A Message from our Seminary Intern
In Baptism We Belong to One Another
“Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” Jesus asks his detractors to consider the source of John’s baptism and whether it is truly the work of God. His question, in turn, invites us to consider what we believe is happening when we baptize.
In the third chapter of Matthew we get the account of John’s baptism of Jesus, and every time I read it there is something new that pops out for me.
● God had shown up for the people of Israel at the Jordan before, when in Joshua 3 God parted the waters and the people crossed the river on dry ground. So too our baptism can feel miraculous to us, with humble, unassuming water becoming potent with meaning.
● John had been orienting people to what is to come, to the next thing God was enacting, but Jesus’ baptism is when that voice of expectation meets fulfillment in present tense. The Spirit speaks in a great theophany, a great revealing of the Holy One, and proclaims that this person here now is the Child of God.
● There is no strict formula for baptism given to us by either John or Jesus. There’s no specific words or instruction on how we are to perform a baptism. Instead, we are given some keen essentials: a willing participant, a witnessing and public community, and God in all God’s self.
The leaders in Matthew 21:23-32 refuse to admit that John’s baptism could be heavenly, claiming ignorance as their answer.
However, as followers of Jesus Christ, we believe deeply that baptism is holy work that binds us all together as the body of Christ in the church today. As a member of that church, we are called to think not only about what is the nature of baptism for us personally, but what is the role of baptism for us communally.
Our baptism makes claims about our interconnectedness, our unity and sense of belonging together. This means that when we have the opportunity to welcome in new members with baptism we rejoice not only for the candidate but also for the expansion of our fellowship. Every baptism is a meaningful experience for the person being anointed, but it is also a meaningful experience for all who are called to witness and uphold the newly baptized. Whenever we get to celebrate a new baptism, we are bound together with one another, renewed and formed into a community of fellow Christ followers once more.
This includes the work of encouraging and supporting the candidates for baptism when they present themselves.
We will renew our baptismal vows on November 1 at All Saints’ and again at the Bishop’s visitation on November 8. That might seem like a lot of baptismal renewal in two weeks! But perhaps there can never be too many opportunities for us to remember the promises that hold us together.
Because in baptism, we remember that we belong not only to God, but also to one another.
So when we renew our baptismal vows, we are doing more than remembering a sacrament and promises made long ago. We are looking around at this strange and beautiful community and saying again: Yes, these are my people, and somehow by the grace of God, I am theirs.
Meghan
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 Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
In-Person Sunday Morning Service, October 4, 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
- October 25
- November 22
- December 20
Non-Food Pantry Latest
Saturday, October 31
• 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 8 10.15 am Bishop Jennifer’s visitation, and Rite of Confirmation and Reaffirmation of Baptismal Vows, St. Andrew’s
Nov 10 5.00 pm Nicholas Voerman, Organ Recital Indiana University, Auer Hall
Dec 19 11.00 am Meghan McConnell, Rite of Ordination of a Deacon, All Saints Episcopal Church, Indianapolis
Confirmation Class
We are beginning a time of formation, conversation, and discernment as we prepare for Confirmation, Reception, Reaffirmation, or Baptism this Sunday. We will meet throughout September and October, with a rehearsal on November 1 and the celebration of Confirmation on November 8.
Following Sunday Service, 12:30ish – 2:00 pm
Gather upstairs in the Murray suite to begin!
Whether you have been part of the Episcopal Church for years, are new to the tradition, or are still figuring out what you believe and where God may be calling you, this is an opportunity to explore what it means to live into our baptismal identity and the Way of Jesus.
Our time together will be less about learning a list of facts and more about asking meaningful questions:
What is my faith story?
What do I believe?
What promises am I making?
How does my baptism shape the way I live?
Where might God be calling me?
Along the way, we’ll explore Episcopal worship and identity, the Baptismal Covenant, Episcopal history, polity, theology, prayer, Scripture, and Christian vocation.
The hope is that we will grow together as a community of faith, making space for honest questions, thoughtful conversation, and deeper discernment.
Linked below are two resources to help you think about whether this opportunity is right for you: one offers a quick guide to the different pathways of Confirmation, Reception, Reaffirmation, and Baptism, while the other gives an overview of our class sessions and what we’ll be exploring together.
https://standrewsgreencastle.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Confirmation-Class-Outline.pdf
https://standrewsgreencastle.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Confirmation-Reception-Reaffirmation-graphic.pdf
Wherever you are in your faith journey, you are welcome here. I’m looking forward to the questions we’ll ask, the stories we’ll share, and the ways we may discover God calling us more deeply into the life of Christ and the life of this community.
Everyday Experience is Divine Revelation: Learning to Pray
Tuesdays, 4.30 pm, September 15-October 14
For four Tuesdays at 4.30 beginning September 15 we will meet to discuss and practice the examen prayer as described in Sleeping with Bread Holding What Gives You Life by Dennis Linn, Sheila Fabricant Linn, and Matthew Linn (Paulist Press, 1995). We will spend four sessions learn the prayer practice and putting it into action. Dennis, Sheila, and Matthew Linn show how a quiet five minute practice of assessing each day can become a powerful tool for discernment, connection with God, and guide us to living our calls faithfully. Jen+ will form groups at other times for those who request it.
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– ***on a break until after summer***
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:
Haile Bane, grandson of Joanne Haymaker
Beth Benedix, friend to many at St. Andrew’s
+Tom Breidenthal
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
Gordon Redden
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
Eugene Swanger, friend of Jen+
Donald Voermans, father of Nick Voermans
Edwina Vose, friend of Jen+
Catherine Waggoner, friend of Jen+
Dwight Ziegler, uncle of Stephanie Gurnon
Diocesan Cycle of Prayer: St. Francis-in-the-Fields, Zionsville, The Rev. C. Davies Reed
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: Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil
Birthdays: Pam Smith, October 3
Anniversaries: none
Special Events and Services
