Call issued
Pastor Stephen Apt continues to deliberate the call to serve as Lead Pastor for Preaching and Vision at St. Andrew. These decisions typically take 3 – 5 weeks. Please continue to pray for the Apt family as they consider where they will serve.

Construction update
We received good news last week. The steel we thought was delayed began arriving on Friday and is already going up this week! You’ll see the structural steel beams and roof joists and decking going up over the next few weeks.

Construction on Parmenter Street continues. To get to St. Andrew, it is recommended to take one of these alternate routes:

• From the north, County Road K to Church Road to Schneider Road
• From the south, Airport Road to Capitol View Road to Schneider Road

On evenings after 6:30 and weekends you can use one of the routes above or take Highway 12 to the Parmenter Street Exit #249 and drive around the barriers. We will keep you updated as we learn more and appreciate your patience.

Pledge confirmation request
Westside Christian School is undergoing its annual audit as part of its participation in the Wisconsin School Choice Program. As part of this process, our auditors are reaching out to confirm A Place of Peace pledge balances as of June 30, 2024, and June 30, 2025, related to our ongoing capital campaign. (The audit covers two years, hence confirmation of the June 2024 balance.)

If you’ve made a pledge, you possibly did or will receive a confirmation request regarding your balance and anticipated payment schedule as of June 30, 2024 and 2025. You’ll be asked to verify your records and reply directly to our auditor, Whitney Wagner at Reilly, Penner & Benton LLP, via email at [email protected].

Your timely response is greatly appreciated. For questions, feel free to email Financial Administrator Ron Kerr or call 608-219-8149.

A Place of Peace giving
Giving can be set up like other offerings. Go to “Give” at the website, and you can set up a one-time or recurring gift. Choose “A Place of Peace” as the “Fund.” If using a check, please put “A Place of Peace” in the memo line. If using St. Andrew offering envelopes, use the designation “Ministry Expansion.”

Even if you didn’t make a formal pledge, you can still give. Every bit helps, as St. Andrew will still carry some debt, and the less debt, the more ministry.

Adult choir resumes October 8
Blend your voice with others to sing God’s praise. We’ll rehearse at 7 PM on Wednesdays in the Soul Café to sing for worship on:

• Sunday, October 26 (rehearsals will be October 8, 15, & 22).
• Sunday, December 7 (rehearsals will be November 12 & 19, December 3).

High school-aged and older are welcome to attend. Interested in participating? Email Minister of Worship Naomi Laabs.

Milestones
John Trager was called to his eternal home on September 11 at the age of 94. Though his absence means sadness for those who no longer see him in this world, for him it means joy around the throne of God. John’s memorial service will be Saturday, September 27 at St. Andrew at 4:00 PM, with visitation from 2:30 – 4:00. You can read John’s obituary here.

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.

“Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)” by Chris Tomlin
“It Was Finished upon That Cross” by CityAlight
“Rock of Ages” by Sarah Lambrecht
“My Soul Finds Rest in God Alone” by Aaron Keyes

National Online Bible Study for Teens
Connecting with peers is important for all ages. It is greater than ever for teens. Here’s a way for your teen to do that: online Bible study lead by a trusted Lutheran pastor who specializes in fostering these connections and opening up Scripture to high schoolers. The first one is September 28. Go here to learn more and to register.

Forward in Christ
Help yourself to a copy of Forward in Christ, found in the atrium. This month’s issue includes:

• Synod convention highlights
• Helping children respond to a bully
• Does the Bible condone slavery?
• “Be still and know that I am God.” What it really means.

Impact podcast
The last half of the last chapter of 1 Thessalonians has some great truths about God and about Christian living. Pastor Jon Bilitz, Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel, is here to share thoughts on these verses. Listen to Impact here or by searching for “Kjenstad Impact” wherever you listen to podcasts.

PowerHour
PowerHour returns on Friday, September 19 at 10:15 AM. This ministry is for parents and their young children, up to age 4. Friday’s theme is Your Five Senses. Click here to learn more about PowerHour.

FUEL
FUEL is the Growth Group for all St. Andrew high school students. They meet on Sunday mornings to learn from and discuss Scripture, but that’s not all. They also hang out and have fun. The next FUEL outing is a DIY pizza night on September 20. Contact Delaney Fenske for more information.

LifeBoat
Parents of students in grades 6 – 8, we want to help your child grow. Lifeboat is a middle school ministry with the goals of helping grow their relationship with Jesus and helping strengthen their Christian friendships through games, lessons from Scripture, and worship music. LifeBoat meets on the 1^st and 3^rd Sundays in the gym from 5 – 7 PM. If you or a high school volunteer would like to help with supervision, click here. To help with a snack donation, go here for details.

Host Wisconsin Lutheran High School steel band members
The band is performing at Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel (downtown Madison) this Sunday. If you are able to host two or three teenagers overnight, that would be a great benefit to the band. They need to be picked up from Chapel at 8:30 PM on Saturday, September 20 and returned there the next morning by 7:45 AM. Please contact Pastor Clinton right away if available.

Submit pictures for 50^th anniversary
St. Andrew will celebrate 50 years of ministry on October 26. To help make the event meaningful, we are asking for your pictures. If you have pictures of baptisms, confirmations, summer camps, worship spaces, Growth Groups, Sunday school classes, WCS classes, etc., please submit them. If you have hard copies, identify them as yours and put them in the box in the atrium. Otherwise you can send digital photos to Sarah Wendorf.

Monthly Mission Partner
Our September Mission Partner is our Ministerial Education Fund. This is St. Andrew’s effort to ease the financial burden of those attending schools that prepare them for the public full-time ministry. This year, five St. Andrew members are on that path: Isaiah Durkee, Ivy Durkee, Levi Durkee, Andrew Fritz, and Kylie Roekle.