Many of us troubled by the angry threats of violence against Bishop Budde and others who speak for mercy, justice, and kindness found comfort in this poem written by a fellow pilgrim who was inspired by religious columnist Diana Butler Bass. In it we are urged to love relentlessly. Since the inauguration, I spend time daily praying for those in power who, as my mother said, forgot, or never knew, that God loves them, something that seems clear based on their denial of equality or even basic human rights for those they deem unworthy.

Theologians speak of the God shaped hole in all of us. I believe that was what my mother meant—that God is in us but that we forget or deny God’s presence and sovereignty in those we deem inferior and in so doing deny God in ourselves.

WHAT COMES NEXT
by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Love relentlessly.
—Diana Butler Bass

Love relentlessly, she said,
and I want to slip these two words
into every cell in my body, not the sound
of the words, but the truth of them,
the vital, essential need for them,
until relentless love becomes
a cytoplasmic imperative,
the basic building block for every action.
Because anger makes a body clench.
Because fear invokes cowering, shrinking, shock.
I know the impulse to run, to turn fist, to hurt back.
I know, too, the warmth of cell-deep love—
how it spreads through the body like ocean wave,
how it doesn’t erase anger and fear,
rather seeds itself somehow inside it,
so even as I contract love bids me to open
wide as a leaf that unfurls in spring
until fear is not all I feel.
Love relentlessly.
Even saying the words aloud invites
both softness and ferocity into the chest,
makes the heart throb with simultaneous
urgency and willingness. A radical pulsing
of love, pounding love, thumping love,
a rebellion of generous love,
tenacious love, a love so foundational
every step of what’s next begins
and continues as an uprising,
upwelling, ongoing, infusion
of love, tide of love, honest love.

St. Andrew’s, let’s love relentlessly!

Lucy Wieland

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.

LENTEN SERIES

We have a range of services and gatherings for Lent, including Wednesday Lenten Series at 12:30 and 6:30 each Wednesday. Each week will begin with a different form of the Stations of the Cross. We will then discuss prayer practices and concerns. Each meeting will be 45-60 minutes long. Use the on-line newsletter and a printed sheet outlining Lent and Holy Week to fill your calendar for this wonder and moving season. Click here for a full listing of all the Lent and Easter services being offered this year.

LENTEN CRAFTS

We will have materials available for you to decorate your own Paschal candle for your home. Materials will be available Sundays each week through April 6, so take your time and let the design evolve. If you’d like, make beautiful Ukrainian pysanky eggs for the Easter budding branches in the sanctuary or take home to enhance your home’s Easter egg tree. Those materials will be set out Sundays through April 6.

NEW PICTORAL DIRECTORY

We have chosen Universal Church Directories to help us with our new pictoral church directory. Our photography date will be Tuesday, April 8 from 2:00 – 8:30 p.m. in Hamilton Hall. We want everyone included so if you haven’t already signed up, please do so. You can go online to ucdir.com and use the Church Code: in2012 and the Password: photos. This will take you to the online signup page. Karen Hirt Mannon will also be signing people up on two Sundays before and after the service. You may call Karen at (765) 720-2402 to find out what slots are available now. Each family will receive a complimentary 8 X 10 photo and and a free directory.

NON-FOOD PANTRY AND PANTRY COALITION HELP NEEDED

March 26, Wednesday, is St. Paul’s Catholic Church pick-up. A 30 minute gift of car and driver is needed between 10:00 a.m. – noon to collect offerings from the narthex of the church (enter from the parking lot, donations are to the immediate right upon entering). You may need to check in with the office first. March 27, Thursday, is the Kroger pick-up. A 30 minute gift of truck and driver is need at 4:00 p.m. March 29, Saturday, is our monthly Non-Food Pantry from noon – 2:00 p.m. Interested volunteers can reach out to Harriet Moore. The Pantry Coalition needs volunteers to help work 2 hour shifts at Kroger on Monday, April 14 from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for Kroger Sweeps Day distributing shopping wish lists and answering questions, and someone to pick up our part of the collection the next morning, Tuesday, April 15 before 9:00 a.m. Pick-up is easily done with a car. If you can help in any way, please contact Fred Vallowe at vallowef@gmail.com. April 30, Wednesday, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Ashley Square Cinema the Putnam County Pantry Coalition will be showing two short films on food insecurity in Indiana. A panel discussion on the complexity of these Hoosier issues will be included. Admission is free, but the donation of a pantry staple would be appreciated!

EASTER FLOWER REMEMBRANCES

Easter Flower Remembrance Forms will go out Sunday, April 6. Please have those back along with your payment by Monday, April 14 in order for your remembrances to be printed in the Easter Sunday service sheet. This is a free will donation.

TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY

The Book and Bible Group has begun again, meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays with Evening Prayer celebrated at 4:00 p.m.

ALTAR FLOWER CALENDAR

An altar flower calendar is posted in Hamilton Hal. 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 top of the piano in Hamilton Hall. Feel free to read and return!

THIS WEEK’S SHOPPING LIST FOR NON-FOOD PANTRY

Please add baby wipes, disinfectant wipes, and Adult Depends (any size) to your shopping list for the NFP for the month of March. 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, March 29 from noon – 2:00 p.m.

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.

ON-GOING COVID PROTOCOL

We continue to respond to both our county’s current CDC designation and to the current variant. Masking is optional. Decisions on COVID policy have moved from the Reconvening Committee to Rev. Jen and the Wardens.

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.

Your prayers are asked for: