Call accepted
I have accepted the call by the Pacific Northwest District of our church body to serve for two years as Mission Developer for the greater Boise, Idaho, area. Thank you for your prayers, notes, gifts, conversations, friendship, and encouragement for the past few weeks while we deliberated this call. Karen and I want you to know that we aren’t leaving because of you, the ministry here, or the future here. We love you and this church. For these past 40 years, you have been more supportive than we could ever ask, both to us and to our family. The best way we seem to be able to explain our acceptance of this call is, “It’s time.” The Lord said that to us when he assigned me to St. Andrew in 1985, and now he’s saying to us, “It’s time” for us to do what is best for his church in Boise.

With the deepest gratitude,
Pastor and Karen Hunter

Can those Jesus redeemed by his blood ever lose interest in the events of Holy Week? Is there anything a child of God can profit from more than examining the sacred record of the crucial hours when the Son of God redeemed us? Gather with the saints of St. Andrew this Lenten season to understand and appreciate the most crucial hours and gain a deeper knowledge and a bolder confession of the name of our Savior. Worship at 5:00 or 6:30 PM and join us for dinner from 5:30 – 6:15 PM. Livestream available at 5 PM.

• March 5—The Hour of Remembrance | Best Chef Laura Westphal will serve spaghetti (GF available)
• March 12—The Hour of Sifting
• March 19—The Hour of Binding
• March 26—The Hour of Trial
• April 2—The Hour of Grieving
• April 9—The Hour of Punishment

New Communion wafers
You probably have noticed the different texture of the Communion wafers the past few weeks. Over the last three years, it has been challenging to get Communion wafers in a timely fashion, and the brand we normally get was backordered. The new wafers are wheat with a much crunchier texture. Don’t worry, they haven’t gone bad! Once those are gone, we will go back to the brand that we used before.

Milestones
Luis Mendoza-Cruz and Ashley Otto welcomed their second daughter, Alina Darlene Mendoza-Otto, on February 21. The next day she was baptized into the family of God. Rejoice with the family in Alina’s birth and rebirth.

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 on Sunday. 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.

“My Soul Will Sing” by Stuart Townend
“We Believe” by Newsboys
“Crown Him with Many Crowns” arr. by Don Chapman
“Come unto Jesus” by Laura Story, Jordan Kauflin, Matt Merker

Impact podcast
“Love your neighbor” is Jesus’ concise summary of the second table of the Ten Commandments. Pastor Kyle Bitter, a teacher of God’s Word at Luther Preparatory School, is back to help us better understand these commands from God. Listen to Impact here or by searching for “Kjenstad Impact” wherever you listen to podcasts.

PowerHour
The calendar is messing with PowerHour for various reasons. Here are the upcoming PowerHour dates and themes:

• February 28–”Vacation Time”
• March 7–”Community Helpers”
• March 21–Spring Break | No PowerHour
• April 4 –“Habitats of the World”
• April 18–Good Friday | No PowerHour

Go here to learn more about this ministry for children.

LifeBoat
This fun ministry for grades 7 – 10 gathers again on Sunday, March 2, from 5 – 7 PM at St. Andrew. You are welcome to bring a friend. It’s a simple agenda: hang out, enjoy some snacks, and open up the Bible for a bit. Direct your questions to Jess Bohl or Hilary Griswold.

Service roles to be filled
Do you get the impression that there’s no place for you to serve? There is. Below are a few of the teams that could get you involved in service right away. See Pastor Clinton to serve.

• Audio—mostly turning mics on and off and up and down. It may seem intimidating, but it just takes a little bit of training.
• Sunday 10:30 AM slides—controlling what is on the screens. It’s mostly about paying attention and pressing buttons.
• Thursday ushering—helping worshipers get what they need and making sure service runs smoothly

Note of gratitude from MMP
The following was received from our October Monthly Mission Partner and recipient of several Westside Christian School mini drives:

Thank you from all of us at WayForward Resources for your continued generosity. Since January of 2024, you have donated over 1,750 pounds of food. Your donations helped stock the food pantry’s shelves, ensuring individuals and families facing hunger were able to access the nutritious food they needed. Your financial support of over $4,600 has also played a crucial role in helping people find and keep stable housing, making sure they have a warm and safe place to sleep. You truly made a difference and impacted so many people’s lives during a time of unprecedented rise in demand for our services. We are grateful for your generosity and partnership in advancing WayForward’s mission to create food and housing security. Thank you for joining with us to build a strong community where everyone has the basic building blocks of stability to thrive.

Jill Bradshaw, Community Engagement Director

Monthly Mission Partner
Our March partner is GiGi’s Playhouse, a Down syndrome achievement center in Madison. Down syndrome is very rare, but its population among the St. Andrew family is well above the average. Find more information about this organization’s activity at their website.