A Message from our Rector:
Dear Friends:
The Gospel reading for yesterday’s Sunday service was Matthew 4:12-23. The abridged version might read like this:
- John the Baptist has been imprisoned for speaking truth to power. John will be brutally and unjustly executed by the ruler he has challenged.
- Jesus hears about John’s imprisonment and begins his public ministry, going to ordinary working people and saying something like, “You know that thing we’ve been talking about? It’s time.”
- They head out. Jesus teaches them the key components of their ministry by action: healing, confronting deceit and untruth, feeding people, embracing outsiders, showing compassion and care. He always does so with fierce courage and never with violence.
- His followers pledge themselves to follow Jesus, to this Way. Later followers publicly mark their decision to follow this Way through the rite of baptism.
This pattern is not limited to Bible times. Today, January 26, 2026, we feel the tap on our shoulders. “You know that thing we’ve been talking about? That you promised in Baptism or Confirmation? That thing we’ve been talking about in church? It’s time.”
It was not an easy call to the four fishermen of Galilee who left everything. It is not an easy call for me or for you today. When Jesus started his ministry those in power were threatened, angry, and dangerous. They responded with force and violence and delight in cruelty. And today, those in power are threatened, angry, and dangerous. They respond with force and violence, and with delight in cruelty. The basics of Jesus’ call and our promises to follow—naming unrighteousness, feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, visiting prisoners, and speaking the truth—were dangerous then and are dangerous now.
A few weeks ago during Sunday worship we reaffirmed out baptismal vows. We renewed our vows to
- gather in fellowship and prayer
- persevere in resisting evil, and to repent, to change
- proclaim the Good News of love for all and through all by word and example
- seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving neighbor as self
- strive for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being
It’s time.
Reaffirm the baptismal vows daily—hourly if necessary—as you claim your primary loyalty, as your north star, reminding yourself who you are and whose you are. We have been so fortunate as Americans, so proud and glad and grateful for our country’s Constitution, Bill of Rights, rule of law, civil discourse, and tradition of dissent and diversity, a rich and glorious tradition that for so long protected us as we lived out our baptismal vows. But our secular national order has changed. It does not protect us, and our leaders’ intentions and actions do not align with our primary values and commitments. The core of our lives, identity, and commitment remains unchanged.
That thing we’ve been talking about?
- Blessed are the peacemakers.
- You are the light of the world.
- Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.
- Bless those who curse you; pray for your persecutors.
- Always treat others as you would like them to treat you.
- The thief comes only to steal, to kill, to destroy; the Holy One has come that all may have life, and may have it in all its fullness.
It’s time to live into them.
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe laments that we no longer live in a time when we can expect to practice our faith without danger. He laments that carrying out the simple commands of Jesus—feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, visiting prisoners, making peace—now involve risks for the church and grave consequences for those we serve.
Bishop Jennifer urges us, “Wherever we are, continue praying for the soul of our country, for wisdom and courage among our leaders, and for the safety of all who call this place home.”
Both +Jennifer and +Sean ask us to pray: to pray for those who have died, to pray for those who witnessed their deaths, to pray for those who murdered them, to pray for those who are in harm’s way, to pray for those who continue to witness to truth and justice. They ask us to be ready to act. They ask us to be ready to live out our baptismal promises.
Let us indeed pray, and let us act. Let us reaffirm and repeat and remind ourselves of our baptismal vows, the blueprints for crafting our souls, for tending others, and for proclaiming a Way, and a Kingdom, and a call that does exist and has existed and will continue to exist, a call that centers on mercy, inclusion, justice, and peace.
Let us recommit to our baptism, and may our baptismal promises suffuse our lives and our actions in the world so that we are light, peacemakers, lovers of all, and proclaimers of life abundant.
May it be so.
Jen+
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
In-Person Sunday Morning Worship Service, January 25, led by the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Oldstone-Moore,10:15 a.m.
You can stream the service via St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Greencastle, Indiana 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 25.
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The Latest Updates
All Parish Conversation and Bible Study: Foreigners, the Bible, and the Gospel
On Sunday, January 25, Saint Andrew’s will have its first intergenerational Bible-study-and-conversation. During coffee hour you are invited to get snacks and then join a table.
The status and treatment of foreigners is a hot topic today. We will look at passages from the Bible that address the challenges and responsibilities of faithful Christians toward those who are “not from here.” This is the first in a series of all-congregation formation conversations connecting the Bible and current events, a format requested by youth of the parish.
January 30, Game Night and Popcorn Bar 6:00, Advent House
All are welcome for our first Game Night of the year, which will feature amazing snacks and fun games.
Episcopal 101, Sundays 11:45-12:45
February 1 marks the first Episcopal 101, a gathering to learn about the Episcopal church–what we do, how we pray and worship, our history, and more. All are welcome.
Projects and Parish Space
We are blessed with ample and well organized spaces for our worship, fellowship, and outreach. However, things have a way of collecting at churches—as we found when Gwen Morris and Cathryn Ensley cleaned out the front closet. We want to know what’s going on! Please mark supplies or materials gathered for outreach with the name of the project and the name of the point person.
ST. ANDREW’S ANNUAL MEETING 2026
Please mark your calendars! St. Andrew’s annual meeting will take place in two parts; Sunday, February 15th and 22nd immediately following the church service. The first part of the annual meeting on February 15th will present the budget with opportunity for questions. Meeting on the 22nd will give an overview of the program year and new Vestry members will be elected.
NEW VESTRY MEMBERS NEEDED
Vestry members wanted! Serving on the Vestry is an opportunity to help with important decisions concerning the budget and overall workings of St. Andrew’s. Working closely with other Vestry members can lead to making new connections and meeting new people while learning more about the Episcopal Church. St. Andrew’s needs four new Vestry members – two for one year terms and two for three year terms. The terms will begin in February, 2026. Please let a Vestry member or Rev. Jen know if you are interested in serving on the Vestry. St. Andrew’s current Vestry includes: Karen Hirt Mannon, Jim Ensley, Pam Smith, Dennis Knuth, Page Cotton, and Skip Sutton.
HEALING PRAYER
Most Sundays our intern Meghan will be offering anointing and healing prayer at Sunday services during communion. Meghan will set up a station in the narthex; meet there for general or specific prayers for healing.
TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY
We have begun our exploration of Chinese Religion. Our text is Daniel Overmyer, Religions of China: The World as a Living System; Jen+ will also give out readings. Come with your curiosity and questions!
EVENING PRAYER
Join us for Evening Prayer in the sanctuary on Tuesdays at 4:00. Evening Prayer is a wonderful service to wind down the day and move into the evening hours.
CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER
On Wednesdays at 1:00, we gather for about a half hour in quiet contemplative prayer. A leader introduces the prayer and a bell is chimed; we sit in prayer for twenty minutes until another chime sounds and then close with a spoken prayer. Feel free to come in any time between 1:00 and 1:20 to pray in silence in a lovely sacred space.
ALTAR FLOWER CALENDAR
An altar flower calendar is posted in Hamilton Hall. Sign up to sponsor the altar flowers to commemorate a birthday or anniversary, remember a loved one, or in thanksgiving for an important event. We ask a donation to help offset the cost of the altar flowers and other worship expenses. Be sure to tell the office your dedication so that it can be printed in the bulletin. Please make checks payable to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and in the memo field please put this information: Altar Flowers, person’s name, occasion, Sunday date you’d like for the flowers to be on the altar.
VESTRY MEETING MINUTES
If any of you are interested in what your Vestry is doing, there are two copies of each month’s minutes on the music stand in Hamilton Hall. Feel free to read and return!
SHOPPING LIST FOR NON-FOOD PANTRY
Please add razors, shaving cream, laundry detergent, spray cleaner, and toilet bowl cleaner to your shopping list for the NFP for the month of January. Meals and conversation in Hamilton Hall are going well. Patrons are now able to pick out items they most need. Your contributions help our budget go farther in helping meet the needs of those in Putnam County. The next Non-Food Pantry will be Saturday, January 31 from noon – 2:00 p.m. If you can help with this ministry in any way, please contact Harriet Moore or Carl Huffman.
KROGER COUPONS
If you have any unwanted Kroger coupons, please bring them to Hamilton Hall and place in the window ledge near the “Little Library”. We would like to make them available to our Non-Food Pantry recipients so that they might be able to take advantage of them to help extend their food budget. Thanks in advance!
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.
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. 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 31
• 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!
Top 3 Needed Items
Your prayers are asked for:
Haile Bane, grandson of Joanne Haymaker
Beth Benedix, friend to many at St. Andrew’s
Jennifer Clarke, friend of Patti Harmless
Diane
Angela Evans
Katie Gleichman, relative of Jim & Cathryn Ensley
Tom Kaiser, friend of Jen+ & Chris
Larry
Lynda, friend of Sarah Finlay-Black
Hansford Mann, friend of Joanne Haymaker
Warren Macy
Teresa Masten, friend of Karen & Jim Mannon
Sally Motsch, friend to many at St. Andrew’s
Mary Mountz
The family of Martha Ovall, sister of Ralph Earle
Elizabeth & Natalie Sheffler, daughter & granddaughter of Page & Narda Cotton
Deloris Smith, friend of Emily Knuth
Luke Smith, son of Mark Smith
Skip Sutton
Larry Taylor, former member of St. Andrew’s
Donald Voermans, father of Nick Voermans
Dwight Ziegler, uncle of Stephanie Gurnon
Diocesan Cycle of Prayer: Peace Church, Rockport, Ms. Monica Connelly, 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 Parish and school in Mithon.
Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Iglesia Anglicana de Chile.
Birthdays: Cosmo Berry, Jan. 23; Tony Harmless, Jan. 24; Kathryn Jones, Jan. 26
Anniversaries: None.
Special Events and Services
