Ministries Overview
St. Andrew’s has a wide range of ministries for all ages, serving the larger community as well as our own congregation, and ranging from fellowship and social events to study and spiritual development.
| Ministry | Description | Contact person(s) |
| Acolytes | The ministry of acolytes at St. Andrew’s is one of service to God and God’s church, to the priest and to the congregation. The very word “acolyte” means one who serves. The acolytes serve as an integral part of the worship service, along with the priest and lay ministers. The vestments worn and the duties performed in assisting the priest can be traced back through almost two thousand years of history. At St. Andrew’s, we have adults as well as youth who serve as acolytes. Those who serve as acolytes are trained in their position, and become the s of respectful worship for the congregation. Acolytes regularly serve at the Sunday services, and for special occasions as needed. Acolytes must be at least 10 years of age to participate. | Steve Arthur |
| Adult Education | Through Education, we seek to understand the Bible and the lessons and insights it contains for our daily lives. | Martin Yabroff |
| Building and Grounds | This ministry is dedicated to keeping the church building and its surrounding grounds in excellent condition. St. Andrew’s facility has a very committed group of maintenance workers, from the mundane changing of light bulbs to the all-out cleaning frenzy, known as “Spiffing Day,” which is held at least two times a year with the whole congregation pitching in to help. This ministry is vital. The Building and Grounds team supervises repairs, upgrades, and general care for the church and its grounds. | Bill Brice |
| Parish Care Team | The St. Andrew’s Parish Care Team coordinates with the priest to help find support for parish members who need assistance. This assistance comes in the form of friendship visits, phone calls, transportation, minor home services, parish nursing, helping families with new babies and families with emergency needs. | Reberta Skinner, Pam Tinsley |
| Coffee Hour | The social hour is an important part of the parish life at St. Andrew’s. All who contribute to this ministry feel strongly that they are valued and appreciated. The 8 AM parishioners have a sign-up sheet available for two months at a time. The 10 AM parishioners serve on teams to provide coffee and treats. At the present time, each team hosts coffee hour roughly once every three months. Teamwork is a great way to share the load, and make it possible for all ages to participate rather than trying to do it individually. The church provides coffee, tea, juice, paper cups, plates, napkins and utensils, and the parishioners provide goodies, if they so desire. | 8 AM service: Peggy Nelson10 AM service: Sandy Dick |
| Cursillo | Cursillo is a Spanish word which means a “little course” on being Christ’s disciple in our world. Cursillo is for Christians and is meant to be shared as a learning and growing experience attained through worship, study, reflection and fellowship. A Cursillo weekend takes place Thursday evening through Sunday Afternoon. Participants come to know Christ more intimately through study, action, prayer, and small group support and encouragement. There is a follow-up structure including weekly small group gatherings, as well as a larger “regional” gathering known as Ultreya. | Reberta Skinner |
| Dinner for Eight | Dinner for Eight is a social activity consisting of couples and individuals in the parish who meet in groups of eight for a meal once a month. It is a popular social time providing an easy way for each of us to get to know members of the parish. It is also an ideal venue to incorporate newcomers into our parish family! Each group takes turns having a potluck dinner or brunch in their homes, or occasionally going out to restaurants together. The host provides the main dish, and the others bring appetizers, salad, and dessert. Sign ups are for four month periods: January – April and July – October. | Norbert and Liz Herriges |
| Endowment Fund | The St. Andrew’s Endowment Fund committee works to promote endowment and encourage growth of the Endowment Fund. They also help raise awareness of the Bishop’s Society, as well as the activities of the Diocesan Planned Giving committee. The endowment Fund committee also works with the Stewardship program at St. Andrew’s. | Kurt Johnston |
| Episcopal Church Women (ECW) | The Episcopal Church Women meet monthly, second Wednesday at 12:45pm, to help support St. Andrew’s in many ways. They help with receptions, wedding, funerals and special occasions. ECW is also responsible for collecting the United Thank Offering, and the support the Jackson Street Food bank (held at St. Andrew’s) with food and financial help. ECW members also distribute soft, cozy blankets made with love and prayers to all who are facing surgery or suffering with illness. With each blanket, there is an abundance of healing prayers and support from the St. Andrew’s community with the awareness of God’s loving presence. | Virginia Gaub |
| Finance Ministry | The Financial Committee supports a number of financial services at St. Andrew’s. The Committee itself meets on a regular basis to provide financial information, to prepare annual budgets, and to insure that the financial records are audited on an annual basis. This data is provided to the Rector, the Vestry, and the members of the Parish. The Finance Ministry has oversight for the Money Counting Teams, who count and deposit weekly all funds donated. The Bookkeeper, who makes entries to the financial system, pays bills and conducts payroll activities is also a part of the Finance Committee. | Skip Broadhead, Treasurer |
| Food Bank | The Jackson Street Food Bank has been in operation for six years, with an ever increasing clientele. In 2004, the food bank served an average of 109 families with 440 individuals each month. St. Andrew’s partners with our neighborhood synagogue, Temple Beth El. We gather and sort food, generate funds and grants, and provide the people-power to run the food bank from the basement of St. Andrew’s. | Ed Wolfer |
| Greeters/Ushers | The Ministry of Greeter and Ushers serves as the welcoming committee to St. Andrew’s. Duties include handing out bulletins for the service, answering questions, taking the bread and wine forward for the Communion, passing the collection plates, and assisting as guides at the communion rail to help maintain an efficient and orderly flow. At the conclusion of the service, Greeters/Ushers straighten the books in the pews, clean up any papers left behind, and generally make sure the sanctuary is tidy. Greeters and Ushers also help spot newcomers, and introduce them to the other parishioners. | Linda Brice |
| Kairos | The mission of the Kairos Prison Ministry is to bring Christ’s love and forgiveness to all incarcerated individuals, their families and those who work with them. Kairos has retreats each Spring and Fall at Correction Center for Women at Purdy, Clallam Bay Correction Center,Washington state Reformatory at Monroe, Shelton Correction Facility and Special Commitment Center on McNeill Island . St. Andrew’s parishioners routinely work Kairos weekends. Kairos Washington has been invited to expand its locations this year and the need for volunteers is increasing. | David Abbott |
| Kitchen | St. Andrew’s facility is utilized by many, many groups, both within the parish and those outside the parish. An ongoing challenge is to make sure the kitchen is kept stocked, clean, and orderly. The kitchen, and wet bar in the Ada Webb Room, are thoroughly cleaned during the “spiffing” days, but the constant use makes it necessary to monitor the status of the kitchen area daily. Compliance with Health Department Regulations also requires constant monitoring. | Virginia Gaub |
| Lectors/EMS | Eucharistic Ministers (EMS) fill a variety of functions to assist in the flow of worship services, Chalice bearer, presider of Prayers and assistant to the priest in any way necessary. At the 8 AM service, the EM is also the Acolyte and Lector. A very special job for the EMS is to take consecrated bread and wine from our Eucharist to persons who are unable to attend the church service. Serving as an EM is a joyful ministry that fills the heart with gladness! The Lectors at St. Andrew’s are those persons trained to read the weekly Bible verses during the service. Lectors are trained to speak clearly and loudly to make the spoken word of God more meaningful. | Rena Girard |
| Library | St. Andrew’s Library is a cozy, inviting niche just off the Narthex. It is home to a wide variety of books and tapes. Parishioners are invited to browse the shelves, and to check out items that appeal to them. Donations are also welcome. | Carol MacKinnon |
| Music Ministry | The traditional Episcopal liturgy is one of the hymnody, and centuries of choral anthems written for use in the church. The goal at St. Andrew’s is to maintain this tradition as well as blending in resources favoring a more contemporary style. St. Andrew’s has dedicated choir for the 10 AM service utilizing traditional hymnal music for the worship. There is also a bell choir for special occasions. The second Sunday of the month our “Glory & Praise” group provides more contemporary Christian worship music, accompanied by guitars and other instruments. Choir membership is open to anyone who loves to sing and serve God through music. | Naomi Shiga |
| Outreach Committee | The Outreach Committee has the wonderful task of distributing funds to more than 35 organizations within Tacoma/Pierce County, and now internationally. In an effort to reach beyond our immediate community, we recently adopted a new organization in Honduras. St. Andrew’s also supports raising funds for educational scholarships disbursed yearly. The Outreach Committee meets every three months to review requests, allocate funds and evaluate our mission. | Susan Rowe |
| Parish Nurse | Our Parish Nurse Ministry focuses on the three components of a whole person: the Spirit, the Mind, and the Body. Each month in the newsletter, The Tartan, there are health tips for the parishioners, as well as information available in the church library. Blood pressure checks are performed several times a year between services, and our in-house pharmacist is available to answer questions about medications. The Parish Nurse also provides visitation and support during difficult times. | Cyndi Wolfer |
| Prayer Chain | The power of prayer is encouraged through St. Andrew’s two prayer chains. Each prayer request is sent out, either by telephone or e-mail or both, to all those individuals in the parish who have volunteered to pray daily for those in need. This ministry, in particular, utilizes those who can no longer physically attend worship but still like to feel included. All people can pray, and we strongly believe in prayer and the healing presence of God in our daily life experiences. We welcome all who wish to join this wonderful ministry. | Telephone Prayer Chain: The church office, 253-564-4402 Email Prayer Chain: Margo Fleshman Fleshman@harbornet.com |
| Stewardship | The Stewardship Committee plans and facilitates the stewardship program at St. Andrew’s. After the ingathering of pledges (of time, talent and treasure) has taken place, the Stewardship Committee passes along the financial and time commitments to the Finance Committee and each ministry. Ministries then plan their programs with the knowledge they have financial support and helping hands. | Bill & Linda Brice |
| Sunday School | St. Andrew’s Sunday School Program is for children kindergarten through 12th grades. The church Nursery is also open to children ages three and under who aren’t quite ready for Sunday School. The Sunday School runs concurrently with the 10 AM service, with the children rejoining their parents at the “Peace”. | Connie Sharp |
| The Tartan | As we all know, communication is a very important part of every organization, and St. Andrew’s shares information in a number of ways. The Sunday Bulletins contain an announcement sheet, and the Vestry Representative for each Sunday makes announcement from the pulpit following the services. There are numerous bulletin boards scattered throughout our facility, and we publish a monthly newsletter, entitled The Tartan. For The Tartan, the Parish Secretary/Administrator collects articles and news items for publication, and then send this compilation on to the layout editor. Articles or notices can be submitted for regularly scheduled events as well as offerings of special interest to parishioners. Volunteers collate, fold, and mail the newsletter to all parishioners and other interested parties. Interested in helping? Give the office a call and offer your time and talent. | The church office, 253-564-4402 |
| Wedding Guild | The Wedding Guild was formed to assist a new couple in every stage of planning their wedding service. The Wedding Guild Coordinator meets with the bride as soon as the wedding date has been set. They discuss the plans, look at the church, and discuss ideas for decorating. The wedding couple is informed of any regulations that may need to be taken into consideration. A booklet is provided for their use, with forms for the wedding service as well as logistical forms for the Wedding Guild. The Wedding Guild members attend the rehearsal in order to stage the procession, and assist the priest and organist with timing of the event. The Wedding Guild is also on hand during the wedding to make sure all the details are taken care of, the presents are secured in a safe room, and that the church is put back in order once the ceremony is concluded. | Polly Hickman |
| The Worship Committee | The Worship Committee at St. Andrew’s is comprised of representatives from the EMS (Eucharistic Ministers), Lectors, Altar Guild, Acolytes, Worship leaders, music ministries and the Rector. This committee works together in planning all aspects of the worship year at St. Andrew’s. | The church office, 253-564-4402 |
| Youth Group | The youth group of St. Andrew’s meets every Wednesday and shares an activity, hosts guest speakers, or helps at the food bank. They are working on various fund raisers to finance a mission trip in the near future. The age of the present youth group is 11-17, and they are a strong cohesive group. Friends are also welcome to join the youth group, and the young people have extensive input into what their program does. Youth Group is a great way to make friends, sing songs, play games and learn about the love of Christ. | Sunshine DeGennaro |