St. Andrew’s offers many opportunities to serve in areas of fellowship, worship ministries, outreach, and projects within the church community. Please review our Fellowship Ministries below and contact the church office if you would like to participate.
Order of St. Luke
In addition to OSL providing Intercessory Prayer during Communion, members meet on the third Sunday after the 10:00 service in the Library. Come and help us pray for those who need God’s healing touch. OSL members also prepare and bless prayer shawls for the sick and visit the homebound. OSL Homebound Care meets the second Wednesday in various locations at noon for lunch to check on people we serve.
One of OSL’s important functions is to be available for intercessory prayer during the Eucharist on Sunday mornings. Take advantage of their gentle ministry if you want someone to pray with or for you. Just stop by their station after you take Communion. OSL members also prepare and bless prayer shawls for the sick, and visit the homebound. OSL Homebound Care meets the second Wednesday at the Buccaneer Restaurant at noon for lunch to check on people we serve in this special way. They also meet the third Sunday after church services.
Emergency Prayer Chain
The Emergency Prayer Chain receives emergency calls 365 days per year on a 24-hour basis. Emergency calls are expected to be immediate and possibly life-threatening. There are presently six intercessors who respond to these calls. As these intercessors can not man the telephone on a 24 hour basis you may be requested to leave a message on their answering machine, in which case you will be contacted as soon as possible.
St. Mary's Guild
The St. Mary’s Guild helps both shut-ins and people in nursing homes by providing adult diapers, used clothing, and old costume jewelry and by visiting. The Guild also helps with activities around the church. The Guild meets every second Tuesday of the month from September to May at 10:00 a.m. at various members’ homes. Each month the Guild has an interesting program based on religion or some local topic of interest. All women of St. Andrew’s are welcome to join the St. Mary’s Guild.
Episcopal Church Women
Anyone may participate in Women of the Church activities. The purpose of the E.C.W. is to serve Jesus Christ by helping meet the needs of the church and local community. The E.W.C. meets the third Tuesday of each month except in December and during the summer (June through August).
Newcomers
The Newcomers’ Committee is responsible for making visitors to St. Andrew’s feel welcome and appreciated, and to want to come back and join our great family. With the help of the greeters at both services, visitors are welcomed. Members of the Newcomers Committee recognize and welcome newcomers and assist and direct them in finding the nursery, Sunday School classes, etc. They also introduce newcomers to other church members and have coffee with them.
Care Givers
The Caregiver Ministry extends the love of the Lord through the St. Andrew’s Parish to shut-ins and people who need fellowship. Members who serve in this ministry make contact once a week with assigned shut-ins either by phone or visitation. They also take flowers from the altar to shut-ins following Sunday church services. Care givers contact the church office staff weekly with the date of contact and any pastoral needs of shut-ins.
Library
The Parish Library is located in the church office building across from the Parish Hall. It presently contains over 1000 books including fiction, devotional, Bible and other religious books. The library also has books and videos for children of all ages. The library is open Monday through Friday during Church Office hours and also on Sunday mornings. Books may be checked out for four weeks and videos for two weeks.
Food for Friends
Often people who are ill or housebound cannot cook for themselves, or when there is a family emergency, extra food may be needed. Food for Friends is a way to meet these needs. Individual and family portions of various food items are prepared and frozen until they are needed. A group meets once a month to prepare the food.
Outreach
Each year St. Andrew’s reaches out to the community and helps those persons who are in need. These funds are distributed to local organizations such as St. Andrew’s Benevolence Society, Panama Rescue Mission, and Prescriptions for the needy. National and international organizations such as Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD), Habitat for Humanity, Doctors without Borders, and others also receive assistance, both monetarily and in gifts of clothing, food and other supplies.
Birthday Cards
For 15 years, the women of the church have been sending birthday cards to parishioners whose birthdays are in the following week.
A new practice at the end of the Holy Communion service is to offer prayers for those people who are celebrating birthdays and wedding anniversaries.
Memorial Garden
Many of our parishioners prefer to have the bodies of their loved ones cremated when they die. St. Andrew’s has a Memorial Garden for the interment of these ashes. A bronze marker is located in the East Narthex on which a name plate is placed for each of those whose ashes have been interred.
Centering Prayer Group
The Centering Prayer Group meets at 10:30 A.M. every Friday in the prayer room. ALL ARE WELCOME!
Please contact the church office if you would like to participate in any of these ministries.