A Message from the Rector:
In last Sunday’s scriptures there were many call stories: Philip called by Jesus, Philip calling
Nathanael, Samuel hearing God’s voice call him in the night.
Among these familiar narratives, I heard a new—and more challenging—call: the call to Eli.
Samuel’s mother Hannah dedicated him to serve God. He lived in the Temple, working under
the guidance of Eli, the Chief Priest. We are told that times were not good—“the word of the
LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread” and that Eli is an emblem of the
problem. His vision is weak, literally and figuratively. Most egregiously, he has not stopped his
sons, who are also priests, from abusing their high positions in the Temple and in society. They
are contemptuous of God, taking offerings that belong to God for themselves; they are craven,
soliciting the women who come to the Temple.
Tucked in for the night, Samuel hears a voice calling him. He thinks it is Eli calling him to a
chore, and runs to Eli, who tells him to go back to bed. By the third time, Eli realizes that it is
God calling Samuel. He tells Samuel to respond to the voice saying, “Speak, Lord, for your
servant is listening.”
Samuel asks God for God’s message, and receives it. In time, Samuel becomes a mighty
prophet for the Hebrew people. But this first message from God is for Samuel, a boy far from
home and under the supervision of Eli, to tell Eli that he and his sons will be punished by
God—they will be removed from the Temple and the lineage disappear from the earth. There
is no way to change this terrible fate.
God introduces this news with these words: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will
make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle.”
On this Martin Luther King weekend, the words of scripture made MY ears tingle. This time I
realized that while Samuel was hearing God call him to deliver a message, Eli was also hearing a
call: a call to conscience and humility, a call to do good for all in spite of inevitable personal loss
and destruction. This year, I heard Samuel through the message of Martin Luther King’s 1963
“Letter from the Birmingham Jail.”
“Letter from the Birmingham Jail” was written by King to eight clergy of Birmingham who had
told King that the Civil Rights movement was “unwise and untimely,” that King and his followers
should let justice to Black people come slowly and without agitation. One of those clergy
members was the Episcopal bishop of Alabama, the Right Reverend Charles Carpenter.
King calls out the cowardice and immorality of sitting back to wait for justice—especially for
Christians, and most especially for Christian clergy. He compares his work with the prophets of
old and St Paul, underscoring the need to take the words of God, what King calls the “thus saith
the Lord,” far beyond his own hometown because “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice
everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of
destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
Samuel’s words call Eli back into shame that his privilege, timidity, and pride have kept him
from stopping his sons’ destructive immorality at the Temple. Samuel’s words challenge Eli to
turn to the good even if that means acknowledging that his own position will crumble. My ears
tingled as I heard this scripture, remembering that King’s words to the Birmingham clergy—and
to me—are a call to choose right over comfort, to choose just action even if it does not benefit
me personally—in fact even if it takes away some of my power. I am humbled that in hearing
the call to action which was linked to the terrible fate of his sons and the ending his own
prestige and power Eli responded, ‘It is the LORD; let him do what seems good to him.’
Samuel grew strong, and “let none of God’s words fall to the ground.” No doubt this was in
part due to Eli’s mentorship, however flawed Eli was. Late in life, full of disappointment and
disillusionment over his sons and the signs of the time, Eli heard the call to raise up a mighty
prophet. May we all rise to the occasion at hand, ever reaching to the good, the just, and the
merciful as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King did in his life—and as Eli reclaimed in his final years,
encouraging and raising up Samuel to do the things that he himself had not and perhaps could
not.
Peace,
Rev. Jen+
You can read 1 Samuel 3:1-20 here:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+3%3A1-20&version=NRSVA
You can read “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” here:
https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
Connect With Us
Rector’s Office Drop-In Time
Rev. Jen has set her office drop-in day as Wednesday of each week from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. for anyone who would like to stop in and visit. You are always invited to make an appointment for a time convenient for you. Mondays are her Sabbath day.
The Third Sunday After the Epiphany
Sunday Morning In-Person Worship Service, Sunday, January 21, led by Rev. Dr. Jennifer Oldstone-Moore, 10:15 a.m.
You can stream the service via St. Andrew’s Facebook Page. Click on this link to view the Live Stream. We will start the Live Stream 5 minutes prior to the start of the service.
Click here for the service booklet for January 21.
The Latest Updates
HELP NEEDED WITH SEVERAL MINISTRIES
Both the Altar Guild and Beyond Homeless Shepherds are in need of persons to help out monthly. If you are able to help out a month or two a year or just want more information, please contact Renee in the church office. We are also in need of Ushers, Lectors, Intercessors, Chalice Bearers, Coffee Hour hosts, Youth Acolytes, 2nd persons in Sunday School room, and The Waters Communion Service helpers.
BELL RINGERS NEEDED
The bell is up and running once again! We are in need of older youth or adults who would like to serve as bell ringers. If you are interested, please let Renee or Rev. Jen know and we’ll see to it that you get the proper training.
SECOND SUNDAY DISCRETIONARY COLLECTION
Monies in the loose plate collection on the 2nd Sunday of each month go towards Rev. Jen’s Discretionary Fund used to help the less fortunate in Putnam County.
THIS WEEK’S SHOPPING LIST FOR NON-FOOD PANTRY
Please add body moisturizers (including hand lotions), Fabuloso, Comet, Pine Sol, and shampoo to your shopping list for the NFP. Every little bit helps our budget go farther in helping meet the needs of folks in Putnam County. The next Non-Food Pantry will be Saturday, January 27 from noon – 2:00 p.m. There is a sign-up sheet posted in Hamilton Hall for folks to help with a product pick-up and/or as well as for help on January 27 at the monthly distribution. FYI: Baskets at church are now dedicated for the NFP and not the food pantry.
EVENING PRAYER
Most weeks, the Tuesday Bible and Book group meet at 4:30 p.m. On these Tuesdays, there is a service of Evening Prayer beginning at 4:00 p.m. Don’t be afraid to join in even if you come late.
NEW CLERGY FROM DIOCESE GATHERING HERE THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 11:30 A.M.
On Thursday, January 18, the new clergy of the Diocese of Indianapolis are meeting at St. Andrew’s. IndyDio has a robust program of welcome for clergy that provides welcome and resources for newbies like Rev. Jen. Clergy and diocesan leaders will gather at 11:30 for Eucharist in our sanctuary followed by lunch and conversation. We are excited to be sharing our space in diocesan hospitality.
BIBLE AND BOOK GROUP, TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 4:30 PM
Our Bible study/books group(s) started up again. We will be watching “The Chosen” and meeting in Hamilton Hall.
COMMUNION AT THE WATERS, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11
Once a month Sunday services are continuing at The Waters. The next service will be Sunday, February 11 at 2:00 – 2:45 p.m. If you’d like to help with this ministry in any way, please contact Rev. Jen or Renee. All are welcome to attend!
SAVE THE DATES FOR FEBRUARY 18 AND FEBRUARY 25
We will have a Pre-Meeting for the 2024 Budget/Finances on Sunday, February 18, and the Annual Meeting Sunday, February 25, both immediately following the service. All are invited and encouraged to attend!
SAVE THE DATE FOR FEBRUARY 21, 2024
The Philadelphia Eleven documentary will be shown at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 21, 2024 at Korb Classroom in the Wabash College Fine Arts Building. After the screening Bishop Jennifer will participate in a panel discussion.
FREE DAILY DEVOTIONAL
We have some large print Day by Day daily devotionals in the sanctuary that you are free to take home for your personal devotions–and if we know that people would like copies, we can order the right amount. Many of you may also appreciate the on-line version of Day to Day. Click here.
ON-GOING COVID PROTOCOL
We continue to respond to both our county’s current CDC designation and to the current variant. Masking is optional. Those who serve bread and wine will mask so that anyone who comes to the altar can feel secure. Decisions on COVID policy have moved from the Reconvening Committee to Rev. Jen and the Wardens.
Prayers and Reflections for This Week
We have heard that the daily reflections and scripture readings provided during Lent were appreciated. The meditations are written by persons from Gobin UMC and Beech Grove UMC. They will be in the newsletter each week and go from Wednesday to Tuesday, except for Sunday. Whether you enjoy these every day or as the Spirit moves you, may this resource continue to bring you spiritual food for the journey. Blessings!
Click here to view the readings and accompanying links.
Non-Food Pantry Latest
Saturday, January 27
• Noon to 2:00 p.m.
There will be a distribution in Hamilton Hall and light lunches will be served inside. We are grateful for all those who have worked so hard to obtain supplies for the Non-Food Pantry. Items are having to be purchased from a variety of sources making it much more expensive. Donations to help offset this extra cost will be gratefully accepted! NOTE: For January we can use Body Moisturizers (including hand lotions), Fabuloso, Comet, Pine Sol, and Shampoo.
Top 3 Needed Items
Your prayers are asked for:
Peggy Angleton
Haile Bane, grandson of Joanne Haymaker
Beth Benedix, friend to many of us at Saint Andrew’s
Sharon Bone, friend of Emily Knuth
The family of Richard A. Butler, father-in-law of Claudia Butler
Adam Cohen, friend of St. Andrew’s
Mary Alice Crampton, friend of Steve & Kathy Jones
Michael Curry
Anita Edenfield, friend of Skip Sutton
Nathan Elson, friend of Michael Knuth
Bob Fatzinger, brother of Barbara Pare
The family of Alan Good, father of Tim Good
Carole Greenawald
Kimberley Heithaus, niece of Joe & Jenny Heithaus
Thad Jones, brother of Steve Jones
Lisa Breese Kincaid, daughter of Bob & Mimi Breese
The family of Marie Kohl Mitchell, friend of Fred Vallowe
Mary Mountz
Tom Mullen, father of Patti Harmless
Marilyn & Leo Nelson, sister & brother-in-law of Joanne Haymaker
Sarah Oldstone, sister-in-law of Jen+
The family of Brian Pohlar, friend of Trudy Selvia and many at St. Andrew’s
The family of Billy Ray Selvia, father-in-law of Trudy Selvia
Elizabeth & Natalie Sheffler, daughter & granddaughter of Page & Narda Cotton
Gloria Smith
The family of Heidi Stecher, friend of Jen+
Skip Sutton
Karen Swalley, friend of Thom & Gwen Morris
The family of Jerry Taylor, friend of Warren & Connie Macy
Sydnor Thompson, brother of Harriet Moore
Deb Wilder, sister of Connie Macy
Dwight Ziegler, brother of Stephanie Gurnon
The cousin of a parishioner’s son-in-law
Diocesan Cycle of Prayer: St. Luke’s, Cannelton: Ms. Lucy Goffinet, Senior Warden.
Our companion dioceses: The Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil: The Most Rev. Mauricio Jose Araujo De Andrade, Primate of Brazil and Bishop of Brasilia. The people and Diocese of Haiti and Saint Andre’s in Mithon.
Anglican Cycle of Prayer: The Church of South India (United).
Birthdays: Tony Harmless, January 24; Kathy Jones, January 26.
Anniversaries: None.
Special Events and Services
