Called to Worship. Sent to Witness. Led to Welcome. | | |
An Update on Our Plan
to Hire an Associate Rector in 2026
As I discussed at length (with great enthusiasm!) at our Annual Parish Meeting last month, Saint Andrew’s is planning to hire an Associate Rector in 2026. Our decision to create this position, which will provide for a second full-time parish priest, developed over the course of this past year and is in response to a number of developments – most significantly, our continued growth; but also our experience of having a curate for the past two years as well my plans to take a four-month sabbatical in 2026 (from early May through early September). Moreover, given the particular needs of our parish, we are planning to hire someone with experience in and a passion for cultivating both Children & Youth Ministries as well as our Mission & Outreach Ministry.
I wanted to briefly update the parish on several aspects of this work:
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First, a couple of weeks ago, we finished our work on a job description for the position—and, as required by our diocesan guidelines for hiring a new priest, we had the position posted on the Episcopal Church’s official job posting site. If you are interested, you can view the job description here.
- Second, as I discussed in my report for the Annual Meeting, we have already identified an excellent candidate for the position and are now going through the necessary steps that will hopefully result in us being able to hire that candidate. The current members of the Vestry are involved in this process—as well as the Bishop and the diocesan office.
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Third, if you are wondering when we might be able to announce something, it is my hope that, by the Feast of Epiphany (that’s January 6th), we will be able to make an announcement. In the meantime, for a variety of reasons, we are not able to share the identity of the candidate beyond those limited individuals involved in the decision and planning process, and I ask that all parishioners please be patient as we work through the process.
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Finally, as I mentioned at our Annual Meeting, we have created a fund to help us as we grow our budget to be able to sustain this position on an ongoing basis. With the input of the Vestry, we have set a goal of raising an additional $125,000 in contributions and pledges to be made over the next two years (beyond the pledges to our Annual Pledge Campaign) and we are already well over half way to that goal. If you have an interest in making a separate pledge or contribution toward this goal, please let me know. You can also make a contribution through our online giving – selecting the “Associate Rector Fund” option for the drop down menu via this online giving link.
It is an exciting time to be doing ministry at Saint Andrew’s – and all of this is possible through the continued collaborative work of the Holy Spirit and God’s people who gather at the corner of Markley and Main week after week – seeking to share God’s abundant and unconditional love with all who walk through the doors.
I am ever grateful to have been called to this place—and, as we embark on a new church year, am looking forward to sharing the story of our salvation all over again – as we continue to expand the circle of those who call Saint Andrew's home.
Grace & Peace,
Fr. Gary+
| | Worship & Formation Schedule with Links | | |
Friday, December 5
11:00 AM First Friday Mass at Cascades, Rite I
Sunday, December 7 - Second Sunday of Advent
8:30 AM Low Mass, Rite II
9:30 AM Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
10:30 AM Sung High Mass, Rite I (livestream available)
Tuesday, December 9
8:30 AM Morning Prayer, Rite II
Wednesday, December 10 - Feast of Saint Lucy of Syracuse, Martyr (observed)
5:30 PM Healing Mass, Rite I
Thursday, December 11
8:30 AM Morning Prayer, Rite II
| | Prayer Requests & Resources | |
The following people have been commended
to the prayers of the parish:
| Bob, Brian, Charlie, Chuck, Dick, Don, Esley, Jane, Jerry, Jim, Jodi, Joyce, Karen, Kristen, Lyra, Margaret Lee, Margaret, Marvin, Mary, Nancy, Patt, Robin, Shawn, Sylvia, Terry, Theresa, Tom, Wade, and Winona | | |
To add someone to the Parish Prayer List, please contact the office.
To add someone to the Daughters of the King prayer list, please e-mail dok@standrewsgreenville.org
There is also wooden box in the Narthex where you can fill out prayer cards.
The Daughters will add your names to their prayers.
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12/1 Cooper Banks
12/4 Wade Owens
12/5 Ellen Mays
12/5 Mary Lou Merkt
12/5 David Tolzmann
12/6 Tracey Welborn
12/7 Leona Muhleman
12/7 Shawn Simpkins-Arganbright
12/7 Tyler Proctor
12/7 Nicholas Seminoff
12/8 Eliza Brooks
12/9 Marla Thorburn
12/12 Kevin Connaughton
12/14 Caroline Brooks
12/14 Mike Fitzsimmons
12/15 Roger Davis
12/16 Liam Boswell
12/16 Roberta Putman
12/18 Lamar Lehman
12/19 Banks Gregory
12/19 Gary Shamlin
12/20 Ruben Sogomonian
12/23 Deirdre Young
12/26 Michael Comer
12/26 Richard Hall
12/27 Lendy Rhodes
12/28 Bennett Cochrane
12/28 Doug Montjoy
12/28 Ellie Hall
12/29 Ethan Cashwell
12/29 Dennis Crenshaw
12/30 Lillian Lever
12/31 Maggy Hinds
12/31 Liam Rhodes
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2026 Annual Pledge Campaign Update:
ONE MORE GOAL TO REACH!!!
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On November 16th, we wrapped up the formal phase of our Annual Pledge Campaign, and, as of today, we have surpassed our financial goal, and we are only shy 3 pledges to meet our 125 pledge goal (an appropriate goal for our 125th Anniversary)! Thank you to everyone whose generous pledges have gotten us to this point! With that said, we are happy to continue to receive pledges--and hope that we will soon surpass our pledge goal.
If you have not done so already, please submit your pledges (by mail, the offering plate, or online) as soon as possible.
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Poinsettias for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Poinsettia dedication forms will be in your bulletins this week. You can also signup online. The deadline for orders is Sunday, December 14. Suggested donation for each plant is $15.
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Ordo Kalendars
The 2025 Ordo Kalendars are available in the Parish Office for $5 each. Reserve yours today by emailing office@standrewsgreenville.org or calling 864-235-5884.
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2025 Advent Resources
We wanted to provide you with a few meaningful resources for the Advent season and beyond! Here is a brief description of some resources -- with links below
Advent Toolkit: Episcopal Relief provides this resources for families and communities with which you can create, learn and pray through DIY projects. This toolkit will take you from Advent to Christmas and through Epiphany. You will find: DIY wreath ideas with prayers and reflections, DIY creche ideas and information about St. Nicholas.
Episcopal Advent and Christmas Resources: The Episcopal Church wants to help congregations share the good news with each other and your neighborhoods, especially this Advent and Christmas. Find the Episcopal Church's free resources based on invitation, the Way of Love, racial reconciliation, faith formation, and more below.
Advent World: In addition to providing an Advent calendar, Advent World, which is a resource provided by Forward Movement, also shares daily prompt words, images, and meditations during this season.
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Congratulations to our Newly Elected Vestry Members & Diocesan Convention Delegate
Thanks to everyone who participated in our Annual Parish Meeting this past Sunday. It was a joyful gathering! We are pleased to announce our newly elected vestry members, beginning in December: Rusty Infinger, Ellen Mays, and Lendy Rhodes, who were each elected to three-year terms. In addition, Carl Headley was elected to a four-year term as Diocesan Convention Delegate. Thanks to our new vestry members and delegate for their willingness to serve.
Next Sunday, December 14, we will commission our new vestry members during our Sunday masses.
If you were not able to attend and would like to review our 2025 Annual Report, you can download a copy of the Report at this link.
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New Saint Andrew’s Parish Directory Available
The 125th Anniversary Edition of Saint Andrew’s Parish Directory now available. You can pick up one per household from the Parish Office.
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Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for 3-to-9-Year- Olds | Continues This Sunday | 9:30 AM | The Atrium (upstairs in the Parish Hall)
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd — an approach to Christian formation that builds upon Montessori methods of learning — continues each week. Please note that we will not meet Sunday, December 28.
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First Friday Eucharist at Cascades | Friday, December 5 | 11 AM | Cascades Ballroom
On the first Friday of every month, Fr. Gary presides at a service of Holy Eucharist at Cascades Verdae Retirement Community. If you have friends or family members residing at Cascades who might want to participate, feel free to share this information with them. If you would ever be interested in assisting Fr. Gary with the mass, please let him know.
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Saint Andrew's Book Club | December 7 | 12:30 PM | Parish Hall
The Book Club will meet December 7 at 12:30 PM after coffee hour in the Parish Hall. We will be discussing books of your own choosing by the author Niall Williams.
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ECW & DOK Holiday Social | Tuesday, December 9 |
6 PM | Parish Hall
The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) and Daughters of the King (DOK) Advent Social is this Tuesday. All women of the parish are invited to join as we celebrate, fellowship, and give back this season! Please bring a sweet or savory hors d’oeuvre of your choice, and wear your fancy holiday outfit! During our time together, we write short but thoughtful cards to include with our QT gift cards that are going to our Feed Thy Neighbor guests on December 20. There will be a basket available at the meeting to drop off additional donations of cards or money.
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Second Sunday Harvest | Sunday, December 14
The generosity of our parishioner was overwhelming last month with almost 300 cans of green beans and yams as well as several hundred other items donated. Mission and Outreach is dedicating our December Second Sunday Harvest to oatmeal and grits (instant or quick packets and tubs preferred). A collection table has been set up in the Parish Hall and items will be collected from now until Sunday, December 14.
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QT Gift Card Collection for Feed Thy Neighbor | Now Through December 19
As Mission & Outreach continues to collect desperately needed food items for United Ministries, our Episcopal Church Women (ECW) are again supporting Feed Thy Neighbor by collecting QT gift cards, with a goal of 100 individual $5 QT gift cards, to be distributed to our FTN guests on Saturday, 12/20. Gift cards may be placed in the collection plate or dropped off at the Parish Office. Monetary donations for the purchase of gift cards are also welcome.
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Christmas at Saint Andrew's
Wednesday, December 24
The Eve of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
- 4:00 PM Creche & Carols Family Service, Rite II
- 10:30 PM Sacred Music
- 11:00 PM Solemn High Mass, Rite I
Thursday, December 25
The Nativity of our Lord Jesus
- 12:00 Noon Low Mass, Rite I
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Additional Upcoming Events
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Second Sunday of Christmas | January 4 | Andrew Raines, who is our Candidate for Ordination and is currently doing doctoral studies at Oxford, will be back with us as our guest preacher.
- The Feast of the Epiphany | Sung High Mass with Blessing of the Chalk | Tuesday, January 6 | 6:30 PM
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The Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord | Sunday, January 11 | Opportunity for Baptism, please contact Fr. Gary if you are interested.
- Save the Date! ECW Shrimp Boil | Friday, January 23
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Coffee Hour
Volunteers Needed!
Please consider volunteering to assist with refreshments and set up for our coffee hour fellowship following the 10:30 AM Mass. A sign up sheet can be found on the “Welcome” bulletin board in the Parish Hall or online at the link below.
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UPDATED: Parking at Saint Andrew's
For detailed parking instructions, click here.
***PLEASE NOTE - West End Baptist Church, which owns the parking lot around Saint Andrew's, has reduced the parking lot area available on Sundays to the area closer to South Main Street--with the back part of the parking lot (against Rhett Street) no longer available. As a result, please enter the parking lot via South Main Street. The map linked below has been updated to reflect that change.***
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Note: You need a parking decal to park in the designated lots. They can be found on the shelf to the left of the doors as you exit the church.
| Sunday Altar Flower and Presence Candle Dedications | |
On Sundays, we have the opportunity to offer a special dedication of the altar flowers or presence candle in honor, memory, or celebration of loved ones. The cost to the church for altar flowers is now $100 per Sunday, so we are suggesting that donations for dedicating altar flowers be in the range of $50 to $100 to help us cover those costs. The suggested donation for a presence candle dedication is $10.
If you would like to sign up for a Sunday, please see the sign up sheet on the bulletin in the Parish Hall or click on the button below. You may place a check in the offering plate with "Altar Flowers" or "Presence Candle" noted in the memo.
We will continue to only have Altar Flowers if someone has signed up and paid for the arrangements. As a result, we will need to know by the Tuesday prior to the upcoming Sunday if you would like to sign up.
Also note that, during the upcoming penitential Season of Advent, we will only have flowers on the altar on the Third Sunday ("Gaudete Sunday").
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Invitation to Submit Future Parishioner Postings ...
If you have news of important milestones or work that you would like to share with the parish, please let us know!
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News from the Wider Church
and from Our Ministry Partners
| | Urgent Need From Project Host... | |
LETTER FROM THE CEO Dear Project Host Friends and Supporters, As we step into the holiday season, and celebrate Giving Tuesday, we want to express our deepest gratitude for everything you've helped make possible this year. | | | |
Notes Along the Way | In Thanksgiving | | | |
Living the Reign | Your Diocesan Newsletter | | | |
We want to thank everyone for their involvement at the Community Problems Assembly! Because of your commitment to do justice, together we are able to build power and win solutions to create a more just Greenville! | | | |
Altar Guild Volunteers Needed
The Altar Guild is currently looking for people who may be interested in serving with them. If you are interested, or have questions, please reach out to Doug Barrett.
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Choir | Rehearsal on Sundays at 9:30 AM
We are always seeking additional volunteers for the Saint Andrew’s choir, which currently gathers on Sunday mornings at 9:30 AM (and not on Wednesday evenings) to prepare the music for the 10:30 mass. This more limited time commitment provides an excellent opportunity for prospective new members to “try us out.” If you have questions, contact the Parish Office—or just show up on Sunday morning!
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Volunteers Needed
Feed Thy Neighbor
Founded in 2010, Feed Thy Neighbor is a cooperative effort of the Episcopal community in Greenville. Parish volunteers from Saint Andrew’s, St. Peter’s, St. James, and Christ Church feed the hungry each Saturday from 7:30 to 8:30 AM. We are seeking volunteers to help serve and clean up. Please contact the office if you would like to volunteer: office@standrewsgreenville.org.
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