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
 
Pentecost, 2024

Beloved St. Andrew Community:
​
By now most of you already know we have three, interrelated behavioral policies that help us to ensure health and well- being in our community—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 deep belonging we together envision in Christ at the communion table.

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.

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.

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

​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
 
January 9, 2020

Beloved St. Andrew Community:
​
Did you know 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:

You can download a pdf copy of all the related letters here.

Beloved St. Andrew community,

​We are pleased to let you know that at our December Session meeting, we made a unanimous decision to practice the celebration of communion on a weekly basis. As you know, this is the culmination of recent conversation at St. Andrew, and reflective of a long shift in Christian sacramental practices generally, in our own denomination, and at St. Andrew. This puts us in line with our Reformed theological tradition and Presbyterian polity, and with our current understanding of best practices for our formation as the people of God.