Ministry Plan
Jesus builds his church. The best we can do is to serve as his instrument to distribute the means by which he does that: the Word and the sacraments. With that undeniable biblical truth in mind, the people of St. Andrew involved in leading our ministries have developed plans to distribute God’s means of grace to as many people as possible. The plans include some actions to be done this year and some along the way in the coming years. We call them our Mission and Vision and our Annual Plan for Ministry. Check them out and join us for a celebration of these plans on Sunday, June 4, 9:25 AM – 10:15 AM. St. Andrew members can access the Annual Plan through CCB. Click here to log into CCB and to view the Members of St. Andrew group. Then click on “FILES” and “2023 – 2024 Proposed Annual Plan” to view the Annual Plan. Anyone can access the Mission and Vision through this link. The Voters of St. Andrew are invited to authorize a plan at a special meeting at 11:30 AM on Sunday, June 11.

Save the date for Koiné
As you make your summer plans, mark your calendars for Sunday, July 23. The worship band Koiné, who is celebrating 20 years of making music in 2023, is coming to St. Andrew as part of their anniversary tour. Koiné will serve as the music team for both Sunday services, and then they will put on an afternoon concert that will include music from some of St. Andrew’s finest. It will be a fun day you won’t want to miss!

Would you like to help plan this fun event? Contact Minister of Worship Naomi Laabs or Pastor Clinton to join the team.

Upcoming festival services 
Just like we have a calendar year, the Christian Church has a church year that begins with the season of Advent. This church year is split into two parts—the festival half where we focus on the birth, life, and death of Jesus, and the non-festival half which focuses on the life of the Church. The festival half, which we are in now, closes with three special services:

• The ascension of Jesus into heaven (May 18/21)
• The sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (May 25/28)
• The celebration of the Trinity: Father, Son, Spirit (June 1/4)

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.

“King of Kings” by Hillsong
“By Faith” by Keith & Kristyn Getty, Stuart Townend
“There Is a Redeemer” by Melody Green
“I Am Not My Own” by Skye Peterson

Summer Growth Groups
Growth Groups are a wonderful blessing at St. Andrew, and there are great reasons to join one.  You may be hesitating to join a Growth Group for a valid reason. Read below for some encouragement.

• “I am interested in knowing more about a St. Andrew Growth Group before I sign up.”
  Is that you? Talk to Mr. KJ. He will help you better understand Growth Groups.
• “I don’t know the Bible well enough to join a Growth Group.”
  That is understandable, but look at it this way: a desire to learn more is the only “requirement” of a Growth Group, and every one of us is still learning.
• “I won’t be able to make every session.”
  If perfect attendance was required, we would have no Growth Groups. While we want you to make a commitment to the group, there are reasons that people occasionally are gone for a week or more. Don’t let that be the reason you don’t join a group.
• “My last experience with a Growth Group was not a good one.”
  Although that is unusual, unfortunately, it has happened. Remember there is so much power in them and so much good that comes from them that Satan is actively trying to keep you away from them. Don’t let him keep you on the sidelines. Try again.
• “I don’t have time for a Growth Group.”
  Your faith is precious. Do not take it for granted. Feeding it is essential. Helping others feed their faith is just as essential. Make it a priority. The more you study God’s Word, the more you will love God’s Word. That’s how the Spirit works.

The summer semester is June 11 – July 30, and sign-up has begun. Click here to check out the summer lineup and find a group that works for you. Sign-up sheets are also in the atrium. God bless all of the ways that you nurture your faith.

Moms’ Group
Moms with little ones like spending time with other moms with little ones. That is why a group of St. Andrew moms started a moms’ group. They are getting together with their children every other Tuesday this summer beginning May 30. To join the group, send an email to St. Andrew Staff Minister for Nurture Mark Kjenstad.

St. Andrew Sports Camp
God’s Champions is the theme for this summer’s St. Andrew Sports Camp. The camp is July 10 – 13 from 8:30 – 11:30 AM for 4K – grade 6 in the 2023-2024 school year. Registration is now open! Click here to register.

God’s Champions service opportunities
St. Andrew Sports Camp is July 10 – 13. It presents many opportunities to have a lot of fun by serving.

• Assistant coaches will help head coaches run drills and enhance campers’ skills.
• Team managers will keep their group on schedule and ensure their positive participation in each activity.
• Athletic trainers will be on call to tend to any minor injuries or illnesses that occur.
• Concessions managers will prep and distribute snacks at halftime.
• Spirit team will manage and implement God’s Champion décor for the camp.

Many of these opportunities are perfect for high school or college students. Many of these opportunities do not require any sports knowledge or skill. All these opportunities serve the God who gives us the victory and makes us champions. Contact Pastor Clinton or Mark Kjenstad to get involved.

Petting zoo | June 28
Join us at Southdale Park in Fitchburg 4 – 7 PM on June 28. Havens Petting Farm will be on-site with lots of adorable creatures for the community to enjoy. Bring your children, get outside, and admire some four-legged friends. This is also a fun and fulfilling opportunity to serve. If you can help set up for the event or be a presence to talk with parents and kids and hand out fliers for our sports camp, contact Nancy Ninman.

Letter of thanks received
We received a letter from Costa Maya Ministries, our January Monthly Mission Partner.

Dear mission partners at St. Andrew,

As we approach Pentecost, it is our joy to share the incredibly good news of Jesus, our living Savior, with thousands of people in the Yucatan Peninsula. God continues to bring new people to our mission, and through partnership with the WELS digital Bible Institute Academia Cristo, thousands are learning the basic teachings of the Bible. We thank you so much for helping with this precious work through your recent gift of $4,404. May the Holy Spirit continue to give us zeal for missions as we carry out the Great Commission together!

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Dennis Kleist, Mission Advancement volunteer

Monthly Mission Partner 
May’s Monthly Mission Partner is Divine Savior Church in Sienna, Texas. Sienna is just one campus of Divine Savior, the rest of which are in Florida. It is a growing community outside of Houston, and, like St. Andrew, operates a school as a big part of its ministry. For more information about Divine Savior, visit their website.