Welcome to our newsletter.

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

Thursday, November 12, 2026, 6:00 p.m. Evening Prayer

• Join us for Evening Prayer. The service will be available through Facebook Live at the St. Andrew's Facebook page at 6:00 p.m. Daily Evening Prayer, Rite Two, may be accessed here. 
• The readings for this evening may be accessed here.



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 4 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 is designed for children in grades K-6 and is led by Tammy Smecker-Hane during the 10 a.m. service. Drop off for both is in the Kangaroo Room of the Children’s Center (follow the sign). We will bring the children to you in church during the Announcements. If you have any questions about Sunday School, please email Tammy Smecker-Hane.

Remind your children to bring in their filled UTO boxes to church on Sunday for our UTO Ingathering! If you forget, simply drop your box into the plate during the Offering in church over the next 2 weeks. During Sunday School, we will be doing a Gratitude “All About Me” exercise to conclude our month-long focus on the practice of gratitude.

Youth Group Information

Youth Group is designed for youths ages 12 and up and is led by Hank Caprini during the 10 a.m. service. The children will be brought to church during the Announcements.

If youths who are acolyting or in the choir wish to join the Youth Group for the latter part of the meeting, they should leave the church after the Gospel reading.

Last week in the Youth Group we discussed the plan for the coming weeks, and the youth got to decide what stories from the Bible they were interested in learning about. One of those stories was the story of Ruth, which we will be looking at this week. The Book of Ruth is a very short book of the Bible, just like the Book of Jonah, and it is also similarly focused on one individual. Ruth is a kind and loyal woman who puts herself at great risk in order to support her mother-in-law, even though she has just been widowed! Even in this precarious position Ruth exhibits kindness, humility, and grace, which are virtues we can all learn from. The best part is that she is rewarded by similarly kind and wonderful people. Overall, Ruth's story is one of support in difficult times and the fruits of both individual and communal kindness.

As an additional reminder, the Youth Group is meeting in the Kangaroo room, which can be accessed through the Children's Center courtyard.

Stewardship 2026 – Plenty Good Room

This year’s Stewardship Campaign, Plenty Good Room, is rooted in Jesus’ promise: “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” It is a reminder of God’s abundance and welcome, and of the place each of us has in the life of St. Andrew’s.

As you consider your pledge for the coming year, we invite you to prayerfully reflect on how you can support the worship, ministries, fellowship, and outreach of St. Andrew’s. Each of us has been blessed in different ways, and each of us has something meaningful to offer. Stewardship is not only about financial giving. It is about how we respond to God’s generosity through our time, talents, prayers, presence, and resources.

What might God be calling you to share this year? Perhaps it is increasing your annual pledge, volunteering your talents, becoming involved in a ministry, or finding a new way to serve. Every gift matters. Together, our generosity makes room for children and youth to grow in faith, for people to find community, for neighbors to receive care, and for our worship and ministries to continue to flourish.

You will be receiving physical pledge cards in the mail, but if you wish to pledge online, you may do so by clicking here. Whether you pledge physically or digitally, we ask that you complete your pledge by Sunday, November 15th and join us for our Stewardship Brunch following the 10:00 a.m. service, where we will gather in gratitude for all that we have been given.

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



There is Plenty Good Room at God’s table, and together we can continue making room for all.

Plenty Good Room: 5 Weeks of Stewardship Reflection

Week 5: Gratitude, Commitment & Sending

Our stewardship journey ends where it began: with gratitude. Psalm 100 invites us to enter God’s presence with thanksgiving and praise. As we reflect on Plenty Good Room, we are invited to carry abundance, welcome, generosity, and belonging into our daily lives. Stewardship is not simply a decision we make once a year. It is a way of living in response to all that God has given us.



Reflect: How will you live as a steward of God’s plenty this year? What commitment of time, talent, prayer, presence, or financial resources is God inviting you to make?

Friendship Shelter Request

During the month of November, we will be collecting monies to purchase hygiene kits as Christmas gifts for the residents at the Friendship Shelter. 

Each kit consists of shampoo, conditioner, bar soap, toothpaste, deodorant, plus a few miscellaneous items. We need 35 kits which will cost approximately $300. Any funds collected above that amount will be donated to the shelter. 

In addition to the necessary hygiene items, the Prayer Shawl ministry is busy working on prayer cloths to add a touch of God’s spirit to each of their gifts. 

There are several ways to contribute…a check written out to St. Andrew’s and place Friendship Shelter in the memo; or you could Zelle the monies to the church indicating Friendship Shelter; or place cash in an envelope with Friendship Shelter on it and drop in the plate during the Offertory. 

Thank you for continuing to support the residents at the Friendship Shelter by giving them a little bit of joy this Christmas. 

If you have any questions, please contact Grace Marcotrigiano.

United Thank Offering

Bring in your filled UTO Boxes to church this Sunday (Nov 15) for our annual UTO Ingathering when we gather our donations and bless our offerings. Every penny you donate goes out next year as UTO grants for innovative mission and ministry projects done by Episcopal groups in the USA and Anglican Communion groups across the world. Envelopes also will be provided in the pews if you forget your box or simply want to donate by check (make checks out to Saint Andrew’s Church with “UTO” on the memo line). Additionally, you can donate directly to UTO on-line by clicking here, and we’ll post some signs with QR codes that can take you directly to that website during coffee hour.

For more information about UTO, go their website or follow their Facebook page to get up-to-date news and highlights from UTO grant sites. Every penny you donate will go out to Episcopal and Anglican Communion groups who are doing innovative mission and ministry projects in their local community to become “the gifts of God for the people of God” both here in the USA and throughout the wider 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 email on the form. All gifts need to be returned to St. Andrew's by December 13 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.

Women’s Advent Gathering

On Wednesday, December 16 at 5:00 p.m. we will be gathering in the church for a program led by Susan Garret and then 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 if you have any questions. Hope you can make it.

2027 Member Directory

It is time to start working on our 2027 directory. We’d like to start getting photos of newer members and update any that were taken years ago. Nick Baldasari will take a photo, or if you have one you’d like to include, you can send it to the office and note that it is for the directory. If you’d like Nick to take the photo, let him know on a Sunday you attend church. Thank you for helping us keep the directory current.

Woodbridge Manor - November 16

Woodbridge Manor volunteers will meet on

November 16 at 10:30 a.m. We need empty 1 dozen cardboard egg cartons (not plastic) and small plastic fruit boxes (like the ones blueberries raspberries come in). These may be brought to church and left in the Narthex. For more information contact Catherine Sharbaugh.

Book Group - November 18

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.

Angels Among Us

Orange County Women's Chorus

December 5 and December 6

Mary Langsdorf and Kathy Baldasari invite you to Angels Among Us, on December 5 and 6 at St. Wilfrid of York Episcopal Church, Huntington Beach.

Celebratory tunes, good tidings, and startling truths: the voices of angels bring them all! Our holiday program is filled with the songs of heavenly messengers and earth angels alike. Enjoy the sounds of the season with an OCWC twist!

PROGRAM DETAILS

Angels Among Us

Saturday, December 5, 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, December 6, 3:00 p.m.

CONCERT VENUE AND TICKET INFORMATION

The concerts will take place at St. Wilfrid of York Episcopal Church, 18631 Chapel Lane, Huntington Beach.

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.

For more information, visit the OCWC website.

Media Release

We livestream our 10 a.m. services on our YouTube channel and have a social media presence. We also post photos on our website. If you have not completed a media release form, please do so by clicking here to download and complete the form. Save the completed and signed PDF, then email it as an attachment to office@standrewsirvine.org. We need to know if you agree to allowing us to include you or your family in these posts.



Responding to Immigration Enforcement 

Dear friends, these are frightening times for those in our community who are vulnerable to immigration enforcement. Please report any suspected ICE/CBP/DHS sightings to the OC Rapid Response Network by calling or texting 714-881-1558. Document and report as much as you safely can of the following: Size/Strength of forces; Action/Activities; Location; Uniform/Clothes; Time/Date; and Equipment/Weapons. (SALUTE is a handy acronym for remembering this). If you can text a photo of suspicious vehicles and plates, that's especially helpful.

OCRRN is a trained network of volunteers that confirm ICE sightings and alert impacted communities. Upon receiving a report, they will send out trained volunteers to get eyes on the situation and provide support to impacted individuals. 

Red cards with the OCRRN phone number, the SALUTE items to watch for, and information about your legal rights and resources in the event of an encounter with ICE will be available in a basket in the narthex. Please take these and share them with businesses, co-workers, friends, and neighbors who may be at risk.

Let us remember the words of Jesus in Luke 10:25-37 who reminds us that we are called to serve our neighbors with mercy and that we need not share religion, ethnicity, or language with those we love as ourselves.

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

NOVEMBER

·        11/15 - St. Andrew's Day

·        11/29 - Advent begins

DECEMBER

·        12/ 6 – Alternative Gift Fair

·        12/13 – Alternative Gift Fair

·        12/16 – Women's Advent Gathering 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

·        12/19 – Blue Christmas 5 p.m.

·        12/20 – Advent 4, Greening of the Church

·        12/24 – Thursday-Christmas Eve–5 p.m. Holy Eucharist

                     w/Choir / Children’s Pageant

·        12/25 – Friday - Christmas Day (Service: 10 a.m. Said Holy Eucharist)

JANUARY

·        1/ 3 – De-greening of the Church

·        1/17 – Annual Meeting at 10:30 a.m.

You Can Donate Using Zelle

If you wish to make regular payments on your pledge or even if you want to make a one-time donation to the Church, you can do so through your bank by using Zelle. The advantage of using Zelle is that there are no transaction charges for either you or for the Church and you do not need to write a check each time to mail or deliver to the Church. If you wish to set up a payment through Zelle from your bank account, the destination of your payment is office@standrewsirvine.org and the payee is St. Andrew’s. If you haven’t made a donation through Zelle before, you can use the QR code to get started. If you have questions please contact Kim at the office to assist you.

If you are 70 ½ years old or older, here’s a way to give and also reduce your income taxes at the same time:

There may be a way to reduce your income taxes while donating to St. Andrew’s – by using a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). QCDs allow individuals age 70½ and older to make tax-free donations directly from any tax-deferred IRA account to any qualified charity, such as St. Andrew’s, potentially satisfying all or part of your annual required minimum distributions (RMDs). The check just needs to go directly from your IRA account to the church address at 4400 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, CA 92604 and the broker will need the St. Andrew’s federal EIN which is 33-2031839. Please ask your broker to include your name on the distribution check so we know who is making the donation.

Be sure to consult with your financial, tax and/or legal advisors before taking any action to ensure you’re making the right decision for you.

If you have financial assets such as shares of stock that have appreciated, here’s another way to give and reduce your income taxes at the same time:

Rather than sell shares that have appreciated in value and pay capital gains taxes, you can transfer those shares directly to a brokerage account at St. Andrew’s. By doing so you avoid the capital gains taxes and receive the fair value of the shares as the value of your charitable donation which will show up on the contribution statement. Contact the church office for information on how to direct your shares into the St. Andrew’s brokerage account.

Be sure to consult with your financial, tax and/or legal advisors before taking any action to ensure you’re making the right decision for you.

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.