Are You 70 1/2 Or Older?
“After age 70 1/2 you can make a qualified charitable distribution, or QCD, from money in a traditional IRA – up to $111,000 in 2026. That amount won’t be included in your adjusted gross income, so it won’t be subject to taxes. QCDs after age 73 can satisfy some or all of your required minimum distribution, or RMD.
You must begin making required minimum distributions from traditional 401(k) plans and IRAs beginning at age 73 (age 75 starting in 2033), and your RMD can push you into a higher tax bracket and lead to higher taxes on Social Security benefits. That may hurt, but so will the penalty for failing to follow the rules: You’ll owe up to 25% of the amount you should have withdrawn.”
(Source: Kiplinger Personal Finance, August, 2026)
If you are interested in making a qualified charitable distribution to St. Andrew’s before year end, as in past years, feel free to speak with our Treasurer, Dennis Knuth if he can be helpful.
–Dave Murray
A Message from our Rector
The Star Market
Marie Howe, b. 1950
The people Jesus loved were shopping at The Star
Market yesterday.
An old lead-colored man standing next to me at the
checkout
breathed so heavily I had to step back a few steps.
Even after his bags were packed he still stood, breathing
hard and
hawking into his hand. The feeble, the lame, I could
hardly look at them:
shuffling through the aisles, they smelled of decay, as if
The Star Market
had declared a day off for the able-bodied, and I had
wandered in
with the rest of them: sour milk, bad meat:
looking for cereal and spring water.
Jesus must have been a saint, I said to myself, looking
for my lost car
in the parking lot later, stumbling among the people
who would have
been lowered into rooms by ropes, who would have
crept
out of caves or crawled from the corners of public baths
on their hands
and knees begging for Mercy.
If I touch only the hem of his garment, one woman
thought, I will be healed.
Could I bear the look on his face when he wheels
around?
Marie Howe (b.1950)
Last Sunday we celebrated All Saints, part of a two-and-a-half-day celebration: the Eve of All Hallows’ or All Saints’ (Hallowe’en); All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day. During these days of remembrance we say the names of the dead who known through time and place like St. Francis, Martin Luther King, Mary Magdalene. We also say the names of those who are deep in our own hearts: for me Dad, Roxanne, John, Kaylunn, Shirley, and this year, Char and Patrick.
One of the readings for All Saints’ is Matthew 5:1-12, the Sermon on the Mount. There we invoke saints whose names are not known to us
The poor, and poor in spirit
Those who are meek
Those who long for the world to be put right—who strive for justice and righteousness
Those who show mercy
Those who hold fast to their vision of the world that is right
Those who make peace rather than seek retribution
Those who pay a price for insisting on righteousness.
Star Market is a New England grocery store chain, like Kroger. Grocery stores are great levelers of class and social groups, with all manner of people shopping there. The saints of today are there, too. When St. Andrew’s’ Sacred Poetry group read this poem last Wednesday, I thought about the people Jesus loved who come to the Putnam County Non-food Pantry and the saints among them. As in the Sermon on the Mount, a veil is lifted there, and we see another world present that is right in front of us, a world that speaks mercy not competition; a world that invites people to sit down for a minute for a meal and conversation.
The beatitudes are not imperatives or commands. They are not telling us that we should try to mourn or be meek. The beatitudes are descriptive and tell us where God’s eyes and heart are turned, where God’s work and hopes are focused. It is a world that can be invisible in the midst of a world of champions and winners and those who got in on the latest IPO. It is the world that Jesus invites us into over and over again.
Next week, some of us will be among the people that Jesus loved who live at the Waters Nursing and Rehabilitation community. Like the Star Market and the Non-food Pantry, it reveals a world that we may not want to engage, but the saints are among us there, playing the piano, serving treats, being a comfort and a companion on the way. I look forward to month after month is being with those who work at the Waters, especially Saint Lindsey and Saint Robin, and their deep well of compassion and care. I know that Jesus is there.
All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day are our annual celebration of love that percolates and transforms in ordinary and humble places by the love of ordinary people. I’ll close out with another visit to a grocery store and the love found there.
In peace,
Jen+
The Cheapest Kind
Performed by Robin & Linda Williams, written by Greg Brown.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pznsDGhF-gc
We travelled Kansas and Missouri spreading the Good News:
A preacher’s family in pressed clothes and worn out polished shoes.
And Mama fixed us soup beans and served them up by candlelight,
then she tucked us in, and I know she worried through many a sleepless night.
Me and Dad would stop by the store when the day was done,
standin’ by the counter he said “I forgot to get the peaches, son.”
“What kind should I get?” I asked him there where we stood in line
And he answered, just like I knew he would, “Go and get the cheapest kind.”
But the love, the love, the love—
It was not the cheapest kind.
It was rich as, rich as, rich as any you will ever find.
I see the ghost of my grandpa from time to time
In some big city amongst the people all dressed so fine,
carrying a brown paper bag that is clutched real tight
and his work clothes are dirty and he don’t look at nobody in the eye.
Yeah, he was little, he was wiry, and he was lots of fun;
He was rocky as roadside dirt back where he came from
And they was raisin’ seven children on that little farm in not the best of times.
The few things they got from the store, they were always just the cheapest kind.
But the love, the love, the love—
It was not the cheapest kind.
It was rich as, rich as, rich as any you will ever find.
Wealthy people in fancy houses I don’t understand.
I always wish I could be holding on to my grandpa’s hand
So he could take me, and lead me down that big road somewhere
back to that little house where there’s just enough supper for whoever’s there.
And my people’s hands and faces they are so dear to me
All I have to do is close my eyes and they’re near to me
I have to laugh I have to cry when I think of all the things that have drawn those lines
It was so many years of making do with the cheapest kind.
But the love, the love, the love—
It was not the cheapest kind.
It was rich as, rich as, rich as any you will ever find.
Oh, the love, it was not the cheapest kind.
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 Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
In-Person Sunday Morning Service, November 8, led by 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 this service.
One License #A-741864
CCLI License #22315781
Godly Play Lessons
We are restarting our monthly Godly Play lessons for children of all ages. We are planning on lessons the final Sunday of the month with working around holidays towards the end of the year.
Godly Play is a Montessori-based spiritual formation method that teaches children the language of Christian faith through storytelling, wonder, and play. We tailor the lesson and message based on the children present any given Sunday. If time allows and it fits the lesson, we also often work on craft projects.
Godly Play lessons take place upstairs in the Murray Suite of Hamilton Hall during the first half of the service. The children start the service in Hamilton Hall and then will come into the service usually during the peace.
Here are the dates for the remainder of 2026
- November 22
- December 20
2027 Pledge Drive
Our pledge drive draws inspiration from Leo Tolstoy’s Three Questions, a story reminding us that the most important time is now, the most important people are those before us, and the most important work is to do them good. As we prayerfully consider our gifts of time, talent, and financial support, we invite you to read the story linked below and reflect on how your generosity can put God’s love into action through our church.
Non-Food Pantry Latest
Saturday, November 21
• Noon to 2:00 p.m.
There will be a distribution in Hamilton Hall and light lunches will be served. We are grateful for all those who have worked so hard to obtain supplies for the Non-Food Pantry.
Top 3 Needed Items
The Latest Updates
Save the dates!
Mark your calendars with three special dates!
Nov 10 5.00 pm Nicholas Voerman, Organ Recital Indiana University, Auer Hall
Nov 15 **date change** 10.15 am Bishop Jennifer’s visitation, and Rite of Confirmation and Reaffirmation of Baptismal Vows, St. Andrew’s
Dec 19 11.00 am Meghan McConnell, Rite of Ordination of a Deacon, All Saints Episcopal Church, Indianapolis
PRAYERS FOR OTHERS
If you have prayers that you would like offered on Sunday–prayers of thanksgiving, for those in trouble or sickness, or those who have died and those who grieve, please call in or send an email to Michelle. The names will be said aloud on Sunday for four consecutive weeks and then cycled off. If you would like the prayers continued, please tell Michelle and the names will be added to the long-term prayer list.
HYMN NAMES IN THE BULLETIN
In the coming weeks, you may notice a change in the way that hymns are designated in the service bulletin. The information at the bottom of the hymn includes a hymn name in capital letters. The hymn that begins “Jesus Christ is risen today” is set to the tune Easter Hymn. The tune for “Come, Thou Fount” is Nettleton. “Let all mortal flesh” is set in our hymnal to the tune Picardy, and both “Love divine, all loves excelling” and “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus” are set to Hrfrydol.
Our reasons for this change are simply pragmatic: the hymn names are shorter than the first lines, and fit better into our bulletins. But there is also a certain skill—and pleasure—to identifying tunes as well as words, in part because it highlights the artistry of the person who wrote the music. Be sure to look this week for this new feature to our bulletins.
BOOK AND BIBLE GROUP
We will be taking a break through the summer from our Tuesday afternoon gatherings. Keep your eyes peeled for announcements for occasional gatherings of Pub Theology when we will gather to share snacks, a cold drink, and conversation. Evening Prayer will still be celebrated at 4.00 pm on most Tuesdays.
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 see the Non-Food Pantry Latest section of the newsletter for items most in need for this month. 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. Please scroll down to view the distribution dates and latest updates. 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.
Your prayers are asked for:
Kinga, Martha
Haile Bane, grandson of Joanne Haymaker
Beth Benedix, friend to many at St. Andrew’s
Jennifer Clarke, friend of Patti Harmless
Tom Kaiser, friend of Jen+ & Chris
Lynda, friend of Sarah Finlay-Black
Teresa Masten, friend of Karen & Jim Mannon
Trevor and Christy Moore, friend of Karen and Jim Mannon
Sally Motsch, friend to many at St. Andrew’s
Gene Shaw, brother-in-law of Patti Harmless
Elizabeth & Natalie Sheffler, daughter & granddaughter of Page & Narda Cotton
Deloris Smith, friend of Emily Knuth
Jenny Smyth, niece of Patti Harmless
Luke Smith, son of Mark Smith
Skip Sutton
Donald Voermans, father of Nick Voermans
Dwight Ziegler, uncle of Stephanie Gurnon
For those who have died, and those who mourn:
Ryan VerBryck, nephew of Joanne Kissinger
Diocesan Cycle of Prayer: All Saints, Indianapolis, The Rev. Dr. Stephen Applegate
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: Province de L’Eglise Anglicane Du Congo
Birthdays: Cyrus Gurnon, Nov 5; Jubilee Majors, Nov 6
Anniversaries: Tim and Kate Jedele, Nov 10
Special Events and Services
