Dear St. Andrew’s Family,
As we come to the close of summer we thought it’d be a good time to give a number of updates on the many many things taking place in our life at St. Andrew’s.
My Jerusalem
You may remember our letter of a few weeks ago sharing with you the need of our neighbor, Greta Johnson, on Rose Lane. We discovered Greta’s need as part of our rebuilding process. As of Monday this week, we’ve received just over $106,000 of the needed $250,000 to fund the building Greta’s new home. Additionally, many of you have signed up to help do the physical work of building this home. I am thrilled and heartened by your response. Thank you. Once we raise the money we will begin the process of seeking Town permissions to demolish the existing house and rebuild the new home. Our timetable will be determined by how quickly we can raise the funds and the Town permitting process.
Donate to the Project
If you would like to make a gift you may do so by writing a check payable to “St. Andrew’s Church” and on the memo line write, “My Jerusalem.” Or, you can donate via our online giving system.
Volunteer to Help with Greta’s House
For those of you who would also like to volunteer to help build the house, you can sign up online.
Beauty From Ashes
Every time we’ve sat down to write an update something else changed on our campus. We’ve been amazed at the number of folks working on the site and the speed with which they are finishing things off. Most of the landscaping has been installed in the past week. I expect the Prayer Garden and Columbarium to be completed in the next few days. It looks spectacular. Plantings and walkways are near completion along the south end of the building that parallels Venning Street.
Inside the building, the first floor where the Day School and Children’s Ministry will take place is seeing the installation of furnishings this week in anticipation of teachers having access next week. The dais is now being constructed in the Ministry Center. Once that is finished the floor will be installed. The second and third floors are seeing flooring and final touch-ups taking place. Finally, installation of the sheetrock and ceilings is taking place in the clergy offices.
Please continue to pray for the safety of the workers, for the completion of construction, and for the series of inspections to be completed by the Town.
We are at the point where we can walk folks through the building. If you’d be interested feel free to let me (SWood@StAndrews.Church) or Lewis Middleton (LMiddleton@StAndrews.Church) know.
ReOpening the Church
As the COVID19 infection numbers continue to decline we are actively planning the re-opening of the Historic Church and the new Ministry Center. We are in the process of upgrading the HVAC system in the Historic Church. The upgrade involves the installation of an ionization system to address the coronavirus along with a number of other pathogens. I hope to have more information in the very near future. Also, as a reminder, we will continue to livestream even after we resume in-person services.
Lastly, thank you for your prayers. These past two-and-a-half years have been challenging, trying, and long. But they’ve also had many moments of joy, thanksgiving, and most of all, a tangible sense of the renewed presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of our church. We would not have chosen to walk this path, but the Lord’s ways are inscrutable. And, He has been exceedingly faithful to us all. To Him be all glory and honor and praise!
With much love in Christ,
Steve & Jacqui