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 117, "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:
Okay. I confess it. Your Executive Director is not a fan of Lent. There. I said it. Dreary lessons. Dreary songs. Then I think of Psalm 95. It will come up in our Sunday eucharists in a couple of weeks. Most of us know it as one of the psalms used in Morning Prayer.
The thing many of us may forget or be unaware of is that in the time before Christ, songs of both lament and celebration would often be held within the same event or gathering. Think of how we handle Advent. We look for the coming of the Christ Child, then celebrate for weeks. Again, the same cycle we are in now for these next 40 days, anticipation.
Psalm 95 is one of those places where we see a clear pivot from praise to another tone entirely by v. 7. Take a look at it (BCP p. 724). Reflect on it for a few minutes. Look at the change in tone. The punctuation marks and their placement, for example.
Now, think about it in our own lives within this "fellowship of friendships grounded in faith." My, my, how often we see both lament and celebration in the same chapter meeting. For those of us like me, a Brotherhood Member-at-Large, we can also see such in small prayer groups or Sunday school.
The key to all of this is one word: community. Our faiths were meant to be lived out in community, in fellowship with one another. Lean into that opportunity this Lent. I believe if you do, Easter will have a new level of joy!
Members-at-Large Meet Monthly TONIGHT!
The Member-At-Large (MAL) Zoom meeting meets 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.
Province III President Gregory Evans and Executive Director Tom Welch are pleased to invite brothers in and out of Province III to this exceptional event. (Date has been changed due to the expected weather.) This year we are expanding the agenda to include:
Tour of the St. Nicholas Center (the largest collection of St. Nicholas’ in the Anglican Communion).
Tour and brief remarks about the large Assyrian Relief panel in Bicentennial Hall by a VTS professor.
Display and explanation from the Rare Documents Department at the Bishop Payne Library. Included among the rare books will be one of only a few bibles known to remain that were published by the US Congress in the 19th century. Library staff will share a bit of the history and significance of the collection.
A workshop with Tom Welch, Q&A, and remarks from Prov. Pres. Gregory Evans.
We will need your registration to prepare for the event. Please use the link or qr code below:
WE NEED YOUR HELP! And we know that you're out there just waiting to be asked. So, we need to say, join us as a volunteer and help us.
We have a number of volunteer position vacancies that we need your help. Please consider that we need volunteers to fill key positions at the Province, Diocesan, and national ministry levels. It is critical to have local leaders to assist us in these support positions.
The following positions at the Province Level are vacant:
Province I; Province IV: (Western IV and Eastern IV); and Province V. All Provinces need Diocesan Coordinators who work with Province Presidents.
We need leaders for several ministry positions.
If you are curious, interested, or know of someone who is "ideal" for a position, call Jeff Butcher or Roy Benavides. Let's filler-up!! (ugh).
“In the Episcopal Church, we are guided by the vision of Becoming Beloved Community, our church’s long-term commitment to racial justice, healing, and reconciliation. We’re all on a lifelong journey toward God’s dream, taking intentional and faithful steps as if moving through a labyrinth.”
“Becoming Beloved Community” is driving our initial thoughts and efforts of the Brotherhood ministry in this area. As we talked, we focused on the ongoing need to promote the Sacred Ground program and to support our brothers in this essential Christian formation. Sacred Ground Dialogue Circles are a key element in our effort toBecome a Beloved Community.
“Truth-telling: Telling the Truth about Our Churches and Race
Baptismal Promise: Persevere in resisting evil, and whenever we fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord. Core Questions: What racial/cultural/ethnic groups are in our church? Who have we excluded or included?
Proclamation: Proclaiming the Dream of Beloved Community
Baptismal Promise: Proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ. Core Questions: How has our city/town/area participated in racial injustice or healing over time? What's happening today? What is our dream for Beloved Community? Whatbehaviors and practices foster it?
Baptismal Promise: Seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves. Core Questions: How will we grow as reconcilers, healers, and justice-bearers? What activities, practices, learning and experiences would (trans)form us? How will we share stories and grow relationship?
Justice:Repairing the Breach in Society and Institutions”
Baptismal Promise: Strive for justice and peace among all people & respect the dignity of every human being. Core Questions: What institutions and systems bear the signs of racial injustice? How will we participate in the repair, restoration and healing of people, institutions and systems?
As a men’s ministry in the Angelica communion, it is most appropriate that we use these elements as our basis for moving forward, keeping our Baptismal vows.
How will we encourage this?
By being a Community animated by a non-clinging, self-emptying, persistent love that drives the members to pursue wholeness and kindness. In it, the individual and the collective strive and sacrifice for the sake of the greater whole and for the end of all forms of domination and oppression that diminish the children of God.
Howard Thurman in his Book Jesus and The Disinherited wrote "'The first step toward love is a common sharing of a sense of mutual worth and value. This cannot be discovered in a vacuum or in a series of artificial or hypothetical relationships. It has to be in a real situation, natural, free."
JOIN US!
NEWLY SCHEDULED ACTIVITY
Brothers, in addition to our weekly Mid-Day Mid-Week Prayers, we are scheduling a weekly end-of-day Order for Compline each Sunday at 9 PM Eastern Time.
The monthly seminar is always on the second Tuesday of each month at 8 pm/Eastern.
Hosted by: President Roy Benavides & Sr. VP Jeff Butcher
PLEASE WELCOME NEW CHAPTERS AND NEW MEMBERS
New or Renewed Chapters since January 1, 2026
Calvary Episcopal
Americus
GA
Chapter #0935S
St. Mary's Episcopal
Andalusia
AL
Chapter #5470S
Members Joining since February 4:
Senior Members
Jeffrey L Adams
Fredericksburg
VA
Trinity Episcopal - VA0284S
Josh Atkinson
Andalusia
AL
St Marys Episcopal - AL 5470S
Bill Avant
Andalusia
AL
St Marys Episcopal - AL 5470S
George Barnes
Andalusia
AL
St Marys Episcopal - AL 5470S
Kyle Baumgartner
Andalusia
AL
St Marys Episcopal - AL 5470S
Jeffrey Birge
Andalusia
AL
St Marys Episcopal - AL 5470S
Walter Cashatt
Ayden
NC
St Timothys Episc - NC5283S
Ben Cooper
Opp
AL
St Marys Episcopal - AL 5470S
David Daniel
Brantley
AL
St Marys Episcopal - AL 5470S
Ben Dargan
Aurora
CO
St Martin In Fields - CO 5408S
Cornelius Glas-Miller
Bellevue
NE
Member-at-Large
Marc Gutierrez
Buffalo
NY
Member-at-Large
Jamie Johnson
Andalusia
AL
St Marys Episcopal - AL 5470S
Richard Kleindienst Sr
The Villages
FL
St Georges Episc - FL5136S
James Labastida
Red Oak
TX
St Anne Episc - TX5203S
Paul Labastida
Cedar Hill
TX
St Anne Episc - TX5203S
Rob Long
Princeton
NJ
Member-at-Large
Eric Mancil
Andalusia
AL
St Marys Episcopal - AL 5470S
Tomas Molave
Andalusia
AL
St Marys Episcopal - AL 5470S
Patric Newton
Andalusia
AL
St Marys Episcopal - AL 5470S
Shannon Scott
Vacaville
CA
Member-at-Large
Lee Sleeper
Bullard
TX
Christ Church - TX3724S
Billy Suggs
Winterville
NC
St Timothys Episc - NC5283S
Riley Hill Taylor
Andalusia
AL
St Marys Episcopal - AL 5470S
Shawn Taylor
Andalusia
AL
St Marys Episcopal - AL 5470S
Martin Van Zandt
Vacaville
CA
Member-at-Large
Peter W Vanderlaan
Newberry
FL
Holy Trinity Episc - FL0079S
Donald Weidler
Andalusia
AL
St Marys Episcopal - AL 5470S
Dan Yoder
Greenville
NC
St Timothys Episc - NC5283S
2026 Membership Updates (through 2/17/2026)
877 Senior Members
including 86 New Members!
7 Junior Members
17 Associate Members
393 Life Members
That's 1294 total!
YEAR OF THE VETERAN GRANT APPLICATION
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 all 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 in 2025, raised enough funds to award three (3) $500 mini grants and one (1) $2500 Year of the Veteran Matching grant. These funds may be used to expand or develop a ministry designed to assist or 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.
Any faith-based congregation can apply for the grants to be awarded on April 30, 2026. The application form is now available ONLINE HERE.
THE BROTHERHOOD OF ST. ANDREW HAS BEEN PART OF THE MEN’S STUDY SERIES KNOWN AS PROJECT 12 FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
Please consider the series as a potential opportunity for your chapter or group of men to study and interact on one of the topics in the Lifeline Series.
“It started on a patio. Two men sat there talking about what God was doing in their lives and ministries. Diverse in more than just age and geography, these two men discussed how building men was not a cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all approach There was a desire expressed to gather a group of effective men’s leaders from all over the country to share what God was doing. This was the beginning of the A-Team.
Fast forward to 2014, and over 25 men gathered in the Midwest at a retreat center to learn from each other and celebrate how God was working in their lives to change their communities. One of the outcomes of these conversations was to gather a list of great faithful resources to point men towards to help, teach, and grow.
The Project Twelve concept emerged. Twelve guys following Jesus. Twelve months in a year. Perhaps this group could help men follow Jesus year-round like the original twelve guys did. Welcome to Project Twelve.”
The programs can be found at www.projecttwelve.net. They are called Lifelines. They were just recently released. They are faith-based roadmaps for every generation. According to the outline, each of the six segments has six blocks. If you did one per week, it would last at least 36 weeks. Each is based on the Serendipity Bible.
We are part of the original group that established Project Twelve five years ago. There are seven different denominations/ministries, and 13 individuals who contributed to the writings. There is no charge for tapping into the various programs.
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.
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
LOCATION: 620 South Third Street, Suite 203, Louisville, KY 40202
MAILING: P.O. Box 1382, Louisville, KY 40201
502-450-5640 www.BrothersAndrew.net 502-930-0658
Disclaimer:If you unsubscribe to Brotherhood of St. Andrew emails, you will no longer receive any communication from the National Service Center including donation receipts, dues reminders, announcements, and special invitations to events happening near you. To resubscribe, you will have to send an email to admin@brothersandrew.net to be added back to the database.
