First of all, there’s baptism. In this sacrament we intentionally and with self-awareness gather around promises. Foremost are the promises we understand God to be making to all God’s creation, to the church, and to individuals known in the stories of God’s fidelity throughout the scriptures, and particularly in the self-giving of Jesus who is our pattern for life and ministry. Baptism, simply, is the sign and seal of the promise that we have what we need from God to thrive. Our own promises to and for one another emanate from the God who acts first. In response, as a congregation, we promise to care for the baptized as if they are our own, because we are one with one another:

• Do you, as members of the church of Jesus Christ, promise to guide and nurture [the baptized] by word and deed, with love and prayer?
• Will you encourage [them] to know and follow Christ and to be a faithful member of his church?

At table we are again reminded that our acts of self-giving are a response to the generosity and self-giving of God that sets us free, particularly in the one whose own body is broken and then re-membered in the life of the church for the world. In the mystery of the sacrament, as we ourselves are nourished, we become Christ’s body broken and shared for the sake of God’s good creation.

Over the years we have identified a suite of three policies that work together to “flesh out” what this life, at its best and most promising looks like. You can find them on our website (standrewpc.org) in the File Cabinet section. They are also linked here in the online version of this letter:

• Sexual Misconduct Prevention: This policy sets out a set of practices and behaviors to prevent sexual misconduct and support our thriving, while also outlining reporting and investigating procedures when misconduct is alleged.
• Child Protection: This document sets out guidelines to protect children from all forms of abuse and the process to follow if abuse is alleged.
• Ethical Conduct: This denominational resource sets out a professional code of ethics for all PCUSA officers and members, describing conduct that demonstrates fidelity to the gospel. Approved in 2004, this resource, adopted by St. Andrew’s Session as the third of our suite of resources, offers rich commentary on life-giving behavior that follows the manner of Christ.

We provide and require regular training for all church staff and officers (ministers, elders, and deacons) on these policies and behavioral standards, understanding the promises church leaders make are even more particular than those baptismal promises we all make. Church officers in the PCUSA, for example, understand ourselves to be mandatory reporters when it comes to reasonable concerns of abuse or neglect. Perhaps more importantly, we understand our ministry is to model healthy relational patterns that create a safe, healthy, and generative environment for all God’s people. All adults who work with children or other vulnerable populations are also required to submit to background checks every three years as just one part of a wholistic prevention plan outlined in these policies.

We encourage you to have a closer look at the resources here. We recommend them for your scrutiny and instruction.

With love and gratitude,
Your St. Andrew Session
​
Scott Anderson, Moderator
Julie Kae Sigars
Don Patterson, Clerk
Andrea Shirey
Karen Mullen
Jill Jones
Roger Paulsen
Leslie Delfin
Teresa Platin
Bob Seel
Derona Uzzle
Pattie Holt

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…”
      ~Philippians 2: 1–5
 
 
Beloved St. Andrew Community:
Hopefully you know already we have multiple, interrelated behavioral policies that help us to ensure health and well- being in our communion—especially those we consider most vulnerable among us. Our priority of care for our children and vulnerable adults is a sacred trust. It grows from the sacraments; from the promises we make in baptism and the insights we gain at the communion table.

​First of all, there’s baptism. In this sacrament we intentionally and with self-awareness gather around promises. Foremost are the promises we understand God to be making to all God’s creation, to the church, and to individuals known in the stories of God’s fidelity throughout the scriptures, and particularly in the self-giving of Jesus who is our pattern for life and ministry. Our own promises to and for one another emanate from the God who acts first. In response, as a congregation, we promise to care for the baptized as if they are our own:

• Do you, as members of the church of Jesus Christ, promise to guide and nurture [the baptized] by word and deed, with love and prayer?
• Will you encourage [him/her/them] to know and follow Christ and to be a faithful member of his church?

At table we are again reminded that our acts of self-giving are a response to the generosity and self-giving of God that sets us free, particularly in the one whose own body is broken and then reconstituted in the life of the church for the world. In the mystery of the sacrament, as we ourselves are nourished, we become Christ’s body broken and shared for the sake of God’s good creation.

​Over the years we have identified a suite of three policies that work together to “flesh out” what this life, at its best and most promising looks like. You can find them on our website (standrewpc.org) in the File Cabinet section. They are also linked here in the online version of this letter:

• Sexual Misconduct Prevention: This policy sets out a set of practices and behaviors to prevent sexual misconduct, while also outlining reporting and investigating procedures when misconduct is alleged.
• Child Protection: This document sets out guidelines to protect children from all forms of abuse and the process to follow if abuse is alleged.
• Ethical Conduct: This denominational resource sets out a professional code of ethics for all PCUSA officers and members, describing conduct that demonstrates fidelity to the gospel. Approved in 2004, this resource, adopted by St. Andrew’s Session as the third of our suite of resources, offers rich commentary on life-giving behavior that follows the manner of Christ.

We provide regular training for all church staff and officers (ministers, elders, and deacons) on these policies and behavioral standards, understanding the promises church leaders make are even more specific and extensive than those baptismal promises we all make. Church officers, for example, understand ourselves to be mandatory reporters when it comes to reasonable concerns of abuse or neglect. Perhaps more importantly, we understand our ministry is to model healthy relational patterns that create a safe, healthy, and generative environment for all God’s people. All adults who work with children or other vulnerable populations are also required to submit to background checks every three years as just one part of a wholistic prevention plan outlined in these policies.

​We encourage you to have a closer look at the resources here. We recommend them for your scrutiny and instruction.

With love and gratitude,

Your St. Andrew Session

​Scott Anderson, Moderator
Julie Kae Sigars
Don Patterson, Clerk
Richard Crummett
Jill Jones
Karen Mullen
Amber Oakes
Roger Paulsen
Andrea Shirey
Teresa Platin

Over the course of my 28 years of pastoral ministry (18 at St. Andrew) I have been drawn to multi-disciplinary learning. From my earliest memories, I have been compelled to make connections, to integrate seemingly disparate things while equally being resistant to sacrifice complexity and ambiguity. The urgency of this work has intensified in the crucible of this pandemic in which I have found myself unable and unwilling to look away from white privilege and its legacy of racism and economic inequity, particularly in the United States, and my own place within it. I have come to suspect the “insoluble” challenge of our current reality represents a “breathtaking” opportunity, a lens through which to further integrate the story of my own life that may have a parallel in the life of the St. Andrew church body birthed, like me, in the 1960s.
 
I was born and raised as the federal civil rights legislation of the Kennedy/Johnson administration echoed in near memory. Throughout my childhood, spent in multiple regions of the country, I somehow remained blissfully unaware of the important dynamics that have shaped our current reality and situated me as one privileged within it. Likewise, the course of my life has closely paralleled an era of rising inequality and the hollowing out of the middle class, the beginning of which can be pegged to the mid-1960s. I want to explore why. How did I remain unaware of these things until the twilight of my undergraduate education? And why was it so compelling when I did begin to learn about these broader realities? How is my story representative of many like me?
 
I see a parallel reality in the life of the St. Andrew congregation. I wonder if the learning, exploration, and integration I see as ripe in this moment of life for myself might also be timely for this congregation straddling a transition from one generation to the next. What do and don’t we as a congregation know of our own story? What might we gain in attending to a similar line of exploration, reflection, and synthesis?
 
I am looking to puzzle together the many pieces of my life into a more coherent, unified story of self that I trust will fund my teaching, preaching, and leadership going forward. A trip backwards will, I believe, enrich my journey forward.
 
Structure and Timeline
This sabbatical is shaped around three cycles of investigation, reflection, and rest. Each cycle centers on locations that have been influential in shaping my story and perspective, moving generally from most recent to early life-experiences. These locations include:

• July 25-August 21, 2022: Tri-Cities, WA region in which I spent two seasons of life, a decade mid-1990s to the early 2000s and mid-1970s to mid-1980s.
• August 22-October 9, 2022: Atlanta, GA where I attended seminary and began my journey in the PCUSA in the early 1990s.
• October 10-November 13, 2022: Merritt Island/Central, FL where I spent the first 9 years of life.

The first part of each cycle is taken up by social analysis and historical research of the next location. I will attend generally to the history of the place that shaped me. With an eye toward what I missed by virtue of my social location and story, I will analyze historic and present-day policies, patterns, practices, and assumptions that shaped the reality of these formative locales and thus, shaped me. I will also spend time with my own story as it relates to these places and people.
The second period of each cycle makes space for on-location exploration, discernment, and delight that will build off the previous element. I imagine this to be primarily a creative, inductive, and unscripted process: What are those untold or unexamined truths of my story and what might I make of them in light of more prominent memories? What captures my imagination as I walk these once familiar streets and note what is new and unfamiliar? What memories come to mind and where might they take me now? Where do old friends and acquaintances, new encounters, including with my younger self, and unscheduled time lead me in the story of now?

​The third portion of each cycle will provide generous space for re-creation—to breathe, reflect and be renewed with trusted companions over the years on this journey.

Congregational Process
My sabbatical plan has always envisioned a parallel process for you, the congregation. In January 2022 we formed what we alternately call our Learning Group or TCI Group (an acronym for the Seattle Presbytery’s Thriving Congregation’s Initiative of which we—through the Learning Group—are year-one participants). At my invitation, Maggie Breen has been working with the group informally, and now, formally through her work as a core lead (specifically “Community Education & Assessment Specialist”) in the TCI process for Seattle Presbytery.
 
We imagine that before, during, and after my sabbatical, the Learning Group will meet on a regular basis to examine our current practices and explore new learnings. I will not meet with them during my leave-taking. They will invite speakers, explore our city, visit museums, talk with community leaders, read books and articles, listen to podcasts, and generally prepare us to engage social and cultural challenges faithfully and creatively. We expect collectively to be challenged and rejuvenated by possibilities that present themselves as we explore questions of our identity, mission, and role within the community. Upon my return, the learning cohort will share with me and I with them. Together we will build on these learnings from the congregational process.
 
You will hear much more from this group as they engage you in these learnings in the coming months. They are:

• Jill Jones (also a session member)
• Bob Seel (a session member beginning in July)
• Karla Kallberg
• Raiden Kallberg
• Nikki Gibson
• Jess Pace
• Lainey Sickinger
• Melet Whinston

Whew!
That’s a lot, I realize. But your engagement is a key in drawing on the life-giving possibilities of this sabbatical work, so I want you to be aware.
Julie Kae Sigars, who will take on additional hours and pastoral roles in my absence, and Andrea Shirey will be the primary staff contacts during my leave-taking and will work closely with the Learning Group. Pat Sharpe and Carolynn Yahoudy will be, as always, indispensable volunteers in the office.
​
I hope you will ask questions and offer your gifts and graces to the opportunity that this sabbatical leave presents. I can’t wait to see what the Spirit has in mind!
Grace & Peace,
Scott

Wait a minute! We’ve come to know Year A, Year B, and Year C over the years. As we’ve cycled through these cycles of readings, they have become familiar and perhaps even welcome guides to our faith practices. But Year W?

For the season of Lent and Easter—beginning with Ash Wednesday and through Pentecost Sunday—we will interrupt our regular practice of following the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) to take on a modified set of scripture readings instead. The occasion gives us a good opportunity to remember what a lectionary is and what it is for.

What is a Lectionary?
Simply put, a lectionary is an order of readings practiced by faith communities. The RCL is a three-year cycle of Sunday readings: (1) a first reading (usually from the First Testament), with a song, a psalm or canticle, that offers a response to it, (2) a second reading (usually from a New Testament letter or epistle), and (3) a Gospel reading. Year A generally follows Matthew, Year B centers Mark. We are currently in Year C, which centers Luke. The Gospel of John shows up in all three lectionary cycles, usually during the festival seasons (Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter and the festival Sundays that surround each).

It has been our common practice at St. Andrew to follow the RCL for numerous reasons. Among them:

• The practice draws us toward the church universal. It aligns us ecumenically with churches down the street and throughout the world who are reading the same or similar texts on any given Sunday.
• The selection of scriptures draws us from our tendency to explore those texts that we know and are comfortable with (a “canon within the canon”) toward a more expansive reading and a more dynamic faith and practice.
• The lectionary cycle weaves theme and meaning from one Sunday to the next and invites us into the fullness of the gospel as it is reflected in the church seasons.

The last point can be made in another way: a lectionary is essentially a curriculum—one of the most ancient within the Christian faith tradition, and others too. From the fourth century, lectionaries have been continuously shaped and used to guide the faith and mission of the church.

So, back to the initial question:

The 1939 Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland musical “Babes in Arms” is pure fluff and should be forgettable entertainment from the dusty past, but it survives in the collective memories of some of us because of a trope, or cliché. If I say to you, “Let’s put on a show!” and you reply, “My dad has a barn!” then you understand me completely. That’s where it’s from. Someone make the costumes.

It became cultural shorthand for ambitious types who decide to do it themselves, and that would be us, as it turned out. Or at least it’s the phrase that ran through my mind a lot back in the second week of March, when a constant in our lives disappeared. Church was closed.

And some of us began looking for a barn, if you follow.

​Beloved St Andrew siblings,
 
I have come to a difficult decision that is born out of deep and unending love for you and for the church. For a while now I have been offering professional skills to St Andrew on a volunteer basis as a Parish Associate. Throughout my presence at St Andrew, in every role I have had, I have engaged in processes of discernment with outstanding colleagues and companions, including Scott and Julie Kae, around what is reasonable and sustainable, and I have felt called to be present in the ways I have been. It is now the case however, as I try to keep my heart and mind open for what the Spirit wants of me, that I realize I am being called to step out of this Parish Associate role at the end of this fiscal year: June 30th. 
 
We understand as a community that healthy boundaries are essential to our own well-being and to the work to which we are called. These boundaries insist that when one who is in pastoral leadership steps out of that role, they cannot remain at the church they have served. This means I will not be present at St Andrew after June 30th, expect maybe to preach if you need pulpit supply. This is a heartbreaking decision because I love you. It is a decision that emerges from a long and difficult process of discernment and, even as it breaks my heart, I am trusting it is the right thing to do at this time. Scott and Julie Kae are my dearest professional colleagues and you are my dearest teachers and so I am also trusting that the care and call which binds us to each other will continue even as our roles and the ways we connect will change. We still have work to do together as we serve God, God’s church, and God’s beloved world.
 
So now my question. This crisis we are in has been exposing structures of inequality and hardship. My work has been, and will continue to be, centered on working with the church as we figure out how to be a voice and an agent of compassion, justice and peace. You are a church with deep experience, questions and insight about how we might grow together as a community that attends to the outsider and those who suffer. I would, therefore, love to spend some time in these next few months listening for what you see and what you are thinking about around the current crisis and what it has revealed. With CJP, I would love to host a conversation around this. You can expect me to be in touch soon with some opportunities to talk this through. My time with you and in this work of community building has taught me that the Spirit dwells in our thoughts and questions and in the pull we feel towards the needs of the other. I would love to hear what this Spirit has to say to you at this time. I think it might be helpful for our future work – together and apart.
 
Beloved St Andrew, you have been God-given teachers and partners to me these past 18 years, and I am grateful beyond anything I can express. My prayers are centered on faith in our loving God’s promise to hold you and me and everything we are being called into. You have my heart.
 
Rev. Maggie Breen
Parish Associate

Beloved St. Andrew Community,

The Session met on Monday evening and, after prayerfully identifying and weighing the many values we hold together in tension as a church, made two important decisions.

1. We decided to suspend our corporate Sunday worship services for at least the next two weeks and no longer than Palm Sunday (April 5), unless circumstances require a change.
2. We appointed and empowered an administrative commission to recommend and implement steps on our path forward in a way that upholds our values as a worshipping community during the time our Sunday, corporate worship is suspended. The commission members are Teresa Platin and Andrea Shirey (co-chairs), myself, Julie Kae Sigars, Amber Oakes, Pattie Holt, Dan Clawson, and Melet Whinston (on a volunteer basis for her medical expertise, knowing further qualified expertise may be required).

The group is representative of the session, deacons, and personnel committee. In addition, we are consulting with many others, so that we can quickly coordinate our actions and communication as we determine the way forward according to the values we named together as a session:

1. Being physically and emotionally connected.
2. Worshiping together regularly.
3. Predictability.
4. Stability.
5. Reasoned, fact-based responses.
6. Caution and care for the most vulnerable in our community and the broader community.
7. Sustainable practices that care for staff and volunteers.

These are challenging, anxious times, yet I am convinced there may be a potentially brilliant silver lining to this cloud. I believe the church is made for times just like this, and I look forward to the imaginative ways we will continue to hold one another as the Spirit of Life shows up in our midst. As the Samaritan woman is waiting to teach us this Sunday, with Jesus there is sustenance waiting for us we have yet to realize!

You will hear more in the next few days, but for now, we wanted to make you aware so you can plan accordingly.

​Grace & Peace,
​Scott

Note: You can download a copy of this letter here.

Beloved St. Andrew community,
 
We want you to be aware that St. Andrew is committed to being proactive, reasonable, and instructive as we respond to a complex and rapidly evolving situation around the spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and the resulting infection, COVID-19 (from Corona Virus Disease 2019). The health and safety of our community and all of our partners who share the facility is paramount. Yet we also recognize that at the heart of our faith is life that is shared. We need to be together, even as we need to protect one another, and honor the choices of others—especially those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19 and other corona viruses. We trust we all will refrain from making judgment or taking offense in this time of anxiety.

​Therefore, we do not anticipate “neglecting to meet together” (Hebrews 10:25), even as other organizations may choose to do so. At this point we plan to worship together weekly. We have and may cancel, reschedule or hold remotely other meetings. Exercising an abundance of caution, we have implemented additional preventative measures to reduce contamination and transmission, including these:

• We have temporarily contracted with Bounsy, our custodian, to add 30 minutes to each of the three days he works weekly, specifically to disinfect door handles, light switches, countertops and other frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• We have reached out to Manantial de Vida to communicate and coordinate our efforts.
• We have increased our diligence in cleaning the nursery, the kitchens, restrooms, and classrooms.
• We are taking extra precautions in preparing the communion elements and bringing them to the table.

We do encourage reasonable individual participation according to your best judgment. Among best practices for our concerns:

• If you are sick or think you may be infected, or if you have concerns, stay home.
• If you decide to stay home from worship or other events, please find ways to stay in touch. Reach out to one of the pastors, session members, or your deacon. We don’t want to create situations where those who are ill also feel lonely, isolated, or outcast. We want to pray for you and provide other forms of assistance and care as needed.
• Rather than use the water fountains, bring a filled reusable water bottle with you.
• During the passing of the peace, simply smile or bow or elbow touch or fist bump and share the peace without hugs or handshakes.
• When you come up for communion, rather than dip your bread in the common cup, take a pre-filled individual cup from the tray we are making available. Or come (with arms crossed across your chest) to receive a blessing instead.
• Come early, stay a little late, or volunteer an hour of your week to help us clean the kitchen, nursery, and other essential areas with extra care and diligence so we can maintain our commitment.

By now I trust you have been educating yourself on what we know and what we don’t know about the disease and best practices to prevent its spread. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that while the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is considered low for the general public in the United States, current global circumstances suggest it is likely that this virus will continue to spread and more US cases will be identified.

According to the CDC, There is still much to learn about the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19. Based on what is currently known, person-to-person contamination happens most frequently with close contacts (within about 6 feet). This type of transmission occurs via respiratory droplets. Transmission of COVID-19 to persons from surfaces contaminated with the virus has not been documented, but current evidence suggests that the virus may remain viable for hours to days on surfaces made from a variety of materials.

The CDC recognizes preventing and mitigating an outbreak as the most important strategy and recommends these common preventative measures.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick and until you are fever-free for 24 hours without medication.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

Above all, remember and rejoice that “nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Brief Statement of Faith; Romans 8:38-39).
​
Grace & Peace,
Scott 

• ​Do you, as members of the church of Jesus Christ, promise to guide and nurture [the baptized] by word and deed, with love and prayer?
• Will you encourage [him/her/them] to know and follow Christ and to be a faithful member of his church?

Second, there’s the Eucharist. At table we are again reminded that our acts of self-giving are a response to the generosity and self-giving of God that sets us free, particularly in the one whose own body is broken and then reconstituted in the life of the church for the world. In the mystery of the sacrament, as we ourselves are nourished, we become Christ’s body broken and shared for the sake of God’s good creation.

Over the years we have identified a suite of three policies that work together to “flesh out” what this life, at its best and most promising looks like. You can find them on our website in the File Cabinet section. They are also linked here in the online version of this letter:

• Sexual Misconduct Prevention: This policy sets out a set of practices and behaviors to prevent sexual misconduct, while also outlining reporting and investigating procedures when misconduct is alleged.
• Child Protection: This document sets out guidelines to protect children from all forms of abuse and the process to follow if abuse is alleged.
• Ethical Conduct: This denominational resource sets out a professional code of ethics for all PCUSA officers and members, describing conduct that demonstrates fidelity to the gospel. Approved in 2004, this resource, adopted by St. Andrew’s Session as the third of our suite of resources, offers rich commentary on life-giving behavior that follows the manner of Christ.

We provide regular training for all church staff and officers (ministers, elders, and deacons) on these policies and behavioral standards, understanding the promises church leaders make are even more specific and extensive than those baptismal promises we all make. Church officers, for example, understand ourselves to be mandatory reporters when it comes to reasonable concerns of abuse or neglect. Perhaps more importantly, we understand our ministry is to model healthy relational patterns that create a safe, healthy, and generative environment for all God’s people. All adults who work with children or other vulnerable populations are also required to submit to background checks every three years as just one part of a wholistic prevention plan outlined in these policies.

We encourage you to have a closer look at the resources here. We recommend them for your scrutiny and instruction.

With love and gratitude,
Your St. Andrew Session
​
Scott Anderson, Moderator
Julie Kae Sigars
Don Patterson, Clerk
Marie West-Johnson
Mike Dittmar
Pattie Holt
Richard Crummett
Amber Oakes
Teresa Platin