St. Andrew’s

Network

January 2021 Volume 19 Number 1

IN THIS ISSUE

Pastor’s Message

Page 1

President Report

Treasurer’s Report

Page 2

Congregational Meeting Minutes

Music Ministry

Page 3

Birthday / Anniversaries –January

Remember in Prayer

A Vow for the New Year

Page 4

Finance Team

Outreach – Animal Donations

LSSN

Prayer Circle

Page 5

Teen & Pastoral Care Update

Church Hymnals

Newsletter Newsletter Blurbs

Page 6

Newsletter Newsletter Blurbs

Page 7

Newsletter Newsletter Blurbs

Page 8

Wellness Education

Page 9

Wellness Education

Page 10

January Calendar

Page 11

Message from Pastor Phil

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

I have heard so many people say that 2021 has to be better than 2020. It has been a challenging year for us all. All the celebrations in church that have marked our faith journey over the years were non-existent. We did not have our usual Lenten journey and we never celebrated together the meaningful times of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Yet, we did manage to get back to in person worship by September 6th and we have continued that three-service schedule at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30. We celebrated meaningful services on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. I offer a huge thank you to Michelle Nunez and all the volunteers who made those services so special.

When we look toward the New Year, we hope our society will do better regarding the pandemic. Caution will have to be urged even though vaccines are coming. As always we don’t look to the circumstances to determine how we feel, we look to the promises of God which are trustworthy. We look to that one who makes all things new, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May God bless your New Year with good health and peace.

With thanks,

Pastor Phil Shuart

St. Andrew

Lutheran Church

8901 Del Webb Boulevard

Las Vegas, NV 89134

Phone: 702-255-1990

FAX: 702-255-1919

Churchoffice@standrewlv.org

Pastor@standrewlv.org

Web site: www.standrewlv.org

SUNDAY WORSHIP HOURS

8:30, 9:30 & 10:30 AM

OFFICE HOURS

Monday through Thursday

9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

CHURCH STAFF

Pastor

Phillip J. Shuart

Teen Ministry & Pastoral Care

Brian Neely

Finance Ministry

Chandra Meyers

Administrative Coordinators

Robert Rodenbeck

Angela Danzik

Minister for Worship and Music

Michelle Nunez

CHURCH COUNCIL

Mike Quinn, President

Jack Elle, Vice President

Tracy Schmiesing, Secretary

Liz Hamilton Treasurer

Bob Frantzen, Worship Life

Connie Kaufmann, Congregational Life

Diane Hrovatin, Evangelism & Outreach

Bldg./Grounds

Patricia Lands, Education

Newsletter Staff

Robert Rodenbeck

702-255-1990

e-mail: robertr@standrewlv.org

Thoughts from the Congregational President

God's blessings and His grace and His healing power to one and all each and every day.

Carolyn and I want to wish one and all the very, very best of the New Year.  While we all are wondering from day to day if this virus will end, we have to keep our heads up and know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  We know that God is with us, and He will always be with us.  There are hopes that this year will see new gains in ending this virus and the earth will get back to normal. With the New Year we can look forward to knowing that our St. Andrew family is still strong and that we know and understand what loving one another is all about. The love our family has for one another is what helps us stay strong in these hard times.  I want everyone to know that you all can count on your church council at any time you may need us. Our hope for one and all is that 2021 will bring new life and joy and bright days ahead for all of us.  

Jar of Quotes: "I do not know what still awaits us, or what the morrow brings; but with the glad salute of faith, I hail with open wings!  For this I know that in my Lord shall all my needs be met; and I can trust the heart of Him who has not failed me yet."  With Christian Love and Friendship, Mike,  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

NOV 2020 Treasurer’s Report

Income

Expenses

General Revenues$34,979.00$33,963.77

Fund Revenues/Expenses$26.86

$2,674.45

YTD Gen. Rev./Expenses$511,788.47$420,311.86

YTD Other Fund Rev./Exp. $285.30$32,044.75

YTD Predictions

$549,484.00

General Fund Balance

$77,708.15

YTD Contributions exceed YTD Expenses by $59,717.16

Expenses YTD are $97,127.39 under budget

Our congregation had its annual meeting on November 15th at 9:30 AM. There were 44 voting members that were in attendance. The following major actions were taken:

1. Mission Spending Plan (budget) was approved for a total expenditure of $551,940.

2. Elected to council were:

President: Mike Quinn to a second term

Vice President: Jack Elle, to a second term

Congregation Life: Connie Kaufmann, to a second term

Worship Life: Bob Frantzen to a 2 year term

Building & Grounds: vacant seat

Elected to Endowment Committee:

Joyce Bjokne, Jack Elle, Lois Flom, Ron Fraass, Charles Koster

3: Approved refinancing the current mortgage up to $200,000 in 2021 to attend to needed repairs: parking lot resurfacing, exterior of building cracks repaired and painted, interior carpet replacement and possible redesign of pews to allow for more space for wheel chairs. If the entire $200,000 is not needed the remainder will be placed in a reserve fund for future repairs.

How is your 2021 journey starting out? I’m looking forward to a fresh start, energized by the holidays, and finding an exclamation point in each day! You may recall that a few of us talked about our journeys on each of the four Sundays of Advent. Did you discover that you have anything in common with any of us? I think it’s safe to say that baptism has been a part of all of our journeys. I imagine that many of us do not remember that occasion because it took place when we were very young; undoubtedly it is very important to us, yet we don’t typically celebrate the day like we do a birthday or anniversary. Do you have something that reminds you of your baptism? We have my great-grandmother’s baptismal gown which was worn by my son, and most recently by his own newborn son. It doesn’t matter that it was originally worn by a girl or that it isn’t exactly white anymore or that it really doesn’t fit the bigger babies we have today. It connects so many generations of our family to the idea that God is and always will be with each of us. In January, the season of Epiphany begins on the 10th when we observe the Baptism of Our Lord. It’s the perfect day to remember our own baptism, a God-with-us moment. Are there any images around the St. Andrew worship space that remind us of baptism: baptismal font, shell, dove, water, paschal candle? Is there a song or hymn that you associate with this meaningful sacrament? I like Children of the Heavenly Father, particularly verses 3 and 4:

Neither life nor death shall ever from the Lord his children sever;

unto them his grace he showeth, and their sorrows all he knoweth.

Though he giveth or he taketh, God his children ne’er forsaketh;

his the loving purpose solely to preserve them pure and holy.

May you experience many God-with-you moments throughout 2021. Happy New Year! Michelle

Happy January

Birthdays

Rhoda Lang

Barbara Phillips

Paul Chriss

Edward Nalpant

Joe Somers

Joann Streit

Carole Terry

Jordon Galvez

Janet Rohde

Clyde Spitze

Judy Swanson

Melissa Johnston

LaVerne Kapusta

Karla Nichols

Amanda Taylor

Vicki Richesin

Jeanne Roebuck

Alice Yearke

Michael Landauer

Ruth Fultz

Gundula Thomas

Laurie Storkamp

Mary Tarr

Stan Morrow

Herb Gray

Joy Stuepfert

Bonnie Holt

Stephanie Lamar

Christina Isi

Millie Moyer

Carol Yearke

George Cordon

Marge Miller

Happy January

Anniversaries

Michael & Cindy King

Lois & Phillip Shuart

Mickey Allen

Marvin Burns

Edie Bush

Jerry & Nancy Bye

George Cordon

Jerry Diano

Meg Eacker

Ruth Fultz

Gerhard Grimmeck

Jim Hill

Dorothy Howe

Renee Jarvis

Mary Jo Jerome

Hans Kuehner

Aggie & Sammy Liguori

Millie Moyer

Art Poore

Pat Oleson

Mike Quinn

Bill Rios

Elsie Silver

Mae Smith

Ron Stuepfert

Judy Swanson

Mel Swanson

Larry Toole

Barb Trempus

Ben & Eileen Wasserman

If you are new to St. Andrew and you have not seen your birthday or anniversary listed in the newsletter, we do not have your information. Please contact the office at 255-1990 or Gail Stacy at 858-0400 so we can update our records.

A vow for the new year

Making plans for your life in the New Year? Could it be that God already has a plan for you and is patiently waiting for you to make that plan a reality?

When one considers how everything seems to have a purpose in nature (atoms, genes, plants, animals, etc.), it makes sense to believe that each of us has a purpose as well. On the other hand, if all of creation seems to have just happened without any reason, then this means our minds and spirits must have no reason or purpose as well. How can we trust them?

But believers trust that there is a great Intelligence that brought everything into existence.

There is a Mind and a Heart at the center of all creation. If that’s the case, then life can only make sense when we seek what the Creator has in mind for us.

Jesus, who knew the Mind and Heart of God better than anyone who ever lived on Earth, once said to the erring Peter: “You are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things” (Mark 8:33, NRSV).

Setting our minds on human things can get us into trouble. That’s why it often seems we live in a crazy mixed-up world. How can life ever be fulfilling, without the purpose God has for that life?

To set one’s mind on divine things leads us to consider the one vow we should take seriously for the New Year. Your will Lord, your will and nothing else.

Finance Team

The 2021 contribution books are in and ready for pickup anytime during business hours. Please note your book number may have changed. A continued Thank You for your donations during these difficult times. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Chandra or Angela.

Thank you very much…your Finance Team.

Animal Donations

Thanks to your generosity, bags and bags of donations have been collected and distributed throughout Las Vegas. Prior to the closures due to Covid 19, the donations were brought to ASPCA and the Animal Foundation. Both agencies were thrilled to receive the items, and were amazed at the variety and amount of supplies. Now that hours and access to the ASPCA and the Animal Foundation are restricted, the donations are being distributed to local Petsmart and Petco stores. The donations coincide nicely with their monthly adoption drives. Please continue to bring your donations to St. Andrew and I will make sure our precious animals receive these needed items. As a gentle reminder we are still collecting newspapers for the pet collections. Thank you all for your kindness.

LSSN

St. Andrew is still collecting food for the LSSN food pantry. You can bring your food donations to St. Andrew on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9-11 AM. All donations are then transported to LSSN. We have been also been asked to include manual can openers for our patrons. Thank you all for your continued support.

PRAYER CIRCLE

The St. Andrew Prayer Circle is a group of special people standing ready to pray for all who are in need. It doesn’t matter if the need is yours or for someone in your family or a friend. Whether prayers are needed for illness, surgery, death or a difficult situation, we are here for you. Please let us know when you, or a loved one needs our prayers and then let us know when those prayers are answered so we can thank and praise our Lord.

If you have a prayer request or would like to join our Prayer Circle, please send an e-mail to Linda Fraass or to the church office at Chandram@standrewlv.org. You may also call Linda or the Church office at 702-255-1990.

Teens & Pastoral Care Update - Brian

Every Thursday evening, continuing on January 7th at 6:00, a great group of “St. Andrewites” gather on our various living room couches to explore different topics related to our Christian faith. Our current study is focusing on the major religions of the world in an effort to better understand those who are pursuing God on a path different from our own. If you would like to join us, please call the office or email Brian (brian@standrewlv.org) for the Zoom link information. We are very relaxed and it is okay if you can’t make it every week. No quizzes or tests…I promise!

Church Hymnals

For those of you who are interested in getting a copy or two of the church hymnals from St. Andrew, they are available for pick up through the month of January: the Lutheran Book of Worship - 1978 (green binding) and With One Voice – 1995 (blue binding). You can pick up a copy of one or both hymnals, Monday through Thursday 9:00 – 11:30 AM.

The Magi’s Story – and Ours

The story of the Magi is our story. God has used his supernatural means to draw us unto himself…On one glorious day, when we were exhausted and wearied in our sin, God led us to gaze upon Jesus just as the Magi did. We see the glory of God manifested through Jesus Christ in the internal work of the Holy Spirit. We see our utter sinfulness and God’s abounding grace offered in the Messiah. We are filled with joy as this grace sinks into our hearts.

We fall down on our knees and confess our need of this Messiah. We worship him and offer up our lives as our greatest offering to him. Then we continue on in our lives, carrying the truth about the Messiah.—Travis Cunningham, tvcresources.net

A Word for the Year

Every January, some people pray and ask God to provide a word for their year ahead. Friends have shared theirs with me, but I was hesitant to embrace the practice myself. I’d love to receive a word like flourish; then again, I might be like the friend who heard health and then faced many physical challenges that year.

But I tried it for 2020 and heard prepare. My first reaction was that the word wasn’t very exciting, which possibly confirmed I hadn’t orchestrated it. Indeed, 2020 ended up full of significant, unexpected change for our family, with careers, school, church and friends. Prepare reminded me that amid chaos, God had prepared me for each moment and continues to prepare me for what’s next.

Give it a try! Regardless of the word you receive or what lies ahead, you can trust that God loves you and is ultimately in control for 2021 and beyond.—Janna Firestone

An Ongoing Goal

Still searching for a New Year’s resolution? None is more worthy than becoming Christ-like. In fact, 19th-century evangelist Henry Drummond calls it “the only thing in the whole world worth caring for.”

Two modern-day authors offer more insights. Stormie Omartian points out that we’re either making progress or backsliding on this goal. “There is no neutral positon in the Lord,” she writes. “You are either becoming more like Christ every day or you’re becoming less like him.” And followers of Jesus must keep the goal always in focus. Christ-likeness is our “eventual destination,” writes Rick Warren, “but the journey will last a lifetime.”

Rock of Ages

On walks, I enjoy searching for heart-shaped rocks. One day in 2020, I spotted a broken heart, which seemed fitting as illness, racism and suffering dominated the headlines. I thought of Psalm 34:18, NIV “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Humans can be hard-hearted—pointing fingers, assuming the worst and failing to extend compassion. We often reject people who look, think or act differently from us. All these things break hearts, including God’s. Only with his help can we rise above hatred, learn to listen more than we speak, and express kindness, empathy and a willingness to learn.

Jesus, be our rock as we face life’s brokenness. Stay near and start the healing. Amen.—Julie Lee

Waiting Until God is Heard

We’re often taught that prayer is speaking to God. And of course, that’s part of it. It’s good to pray for the well-being and needs of others—even Jesus prayed for his disciples. It’s okay to pray for our own growth in faith and love. It’s a wonderful, powerful thing, modeled especially by the Psalmists, to give God thanks and praise. And God welcomes our cries of pain and sorrow, offering the Spirit’s help when words fail us (Romans 8:26).

But through the ages, many deeply faithful followers of Christ have practiced contemplative prayer, centering prayer and other forms of stillness before God. Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) expressed it this way: “To pray does not mean to listen to oneself speaking. Prayer involves becoming silent, and being silent, and waiting until God is heard.”

Truth + Love

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become reality. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.—Martin Luther King Jr.

Epiphany Epiphanies

Sometimes brief words of ancient wisdom can spark an “aha!” moment—a revelation of new insight about God or faith. Here are some epiphanies for the season of Epiphany…

“If we approach with faith, we too will see Jesus…for the Eucharistic table takes the place of the crib. Here, the Body of the Lord is present, wrapped not in swaddling clothes but in the rays of the Holy Spirit.”—St. John Chrysostom (347-407)

“So that we might also have the means to go, the one we were longing to go to came here from there. And what did he make? A wooden raft for us to cross the sea on. For no one can cross the sea of this world unless carried over it on the cross of Christ.”—St. Augustine (354-430)

“You wish to see; listen. Hearing is a step toward vision.”—St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

Why All Life is Sacred

Scripture does not know of any human life which is so commonplace that it is not valuable enough to become eternal, and this is its high optimism. Nothing is too much for Scripture. Since every person is known by God by name, and since every person exists in time in the presence of the God who is judgment and salvation, every person is a person of eternity, and not just the noble spirts of history.—Karl Rahner

Sufficient for the Day

John Newton (1725-1803), author of “Amazing Grace,” wrote: “We may easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed for it. But the load will…be too heavy for us, if we carry yesterday’s burden over again today, and then add tomorrow’s.” This maxim might be easy to dismiss unless we knew about Newton’s troubled life.

Having been pressed into naval service and then slavery, Newton was finally rescued but became a slave-ship captain. He faced abuse, contemplated murder-suicide, suffered a stroke and was caught in a storm. When he cried out to God, the waves subsided, prompting a spiritual conversion for Newton, who became a priest and abolitionist.

We never know how God will transform our sinful past into future good, but we can trust he will. That adds power to Newton’s advice, which echoes Jesus’ words: “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34, ESV).

Numbering Our Days

To fix what they call a disorganized date-tracking system, professors Steve Hanke and Dick Henry have developed a “permanent calendar.” On it, January 1 is always a Monday, so holidays and birthdays occur on the same day every year. The 364-day calendar eliminates leap years, time zones, Halloween and every Friday the 13th. Instead of leap days, “every five or six years, we’ll have an extra week at the end [of December] when you can party,” says Henry.

Because the permanent calendar is predictable, it reportedly would save money and time. Yet despite almost two decades of work, the idea hasn’t taken off.

However we track our lives, we do well to remember this prayer: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations…Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:1, 12 NIV).

Live in the Light

Often we want to be able to see into the future. We say, “How will next year be for me? Where will I be five or ten years from now?” There are no answers to these questions. Mostly we have just enough light to see the next step—what we have to do in the coming hour or the following day.

The art of living is to enjoy what we can see and not complain about what remains in the dark. When we are able to take the next step with the trust that we will have enough light for the step that follows, we can walk through life with joy and be surprised at how far we go. Let’s rejoice in the little light we carry and not ask for the great beam that would take all our shadows away.—Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

Saint Andrew Health Education

Judy Swanson RN, MSN, FCN

January 2021

Wisdom and Knowledge

Proverbs 2:10-11 …for wisdom will come into your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you.

Health Awareness Topics in the United States for January 2021 are:

· Cervical Health Awareness Month for information contact the National Cervical Cancer Coalition

· Glaucoma Awareness Month for information contact the Glaucoma Research Foundation

· National Birth Defects Prevention Month for information contact the National Birth Defects Prevention Network

· National Blood Donor Month for information contact the American Red Cross

· Thyroid Awareness Month for information contact the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists

· World Braille Day January 4th, 2021

· Healthy Weight Week January 24th – 30th, 2021

· World Leprosy Day January 31, 2021

The focus of this health education and awareness article for January will be our eyes.

Corona Virus and Your Eyes

We have been educated on the importance of wearing masks to help prevent the spread of the Corona Virus from the mouth and nose, but what about your eyes. The evidence of ocular transmission has not been well studied. When someone infected with the virus coughs, sneezes, or talks, we have been informed that virus particles can spray from their mouth or nose into your face. When this happens virus droplets can enter your respiratory system and infect you when you breathe; the droplets can also get into your eyes. If virus particles enter your eyes susceptibility to Covid-19 infection increases. According to USC Roski Eye Institute Pinkeye, or conjunctivitis has been reported to be a possible sign of infection from Covid-19. Another way to get the virus into your eyes is by touching something that has the virus on it, and then putting your contaminated fingers around your eyelids.

Think about this worst-case scenario. Your eyes become infected with Covid-19, you get conjunctivitis and have eye discharge, then you touch the discharge from your eyes that contains Covid-19 virus, then unknowingly you spread Covid-19 to others. It is well known that discharge from Pink Eye is very contagious. Likewise, discharge from eyes containing the Covid-19 virus are also contagious. Try to avoid touching or rubbing your eyes, for optimum protection wear a mask and a face shield at the same time, if this is not possible wash your hands frequently. Do your part to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. If you choose to get vaccinated remember it takes two vaccine injections three weeks apart, plus another couple of weeks until you build up antibodies and are protected. If you are exposed to the virus during this time you can still become infected, with or without symptoms you can spread Covid-19 to others.

Matthew 22:39 … Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration, and Diabetic Retinoapathy

During this pandemic routine patient visits, eye surgeries, and procedures that are not considered essential have most likely been postponed. This has caused documented eye damage that may or may not be able to be corrected in the future.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology suggests you contact your ophthalmologist for instructions;

· If you have macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy and get regular eye injections

· If you notice changes in your vision (like blurry, wavy, or blank spots in your field of vision).

· If you notice a lot of new floaters or flashes in your vision.

· If you suddenly lose some vision , or

· If you have eye pain, headache, red eye, nausea, and vomiting.

I would also recommend that contact your Ophthalmologist, or Eye Specialist if you have discharge from one or both of your eyes, or conjunctivitis (pink eye).

http://www.whathealth.com/awareness/january.html

https://www.iabhp.com/national-wellness-observance-calendar/

1