The Weekly Newsletter

Archived issue

The St. Andrew Weekly — August 5, 2026, 2026-08-05

This Week

Worthy of a wedding In Matthew 22, Jesus tells a parable about a wedding banquet. Some are found to be unworthy and cast out. What makes us worthy or unworthy of a wedding? Are the standards for taking an earthly spouse compared to an eternal one? Join us to answer these questions and worship our Savior Jesus Thursday night at 7 or Sunday morning at 8 or 10:30.

Highlights

Events and ministry news needing immediate attention

The green chairs We have found homes for about half of our former sanctuary chairs. That means there are still some for you to take home. If you would like to claim a chair or several chairs, contact Mark Kjenstad.

Call meeting August 13 We will be calling for a Pastor for Outreach on Thursday, August 13, at 5:45 PM. Western Wisconsin District President Mike Jensen will provide a list of candidates who are eligible to receive a call and whom he believes may be a good fit for St. Andrew, based on his knowledge of our ministry. After open discussion, the voters will select a candidate to extend the call.

A Place of Peace

Updates related to the ministry expansion and building project

Construction update Furniture for the new building started to arrive this week. Our new chairs are in the sanctuary and office furniture is being installed. What a blessing to be so close to occupancy!

A Place of Peace giving We are now weeks away from occupying and utilizing the new spaces, thanks to God’s work through so many contributors who allowed us to exceed our campaign goal of $7,500,000. If you’re new to this and would like to contribute, giving can be set up like other offerings using “A Place of Peace” as the “Fund” or memo line, or check “Ministry Expansion” on your St. Andrew offering envelope. Contact Financial Administrator Ron Kerr with further questions.

Worship

Resources and opportunities for you to worship

Worship transition Currently we are planning for August 16 to be our last Sunday in the gym and August 23 to be our first service in the new church. On Sunday, August 16, following the 10:30 AM service, we will be taking down the gym and getting things ready to move into the new building. If you are willing to help on August 16, sign up here. Dedication of the new building will be the weekend of September 27 with a celebration to follow.

Worship check-in If you worship on-site, please fill out the Connection Card attached to your worship folder. Online worshipers, please continue to check in here.

Weekend worship songs Preview some of the songs we will use for worship on Sunday. Obviously ours won’t sound exactly like this, but listening to the links provided will certainly help you be more comfortable participating in the service.

“By Faith” by Keith & Kristyn Getty, Stuart Townend “Praise” by Elevation Worship, Brandon Lake “Hymn of Heaven” by Phil Wickham “We Will Feast in the House of Zion” by Sandra McCracken

Nurture

Ways to be connected to Jesus throughout the week in your personal life and with others

Grow in Grace Dr. Michael Berg, a Bible teacher at Wisconsin Lutheran College, will be here for our next Grow in Grace. He will present on apologetics. Join us for his presentation on August 16 and a follow-up on August 23, both at 9:30 AM.

GriefShare Are you grieving a loss? Do you need support as you grieve? At GriefShare you’ll receive valuable guidance and tips, leading you to relief, comfort, and peace of mind. All of this is guided by God’s Word and the love of Christ. If you would like more information about GriefShare at St. Andrew, contact Nurture Minister Mark Kjenstad or GriefShare leader Ron Kerr.

Forward in Christ The August issue of Forward in Christ is in the atrium. Each month, FIC offers wonderful Scripture-based articles on timely and relevant topics. Please help yourself. In this month’s issue you will find the following topics:

Why and how to pray

The quiet exodus of women from the church

Is Jesus really my brother?

Does God ever punish Christians?

Impact podcast Before the prophet Elijah went to heaven, Elisha received a double portion of his spirit. That is a lot of spirit. Pastor Nate Wordell, campus pastor at Wisconsin Lutheran College, is our guest this week and next to take us through the end of Elijah’s ministry and the passing of the torch to Elisha. You can listen to Impact here or by searching for “Kjenstad Impact” wherever you listen to podcasts.

PowerHour PowerHour will return in September. Are you interested in serving in this child-parent ministry? You can help create a theme-based art project, put together a toy station, read to the children, or help with sing-alongs. Contact Shelly Schmoller for details.

Service & Outreach

Opportunities for you to live your faith and love for Jesus by sharing Jesus with others

Service opportunity for pickup / large vehicle owners A local business is donating some filing cabinets and shelves, and we will be collecting them on Thursday, August 6. If you can help between 3 and 5 PM, please contact Naomi Laabs.

Help plan our dedication event Our new sanctuary dedication is September 27, and we want to welcome the community and celebrate our God’s goodness in a big way. If you want to be part of the planning team (food, activity, promoting, logistics, etc.), please contact Pastor Clinton.

Care box assembly party | August 23 at 9:15 Women of St. Andrew are invited to a miscarriage and infant loss awareness event and service project. There will be refreshments, a presentation by Rachel Greiner from Christian Life Resources, and an opportunity to serve by helping assemble care boxes for those who have experienced miscarriage or infant loss. Please confirm your attendance here.

Monthly Mission Partner Our August partner is our local assistance fund. This is one way we help those in physical need. We show the love of Christ by helping not out of obligation, but out of thanksgiving for Christ’s love. St. Andrew has helped community members with groceries, gas, utilities, car repairs, children’s Christmas gifts, and more. If you know someone in need, please let us know how we can help.

Westside Christian School

A ministry of St. Andrew, preparing students for academic success and lives of Christian service founded on God’s Word

New teacher welcome boxes Our three new teachers (Miss Malia Faessler, Mr. Raul Ramos, and Miss Hannah Zabel) have been hard at work preparing for the upcoming school year, and we’re excited to welcome them to our school family.

For the next several Thursdays and Sundays, card boxes for each teacher will be available in the atrium. We invite you to help us give them a warm welcome by sharing a note of encouragement, a welcome card, or a gift card to help them get off to a great start. Your kindness and support will be a wonderful blessing as they begin this new chapter.

Open school positions Westside Christian School has several part-time paid positions that need to be filled for the 2026-27 school year. If you know of someone that might be interested, please pass this information along.

School lunch server | 11 AM – 1 PM, Monday – Friday

Preschool classroom assistant | full day, Monday and Tuesday

Study hall and extended care facilitator | 1:30 – 5:30 PM, Monday – Friday (two openings)

Paraprofessional

For more information regarding the school lunch server and classroom aide positions, please contact Westside Christian School Administrative Assistant Dana Miller or Principal Daniel Plath. For more information on the preschool classroom assistant or the study hall and extended care facilitator positions, contact Early Childhood Director Raul Ramos or Principal Daniel Plath.

Fall coaching opportunities Do you want to make an impact on the lives of student athletes? Be a coach! Westside Christian School has two opportunities for you to coach this upcoming fall sports season.

One cross country head coach

One soccer assistant coach that can attend practices

If you are interested, contact Athletic Director Jack Murphy. Thank you!

Serving This Week

Serving Jesus at St. Andrew this week, August 6 & 9, 2026

Musicians Lead musician: Melissa Dyer Vocalists: Melissa Dyer, Naomi Laabs Guitar: Clayton Grow, Jon Povich Drums: Oliver Povich

Greeters Thursday: Sharon Saxby 8:00 AM: Joe Kotecki and Georgia Siler, Carter Kotecki, Kaylee Kotecki 10:30 AM: Malia Thomas, Tianna Thomas

Ushers Thursday: James Lund 8:00 AM: John Kamin, Paul Wittkamp 10:30 AM: Dominic Fanello, Andrew Stoecker

Lay Readers Thursday: Mitch Hutter 8:00 AM: Jamie Lundgren 10:30 AM: Daniel Plath

Communion Assistants Thursday: Mitch Hutter 8:00 AM: Steve Dettman, Edward Murray 10:30 AM: Daniel Plath

Communion Care Thursday: Jessica Tokarski 8:00 AM: Beth Dettman 10:30 AM: Robert and Beth Ramos

Audio Thursday: Naomi Laabs Sunday: Terry Jacobs

Slide Tech Thursday: Alex Bindl 8:00 AM: Maddy Hougaard 10:30 AM: Micki Ross

Livestream Video Elle Walleck

Hospitality Thursday: Ashlynn Buechner, Jill Buechner 8:00 AM: Annika Jafferis, Kristen Jafferis 10:30 AM: Kim Volberg

Connection Card Assembly Mary Bruskewitz

Offering Caretakers Dick and Vicky Bernards

The St. Andrew Weekly — August 5, 2026

August 5, 2026

Past issues

• The Weekly — September 26, 2026September 26, 2026
• The St. Andrew Weekly — September 16, 2026September 16, 2026
• The St. Andrew Weekly — September 9, 2026September 9, 2026
• The St. Andrew Weekly — September 2, 2026September 2, 2026
• The St. Andrew Weekly — August 26, 2026August 26, 2026
• The St. Andrew Weekly — August 19, 2026August 19, 2026
• The St. Andrew Weekly — August 12, 2026August 12, 2026
• The St. Andrew Weekly — July 29, 2026July 29, 2026