Recovery Groups
Isolation can be difficult for anyone. Online groups offer hope to support recovery.
Family Bible Story Time
Join these interactive conversations with actual Bible studies your family will get to do together during a Sunday evening devotion time -- between dinner and your bedtime routine! Try out different ways to explore God's Word, including shared reading, dramatic readings, puppets, and using simple objects from around your home to help Bible stories come alive for children. Each week you'll connect with each other, with other families, and leave with practical ideas for how to use the Bible in everyday life. Facilitated by Beth Hamen and Erika Hiland on the Children, Youth & Family Ministry Team. Sundays, 7-7:30 p.m. (Nov. 8, 15, 22)
SUPPORT GROUP: TOGETHER IN GRIEF
Together in Grief – IN-PERSON - Thursday evenings, 6:30 - 8 pm – Starting Thursday, August 5 Great Hall Building - Green Room St. Andrew’s offers an in-person, facilitated support group for those who are experiencing the loss of loved ones. This will be an open support group – primarily focused on what members bring to share about how they are and where they are in their experiences. The group will be lightly structured with an opening, closing and a suggested topic for discussion. The hope for the group is that members will have an opportunity to share, listen, and support each other toward healing. Or, put another way, “To learn how to live,” as a member of a grief group once said. Meetings will be held in the St. Andrew's Great Hall building, Green Room from 6:39-8:00 pm. Meeting dates are August 5, 12 and 19; September 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. Cost for the entire fall session is $20. Scholarships are available; please contact Lisa Grundtner, lgrundtner@saintandrews.org, 651.762.9117 for details. REGISTER HERE. Group Facilitator is Pat Pardun, St. Andrew's Resource Counselor, who has facilitated grief support groups in her church for the last few years. Pat is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist and as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor. To learn more about the group please contact: Pat Pardun at ppardun@saintandrews.org, 651.762.9155.
CONNECT ACCOUNTS
NEW THIS FALL - CONNECT ACCOUNTS! Beginning Sept. 1, 2020, St. Andrew’s members and friends will be able to connect securely using the login button on the upper right-hand corner of our website. All members are encouraged to register for an account to facilitate updates to address or mailing information, quicker registration, prayer requests, and more. If your email matches what we have on file, you will automatically be able to see personalized information. Not sure what email is on file? No problem. Register for an account and a member of our team will work to connect your online account with church records. Don’t wait until you need your pastor to realize your information is out of date. Questions: connect@saintandrews.org or call Nicole at 612-888-2940
Music Devotion: Whisper His Name (Cover)
Musical Guest Billy Steele joins The Gathering Band with a moving rendition of William McDowell's Whisper His Name
9th Grade Confirmation Update
Hey 9th Grade families! My name is Per Nestingen. I’m the High School Minister at St. Andrew’s. I get to guide you through the end of your Confirmation journey and I feel so lucky to have this as part of my ministry. Here is a quick summary of how to get started; if you want all the details, read my extensive information below. Confirmation Day is October 25, 2020! We know it will include an online worship component in the morning (9 and 10:15 a.m.) that all can view. We also feel it's important to have an in-person component for the actual Rite of Confirmation. The extent to which we gather and who can participate will be decided later, but it will at least include each small group and parents/guardians. If we can figure a way to include more people, we will, for we know how special of an occasion this is for your entire family. Please register for 9th Grade Confirmation HERE. The cost this year is only $40. The first step in this process is to schedule a 1-on-1 meeting with Per in August. Please do that HERE. I’m so excited to meet with you all! Please email me ALL your questions, as I sincerely want you to feel totally informed and comfortable over the next three months.
6th Grade Confirmation Kick-Start Letter
July 21, 2020 Welcome to Confirmation at St. Andrew’s! We’re reaching out to members and friends we believe are making the transition into 6th grade to invite you to join us on this adventure of forming and living out faith! Confirmation at St. Andrew’s is a three-year Christian education program that culminates in affirming (or “confirming”) one’s Baptism in the fall of 9th grade. In these years we explore what it means to be God’s child, follow Jesus, and be part of the body of Christ -- at St. Andrew’s, within our families and communities, and all over the world. More than 350 youth participated last year! Through Confirmation, we will provide your children with these “Four Es”: We provide an Environment that lets them know they are safe and loved, and also allows them to ask the big questions about life and God. We Energize their faith lives through weekly gatherings and lessons geared to their age that both relate to their daily life and are built on a solid Lutheran theology. We Equip them with a community of people of all ages that love and support them. We Encourage them to see how God is moving in their lives -- both inside and outside the church. To get a great start to the year, we’ve launched 6th Grade Confirmation Kickstart! Just for 6th graders, Kickstart includes an info meeting, a one-on-one conversation with me, several group gatherings, and getting ready to join 7th and 8th graders in October. Please see the enclosed flyer for the schedule and details. Take the first step on the Confirmation journey! Sign up for Kickstart at www.tinyurl.com/confirmationkickstart (Registration for the full year will open later in August.) Finally, we know that Confirmation will look much different this year. Thank you for [...]
Dare Mighty Things Bingo
Nine challenges to build your faith and fun this summer!
Middle School Days- Wednesdays in August
This August every Wednesday we are going to celebrate Middle School Days! The will be a combination of socially distant in person activates as well as virtual gatherings. We will do awesome activities ranging from no contact games at church to learning how to serve people from a distance. And ending our time in August with a bonfire! Register for all the fun via this Google Form! August 5, 10 a.m. Middle School Game Day (In Person) August 12, 10 a.m. Middle School Service Day (Zoom) August 19, 6 p.m. Middle School Netflix Party (Online) August 26, 6 p.m. Middle School Bonfire (In Person)
Carlos Gantchoff Named Director of Community Resource Center
Carlos Gantchoff has been named the new Director of the Community Resource Center (CRC) at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church effective immediately. Gantchoff brings more than 30 years of experience in community service and education, and is passionate about empowering the underprivileged and underserved. He is excited about being part of the CRC, which offers hope and support while providing basic needs (food, clothing, supplies) and supportive case management to assist families in crisis. “I saw in this community and in this congregation a genuine love for people,” stated Gantchoff, 54. “People here are looking for good work, good things to do for others. We have the same mission and goals we can accomplish together. I think we will be lions moving in the same direction for good.” “We are thrilled to welcome Carlos to the team!” said Kyle Jackson, St. Andrew’s Executive Pastor of Serve and Care. “Carlos has spent his life seeking after justice and working with those who have been hurt by life's circumstances. His camping ministry and teaching with underserved communities uniquely suits him to this role. Please join me in welcoming Carlos Gantchoff!” That camping ministry was in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, where Gantchoff in his 20s ran a children’s camp for underprivileged children for 10 years. After obtaining an education degree, he taught at the same elementary school he had attended as a child in Scottsdale, Arizona. “I taught the underserved community in that school that they are worth something,” he said. “I was one of the underserved when I was their age. I wanted to make sure kids like me knew that they can be amazing people. I used to tell them, ‘You have to be better than me, and I’m pretty good.’” Gantchoff was born in Los Angeles, grew up in Scottsdale, and flaunts his [...]