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"LEAD LIKE ANDREW"
Membership Newsletter Brotherhood of St. Andrew
Above: The Brotherhood Chapel Altar,
St. James Cathedral, Chicago, Illinois
Welcome to Our Bi-weekly Newsletter
Volume 125, "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:
For over 90 years, Forward Movement has inspired disciples and empowered evangelists by offering devotionals, Bible studies, formation courses and other resources to equip and support people in their walk with Jesus Christ.
By Brotherhood Executive Director Tom Welch, MDiv.
This past week President Roy Benavides; Sr. VP/Adm Jeff Butcher; National Council Chairman and Chancellor Billy Harrison joined me at St. James Cathedral in Chicago for a brief visit there. Objective #1 was to conduct a site tour of the recently renovated areas of the Cathedral for our next National Triennial Convention. We met with the cathedral dean, Rev. Lisa Hackney-James, Canon Robert Black, and other staff members. We anticipate making a formal announcement of both the site and date of our convention next summer after this month's board meeting. Stay tuned!
Br. Butcher and I returned from Chicago on Wednesday evening and met again in Orlando on Friday morning to meet with area brothers there. On Saturday the Church of the Holy Spirit in Apopka hosted a Brotherhood Summit for the Diocese of Central Florida. Three of the 24 brothers there were high-school seniors (Jr. Brotherhood Members). Sunday morning we made the short drive up to St. George's Episcopal Church in The Villages for worship and lunch afterwards in the parish hall with not only most of the congregation but some great conversations afterwards with some of the Brothers there. 100% of the nearly 30 members at St. George's were current with their dues.
Last week found me giving thanks for what we learned about Brotherhood activities at the local level, how common it is that we don't hear enough about the GREAT things going on in the field, and how you would have been so pleased and impressed with the efforts not only the Diocese of Central Florida, but throughout the entire state. (There are five dioceses in Florida.) Please send us news about your chapter so that we may share the story with others.
One of the things that was very humbling at both locations was how grateful the brothers were to actually hear and see in first-person names and faces they read about nearly every edition of our communications. The "post meeting reaction" surveys completed via a QR code on site at the workshop let us know we are on track. Before the workshop we fielded questions from the participants about what was important to them and what they wanted from the workshop. It was clear we delivered what they sought and more.
Your faithfulness to annual dues helps to fund our modest annual budget (less than $200,000) to help our members with their goals, staff the Service Center to field calls/requests/supply orders, etc. Imagine trying to manage a parish on such a modest budget. Yet, through your faithfulness, we do just that coast to coast. If you'd like to provide special gifts to the on-going ministries of the Brotherhood, use the link below with our deepest thanks. Know you are doing more than can be hoped or imagined with such. Thanks so much!
National President Roy Benavides has appointed Brother John E. Curtis, Holy Trinity by the Lake, Rockwell, Texas, as the new Awards & Decorations Commission Chair effective June 1, 2026.“Reconstituting this commission is long overdue,” President Benavides stated. Further Br. Roy shared, “We have been witnessing strong dedication to our Mission of bringing men and youth to Christ. It is time for us to recognize individual and chapter level service in a more appropriate manner.”
Br. Curtis and this commission will be using a two-pronged process to promote it and recruit four to six members from geographical areas building a representative body. The target date for announcing the various awards would be November 30, 2026. The awards and recognitions will center around exceptional levels of service, activity and engagement among our various ministries. Stay tuned for further announcements regarding these special recognitions, the criteria, applications, etc., later during the summer.
(YOUR) Help Wanted!!
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? What behaviors 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!
WEEKLY 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.
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 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
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