By the time you read this, the St. Andrew work camp team will have returned from their week of service in Rochester, New York.  Along with almost four hundred campers from across the country, the twenty-four youth and adults from our congregation spent the week of July 25-31 painting, repairing and refurbishing the homes of elderly, disabled and low-income residents of Rochester.  They also spent time singing, playing, praying, worshiping and studying the Bible.  They grew in relationship with one another.  And they made friends with other campers and with the residents on whose houses they were working.  In short, they had a great week as they lived out, in a very intentional way, what it means to be the body of Christ in the world.

Even though not all of us have the opportunity to participate in a work camp trip, in our life together as a congregation we can all still share in the same kinds of experiences as our work campers do.  Worship, study, fellowship, service and witness – those are the elements that make for a great week of work camp, and those are also the elements that define our life together here at St. Andrew.

As we prepare, in a few short weeks, for Rally Day and the beginning of our fall schedule, I encourage you to make a commitment to be more involved than ever in the life of our church.  Worship regularly.  Participate in a Bible study or a class.  Spend time, informally or in a more structured way, with fellow church members.  Look for opportunities to serve.  And let your faith show itself through your words and your actions.  As you do, you, like our work campers, will grow in your faith.  And you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you’re helping to make St. Andrew a stronger, more vibrant congregation.

I’m grateful to those who gave up a week of their summer to be a part of this year’s work camp trip.  And I’m grateful, too, to all the members of St. Andrew who give of their time and abilities to actively participate in the life of our church.  May God’s blessing be on each of us as we live together as the body of Christ.

See you in worship!

Pastor Selbo

The theme of our Festival of Music service was “To the Glory of God.” As I said in my sermon that day, worship is not primarily for us, but for God. When we gather together to worship – when we join our voices in songs and hymns of thanksgiving and praise – the audience is not us, but God. It’s out of gratitude for what our Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier has done for us that we seek to glorify God through our worship. In the words of Johann Sebastian Bach, “Soli Deo Gloria” – to God alone be the glory.

In a broader sense, however, it’s not only our worship services, but our very lives, that are to be offered to the glory of God. In fact, we could even say that we worship God with our lives. It’s not only on Sunday mornings in the sanctuary, but throughout the week that we are worshiping God – as we work, as we play, as we care for our neighbors, as we go about the tasks and responsibilities of our daily lives. In the words of the Apostle Paul, we are to “present our bodies [our total selves] as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).

The opening hymn in our Festival of Music service was “All Creatures of Our God and King.” Written by Saint Francis of Assisi, the words of this hymn invite all creation to join in giving praise and worship to God. The final verse expresses beautifully what should be our response to our gracious and loving God:

Continued on page 2
The final verse expresses beautifully what should be our response to our gracious and loving God:

“O sisters, brothers, take your part,
and worship God with humble heart; Alleluia! Alleluia!
All creatures, bless the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit, Three in One:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!”

May our worship services here at St. Andrew truly give glory to God. And may each of us in our daily lives also give glory to God.

See you in worship!
Pastor Selbo

Sometimes people make New Year’s resolutions as a way of trying to bring about positive change in their lives.  New Year’s resolutions can be helpful, but it’s usually not very far into the year before most of them are broken.

Instead of a New Year’s resolution, how about trying something a little more manageable?  How about making a summertime resolution?  A summertime resolution could be anything you will commit yourself to doing during the months of June, July and August.

Need some ideas?  How about one of these?

“During the summertime I will . . .

. . . write a letter to a friend I haven’t been in

. . . touch with during the past year.”

. . . take time each day to thank God for a particular gift he has given me.”

. . . read the Gospel of John.”

. . . spend more time than usual with my children, grandchildren, or other

. . . family members.”

. . . be in worship each Sunday, even when I’m out of town or on vacation.”

. . . read a biography of a person I’ve long admired.”

. . . set aside an hour each week to pray for the needs of others.”

. . . visit or make a phone call to someone who is homebound or hospitalized.”

. . . memorize the 23^rd psalm.”

. . . exercise daily.”

. . . keep my financial pledge to the church up-to-date.”

. . . contact my congressional representative about an issue that’s

. . . important to me.”

. . . read a psalm a day.”

. . . say ‘I love you’ to someone I’ve never said that to before.”

. . . relax.”

Each moment of our lives is a gift from God.  God wants us to use our moments in ways that are pleasing to him and beneficial to ourselves and others.  If these summertime resolutions help you do that, please use them – or be creative and come up with some of your own.

No matter how you spend your summer, I hope that it’s a healthy and refreshing one.  May you sense God’s presence in everything you do.

See you in worship.

Pastor Selbo

The Pastor’s Pen – June 2010

Sometimes people make New Year’s resolutions as a way of trying to bring about positive change in their lives.  New Year’s resolutions can be helpful, but it’s usually not very far into the year before most of them are broken.

Instead of a New Year’s resolution, how about trying something a little more manageable?  How about making a summertime resolution?  A summertime resolution could be anything you will commit yourself to doing during the months of June, July and August.

Need some ideas?  How about one of these?

“During the summertime I will . . .

. . . write a letter to a friend I haven’t been in touch with during the past year.”

. . . take time each day to thank God for a particular gift he has given me.”

. . . read the Gospel of John.”

. . . spend more time than usual with my children, grandchildren, or other family members.”

. . . be in worship each Sunday, even when I’m out of town or on vacation.”

. . . read a biography of a person I’ve long admired.”

. . . set aside an hour each week to pray for the needs of others.”

. . . visit or make a phone call to someone who is homebound or hospitalized.”

. . . memorize the 23ed psalm.”

. . . exercise daily.”

. . . keep my financial pledge to the church up-to-date.”

. . . contact my congressional representative about an issue that’s important to me.”

. . . read a psalm a day.”

. . . say ‘I love you’ to someone I’ve never said that to before.”

. . . relax.”

Each moment of our lives is a gift from God.  God wants us to use our moments in ways that are pleasing to him and beneficial to ourselves and others.  If these summertime resolutions help you do that, please use them – or be creative and come up with some of your own.

No matter how you spend your summer, I hope that it’s a healthy and refreshing one.  May you sense God’s presence in everything you do.

See you in worship.

Pastor Selbo