Called to Worship. Sent to Witness. Led to Welcome. | | |
Two Questions as We Prepare for a Winter Storm:
How Will We Worship? And How Will We Help?
Dear Saint Andrew's Parishioners & Friends,
As you are no doubt aware, the Greenville area is expecting an ice storm this weekend. According to WYFF Chief Meteorologist Chris Justus's most recent projections, the storm is not expected to impact this area until Saturday evening. Thus, we can give thanks that there is no indication that the storm will impact the ECW Shrimp Boil (which has sold a record number of tickets!) or Feed Thy Neighbor on Saturday morning.
However, if the current forecast holds, we will need to reevaluate our plans for Sunday. We are aware that several churches have already cancelled worship for this weekend, but, based on past experience, we are going to wait a little longer -- likely until Saturday morning -- to make a call.
Thus, at this time, we have not made any changes to this Sunday's schedule--so we continue to plan to have the 8:30 AM Mass, 9:30 AM Formation Offerings, 10:30 AM Sung High Mass, and the 5 PM Youth Group at the church. However, we will continue to monitor the situation and, if conditions warrant it, I will send out an update via e-mail and the parish website--and will work with Frances, our Director of Communications, to get the word out via social media.
As I have noted before, I will always make every effort to be at the church for at least one Sunday mass--even under adverse weather conditions. However, in deciding whether to venture out, everyone will need to evaluate road conditions where they are and make decisions based on their own abilities and limitations. (And, if you are assigned a liturgical role in the mass, know that we can always make adjustments.)
If weather conditions warrant against your attendance, you can always stay home and pray Morning Prayer (if you don't have a Prayer Book handy, you can go here). Moreover, if we ultimately decide not to gather at the church for worship on Sunday morning, I will plan to livestream a 10:30 AM Morning Prayer service (assuming that I have access to electricity and internet).
In the meantime, please continue to hold all those impacted by this weather in your prayers.
Merciful God, we humbly entreat thee to bring safety, comfort and strength to those who are impacted by cold weather conditions. Protect them, and all who seek to help them, from further harm of the perils of the natural order, and grant that, in their troubles, they may put their whole trust and confidence in thy mercy. Amen.
Moreover, if you need help due to the weather conditions in the days ahead, please let us know. I can be reached on my mobile number at 864-320-3380.
Finally, immediately below this message, I am sharing an urgent request for help that we received from our partners at United Ministries. If you have the ability to share any of the items mentioned below--and have time to take it to their office tomorrow, I hope that you will do so. United Ministries offices are located just a couple of blocks from Saint Andrew's, and I plan to stop by their tomorrow with what the Eichelbergers are able to gather in the meantime.
Grace & Peace,
Fr. Gary+
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Immediate Urgent Need from United Ministries
With inclement weather on the horizon, United Ministries has sent out and urgent request for cool weather supplies. Below is a note from Jamika Nedwards, their VP of Programs and Services, specifying how we can help them prepare:
As we encourage our community to prepare for the storm, we are working hard to equip participants with resources and tools to keep themselves safe in the event of dangerous conditions, power outages, or periods when we are unable to remain open.
I am reaching out because we have an urgent need for hand warmers, foot warmers, and warm gloves. Many of the participants we serve are experiencing homelessness, while others have limited resources and options in the event of an emergency or power outage. We need your help to ensure participants have access to tools to stay warm.
Most needed items:
- Hand warmers
- Foot warmers
- Chapstick
- Warm, waterproof winter gloves
- Thermal long underwear (new or gently used)
As many of us are doing last minute shopping, please consider buying some of these most needed items to support those in need. Donations can be brought to United Ministries Thursday 8am - 4:30pm, or Friday 8am - 12pm.
Or, consider buying online and shipping directly to us at United Ministries, 606 Pendleton Street, Greenville, SC.
We follow the closure procedures of Greenville County Schools. Days that we are able to remain open next week donations can be brought from 8am - 4:30pm (M-Th) or 8am - 12pm (Fridays).
Thank you for being a valued part of our community. Because of your support, we are able to continue serving our most vulnerable neighbors.
Best,
Jamika Nedwards
VP of Programs and Services
| | Worship & Formation Schedule with Links | | |
Sunday, January 25 - The Third Sunday after the Epiphany
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, January 27
8:30 AM Morning Prayer, Rite II
(No Clergy Led Bible Study due to Diocesan Clergy Retreat)
Wednesday, January 28 - The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle (observed)
5:30 PM Healing Mass, Rite II
Thursday, January 29
8:30 AM Morning Prayer, Rite II
Friday, January 30 - Feast of King Charles, King & Martyr
12:00 NOON Low Mass, Rite I
| | Prayer Requests & Resources | |
The following people have been commended
to the prayers of the parish:
| Bob, Brian, Charlie, Christi, Chuck, Dick, Don, Jane, Jerry, Jim, Jodi, Joyce, Karen, Kristen, Lyra, Margaret Lee, Margaret, Marvin, Mary, Nancy, Patt, Robin, Shawn, Shirley, Sylvia, Terry, Theresa, Tom, and Wade | | |
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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01/02 Renie Gault
01/02 Jessica Meyer
01/04 Kacey Eichelberger
01/04 Dick Stanley
01/05 Mary Bennett
01/07 Jennifer Davis Taylor
01/08 John Rhodes
01/09 Ginger Hull
01/10 Amy Gower
01/11 Tim Henry
01/12 Allison Giambrone-Wilson
01/18 Ren Saum
01/18 Linda Henderson
01/21 Terry King
01/30 Mary Banton Mays
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ECW Low-Country Shrimp Boil Fundraiser
This Friday, January 23
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Registration has Closed.
Our ECW (Episcopal Church Women) will be hosting an “all you can eat” shrimp boil fundraiser on January 23. All proceeds will be used for ECW ministries and outreach. If you missed the registration deadline but still wish to attend, please email office@standrewsgreenville.org.
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Potential for Inclement Weather This Weekend
The forecast is calling for winter weather this weekend. Depending on the severity of the storm, our Sunday Worship Schedule could shift. Currently, we are planning on our normal Sunday schedule and Youth Gathering. Please look out for additional communication as the weekend weather progresses.
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January Youth Group | Sunday, January 25 | 5-7 PM
Saint Andrew’s youth and their friends in fifth grade through high school will have their monthly opportunity to gather for a time of food, fun and fellowship this Sunday at 5 PM. Phil Buck and Leigh Randall will be leading this gathering. RSVP to formation@standrewsgreenville.org by this Saturday.
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Clergy Schedule Next Week
Weather-permitting, Fr. Gary will be attending the Diocesan Pre-Lenten Clergy Retreat at Gravatt Conference Center from Monday through mid-day on Wednesday — so there will be no clergy-led Bible study this Tuesday.
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Feast of Saint Charles, King and Martyr | Low Mass | Friday, January 30 |Noon
Please join us for a special noon low mass to celebrate the Feast of Saint Charles. More information about this feast day and its important place within Anglican history can be found on the website for the Society of King Charles the Martyr.
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*Clergy-Led Bible Study of Matthew’s Gospel Not Meeting This Week | Next Meeting is Tuesday, February 3 | 4 PM
Our weekly study of Matthew’s Gospel does not meet this week while Fr. Gary is away at diocesan clergy retreat. We will meet again on Tuesday, February 3, when we will be reviewing Chapter 2 of Matthew’s Gospel. All are welcome.
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Saint Andrew's Book Club
February 1 | 12:30 PM | Parish Hall
The Book Club will meet February 1 at 12:30 PM after coffee hour in the Parish Hall. Please contact Kay Friddle with any questions.
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Souper Bowl of Caring
Soup Can Drive with Concluding Soup Luncheon
Sunday, February 8 | After the 10:30 AM Mass
Can Drive
Soup donations may be dropped off in the Parish Hall. There is also an Amazon wishlist where you can purchase cans and have them delivered to the Parish Office (see below). To celebrate our drive, please join us for a soup and cornbread luncheon after the 10:30 AM Mass on "Souper Bowl Sunday."
Soup Luncheon
Calling all Martha Stewart wannabe’s, aspiring Bobby Flay’s, and good- hearted volunteers to create the 2026 Souper Bowl Sunday on February 8th.
Brownie Makers: We have the boxes of mix and pans in the vesting room. We need 6 people to bake delicious brownies.
Soup Cooks: We need 7 volunteers to bring soup and extension cords the morning of February 8. All hearty types are welcome.
Cornbread Chefs: We need 6 volunteers to bring pans of cornbread.
We need 2 people to bring: Butter, Ice Tea, and Ice
Please send your names to Anne Kaiser who is filling in along with Ellen Mays, Sarah Conrad and Lesley Moore.
Bring your appetites and cans of pop-top cans of soup for United Ministries. Our goal is 750 cans.
Thanks in advance for your generous help,
The Souper Bowl Sunday Team
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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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Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper | Tuesday, February 17 | 6:00 PM | Saint Andrew’s Parish Hall
On Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, we are planning to feast on pancakes (as well as eggs, sausage, orange juice and coffee!) in preparation for entering the penitential season of Lent. In addition to enjoying pancakes together, the children of Saint Andrew’s will assist us with the ceremonial Burning of the Palms and Burying of the Alleluias. (If you still have your palms from last year, you are invited to bring them.) If you are interested in helping, please contact Riley Owens, who is serving as this year’s Shrove Tuesday Supper Coordinator.
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Ash Wednesday Services with Imposition of Ashes February 18 | 7:00 AM, 12 Noon, and 6:30 PM
The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, one of the most solemn days of the church year. Please join us for an Ash Wednesday service as we enter a Holy Lent together and begin the forty day penitential journey to the Cross.
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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.
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Photos from Last Weekend's Vestry Retreat
at the Vista House
| Thanks to all of our vestry members for participating in last weekend's Annual Vestry Retreat. And thanks to Vista House for hosting us again! | | |
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
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Notes Along the Way | The Middle of the Beginning of John's Gospel | In the case of the author of the Gospel, we call him John, though the writer never names himself, though he does refer to himself with masculine grammar in . We associate the author, whom we name John the Evangelist, with the Beloved Disciple because of this verse, which may have been added later. | | | |
Living the Reign | Your Diocesan Newsletter | | | Spring Events - Diocesan Youth & Young Adult Ministries | HAPPY NEW YEAR! We are grateful for a truly wonderful Fall across our youth and young adult ministries in the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina. From meaningful gatherings like Happening and Converge that deepened our relationships and developed faithful leaders, it was a season marked by growth, connection, and joy. | | | St. Andrew's, Greenville Calls A New Associate Rector | For the past seven years, The Rev. Molly McGee Short has served as the Chaplain at St. Andrew's-Sewanee School, an Episcopal boarding and day School in Sewanee, TN. Molly's spiritual formation first took root as a student at St. Paul's Episcopal school in Mobile, AL. | | | |
A Year to Remember: Thank You for Supporting Project Host! | LETTER FROM THE CEO Happy New Year from all of us at Project Host! As we step into 2026, we want to pause for a moment and simply say thank you. To our supporters, partners, donors, volunteers, advocates, and friends, you showed up for Project Host in meaningful, generous, and powerful ways throughout 2025. | | | |
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Good Evening Everyone,
I hope you are all doing well. We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the Issues Committee Meeting this Thursday at the Enoree River Center. I also wanted to let clergy know that on the last newsletter there was a mix-up on the date for the next Clergy Caucus event, which will be on February 25th at Change Your Mind Ministries. Finally we want to remind everyone about filling out there Congregational Information sheets by the end of the month. This info is vital to our organization, so please work on that in the next two weeks. If you do not have that sheet contact me at oscar@thedartcenter.org and i will email it to you.
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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 Lesley Moore or Linda Fitzsimmons.
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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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