. Great Pacific Garbage Patch, http://en.wik ipedia.org/wik i/great_pacific_garbage_patch. The New English Bible, Oxford University Press, New York , 1976. Worldwatch Institute, Vision for a Sustainable World, http://www.worldwatch.org. Page -7- Family Disaster Planning Sometimes, we assume that disaster will not affect us personally. However, we live in Dixie Alley, the second most prevalent area for devastating tornados. Also, we live in the New Madrid earthquake fault zone. Scientists predict there is a 90% likelihood of a major quake within the next 50 years. Millions of people in this region live in homes that would not survive a large earthquake. Recent memory serves as a reminder of largescale flooding. Franklin has an active rail system, which may carry hazardous materials, bisecting our town. Life can be threatening. Some simple preparation tips could save lives and ease the transition between catastrophe and inconvenience. Generally, local officials and relief workers will be on the scene, but with some time delay. Where will your loved ones be when disaster strikes? How will you find each other? How will you fare during the initial chaotic phase? How do you protect your most valuable assets? Create a family disaster plan in advance to help cope. Following are snippets from the American Red Cross. Many searchable websites recommend similar precautions. If you wish to go hog wild, try out some of the survivalist websites for extreme measures. Research your vulnerability. What realistic and widespread threats could be encountered in our area? The most likely would include utility failure, HazMat spill, earthquake, flood, social unrest, and tornado. Stretching a bit, a nuclear incident and meteor impact could be added. Forecast the potential of each incident and plan accordingly. Create a disaster plan suitable to your vulnerability. Most importantly, pick your family's immediate rally site (directly outside your home) and an alternate site outside your neighborhood in case you can not return home. Choose an out-of-state friend or family member as a contact. In a disaster, it is often easier to make long distance calls. Every family member must know the contact number and make the call to take roll. Create a related to-do checklist, and complete the tasks. Post emergency numbers in your home. Ensure that children know how to handle 911. Determine and practice home evacuation routes. Ensure smoke detectors are operational and everyone knows how to use your fire extinguishers. Identify safety zones within your home for each type of disaster. Teach all family members about utility shut-off. Is your insurance coverage adequate, and do you have photos and documentation of valuables? Consider stocking a disaster supply kit. Consider taking Red Cross first aid and CPR. Finally, conduct a room-by-room home hazard hunt. Moveable household furnishings can shift or fall, causing injury or a fire. Practice and maintain your plan. Families working together as a team will cope better in a disaster. Know what you should do for your best protection. Here are some final thoughts: 1. When local cell calls are dropped, text messaging or out-of-state calls may still connect. 2. Consider maintaining supplies for at least three days in a ‘go’ type container. Recommended supply lists are all over the internet and include the obvious – just don’t forget a battery-powered NOAA emergency radio and first aid kit. One gallon of water per person per day is recommended, which will last three months in storage. 3. Know the location of your main electric fuse breaker, water service main, and natural gas main. Teach family members how to turn each off one. Note that if you turn off your gas main, you will need a professional to turn it back on. 4. Neighborhood home association or crime watch groups could be tapped to coordinate local disaster preparedness. Medical and construction skills could prove useful. 5. Research the expertise of the Federal Emergency Management Association, American Red Cross, and Williamson County Chapter of the Tennessee Emergency Management Association. These groups are experts on this topic. Respectfully Submitted, Bruce Clark, SALC Safety Coordinator ST . ANDREW’S DISASTER PLAN Did you know we have a plan in place at St. Andrew in case of bad weather? Parishioners should use their own good judgement in coming to the church in inclement weather, dangerous road conditions, or emergency situations that would put you at risk. Please check your emails for communications from the church, Facebook, or WKRN for Sunday service information. Group gatherings or meetings might be cancelled on a case-to-case basis. For more information, pick up a pamphlet at church on Emergency Preparedness Guidelines. Page -8- Coupons Help Soap Purchases My Favorite Things April WELCA Please join the ladies of St. Andrew for some "Show and Tell" time on Tuesday, April 21 at 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. We thought it would be fun if each of us brought in an item or two that has special meaning, such as a collectible, a family heirloom, or something you made, etc. and then shared with the group about the item. The potluck dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. with the program following at 7:00 p.m. If you need babysitting in our church nursery, please contact Joni Donegan at 615-584-9309 or [email protected] to make arrangements. Are you a clipper? Nearly every Sunday the Tennessean has a section of coupons for the thrifty shopper to use. Clipping coupons won’t make you rich, but it sure helps out when you buy things like soap on a regular basis. So don’t forget to check your paper. I always use coupons when buying my soap for church. How about you? Don’t forget the third Sunday of each month is SOAP SUNDAY and many thanks for all the soap we have received so far this year! Cookbooks a BIG Bargain We are getting to the end of our current church cookbook and are selling them at just $5.00 each. Once these are gone, this will be the last edition of this particular cookbook. Help us by purchasing these last few books! They are make wonderful gifts and are chocked full of great recipes. The cookbooks can be found in the brown bin in the administration entry. Place your cash or check in the envelope in the bin and take your cookbook home. (Please make checks out to St. Andrew WELCA.) Thanks you so much for your support. 2015 WELCA CONVENTION St. Simons Island, Georgia September 18-20, 2015 Plan now to join us for the annual Southeastern Synod WELCA convention at this beautiful site in Georgia. We always look forward to this event, which is a time to re-connect with our sisters in Christ from other Lutheran churches in the Synod. The schedule for the weekend will include updates from our Synod Board as to the status of the past year’s activities and future plans. Also, you can expect a wide array of classes available for attendees, a festive banquet on Saturday evening, and worship services. Be part of the choir if you are interested. Make your plans now to attend this very inspiring and enlightening event (with lots of fun mixed in as well). APRIL 2015 CALENDAR OF EVENTS April 6 Quilting 9:00 a.m. April 19 WELCA SOAP SUNDAY April 13 Quilting 9:00 a.m. April 20 Quilting 9:00 a.m. April 21 WELCA Meeting 6:30 p.m. Potluck 7:00 p.m. Program Trophy Returns to St. Andrew! After a few years of being absent from St. Andrew WELCA, we won the “Traveling Trophy” back by having eight attendees at our recent WELCA Middle Tennessee Cluster meeting at Christ Lutheran Church. This was the largest headcount for any one church (excluding the home church). Christ Lutheran in Nashville hosted a very fulfilling day for us with varied activities and ending with Holy Communion led by Pastor Morgan Gordy and music led by our own Vicar Katherine and her magic guitar. The picture above is our group gathered around Christ Lutheran’s Baptismal font at the end of the day. (Debbie Caughorn is missing from our picture) Page -9- AROUND THE PARISH We Welcome New Members March 15, 2015 Bekki Cashin is coming to St. Andrew through Affirmation of Baptism. She has lived all over the country: in Washington State, South Carolina, Massachusetts, California, and Tennessee. Bekki enjoys outdoor activities, triathlons, and walking her dog, Chewie. Recently engaged to Keith Hinson, they are planning a wedding at St. Andrew in May. Eric and MaryBeth Crispell are the proud parents of two wonderful girls, Katie and Laura. The Crispells are transferring from Our Savior Lutheran Church in Nashville. They moved to middle Tennessee 5-1/2 years ago and they love it here! The family enjoys doing things as a family and stays busy with kid events, family visits, and neighbors. Eric is interested in sports and outdoor activities and MaryBeth enjoys reading, tennis, sports, shopping, and movies. Both Laura and Katie are interested in crafts, Girl Scouts, computer games, and playing with friends. Zach Harris is a lifelong Lutheran and is joining St. Andrew by way of transfer from St. John’s Lutheran Church in Donelson. He is married to the former Claire Rutter and is the proud father of Evelyn Noelle and Dugger Dickson. When not mired in front of a Bloomberg terminal, plying his trade in the world of high finance for Robert W. Baird, he can be found on the waterways of Middle Tennessee and the South Carolina Lowcountry with his family, including his beloved in-laws, Kirk and Carlotta Rutter. Zach is a 2003 graduate of Clemson University and spends most of his free time cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, entertaining a two-year-old, and caring for his family’s two dogs, which are the size of miniature horses. Keith Hinson is coming to St. Andrew through Affirmation of Baptism. Keith was born and raised in Nashville and now resides in Franklin. He is employed as an insurance and investment advisor with Mutual of Omaha. Keith enjoys scuba diving, traveling, and competing in triathlons. He is recently engaged to Bekki Cashin. Linda Holloway comes to St. Andrew through Affirmation of Baptism. She and her husband Robert lived in Tucson, Arizona for 40 years and moved to Franklin a year ago, relocating from Spring Hill to be near family. This is a big change! Corissa Wiest and her family are new to Tennessee and are very excited to call Franklin their home. She and her husband, Kurt, are both prior military and work for the federal government, so they have been known to be nomadic; however, they now plan on making Franklin their permanent home. They are looking forward to meeting everyone and making great friends. Their daughter, Skyler, is 13 years old and attends Page Middle School. Skyler is very excited to participate in youth group activities and volunteer to help out with younger children. Kurt is still working in Texas; Corissa and Skylar join St. Andrew through Affirmation of Baptism. Births: Dugger Dickson Harris, newborn son of Zach and Claire Harris, who arrived a few weeks early on Thursday, February 26. Dugger weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. and is doing well. He is welcomed home by big sister Evelyn and proud grandparents, Kirk and Carlotta Rutter. Congratulations to the Harris and Rutter families! Meet Edison Henry Fisher, newborn son of Charlie and Jen Fisher and brother of Raleigh, born February 11, 2015. Page -10- AROUND THE PARISH (continued) First Communion: Keegan Medina, son of Ricky and Roseen Medina, celebrated his First Communion on Sunday, March 1 at the 8:30 a.m. worship service. Demetri Koutsoukos, son of Xenofon and Sheree Koutsoukos, celebrated his First Communion on Sunday, March 1 at the 11:00 a.m. service. Congratulations to Keegan and Demetri! In Memoriam: Camilla Doris Barker Catron, longtime member of St. Andrew, joined the Church Triumphant on Tuesday, March 17. Doris turned 90 years old on November 28, 2014. Her original membership papers stated that her occupation was “Domestic Engineer.” All who knew Doris knew that she was much more. Some words to describe our sister in Christ from her friends at St. Andrew: she never met a stranger, welcoming, friendly, strong, a mentor, a legacy, caring, loved, sincere, faithful, sweet, active, joyful, helpful, inviting, happy, competitive, kind, Christian spirit, sincere, loving, intelligent, compassionate, ahead of her time, involved in life every waking moment, selfless, warm hearted, sassy, classy, inspiring, fabulous, endearing, young at heart, and a good friend. Doris was active in the life of her church and the community. She and her late husband Harold came shortly after St. Andrew was formed in 1977, and they hit the ground running as our ambassadors. Most members in the congregation will tell you that the first people who welcomed them to St. Andrew were the Catrons. Doris missed worship at St. Andrew only when she was sick or out-of-town. Besides welcoming all who entered through our doors, Doris was a founding member of the St. Andrew Choir. She was active in the women’s organizations of the church and served in various offices. She taught Vacation Bible School, was on the Altar Guild, and attended Bible studies. Before the church was built, Doris and Harold hosted Bible studies in their home. Doris attended the constituting convention for the ELCA in Columbus, Ohio in 1987. She was active in SASSY (St. Andrew Seniors Staying Young), St. Andrew Bridge group, Sunday School, and quilting; and she helped plan and was present in almost every fellowship activity. Doris worked as a volunteer receptionist and office helper, was our registrar for the Harold Catron Memorial Red Cross Blood Drive, and most recently was on the Ask Me Squad through the Membership Development Committee. In the community, she was active in Church Women of Franklin, Graceworks Ministries, Homemakers Club, Republican Women, Clay Center, Red Hat Ladies, Family, Community & Education (FCE) Club, and Pennies from Heaven. In her later years, she was dubbed one of the “Golden Girls,” which included Ann Marie Eltoft, Meg Graves, and Katy Neighbors. A Celebration of Life service was held at St. Andrew on March 28. Memorials may be made to St. Andrew Lutheran Church Building Fund. “BLESSED ARE THE DEAD WHO DIE IN THE LORD.” This edition of the St. Andrew Messenger is dedicated to our sister in Christ and dear friend, Doris Catron, who spent many years helping put the newsletter together to mail to our church family. Thank you, dear Doris, for all your help with the numerous mailings, answering phones, and directing traffic during business hour. You will be missed.... W ELL DONE GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT! Page -11Kristen Burress and Josh Grandt announce their engagement and marriage on September 10, 2016. The couple were engaged on Valentine’s Day this year. Kristen is our nursery attendant at St. Andrew and is the daughter of Betsy and Dwayne Burress and granddaughter of Sharon Helmintoller. Josh is the son of David and Kathi Grandt. To Our St. Andrew Family, Thank you so much for the wonderful meals. It has been a really big help. Robert is coming along. Bless you all for your help. Sandie & Robert Belcher Who thinks I can't get to the Hershey Kisses? Olivia, granddaughter of Al and Marty Dieterle, pulls out the chair and climbs on the table to get to the chocolate. Congratulations to Meredith Frantz who was elected the new Cluster Leader of WELCA in our King Cluster # 8 in Middle Tennessee! Congratulations to Thrivent Financial! For the fourth year running, Thrivent Financial has been named one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” by Ethisphere Institute, a leading international think tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics. Learn more about the Thrivent difference and what they offer, by visiting www.Thrivent.com/joinus or contact Jack Ficken, FIC, FICF, Financial Associate at 615-266-2548 or 800-828-3648. We appreciate the experience of Jack and his team with Thrivent Financial! Correspondence: Dear Friends, Thank you so much for the beautiful prayer shawl you sent me when I was in the hospital! I was grateful to have it there and to bring it home with me. It’s a comfort and reminder of God’s presence and all the prayers that surround and hold us up. Thank you again. Sincerely, Susan Springer Ladies, I can’t thank you all enough for the beautiful shawl and little blanket for little Jordan. They meant the world to me and I will keep them forever. I will explain to Jordan one day the reason the blanket was made, because some very nice ladies were thinking “just about her and sending special prayers up, just because she was loved so.” Thank you from the bottom of my heart. May God bless each and everyone of you ladies. Andrea Schnarrs Thanks from the Southeastern Synod Dear Saints of Lutheran Church of St. Andrew, Greetings and thank you for responding to the call to do ministry together. You are awesome! Your gifts to the Southeastern Synod’s “We Are Church Together” appeal on January 20, 2015 for $10,165 and on January 23, 2015 for $805 are very much appreciated. Thank you again for your continued support of our shared ministries through your congregation, your synod and your churchwide organization. We can’t thank you enough for your support of the synod appeal. You are a blessing. Sincerely, Holly Liersch, Office Manager Southeastern Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Thrivent Day at the Sounds Thrivent is sponsoring Lutheran Day at the Sounds on Sunday, May 17 at 2:05 p.m. which is a Faith Day. Chris August is featured as the pre-concert artist. Tickets are $8 which include your game ticket, hot dog, and soda until April 19. Prices go up from April 20-May 1 to $12. The cost of the tickets are subsidized by the Middle TN Chapter of Thrivent. To purchase tickets, please contact Joni Donegan at [email protected]. or purchase between Sunday services in the narthex at St. Andrew. Please make checks out to Thrivent Middle TN Chapter. Page -12- FROM OUTREACH MINISTRIES Animal Welfare Ministry As we celebrate the joy of Easter Sunday soon, we wish you and your loved ones a very happy and blessed Easter. As always, it is with much joy and gratitude we thank every Anonymous Angel and Known Angels (Marge Fottrell, Bill & Peggy Frost, Tina Hill and daughter Brita and granddaughter Roane, Nancy Seitz, Shirley Swan and her sister Sharon Swan Cowdrey) for so many wonderful and useful donations! For the Kitties: 30 cans “wet”; 16 lbs. chow; 10 new toys; 3 new fleece blankets. For the Dogs: 20 cans “wet”; 20 lbs. puppy chow; a self-watering bowl; 3 puppy sweaters. Other: 18 assorted towels & cloths; 3 sheets, 2 cases; 2 washable area rugs; crib pad; assorted coupons and a package of assorted animal-themed greeting cards (used for ministry correspondence). Our hearty “thanks” to all! A special “thank you” to Tina & Jeff Hill’s daughter Brita and granddaughter Roane for donating eleven towels and a sheet. Why is this special? Because they collected the items from neighbors on Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska and donated them to the ministry (via Tina, “with love”) for the needy animals! How thoughtful and loving is that! Our heartfelt appreciation to all – we love you, too! Another wonderful “pay it forward” story: Mardy Fones, our contact at Greyhound Rescue, recently received two huge donations from an anonymous source in February and March, consisting of mainly dog and cat food and toys. Unfortunately, the Greyhound organization could not use any of the donations. The dog food was not the kind they must feed the greyhounds, and the toys were too small. So, with the permission of the donor to pass the donations along to another rescue group, Mardy contacted us and we subsequently loaded our trunk with almost 200 cans of dog food, several large bags of dog chow, and packages of treats and chews. The cat group received 53 cans of cat food, large bag of dry food; several packages treats, in addition to over 200 assorted new toys for cats and dogs! The donations were gratefully accepted by the Lewisburg and Shelbyville shelters, Dachshund Rescue and Cheatham County Cat Rescue. Your donations of blankets, bedding, fish oil and so much more have greatly helped the Greyhound group for a long time, and now they have returned your kindness big time! Shirley Swan has officially adopted a beautiful twelve-year-old kitty whose former owners moved to Switzerland. “Tybs” (short for “Tybald’) has special needs due to a heart murmur and arrhythmia, requiring special care and medications the rest of his life, and therefore would most likely not survive the move abroad. Shirley and Mr. Tybs bonded immediately and both are enjoying happy days together! Praise be to God and 30 compassionate Metro (Nashville) council members for (finally) passing a bill banning dog chaining and inhumane “tethering." In addition to banning chains, the new law also bans fastening a dog to a stationary device outside in freezing temperatures, extreme heat, thunderstorms and tornadoes. Chained dogs cannot reach food and water (assuming they’re given any), and most of the time, don’t have adequate shelter or any shelter at all. Evidence over many years has demonstrated the cruelty, suffering and painful “living” conditions dogs have endured as a result of this inhumane practice. Now we can only hope and pray the law will be enforced. If you notice a dog suffering in this condition, please contact Metro Police or Animal Control in Nashville, Williamson County Animal Care (615-790-5590) or any humane society in the area. Your report will remain confidential. Respectfully submitted, Tom and Suzanne Berrey and Pastor Susan Springer Correspondence: To the Members of St. Andrew Lutheran Church: Thank you! Once again for your generous donation to the Lewisburg Animal Shelter. We can always use dry dog food and the canned food is important for the occasional fussy eater, puppies, seniors, and those that come in extra thin. We have two “shelter kitties” so the cat food is also very useful. Thanks also for the collar and leash. We try our best to put a collar on each of our furbabies and we never seem to have enough leashes. We do apologize for not having sent an acknowledgment of your donation last month. Please know that our failure to do so in no way reflects a lack of appreciation. We moved one giant step forward this week toward creating a true “no kill” Humane Association Shelter. Your donations help reduce our expenses and are contributing in turn toward that goal. Thanks again and again, The Lewisburg Animal Shelter Volunteers Dear St. Andrew: We appreciate your donations of goodies, towels, puppy pads, toys, leash, collar, towels, and the beautiful beds that you all gave A.A.D.R. You are all so kind and generous and we and the Dachshunds say, “Thank you so very much!” Board of Directors All American Dachshund Rescue Page -13- HABITAT PARTNER FAMILY Meet LaRhonda Lee Habitat for Humanity Williamson-Maury (HFHWM) is excited to welcome LaRhonda Lee to our homeownership program! Born and raised in Franklin, LaRhonda attended Franklin High School. She schedules at-home healthcare assessments for the elderly at Optum Healthcare, and her family attends Limestone Missionary Baptist Church. LaRhonda grew up in Franklin Public Housing (FPH) and now lives there with her own children. “I have never lived anywhere else, and my mother never owned a home, so I do not take this opportunity lightly.” Her partnership with Habitat is the next step in LaRhonda’s quest to provide a better life for her children. Prior to applying for a Habitat home, LaRhonda spent the past four years in the Family Self Sufficiency Program (PH-FSS) with FPH, which is designed to help families reduce or eliminate their need for public assistance. One component of this program helps families to create a savings account, which becomes theirs when the program is completed. Thanks to this opportunity, LaRhonda began her partnership with Habitat for Humanity with her entire down payment of $2,000 already saved. She will build on the skills she gained through PH-FSS during her budget coaching and homebuyer education classes with HFHWM. Caylee (5) and Cayden (7), LaRhonda’s children, keep her very busy. Caylee is involved in gymnastics, and Cayden loves sports of all kinds, especially basketball. “We are quite an active family, so living without a yard or a private place for the children to play has been difficult,” LaRhonda explains. She radiates joy when she speaks about having her own yard to put up a basketball hoop and trampoline and can’t wait to enjoy the company of friends and neighbors on her “own property.” Witnessing the hard work of her mother was a major influence in LaRhonda’s life and led her to where she is today. “My mother was a single parent employed as a housekeeper with a local nursing home. She worked very hard to care for me and my two younger siblings,” she notes. “I have fun with life, but I really want to be remembered as a strong woman, like my mother, who would give her last of anything to help someone in need. I would like to thank my sponsors for taking their time to volunteer with building my home and for the donations that are being given on my behalf. This is such a great opportunity; I never thought I would own a home! God bless you!” PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY AND BABY BRIGADE The Prayer Shawl Ministry reaches out to those who are going through mental, physical, and emotional challenges. It also celebrates joy and new births in our congregation, extended families, and friends. Each person who makes an article (shawl, lap blanket, pocket prayer, or baby blanket) is asked to pray with compassion and sincere effort to reflect their Christian belief in giving and helping others, especially the sick. With utmost respect, the members knit and crochet comfort, tenderness, and heartfelt love in every piece. We have been doing this ministry at St. Andrew for over six years. I keep cards and thank you notes from those who have received these special gifts. Young and old, they have always been so touched and thankful. A sincere thanks to all who have knitted, crocheted, and been involved in these past years of the ministry. I would like to “spring forward” and am seeking new participants who want to begin or continue in this ministry. Regretfully, it is time for this ministry to be passed on to another leader as I have more obligations to family, business, and health. I pray that someone will step up and take the lead on this very important ministry. It is not difficult. You have the assistance of the church for printing cards and pamphlets, and yearly funds for needs. We have a good stock of yarn, materials, and shawls already made. These can be kept in the quilting room at church or in your home as I did. I can assist a new leader with starting up questions and needs. I have prayed over this for quite a while. I pray that a special someone at St. Andrew finds the satisfaction and blessings to continue this truly meaningful ministry. Most of all, thank you, thank you to all the angels who have been involved so far and pray this ministry will continue in God’s care. Please come to learn more about these special ministries on Sunday, April 19 in the narthex between services. You may also respond by calling my cell at 615-512-4055, by email at [email protected], or leave a note in my mailbox at church. “Be still and know that I am God.” Lovingly, Josette Starkey Page -14- St. Andrew Lutheran Youth SAVE THE DATE Mark your calendars for VBS on June 7 - 11, 2015 Get ready to "conquer challenges with God's mighty power" as we explore one of the most majestic, beautiful places on earth, EVEREST. Kids will learn to overcome obstacles with God's awesome power as they become anchored in rock-solid Bible truths. Each day the children will be introduced to a fun traveling companion and discover that God has the power to provide, God has the power to comfort, God has the power to heal, God has the power to forgive, and God has the power to love us forever. VBS is always a highlight to our children and youth ministries here at St. Andrew. The adventure will begin on Sunday evening, June 7 with a potluck supper and activities from 5:00-7:30 p.m. The week will continue Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon. We will close the week of VBS on Thursday evening, June 11 with a dinner and celebration from 6:00-7:30 p.m. To provide an awesome VBS experience for the children, we need many caring volunteers. The faith formation committee is asking you to prayerfully consider how you can serve this year with VBS. If you have any questions, please contact Sandy Vollmer at [email protected]. VBS REGISTRATION BEGINS ON APRIL 26 Be sure to register your children for EVEREST, vacation Bible school. Registration is open to children ages 3 through 5th grade. Please fill out the registration flyer or go online at https://www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/saintandrewchurch If you register using the paper format, please return it to our director for youth and children' ministries, Sandy Vollmer. This registration is also open to all volunteers. Thanks! AFFIRM 2015 WE WANT YOU TO GO TO AFFIRM! June 14 - 19 at Berry College Affirm is an AWESOME youth leadership week for those who have completed the 7th through 12th grades. Affirm will be held on the Berry College campus in Rome, GA again this year. The cost for the week of camp remains the same at $375.00 and includes lodging, meals, t-shirt, and all program costs. Please don't let the cost of camp keep your child from attending this wonderful week of worship, service, fellowship and faith formation. Applications can be filled out online at http://www.sesyouth.org/ It is not too late to register, please contact Sandy Vollmer with any questions. CONFIRMATION CAMP - LUTHEROCK July 5 - 11, 2015 Health forms are due to Novus Way ministries no later than May 1. Please get them to Sandy Vollmer by April 22 so that they will be mailed together. Final Payment is due by May 15. This can be made online at the web site listed, or with a check made out to Novus Way Ministries in the amount of $290.00. You can mail this directly to them with your medical form, or get to Sandy by the April 22 to mail with the group. Please contact, Sandy Vollmer with questions, or go to Novusway at http://www.novusway.com/our-programs/summer-ca mp/campfirmation/. RISE UP T OGETHER - 2015 ELCA NATIONAL YOUTH Please continue to pray for our group of 14 as we prepare for this summers gathering. St. Andrew will send two adults and nine youth to the gathering in Detroit, MI this summer on July 15 - 19. We have registered with a group from Faith Lutheran church in Lebanon, TN. Our two groups will join as one for the gathering. We will all meet on Sunday, April 12 at 12:30 p.m. to get to know each other, enjoy fellowship, a meal, and discuss final details. It is important that if you are going to the gathering that you attend this meeting on April 12! If you have questions, please contact Sandy Vollmer, [email protected] UPCOMING YOUTH EVENTS ALL YOUTH ARE INVITED TO JOIN US! • Good Friday, April 3 - Stations of the Cross at 10:00 a.m. • Saturday, April 4 - STAKK Annual Family Easter Egg Hunt and Picnic 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Vollmer home. STAKK arrive at 10:30 a.m. for set up. Clean up at 1:00. Bring a bag of candy and a dish to share. • Sunday, April 5 - EASTER, Youth Easter Breakfast at 9:00 a.m. Donations are needed; list is on volunteer spot. • Sunday, April 12 - National Youth Gathering meeting at St. Andrew 12:30 p.m. • Sunday, April 26 - SLY 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Page -15- FAITH FORMATION AT ST. ANDREW SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN, Y OUTH & ADULTS at 9:50 a.m **Every Sunday! **Please note there is NO Sunday School on Easter Sunday so that you may enjoy the Easter Breakfast hosted by the Youth! Wednesday Women’s Bible Study All women of St. Andrew Church, friends and neighbors are invited to join us as we return to our study, “The Gospel of Luke” by Max Lucado. Please join us in the Fellowship Hall every Wednesday morning from 10-11:30 a.m., as we discuss how Luke’s age-old gospel affects our modern lives. Contact us in advance if a sitter for preschoolers or other specific needs are required. For more information, contact Sue Hartman at 615224-9876 or email at [email protected]. ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES Youth are needed to help serve; please contact Sandy Vollmer. MANY THANKS TO: i All who made donations to our Graceworks fuel bag service project. Your food and monetary donations are a blessing to children in our community who may not have enough food at times. Graceworks thanks you for your generosity. i All our volunteers who help with the youth and children's ministries here at St. Andrew. To all of our Sunday school teachers, helpers and volunteers. Our faith formation program would not be the same without you all. i Our parents for helping with our youth ministries. i Beth for your help with STAKK and planning the Easter egg hunt. i Melissa and Allison for your leadership and beginning the planning for Vacation Bible School, Everest. i All the parents who helped with the family Easter egg hunt, and also to our parents for helping with transportation too and from youth activities. i James and Stacey for your help with SLY. i Joni and Tim Donegan for your leadership and skills in the kitchen and helping with the Easter breakfast. Monday Evening Bible Study The Monday night study continues on Mondays at 7:00 p.m. with Vicar Museus. The focus is “Dealing with the Hard Stuff,” from gruesome battles to harsh judgments to “antiquated” laws. All are welcome to join in the study! Please note there is NO Bible study on March 30 during Holy Week or the Monday following Easter, on April 6. Studies of the Sunday Lectionary This adult class meets at 10:00 a.m. in Pearson Hall and studies the scripture readings appointed for the Sunday. Bring your coffee and join the pastor. Inquirer/Newcomers Class If you are new to our church and would like to know more about St. Andrew Lutheran Church or the Inquirer/Newcomers class, please speak to Pastor Pearson any Sunday morning. Companions in Christ (CIC) Companions in Christ (CIC) meets in the classroom off the fellowship hall (Room 124) at 9:50 a.m. Grab a cup of coffee and bring a friend. We love new faces! We study a variety of books and subjects. Discussion is always lively and easy to join in if you are unable to attend on a regular basis. Active Parenting Class The Sunday morning parenting class continues to meet on the first and third Sundays of the month. Meet at 9:50 a.m. in room 126/127 in the fellowship hall (by the kitchen) to discuss current topics. New parents are always welcome! For questions about the group, please contact Matt & Melissa Coleman at [email protected]. Page -16- Please Remember in Your Prayers FOR HEALTH & HEALING Mary Smith Sandie Belcher Liz Combiths Art Lebahn Robert Belcher Connie Pearson Julie Anderson Sarah Lewis Pat Patterson Raleigh Fisher Margaret Lorenzini Marjorie Dietsch Judith Anderson AnnMarie Eltoft Jeanette Higbe Sandy & Greg Bennett Jackson Coleman The Catron family Morgan Grunwald, friend of Anna Kate Quinn Emily Mecchi, friend of Anna Kate Quinn The Deckerd, Galliher & Cockerham families Delores Johnson, cousin of Susie Miller Christine Wilson, friend of Marilyn Kruse Ted Schreiber & family, nephew of Al & Marty Dieterle J.R. Tully, grandfather of Jim Tully Collin Swanson, friend of Jackie Walters Dot Raines, friend of Mary Smith & AARP group Kelly Longhini, friend of Lori Kariott Byron Solomon & family, friend of the Kariotts Emily Layton, friend of Marilyn Kruse Loretta Gerhardt, mother of Sherre Wicks Jill, daughter of Dale & Carole Strubbe Travis Scott, nephew of Jim & Pat Pitt Pastor Joe Nilsen & family The Clark & Oakley families The Hunt & Hernandez families Sean McGuire, friend of Laura Rogers Pastor David Hood, husband of Jo Hood Cornel Jurca, brother-in-law of Mary & Don Smith Martha Lindsey, friend of the Cockerhams Daniel Elsbury, nephew of the Chamberlains Bob Bohnke, brother of Bonnie Sersland Bruce Gaylord, nephew of Carl & Ann Moeck Dolores Bateman, sister of Libbie Quinn Brian Currie, brother-in-law of the Chamberlains Paulette Naron, Peggy Chance, Sara Anderson, friends of Elizabeth Short The Knaff & Minton families, friends of the Higbes Jack Davidson, friend of Ken & Bonnie Sersland Karen Larsen & family, friends of Judy Mowery Amy & Ken Laderoute, friends of Judy Mowery The Boike & Mansouri families The Maxedon & Miller families Keely Underhill, wife of co-worker of Karen Bonifacius Brita, daughter of Jeff & Tina Hill Katie Bullington, friend of Suzanne Berrey John Hays, friend of Marilyn Kruse Jim Clark, father of Heidi Michel The Moser & Wilburn families Krisha Newport, relative of Kayla Smith David Henderson, father of Renee Brown Rich Dries, former colleague of Shirley Swan Lindsay Schilling & family, friends of Cindy & Frank Hale Erma, cousin of Jeanette Higbe Liam Daniel Baumann, nephew of Juli-Kay Baumann Tatsuo & Hideko Abe, friends of Suzanne Berrey David Eyer, friend of Eric & Connie Pearson Janelle Owens, mother of Libbie Quinn The Grills family, friends of the Hunt family Wayne Masters, friend of St. Andrew Gwen Hampton, sister of Jeanne Parr Michael Paul Lewis-Cooper, nephew of Cathy Miller Harold Squires, father of Sandy Bennett Gerry Melendy, friend of Jennifer & Aaron Walton John Allen Hundt, son of Vic & Susan Hundt Gloria Ladnier, mother of Morgan Gordy Matt Capell, cousin of Connie Pearson Carolyn Galegor, friend of Ken Cockerham Janice Williams, friend of the Blanchards Cody Brown, great-nephew of the Richardsons Matthew Hodge & family, friends of the Vollmers Dianne McClendon & family John Rogers & familly, friends of Ken Cockerham Steve Reckard, brother of Julie Anderson David Downey, cousin of Lisa Blanchard Mary Brogan, friend of Connie Pearson Brita Besnard, mother of Tina Hill OTHER: Bishop H. Julian Gordy, Pastor Morgan & family Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton Area ELCA congregations & those in transition; Holy Trinity Mission Partner - Peace Lutheran Church in Springhill The Trinity/HOPE Feeding Program & the people of Haiti St. Andrew Building Debt Reduction Pastor Palmer Clemmer Those unemployed, under-employed, or seeking jobs For countries in turmoil Peace in the Middle East For communities to mend from violence and for peace For communities and countries suffering from natural disasters For those suffering from domestic violence For caregivers who care for loved ones For service men & women who defend our country & their families who have lost loved ones For those battling depression & mental illness For those contemplating surgery Mistreated, abandoned & homeless animals IN MEMORIAM: Doris Catron, member of St. Andrew Evelyn Nilson, friend of Judy Mowery Howard Johnson, friend of Mike & Jolene Richardson Etta Galliher Deckerd, aunt of Ken Cockerham Pauline Parr, mother-in-law of Jeanne Parr REMEMBER THOSE DEPLOYED FOR MILITARY SERVICE: If you know of someone who is in the military or has been deployed for duty, please let the church office know so that we can list them in prayers. Jay Tully, son of Jim & Becky Tully Andy Richardson, nephew of Mike & Jolene Richardson Jacob Moxley, great nephew of Jim & Pat Pitt Michael Chamberlain, son of Cheryl & Chris Chamberlain William Lehmann, nephew of Diane & Art DeVooght Joey Ladnier, nephew of Morgan Gordy Jeffrey P. Hill, son of Jeff & Tina Hill Nick Smith, son-in-law of Jeff & Tina Hill Tony Wirth, cousin of Dana Nethercutt Matt Parr, grandson of Jeanne Parr Matthew Rutter, nephew of Kirk Rutter **Please note that all names will be removed after two months on the prayer list. If you would like for someone to remain on the prayer list indefinitely, please let us know. Page -17- Congratulations! April Birthdays April 1 Anthony Gutierrez April 26 Vic Hundt Patty Norem April 3 CeCe McClellan April 4 Maxwell Chapman April 5 Sarah Hains April 6 Evelyn Brackebusch April 8 Alexandria Massie Bernie Anderson Jim Curtis April 27 Lindsey Brown April 28 Randy Miller April 29 Samuel Elkins April 30 Claire Moseley Bill Robinson Clayton Robertson April Anniversaries April 9 Kirk Rutter April 1 Dave & Debbie Thomas April 10 Alec Moseley April 6 Kirk & Julie Bednar Corissa Wiest Ken & Kate Cockerham April 11 Nathan Quinn April 7 Mike & Susan Pavlos April 14 Joey Chiasson April 8 Roger & Ethel Meyerhoff Nick Cockerham April 9 Gary & Natalie Markey Bill Luetzow April 17 Matt & Regina Cottingham Adam McGee April 25 Keith & Linda Wolfgram April 15 Ryan Bednar April 26 Frank & Patricia Baugh April 17 Elaine Moore April 28 Karl & Stacy Klug April 19 Anne Fottrell April 29 Lee & Pat Harms Jeff Hill Frank Thomas April 20 Tiffany Alday April 21 Juliet Hahn Eleanor Rodriguez April 22 Amanda Norem Chloe Stiles Jayme Trocino April 23 Guy Boye Wanda Jasper Natalie Walton April 24 Sheri Durr Marilyn Kruse April 25 Anneliese Medina **If we have inadvertently left your name off the birthday or anniversary list, we apologize. Please write on the back of a yellow pew card the date and year of your special event, place it in the offering plate and we will correct the information in our data base. Thanks! Page -18- FROM STEWARDSHIP “Pay it Forward” How many of you saw the movie “Pay It Forward” that came out in 2000. It had Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and a boy, Haley Joel Osment. Kevin Spacey, a social studies teacher, challenged his classes to come up with a way to directly change the world. Haley Joel Osment was the student who came up with the idea that instead of paying someone back, after they did something good, you would “pay it forward” to three people, and then they would pay it forward to three people and so on. Have you ever been at Starbucks when the person in front of you says that they will pay for your latte? Have you ever given someone bus money so that they could get home from work and you tell them to help someone else out some day? Stewardship is the “Pay it Forward” committee. I read the following passage from The Message translation of the Bible and thought God is telling me to “pay it forward.” “This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.” 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 The Bible says that our generous God gives us something that we can give away or pay forward. God doesn’t need little old us to pay Him back. All of heaven would be laughing. The only thing that I could think of is our time, talent, and treasures! Those we can give away or “pay it forward.” WOW!! To me, time and talent go together. You can’t give away talent without expending the time. If you want to pay forward your talent of carpentry, you can only do that by taking the time to work on a project like Habitat for Humanity, or building mailboxes for the church. Can you cook? Can you knit? Can you paint? Can you sing? Can you usher? Can you hold someone’s hand? They all tell others about Jesus and impact lives by paying forward with your time and talents. 1 Chronicles 29:14b from The Message says “Everything comes from You; all we’re doing is giving back what we’ve been given from Your generous hand.” This is the heart of paying it forward! Doesn’t just the thought of paying forward the talents that God had given us make you feel good? It does me! Do we ask for your treasures? Yes. Again, God has given us the ability to earn a living. Did He pay for our education? Yes, in a way He did. Our taxes go to pay for the school system. Remember the pay it forward theory? Did your parents pay to send you to college? Did you get scholarships from generous people? Did you work your way through? Where did you get the talent to do your job and make an income? Don’t make the angels laugh with your answer…God gave you the ability and someone offered you a job. St. Andrew participates in paying it forward as we share our gifts locally and globally. We are part of the ELCA and the Southeastern Synod, which includes Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. We pay it forward by sending donations to support many ministries, including missionary support, feeding programs, disaster recovery programs, and mission church support, to name just a few. You know, I think I am going to rent that movie again. How about you? And I promise if you are ever behind me at Starbuck’s, I will buy your latte or your macchiato and throw in a chocolate caramel muffin (yum). The Lord be with you, Wanda Jasper MEMORIALS & TRIBUTES Congratulations are in order to each and every one who made a contribution to the Stained Glass campaign through the Memorials and Tributes at St. Andrew Church. We are proud to announce that you have successfully completed the full funding of all the stained glass windows in the nave! We know your diligence and generosity will be enjoyed by all the future generations who will worship in this space. As with all family houses, the church family is no different. As one project is completed - another takes its place. There are two current areas of need for our church home: one is for new green paraments for the altar and the other is for two additional sets of bells for the Hand Bell Ministry. If you are looking for a way to honor or memorialize a loved one, please consider a contribution to either of these needs. Memorials & Tributes Given Last Month: To Bell Chimes to the Glory of God by: Ryan & Sheri Meyerhoff Pam Butler Roger & Ethel Meyerhoff Nick and Amy Hafner In memory of Bobbie Torrence, to the paraments by Eric & Connie Pearson In memory of Mary Lancsek, sister of Helen Thoma, to the Meditation Garden Page -19St. Andrew Lutheran Church Designated Funds January 1 to February 28, 2015 Designated Fund Benevolence: Disaster Relief World Hunger Memorials - General Columbarium Meditation Garden Onward Youth Fund Wedding Deposits Total Designated Funds Beg Balance Financial Update Total Revenue Total Expenses Surplus (Deficit) Mortgages $ Deposits Payments 159.00 56,278.69 562.00 11,165.92 8,000.00 3,015.19 26.00 8,544.20 9,721.16 11,768.91 10.00 2,910.00 1,250.00 93,682.91 $ 19,728.16 FEB. Budget FEB. Actual 68,315 55,116 67,200 77,833 1,115 (22,717) End Balance 159.00 41,633.00 15,000.00 $ 56,792.00 YTD Budget 136,631 137,256 1(625) $ 15,207.92 19,165.92 3,041.19 3,265.36 11,778.91 4,160.00 56,619.07 YTD Actual 120,540 137,257 (16,717) Beg Balance Principle End Balance Payments 2,556,275.19 23,931.83 2,532,343.36 Mortgage #1 Cash Balances Checking 158,125.87 Savings 156,732.80 ASK, AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, We Christians frequently remind ourselves and one another to recognize God’s endless blessings, and to share God’s bounty with those that may be in need. One needn’t look far to see the Creator’s blessings and to understand that life itself is a gift from God. I wonder how often we stop to consider the impact of sharing our gifts on the lives of others. In our Finance Committee meeting last week, it was suggested that it would be very meaningful to receive some feedback from time to time regarding the impact of our giving on the lives of our neighbors. So here goes in what I believe will become a recurring article in our newsletter. I’m calling it “Ask, and you shall receive.” I. The recent Southeastern Synod Special Appeal, “We Are Church Together,” netted $10,970, in giving through St. Andrew. This amount only includes what was collected at church. Some members gave directly, as well. These monies are being used for ELCA mission support and for Southeastern Synod ministries. Thank you! II. Emergency Funding to Graceworks for the Lucerno family - $10,365. The Lucernos, a family of 6, recently lost their home and everything in it to fire. Your gifts helped ensure they have another mobile home in which to live: shelter and warmth for a family of six in need. Thank you. Both of these have been additional gifts since December. In addition, many other ministries have been supported with monetary donations this year already, including: Lutheran Services of Tennessee, Christ Kwishili Lutheran Church, Fuel Bags, Buck-aChick, Souper Bowl Sunday (Graceworks), and World Hunger! WOW….what blessings! Thank you, people of St. Andrew Lutheran Church. In His service + Ken Cockerham ST. ANDREW LUTHERAN CHURCH 908 Murfreesboro Road Franklin, Tennessee 37064 (615) 794-1624 www.saintandrewchurch.com DO NOT FORWARD: RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED NONPROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID FRANKLIN, TN PERMIT NO 120 RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD Easter Day ~ April 5, 2015 Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
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