St. Andrew’s Shield

“...above all taking the Shield of Faith ...” Ephesians 6:16

Volume 52, Number 5 March 14, 2007

From the Pastor’s Heart

My heart is suspended! The Session has called a meeting of the congregation immediately after worship on Sunday, March 25, for the purpose of considering (and acting on) the offer which The Little Light House made on our property.

This has been a long time coming, hasn’t it? We’ve lived with the questions “Should we sell it to them?” and “What will we do next?” since last summer. In the intervening months, we’ve had “Listening Sessions” during which we discussed (in small groups):

Our first reaction, and what questions we had

The best and the worst possibilities if we stayed, sold and moved, or merged

Where God is in all of this

All of our responses were printed in issues of The Shield – if you did not see them, please call the Church Office and ask for a copy. In addition to our Listening Sessions, the Session appointed a Focus Team to spend time focusing on God, our members, our neighbors, and our building. And the appraisal on our property is finally finished. We’ve spent lots of time and done good work preparing us to discuss and vote. I hope everyone will prayerfully prepare to be in church Sunday, March 25, for worship and this very important meeting.

Looking to our future together!

Pastor Ann

St. Andrew’s Serving Schedule
Greeters:
Mar 18	Lew and Edna Sullivan
Mar 25	Donna Lee
Acolyte:
Mar 18	C. J. Griffith
Mar 25	David Ross
Ushers:
Mar 18	Kirk Baird and Alice Howerton
Mar 25	Lew and Edna Sullivan
Refreshments:
Mar 18	Edna and Lew Sullivan
Mar 25	Bob and Jan Talbott

THE SESSION HAS CALLED A CONGREGATIONAL MEETING FOR SUNDAY, MARCH 25, IMMEDIATELY AFTER WORSHIP IN THE SANCTUARY, FOR THE PURPOSE OF ACTING ON THE OFFER OF THE LITTLE LIGHT HOUSE TO BUY OUR PROPERTY.

NEWS from the PEWS!

Two VERRRY Welcome returning faces! EVERYONE was sooo pleased to see Edna Sullivan return to Lew's side last Sunday morning. After good news from her doctors, Edna's health is beginning to improve enough for her to get out and about again. And Beverly Clark's new knees brought her to Church for the first time since surgery. They had better be good ones if they are going to keep up with her!!! WELCOME BACK!!

“MARINERS NEWS”

Please Note: There is a change in Mariners March meeting night to 6:30 Friday, March 30. Traditionally, the March meeting is a working Cargo Day spent cleaning the Church. But it's going to be a Movie Night this year. Bring popcorn, or whatever munchie snacks you relish while movie watching.

A business meeting to elect new officers (run by Judith and Emile in the Captain's absence) will precede the movie (title as yet undetermined). If you have any suggestions (for officers or movie title), please contact First Mate, Judith Wilson (Judith is declining any new elected position herself, however). As always, you do not have to be a Mariner to join us!

The Presbyterian Women Bake Sale will be Sunday, April 1^st (April Fools Day!) after church. This is no joke, it’s for real! Everyone welcome to bring goodies to sell to benefit our Overseas Mission ministry.

Eastern Oklahoma Presbyterian Cursillo No. 14

Please come and share Christ’s joy and grace on a weekend that will send you home refreshed and renewed.

Eastern Oklahoma Presbyterian (EOPC) Cursillo No. 14 will take place at Dwight Mission beginning Thursday evening, April 19, and concluding Sunday afternoon, April 22. Your application should be submitted as soon as possible. The cost of the weekend is $150 per participant. We hope no one will miss this opportunity because of the expense, and scholarships are available. You may discuss that subject or any questions you have with Margaret Martinson, (918-743-8152).

The Cursillo community members are enthusiastic about their own experiences at Cursillo and they are eager to serve and celebrate with you in April and on subsequent weekends. Don’t miss a wonderful opportunity to let Christ’s love fill your life!!

PASTOR’S REPORT TO THE CONGREGATION

In order to make the title on this page stand out, I had to push SHIFT on the keyboard of my computer. And to make the first word in the sentences capitalized, once again I pushed SHIFT. SHIFT. This has been a year of “shifts” for us, hasn’t it? That word is packed with more meaning than a label on a keyboard. “Shift” can signal gear changes, moving cargo from one method of transportation to another, or it can indicate a change of direction. I believe God is asking us to consider a SHIFT from the way we’ve always done church into something altogether new. It’s a bit scary, and we could lose our balance easily if we don’t keep our eyes focused on God as we shift.

In his book Twelve Dynamic Shifts for Transforming Your Church, Dr. Stan Ott identifies some vision shifts that have helped congregations all over the United States be faithful to their call. The Session has determined that these are important for us, too. Here are his twelve shifts (some of which we have started — which ones do you think they are?):

	SHIFT from our present hopes for our congregation’s future to the high expectation that God has a vital future for us
	SHIFT from merely running programs to implementing a vision for our ministry
	SHIFT from a maintenance mentality to a sustaining and advancing vision
	SHIFT from an emphasis on friendliness to a ministry of friendliness (smiling and saying “Hello” to visitors) and hospitality (inviting them into our lives)
	SHIFT from merely assuming discipleship to actually developing disciples
	SHIFT from a primary emphasis on the communal life of our church to a balanced emphasis on the communal and missional life of our church
	SHIFT from an unchanging worship format to a ministry of worship and music responsive to the variety of needs present in our congregation, as well as the community we are trying to reach
	SHIFT from primarily audience-oriented programming (worship services, classes) to a balance of audience-oriented ministry and face-to-face ministry (small groups, one-on-one spiritual direction)
	SHIFT from encouraging our established groups to add new people, to adding new groups for our people
	SHIFT from a “leader-using” ministry to a “leader-developing” ministry, from committees to ministry teams
	SHIFT from a controlling leadership to a permission-giving leadership
	SHIFT from a pastor-centered/officer-centered ministry to a shared ministry among pastor, officers, and people

Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Exciting, and a little threatening, too! But I am confident that our excitement will increase and the threat decrease while we work with other congregations throughout our Presbytery to follow the model left for us by the early church as they “were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers daily” (Acts 16:5).

Growing together!

Pastor Ann

Easter Lilies are always a beautiful addition to our Sanctuary on Easter Sunday. What a wonderful way to honor or remember your loved ones with an Easter Lily in their name.

IN MEMORY OF: ___________________________________________________________________

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IN HONOR OF: ____________________________________________________________________

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SUBMITTED BY: ___________________________________________________________________

DONATION AMOUNT: $ _________________

Please complete and submit this form to the church office. A donation of $10.00 may be made – please designate “Easter Lilies” if paying by check. The deadline for submission is Sunday, April 1st.