Lenten Program

Do you remember what you learned when you took your confirmation classes? Were you confirmed? Is the Episcopal Church new to you? Each week, in our Lenten Season, we will focus on a different aspect of the Episcopal Church. For example, one session will focus on the history of the church, and the next week an introduction to theology.

My hope is that we will relearn or learn from each other and have fun while we do it. We will be meeting via zoom on Monday nights at 6 p.m. beginning on February 27th.

If you would like to be a part of this year’s Lenten Program, please e-mail me.

Grace and Peace,

Peter

Palm Sunday Gospel Readings

If you would like to take part in the Palm Sunday Gospel Reading please sign up here. A copy of the reading can be found here.

Grief Support Group

We have been exploring the idea of a St. Andrew’s Grief Support Group that would meet initially once a week between Easter and Pentecost, April 10 to May 27. The purpose of the group would be for support and for better understanding of the losses in our lives—in the light of the Easter message—and with the understanding that grief is not neatly confined to the first year following a loss. Grief hits us in different ways at different times. The underlying theme of the group will be “you are not alone”. The books that will be our resources are “Finding Your Way Through Grief “ and “The Cure for Sorrow”. Each session will start with a reflection for the group to discuss. Please contact Susan Garrett ([email protected]), Catherine Sharbaugh ([email protected]), Kathy Cartelli ([email protected]), or speak to Peter, if you are interested. We will finalize the day of the week and the time for the meetings after consulting with those interested; one suggestion is on Sundays at 4 pm. The first meeting will be at the church.

Peace & Justice Ministry will be meeting via Zoom April 12, 5 pm

Creation Care Ministry will be meeting after the 10 am service April 2

Camp Stevens As you begin planning your children’s summer activities, please consider sending them to Camp Stevens (https://campstevens.org), an amazing summer camp and retreat center run by the Episcopal Church in the mountains east of San Diego just outside the historic town of Julian. We congratulate them on celebrating their 70^th anniversary this year! 

Many young people at Saint Andrew’s have gone to Camp Stevens repeatedly for summer camp, and some loved their experiences so much they could hardly wait to return as teens to work there as camp counselors. Feel free to ask, for example, the Browning, Hane and Caprini families about their children’s recent experiences.

Camp Stevens is renowned for their inclusivity, celebration of diversity, fabulous outdoor experiences, and their farm-to-table kitchen. As Camp Stevens website explains, “We work to ensure each camper leaves with a greater sense of self-love, confidence, spirituality, and creativity from a week of being accepted as they are in a compassionate community. We believe that by exploring together in a group they develop a greater sense of empathy and responsibility to others and ready to face new challenges in the future. We hope that they feel inspired by their time in nature and have a deeper desire to become stewards of the earth.”  

Summer Camp is for children from 8 to 17 years in age, and they are grouped by age into different Adventure Groups. Each group cooks out over a campfire and sleeps under the stars at least once a week. Older campers may challenge themselves on the high ropes course, and younger campers aim for new heights on the climbing wall. All campers have the option to try classic camp activities such as swimming, hiking, archery, and arts & crafts. 

For the more adventurous youths, Wilderness Camp is available for teens 13 to 17 years in age and, depending on the particular week, involves backpacking either in the mountains and valleys around San Diego County or kayak around Catalina Island.

A great way to introduce young children to Camp Stevens and make them comfortable with the idea of going to sleep-away camp is to take your entire family to Camp Stevens for one of their weekend Family Camps. You’ll stay together in bunk beds in a room in one of the lodges and explore what’s growing in the gardens, visit the farm animals, and enjoy counselor-led activities like hiking or archery or maybe even go on a local winery tour. The next Family Camps on the schedule are during Mother’s Day weekend (May 12-14) and Memorial Day weekend (May 27-29).   For more information about Camp Stevens programs or to register for camp, please visit them on the web at http://campstevens.org/summer. Plan to register early because some sessions do fill up quickly.

Earthquake Donations

The Bishop’s Committee has decided to donate $1000 from the Donation/Outreach Budget to the Episcopal Relief & Development to support relief efforts with the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. 

If you would like to donate, you can write a check to St. Andrew’s with a memo line of Earthquake. 

Please continue to pray for those who have been affected by the earthquake.

Creation Care Ministry

Coming Soon…we will be resuming use of compostable materials during coffee hour. It is a requirement in the City of Irvine. We’ll announce a start date shortly. And to be even more green, consider bringing your own commuter mug for coffee or tea to church each week.

And consider joining the St. Andrew’s community at sustainislandhome.org.

Creation Care Ministry will be meeting after the 10 am service April 2