Son Times Spring 2020

SON TIMES ST. ANDREW LUTHERAN CHURCH

LENT/EASTER 2020

Leadership

Blessed to Be a Blessing When you pick a theme, you want it to be many things.

You want it to ring true in the hearts and minds of people. You want it to be relevant to a person’s daily life of faith. And, of course, you want it to sound interesting, too. If you ask me, if this was baseball, it would be back to the warning track. One thing is for sure, it reminds me of a great hymn: “Go, my children, with my blessing, never alone.

Waking, sleeping, I am with you, you are my own.

In love’s baptismal river I have made you mine forever.

Go, my children, with my blessing, you are my own.”

“Go, My Children, with my blessing.” Hymn #543 E.L.W. The truth of the matter is, as the children of God, we are blessed almost beyond belief. No matter what we have said or done, there is forgiveness and grace. No matter how far or how fast we run from God and God’s will for our lives, God either chases after us or waits for us to grow weary, stop and come back home. No matter where life takes us, up, down, or all around, our loving Lord and Savior is always beside us to guide, protect and sustain.

At the same time, as we say almost every week as a sending at the end of worship—“Go in peace. Serve the Lord.” Or, as one of the versions of the table prayer puts it: “May strengthened for thy service be.”

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This much is clear and irrefutable, as followers of Jesus, we are asked to continually share the love we first receive from Jesus.

Here’s how verse three puts it in hymn #543: “Go, my children, fed and nourished, closer to me.

Grow in love and love by serving, joyful and free.

Here’s my Spirit’s power filled you, here my tender comfort stilled you.

Go, my children, fed and nourished, joyful and free.”

Come to Sunday worship and be nourished: • Sunday, March 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Present Hope • Sunday, March 8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Holy Purpose • Sunday, March 15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Unconditional Love • Sunday, March 22. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Radical Mercy • Sunday, March 29. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Real Presence Come to Wednesday worship as we focus on how to bless others with: Hope, Purpose, Love, Mercy, and Presence.

Take care and God bless!

David Lillejord Senior Pastor

“Notes” from the Music Office

“There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in—that we do it to God, to Christ, and that’s why we try to do it as beautifully as possible.”

Mother Teresa

To Us and Through Us The season of Lent can be a gift to us if we take it as an invitation to dig deeper and grow with intentionality in our devotional lives. While the tradition of giving up something for Lent is a time-honored practice and has great value as it causes us to think of ourselves less and to think of others more, we can also take the approach of “adding” rather than “subtracting” something. Along with (or instead of ) giving up something for Lent, what if you were to commit to regular worship attendance (on Sundays and Wednesdays!), intentional prayer time, spiritual reading, and putting your faith into action through random acts of kindness? This year’s theme for Lenten worship is “Blessed…To Be a Blessing” and our Sundays will focus on how God’s blessings come “to us” and our Wednesdays will focus on how God’s blessings come “through us” on their way to others. After all, we aren’t meant to be like sponges, soaking in all of God’s richness and blessings and then keeping it to ourselves. Instead, we can be more like stained glass windows: letting Christ’s light shine through us as we then become a blessing to those around us with our “true colors” (to quote from the great Cyndi Lauper). This year, we are connecting our themes between Lent Sundays and Wednesdays in a way that is deeper

and more intentional than we have ever done before. We’ll be gathering together at the foot of the cross to wrestle with these questions and others: What are the ways in which we experience God’s grace and love as Christians? What makes us uniquely positioned to bring hope and light into the world? What are the things that define us and challenge us as people of faith? What are the treasures that we hold that are too great to keep to ourselves? We’ll explore the following topics, even though we know that they are but the tip of the iceberg of God’s riches: present hope, holy purpose, unconditional love, radical mercy, and real presence.

Speaking of great blessings, it is a continual blessing in my life to work with St. Andrew’s staff, music staff, and all of our talented musicians to bring excellent music into our worship services that provides not only a “soundtrack of faith” but spiritual food for the journey for all who worship here and my prayer is one that echoes Mother Teresa as we strive to do it all “as beautifully as possible.”

See you in church!

Tim Graf, Worship and Music Coordinator

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Blessed to Be a Blessing

Congregational Council

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s many of you may already know, I facilitate grief support groups here at St. Andrew and with the Southwest Grief Coalition (SWGC) of which St. Andrew is a part. What you may not know is the reason I do this. I do this because I wish a group like this would have been available to me. When I was 10 my dad died by suicide. Less than a year later, just after my 11th birthday, my mom passed away due to heart disease. To say my teen years were tough would be an understatement but I had many blessings during those years too, I just didn’t always recognize them. When I was about 18 or so, I was having a near constant pity party with myself, thinking my life was awful. That is when a family member who wasn’t especially close, said something that changed my life. He asked me what I said to God when I prayed—did I just beg him for stuff, or did I say thank you? Did I ask for my life to be different, or did I show gratitude for all that I had? That was the turning point where I finally started to heal from my grief. Not

immediately, it took a while, but that is when I started to look around me at all the blessings I had instead of focusing on all I had lost. Some days I was only thanking God for small things—like the fact that the sun was shining, or I liked the color of the paint on the wall. Other days I was thankful for bigger things, like the fact that I got into the college I wanted (Gustavus—Go Gusties!) or that I had friends and family who loved me.

Fast forward many years and I still try to live every day with that sense of gratitude, and to thank God every day for all of my many blessings. Some days I forget, some days I don’t feel very grateful, but it’s those days when I need to remember my blessings the most. I also tell

Some days I was only thanking God for small things—like the fact that the sun was shining . . .

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this story in the grief support groups that I lead. We go around the circle and one at a time say something that we are thankful for, big or small. Some people hate this exercise at first, but people tell me later it has been tremendously helpful. So, try it!

Next time you are in a funky mood, take a minute to stop and say a prayer. Tell God Thank You for one of your blessings, or five, or fifty! God will be happy you did, and I can almost guarantee you will be in a better mood!

Cheryl Harjes Council President

Blessed to Be a Blessing

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hen a home needs repairs, updating, or expansion, one of the first questions we ask is, “How will we pay for it?” “Do we have enough in the bank or do we need to take out a loan?”

About three years St. Andrew asked those exact questions about our church home. Our chairs were falling apart, the carpet was unraveling, we needed a security system in the building and our adult education space was in short supply. At the time, we neither had enough cash in the bank nor did we want to take out a loan, so we moved on to a third option and conducted a capital appeal. The goal was about $1.2 million. Following some great work by our leaders and amazing support in this congregation, we not only achieved the commitment goal, we exceeded it by receiving commitments of $1.5 million. We cannot thank you enough…but we thank you very, very much!

May 24th will mark the end of our “With Every Act of Love” Capital Appeal. Giving has followed commitments exceptionally well, having received almost $1.4 million to date.

Since the appeal began, we have been planning, evaluating, contracting and spending on the many projects. The list was long, but we have accomplished many things with only a few left to go. Here is a list of the projects we have completed to date: • Security System • Sanctuary Chairs, Flooring and Lighting • Adult Education Remodel • Early Learning Restrooms & Floors • Carpet Extractor

Capital Appeal Additionally, we have about $235,000 in our capital reserves to provide financial resources for future capital and other expenses that might surprise us or are larger than what our annual operating budget can support.

Looking ahead, there are still a few projects on the list, such as replacing some of the carpet on the gym floor, putting down artificial turf on the rest of the playground, installing air conditioning in our upstairs kitchen, purchasing new tables for our fellowship hall, and building our reserves to $300,000+ in total.

We also continue to explore ways in which live-streaming will one day be possible.

The blessings we have received are blessings to be shared through our time, our talents, and our treasures….and our home we call St. Andrew. Thank you for helping us keep our home a place where everyone feels warm and welcomed—a place where we can gather together and learn and grow in faith and love. Thank you for all you do in blessing those who are a part of St. Andrew and those in the larger community.

Gail Bach Pastor of Stewardship & Evangelism

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Blessed to Be a Blessing

Visitation Ministry

Combining Many Different Gifts

. . . We’re all part of the body of Christ we call St. Andrew Lutheran Church.

We have different skills and abilities but when we combine them they become a great blessing to others.

In 1 Corinthians 12 the Apostle Paul teaches that the human body has many parts and all the parts contribute to the entire body, so that even the smallest part is important to the health of the entire body. So too, we’re all part of the body of Christ we call St. Andrew Lutheran Church. We have different skills and abilities but when we combine them they become a great blessing to others.

God made a covenant with Abraham that he’d bless Abraham and his family so that he would be a blessing.

That’s a key element of the Christian faith—that we acknowledge that God blesses us so that we’re better equipped to bless others. It’s been said, “The Lord doesn’t just call the equipped, but equips the called.” So, we’re equipped by God to do whatever he calls us to do as we serve others. Hebrews 10:24 reminds us, “spur one another on toward love and good deeds, encouraging one another.”

St. Andrew has so many ministries for us to share in that taps into our passions and skills. One of the special ministries of outreach at St. Andrew is called Loaves & Fishes. This ministry involves 25-30 volunteers who gather each month at a community center in Bloomington or at a church in Shakopee to prepare a wonderful dinner and serve it to needy people and the homeless as if they were ordering dinner in a restaurant. The people are treated with respect and dignity and our volunteers share so much care and joy. These volunteers clean up all the dishes and leave a clean kitchen. About 125 + people are served at each site and the hot, delicious meal costs the people nothing!

Studies tell us that we’re happier and healthier when we serve others and that a good deed heals the soul and eases stress.

If most of us take the time to look at our life, we’d conclude that God has blessed us often and in many ways. We haven’t always been deserving of these blessings but we can share them by being a blessing in little or big ways as we live out our faith in our daily life.

Pastor Roger Schindel Visitation Minister

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Blessed to Be a Blessing

Hospitality

Volunteers are the best blessings‌ Every Sunday as people walk in the door for worship, you would never know how much as already been done by some very dedicated volunteers to make sure the spirit of hospitality is alive and well.

For example, folks on our Altar Guild set up for as many as eight communion stations on communion Sundays, tidy up the chancel area, make sure the baptismal font is in place and set up for baptisms.

They also wash the communion cups, put away the wine and wafers, and arrange all the many flowers in the sanctuary on Christmas and Easter.

Our faithful group of ushers, organized and led by John Barth, do more than hand out bulletins each Sunday.

They count attendance, they collect our offerings and put it away, they assist worshippers, and they clean up after us every Sunday. Greeters who welcome us as we walk in the door offer a warm and welcoming hand on some cold and wintery

mornings, making sure we know they are glad we made it.

And, of course, we can’t forget the many volunteers who plate and serve doughnuts, coffee and tea each Sunday making fellowship an especially fun time together. A special thanks to Kay and Newell Nordbye who volunteer to coordinate this important work twice a month.

Thank you to all of our Sunday morning volunteers who bless us with their time and talents every Sunday. We are so grateful for the important role you play in making Sunday mornings so great!

Deb Flach & Gina Altmann Volunteer Coordinators

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Blessed to Be a Blessing

Camping Ministry

The Blessings of Camp Spirit in the Pines Camp truly represents a place where the phrase ‘blessed to be a blessing” comes to life. Each summer Spirit in the Pines eagerly awaits the arrival of campers, families, counselors, and staff. Campers attending for the first time and “seasoned veterans”, families heading up for a relaxing weekend at the lake, counselors and staff ready to lead and share their faith. Throughout the summer camp blesses the campers with new and stronger friendships, self-confidence, independence, a safe place to be ourselves, a place to ask faith questions.

Each year Spirit in the Pines shows us and allows us to experience God’s love in countless ways. This outpouring of love changes lives - it sure has changed mine.

Camp has been a huge part of the foundation in my faith life. I have been going to Spirit in the Pines as long as I can remember. I started with my sister and parents going to family camp each year. Then when I was old enough, I was a camper every summer. I became a counselor, then a staff member, and now am blessed to be part of the camping

ministry team. I remember learning how to skip rocks on the banks of Pleasant Lake with the staff as a family camper. I played countless games of Mighty Mighty Scoop Noodle Challenge as a camper and counselor. As a staff member, I watched the sunsets light up the faces of the campers around the campfire as the melody of Light the Fire drifted up towards Heaven while I played the guitar. Camp gives us so many treasured memories and brings us closer to each other and to God. When I was told that the Lenten theme was going to be “Blessed…To Be a Blessing”, I immediately thought, “Wow! This sums up why I became a counselor and staff member at camp.” To have the opportunity to give back and be a blessing to a place that was been a blessing to me is indescribable. If you ask any counselor or staff member why they want to continue to go to camp each year, you will hear a common theme. They will share stories of how the camp and the previous counselors and staff had blessed them by helping them grow in their

faith. How they now feel blessed to have the opportunity to be a blessing to others, just as God through camp has blessed them.

As February rolls around the exciting preparations for this year’s camping season are well underway. This year counselor training is being streamlined with some new engaging activities! Spirit in the Pines is very grateful to be blessed with high school students and some college age lead counselors who will volunteer 1 or more weeks to care for and be a blessing to the hundreds of campers this summer. February also marks the start of 4 winter retreats for youth. Camp Sunday has also moved to February 23rd this year. We are looking forward to these changes and another exciting year of camping ministry!

Blessings, Aaron Tostenson Past Camp Staff Member

Camp Sunday, February 23, 2020 •

Come to worship and enjoy some spirited music and video.

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The first 250 kids kindergarten–6th grade will receive a special camp t-shirt!

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Caramel and cinnamon rolls, sausage, and juice will be served 9:30–noon!

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Camp style Faith Rocks worship at Sunday School!

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All 2nd graders will celebrate camp with games and a gift!

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Camp counselors will be around to meet and greet in their camp t-shirts.

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Camp Clothing “Fire” Sale! Discontinued items only $5 and $10.

Spirit in the Pines Camp Registration:

Camp registration continues for anyone and everyone online. There is plenty of

room and options, but sessions are filling fast. Visit the Camp page at standrewlu.org.

Give your child, or your whole family the gift that will be a blessing for years

to come, come join us at camp!

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Blessed to Be a Blessing

Service Ministry

Go and bless! (And, let us know how we can help) Jeanie Anderson approached me last fall. She had idea. She described a situation that we find ourselves in from time to time. We are waiting for a traffic light to change. We look to the side of the road. A person is standing with a cardboard sign that reads, “Unemployed. Cash for food welcomed. God bless you.” The light changes and we drive away. Ever been there before?

Jeanie’s idea was this: let’s do something as a church. She floated an idea of passing out care bags. We ran the idea it past our friends at PROP for their wisdom. A team was formed. Items were purchased. On a Sunday morning in January, many people took a break from their donut fellowship to pack ‘We Care’ bags. They included “Jesus Loves You” cards, a pair of light weight gloves and blanket, and a few simple food items. St. Andrew placed 240 bags in circulation! We thank Jeanie for the idea and leadership and God for the inspiration.

Blessed…to be a blessing.

How do you think I responded with Jeanie approached me with this idea? Did I say, “Boy, that sounds like a lot of work” or “good luck with that”? No. When a good idea comes along like this, I think about what we can do all together. There is a multiplication factor in place here. A simple idea like this combined with our vibrant St. Andrew church context and some modest start-up resources means a small idea can be much greater blessing (think Jesus’ miracle of loaves and fishes).

There was a book printed years ago that still holds true today. Its title is Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers: Ministry Anytime Anywhere by Anyone by Bill Easum. It is about creating a permission-giving church where individual ideas for blessing others are welcomed, encouraged, and multiplied. I think we are practicing a permission-giving ministry at St. Andrew.

My point here is that we have full permission to dream how we might bless others. God starts it all out, giving us the Word of grace and forgiveness. Are there others around us in need of love, too? Let’s make it happen. And, how can I help?

So, dream up your ideas for blessing others. How might I help these ideas make an even bigger impact in blessing others? Let’s find out.

In service to all, Pastor Peter Johnson Pastor of Small Groups & Service

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Blessed to Be a Blessing

Annual Meeting/Going Green

Another Year of Blessing—Another Year of Opportunity On Sunday, January 26th, St. Andrew held its 43rd Annual Meeting and there was much to learn and many things to celebrate.

We are grateful to the many folks who came to this year’s meeting, shared their support and offered their questions as together we celebrated many blessings in 2019.

We want to thank our 2019 Council members for their service, and especially give gratitude for Kathryn Hernke and her leadership with the council and congregation this past year. Kathryn, along with Carla Thompson and Tom Burnside, will be moving off the council. We want to thank them for their many con-

tributions these past three years and look forward to their involvement in other ways in the months ahead.

Our 2020 Council will be blessed with three new council members— Juli Hermanson, John Kirk, and Jim Smiley—who were elected at the annual meeting. We also look forward to Cheryl Harjes’ leadership in 2020 as our next Congregation Council President.

Many thanks to the team members who have guided and supported us this past year. Thank you to the Finance Team which reviews, recommends and evaluates finances and other assets of our congregation. Thank you to the Staff Support Team which establishes and re-

views policies related to staffing as well as makes recommendations regarding compensation, benefits and appreciation for our staff.

And finally, thank you to our staff— all 120+ of them—who share their passion for ministry with this congregation, loving our children, teaching our adults, caring for one another and our members throughout the year.

We are blessed as a congregation in ways beyond measure and are so very grateful for the blessings that are shared in faith and love throughout this community all year long.

Going Green(er) is a Matter of Doing the Right Thing!

At this year’s annual meeting, we announced that one of our key aims would be to take on the work of becoming more “green” at St. Andrew. We believe that as caretakers of God’s creation, it is our responsibility to use our natural resources responsibly and to be more thoughtful in our decisions that create waste, use energy and have potential to pollute our air and water.

Beginning in 2020, our leadership will take a look at some larger initiatives to identify what it would take to be more green. These projects will include evaluating our use of electricity, water and natural gas and researching ways to be more 9

efficient in our use of them. Additionally, we have $6,000 in the budget to replace over 100 CFL light fixtures with LED lights, significantly reducing our use of electricity. We are also going to install two new water fountains that will have water bottle fillers on them, and we will look at how we can more effectively recycle paper products.

If you have ideas on how we can become more green here at St. Andrew, contact Pastor Gail at pastorgail@standrewlu.org or Steve Starks at sstarks@standrewlu.org. We would welcome your ideas so we can all do our part in caring for God’s green earth.

Blessed to Be a Blessing

Children’s Ministry

Blessed To Be A Blessing—in Children’s Ministry Kids are a blessing. Period. Full Stop.

About fifteen years ago, a friend of mine was dying in the hospital, and another friend with a baby walked into the room to sit with us. The baby brought peace and joy in the midst of the tragedy consuming us. That sweet baby blessed us with her presence.

Sandy Olson and I lead a third and fourth grade group on Wednesday nights—Bible Blasters. The kids bless us and each other every single week. Their infectious energy, laughter, kindness, honesty, silliness, and curiosity bring us new life at the end of a long day. Through their ministry of presence, these kids have shown Sandy and I what it really means to be a blessing. You show up. Show up for the ordinary and the extraordinary, and blessings abound, no matter the circumstance.

The longer I am in ministry with kids and families, the more I know in my bones that blessings flow when we are present with each other. We can create amazing content, super fun games, and inspiring crafts – but the most important aspect of ministry is to show up, trust God, and be open to the movement of the spirit in and through those we are with.

Blessings In Wiggle and Worship

Young children love to worship God with their whole body! We will have two opportunities for families with young kids to Wiggle and Worship.

Join us on Ash Wednesday, Feb 26 at 5:30 PM, and

share dinner together in the Fellowship Hall after worship. Easter Sunday Wiggle and Worship is at 10:15 AM with an Egg Hunt immediately following. Celebrate your little ones by worshiping with them in a way that honors everything about who they are and the way they like to worship!

VBS 2020—Wild Safari: Where Love ROARS

Join us from June 22–25, 2020 for VBS, Mystery Bus, and Leaders in Training (LIT). Each day we will go on a safari and explore what it means to love God, love others, love ourselves, and love the earth. Register online before May 1 for the early-bird discount.

VBS is a half-day program for children ages 3 1/2–2nd grade. Cost: $40 by May 1, $45 after May 1 Mystery Bus is a two-day full-day service learning experience for kids who have completed 3rd–5th grade. Choose the Monday/Tuesday Mystery Bus or the Wednesday/Thursday Mystery Bus. Cost: $75 by May 1, $85 after May 1 Leaders in Training (LIT) is leadership training for kids who have completed 6th–8th grade.

Our LIT kids guide three or four VBS kids through the week—loving and caring for them all along the way. Cost: $30 Arlene Flancher Children’s Ministry Director

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Blessed to Be a Blessing

Church Anew

Blessed to be a blessing as a Church: Building and Body of Christ Our Church Anew ministry is committed to equipping leaders to be the church today and become the church of the future. We are excited to serve clergy, lay leaders, church staff, and church volunteers by inviting them to gather and learn. We are blessed to be a blessing locally and regionally, to ecumenical guests from small, large, rural, suburban, urban, growing, and struggling congregations.

In January, St. Andrew welcomed attendees to be inspired by and learn from dynamic speakers about Telling the (Old) Story in New Ways. Members and volunteers attended and served our guests. Our church as a building and a body of Christ was blessed to be a blessing.

As a building:

During the two-day conference, many of our large group spaces were used including Fellowship Hall for keynotes and meals, Sanctuary for worship, Narthex for welcoming, Chapel and all three Adult Ed. Rooms 206-208 for workshops. The spaces worked beautifully for presenters and participants. All felt very welcome and comfortable. Thank you St. Andrew community for the blessing of our church building!

Here’s what we heard!

St. Andrew is blessed to be a blessing . . . to our guests: • I will keep coming back because the hospitality is top-notch!

• Attentive & Helpful—Above & Beyond • Exceptional music • So well done—felt very welcomed, appreciated, taken care of • Absolutely outstanding! and to our members, volunteers, and staff: • . . . to see the Gifts of the Holy Spirit working in all God’s Children. – Mary Salyards • The story became so present and alive . . . I became tearful.

It was a true gift to me. – Carol Webster • I’ve never, in my entire life, been so moved by a speaker’s message . . . – Sandy Perkins • Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this wonderful learning journey. – Jennifer Bessinger • It’s great to work beside so many wonderful people . . .

I’m in for the next one for sure! – Sandy Olson

As a body of Christ:

Church Anew events are blessed by the gifts of many coming together as the body of Christ to be and serve the body of Christ.

A wide variety of skills and passions are needed to prepare, execute, praise, and tell. Speakers, listeners, teachers, learners, servers, and guests. Thank you St. Andrew community for the blessing of being who you are as members of the body of Christ!

Save the Date!

Join us at our next Church Anew conference.

Monday, May 11–Tuesday, May 12

Master Class in Communication Featuring Rob Bell & Peter Rollins Plus—join us for:

An evening with Rob Bell & Peter Rollins Monday, May 11 | 7:00 PM

Volunteers are needed! Contact Deb Hetherington

Tickets now on sale at churchanew.org 11

Blessed to Be a Blessing

20–30-somethings 20–30-somethings have been blessed by a $15,000 grant from the Riverside Innovation Hub, in order to be a blessing to St. Andrew and our community.

That has taken root in a variety of ways this year— through monthly Wine & the Word gatherings, where meals are shared, friendships are formed, and faith conversations emerge. Quarterly Trivia nights have gathered young adults from all over the Twin Cities for fellowship around humor, music, and even some prayer.

College students have gathered over lunch for a check-in between terms.

20-30-somethings attended a live podcast of Cafeteria Christian. The team is currently planning further ways to be a blessing to our community and is looking for your ideas! If you are a 20–30-something, or if you know one, encourage them to contact one of the team. Together, we’ll share this abundant blessing with our community.

20–30-Somethings Ministry Team: Pastor Matthew Jamie Samuelson Matt Gribben Paul McKay Sydney Mason

Pastor Matthew Ian Fleming Pastor of Teaching & Young Adults

Introducing: LINK College_Aged_Connection

Ever feel disconnected from home? Or like you don’t belong? Or like you could just use a connection to St. Andrew?

A recent gathering a college-aged students all agreed that they had a hard time finding a church that spoke to them like St. Andrew. So we thought, through the magic of the internet, we would come to you instead.

On Sundays in Lent, starting March 1, we will meet for a conversation with one of the St. Andrew pastors.

All college_aged_people are welcome to join. Take a few minutes to connect with fellow college_aged_people, hear a brief message from a St. Andrew pastor, and walk away with inspiration for your week.

When?

Sundays starting on March 1, 11:11 AM

Where?

Any computer or phone (using a Zoom link, on our site)

What?

• A brief message from one of our pastors •

Time to connect with fellow college_aged_people

• Tools to help you live faith in daily life How do I sign up?

Email TJ Helgren (thelgren@standrewlu.org)

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Blessed to Be a Blessing

B “Every good and perfect gift is from above” James 1:17

lessed . . . To Be a Blessing! In the midst of the chaos of daily life, we often fail to realize the blessings in disguise that surround us. They are often hidden in the many families as they walk by us to drop off or pick up their children, in the many cars that are in line outside for curbside drop off and the countless stories that are read on the buggy. It’s good for us to stop and notice what’s happening right before our eyes. Take that moment, pause and just enjoy the blessings that surround you. The Farrell and Foote families were kind enough to reach out and tell their story of how St. Andrew Early Learning has been a blessing for their family . . .

In May of 2011 we were in need of childcare for our one-year-old daughter Allison. We wanted the best care for our first child and we explored many options to see what would be the best fit for our baby. St. Andrew Early Learning has an excellent track record and a faith based environment. From the initial interview and tour we knew that St Andrew was where we belonged.

Fast forward 2 years, we had a second baby on the way. At our 20-week ultrasound it was discovered Anna was missing part of her right arm. The sup-

Allison & Anna Farrell

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port we received from the childcare staff and St. Andrew community was one of the greatest blessings of our life. At 9 months old, Anna received her first prosthetic device, affectionately known as ‘helper hand’. The time, care and attention to detail the staff provided is only one of the many examples of dedication and pursuit of excellence displayed over the years. Day in and day out for nearly 6 years the staff would take extra time learning about helper hand, make classroom accommodations and teach Anna’s peers what makes us different makes us special.

Anna is now in her 4th month of kindergarten and she is doing very well; especially because she has so many friends and familiar faces from St. Andrew. Both of our children are so blessed to have gone through the ranks at St Andrew Early Learning Childcare.

We wouldn’t change a thing! The journey of raising children has many twists, turns and stops. With 100% certainly we know that the blessing of St. Andrew Early Learning Childcare has made a profound impact on our journey which we will be forever grateful.

Brian, Mary, Allison & Anna Farrell

Early Learning

Hannah & Audrey Foote

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can still remember our very first visit to St. Andrew Early Learning Preschool.

It was 2015, and my husband Brian and I brought our daughters to an open house —at the time Hannah was barely two and Audrey was around 6 months old. I was so anxious about Hannah’s upcoming milestone of starting school. Instead of being overwhelmed with nervous emotion when we walked in the door, I felt an unexpected sense of comfort, belonging, and relief. I knew right away that St. Andrew was where our kids would start their education and faith journey. What I didn’t know that day was the incredible blessing this preschool program would be along the way.

From the beginning, our kids’ love of learning was fostered by the amazing teachers and staff. Their caring approach made Hannah and Audrey feel comfortable and confident. Each teacher easily formed a bond with our kids that still exists today. Hannah loves to visit preschool and update her old teachers on

her exciting life in 1st grade. Teachers and staff are always looking for updates on how the girls are doing. Aside from colors, letters, reading, and writing, our girls have learned other valuable lessons—what it means to be a thoughtful friend, an active participant of a classroom, a helpful student, and how to stay curious as they learn. Without a doubt, St. Andrew students are prepared for the new friends, teachers, and adventures that await them in kindergarten.

Our kids are lucky to have made their best friends from relationships that started in St. Andrew classrooms. These friendships are strengthened by additional opportunities outside of Early Learning—volunteer events, choirs, Sunday School, and Wednesday night activities.

The sweet friendships that they’ve created are ones that we know will last a lifetime.

The kind they will cherish, depend on, and learn from as they grow older.

As parents, we’ve also made close friends with other families in the St. Andrew

Melanie Eggers

Kathi Wieman

Childcare Director

Preschool Director

Early Learning program. Special people we can share birthdays, holidays, and the ups and downs of life with. We didn’t just enroll in a preschool. We found a community of people—children, parents, teachers, pastors—that have impacted our lives in a way we never anticipated.

And we’ve had a lot of fun along the way.

How fortunate we are.

In May, when Audrey graduates and it’s time to say goodbye to St. Andrew preschool, I will be sad. I will be “that mom” who is crying during the adorable graduation ceremony. But the next day, and for all the days to follow, I will look back and feel grateful for the gift that this place has been to us. Thank you, St. Andrew, for preparing our daughters for their futures and for blessing us with friends who are family, teachers and staff we’ll always remember, and a faith community we love.

Brian, Melissa, Hannah & Audrey Foote

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Blessed to Be a Blessing

High School Ministry

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e are very blessed, no matter who we are or what we have, we are blessed. We have received so many great blessings throughout our life that has help mold us into who we are today. We have had excellent days and terrible days, but have been blessed with every day.

I remember when I was in middle school, my family had just gone up to Blue Fin Bay for a weekend trip. We were all so excited for everything that we were going to do, we had hikes planned, canoeing on Lake Superior, and biking that was going to literally be all downhill. It sounded like a perfect weekend, except for one problem. I ended up getting a concussion in Tetherball, yes tetherball. How do you get a concussion in tetherball you might ask, well I found a way. With a new concussion my plans went from activities, to laying in a dark room. My parents ended up doing some of the activities we planned and while my sister and I stayed at the resort, my parents went on the bike ride.

It was after that we found out how dangerous the bike route was, with construction constantly happening in Minnesota the route was tight and even my parents, who are experienced bikers had a few close calls. I remember them telling me then that maybe the concussion was a blessing in disguise.

We are blessed, all of us, sometimes we do not see the full blessing because we do not yet know God’s plan for us. Sometimes our blessing comes from the people around us. But God does bless us and loves us. When I think about this time in my life I am reminded of how blessed I am to have the family I have. They gave up their fun weekend to take care of me and be a blessing to me.

In this new year with youth group we are going to be talking about ways that we can be a blessing to others’ and help make a difference in their lives and in our community. We will be looking at doing some different projects like Feed My Starving Children and doing Random Acts of Kindness. We will also be looking at how we can make a difference in fellowship with our Timberwolves game and Lock In. But most importantly we are going to be talking about Christ and how we can live out our faith in daily life.

I am excited for the start of this year and for all of the blessings that God is going to bestow on us and for the opportunity to be a blessing in others’ lives. Genesis 2:12 says “and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing.” We can make a difference and can be a blessing.

TJ Helgren High School Ministry Director

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“and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing.”

Genesis 2:12

Blessed to Be a Blessing

Middle School Ministry

A

s energy abounds in the New Year and programming surges forward into the deepest part of winter, I often find myself in a state of reflection, as so many of us do this time of year. I can see that 2019 was a year of transition, relationship building, taking chances, and being tremendously blessed by God’s gifts. It was also a year of blessing others! A few blessings of note in Middle School Ministry include: • Confirming the Class of 2019 (99 confirmands!)

• Learning how to love our neighbors well during the World Religions winter retreat • Serving, singing, dancing, and playing with the residents of Milwaukee, WI on our middle school mission trip—first year inviting 6th graders to participate!

• Building a Middle School Leadership Team with supportive adults from our congregation • Continuing to learn how to best serve our youth with special needs and talents through individualized Confirmation plans and one-on-one adult leader experiences • Many fun youth events, like the Winter Party, a corn maze, and ice cream bike touring • Revamping Confirmation curriculum to include an entire unit based solely on students’ faith questions, and ending the year with a pastoral panel • Reaching a new fundraising record of $21,000 for our 6th-12th grade youth mission trips We have been thoroughly blessed in this church. In this place. In this life.

We have received grace upon grace. And we praise God for the gift of life here on Earth, and life eternal.

I’d like to close with an anonymous poem, written by a Confirmation student during small group time: Saved Angel Loved Very cared for Amazed Thankful Important Open arms Never alone I am blessed to work in a place like St. Andrew, where our students grow in faith, love their neighbors, and rejoice in the Good News! And I am proud that our Confirmands walk into the world with a view of salvation like the one in this poem. Let us all continue to bless those around us with open arms. Let us remind them how much they are loved by our Creator. And let us be reminded that we truly are never alone with Jesus at our side.

Reilly Orner Middle School Ministry Director

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Blessed to Be a Blessing

Funeral Reception

“Blessed to be a Blessing” as a member of the Funeral Reception Team When our St. Andrew families experience the death of a loved one, our pastors do an amazing job of comforting and consoling them and helping them to plan a meaningful funeral service. Following the funeral service, our church offers a “funeral reception”, a chance for family and friends to gather together over a meal to remember their loved one and to be strengthened by shared conversations, tears and laughter.

As members of the funeral reception leadership team, we have been blessed to witness these funeral luncheons and their benefits many times. The grieving families are always incredibly appreciative to have received this gift of a meal and time with their guests.

When notified by the pastors of an upcoming funeral, emails are sent to our team of food providers. As leaders, we are then blessed to see the generous and sympathetic response from our Funeral Food Team as people immediately begin responding with offers of food to be donated for the reception. Similarly, emails are sent to our Funeral Reception Team who respond and generously offer their time and energy to set up the dining room, prepare the serving table, serve the guests during the reception, and help to clean up afterwards. St. Andrew people are busy people, but they are spirit filled and compassionate. The response of our team always makes us feel humbled, blessed, and grateful. There is definitely a sacred joy as we work together to be a blessing to our grieving families.

We invite you to become a part of this meaningful ministry at our church. For more information, please contact the church office or any of our leaders.

With thanks, Kelly Anderson, Mary Gustafson, Marcia Lund, Kathy Olson, Janet Riley, Mary Ann Smith Funeral Reception Team

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The response of our team always makes us feel humbled, blessed, and grateful.

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