This Week at St. Andrew

St. Andrew Announcements

Worship This Week
+ Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, August 30th, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. 

St. Andrew welcomes everyone to worship this week!  Worship is also streamed on Facebook and YouTube.

Welcome to Worship at St. Andrew – We are so glad you are here, and we offer a special welcome to all visitors and guests who are here for the first time! Worship attendees are invited to make a name tag at the back of the worship space. Little Church – Big Faith, a Bible lesson and activity for children, will take place after the prayer of the day. There are worship “toolkits” to help children engage with worship and “busy bags” for younger children available in the bookcase at the back of the sanctuary. Please feel free to take one to use with/for your children. All are invited to gather for coffee, other drinks, food, and conversation in the social hall after worship.

Produce Distribution Supplemental Food of the Month – St. Andrew is collecting supplemental food each month to accompany our produce distribution. For August, we ask for donations of dried beans. There are collection boxes at the back of the worship space and social hall.

St. Andrew Talks about “Conscience and Conversation: A Study during Reconsideration of the Social Statement Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust”, Tuesday, September 8^th, 7:00 p.m., on Zoom — The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is seeking to update language from its 2009 social statement Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust, and is inviting congregations to engage in their own study and conversation in order to share feedback by September 30th. To guide these discussion, the ELCA has published Conscience and Conversation, which can be found here: https://resources.elca.org/faith-and-society/conscience-and-conversation-study/. Pastor Carmichael will facilitate a conversation on the two sessions of this study on Zoom on Tuesday, September 8th, at 7:00 p.m. The link will be shared internally with the congregation. This will allow parishioners time to formulate and submit feedback to the churchwide organization by the deadline of September 30th. The ELCA has also released a five-episode podcast as a companion to the study. Individual episodes are available at elca.org/reconsiderations.

Help Move Furniture for Food Pantry and Little Church – Big Faith, Sunday, August 30^th, after Worship – St. Andrew has received a grant to purchase a new industrial-sized refrigerator as we grow our ministry to address hunger in our local communities. Little Church – Big Faith and its supplies will be moving to an upstairs classroom, and we are asking for help from people who can carry large/heavy items upstairs after worship on Sunday, August 30^th. Thank you for your support as we make adjustments to better facilitate our current ministries!

Bible Book Club Returns, Wednesdays, Starting September 9^th, 7:00 pm on Zoom – St. Andrew’s weekly Bible Book Club will return on Wednesday, September 9^th, at 7:00 p.m. For this new study, the group will be reading and discussing Karen Armstrong’s A History of God. It can be found here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-history-of-god-the-4-000-year-quest-of-judaism-christianity-and-islam-karen-armstrong/277069b2cf4e39ad?ean=9780345384560. If anyone needs assistance in obtaining a book, please speak with Pastor Ross. Bible Book Club invites new participants, regardless of how often you can attend or whether or not you have read the specific material for the week. We encourage everyone to read the brief introduction before the first session! You can use this link to join the call: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83196175976?pwd=ejdPOUYrTk4xVFdsdlhHUVJ1L3k2Zz09.

Invitation to Prayer Team – St. Andrew maintains a list of weekly prayer concerns sent by email to members of the congregation who have opted in. Our prayer team’s email is prayerteam@standrewpittsburgh.org. We will keep names on the list for a maximum of four weeks unless otherwise requested. Thank you for your ministry of prayer!

Records Update – St. Andrew is updating our records with information from newer attendees, as well as offering current members the opportunity to include current information to be used within the congregation: to acknowledge celebrations, milestones, and prayers. Please fill out the form at: https://forms.gle/kKvp19UozuRrhhaV7.

Coffee Hour Signups – Coffee hour returns in September! St. Andrew provides hospitality during a coffee hour after worship each Sunday. If you would like to participate and would like information about the duties of setting up, please sign up using the following form: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B4AAFAF2CABF85-47069030-coffee#/.

Community Announcements

ELCA Podcast – The task force leading the ELCA in the reconsideration of one section of the social statement Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust is excited to share an important opportunitiy for you to engage with this summer. The task force is releasing a podcast called Learn and Discern as an educational tool as we journey together through the reconsideration process. The podcast’s episodes will explore the following topics: A history of the ELCA’s social teachings and ministry policy on human sexuality; the nuances of Lutheran theological ethics; A deeper look at the history of the Lutheran understanding of “the bound conscience”; The sources of agreement and disagreement on human sexuality in the church; and Lutheran approaches to faithful conversation. This five-episode podcast is a companion to the study “Conscience and Conversation”. Individual episodes will be released in audio and video over the summer at elca.org/reconsiderations.

Bread of Life Feeding Ministry at Bethel Trinity, Thursday, August 27^th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – This food and clothing giveaway marks the start of a monthly donation effort as their new community food pantry opens its doors free of charge. Help is needed in sorting donations on August 25^th and 26^th and carrying, greeting, and handing out items on the 27^th. Please call 412-683-2160 with any questions or to volunteer.

Lutheran Campus Ministry BBQ Bash, Saturday, September 19^th, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. – Join us for an evening of good barbecue and even better friends as we gather to support the Lutheran Campus Ministry in Greater Pittsburgh. Trinity Lutheran Church (2500 Brandt School Road, Wexford, PA) are our gracious hosts this year. We are so excited to be able to hold our event in their fellowship hall. We are thrilled to have partners like Trinity. You can register at www.lucpgh.com or call 412-682-6886. The cost to attend is $40/adult or $100/family (2 adults and children 13 and under).

AVP Basic Workshop, September 12^th and 19^th, 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. — St. Andrew members are warmly invited to experience an Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) Basic Workshop, hosted here at St. Andrew on Saturdays, September 12th and 19th, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., exploring practical ways to address conflict, strengthen relationships, communicate across differences, and discover the transforming power that can move us from aggression toward cooperation. AVP’s commitment to nonviolence, respect for every person, and building more just and peaceful communities resonates deeply with St. Andrew’s commitment to inclusion and justice. While the full two-day workshop offers the richest experience, you are also welcome to come for Day 1 — or even a portion of Day 1 — to experience AVP for yourself and see whether this work speaks to you. Questions? Registration is required https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfW_fVUD_bkgcd4K1e9Q-t5fz-rW1mTF72C7pcAmTwfYiH50A/viewform. You can contact Martin Rafanan at 314-258-0452 or mjr9201@gmail.com.

Shepherd Wellness Community Dinner & HIV Support Group, Fridays, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Shepherd Wellness Community is an organization whose mission is “helping people with HIV/AIDS improve their wellness” and they provide meals for those served by the organization on Fridays. You can see guidelines, availability, and sign up at https://swconline.org/volunteer-opportunities.