Beloved St. Andrew’s Community, 

It has been another wonderful and beautiful week as your Rector. I’ve delighted in meeting new people – in our shared parking lot and beyond. At the Marshfield Fair I visited intrepid gardener Maryanne Haen’s remarkable entry, that was even more stunning in person than the photos conveyed. I met a traffic officer who spent his childhood at St. Andrew’s and found out one of my dear college classmates spent her youth here as well (Go Wheaton Lyons!)

In my travels it is a pleasure to invite folks back, to hear what they loved when they worshipped with us, and to catch up on where life has taken them. 

Last week I preached about donning the modern equivalent of God’s whole armor; rather than a breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and sword of the spirit, I suggested we might be well served with blue jeans of justice, a blazer of belovedness, cardigan of community, etc. I also invited everyone to send us a photo of you and an outfit that you picked with intention - your version of God’s whole armor. If you haven’t snapped yourself outfitted for God’s work, whatever it may be, please send one in. We’ll compile these as a visual reminder of where St. Andrew’s is during the week, making Kindness Loud and God’s work visible. 

This week we are changing seasons and will honor the Season of Creation. September 1st is the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which inaugurates this season of focus on God’s gift of Creation. We will have special prayers and some hymns that remind us of God’s expectation for our good stewardship and light touch. Destruction of nature is an outward sign of our estrangement from God. We can pray individually, and corporately for the just use of our resources, and I hope we will be more aware of the good work underway to align our values with our impact in the world. There are marvelous groups making a difference in the world and myriad opportunities for each of us to live in better harmony with nature. Between this Sunday and our celebration of St. Francis Day on October 6, 2024 we’ll explore and learn together about the challenges and opportunities inherent in Creation Care. 

I hope that your week has included time outside in the sparkling late summer air. 



God’s Peace 

Reverend Amy+ 

SENIOR YOUTH MINISTRY -- 9th - 12th Graders 

Join us in new ministry for our high school students. We are among the founding members of the South Shore Youth Group, which will gather once a month between September and July 2026. Each gathering will include great food, thought provoking conversation and an opportunity to strengthen our roots as a community for all ages. The Senior Youth Group is open to anyone entering 9th – 12th grades. The first meeting will be Sunday, September 15th from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Cohasset. This group will embark on a mission trip in July 2o25, and our two year program will culminate in a pilgrimage to Cape Town South Africa. Our monthly gatherings will be full of good food and nourishing conversation and ALL high school students are welcome! 

If you have questions or are interested in learning more about this new ministry, please give Reverend Amy a call. 

Middle School Ministry COMING SOON!

Open invitation for all 6th, 7th and 8th graders! Middle School ministry is taking shape and will happen simultaneously with the Senior Group - same time and church. Different room and facilitators!

The first meeting of this group will be Sunday October 27th from 5:30-7:30 pm at St. Andrew's.

If you are parents of this age group and would like to act as our hosts, please be in touch with Courtney or with Rev. Amy - we are excited to pilot new ministry and to engage our young people in fun activities!

The funeral service for Elizabeth (Betsy) Smith, our previous choir director and wife of the late Rev. Dr. Claude Smith, will take place on Saturday, September 7 at 10:00 a.m. 

COME HOME SUNDAY!

"COME HOME SUNDAY" is fast approaching—mark your calendars for Sunday, September 22nd! Join us to welcome our new rector, Reverend Amy, and to reconnect with old friends while making new ones. Invitations will be sent out by mail. If your mailing address has changed, please email or call the office to update it. Think about who you would like to invite to church. If there's a neighbor, friend, or acquaintance you've been meaning to introduce to St. Andrew's, provide us with their name and address, and we'll extend a warm invitation on your behalf. Janet Keane will be leading the brunch food donations, and Courtney Hill along with the Sunday School are organizing outdoor games for the children. If you're able to assist or have suggestions to enhance this special event, please reach out to Sarah Kelbaugh at sarah@kelbaugh.com. Consider these opportunities to volunteer...

Are you a social butterfly who delights in meeting people? Consider investing your extroverted gifts as one of our greeters for Come Back Sunday! We are seeking 3 people with 3 hours to invest. Job description: Meet people as they arrive at church on September 22nd, hand them their name tag. If they need a new nametag, send them to the welcome table where one will be printed out for them. Guide attendees to check the accuracy of our contact information for them. Casually check in with newcomers as guides and St. Andrew’s Ambassadors throughout the event. Requirements: A ready smile, a warm presence and a genuine delight at meeting or welcoming back members of our community. NO HEAVY LIFTING included. Please let Joanne know that you would like to volunteer for this important ambassadorship. 

 Housekeeping – INSIDE AND OUT on Saturday September 14th from 10-2pm (2 shifts of 2 hours each). Can you weed a garden like no one is watching? You’ve been itching to take a hedge trimmer to our parking lot arrival portal? Spiffy Saturday September 14th needs you and your elbow grease. We will trim, weed, and tidy outdoors and inside as well in preparation for our Come Back Sunday. Our Youth are invited to clean up the playground on Sunday September 15th. No previous experience is required, and all investment of time and energy will be appreciated! Let’s get ready for guests, newcomers and returning friends and neighbors! Let Joanne know if this is a volunteer opportunity with your name on it.

Make Kindness Loud t-shirts will be on sale that Sunday. If you would like to preorder a t-shirt, e-mail the office or see Dianne Nicol. The cost of a shirt is $25 for an adult size and $20 for a child size.

. 

MAKE KINDNESS LOUD WITH ST. ANDREW’S

AT HANSON DAY

Saturday, September 28 at  Indian Head School, 726 Indian Head Street, Hanson 

11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Free for vendors and attendees. 

Join Dianne Nicol that day. Volunteer sheets in parish hall.

Any questions, email office@standrewshanover.org

Wanted:

A bell ringer. Job description: Ring the church bell with delight and vigor from 9:29 am – 9:30 am each Sunday morning before worship begins. This is an ideal volunteer opportunity for youths. Joyful practice will be welcome and instruction offered prior to being included in our bell-ringing volunteer cohort. No previous experience required! 

Bulletin Board Ministry: ISO creative souls who love communicating through engaging bulletin board displays. St. Andrew’s has some fantastic bulletin board real estate that can be used to keep each other current on events and activities and can even connect us and draw us closer as a community. Imagine if one of our bulletin board was dedicated to seeing where in the world St. Andrew’s parishioners are when they are not with us on a Sunday. This is a vital ministry that would be enhanced with some previous experience – design and content can be a collaborative effort. 

EXPANDING OUR COMMUNITY – Deepening our Roots one relationship at a time.

Do you have business or personal contacts in Hanover and the surrounding communities that you would like to share with me? One of the joys of this new ministry is my opportunity to get to know our neighbors, and I’ve found that a warm introduction can be marvelous way to make community connections. Please feel free to send an e-mail or let’s have coffee! I’ve been popping into shops and talking to strangers about the joys and opportunities to be found at 17 Church Street and it would be a pleasure to have enhanced my efforts with parishioners making those introductions to me and to St. Andrews. 

Reverend Amy+

OFFICE HOURS:

TUESDAY, 9:30 A.M. TO 3:30 P.M.

WEDNESDAY, 9:30 A.M. TO 3:30 P.M.

THURSDAY, NOON TO 6:00 P.M.

LINK TO PRINTABLE SEPTEMBER CALENDAR

LINK TO CALENDAR ON WEBSITE

DIOCESAN EVENTS . . .

Stories and a Call to Peace

Wed, 09/04/2024 - 5:30pm  7:00pm

Cathedral Church of St. Paul, 138 Tremont Street, Boston, MA

Stories and a Call to Peace, with the Rev. Fadi Diab of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Ramallah, West Bank, and music for reflection by Nightengale Ensemble: Join Bishop Alan Gates and the Rev. Max Sklar in welcoming the Rev. Fadi Diab, the rector of St. Andrew's Church, Ramallah, to update…

Zoom Discussion on Proposed Convention Resolutions

Tue, 09/17/2024 - 7:00pm

A Zoom session for discussion of proposed resolutions to the Diocesan Convention is schedule for Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. The resolution open comment period is Sept. 13-18. For more information and Zoom registration, as it becomes available, visit www.diomass.org

Reverend Amy will be attending:

2024 Clergy Day

Wed, 09/25/2024 - 9:30am  3:30pm

Cathedral Church of St. Paul, 138 Tremont Street, Boston, MA

Join in Celebration with the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts

God willing and the people consenting,

The Rev. Julia E. Whitworth

will be ordained and consecrated a Bishop

in the one holy catholic and apostolic Church and 17th Bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts

Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. Trinity Church in the City of Boston

206 Clarendon Street

The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry,

Presiding Bishop and Primate of

The Episcopal Church, presiding

All are welcome!

Clergy: Red stoles

Reception to follow the service

Seating is available as capacity allows.

Register to attend, watch the livestream, or join a watch party:

www.diomass.org/consecration

Evensong with Seating of Our New Bishop

 Our new bishop will be seated at the

Cathedral Church of St. Paul, 138 Tremont Street, Boston on

Sunday, Oct. 20 at 5:00 p.m.

All are welcome!

RSVP for Oct. 20 requested here.

HANOVER FOOD PANTRY:  St. Andrew’s collects items for the Hanover Food Pantry. Please drop off in the narthex. Our current needs are: apple juice; peanut butter (smooth and chunky); pancake syrup; ground coffee (12 oz.); cookies; brownie mixes; cookie mixes

NEW PRAYER LIST

We will be publishing a new prayer list in The Call and the Bulletin starting after Labor Day. Please submit names to be included on the list by September 1. Submit names by

• email to office@standrewshanover.org or
• call the office or
• place a note on the offertory plate or give to usher or Reverend Amy at Sunday service.