If you're having trouble viewing this email, you cansee it online.
"LEAD LIKE ANDREW"
Membership Newsletter Brotherhood of St. Andrew
Welcome to Our Bi-weekly Newsletter
Volume 105, "LEAD LIKE ANDREW"
Here's our latest edition with important meetings and other news you can use! Take a look ...
Please share news, tidbits, or notices of upcoming events in your area so we may include them. We also value your feedback on this newsletter and how we may better serve you. Don't hesitate to contact:
Proposed Changes to be Considered at BStA National Council Meeting, Dec. 6
Make sure you read the July 2025 issue of the St. Andrew'sCross to learn more about the proposed changes to be considered at the BStA National Council Meeting on December 6, 2025. Constitution Amendments and Bylaw changes are to be considered.
FIRST WEDNESDAY WEBINAR
The monthly webinar is always on the first Wednesday of each month at 8 pm/Eastern.
"History of the Current Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe"
NATIONAL DAY(S) OF SERVICE & REMEMBRANCE
By Jeff Butcher, Sr. VP for Administration & Historian
The 2025 National Day(s) of Service and Remembrance will take place September 11-14. It will be the Brotherhood’s 13th year of calling attention to our outreach service endeavors while pausing to honor those who have died.
Parish activities could include:
special Prayer Services
parish wide cleanup
community service project
recognition of lost souls during the last year
engaging local Boys and Girls Scouting troops
evening or midday service to recognize active-duty armed forces members
Church camp focus/preparation
Habitat for Humanity volunteers;
breakfast for children and grandchildren, or
other outdoor activities with youth and the parish family.
Please remain flexible for the four-day period depending on work schedules and other planned activities. Make sure to be all inclusive for your entire congregation. Take pictures to memorialize these acts of love and service.
Register your parish name, location and planned projects as a participant by email to info@brothersandrew.net, call 502-450-5640 or text 502-889-6080. And don't forget to submit pictures and description of your service experience to editor@brothersandrew.net following the event. Thank you for your service.
2025 Sweepstakes to Fund Veteran Ministries
By Jeff Butcher, Stewardship & Generosity Commission Chair
The Brotherhood of St. Andrew has been actively involved in promoting and supporting Ministry to Veterans and their families since World War 1. Sixty-six Brotherhood member Episcopal congregations have signed up to be a part of the Veteran Military Friendly Congregations (VMFC), a program coordinated by the Military Chaplains Association (MCA). There are currently 234 VMFC in the United States. One of our goals is to increase the total number of VMFC congregations by at least 10%. The mission of VMFC is to bring our service men and women closer to God and highlight the healing power of God.
The Brotherhood of St. Andrew “Year of the Veteran” grant giveaway goal is to raise not less than $25,000 - $2500 of the funds raised will go to the five $500 winners and the balance of the funds will go to the “Year of the Veteran Grant Fund” to fund competitive grants for congregations that have applied to expand or develop a ministry designed to support active-duty military, national guard, reservists and military veterans. Additionally, these grants may be used to support Gold Star and Blue Star family members and veterans or service members with disabilities.
The Giveaway ticket sales will be open to any individual or faith-based congregation beginning September 15 via email. The tickets for the sweepstakes sell for $10 per ticket or 10 tickets for $100. Five (5) winners will be computer-selected and announced on Veterans Day 2025, November 11. The remainder of the funds raised will go into the “Year of the Veteran Grant Fund” managed by the Brotherhood of St Andrew.
Any faith-based congregation can apply for one of the nine $2500 competitive grants to be awarded by March of 2026.
The number of grants awarded will, of course, depend on the number of sweepstakes tickets sold.
Texting on Campus & in Life
Directly Speaking by Tom Welch, Ex. Dr.
Last week while I was on vacation I made the time to catch up on several news feeds to which I pay rather close attention. One of them spoke to the huge number of school districts that have now made their classrooms "CELL-FREE" zones. This is also the case in the Knoxville, Tennessee, area where my daughter teaches teens with "diverse-abilities." She's seen an instant change ... INSTANT.
In schools one of the things that research has shown is an immediate increase in actually TALKING to one another. Once quiet lunchrooms are full of talk and laughter. Inflammatory texting and social media posts are markedly down. Grades are up. Class disruptions have diminished. Now I don't know about you, dear reader, but I grew up without cell phones. Sometimes I think the world was a better place without them. I also read a great deal of church news, both local and national, in and out of the Anglican Communion about shifts in how we disciple.
Things one can glean from such searches are reminders like: tone of voice can't be clearly determined in a text, "auto-fill" can be a disaster if we aren't careful, less eye strain, they are impersonal, often there is no "pause" to think before firing a text off, they are often ignored or not checked until hours or days later and there is a different type of feedback less wholesome than in-person conversations, Facetime or calls.
There is no sufficient substitute for "real" facetime with one another. During and following the pandemic there was widespread thought that in-person conventions, learning and such would become a thing of the past. Research shows those experts have been proven wrong.
The same can be said in discipleship efforts. Dynamics change when we are in person. Deep friendships can be formed. Praying together in a chapel changes things. Two of my most treasured new friendships of the last two years within the Brotherhood took shape during prayer time at a chapel after our group meeting was over.
In recent years I often turn to the FNV of scripture. That's the "first nation's version," how indigenous persons in what is now known as North America would interpret scripture. Consider in your own study of scripture seeing what the Choctaw, Sioux, Lakota, Cherokee and other natives to this land would see as they read. In Hebrews 10:25-25 FNV we read: "We should think about how to stir each other up toward love and doing good. To do this we must never give up on gathering together as some have. Instead, we should encourage one another all the more as you see the day of His appearing coming near."
We have learned what a mistake it is to live and function in isolation or through impersonal means of communicating (and nurturing) in recent years. It was so dramatic that the classrooms across America already making a cultural shift back in creating a healthier environment for mental health, personal learning and social skills without the immediate impact of texting and instant social media posts. Pray to the Great Creator (FNV) that we as a church and the Brotherhood do so as well. The world will be better for it.
SECOND TUESDAY DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR
The monthly seminar is always on the second Tuesday of each month at 8 pm/Eastern.
By Jeff Butcher, Sr. VP for Administration & Historian
Research organizations are releasing data now portraying that the decline in church attendance and baptisms may have bottomed out and are starting to rebound. Praise the Lord! This is a train the Brotherhood needs to climb aboard immediately.
The National Service Center is creating a new database of ZOOM and hybrid chapter meetings. We have nearly 900 brothers who are listing themselves as Members at Large (MAL) who are searching for fellowship. Can you help them out?Please send your chapter’s name, ZOOM link, dates and times of your Zoom or Hybrid men’s ministry gatherings? We would also appreciate contact name with a text-accepting phone number. Either email your information to info@brothersandrew.net or send notice via USPS to BStA, P.O. Box 1382, Louisville, KY 40201.
NEW DAY & TIME for Members-at-Large Meeting
Starting today, August 20, the Member-At-Large (MAL) Zoom meeting is on the third Wednesday of each month at 8:30 p.m. (Eastern) and can be accessed via Zoom at:
Additionally, the National Service Center has begun assembling a complete list of chapters' Zoom and Hybrid meetings specifically targeted for a MAL's benefit. Listed below are chapter meetings available to engage in fellowship.
The membership committee and the National Council wish to recognize chapters who strongly support our ministry by presenting them with the Houghteling Award, named after our founder. The award criteria required:
making sure 75% of the chapter membership had paid dues for 2025 in a timely manner, AND
providing a 2024 annual chapter report including names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mails of members and an officer roster no later than January 31, 2025.
This year 25 chapters met the criteria and are so recognized:
Advent #5454S, Sun City West, Arizona
Christ #5068S, Pensacola, Florida
Christ #2219S Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Church of Ascension #5206S, Knoxville, Tennessee
Church of the Good Shepherd #5041S, Silver City, New Mexico
Church of the Good Shepherd #5259S, Friendswood, Texas
Church of Our Savior #5121S, Palm Bay, Florida
Church of Transfiguration #5392S, Opa Locka, Florida
Holy Comforter #4706S, Spring, Texas
Holy Trinity #5461S, Hot Springs Village, Arkansas
Holy Trinity #0079S, Gainesville, Florida
Holy Trinity #2225S, Decatur, Georgia
Holy Trinity by the Lake #4699S, Rockwall, Texas
St. Georges #5136S, The Villages, Florida
St. Johns #4854S, Naperville, Illinois
St. Johns #3816S, Tulsa, Oklahoma
St. Joseph #5173S, Boynton Beach, Florida
St. Marks #1552S, Islip, New York
St. Marys #2187S, High Point, North Carolina
St. Pauls by the Sea #1770S, Jacksonville Beach, Florida
St. Timothys #5058S, Centennial, Colorado
St. Timothys #3716S, Lake Jackson, Texas
Trinity #2048S, Mattoon, Illinois
Trinity #1037S, Elkton, Maryland
Trinity #0284S, Fredericksburg, Virginia
JOIN US IN PRAYER EACH WEEK
Mid-Week, Mid-Day, "12:00 Central Time"
What better way to level set during the middle of the week? We will hold a weekly Wednesday noon (Central) prayer time over ZOOM that is open to all brothers and guests. Let's pray for the Brotherhood, for our Brothers, and even share some stories of how Prayer has impacted you or someone you know!
We can all spare 20 minutes in prayer. It's like stopping at the faith service station to fill your prayer tank!
Please join us every week when you can to recharge your prayer batteries!
The Brotherhood of St. Andrew, The Brooklyn and Queens Assemblies, and The Diocese of Chicago wish to remind you to join the weekly Bible Study on Thursdays, 8 p.m. EDT/ 7 p.m. CDT/ 6 p.m. MDT/ 5 p.m. PDT. Joining this group will allow you to continue to gain deeper knowledge, awareness, and understanding of the Bible.
BIBLE STUDY ID: 448 502 7479 (no password necessary)
2. By PHONE:
646-876-9923
ENTER ID#: 448 502 7479, THEN PRESS #
'Wow! That was nice to get a call!'
New members to receive "welcome call" from
their Province President and/or Diocesan Leaders
New members are starting to receive email notification from the Service Center when their complete and funded applications are processed. Packets are also sent via USPS. Often, our Executive Director Tom Welch, makes a welcome call. Our senior leadership wants to take it a step closer to the ground. Each member of the Brotherhood has a Province President, and many have a Diocesan Coordinator contact. These Brotherhood leaders are tasked with reaching out to new members. They actually have fun building connections. It's something a text can't do nearly as effectively. "What province am I in?" A map is below.
Every month province presidents receive a list of the new members in his province. You should have already received a welcome call from him by now or will in the near future. It's all about building connections so we may build community and leadership. One or more of our leaders will be calling new members by phone, so you may see an odd phone number show on your phone. Take a chance and see if it is a new Brotherhood friend on the other end. They would like to get to know you.
Likewise, every month for those new members who have indicated an interest in one or more of our seven ministries, that Ministry VP will also receive your name and plug new members into that ministry silo.
If new members aren't able to answer the call, our leaders will leave a message for a call back opportunity from our new members. What makes a new member join? What does their parish look like? What would they share to others about the Brotherhood? These are the type of questions we want to learn so we may grow in the Lord together.
A special welcome to these new members joining since August 20:
Senior Members:
Henry Richard Gooden
Fort Lauderdale
FL
Church of Atonement - FL 5027S
Lenworth Kerr
Fort Lauderdale
FL
Church of Atonement - FL 5027S
James Kimbrough
Brazoria
TX
St Timothys Episc - TX 3716S
Murph Samuels
Fort Lauderdale
FL
Church of Atonement - FL 5027S
Robert Samuels
Fort Lauderdale
FL
Church of Atonement - FL 5027S
An Invitation from One of Our Life Member Partners
Coming This September
Equipping New Leaders: Laying the Administrative Foundation for Vestries and Parish Administrators 9/4 @ 3:00pm ET
Beyond Borders: Empowering Your Ministry with Immigrant Communities 9/9 @ 3:00pm ET
Sustaining Your Ministry: A Practical Guide to Preventing or Recovering Clergy Burnout 9/16 @ 3:00pm ET
Love Thy Neighborhood: Congregational Engagement as a Path to Vitality and Relevance 9/17 @ 3:00pm ET
Church Treasurers: Managers or Leaders? 9/22 @. 3:00pm ET
Blue Books, Red Vestments, and White Papers: Everything You Need to Know About General Convention 9/29 @ 3:00pm ET
More workshops are being added regularly. Check the Upcoming Workshops page for additions and details.
Kathy Copas, our editor, would like to include more news of chapter events and ministry meetings or events. If you have something to share, please send it to
