Ministries

ACOLYTES
Our young people continue to assist in our worship and the rich liturgy that gives us the beauty and spirituality of our Episcopal tradition. Acolytes serve as Book Bearers, Torch Bearers and Crucifers during church services. Training is provided for new Acolytes.

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS
The Adult Sunday School Class meets downstairs after the 10:00 a.m. service. Please join us as we study and discuss God’s Word.

ALTAR GUILD
The purpose of the Altar Guild is to prepare God’s altar for all services on Sunday and mid-week; for baptisms, weddings, funerals, and special celebrations or services. The Altar Guild also hosts the Bishop’s reception after the Confirmation service. Altar Guild meetings are held twice a year, once in May and once in October (or more often if you like). There are four or more members serving each month. Mother/daughter teams are nice also. Training is provided if and when needed. The Altar Guild membership is responsible for cleaning the altar and chancel, laundering, ironing, and mending the altar linens, polishing and caring for the silver and brass, and putting out candles, flowers and elements for all Eucharistic services, as needed.

CATHEDRAL DOMAIN
The Cathedral Domain is an ACA (American Campers Association) approved, publicly run camp, privately owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington. The Domain offers week long summer camps with a Christian theme for children in grades 2 through 12 as well as other Christian based weekend camps throughout the fall, winter and spring months. There is also the opportunity to attend St. Andrew’s Parish Weekend every year on the second weekend in August. The Domain is in need of constant funding as well as volunteer labor for various repairs throughout the year.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
Christian Education encompasses a wide range of activities within St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, all of which share the same goal of learning and growing in faith through our Lord Jesus Christ. Activities and programs under the Christian Education umbrella include Sunday School for preschool through adults, Wednesday’s St. Andrew’s Club (SAC), Episcopal Youth Commission (EYC), trainings for the Safeguarding God’s Children program, and Vacation Bible School. Additionally, Christian Education programs provide support through our children and youth to many other groups, organizations and ministries within St. Andrew’s parish family.

CHURCH BREAKFASTS AND GRILL-0UTS
On the last Sunday of each month, a small group of men turn out for what has become a very successful event – church breakfast! Additionally, the men have a great fellowship as they prepare the food. We are in need of a few more men to help spread the work load. Extra helpers would allow us to rotate those Sundays of work. Donations are accepted, to benefit the Camp Scholarship Fund at the Cathedral Domain.

ECW (Episcopal Church Women)
Our organization is involved in many community and church related outreach programs. We support various organizations, such as Wood Hudson Cancer Research Lab, Echo Soup Kitchen, Interfaith Hospitality Network, Frontier Nursing, Airport Chapel, the Cathedral Domain and Domain summer Reading Camp. Within St. Andrew’s, our fundraising provides camperships to the Domain summer camps, remembrances for our nursing home residents and homebound parishioners, and various church events. Our primary fundraiser is the Annual Card Party ~ it is our largest fundraising event each year. We coordinate the Easter Egg Hunt, the Easter Flowering Cross, the Christmas Brunch, and the Thanksgiving Feast, just to name a few! We also conduct other fundraising activities throughout the year.

FAMILY PROMISE
Family Promise (formerly Interfaith Hospitality Network) is an international organization that temporarily houses displaced families in Northern Kentucky. There are 10 host churches and numerous support churches helping to feed, transport and house these families. As a support church, along with First Presbyterian, we at St. Andrew’s help by preparing food, driving the IHN van, serving dinner and spending a night at First Presbyterian Church during our rotation. We serve two times each rotation, about every other month.

MUSIC ~ CHOIRS
We are blessed with an abundance of talents and dedication in our music ministry. We offer choirs for all ages. Our Cherub Choir is for youth in Kindergarten and 1st grade. Our Junior Choir is for youth in grades 2-6. Our Senior Choir and Chorale are for adults and youth in grades 9 and up. We also offer three handbell choirs. Our Youth bell choirs are for beginners and our ringers with experience in grades 3 -6. Our Adult Handbell Choir is open to adults. Our choirs are open to anyone interested. We love and welcome new singers and ringers.

OUTREACH
At St. Andrew’s, Outreach is an opportunity for you to help the needy and show God’s love, grace, peace and hope. You will make a difference in the lives of others by getting involved in one or more of five projects each year: Souper Bowl, Easter, Back-to-School, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Our Lord’s joy, happiness, love and peace will fill your hearts and minds as you help others!

PARISH HEALTH PROGRAM
This Health program is an outgrowth of the Parish Visitation Program. As a parish, we are concerned about the physical health as well as the spiritual health of our people, especially our senior citizens. The program includes home visits and discussions concerning health related issues. Registered Nurses provide blood pressure checks held once a month following Sunday Serivces along with other health related education opportunities.

PASTORAL CARE
The ideal purpose of Pastoral Care is to provide meals for families with new babies, the homebound, the seriously ill, and families that have experienced a death. Also, this group will set up and prepare for a reception after a funeral service at church if the family requests it. We need members to sign up to prepare food with others and deliver it to the needed family. We would also need helpers for receptions at the church after a funeral.

PRAYER GROUP & PRAYER CHAIN
Our Prayer Group meets at 9 a.m. each Wednesday morning. Each year we receive many prayer requests for people with serious or critical illness. Our Prayer Chain lists are revised and updated once a month and sent out to the 40 members who are asked to pray each day for those in need. It has been proven scientifically that people who are prayed for have a better healing and survival rate. To someone who is ill, it is a very positive and uplifting emotion to know that others pray for and care about them! Please join our Prayer Group or Prayer Gang. You do not need to come every Wednesday to belong to the group.

SOLDIER OF THE MONTH
Each month, St. Andrew’s honors a selected Soldier of the Month. We collect the following list of items throughout the month and then ship them to the soldier. This is a wonderful way to show our support for the troops who are protecting our freedoms and liberties. If you are interested in joining this committee, you will help select the Soldier of the Month and coordinated the collections and shipments going to him/her. Suggested items collected each month are: hard candy (won’t melt), prepaid phone cards, beef jerky, chap stick, sun block, microwave popcorn, books, magazines and newspapers, lotion, deodorant, electronic games, disposable cameras, nail files, cotton balls and Q-tips, baby or foot powder, stamps and envelopes, Frisbees, spices, individual snack packs, twin bed linens/sheets.

TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY
The Tuesday Bible Study meets in Parish Hall every Tuesday from 1:30 ~ 2 p.m. Please join us as we study and discuss God’s Word.

USHERS ~ The Dr. Fred Stine, IV Usher Guild
Junior High, Senior High students, and adults are invited to become an usher at St. Andrew’s. What you do as an usher helps to make the worship experience of our members and guests more uplifting and enjoyable. We greet people as they enter church, hand out bulletins, take up the offering, give directions to the nursery and other areas of the church, and assist people in finding a seat, if necessary.

VESTRY COMMITTEES
The Vestry Committees operate as an arm of the church and are involved in short and long-range planning, building and grounds, education, service, outreach, pastoral care, communications, ushering, youth groups, music, lay ministry, finance, stewardship, and the general operations and maintenance of the church. The Vestry meets monthly. Its officers are the Senior Warden, Junior Warden, Clerk, and Treasurer. The congregation nominates members to stand for Vestry election each year and elects four to serve a three-year term. The Episcopal Church has a representative form of government with the Vestry conducting business on behalf of the parish.

VISITATION COMMITTEE
Started in the days of Fr. David Heil and going strong ever since, this committee visits our older parishioners and family members of our parish who are homebound, living in retirement homes, or nursing homes. Our visits are often around the holidays. The children of the Wednesday youth programs make small gifts and cards that we take to them on our visits. This committee also handles the single flower remembrances placed on the organ when there is a birth of a baby or a death in one of our families. A member of the committee delivers the flower or we ask someone in the parish to take the flower to the family’s home. Our third mission is to deliver a single red rose to immediate family members who have lost a loved one sometime during the previous year. This rose is delivered on Christmas Eve if we can manage to get there. Sometimes the weather is against us or no one is home and then the deliver is made after Christmas Eve. We always need new members. Our older folks really enjoy seeing our children and young people. This is a perfect opportunity for youth group service projects. Training is available to get you started and you’ll enjoy the mission.