To the congregation,
Due to your faithful giving, St. Andrew’s was able to pay all monthly expenses on time, pay all of our district apportionments, and pay 81.5% of the conference apportionments. I think this is great considering the year we have had. Thanks for making my job a little easier. May God Bless!
-Barbara Hoezlel
Contribution Envelopes Now Available!
If you and your family use the weekly contribution envelopes, the booklets for 2021 are now available and can be picked up at church. You can pick up your envelopes during regular office hours on Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday from 9 am until 2 pm. If you are unable to pick up your contribution envelope booklet and would like it to be delivered to you, please call the church office at 636-586-2472.
And an excerpt written by Rob Blezard
Will COVID-19 help us become better stewards?
Toilet paper. Seriously. Will we ever take lowly “TP” for granted again?
Toilet paper is just one of the countless everyday blessings that the pain of COVID-19 has taught us to savor – along with worshiping beside loved ones, going to work, getting paid, shopping, going to the movies, and on and on. (What’s on your list?)
Pain teaches us, focuses us, molds us. Pain strips away pretensions and defenses. Pain shows us what’s real, what’s true, what’s valuable. Pain cleanses our spirit and draws us closer to God.
Pain? It serves as midwife in our death and rebirth.
And COVID-19 has given us pain aplenty, far beyond the shortage of bathroom supplies. Many have lost loved ones, jobs, security, healthcare, homes, retirement, wellbeing and relationships.
Pain will be long with us as we slowly inch back towards normalcy. But “normal” will probably look much different than what we’ve known. A “new normal” is already emerging. Do you sense it? That the pandemic has changed you? Us? Forever?
With the Holy Spirit’s help, may COVID-19’s pain prune from our lives what needs to die in order for us to be reborn as God’s people in this “new normal.” May the “new normal” find us better stewards of our lives — less greedy, less self-focused, less preoccupied with silly things, and more centered in Christ, more loving to our neighbor, more generous, more hopeful and more tolerant.
-Rob Blezard
Copyright © 2020, Rev. Robert Blezard. Pastor Blezard serves as an assistant to the bishop of the Lower Susquehanna Synod, ELCA, and works as content editor for www.stewardshipoflife.org. He blogs at www.thestewardshipguy.com.