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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 130, "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:
Join Reverand Cannon Stephanie Spellers, author of "Church Tomorrow?" as she talks about the church today and what moves people to become active in church.
Upcoming Speakers:
October: Sam Black addressing Human Trafficking and Pornography
November: TBA
December: Most Rev. Sean Rowe, Presiding Bishop
GONE FISHING
Directly Speaking
By Tom Welch, Executive Director
You've probably noticed in recent weeks we have had our Sunday lectionary readings from Matthew. Jesus has calmed the seas and walked on water to his lot of fishermen of men. This Sunday (August 23) the reading from Matthew will end with, "Then he silently ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah."
Think about that for a moment. By this time the disciples have seen more miracles than we have recorded in scripture. With each of these absolutely mind-blowing experiences we get to this point and Christ tells them to hush up about who he really is. Really? Are you kidding me? Yet, this is what he says in the context of the times.
Today we find ourselves in a land far different from the first century. A few decades back our Presiding Bishop at the time called for a "decade of evangelism." In that decade I've never heard the church be so silent. For me, I was a young adult, having just experienced a retreat called "cursillo" (ker-see-yo). It was hard to keep quiet about the fact that we, as laity, are the most powerful force for change in the church.
We have moved from a clergy-led, lay-supported model of evangelism in the last thirty years to just the opposite. Lay-led and clergy-supported congregations have become the norm. Of the nearly 6,000 Episcopal churches in the USA, 1,700 or so of them have an Average Sunday Attendance of less than 35. Think about that for a moment. Truly, it is good news. It means the laity have a priceless ministry in the communities like we haven't seen in over 150 years. Just like in the 1st century, we are fishers of men, women, children...all of God's people.
As laity, we have nothing to fear, nothing to hide about our stories of how Christ has touched our lives. So, the next time you have a chance to swat at a golf ball, play pickle ball, or go fishing, by all means share your story.
Christ is counting on you, and so are the rest of us.
Triennial Convention News
Remember in 2024 our Keynote Speaker?
It was none other than Teddy Roosevelt, the US President who signed our Articles of Incorporation from the 60th Congress in 1908.
We have an even more noteworthy Keynote Speaker candidate from our first years of existence trying to make it to our June 2027 Convention.
STAY TUNED
Mark your calendars now for:
St. James Cathedral, Chicago, Illinois
June 16-19, 2027
PLEASE WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Members Joining Since August 5, 2026:
Senior Members
Gerald Adams
Atlanta
GA
Church Good ShepherdNY 5180S
Ken Looper
Fontana
CA
St Peters Episcopal- CA5426S
Life Members
John Kelly
Tulsa
OK
St Johns Episcopal - OK3816S
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2026 Memberships In Good Standing
(through 8/17/2026)
1556 Senior Members
including 263 New Members!
15 Junior Members
49 Associate Members
394 Life Members
That's 2,014 total!
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New or Re-Chartering Chapters for 2026
ELEVEN Chapters in TEN Different States
Calvary Episcopal #0935S, Americus, GA
St. Mary's Episcopal #5470S, Andalusia, AL
St. James Episcopal #5093S, Dallas, TX
St. Mary's Episcopal #4619S, Palmetto, FL
St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral #1692S, Oklahoma City, OK
Good Shepherd Episcopal #5022S, Centennial, CO
St. Christopher's Community #5471S, Olympia, WA
St. Paul's Episcopal #2407S, Leavenworth, KS
St. Andrew's Episcopal #3242S, Amarillo, TX
Immanuel on the Green Episcopal #1293S, New Castle, DE
Church of the Epiphany #5472S, Vacaville, CA
Special Initiative for Scouting Emblem
by Mel Chapman, Vice President of Brotherhood Scouting Ministry
The mission of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew is to bring men and youth to Christ. The Brotherhood endeavors to accomplish this mission through the threefold disciplines of Prayer, Study, and Service. One of the key areas of service is the support of Scouting. Our Brotherhood Scouting Committee is engaged in a new initiative to enroll more youth the Religious Emblems program. We hope to reverse the decline in the number of youth participating in this program of Christian formation. Last year, only 57 Cub Scouts and 53 Scouts completed the program! We can, should and must do better!
The core of this initiative is the content of the program. We are working to enhance the materials with more emphasis on the liturgical and sacramental life of our Church. The outward and visible sign of the program is the emblem Scouts are awarded upon completion.
The emblem we have been using for several years is a lovely generic emblem awarded to Scouts from a variety of communions. Before this emblem, the Episcopal emblems displayed the shield of The Episcopal Church. We have been coordinating with P.R.A.Y., the organization that administers the program, to design a set of emblems that reflects the earlier Episcopal emblem with the shield by which this Church is known and recognized. Here are images:
Emblems for Cub Scouts do not have a ribbon. Instead, the Shield is suspended from a bar with the name of the program (God and Me, God and Family). The shield of The Episcopal Church will replace the generic shield on all emblems.
To accomplish this part of the renewed emphasis, we need to supply P.R.A.Y. with an initial inventory of emblems. When that supply is depleted, it will be the responsibility of P.R.A.Y. to replenish it. Our aim is to have 500 of each of the four emblems (God and Me, God and Family, God and Church, God and Life) produced and given to P.R.A.Y. for distribution to Scouts who have completed the programs.
Here’s where we need your help. We need to raise $8,000 to produce the initial supply of Episcopal emblems. A challenge gift of $1,000 has already been committed for this endeavor. We are hoping you will see the value of this renewed emphasis and make a generous contribution today. You can give online at
or by mailing a check made to the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, P.O. Box 1382, Louisville, KY 40201. Be sure to write “Religious Emblems” in the memo line.
BUILDING THE PRISON MINISTRY NETWORK
by Jim Cutshall, Vice President of Brotherhood Prison Ministry
We have a number of brothers who are engaged in prison ministry or may be interested in being a part of it.
We plan to create a prison ministry network through a database.
We are trying to contact members who are either involved in prison ministry or want information on how they can become involved.
This information will only be used within the Brotherhood for prison ministry.
The link below will give us information on those that are involved and those that may want to get additional information.
We hope to use the network to share information and help those that want to become involved in prison ministry.
Please look at the opportunity you may have to bring light to a dark place by getting involved in prison ministry.We have people involved in Kairos Prison Ministry, lay ministry, teaching and mentoring to name a few.There is also the potential of AA chapters and veteran groups within prisons that cut across other emphasis areas of the Brotherhood.
So, please take a few minutes, click on the link below, fill in the blanks and follow the directions and it will be sent to me.
In the spirit of “one-member one-vote,” we are making efforts to share Executive Board activities like meeting agendas, approved Executive Board minutes, approved financial reports, board summaries, and Ministry activities with our membership. Your active membership will allow you to enter the “members-only” pages on our brothersandrew.net website to view these documents.
MEMBERS-ONLY PAGES LOGIN ON WEBSITE
To login to the "members-only" pages on the brothersandrew.net website, you will use your membership email address (the email address that this email was sent to) and your password set by you. If you don't remember your password, you can reset it (or set it up) by clicking the "Having trouble logging in?" question or this link:
BStA to Recognize Dedication & Good Works with Annual Awards
By Jeff Butcher, Sr. VP/Administration
The Brotherhood of St Andrew is seeking nominations for several annual awards for achievement by Chapters and individuals. Here is a listing of the annual awards for 2026.
Chapter Awards Nominations may be made by Chapters, who may self- nominate for the award.
Golden Compass Award – For membership growth, sponsoring new and rechartered chapters, service in the community and participation in the missions of the Brotherhood.
Silver Anniversary Award – For continuous chapter service over a 25-year period.
Individual Awards Nominations may be made for an individual by an individual, Chapter or Assembly. A person cannot self-nominate.
Kingdom Builder Award – For an individual who has given outstanding service and dedication to men’s ministry. Eligibility for this award includes brothers and non-brothers who have demonstrated these qualities.
Presidential Citation Award – For a Brother recognized for a special project beyond the normal routines.
Associate Recognition Award – For a female who, through their efforts has supported the Brotherhood. This may be a female Clergy or associate member of a local chapter.
St. George's Award – For an individual who has given exemplary volunteer service to the Boy or Girl Scoutsorganizations for a lengthy period of time.
A Nomination Committee is being formed. To date the volunteers of this committee are:
Don Candy
Larry Maxwell
Bill Powell
John Curtis, Chair
We are searching for additional volunteers to fill out the nomination committee. The plan is to complete the committee with Brothers from all the several geographic areas of the Brotherhood.
We ask for your worthy nominations. They should be sent by email tojohnandjanie@att.netand sent to be received by November 1, 2026. If you have any questions, you may contact John at 214-708-9839.
Awards will be made on St. Andrew's Sunday, November 29, 2026.
(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).
Let's spend 20 minutes to pray for the Brotherhood, for our Brothers, and even share some stories of how Prayer has impacted you or someone you know! It's like stopping at the faith service station to fill your prayer tank! It's simple ... we already have the script made out (in our devotional handbook or The Book of Common Prayer)!If you'd like to help lead one of the prayer sessions, contactroy.benavides@brothersandrew.net
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. Joining this group will allow you to continue to gain deeper knowledge, awareness, and understanding of the Bible. If you have questions, please emailnychibiblestudy@gmail.com.
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.
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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