Public Witness Weekly Prayers
If the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
When I thought, “My foot is slipping,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul. (Psalm 94:17-19)
For Victims of Crime and Violence
Loving God, who weeps with those who cry out in grief and stands near the brokenhearted, we pray for all victims of crime and violence, for those who have died and for those left behind with wounds and anguish. Grant rest to the dead and comfort to the living. In your infinite love, care for those whose lives have been torn apart by violence—victims of mass shootings and daily acts of crime; those harmed in violence connected to immigration enforcement; law enforcement officers killed or assaulted in the line of duty; and family and communities left grieving in their wake. Help us, O Lord, to put systems of prevention and care in place, so that we can better halt violence before it occurs and give us wisdom to pursue justice without vengeance. Where one person weeps for a loved one who has died, may your whole church weep with them. Give us grace and strength to stand with all suffering people through the power of your Spirit who works within us. Grant this, we pray, through your Son Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Amen.
For Those Whose Trust is Exploited
God of truth, whose law forbids us from defrauding our neighbor and whose love draws near to the exploited, we pray for all victims of financial fraud and deception. We pray especially for those most vulnerable among us, as increasingly sophisticated technologies are used to impersonate, manipulate, and extort, deepening the loss of trust that so many feel. In your mercy, surround them with communities of support. God, turn our hearts away from greed, ridicule, and disregard for our suffering neighbors and toward your love which transforms the world. We also remember those who have been coerced into perpetuating scams and held captive by criminal networks. Bring what is hidden into your light, and frustrate the works of greed, so that no one may profit from the vulnerable. We ask this in the name of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
For Just and Humane Use of Artificial Intelligence
God of wisdom and care, who comforts and guides us when we are lost, we call on you amid our hopes, fears, and uncertainty about artificial intelligence. As AI systems are developed and deployed in ways that can cause harm, deepen bias, deceive, or be used for unlawful ends, we pray for safeguards. Give AI companies and all governing authorities the wisdom to put wise and effective guardrails around their development and use. Grant the whole human family wisdom to distinguish between what we are able to create and what we ought to create, remembering that we should not mistake ambition for righteousness. Help us to remain responsible and never surrender our judgment, conscience, or care to a machine. And as we discern the just use of these new technologies, protect the dignity and well-being of all people as our economic and workplace realities change. Grant this through your Spirit, the sanctifier, who leads us into all truth. Amen.
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 Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
In-Person Sunday Morning Service, September 13, 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.
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CCLI License #22315781
Lake Eucharist
Mark your calendars–Lake Eucharist Sept 20
Our annual Lake Eucharist (and Awesome Potluck Brunch) on Raccoon Lake at the Jedeles’ lake house is scheduled for September 20th, rain date September 27. The service will begin as usual at 10.15, but hospitality will be more expansive than usual, both in terms of food offerings and entertainment. Bring your sunhat, folding chairs, and swimsuits!
The Jedele Lake house is located at 9531 East Keep Lane, Rockville, Indiana 47872.
There will be no Live Stream for this service.
Click here for the service booklet for September 20.
Non-Food Pantry Latest
Saturday, September 26
• 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
The Latest Updates
Mark your calendars–Lake Eucharist Sept 20
Our annual Lake Eucharist (and Awesome Potluck Brunch) on Raccoon Lake at the Jedeles’ lake house is scheduled for September 20th, rain date September 27. The service will be begin as usual at 10.15, but hospitality will be more expansive than usual, both in terms of food offerings and entertainment. Bring your sunhat, folding chairs, and swimsuits!
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.
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
- September 27
- October 25
- November 22
- December 20
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
Cindy Crawley, cousin of Karen & Jim Mannon
Michael Greising and family, brother of Narda Cotton
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. John’s, Speedway, Ms. Becky Douglas, 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: The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
Birthdays: Meghan McConnell, September 12; Kate Berry, September 15
Anniversaries: none
Special Events and Services
