St. Andrew's Lutheran Church

It's about that time of year again!  Time to find those bargains on toys or pack up those unused toys (in good condition) to share with a family in need.  We are collecting new and lightly used toys for distribution at Grace Lutheran Church in West Philadelphia.  This annual tradition of giving and receiving brings smiles to many faces.  Please drop off your toys in the narthex or St. Andrew's Hall by December 8th.   If the toy needs batteries, we would appreciate it if you could supply / install them as a special gift. We will also need a few hands on deck on Wednesday morning December 11th to help load up the truck for delivery.  Blessings  to you in this season of giving!

Our Annual Advent Family Night is scheduled for Sunday December 1  from 4-7 PM downstairs in St. Andrew's Hall.  Invite family and friends to join us for this fun event for all ages around Christmas crafts and ornaments of your choosing (Many simple - all make and take), food, laughter, and Christmas joy.  If you have not yet responded or signed up, please respond to this e-mail, sign up in the church narthex,  or contact the church office to let us know you are attending. 
The easiest way for planners to get your information quickly is by signing up through the Sign Up Genius link here and carefully follow the instructions:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0e4ea8a82aa2ff2-advent

As many of us prepare for Thanksgiving Day I want to wish you a truly blessed celebration.  Many of you will be gathering with loved ones and, while likely eating way too much food (Enjoy!),  offering thanks for God's abundant blessings.  May your joy be full and overflowing on Thanksgiving and throug…

Dear Friends,
As we gradually put things away from our 60th Anniversary Celebration, we are reminded on a number of levels how all things come to an end, seasons change, and new focuses emerge.  The vibrant green leaves that filled our summer changed to beautiful fall colors and are now giving way to the rustling dead leaves of fall (which many of you will be raking this Sunday.  Thanks in advance!)  Soon the bare trees of winter will be all that greet us.  But I will not soon forget the beauty of those fall leaves and I will even appreciate the bareness of the trees as they reveal new views as well as bright blue skies and snow crystals on branches and on the ground.  
Our lives move through seasons just as our life as a congregation moves through seasons.  Some are long and joyful.  Some are short and hurtful.  Others are there to prepare us for what is yet to come.  Some seasons stagnate, some grow, and some rest.  But all are part of life in the body, both as individuals and as  …

Dear Friends,
Where is home for you?  Maybe home is the house where you grew up.  Maybe it's spending time with family and close friends. Maybe home is something more elusive for you but there are those places where you find strength, peace, or a sense of belonging, if even for a short time.  Home is complicated.  None of us grew up in a perfect home but we have images of what home is and means, and we long for it.
As our 60th Anniversary Celebration approaches (Sunday October 27th @ 9:30 AM), there are many people planning to attend who see St. Andrew's as their spiritual home, a place of confirmation, marriage, family baptisms, and funerals.  A place that was there in every age and stage of children's lives, a special place in the Audubon community.  However, there are also many of the St. Andrew's faithful who did not grow up here, who don't know a lot of familiar faces, and maybe just feel like they are passing through.  We all have a place in this special cele…

Dear Friends,
At our 11:00 Worship this past week, children from our Celeste Choir joined with our Sanctuary Choir in the singing of  "All God's Children by composer Sally Albrecht.  The blending of voices and tunes in this piece served as a reminder of a couple of things in our life together.
First of all, our lives are so much richer when hands and hearts and voices of multiple ages are brought together.  We already see how true this is in our Music Program, in Christian Education, and in our volunteer teams that support our worship life together.  How many other opportunities might there be to develop mentoring programs, partnerships in service projects between youth and seniors, and incorporating our children and youth even more in worship leadership?  Secondly, our children are not simply the future of the church but a very important part of our present, blessing us with their voices, enthusiasm, creativity,  curiosity and love.
We look forward to bringing the generation…