Growth Groups
St. Andrew Growth Groups are a wonderful way to nourish the precious gift of faith God has graciously given us and to connect with brothers and sisters in Christ. Summer Growth Groups will begin June 5.

Summer 2022 Growth Groups:
Sundays at 9:30 AM
Gender Identity
We will have an honest, Biblical conversation about this tough topic. Our objective is to better understand the topic, look for Biblical guidance, and learn how to talk to others about gender.

Miserable Joy
Everyone experiences pain. Physical, emotional, mental—pain is common to us all. But you can find joy and purpose in the midst of your pain. That’s the powerful message Jason Nelson brings you in Miserable Joy: Chronic Pain in My Christian Life.

The Chosen—Season 1
The Chosen is a video series based on the earthly life of Jesus. It has become very popular. This group will watch and discuss the movie and also draw attention to what in the movie may not be Biblically accurate.

Redeemed: Our Lives as Sinners and Saints (women’s group)
This book is about shortcomings that people have such as pride, doubt, fear, vanity, and wild living to name a few. It looks at people from Scripture that had them too. The point of the book is to see how sinners with such shortcomings are loved by God and redeemed through Jesus.

Sunday Bible Teaching
This is a Spanish speaking Growth Group.
There is so much more to learn from and benefit from than can be done in 25 – 30 minutes in church. Through a variety of learning activities based on the Sunday Bible teaching, this Growth Group receives more encouragement, more wisdom, and more grace.

Sundays at 1:00 PM
Hiking (or biking) with Paul
Each Sunday we’ll head to a different Dane County hiking or biking trail. Take your choice of walking (Paul’s choice) or biking for one hour. The hiking or biking will be at your own pace. Stay with others or speed ahead—it’s up to you. Individuals or families are welcome. After hiking or biking for an hour we’ll meet at a park shelter for the next hour to apply to our lives the Acts text we heard on Sunday.

Tuesdays at 7:00 AM (men’s group)
Mere Christianity
One of the classics from C.S. Lewis, a gifted writer of the mid-20^th century. Mere Christianity is a defense of the Christian faith from this one-time atheist. We will read it with an eye out for some teachings that may run contrary to Scripture.

The sign-up deadline is June 2. You can sign up in the atrium or click here. To find more information about St. Andrew Growth Groups click here.

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 that are coming up soon:

• The ascension of Jesus into heaven (May 26/29)
• The sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (June 2/5)
• The celebration of the Trinity: Father, Son, Spirit (June 9/12)

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.

“Revelation Song” by Kari Jobe
“Across the Lands” by Keith Getty, Stuart Townend
“Hymn of Heaven” by Phil Wickham

Grow in Grace
Our 3-week series Addressing Mental Health finished last Sunday. We are so thankful for the presenters that God provided for us. If you are interested in watching these informative and encouraging presentations, they are now available.

• Week 1: A Christian View of Anxiety
• Week 2: My Identity In Christ
• Week 3: Grief and Depression

Grow in Grace, whole church Bible study, will return with a new topic in August.

Science Camp
Take this opportunity for your children to learn more about our awesome God! St. Andrew Science Camp is July 18 – 21. Our theme is “The Wonders of Water.” St. Andrew Science Camp is for 4K – grade 6. Kids in grades 7 – 8 can serve as leaders-in-training.  Sign-up is now open. Click here to register.

Forward in Christ
A great way to nurture the precious gift of faith God has graciously given you is to grab the latest issue of Forward in Christ. The lead article this month is about the joy of forgiveness. There are copies available in the atrium. You can learn more about FIC here.

Impact
Peter wrote two epistles, right? Or did God write them? Listen to Pastor Greg Lyon from Wisconsin Lutheran College and Mark Kjenstad discuss that and more from 2 Peter 1. Impact, a St. Andrew podcast, can be found here and wherever you listen to podcasts by searching “Kjenstad Impact.”

Mission Trips preparations
Our five Mission Trips teams are already preparing for the work they will be doing across the country this summer. We have 38 people going to five different locations including Wesley Chapel, Florida; Seattle Washington; Brandon, South Dakota; Madison, Wisconsin; and Mahauhaul, Mexico. The various teams have been meeting and will continue to meet to go over the work they will be doing, the expectations of the trips, and the fun things they will get to do in their free time. May God bless them as they assist other churches in spreading the gospel.

May Monthly Mission Partner | Central Africa Medical Mission
This month our Monthly Mission Partner turns our eyes and prayers to the medical missions of Africa, where medical aid is used to share the good news of Jesus. Last year the Medical Mission celebrated 60 years of ministry and medical aid to Africa. To find out more, go to their website, or read an article about them in Forward in Christ.

Call
Pastor Matt Westra and his wife Rachel continue to deliberate the call to serve as our Pastor for Service and Outreach. Please continue to pray for them to reach a decision that will be good for them and God’s kingdom—both here and where they currently serve in Tennessee.