Hello St. Andrew’s,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, St. Andrew’s! As we leave 2024 behind, I can’t help but reflect on so many blessings that we enjoyed from a wonderful year at St. Andrew’s. I want to give a special thanks to all our volunteers, ministry leaders, vestry, and staff for their commitment of time, energy, passion, and grace in all they do to make St. Andrew’s such an inviting and special place of worship.
As we enter 2025, I encourage you to prioritize care for yourself and your spiritual health. Make room for Sunday services to reflect and recharge each week. If you’ve wanted to get more involved with a ministry or fellowship opportunity, don’t put it off. It’s one of the best ways to enrich your experience with the church and get to know others better. On the other hand, if you’ve felt overcommitted and volunteered more than you intended to in 2024, create the boundaries you need and avoid burnout. It’s okay to say “no” to things. St. Andrew’s is a place to find peace, balance, and joy with no expectations. Come as you are, give what you can, and delight in the worship and community of the church.
As we head into the new year, I have a few reminders:
Nametags: please wear them. If you don’t have one, please request a printed version be made by contacting our church office.
Online Giving Tokens: If you give online, pick up a token when you take a Sunday bulletin before the service, and place the token in our offertory plate during the service. This is an act of worship and an opportunity to bless your online giving.
2025 Pledge: If you haven’t pledged, it’s not too late. Thank you to all who have pledged, and we welcome any outstanding pledges that can be communicated in January.
Spread the Word: Don’t forget to share about St. Andrew’s with others. We have wonderful events, outreach, and worship opportunities that your neighbors may be looking for. Sometimes people just need a nudge to feel welcomed.
Below are our current Highlights, Opportunities, and Dependencies as a church. These are just high-level bullet points and further information can be found within the individual ministry reports or by contacting a ministry leader.
Highlights (Dec)
Stewardship Season: Thank you for your financial gifts to St. Andrew’s. Your pledge and regular offerings are crucial for sustaining our ongoing services and programs.
Special December Services:
St. Andrew’s Day of Joyful Giving w/ bagpiper
Lessons and Carols Evening Service, harpist, historic tour, and special reception
Christmas Pageant and special reception
Christmas Eve Services (3)
Fall Cleanup on Dec 7th. Thank you to our volunteers, especially Boy Scout Troop 220 for all the help to beautify our landscape!
Adult Christian Formation: Advent Bible Study Program
Outreach: Giving Tree supporting the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County – thank you for the outpouring of support to this ministry partner!
Outreach: Good Samaritan Christmas meals for 10 families in need.
Opportunities (Jan/Feb)
Annual Meeting & Souper Bowl of Caring
Vestry Member Terms – outgoing and incoming members
Hawaiian Themed Pizza Bingo
Signs have been planted in surrounding areas to create more visibility and welcome new members to our church. If you have an area where you’d like to post a sign to help, please contact John Eblacker.
Dependencies (items that impact our ability to accomplish opportunities/goals)
Volunteers - We need you! Please consider upcoming events to lend a helping hand. If you need any guidance to align your gifts/passions to volunteer efforts at the church, just ask Rev’d Ben or a Vestry member.
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