March 15, 2018
The Shield | St. Andrew Presbyterian Church
Associate Pastor's Column  
    Rhythms of life are cyclical and occur in the busyness of everyday demands. We travel the Lenten journey each year right in the middle of everything else that is going on around us and in our world, just as all the people of faith have done throughout the years. Hopefully we take some time each Lent to practice moments of solitude and pray, read the Scripture passages assigned for the day, join a group for prayer and study, worship regularly, and be captured once again by the solemn beauty of the season that is quiet but which has a deep pull to it almost as if there were an undertow that carried us farther out to sea dependent and reliant on the one we follow ready to leave our safe harbors for the chance to be changed, in direction and heart.
   One of the prayer books that I regularly read is Guerrillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle by Ted Loder. This is a brief excerpt from his longer Lenten prayer, he prays, "Catch me in my anxious scurrying, Lord, and hold me in this Lenten season: hold my feet to the fire of your grace and make me attentive to my mortality that I may begin to die now to those things that keep me from living with you and with my neighbors on this earth. . . "
   May God catch us in our anxious and fearful scurrying so that we let go of all that stands between us and the crucified and risen Lord and stop resisting the undertow of God's fire and beacon of grace, and we might be carried just a little bit farther into new waters trusting in God more than ourselves.

Grace and peace,

Lisa

PS Remember to pray for our Israel group this week. To keep up with their travels, you can go to the St. Andrew Facebook page or read Richard's blog
Richard Culp Out of Office 
   Richard Culp will be out of the office March 10-19 on a trip to Israel. 
Changes in the Church Office 
   Please direct all Calendar requests and all Bulletin items to Lou Korom, lou@saint-andrew.com.
   Phone service will be changing in in the church office. Beginning Monday, March 19, phones will be answered from 8:30am until 4:00pm. 
Red Cross Blood Drive
   We are hosting the Red Cross Blood Drive on Saturday, March 17, 2018 in the gym. Please contact Beth Whipple if you need more information.(bethannegg@yahoo.com)
New Super Wednesday Classes
Coping with Today's Turbulent World
March 21 & 28 and
April 11, Fellowship Hall
Michael Greig, Professor, Department of Political Science at UNT
In many ways, the 21st century has been a time of considerable flux for
American foreign policy, with both new challenges and opportunities facing
the United States. At the same time, Americans are also questioning the U.S.
role in global affairs, with some arguing for deeper engagement and others
promoting retrenchment to focus on domestic concerns. In this class, we will touch on these debates as we discuss some of the key questions facing American foreign policy today.
March 21
- Russia: Potential Partner, Resurgent Foe, or Something Else?
March 28
- Coping with a Rising China
April 11
- The U.S. & Democracy: Should Spreading Democracy Be a Goal of
American Foreign Policy?

Broadway Reformed
March 21-April 18, Room 207/209
Richard B. Culp
   The class will listen (maybe sing) some Broadway tunes as a guide to
exploring themes of Reformed theology.
Parents' Night Out
   Parents' Night Out is a program for the young families of St. Andrew. The program has a two-fold purpose: it gives parents an opportunity to spend quality time together without their children and it gives the children an evening of fun, age-appropriate activities with their friends at St. Andrew. The evening runs from 4:00pm-8:00pm for infants-3 yr. olds in the Nursery. In the Rec. Center, 4 yr. olds-elementary age will meet from 4:00pm-9:00pm. We ask parents to make reservations no later than Thursday, the week of PNO. Please email Ms. Sue at: toddlerqueen2@gmail.com, or call at 940-300-9262, for reservations.
Spring dates: Mar. 24, Apr. 14, and May 12
One Great Hour of Sharing
April 1, 2018
   The One Great Hour of Sharing Offering will be received on Easter Sunday, April 1. You will find the envelopes in the pew racks. This offering is distributed among the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and the Self-development of People Program. Please give generously as we remember to share joyfully through our giving.  
Save The Date
Hearts for Homes
Saturday, April 21
   The Mission Committee welcomes all ages for a "hands and feet" mission project where we will repair a home in Denton County chosen by Hearts for Homes (HFH). HFH will supply its contractor's trailer, supplies and a project contractor. We'll bring a willing spirit and our favorite hand tools. Don't want to swing a hammer? Fine. We will have many hungry volunteers that will appreciate sandwiches and a drink. 
   We'll meet in the SAPC parking lot at 8am and caravan to the site. Expect to finish by 2pm. Details about particular tools to bring and mission project t-shirts will come in future announcements.
   To sign up to volunteer or have questions answered, please contact Bob Stewart at heybobstewart@gmail.com or 940-262-3364. Pray for good weather! 
Easter Music and Flowers 
   The Worship and Music Committee invites you to give to the St. Andrew Easter Music and Flower fund. This Easter, let's fill the sanctuary with beautiful lillies and festive Easter music. You are invited to honor or remember family and friends through your donations to this campaign. Forms for you to fill out and a folder for your donation are available in the church office.
The Children's Place Enrollment for Fall 2018
   Enrollment for current TCP families and St. Andrew church members will be April 2 & 3 at 8:45 each morning with open enrollment for alumni and community members also beginning at 8:45 on April 4th. Our classes tend to fill up quickly so we hope to see you at the beginning of enrollment. You are encouraged to stop by before enrollment to take a tour and pick up an enrollment packet. Please recommend our school to friends looking for a high quality and developmentally appropriate preschool, pre-kindergarten, or kindergarten. Our half day pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes are a great way for children to transition into full day programs. Visit www.thechildrensplacedenton.com for more information. 
The Denton Christian Preschool Supply Drive
2018 Results
   We've had another successful year collecting supplies for the staff and students at the Denton Christian Preschool. The teachers and students will be excited to receive thirty-four AA batteries, four 9V batteries, three hand soap containers with two large refill bottles, three packages of antibacterial moist hand wipes, a bottle of hand sanitizer, two toothbrushes, one large and four travel size tubes of toothpaste, four boxes of sandwich bags, one package of paper plates, one package of dry erase markers, eleven boxes of crayons, twenty-one glue sticks, five packages of construction paper, one pair of scissors, three rolls of paper towels, three containers of finger paints, thirty-six pencils, and one box of Kleenex. Thank you for your generous contribution to the forty students at the Denton Christian Preschool. 
Thank You  
 
Dear St. Andrew Family,

   We sincerely thank you for the many meaningful expressions of sympathy both in word and acts of kindness with the passing of our mother, Peggy Tomlinson Davis. Though she was unable to attend worship for over two years, your visitations with communion, prayer, conversation, flowers, food and countless cards cheered her abundantly as they did us. We believe that Mom knew much joy in hearing "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory" at her Service, knowing that those who cared for her are in the great care of God both now and forever even as she and our father, Bill, are.

Love in Christ,

Susan and Steve Davis
St. Andrew Connect 
Communicate with Your Committee Online
   Is your Session or Diaconate committee using St. Andrew Connect? As we start the new year, the church office is corresponding with moderators to make sure that the Committees that you serve use St. Andrew Connect. Why? St. Andrew Connect offers groups the ability to streamline communication and offer storage for documents your entire committee needs!
   There are two places to look for information from your committee. When you login to St. Andrew Connect, you will see your "News Feed." This area aggregates all the items being posted to your Committees' group pages. You can also see committee-specific posts by navigating to the Committee page under the "Groups" link in St. Andrew Connect and then choosing your group.
   Need to post a file for your entire Committee to see? Simply navigate to your Committee page, click the icon that looks like a pencil on paper and attach your files to a new post.
   Want to know more about St. Andrew Connect? Do you need an invite? Contact Lou Korom in the church office at lou@saint-andrew.com.
Give a Meal a Month
February, 2018
   In February, the congregation donated 110 pounds of food, and Circle #1 donated $25.00. These donations provided the Denton Community Food Center with enough resources to feed 13 people for a week. This year, we have fed 51 people for a week. Thank you to everyone who made a food or monetary contribution!
Food Fact #1: About 1 in 7 people in the U.S. rely on food stamps.
Food Fact #2: Food waste costs the average household 2 thousand dollars per year.
Food Fact #3: 18 million households in the U.S. are food insecure.
March Give-a-Meal  
Beef Ravioli or Tuna, Canned Corn, Macaroni and Cheese, Canned Fruit
Optional: Sugar, Flour 
   Please return your non-perishable donations for the Denton Community Food Center to the collection bin by the Coke machine near Fellowship Hall. Thank You! 
Sunday, March 18
 
9:30am Sunday School 
10:30am Worship Service

Scripture Readings:  
John 12:20-33 and
Jeremiah 31:31-34 
 
Sermon:  
"When God Writes on Our Hearts, Then. . ." 
 
Calendar 

Red Cross Blood Drive
Saturday, March 17
9am-2pm, Rec Center

Stephen Ministry
Monday, March 19
6pm, Room 206/208

Theology on Tap
Monday, March 19
6:30pm, Denton County Brewing Co.
200 E. McKinney St.

Tuesday Afternoon Women's Bible Study
Tuesday, March 20
1:30pm, Room 206/208

Women's Book Study for Lent
Wednesday, March 21
12pm, Room 206/208

Super Wednesday
Wednesday, March 21
5:30pm, Dinner in Fellowship Hall
6:30pm, Adult Classes

March Session Meeting
Wednesday, March 21
7:45pm, Room 206/208

Parents' Night Out
Saturday, March 24
4pm-9pm, Rec Center
St. Andrew Presbyterian Church
300 West Oak Street
Denton, TX  76201

phone: 940-387-3897
fax: 940-381-2404

Office Hours
Mon-Fri - 8:30am-5:00pm
St. Andrew Connect:
 
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