
Saint Andrew Lutheran Church

Saint Andrew Lutheran Church

Newsletter

May 2023

Saint Andrew Lutheran Church
600 Gansevoort Road (Hwy 32)
South Glens Falls, NY 12803
518/761-0917
sgfstandrew@live.com (office)
www.saint-andrewonline.org
Worship: 10:00 AM


A beacon to our community, actively and consistently proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ!

We are a
Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation.
All are welcome!
All may worship!
All are loved!



A Message from
Saint Andrew Lutheran Church
Dear Siblings in Christ,

Ghost Stories
There's a slightly morbid game my grade school friends and I liked to play, forever ago: imagining who we would like to come back and haunt after we die. Or what we might do as ghosts, either to scare or comfort, depending on who dared set foot in our haunted houses.
Silly childhood play, to be sure, but imagining what we could do without certain limits, even not knowing for certain what's possible at that point, was a reflection, in a way, of what we believe
the world to be.
Playing as Christmas Carol ghosts, to scare some miserly folk into sharing with their neighbors, was what we kids could do while wishing for a world where justice and equity have a better chance. Or, as kids say, where life was more fair.
But why wish for a world we could make in haunting after death, and not work toward that world in life? Perhaps the idea of having literally nothing left to lose opens our imaginations to some more possibility. If death, as the final threat held over our heads, is no longer a threat to be dealt with, what
risks might we take?
How might we haunt the world with our embodied spirits, as Jesus did after the resurrection? What could we shake up, disturb, unsettle, of the status quo? Where could we have breakfast by the sea with our friends to offer them encouragement in difficult times? Who needs to hear the word of peace once spoken in that locked room, or see our scars to trust that we are not afraid to talk about the hurt in the world and our desire to heal?
And where do we find Jesus rattling our kitchen cupboard late at night, showing up at work with breakfast, sharing peace generously? Have we found a new way, or a new place, to recognize the risen Christ in our midst today? Can we grasp our power to love as Christ, in our eternity here and now?
To see God in human costume, what my friends now call "human drag," in human form and experience and presentation, is to be surprised and encouraged by the ways God keeps showing up to be with us, and the ways God is, through us, found across the world. We get to love like we've been loved in Christ, knowing that even the end of what we know isn't the end of that love.
Grace and Peace, Pastor Andrew


Saint Andrew Community Garden
Spring is here!
So, it's time to start thinking about our community garden!
This year, Anna and Molly Sample will again oversee the garden. If you are a returning gardener please let Anna or Molly know how many beds you want.
Remember: -- our garden is open to the community!
So, if you have a friend or neighbor who might be interested,
please invite them as soon as possible as plots are going fast!
The cost of a garden plot is only $10 and we use only organic materials.
For more info and/or to secure your garden plot, please contact
Anna or Molly Sample at:
samps.anna83@gmail.com
A Gardener's Blessing:
"The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth."
-
Dorothy Frances Gurney

Annual Congregational Meeting --
Elevator/Chairlift Update

At our annual meeting, held on February 12th, our congregation approved a budget up to $40,000 for the installation of an Elevator/Chairlift.
Our contract with Barrier Free Elevators, Queensbury, NY has been signed and the downpayment check has been written.
All details have been reviewed with Barrier Free Elevators personnel.
A wider door (42”) has been ordered inside of the standard 36” door.
Stay tuned for more info soon!




Saint Andrew's
Annual Spring Cleanup Day
Saturday, May 20th is
Spring Cleanup Day at Saint Andrew Lutheran Church!
Leaves and branches need to be raked up and cleaned out around the shrubbery.
Flower beds and the community garden area also need attention.
Bring your own tools if you have them.
Hours: 9:00 AM till finished...
Refreshments will be served!
"Many hands will make light work!"
"THANK YOU, in advance, for your help and support
in keeping our church grounds beautiful and welcoming to all!"
Pentecost Sunday
This year, we will celebrate Pentecost on Sunday, May 28th. It is a day to wear RED to signify he presence of the Holy Spirit in our community and our unity in Christ.
This will also be a special day at Saint Andrew for Kathy Scherer who will be consecrated
as a Synod Authorized Minister (SAM). This was formerly known as a Deacon. She will be installed as a SAM in the Hudson Mohawk Conference. As such, Kathy will be available to conduct worship at Saint Andrew and other churches in the conference.
The family of Kathy Scherer is inviting ALL to celebrate Kathy's SAM consecration at our fellowship hour!

Pentecost was a Jewish harvest festival that marked the fiftieth day after Passover. Luke portrays the Holy Spirit being poured out upon the disciples before the gathered and astonished people assembled in Jerusalem for the festival. Filled with the Spirit, the disciples were able to witness to the power of Christ's resurrection.
(cf. Acts 2:1-21)

Saint Andrew Annual Garage Sale
This year, our annual garage sale will be held on
Friday, August 25th and Saturday, August 26th
from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM!
We are NOW collecting donated items for this sale.
If you have good, clean household and yard items, furniture and/or clothing you would like to donate, please contact:
Pat Miner or Carole Glidden
to arrange a drop off time.
Items should be in good working order.
We are also looking for plants, indoor and perennials. NO BOOKS please!
THANK YOU for your generous support of this most worthy of causes to benefit Saint Andrew!

Jubilate Singers and Orchestra
"God is Love"
As you may know, the magnificent and awe-inspiring
Jubilate Singers and Orchestra was founded in 2002. Choir members wanted to share the joy of singing
music that glorified God!
Their first concert featured a presentation of Handel’s "Messiah" in the spring of that year. With the exception of 2 Covid years, the Jubilate Singers and Orchestra have shared their
musical magic in 19 concerts through 2023.
Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Delmar, NY
has been their “home"for rehearsals and performances throughout all these years!
Sadly, the final performance of this wonderful choir
and orchestra was given on Sunday, April 16th
at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Delmar.
The concert theme was "God is Love!"
Dorein Pascalides, a member of Saint Andrew Lutheran Church, has been a proud member of this chorus.
The Jubilate Singers have been greatly blessed by their opportunities to proclaim God’s love through music!
"Extravagant Moments"
(exceeding the limits of reason or necessity)

"A pair of Mallard Ducks hanging out
at the Glidden Pool on March 30th"
-- submitted by Gary & Carole Glidden

If you have any moments that take your breath away please send a written description and/or a picture to Carole Glidden, Parish Coordinator.

Prayer for world peace
"Let peace fill our hearts, our world, and our universe.
Let us dream together, pray together, and work together
to build one world of peace and justice for all."

NOTE re the ELCA Lutheran Disaster Response (Ukraine)
The total amount collected thus far by Saint Andrew for Ukraine war victims was $2,275. For more info on how to donate, read on below...
URGENT --
Ukrainian Families Need You!
Our neighbors in Ukraine are suffering and they need your love now.
Many characterize this war as a
"humanitarian disaster."
Families are leaving behind everything they own and fleeing for their safety. They need immediate aid including food, water, shelter, clothing, and medical care.
Your emergency gift will deliver urgent support and care, like critically needed items for families who fled their homes, and medicine and supplies for clinics.











Donations for Ukraine
The ELCA's Lutheran Disaster Response is accompanying our companions in Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, as well as such ecumenical partners as Lutheran World Federation and Church World Service, in their humanitarian responses to the crisis. These partners provide refugees with immediate support and supplies such as food, blankets, water, and hygiene kits.
Your gifts designated for “Eastern Europe Crisis Response” will be used entirely (100%) to provide support for victims of this war.
YES, I want to help!
Please send your check to: -- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
ELCA Gifts Processing Center
P.O. Box 1809
Merrifield, VA 22116-8009
and write “Eastern Europe Crisis Response” on your check’s memo line.
NOTE: -- A generous donor within the ELCA has already pledged to match up to $50,000!
May God bless you for your generosity!




