Christ the King - November 22, 2009
Pastor's Corner
Dear Parishioners,
A few weeks back there was a very interesting item in Newsweek titled "The Devil Loves Cell Phones." The article was all about our noisy world and the profound need we have for silence in our lives.
"In the Middle Ages," the author says, "Christian scholars believed that Satan did not want human beings to be alone with God, or with each other, fully alert and listening."
The article goes on to describe A Book of Silence, a book by Sara Maitland, who spent the better part of a decade discovering the wonder of silence.
"I am convinced," Maitland says, "that as a whole society we are losing something precious in our increasingly silence-avoiding culture, and that somehow, whatever this silence might be, it needs holding, nourishing and unpacking."
Maitland insists that freely chosen silence is positive and nurturing. We can’t all do what she did -- walk through Scottish bracken or inhabit a Tibetan cave -- but we can surely learn to turn off the noise and enjoy what she calls "the breathless stillness."
Take the time to step outside on a nice day and contemplate the beauty of a sunset or a starry sky.
"Be still and know that I am God." That line from the Old Testament challenges us to stop and discover God in the silence.
In one of the most powerful passages in the Old Testament a prophet waits to hear the voice of God. He experiences a great storm, loud winds, a raging fire, but God is not in any of those. Finally, in the silence, he experiences God as a barely audible whisper.
Yes, the devil loves cell phones and Ipods and Twittering and texting and all those things we use to fill our waking moments.
That Newsweek article concludes: "If generations of mystics and seekers have insisted that there’s something that connects silence with the sublime, you have to wonder what we are distracting ourselves from -- and who we could be if, every now and then, we paused."
"Be still and know that I am God."
Father John
Collection Report
November 15th WK #20 BUDGET YTD Env 906.00 31,538.60 23,093.00
Off 151.75 4,615.40 4,601.03
Dev 203.00 3,269.40 2,413.00
Total 1,260.75 39,423.40 30,107.03
Number of Registered Families: 120; number of identified contributors: 48 (40%); average contribution: $18.64.
Other Collections
November 15th YTD Haiti 00 3,085.68
Outreach 00 2,889.00
Ministers and More November 22th
Lector: M. Keller
Servers: R. Cypcar, J. Champaco, L. Champaco
Eucharist: J. Lentini, C. Lentini, C. Quain
Gifts: James Sergio Family
Music: Choral Group
Ushers: W. Marsden, P. Keller, R. Latham, U.T. Sergio
Traveling Cup: M. Keller
Collection: Nunley, Jicha
Please arrange for a substitute if you can’t be there.
November 29th
Lector: M. Bash
Servers: A. Sergio,T. Mullins, D. Tayes
Eucharist: M. Tylka, D. Tylka, T. Quain
Gifts: Tom Sergio Family
Music: Cantor
Ushers: J. Cypcar, H. Phifer, J. Lentini, U.T. Sergio
Traveling Cup: Jim & Terri Sergio
Collection: Marsden, Murphy
Please arrange for a substitute if you can’t be there.
Saturday Lectors
Nov. 28th: Deacon Graham
Saturday Eucharistic Ministers
Nov. 28th: To be selected
Weekly Calendar
Nov. 25th: Thanksgiving Day Mass at 6:00pm
Prayer Intentions
Prayer Line
Please remember in your prayers:
Elinor Barry, Jenny Blaylock, Richard Cordero, JonMarie Finer, Ken Haney,
Mary Jane Kafka, Bobbie Lockhart, Barbara Losito, Mike Losito, Jim McAllister,Amy Mendel, Susan Mendel,
Nicholas Pippin, Debbie Sudhoff, Michael Sudhoff, Autumn Rose Roberts, Joyce Rogers, Donald Sparks, Juanita Wray,
(James Wardlaw and Leonard Latham In Remembrance)
Please review this list to add or delete names. Call the office to request changes.
t = Recently deceased.
Parish News 
Diocesan News
Prayer Intention for November - To end terrorism worldwide
Link: CYO Activities
Condolences
Leonard Lapham, a long time parishioner of St. Andrew, has passed away. Please send your condolences to:
Carolyn Lapham
51 Flanders Bartlett Road
Flanders, NJ 07836
Thanksgiving Celebration 
St. Andrew Parish will celebrate the Thanksgiving Day Mass on Wednesday evening, November 25th, at the 6:00pm Mass. As a token of thanks for the many gifts and blessings we have received, we are asking parishioners to bring non perishable food items for the needy and place them in the basket at the altar before Mass. You can also bring in your items on Sunday, November 22nd. Children may bring them up at the offertory with the presentation of the gifts.
Angel Tree
The Angel Tree will be in place on November 21st. The suggested limit for each angel is $20.00. All gifts must be wrapped with the angel tag taped to the top; if using a gift bag, please staple the angel to the side. We can no longer accept names this year; we are up to 120 angels. We have one parishioner taking 25 of the names; that will leave us with 95 angels on the tree. We will start removing the packages under the tree on Saturday morning, December 19th, to sort. We need the packages returned no later than Sunday, December 20th. Leave all packages under the tree. If there is a problem, please call Matt or June at 761-4591.
Lessons and Carols 
We still need of four (4) volunteers to do the readings for Lessons and Carols on December 6th. Kindly sign the sheet on the bulletin board, and you will be given the reading to practice.
Holiday Ministry Sign-up
Two sign-up sheets are posted on the bulletin board. One is for the Christmas Masses, and the other is for New Year’s Masses.
New Church Directory
Olan Mills will be at the church on January 21st, 22nd and 23rd to take photos for our new church directory. With this early notice, we will hopefully have 100% participation. Photos will be taken between 3:00pm and 9:30pm on Thursday and Friday and between 10:00am and 5:00pm on Saturday. Each family should also start thinking about writing a "short" biography that will be included on their page.
Nunsense
Interested in seeing the play "NUNSENSE" at the Cumberland Playhouse in Crossville? We have a group reservation for Sunday, November 22nd, for the 2:30pm afternoon show. We need at least 15 people to sign up in order to receive the group rate of $21 per ticket. Please sign up on the bulletin board. Contact Colleen Lentini if you have any questions.
St. Andrew Outreach
Outreach is a ministry of St. Andrew Cathoic Community inspired by the Gospel values to feed the hungry, help those in need and assist the distressed. During the month of October, we assisted 83 families with food and utility bills. In addition to $350 for utilities, another $343.65 was spent for food. We had 83 clients for the month - mainly for food. The outreach collection for October was $668, and an additional $216.85 was placed in the poor box. Many thanks for your continued support. God Bless.
Aluminum Cans
For those of you who are new to the parish, you may not be aware of an ongoing fundraiser. The two green trash cans located next to the handicapped entrance are for the collection of aluminum cans. Cans are collected periodically, sold at the recycling center, and funds generated are split between the parish and the White County Humane Society. A sign has been placed on the collection containers to differentiate them from the trash cans. The recycling center will only accept aluminum cans - no foil please. Thank you for your support of this project which benefits both our parish and our community.
Parishioner Needs Ride
If you live west of Sparta near the quarry, Jon-Marie Finer would like a ride to church on Sunday mornings. Please call her at (931) 544-0886 if you can help.
Used Ink Cartridges
We are still collecting used ink cartridges. There is no cost to us to ship them to the recycling service. The money is pure profit. A box is located in the fellowship hall to accept your spent cartridges. No Epsons, please and no large laser cartridges. Simply place your spent cartridges in a plastic bag and drop into the receptacle. If you work at a place that uses an inkjet printer, try to collect all you can. By recycling, we help in cleaning the environment.
Bulletin Announcements
If you are in charge of any particular church event, you need to submit your announcement two or three weeks ahead of time to ensure that it is included in the bulletin on time. Thank you!
Gift Card Program
Now is the time to make a big push to generate greater support for our Gift Card sales program. From the early days of St. Andrew, the proceeds from the Gift Card program have been a steady source of income. In the present financial crisis, when every little bit helps, we would appreciate a greater participation by parishioners for the benefit of St. Andrew. For every $100 purchase at either Food Lion or Kroger, the parish receives $4 cash profit. Using a gift card makes check-out a breeze - no writing of a check, no waiting for change, no signature required at check-out. Cards are honored nationwide. Gift cards can be purchased after Mass on Sunday morning in the Fellowship Hall.
Grateful Thanks to Volunteers
We would like to express a word of thanks to all the volunteers who, year after year, give of their time and talent to do the grunt work that makes a community successful. The members of the Liturgy Committee who do the planning and the individuals who do the executing of the plans (sometimes the same persons) are indispensable for a parish to be run well. Unlike those who claim they have done their share and it is time for others to step in, these volunteers are always ready to lend a hand. Thanks a bunch to all of you who have been so indispensable.