Returned call
Dear members of St. Andrew Lutheran Church,

I was honored a few weeks ago to receive two calls in the name of Jesus—one from your congregation and the other from Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC), in addition to the call I currently hold at Mount Olive in Appleton.

The leaders at St. Andrew and Westside Christian School invigorated me with their conversations and prayers. It’s evident that you all love Jesus, you love each other, you love your community, plus you have a specific and fruitful plan for sharing the love of Jesus with your community. Judging from your ministry, Jesus has been busy blessing your work. It has been thrilling to envision myself as a part of your team.

I am genuinely sad that I will not be joining your team. I’ve decided to return the call to St. Andrew and accept the call to Wisconsin Lutheran College. My decision is not in response to any deficiency at St. Andrew. It is purely because of my passion, skills, and opportunity to serve the souls at WLC.

My prayers in recent days have asked God to give you extra energy during your vacancy and to quickly bring you a qualified servant, all in the name of the God who uses every decision as a part of his plan to bless those who love him.

Keep up the excellent work.

Your brother,
Rev. Nathan A. Wordell
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While disappointing, we trust in the Lord’s care for his church. He will provide according to his plan. The Board of Directors is planning our next steps and will keep you informed.

Milestones
Parents of St. Andrew children teach their children the chief teachings of the Bible in a process we call “confirmation,” or Parents Equipped To Teach. They use the Bible and a helpful resource called the Catechism (Bible passages arranged by category). St. Andrew pastors and ministers help the parents along the way by providing monthly gatherings with students and periodic reviews with each student and his/her parents, and by helping each child discover and use his/her gifts in our ministry. Forty students are currently involved in this growing process. We offer four weekends each year (May, August, November, February) when the student might be “confirmed,” that is, give vocal testimony to the faith God gave in baptism, express a conviction to continue to worship and study God’s Word, and be welcomed into the communing membership of St. Andrew. Adam Bernd has completed this learning and growing process with his parents, Tom and Stacy. This weekend we have the joy of celebrating Adam’s confirmation.

Thursday worship
Getting in your last-gasp-of-summer weekend away? If weekends take you to the great outdoors, gather with the saints on Thursday to thank the Creator for such beauty and the Savior for the beautiful grace he gives. St. Andrew offers the privilege of Word and sacrament on Thursdays at 7 PM.

Tech for shut-ins
You have provided a dedicated Chromebook to a shut-in elderly couple without computer access. Now they can hear the message of Jesus and at least watch the family of God in worship services. It’s not as good as being here, but it’s the best they can have right now. They have such access because of your generosity, St. Andrew, and because of the faithful service of Orv Jordahl who set this up for them.

Worship Check-in
If you worship on-site, please fill out the Connection Card attached to your worship folder. Online worshipers, please continue to check in here.

Weekend worship songs
Preview some of the songs we will use for worship this weekend. Obviously ours won’t sound exactly like this, but listening to the links provided will certainly help you be more comfortable participating in the service.

“God Himself Is Present”
“Lord I Need You” by Matt Maher
“I Will Sing” by Sandra McCracken
“Make Me a Light” by Caleb Schmiege

Fall Growth Groups
The weather is heating up, and that means we are in the thick of summer. However, fall will be here before we know it, and that will bring new opportunities for you to join a St. Andrew Growth Group. St. Andrew Growth Groups provide a way to grow in your faith and grow in connection to our church family. You will have several to choose from. Give Mark Kjenstad your Growth Group suggestions—topic, location, day, time, etc. Sign-ups will begin on August 14.

Grow in Grace
That rainbow you see after a rain shower is a reason to rejoice in the faithfulness of God. We learn what the rainbow means to Christians in the aftermath of the flood.  Let’s Talk About the Rainbow is our next series for Grow in Grace. This 4-week whole church Bible study leads up to the promise God gave after The Flood. Let’s Talk About The Rainbow begins August 7 at 9:30 AM in the sanctuary.

Week 1 | The reason for The Flood
Week 2 | The ark and its contents
Week 3 | The Flood (with special guest Mr. Mark Bergemann, President of Lutheran Science Institute)
Week 4 | God’s promise to never again use water to destroy the earth

Impact
You know Daniel from the night he slept among hungry lions. There is so much more to know about this man of great faith. Daniel not only inspires us to trust the Lord, but he also inspires us to eat our vegetables. Listen to Campus Pastor John Boeder from Martin Luther College talk about this man of great faith. You can find Impact here or wherever you listen to podcasts by searching “Kjenstad Impact.”