Called to Worship. Sent to Witness. Led to Welcome. | | |
Giving Thanks
Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
- The Collect for Thanksgiving Day (BCP 246)
I hope that everyone will enjoy a blessed Thanksgiving tomorrow. Kacey, our kids, and I will be heading to my parents' home in Ninety Six (for anyone who is less familiar with me and South Carolina small towns -- that is the name of my hometown), where we look forward to plenty of good food and precious time with family.
It is always a gift to be able to return to people and places that we love -- and so, as I anticipate the gift of this time, I am also looking forward to being back at Saint Andrew's on Sunday when we will begin a new church year on the First Sunday of Advent -- and prepare to tell the story of our salvation once again!
Grace and Peace,
Fr. Gary+
| | Worship & Formation Schedule with Links | | |
Sunday, November 30 - First 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, with Great Litany (livestream available)
Tuesday, December 2
8:30 AM Morning Prayer, Rite II
Wednesday, December 3 - Feast of Nicholas of Myra, Bishop (observed), Fr. Stephen Bolle, guest celebrant
5:30 PM Healing Mass, Rite II
Thursday, December 4
8:30 AM Morning Prayer, Rite II
Friday, December 5
11:00 AM First Friday Mass at Cascades, Rite I
| | 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, Theresa, Tom, Tristan, 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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11/26 Elaine Brockman
11/26 Mark Kaiser
11/27 Lee Ann Tolzmann
11/28 Joyce Ford
11/29 Brian Brigham
11/29 Jodi Ryall
11/30 Riley Owens
11/30 Sidney Brunson
11/30 Martha Carlson
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 5 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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Thanksgiving Week Schedule
As we approach the week of Thanksgiving, please take note of the following changes in our regular schedule:
- Wednesdy, November 26 | No Healing Mass
- Thursday, November 27 | No Morning Prayer
- Thursday-Friday, November 27-28 | Parish Office closed
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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.
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)
We have begun our second full academic year of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd — an approach to Christian formation that builds upon Montessori methods of learning. With Catechesis, we seek to nourish and encourage that desire for deeper relationship—drawing forth both joy and wonder in the child. If you have any questions, feel free to speak with Fr. Gary or Cheryl Banks, who are serving as our lead catechists this year.
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Restaurant Supper Club | Koi Asian Bistro | December 2 | 6 PM
Our next Supper Club will take place Tuesday, December 2 at Koi Asian Bistro on Pelham Road. If you haven't already RSVPed to the office, please RSVP directly to Riley Owens by Friday!
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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
Mark your calendars for this year’s Episcopal Church Women (ECW) and Daughters of the King (DOK) Advent Social as we celebrate the season and give back. All women of the parish are invited to join us for this social gathering! More details to come!
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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. 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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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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November Youth Gathering at Project Host
This past Sunday, our youth gathered at Project Host for a service project. They learned about the vital role Project Hope plays in our community, and they had the opportunity to make cornbread for the Thanksgiving stuffing as well as several other items! Thank you to everyone who joined us.
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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... | |
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LETTER FROM THE CEO
Dear Project Host Friends and Supporters,
Lately at Project Host, we've watched the need grow-not just in numbers, but in faces and stories from right here in our community. With a potential delay in November SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits across South Carolina, many families are experiencing uncertainty about how they will access food in the coming weeks.
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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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