Welcome to our newsletter.

We hope this information keeps you connected to our church family. 

In Q3, we reduced our paper usage by 2,837 sheets—almost six reams saved compared to Q2. Great job, St. Andrew’s! We will be printing fewer bulletins in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint. We realize that using a device to read the bulletin may be a daunting task, but we have several congregants who are ready to help if you need it. If we are able to purchase less paper over time, we will donate the savings to our outreach efforts. If you don’t have a device to use, but are willing to share a bulletin with your neighbor, that helps us reach our goal too.

Pastoral Care

Sunday School News

Day care for infants and children 3 yrs old and younger during the 10 a.m. service will be provided by Samira Sameni, a preschool teacher at our Saint Andrew’s Children’s Center.

Sunday School for children 4 yrs and up will be taught by Tammy Smecker-Hane. Both will happen together in a classroom of the Children’s Center, whose entrance is located in the far left-hand corner of the courtyard (follow the sign). Please drop your children off there before church begins.

Remind your children to give thanks every day for the blessings God has given them, and we will bring our filled UTO boxes in for the UTO Ingathering next week on Dec 8 and join other Episcopalians in raising communities’ access to clean water both in the USA and the wider world. This week, Sunday School children will learn about Advent and Mary’s visit by Angel Gabriel to bring her some surprising news. We also are beginning to assign roles and fit children into costumes for the Christmas Pageant on Christmas Eve (Tues, Dec 24, 5pm). If you cannot be at church in the next few weeks and your children want to be in the Pageant, please email Tammy and give her two or three options for whom each child wants to portray so we can have costumes and props ready for them. As usual, visiting grandchildren, nieces and nephews are welcome to join in the Pageant, too, just let Tammy know ahead of time their names and ages. Also email Tammy if you have any general questions about Sunday School.

United Thank Offering

The United Thanks Offering (UTO) invites every Episcopalian to NOTICE the good things that happen each day, GIVE thanks to God for your blessings, MAKE an offering for each blessing by dropping a coin in a UTO box, and every penny you donate becomes BLESSINGS for others through UTO grants. These competitive annual grants power innovative solutions to problems facing people in the US and the wider world throughout the Anglican Communion. For over 130 years, we have empowered community leaders to hold vaccine clinics, build preschools, establish community gardens in food deserts, minister to incarcerated people and so much more! Motivated by the Beatitudes to focus on the least among us, the theme of this year’s grants will be solving water problems.

Pick up your traditional blue or the new “color-your-own” UTO box in the Narthex. Then over the month challenge yourself and your family to notice the blessings in your daily lives and put a coin or dollar into your UTO box in gratitude.

We’ll hold our UTO Ingathering on Sunday, Dec 8, when we bring our UTO boxes back to Saint Andrew’s, combine our donations, and bless our offerings. Envelopes will be provided in the pews that day, too, in case you forget your box or want to donate by check. (Make it payable to Saint Andrew's Church with "UTO" in the memo line.)

In addition to participating in the Ingathering, you can donate on-line or by text:

•  Online by clicking here
•  By texting INGATHERING to 41444

For more information about UTO, go their website by clicking here or follow their Facebook page by clicking here to get up-to-date news and highlights from UTO grants. 

Stewardship 2024 - Walk in Love

This year our stewardship campaign - Walk in Love - has reached the point where we ask you to prayerfully consider how you can support the ministries, worship, and outreach of St. Andrew's. Each of us hears this call differently, just as each of us has been blessed by God differently. How will you feel God’s call to walk in love this year? How will you determine how you will share your gifts with God’s people in the world? Before you fill out the pledge card included in this letter, we invite you to pray, discuss, and discern how God is calling you to share your gifts. Whether it is increasing your annual pledge, volunteering your talents, or getting involved in a new ministry, all of us have an integral role to play in the life of St. Andrew’s, especially this year as we transition from mission to parish.

You will be receiving physical pledge cards in the mail, but if you wish to pledge online, you can do so by clicking here.

Please consider this proportional giving chart as you determine what is right for you and your household.

Alternative Gift Fair - December 8 & 15

Leave room in your Christmas shopping for the Alternative Gift Fair at Saint Andrew’s on Sunday, Dec 8 (8 & 10 am services) and Sunday, Dec 15 (10 am service)! As in prior years, we’ll have beautiful craft items from Concern America that are made by craftsmen in Guatemala, Mexico and Colombia and provide health care, clean water, education and income generation to impoverished communities. Also, we will have soaps from Shima made in Navajoland and scented with native plants, which benefits teens and elderly. We also will give you the opportunity to donate to Episcopal Relief and Development in the name of a relative, and you’ll receive a Christmas card to give to them. For example, you can purchase chickens for a family or a mosquito nets for a family from the ERD catalog. Lastly, we’ll also have gift acknowledgement cards from United Thank Offering that you can send to friends or family members. If you are a crafter and are interested in donating your proceeds to a worthy cause and want to display them at the Alternative Gift Fair, please email Tammy Smecker-Hane. Also, we need folks to man the tables at the Fair after the 8 a.m. service on Dec 8 and before/after the 10 a.m. service on Dec 8 and 15, and if you would like to help then please email Tammy.

Woodbridge Manor - December 2

Woodbridge Manor volunteers will meet on December 2 at 10:30 a.m. We need empty cardboard egg cartons and plastic fruit boxes (like the ones raspberries come in). These may be brought to church and left in the Narthex. For more information contact Catherine Sharbaugh.

Book Group - December 4

The Virtual Book Group meets weekly on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. followed by noonday prayer. Scroll down to Events and Activities on our website homepage for the new reading. To be added to the Zoom invitation please contact the office.

Women's Advent Gathering - December 12

This year, we will again be celebrating at St. Andrew’s on Thursday, December 12 at 5:00 p.m. We will be gathering in the church for a program led by Susan Garrett and then we will share a potluck together. If possible, please bring your favorite dish or dessert to share! Please click here to R.S.V.P.

Please contact Melissa Browning or 760-953-9096 if you have any questions. Hope you can make it.

Outreach News

The Outreach team will be providing “Breakfast For Dinner” for the residents at the Friendship Shelter on Friday, December 13.

Since it is the holiday season, I was hoping we could buy a small gift for the residents. Now that the weather is getting cooler, I believe a warm hat and gloves would be appropriate and appreciated. I found a set of 20 (hats and gloves) for $50.99 at Amazon. We would need to purchase 2 sets for a total of $101.98. If you would like to donate for the purchasing of the gifts, please place your CASH in an envelope with your name and Friendship Gift on the outside and deposit it into the offertory plate. The last day to donate will be Sunday, December 8.

Thank you for supporting our friends at the Friendship Shelter and giving them a little cheer during this holiday season. If you have any questions, please contact Grace. 

We are truly God’s outreaching hands in the world.

Adopt A Family Outreach

As part of our Annual Adopt A Family Outreach, we will be providing gifts for 4 families associated with our Children's Center. Click here to see the list of items we are requesting. There are clothing items, toys, books, and gift cards for groceries or department stores to select from. Once you have selected the gift you would like to donate, please enter your name and address on the form. All gifts need to be returned to St. Andrew's by December 15 so that we can ensure that the gifts are distributed to the families before Christmas. Please wrap the gifts and provide a tag on the gift that designates the family number & boy/girl and age. You may give gift cards to Carolyn Ybarra or put them in the offertory plate. If you have any questions, please contact Carolyn Ybarra.

Three Journeys: Where We've Been

Orange County Women's Chorus

December 7 and December 8

Kathy Baldasari, Mary Langsdorf, and Ellen Quandahl invite you to Three Journeys: Where We’ve Been, on December 7 and 8 at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Corona del Mar and St. Wilfrid of York Episcopal Church, Huntington Beach.

The OCWC invites audiences to share in the souvenirs they’ve brought back from their three international tours. Hear music for the season for voices and instruments from England and Wales, Canada, and Croatia—plus a special bonus finale from the ensemble’s 2022 Carnegie Hall debut.

This program’s opening concert will take place at a new location—St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, 3233 Pacific View Drive, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625. The second performance of this winter concert and all subsequent concerts this season will be held at the choir’s usual venue, St. Wilfrid of York Episcopal Church, 18631 Chapel Lane, Huntington Beach, CA 92646.

Ticketing Information:

Single tickets* are $35 for adults; $30 for seniors; $15 for students

*Ticketing fees of $2, $1.75, and $1.50, respectively, applied at purchase.

Purchase a season subscription for the best pricing and other benefits! For more information, visit the OCWC website.

A Look Ahead.........

DECEMBER

·        12/1 - Advent Begins

·        12/8 - UTO Ingathering – Bring your UTO Boxes back to church

·        12/8 - Alternative Gift Fair – Day 1 – 8am & 10am services

·        12/12 - Women's Advent Gathering – 5pm to 7pm

·        12/15 - Alternative Gift Fair – Day 2 – 10am service

·        12/21 - Blue Christmas - 5pm

·        12/22 - Advent 4, Greening of the Church

·        12/24 - Tuesday-Christmas Eve 5pm Holy Eucharist with Choir

·        12/25 - Wednesday-Christmas Day (Service: 10am Said Holy Eucharist)

JANUARY 2025

·        1/5 - De-Green the Church

·        1/26 - Annual Meeting

Pray for Peace in the Holy Land

The Rt. Rev. John Harvey Taylor asks us to pray for peace and keep in our hearts the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and its archbishop, the Rt. Rev. Hosam Naoum. Bishop Taylor has written to him on our diocese’s behalf and invites us to make a gift to the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which supports the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City. Archbishop Naoum calls on all to unite in prayer for reconciliation.

Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church | 949-559-4699

The Very Rev. Peter Browning, Rector

office@standrewsirvine.org | www.standrewsirvine.org

 Office Administration Hours:

 In-office: Monday and Thursday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

 Remote: Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.