Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church

C R O S S R O A D S

Pentecost 2016

Staff Directory

Rector

The Very Rev. Andy Jones rector@standrews-madison.org

Associate Priest

The Rev. Dorota Pruski associate@standrews-madison.org

Music Director

Ken Stancer music@standrews-madison.org

Children’s Ministry

Ruth Kearley family@standrews-madison.org

Nursery Coordinator

Kirsten Tatum

Treasurer

Mark Koch treasurer@standrews-madison.org

Parish Administrator

Dorie Turpin general@standrews-madison.org

Sunday Morning 8:00 a.m. Said Eucharist

9:00 a.m.–Noon Nursery

9:30 a.m. Christian Formation

10:30 a.m. Choral Eucharist

11:30 a.m. Coffee Hour

Wednesday Morning

7:00 a.m. Said Eucharist

“Will you who witness these vows do

all in your power to support these

persons in their life in Christ?” BCP page 303

When someone is baptized in the Episcopal church the celebrant, after asking a

series of questions of the candidate, parents and sponsors, turns to the

congregations and asks us if we will do all in our power to support the person being

baptized in their life in Christ. Bishop Miller asked us this question on April 24th

when we baptized Max Adler into the Body of Christ and we responded with a

hearty and enthusiastic “We will!” We made a promise to Max that day. We

promised, as a community, to support, nurture, form, encourage, strengthen, and

walk with him as he exercises the gifts of baptism: an inquiring and discerning

heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to love God, and

the gift of joy and wonder in all God’s works. BCP page 308

How many times have we said those words? How many times have we made that

promise? When was the last time we really stopped and asked ourselves just how

we are going to make good on the promise we made to Max that day?

I suspect that most of us just assume that we will fulfill that promise by “being

there” for Max as he grows up among us; by watching him in the Christmas

Pageant, by enjoying him as he plays with his friends at coffee hour, maybe even

by teaching his church school class, or by helping to lead the Youth Group when he

gets there. But on the day that we baptized Max, Bishop Miller offered us an

opportunity to reflect on another way that we will support Max in his life in Christ.

In the his opening remarks, before he began his sermon, Bishop Miller told us how

excited he was to see the work that we are doing on our building, replacing the

boilers, the roof, the leaky windows, installing an elevator and renovating the

kitchen and Parish Hall. He applauded our commitment to begin our second

century with a building that will serve the community for many years to come.

And then he pointed to the capital campaign, to our building project, as a

fulfillment of the promise that we were about to make to Max at his baptism!

Making sure that the community of faithful here at 1833 Regent Street has a place

to come together to worship, serve, learn and play is an important part of the

support we promise to Max and to one another. Making sure that the roof is sound

and doesn’t leak, replacing the boiler so that the building will be warm in the

winter, installing a real elevator so that we can all gather in the Parish Hall,

1833 Regent Street Madison, WI 53726

(608) 233-3249

www.standrews-madison.org

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renovating the Parish Hall and expanding the kitchen so that we can more easily gather in fellowship…

All of these repairs and improvements represent a fulfillment of our promise to support the newly

baptized and each other in our life in Christ.

All of this points to a very important truth. The building itself is not a goal. The building is a means to

an end. It is a tool that we will use as we live out our vocation and pursue our mission as the Church.

The building, with it’s new boilers, elevator, roof, and kitchen will better enable us to gather in

community, to proclaim the Good News, to welcome the stranger and the newcomer, and to offer our

worship and praise to God.

It has been exciting to see the progress on the building. The elevator shaft is almost done. The new

copper piping for the boilers is bright, shiny and connected to lots of impressive thermometers, dials,

and gauges. The walls of the new kitchen are starting to take shape. It won’t be long before we see new

cabinetry and appliances! It is exciting to get a new tool! It is even more exciting to imagine how we

might use it…

Most of the tools I own were purchased with a specific task in mind. I needed that new drill so that I

could install the curtains… I needed that sander so that I could strip and paint the garage door… I

needed that saw so that I could cut the pipe in that tight corner under the sink… Those tools served their

intended purpose. The curtains were hung. The garage door was painted. The new faucet was installed,

and then the real fun started. Now that I have this new tool… how else can I use it? What else might I

accomplish now that I have this new resource? Suddenly new possibilities present themselves, new

opportunities arise, new projects seem within reach. All it took was this wonderful new tool…

I am excited to watch our years of planning and

hard work bear fruit. I am excited to see all that

we have accomplished together. I am even more

excited at the prospect of using our newly repaired

and renovated space to support Max, to support

one another, to support the community of Madison

in our common life in Christ in new and exciting

ways that we haven’t even imagined yet!

Will we do all in our power to support these

persons in their life in Christ? Oh yes we will!

Peace,

Andy+

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All Together in One Place

After forty days of teaching and preaching, just as his disciples are

beginning to get used to his return from the dead, Jesus is on the

move again. According to Luke’s account of the Acts of the

Apostles, Jesus gives his disciples a few final instructions, and then

he is whisked away in a cloud, out of their sight. The disciples are

left to carry on his ministry in his absence.

With their teacher gone, the disciples could have gone their

separate ways, each one trying to follow Jesus in his own way…

But instead, the disciples decide to follow Jesus’ teachings

together. Luke tells us that they continue to meet, first to choose another disciple to join the eleven, and

then to celebrate Pentecost. On the day of Pentecost, the disciples are “all together in one place” (Acts

2:1). And this is the moment the Holy Spirit chooses to rain down like fire upon the disciples.

Perhaps it simply a coincidence that the disciples’ gathering coincides with the Holy Spirit’s firestorm, but

I doubt it. The risen Christ first appears to the disciples in John’s gospel when Thomas is not among them,

but the Spirit in Acts clearly prefers a full house for its dramatic debut. One of many analogies used to

describe the Holy Spirit is as the love that binds the first and second persons of the Trinity together. In

other words, a core identity marker of the third person of the Trinity is relationship. Naturally, then, the

Holy Spirit would find its home in groups of people, not just in individual persons.

A hallmark of Christianity is community. Although we have personal prayer practices, we know that we

cannot participate in this faith tradition by ourselves. The baptismal liturgy asks the gathered assembly to

support this new Christian in her/his life of faith, and we boldly promise that “we will!” And even when

our liturgy doesn’t make explicit the communal nature of Christianity, we have an intuitive sense of the

Spirit’s presence in communal worship. I frequently hear mention of it from members of this parish,

particularly at Christmas, Easter, major feast days, and even funerals--moments when lots of us are

together. There is something beautiful, comforting, and even magical about worshipping as a full

community. The singing seems more powerful, the prayers seem more authentic, and our emotions, be

they joyful or sorrowful, feel more honest. The Holy Spirit is clearly present when we gather, all of us

together.

As we approach Pentecost and the long, green liturgical season that follows it, we will inevitably

experience some Sundays apart. Work trips, family vacations, or occasional sickness will cause us to miss

each other once in a while this summer. But I hope that these moments are rare. God is palpably present in

our community when you are present. Through you, God lives and loves and sings. Through you, Jesus’

resurrection joy continues to spread. Through you, the Spirit’s fire continues to blaze.

All together in one place, the Holy Spirit empowers us to carry forth God’s life-giving love, just as the

disciples did two thousand years ago. So, come. Your community and the Holy Spirit will meet you here.

With love,

Dorota+

P.S. This is my last reflection from the Hobbit Hole. By the time the next issue of The Crossroads comes

out, my office will be at the opposite end of the building, in the Room Formerly Known as the Worship

Center, which is at the end of the hallway where the Rector’s office and the Parish Administrator’s office

are located. In related news, I am taking suggestions for what to call my new office! There is a suggestion

envelope taped to the door. Please submit your ideas by the end of June. Thanks!

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The creative and transforming Spirit is moving visibly through St.

Andrew's as our campus development proceeds! Walk through almost

any door and you will see how we are building in faith and growing

together. No room in our main building will remain unaffected by

our campus mprovements.

Here's what's happening in the physical spaces that were occupied by

Children's Ministries:

The Children's Ministries office space (downstair s between the old

kitchen and the music office) had shared a room with music and

handbell storage. The entire room has been absorbed into the expanded

kitchen.

The Coolios classroom (downstair s next to the furnace room) was

taken over as a construction staging area by Findorff. The Coolios

were temporarily displaced to the room upstairs next to the parish

office (the Worship Center). The classroom will lose some space to the

shaft for the new elevator.

The Worship Center is being transformed into the Associate Pr iest' s office. This room has been

unused as a classroom since combining the 3-4 year-olds with the K-1st graders into Faith Garden a

couple of years ago. The Worship Center furniture and story materials will be moved into a new room to

be carved out of the current Nursery.

The Nursery will see the restoration of a wall that had divided this space into two rooms until

about 15 years ago. The new iteration of this wall will include double doors between the adjoining

rooms that will allow us to use the entire space as the nursery or to create another classroom or office at

the north end of the hallway. Both rooms will have new windows and new air conditioning units.

The Faith Garden classroom (a.k.a. Followers of Jesus classroom, downstair s next to the Nursery)

is the one space within Children's Ministries that didn't need packing up! The classroom will receive

new windows and a new air conditioning unit but will remain untouched otherwise.

Because of the construction timeline and impacts to classrooms, the program year for Children's

Ministries concluded May 8. My deepest gratitude to all who shared their time and their faith with

our children through leading, teaching, and assisting during Church School this year. Look for

information elsewhere in the Crossroads about a special all-parish event on Pentecost, May 15, at 9:30!

Although Vacation Bible School is suspended this summer due to construction, there are many other

ways by which you and your family may continue to build in faith and grow together. Here are a some

suggestions:

- The "Building Faith" blog (www.buildfaith.org): Inspiration for Christian formation of all ages

provided by the Virginia Theological Seminary.

- The "Grow Christians" blog (www.growchristians.org): A partnership between Forward Movement

and Plainsong Farm for practicing faith at home. You can also find these posts on St. Andrew's

Facebook timeline.

- Look in your email this summer for four Gospel stories from the lectionary in a "To-Go" format, ready

to be used wherever you and your children happen to be!

Blessings,

Ruth, Children's Ministries Coordinator

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The 2016 Budget

Saint Andrew’s has ended each of the last three years with a deficit. In 2012 we had cash reserves of

just over $151,000. Three years later, at the end of the 2015 fiscal year, we had cash reserves of about

$104,000. We have worked every year to reduce our expenses and to keep costs to a minimum but over

the last four years our expenses have risen by 8%, from $411,668 to $445,564. Our revenues for that

same period have not moved in a straight line. In 2013 our revenues dropped from $430,433 to

$413,206. In 2014 they rebounded to $433,004 and then in 2015 they dropped off again to $428,371.

Knowing that there is no place left to cut in the programmatic budget the Vestry has been pushed to

examine the Human Resources line and ask the question, “Can we continue to support a second full time

Priest at Saint Andrew’s?”

Some history…

In 2012 The Rev. Leigh Vicens, who had been serving as a half time Associate Priest at Saint Andrew’s

for two years, finished her doctorate in philosophy and left to take a teaching position at Augustana

College. That same spring Kate McKey, our Youth Pastor, moved to Boston with her fiancé where she

took up jobs at two Episcopal Churches.

After considerable conversation, prayer, and discernment, the Vestry decided to roll the half time

Associate ad the part time Youth Pastor into a single full time clergy position. The benefits of this

approach seemed clear. Offering a full time position would allow us to expand our search for candidates

to include those who would have to relocate in order to join us. A full time employee would have the

ability to devote their full professional attention to this community, investing in us even as we invested

in them. Calling a full time Associate Priest would make possible a longer term relationship thereby

providing stability for the Youth Program and for the parish.

We recognized that this would be a stretch for the parish. Even rolling the two part time posts together

we would need to raise another $28,000 to support the call that we made but we believed at the time that

this was the right decision. We felt good about the fact that calling a full time Associate Priest was

move beyond maintenance, beyond preserving the status quo. Calling a full time Associate Priest was a

missional decision.

Three years later the wisdom of that decision is apparent. Mother Dorota has been a part of our

community for two and a half years. In that time our biggest growth demographic is in the 20’s and

30’s group. Those men and women gather monthly for brunch in the Newell Building; routinely get

together outside of church; have taken ownership of their community by actively greeting and recruiting

newcomers; have run for Vestry and Diocesan Convention Deputy; and have taken on very visible

positions of leadership, offering stewardship minutes, leading the Acolytes, serving at the altar at the

8:00 service, jumping in on Dungaree Sundays, and helping to hang the greens for Christmas.

The Youth Group has benefitted from Mother Dorota’s consistent and stable leadership and the

relationships she has nurtured with the youth. The program is now supported by a large group of young

and older adults who enjoy working with the kids, with each other, and with Mother Dorota.

The benefit of having two faces at the altar, representing the diversity of the parish cannot be

understated. Two Priests, male and female; two voices in the pulpit; two styles of presentation and

leadership; two options for pastoral care; two people sharing the ministry in a way that manifests

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generosity, joy, collegiality, and mutual respect… These are the qualities that people find when they

walk through our doors on a Sunday morning and they are the qualities that describe our parish family.

Calling a full time Associate Priest was a missional decision and it has paid great dividends for the life

of this community. Those additional clergy contact hours, the ways that Mother Dorota and I push and

learn from each other, the additional projects and initiatives that are possible with two of us have all

shaped this parish over the last two and a half years. We are now built around a staff that includes two

full time Priests.

Reducing our staff, eliminating the Associate Priest position would be a huge loss, impacting the

momentum we have begun to recognize, diminishing our capacity for relationships within in the parish,

hurting members of our parish who have come to rely on the presence of an Associate, and forcing us to

renegotiate the role, responsibilities, and expectations of the remaining clergy person. With all of this in

mind, the Vestry voted in January to adopt a budget with a $41,000 deficit and to guarantee funding for

the Associate Priest position through May of 2017 giving us another year to grow into our current

staffing commitments.

Additional pledges and tight management of our resources and spending have reduced our projected

shortfall for 2016 to $22,000 and we are hoping that the “Dollar a Day” campaign will close the rest of

the budget gap for this year. But closing the budget gap through one off fund raising efforts is not the

long-term solution to our budget and staffing needs. We need to “move the needle” on sustainable

pledging, increasing our resources through commitments of financial support. The response to this

year’s Stewardship Campaign, “First we Give of Ourselves: Giving in Generosity,” will be the key to

retaining the staff that we have all come to count on.

It has been our practice at Saint Andrew’s to publish a draft budget for the coming year at the Annual

Meeting in November, two weeks after the Stewardship Campaign has concluded. This year we will

present a draft 2017 budget in mid September, prior to the beginning of the annual Stewardship

Campaign. It is the hope of the Stewardship Committee and the Vestry that this will allow us to have a

frank conversation about the budget, about our financial commitment to Saint Andrew’s, and about what

is at stake for us this year.

If this article has raised questions or concerns for you, and frankly I hope it has, I urge you to speak to

me, Mother Dorota, or any member of the Vestry: Janet Hyde, Ray Sanna, Mark Koch, Scott Wright,

Mary Hastings, Pete Luisi-Mills, Henry Peters, Kristen Peterson, Sara Siegmann, Sally Hogan, Donna

McDowell, Andrew Yan, Mark Quinn.

Saint Andrew’s is a special community with incredible

heart, imagination and spirit. Our history together is

marked by the ways we have come together, again and

again, to overcome challenges and obstacles. I am

confident that one hundred years from now the people

gathered together at 1833 Regent Street will look back on

us and give thanks for the ways we overcame this

challenge and continued to build the community that we

share.

Peace,

Andy+

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Praying throughout Pentecost:

An Offering from the Youth Group

When our liturgical season changes, the components of our liturgy change as well. The

structure, or ordo, of the liturgy remains the same, but each season brings with it an opportunity

to pray new prayers, sing new hymns, and emphasize different aspects of God and of ourselves

as God’s people. For the Season after Pentecost, we will be using Prayers of the People written

by the St. Andrew’s youth group.

When writing these prayers, the youth began by listing the people, concerns, and community

needs for which we want to pray throughout Pentecost. This list included global concerns like

protection for refugees, national concerns like unity during the presidential campaign, local

concerns like safety for laborers and city workers, as well as personal concerns like the health

and well-being of the people of St. Andrew’s.

After creating a list of prayer requests, the youth shifted

their attention to the Pentecost reading from Acts. They

discovered that one way God works in our lives is by

bringing us together, like the way all the disciples and

people were able to understand one another even though

they were speaking different languages. The youth

decided to make God’s ability to unite us a feature of our

prayers, so the call and response to each bidding this

season will be “Holy Spirit,” / “Unite us.”

Additionally, the youth examined the different groupings

of prayer requests and identified different aspects of God

that relate to each kind of request. For example, God

offers us comfort and consolation in our grief, so the

prayer for the departed begins by addressing God as

“God of consolation.”

The St. Andrew’s youth group looks forward to praying

with the rest of the St. Andrew’s community this season

and hopes that these prayers unite us and bless us all.

May the words of our mouths and the meditations of all

our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our

strength and our redeemer.

Looking for Construction Updates?

Sign up for our weekly eNews and receive the weekly announcements, special notices, and regular

construction updates in your email! Go to the Saint Andrew’s web page at www.standrews-madison.org

and click on the subscribe link in the “What’s New column.

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The 2016 Eucharist and Picnic in the Park!

The Annual Eucharist and Picnic in the Park is scheduled for June 5th. We will celebrate the

8:00 Eucharist at the church and then head out to Garner Park for the 10:30 service and a

picnic! Please note that this is a new location. Garner Park is located at the intersection of

Mineral Point and Rosa Roads. The entrance to the park is on Rosa Road. This location may

be familiar to many as it is the venue for Opera in the Park.

Bring something to cook on the grill and a side dish or desert to share and join us for our end of

the program year celebration!

Under Construction

The Kingdom of God is like a . . . parish under construction?

Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a number of things; a big mess wasn't one of them.

But a casual knowledge of Scripture reminds us that God famously knocks things down.

The Tower of Babel: BOOM! The walls of Jericho: BOOM! Samson and the Temple of

Dagon: BOOM! The temple at Jerusalem: BOOM! Twice!

There has been some booming at St. Andrew's this last month. It's a mess, it's inconvenient. At

the end of it, we're not going to get everything we wanted to prepare our building for the future.

But we WILL get everything we need for the present, and that's just like God too. Sometimes

God says, "This is what you need for today." Manna in the wilderness, just enough for the day.

Maybe this is God's way of reminding us that what we think we will need in the future is not

necessarily what God hopes our future will be.

Jesus didn't encourage people to follow him to the temple and the synagogues; he went to them

where they were: on the roads, in the villages, in their homes. Ashes to Go is a good example

of taking the Church to the people. How else can we take the Church to our city, to our

neighbors, outside our walls? Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has said it's time to go outside

our walls: "Follow Jesus and love will show you how to become more than you ever dreamed

you could be." Maybe the next big project St. Andrew's should undertake is dreaming together

-- dreaming of ways to take St. Andrew's outside our walls.

So rejoice and give thanks!

The Kingdom of God is

under construction at St.

Andrew's for a future we

have yet to dream of!

Susan Fiore

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What Can You Do for a Dollar?

When the Vestry decided to create the Associate Priest position in 2012, we knew it would give

our community new strength and momentum, but it would also stretch our financial resources.

Since Mother Dorota joined us in 2013, she’s energized our ministries in all the ways we hoped

for. We need to see similar energy in our stewardship response so we can maintain our staff and

keep the lights on!

The $457,000 operating budget for 2016 was passed with a deficit of $41,000, after everything

that could be cut had been cut. The Vestry decided to continue funding the Associate Priest

position for the year, confident that our community could make up the gap. So far we’ve cut the

deficit down to $22,000.

As we continue to develop a strong culture of stewardship and explore alternative sources of

revenue, we need to address that $22,000 gap. This is a manageable amount!

Luke 21:1-4, the story of the widow’s mite, reminds us of the importance of even the smallest

gift. What can you do for a dollar? If every household at St. Andrew’s gives an additional dollar

every day from Pentecost to All Saints’ Sunday, we’ll fund our commitment to worship,

service, learning, and fellowship for 2016.

On the Day of Pentecost, May 15th, join us in the Parish Hall for a playful and thoughtful Bible

Study on the theme of generosity. We will create “mite boxes” to collect a dollar each day for

St. Andrew’s. If you can’t join us on Pentecost, stop

by the Narthex or the Parish Hall to pick up your own

mite box. They’ll be a fun, visual reminder that

offering a little on a regular basis can add up. Every

month from now until All Saints’ Sunday, you’ll see

special red envelopes in the pews to add your month’s

worth of dollars to our regular offering.

Many hands make light work, and many mites are

mighty indeed. Let’s pull together and get this done!

The summer Sunday schedule starts Sunday June 12. There are no Christian

Formation classes during the summer and the Choral Eucharist begins at 9:30

a.m.

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Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church

1833 Regent Street

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(608) 233-3249

www.standrews-madison.org

email: general@standrews-madison.org