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Dear friends,

Our senior warden John Whitley is an optimist who always sees the glass half-full. I have to confess that I tend to take a dimmer view of things. In a wardens’ meeting the other day, John pointed out that in a recent sermon I called our world “broken.” He went on to explain that when he looks around, he doesn’t experience the world as broken. He sees all kinds of beauty and goodness, glimpses of God in nature and in other people. 

I’ve been pondering John’s words as we head into Holy Week and Easter. Through Jesus’ sacrifice of himself and God’s raising him to life, the pain and brokenness that I see in the world have already been swept up into God’s loving plan. In Romans, Paul tells us that the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us and that nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. We may not be able to see the whole picture right now, but God can.  

We live in the post-Easter world. Jesus has died and has risen. We proclaim that Sunday by Sunday, but I’m not sure how often we actually pause to let those truths sink in. During these holiest days of the Church year, we remember and celebrate what God has already done. Jesus’ death and resurrection bring us freedom and life, in this world and in the world to come. Good Friday and Easter are past events that change and shape every present and every future, including yours and mine.  

In these coming days, as we walk together through the crushing agony of Good Friday and into the radiant joy of Easter, may your eyes (and mine!) be opened anew to the staggering beauty and goodness in Jesus’ cross and resurrection. Let us give thanks together for what God has already done; and let us live our lives in the coming days in ways that reflect our gratitude for all that we have been given.

I look forward to celebrating these holy days with you.

Faithfully, Anne

PS. As is customary here at St. Andrew’s, an Easter offering envelope was enclosed in the paper newsletter for your use. Please bring it with you on Easter Day along with your Mite Box offering for Episcopal Relief & Development.

Note to those who receive this newsletter via email: You may be wondering why you also received a newsletter this week through the USPS. That was so that we could mail your Easter offering envelope and take advantage of our bulk mail permit through the post office.

Two-Week Newsletter

This issue of St. Andrew’s Net is for two weeks. The next newsletter will be for May 5, 2019.

This Sunday - April 21

6:30 Sunrise Service behind Hilton Elementary

(If it's raining this service will be in the parish hall)

8:00 Holy Eucharist, Rite One

9:30 Easter Egg Hunt - gather outside River Rd doors

(If it's raining this will take place in the basement cafeteria and classrooms)

10:30 Festival Eucharist, Rite Two and Children's Chapel

Service participants/weekly calendar

Scripture Readings

Listen to recent sermons and services

  Complete church calendar

Next Sunday - April 28

8:00 Holy Eucharist, Rite One

9:15

Adult Forum

Youth Confirmation

Inquirer's Class

10:30 Holy Eucharist, Rite Two and Children's Chapel

Noon EYC

Service participants/weekly calendar

Scripture Readings

Easter Egg Hunt

The Easter Egg Hunt is this Sunday, April 21 from 9:30 AM to 10:15 AM. We will be gathering at the church doors on River Road and then the search for the eggs will begin on the lawn on Main Street. Don’t forget to bring your basket!

Sunday, April 21 Christian Formation

Easter Vigil on the York River

Grace, Yorktown and several other churches hold a joint Easter Vigil service on the beach in historic Yorktown each year. The service is held behind the Waterman's Museum beginning at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 20. Click here for a video invitation to this wonderful service.

Holy Week Vigil at Hilton Christian Church

Our friends at Hilton Christian have invited anyone interested to join them for a Holy Week Vigil from 11 PM Good Friday through 6 AM Easter morning. All are welcome to come to the church at any hour to pray.

The Beatitudes: An Adult Forum Exploration

Join us on Sunday mornings at 9:15 in the Parish Hall as we explore The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) together. Our series will run from April 28 through June 9. Plan to take part as we delve more deeply into the surprising blessings that shape our Christian life.

You're Invited to

A Garden Party Celebrating the

100th Anniversary of St. Andrew's

Sunday May 19

5 - 8 PM

in the gardens of Dawn and Bill Hunt

and

Christy and Henry Prillaman

136 James River Drive

All parishioners (including newcomers!) of St. Andrew's, high school age and up, are invited to this celebration.

There is no charge for this event.

  Click here to RSVP by May 10 at the absolute latest!

Know of someone who hasn’t been able to get to church lately? Please pass along the invitation to them and offer to bring them to the party!

Dress: Garden Party Best or Period Fashions

Parking: Within the neighborhood; shuttle available; limited handicapped parking available (please request)

Rain Plan: the parish hall

Become a Friend of St. Andrew’s Garden Party!

Through the generosity of The Friends of St. Andrew’s Garden Party every parishioner from high school age up is invited to attend our 100th Anniversary Celebration on May 19 at no charge.

You can become a Friend of St. Andrew’s Garden Party by making a donation of any size. Just write your check to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and put Garden Party in the memo or place cash donations in an envelope and write Garden Party on the outside. All Friends of St. Andrew’s Garden Party will be thanked in the Garden Party Program. To be included in the program thank you, please make donations by April 30. 

Our garden party celebration will benefit St. Andrew’s Outreach as 10% of the garden party donations will be added to our 100th Anniversary Outreach efforts.

A Call for Photos

If you or anyone you know has photos or memorabilia from St. Andrews at any time in its 100-year history, please scan them and send them to the History Team at [email protected]. Any pictures of you and your family outside or inside the church are welcome. Also, if you have photos of family members who were past members of the church, we would love to have these pictures to illustrate our narrative. Thank you! 

Grateful Thank Yous

Upcoming Kairos Weekend: May 2-5

The Kairos inside team for Nottoway Correctional Center is preparing for its upcoming 41st weekend from 2-5 May and needs Agape. For those not familiar with Kairos Prison Ministry, our mission is to bring Christ’s love and forgiveness to all incarcerated individuals and their families. Agape is an offering of unconditional love to the weekend participants without expectation of anything in return. Visible signs and expressions of Agape come to the weekend participants in the form of prayer chains, posters, placemats and cookies.  

Financial support can also be used to sponsor an individual participant or a table family for the weekend.

For those who wish to contribute but have further questions, please contact Matt Deller at (757)812-9852, Joe Durant or Brad Norris.

It's Not too Late: Each One, Invite One, Encore!

The Congregational Development team is encouraging each member of St. Andrew’s to invite a friend, neighbor, or colleague to visit our church during the month of April.

Christian Formation Liaison Report

“…and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:32

I am very excited about the opportunities we have at St. Andrew’s to learn about our beliefs. One of the things I love most about the Episcopal Church is that it encourages us to use reason to explore and comprehend God’s works. On Sundays at 9:15 Adult Forum meets in the parish hall where we have open and lively discussions about various topics of our faith. Children’s church meets during the sermon at the 10:30 service where they begin their exploration of God’s works. Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) have fun exploring God’s works on Sundays from 12:00 to 2:00.

Fritz Horne

Pastoral Care Liaison Report

“Bear one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ… So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.” Galatians 6:2, 10.

I am grateful to be the liaison from the Vestry for the Pastoral Care Team. Let me tell you a little about this group of amazing women. The Pastoral Care team is multi-faceted. We are dedicated to visiting the home bound, taking communion to those who are unable to attend church, either temporarily or permanently. We are here to serve those who need to be consoled. We try and share the burdens of those going through difficult life transitions. We are a group who care deeply for those we serve. 

Each team member has several parishioners they are responsible for contacting regularly, checking in to see how they are, and asking if anything has changed in their situation. We update these names at our quarterly meeting. Some members of the team attend the first Friday monthly Eucharist held at the Chesapeake.  

When called upon by the clergy, team members may visit a parishioner who is in the hospital. We also schedule healers for the healing service, which is held the first Sunday of each month. One member sends cards as needed, which we know are welcomed by those who are unable to get to church. The Prayer Chain at St. Andrews is also under the umbrella of Pastoral Care. It is a very busy ministry. Requests are made almost daily, by email or phone, for people needing prayers. Updates are given at least monthly. Prayer is an important part of Pastoral Care.

We have a Prayer Shawl Ministry. Prayer Shawls are knitted or crocheted by members of the congregation. Once completed, they are blessed by the clergy and are set-aside in a special box. When a need arises, we can take one to a person who might benefit from one. They are marked with special tags saying that prayers were said as the shawls were being made.

We all have different gifts. I believe that we must look closely at ourselves to see where our gifts might be.

Ministering to those who are sick, bereaved or confined to facilities is very gratifying for me. I feel called to this ministry, as it is way for me to return the gift to those who have walked with me through tough times. I believe I can make a small difference in the lives of our parishioners who may be in need. Would you like to be involved in this ministry? Could this be a place to use your gifts? Feel free to call me@846-6993 or email me at [email protected]. And thank you for electing me to serve on your Vestry. It is a good time to be at St. Andrews!

Peace to you this day, Catherine Frey

An Opportunity to Serve: Lay Delegates to Annual Council

It's that time of year: vestries around the diocese must appoint delegates for our diocesan Annual Council (and any other councils called during the year). At St. Andrew's, we need to elect three delegates this year, and they serve for four years: the first two years as alternates, the second as delegates. Responsibilities include attending the February Annual Council meeting, as well as any pre-Council informational meetings and any other called meetings of diocesan Council. Those elected this year may also be involved in the election of our next bishop. Any communicant in good standing (a member who attends church regularly) is eligible to serve as a delegate. Interested in being a delegate? Contact John Whitley at [email protected] or 469-1351 by Tuesday, May 14.

Youth Sunday, Graduation and Acolyte Recognition – May 12 (note: the date has changed)

The Episcopal Youth Community (EYC), which is our group of young people age 12 through senior high school, will be leading worship on Sunday, May 12. The youth will be reading the scriptures, preaching, and leading the Prayers of the People, which they have written themselves. We are excited about our youth sharing their faith with the rest of the congregation.

On May 12, we will also have our annual Acolyte Recognition and we will recognize our 2019 graduates. Graduates please submit the information below to Bill Wilds by noon, April 30!

Mother’s Day Blessing at St. Andrew’s

On Sunday, May 12, which is Mother’s Day, we will have the Blessing of Mothers and Mother Figures (godmothers, grandmothers, etc.) at both the 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM services. Kids are invited to join in the blessing.

May Weekend 2019

May Weekend at Chanco is coming! It is a fun weekend retreat crafted especially for youth aged 13 through high school. Join with other teens from around the diocese for a time which will fill you with God’s love and help us finish the sentence: “God’s love is…” The dates and times are: check in 6 PM Friday, May 17 and depart at 11 AM Sunday, May 19. The registration fee is $135. St. Andrew’s and the Diocese of Southern Virginia can help with the cost; please let the Rev. Lorna Williams know ahead of time.

Click here to register. Please register by Monday May 6.

Summer Camps for Children and Youth – Scholarships 

St. Andrew’s is blessed to have scholarship funds for our youth to attend camping sessions (one or two weeks) at Camp Chanco in Surry County on the banks of the James River. The Skip Sherman Camp Chanco Scholarship provides a full scholarship for a St. Andrew’s child or youth to attend one of the camping sessions. The deadline to apply for this scholarship is May 1, 2019. There are also other additional funds available for campers. Those interested in attending Camp Chanco this summer should see the Rev. Lorna Williams for more information.

Click here to check out the offerings for this summer.

Parishioner Business Bulletin Board

Recognizing that we have talented parishioners in many different lines of business, the vestry has decided to dedicate one of the hallway bulletin boards to serve as a Parishioner Business Directory. This will help us to support each other's businesses. You may be surprised to discover how diverse the talents of this parish are! If you would like to share information about your place of work, please feel free to post a business card or flyer. The bulletin board is located across from the Day School Library.

Do You Have a Guest Room or Apartment?

An Episcopalian family in Kentucky is looking for summer housing, a guest room or garage type apartment, for Bryson Clifford, an engineering major who has an internship at NASA Langley this summer. If you can provide such housing, please contact Emmett Clifford, her father, directly at either 859-234-2345 or Fax: 859-658-0846.

Our 100th Anniversary Recipe File: Scalloped Noodles with Chicken

from the Gone with the Wind cookbook

3 c cooked noodles dash of pepper

3 c diced, cooked chicken 2 T melted butter or margarine

¼ lb mushrooms, sliced 1 c hot chicken broth

½ t salt ½ c buttered bread crumbs.

Place half the noodles in a greased baking dish; add half the chicken and mushrooms. Repeat layers. Mix salt, pepper, and butter or margarine with the broth. Pour over casserole. Cover with bread crumbs and bake uncovered at 350 degrees about 20 minutes or until brown. Makes 6 servings.