What a year! Much of the year was spent in anticipation and planning of St. Andrew’s 50th anniversary celebration. Various committees met for months to plan for this memorable celebration. A feast was enjoyed by all followed by a humorous and sometimes tearful walk down memory lane with pictures, story telling and some guest appearances. A job well done to all involved. Thank you!
Along the way we also enjoyed some old traditions, such as the 
progressive supper starting at the home of you
rs truly. The gang then headed for the Stine’s home for salads and the main course, and we ended at the Hase’s for dessert and karaoke! It was a memorable night.
We also tried a new tradition in having a Seder supper held on Maundy Thursday. Forty-eight people enjoyed food, tradition, and lessons. It was so well received; expect a repeat in the year to come.
Other events to be
proud of included our annual vacation bible school where children from our congregation and the community came for a week of bible stories, songs, fellowship, and a fantastic game show where all came out a winner!
Another fun experience was the “Daughter” event. We donned our aprons (or our blue jeans), shared salads, sandwiches and stories about “the good old days.” T
hanks to Carol Bingham and all who helped organize this event.
St. Andrew has also taken steps to reach out and connect via the world wide web and increased use of email to our congregation members. We updated our website www.standrewarvada.org and created a web log (blog) www.standrewarvada.com. In the future we will continue to explore internet options including social media. (Are you on Facebook?)
The September anniversary celebration was great and now it’s time to focus on “what’s next.” What’s ahead to celebrate? In what other ways can we bring congregation members together in fellowship? How can we reach out and minister in our neighborhood? What can we look forward to in the coming year? What should we hope for and dream about for St. Andrew?
We continue to care for the church and each other and I encourage each and every one of you to participate some how in the coming year. We are always grateful for worship assistants. Come show the choir what you’ve got. Attend a Senior Saints event. Consider joining council or taking on the role of Financial Secretary. It takes all of us to keep this family known as St. Andrew thriving. Get involved, whatever that is.