4 years ago

The Electronic Communications Ministry
of St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church
15050 W. Maple Rd.
Omaha, Nebraska, 68116
Bruce Davis, Editor
Web site: www.standrewsomaha.net
Access the monthly newsletter by this link:
http://www.standrewsomaha.net/downloads/Augprint.pdf
LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE GOD
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THIS IS COVENANT WEEKEND
Saturday, September 19, 5:00
Sunday, September 20, 8:30 & 10:00
Bruce Davis preaching: DEFYING GRAVITY
Emily Koonce and Tara Stark will sing the title song, accompanied by Adam Witte.
The St. Andrew’s Singers will make their fall debut on Sunday, presenting IN THE SANCTUARY. We invite you to join them for practice, Wednesday at 7:00 and sing with us this weekend!
The Saturday Evening Praiseathonics will offer WALK ON WATER!

Children’s Church School Classes meet during the 5:00 hour on Saturday and 10:00 on Sunday. Our Youth Education hour is 10:00 on Sunday

This is the 17th Anniversary of St. Andrew’s CHARTER SUNDAY. In September 1992, the congregation went “on line” as a full-fledged United Methodist congregation. As is our tradition, we’ll invite Saints of Andrew to renew their covenant with God and each other. If you want to see what that looks like, check out the August newsletter, which can accessed by the link posted above.
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Four years ago today was perhaps the strangest day of my life. Nancy and I were packed and ready to leave Springfield, Missouri, to make the move to Omaha. My parents had been living in Springfield the past several years and my dad was clearly nearing the end of his year-long battle with lung cancer. With our stuff loaded on the moving van, Nancy and I spent our last night in Springfield in a motel. We went by my parents’ place to say goodbye. Dad and I had a long talk in his room. He wasn’t concerned about his own life, at this point, but about my mother. I assured him everything was thought through. Nancy and I went back to the motel. I woke up the next morning, went to pick up the cats at the kitty boarding house. While there, I received a call from Nancy who told me mother had just called to say she thought dad had died. If that sounds confusing to you, it does not compare to the confusion of that morning. I went to mom and dad’s place. He was in fact dead. The mortuary people came and went. I wasn’t sure what to do next. Other family had arrived. Nancy had already taken the cats and headed north. So I went north too, Springsteen turned up to maximum volume on the car CD system with the intention that I wouldn’t be able to hear myself think.
The scripture promises that the Grace of God will be sufficient to our needs, and I am here to testify to the truth of that promise. God has been very good to the Reverends Davis and Davis these past four years. I am so thankful for so many things this morning, including one of the most memorable weekends of worship I’ve experienced in 35-plus years of ministry. I’m happy to report my mother, who has since moved to Texas, is thriving. And these are dynamic days at St. Andrew’s. To think that God would bring Nancy and me to one of the few places in United Methodism with the talent and temperament to do what we did this weekend… Wow. God is GOOD!
I might add that ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE: THE EXTENDED PLAY VERSION was a truly collaborative effort. I had the vision and developed the blueprint, but almost everyone involved contributed to the creative process. I love working with Adam Witte; he’s a genuine co-collaborator on these projects. Pam Fleury is always incredibly helpful, with terrific ideas for maximizing vocal impact. I trust the featured singers to contribute their own interpretations of what I’ve put before them and the results never cease to amaze. And what can I say about the best church rock and roll band any of us are ever likely to hear!
And that takes me back to my dad, the Reverend Richard Davis. When pop was preaching in places like Paris, Missouri, I doubt that he could have imagined a Methodist congregation doing the things St. Andrew’s is doing. But The Reverend never expected me to do things the way he did. I think some of my stuff bemused him, but he was always encouraging. After all, his own father had been a Methodist preacher, and the things Richard was doing to Share The Gospel in his generation would have been different than what old DR Davis had been up to in Depression-era Defiance, Missouri. Someday we’ll all be around the throne, singing Holy, Holy, Holy!
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From SHIRLEY KATHKA
This Sunday, Sept. 20th marks the 50th Annual Camp Fontanelle BBQ. This is a great family event, and a fund-raiser for the camp. Plan to spend the day enjoying the hiking trails, BBQ dinner, entertainment, laser tag, corn maze, animals at the barn, quilt auction, worship, and much much more. Camp Fontanelle is just a short, pretty drive from Omaha. Go to campfontanelle.com for the complete schedule and directions. Hope to see you there - don't forget to wear your camp t-shirt if you have one!
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From STACEY OLSON: Once again the Uta Halee Residential Education Dept will be participating in the HyVee Cash for Students. Starting Monday, September 21 through Thursday, December 31st please save any receipt from HyVee groceries, pharmacy or gas station. Our school will earn $1.00 for ever $200.00 spent in HyVee. All you have to do is put them in the Big envelope on the bulletin board in the entrty way or give them to Stacey Olson. We will take care of the rest!!! This is a big fund raiser for us and any help if appreciated.*
From Bob Davis: PAINT-A-THON 2009! A few of our St. Andrew’s youth spent their Saturday being a part of BRUSH UP NEBRASKA. They painted a woman’s home. The lady was so happy! She was unable physically to do it for herself and was just so pleased that kids would come and help her out! I would like to thank parents Ed and Kathy Johansen, Jodi Reerink, Sandi Dawson, Lori Schilling, LuAnn Larson, and adult volunteers Stacy Fritz and Jen Beck. Also thank you to all the kids who helped: Tyhler, Jaeda, Mark, David, Austin, Taylor, Alex, Sarah, Natalie, Sydney, Scott, Michael, Amber, Miranda S., Miranda M., Lauren L., and Lauren M.
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READING THE BIBLE THROUGH THE YEAR
Morning Evening
2 Corinthians Proverbs
9/14 7 19, 20, 21
9/15 8 22, 23, 24
9/16 9 25, 26
9/17 10 27, 28, 29
9/18 11. 1-15 30, 31
Ecclesiastes
9/19 11. 16-33 1, 2, 3
9/20 12 4, 5, 6
9/21 13 7, 8, 9
Galatians
9/22 1 10, 11, 12
Song Of Solomon
9/23 2 1, 2, 3
9/24 3 4, 5
9/25 4 6, 7, 8
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Will you pray with me?

Lord God, I thank you for the wonderful things you’re doing in our generations of the church. We are “surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses” who have gone before us in the Christian faith, twenty centuries of believers! At St. Andrew’s, we look at all the children in our midst and are pleased to think we’re involved in the faith formation of a new generation who will “tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love.” And they in turn will tell their children, and we’ll be part of “the cloud of witnesses” ourselves. Very cool. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Amen.

BRD