Welcome to our newsletter.

We hope this information keeps you connected to our church family. 

We will be printing fewer bulletins in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint. We realize that using a device to read the bulletin may be a daunting task, but we have several congregants who are ready to help if you need it. If we are able to purchase less paper over time, we will donate the savings to our outreach efforts. If you don’t have a device to use, but are willing to share a bulletin with your neighbor, that helps us reach our goal too.

Pastoral Care

Weekly Sunday School

Expert day care for infants and children younger than 4 yrs during the 10 a.m. service will be provided by Samira Sameni, a preschool teacher at our Saint Andrew’s Children’s Center. Drop off will be in the grass in front of church..

Sunday School for children 4 years and older during the 10 a.m. service will take place in the grass in front of church. We will be working on crafts for Moms & Dads, our “Love God, Love One Another” project, and getting familiar with our summer activity books. Remember that Father’s Day Brunch will be held the following week on June 16 after the 10 a.m. service. Please sign up to bring an item of food or drink. The last day of Sunday School for 2023-2024 will be June 23. Sunday School will be on hiatus from Jun 30 - Aug 25, but, just like last year, we will have activity books that include coloring pages and games (puzzles, word searches, connect-the-dots, etc.) and art supplies stored in church for each child to use during church that follow each week’s readings over the Summer. Extra activity books are stored in the back for grandchildren, cousins and friends who might be visiting church with you over the summer. If you have any questions or feedback about Sunday School, please contact our Sunday School teacher, Tammy Smecker-Hane. 

Mission to Parish Update - June 9

Please join us at 9 a.m. Sunday, June 9, for an update on our journey toward becoming a parish.

Wear Orange Weekend - June 7-9

June 7-9 is Wear Orange Weekend—we will #WearOrange to bring awareness to the gun violence crisis, which takes more than 120 lives and wounds hundreds more EVERY SINGLE DAY in this country. Let’s all wear orange to church on Sunday, June 9.

Why orange? On January 21, 2013, Hadiya Pendleton marched in President Obama’s second inaugural parade. One week later, Hadiya was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago. Soon after this tragedy, Hadiya’s friends commemorated her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others. Wear Orange is now observed every June. Thousands of people wear the color orange to honor Hadiya and the more than 43,000 Americans are killed with guns and approximately 76,000 more are shot and wounded every year. Learn more by clicking here.

Woodbridge Manor - June 10

Woodbridge Manor volunteers will meet on June 10 at 10:30 a.m. We need empty cardboard egg cartons and plastic fruit boxes (like the ones raspberries come in). These may be brought to church and left in the Narthex. For more information contact Catherine Sharbaugh.

Prayer Shawl Ministry - June 11

The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets this coming Tuesday, June 11 at 3:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Court. Contact Sharon Brooks for more information.

Father's Day Luncheon - June 16

On Sunday, June 16 after the 10:00 a.m. service, the women of St. Andrew’s will host a luncheon for the men of St. Andrew’s. We are celebrating fathers, uncles, brothers, all who have fathers, all are welcome!

If you would like to help with food, beverages, set-up or clean-up, please email Catherine Sharbaugh.

Outreach News

On Friday, June 14 we will provide a pasta dinner with all the trimmings for the residents at the Friendship Shelter. If you are interested in participating by either donating funds, or cooking, or coming to serve, please let Grace know. An e-mail with more details, will be sent out to all who are interested in serving this coming June 14. Thank you for your continued support of the Friendship Shelter. 

“We are truly God’s outreaching hands in the world."

Book Group

The Virtual Book Group is currently on hiatus for the summer. The group will resume in September, exact date to be determined. To be added to the Zoom invitation please contact the office.

The meaning of the Rainbow Flag

The rainbow flag was originally created by the activist Gilbert Baker as a symbol of pride, diversity, and unity for the LGBTQ community. The original flag had eight colors…pink represented sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for spirit. The pink and turquoise were taken out of the original flag because the colors were too difficult to see.

The flag over the years, evolved and in 2018, Daniel Quasar combined the original rainbow flag with the Philadelphia Pride and transgender flags, while calling for a more inclusive society.

The addition of the black and brown colors represents LGBTQUIA persons of color; pink and white and baby blue represents transgender individuals.

The placement of the new colors in an arrow shape on the left was done intentionally to convey the message that progress is still needed.

The yellow triangle with the purple circle in the middle inside of it represents the intersex community.

The LGBTQIA flag is a visual reminder of the struggles and oppression that people in the community have and continue to face.

People have displayed the flag outside of their homes, businesses, and churches to signal to others in the community that they have a safe place to enter.

No matter where you are or how you identify, the rainbow colors are meant to signify that you are included, welcome, and safe as the LGBTQIA community.

Church Directory Update

We are beginning the process of updating our pictorial church directory. A reminder email was sent out on Monday, June 3, inviting members to provide up-to-date contact information and photos. If you need the email resent please contact the office. The email message will provide a Google form to submit to the church office. We will also have paper copies of the form available in the narthex. The new directory will be available as a downloadable pdf, which people may save or print on their home computers. One of our goals is to save paper used by the office, though we can print copies for those who need that assistance. We hope everyone will help us with this important project, enabling us to keep in touch with our church family.

Media Release

We’ve made some modifications to our media release form and ask that you fill it out if you are new to St. Andrew’s or a parent of a minor. We’ve added some clarification on what is posted on our site and on the St. Andrew’s Facebook page. If you prefer to complete it online, click here.

Pray for Peace in the Holy Land

The Rt. Rev. John Harvey Taylor asks us to pray for peace and keep in our hearts the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and its archbishop, the Rt. Rev. Hosam Naoum. Bishop Taylor has written to him on our diocese’s behalf and invites us to make a gift to the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which supports the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City. Archbishop Naoum calls on all to unite in prayer for reconciliation.

Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church | 949-559-4699

The Very Rev. Peter Browning, Vicar

office@standrewsirvine.org | www.standrewsirvine.org

 Office Administration Hours:

 In-office: Monday and Thursday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

 Remote: Tuesday and Wednesday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.