Category: News

We need your help to create this year's Palm Sunday Parade!

Here's the daily devotion and children's activity.

Here's the daily devotion and children's activity.

Please join us for worship. Please join us in "ZOOM"

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/476249052

Meeting ID: 476 249 052

Go to the News menu (in the top left corner) and choose sermons/bulletins for the printed version of Scott's sermon and the complete bulletin. Blessings and peace to you this Sunday!

Music for this morning's worship. Thank you, Corey!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXK4dfMuaQo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrB8JAqDrc4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj3l_74UPs8

Find Scott's daily devotion and the daily activity for Sunday School here.

Follow this for prayers, scripture, music and worship.

The service video from this morning is mostly edited but uploading the video files is taking much longer than expect. They will not be available one the web page until (probably) tomorrow morning. We are sorry for the delay, but hope you will watch then.

Scott

A message from Rev. Scott McAndless

Dear people of St. Andrew’s Hespeler,

We at St. Andrew’s, like everyone else, have had considerable difficulties navigating the ever evolving COVID-19 crisis. If we were simply to rely on the directives that are being given to us, we would go on with our service more or less as usual. The Presbyterian Church in Canada has called on congregations to continue with Sunday services unless the local health authorities indicate otherwise. And, since the local authorities are only asking for gatherings of more than 250 to be cancelled, we are clear to proceed.

Nevertheless, official directives do not seem to be quite sufficient at the moment. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution and care for our people, let me state that there will not be a regular morning worship service tomorrow, March 15th, but here is what will happen.

I will  go to the church on Sunday morning for 10 am. I will be there and lead in worship and there will be a few people to assist me. There will be no Sunday School this week.There will be prayers and other elements of worship and I will preach a sermon.  All of this will be videotaped and posted here on the webpage by 2:00 pm at the latest. I encourage you all to participate in worship by watching. While our worship and especially our prayers will touch on the present crisis, I will, in the sermon, encourage us to lift our eyes beyond the crisis to look at where God may be calling on us to go as a church in our ministry to the community. The sermon title is: When there is no water on the journey.

During this time on Sunday morning, the church will be open. If you are not sick and have no symptoms, you may come in and join us in the sanctuary.  However, we will require that everyone who enters must lovingly practice social distance. We will remain two meters apart from each other (unless we come from the same household).

Finally, please remember the church in your prayers and in practical ways. Even if many of our activities are shut down for a while, the financial needs of the congregation will actually not lessen. We appreciate all those who have made their commitment to the church through Pre-Authorized giving. We probably could not weather this without your commitment. If you are able to help us, please consider online giving. There are links on the web page.

We will be assessing the situation throughout this week and the next. Please know that St. Andrew’s is still in operation and will respond to your needs even if we may have to limit face-to-face interactions. For now, Bible study will continue, and the Food Bank is expected to still take place on Thursday. I will begin to post daily prayers and meditations for you on the web page. Please continue to check in.

Be in prayer for the people in the front lines battling the virus and treating its victims. Respond to the needs of your brothers and sisters here at St. Andrew’s, as well as those of your family, friends and neighbourhood. Be loving and full of care as you treat all people with respect even if (in these strange times) you may need to keep at a physical distance. Together we will rise above these unprecedented times. (please pass this message along to people whom you know are not online)

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” -- Isaiah 41:10

With love and care in Christ’s name,

Rev. Scott McAndless

I have written a lot of Annual Reports over many years of ministry. They are not as easy to write as you may think. How do you sum up an entire year of ministry on one sheet of paper, after all? You can’t say everything, of course, but what can you do that will at least give a flavour of what the year was like? I’m always open to finding a fresh approach.

So, here is what I’m going to do this year. You know those lists of questions that sometimes circulate on social media – questions that you are supposed to post on your page and answer while you challenge your friends to answer as well. Well, I borrowed one of those lists and adapted it to make it:

20 Questions about Scott’s 2019

(Do this without fibbing.)

1. Where are you answering these questions?

I am typing this as I sit in the car riding home (I’m not driving!) from a quick visit and a supper with our daughter at college in London.

2. What is your favourite church picture you took during the year?

Session selfie!

3. Where was that picture taken?

At our Session retreat at Duff’s Presbyterian Church (February 2, 2019)

4. What was the hardest thing you had to do during the year?

Visit one of our church members in hospital. He was in a great deal of pain, confusion and so weak and there was so little I could do for him.

5. What was the greatest privilege?

Visit that same church member in the hospital and be able to be a part of that awful and yet meaningful and ultimately hopeful moment.

6. What moment in the year will you always cherish?

It was a moment that I cannot share with you. It was a moment of personal counselling that I cannot tell, but the grace of God was a powerful and healing presence. I will never forget it.

7. Best musical memory?

Most every time I got to sing with Joyful Sound!

8. What went terribly wrong and yet God turned it into something wonderful?

On Sunday, February 3, 2019, I was awakened to the news that the furnaces in the sanctuary were not working and it was cold in there, really cold! Oh no! What will we do?! What we did was set up and hold worship downstairs in the Fellowship Hall and we all had a great time and it gave us the impetus to start thinking differently about what we really required to be a church together.

9. What was the latest you stayed up on a Saturday night getting ready for a Sunday?

About 11:30 pm. I’ve gotten to the point that I’m really no good for much of anything after that. I have also gotten to the point, however, when I just wake up at 5:30 am Sunday morning and start getting ready.

10. Coolest surprise?

Carol Johnston knit Rudolph mittens for all the kids on the Santa Claus Parade float. (Somehow, I ended up with a pair, too.)

11. Best New Development?

Our youth grew in number and decided to organize themselves and elect their own leadership.

12. Best sign of hope?

We have a very meaningful moment when our session came together to create a covenant with the help of Rev. Greg Smith..

13. People you couldn’t have made it though the year without?

Our amazing staff. Joni is constantly challenging me (in a really good way) to be my best and bring out the best in others. Paula is so supportive and uplifting. Corey consistently blows me away with her talent and her leadership abilities. I feel I can always count on Glen to get it done. Karen is an amazingly caring presence, pulls people together and makes a meaningful community ministry possible.

14. Best church meal?

There were so many and they were so good but I’m going to have to go with the Thursday Night Supper and Social Christmas feast!

15. Your earliest workday?

December 9, I got to work at 5:20 a.m. It was to open up the church and turn off the alarm for a film crew.

16. Does pineapple belong on pizza?

Umm, maybe, under certain circumstances. Who am I kidding – it’s pizza. Of course, I’ll eat it!

17. Most fun at a new event?

Open Mic. What an incredible cavalcade of the talents of this congregation.

18. Who do you think will read this report?

Everyone, of course! They will pour over it like it’s a newly discovered gospel.

19. Who will comment to you on the silliness of that previous answer?

Joni, Paula, Dominique, Ray and Allison.

20. Who will be upset that you mentioned their name in the previous answer?

Joni, Dominique, Ray and Allison!