“And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God; for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.” The Lord spoke these words to the prophet Jeremiah announcing his desire to see the Israelites return once again to him with the promise of forgiveness. In today’s world God still seeks our return to commune with him as fellow believers. As we begin the transition back to “normal worship” here at St. Andrew’s it goes without saying that it’s been a long time coming. Your patience has been appreciated. Without being redundant from previous updates, the Vestry, Staff of St. Andrew’s, and Rev. Ben have worked on a safe plan of return that will enhance and not diminish the beauty of our worship services. Normal is the theme as we enter the Fall season of worship. Hopefully we don’t hear the term “fluid” again for a long time. By now you all should have received the Fall Engagement Survey regarding future worship at St. Andrew’s. If you did not, please let me know.
Regarding an update on our search for a full time Priest – we have begun a Church Profile under the direction of Christine and it will be wrapped up in September. We have worked closely with the Rev. Canon Arlett in following the suggested search requirements and have almost completed our due diligence as a vestry. It has been made very clear to the Vestry and to myself of how well a job Rev. Ben has been doing as Priest in Charge during these times. Many of you feel that we have the right candidate in place already to lead us as our next full time Rector. As exciting as that sounds we must still complete the process in order to make sure all parishioners voices are heard and that the candidate meets the goals, objectives and direction of St. Andrew’s moving forward long term. Thank you again for your patience during this process. We have made great strides in completing this task and we hope to have our new full time Rector in place January 1st 2022.
Please also welcome Nathan Zullinger as our New Choir Master in Charge. I first met Nathan last year when we were looking to replace John. Nathan was gracious enough to allow Jonathan to take the lead role and be his fill-in when needed due to some other responsibilities he had at that time. We were lucky to have such gifted musicians like Jonathan and Nate apply for the position when John left. I also want to thank Jonathan for a job well done during such times. I wish him and Lara the best in their new endeavors.
This Fall we will launch the comeback of the Men’s Bible study in the Werner Room between the 8:00 and 10:00 services. We normally begin around 9:10 and end around 9:50. It is a very informal-casual study of various Biblical topics –both current and during biblical times. Coffee and donuts are provided. Kickoff date will be announced shortly. Any questions can be addressed to me in regards to this ministry.
Thank you all again for allowing me to serve you in the role as your Rector’s Warden. Please contact me with any questions, concerns, compliments or complaints.
Stay well.
Lee Johnson Jr.