SERVICE
“The good news to a hungry person is bread.” – Desmond Tutu
Worship at Saint Andrew ends with an invitation, “Go in peace. Serve the Lord.” When we have been assured of God’s forgiveness and when we are nourished well at the table, God turns us outward to love and serve our neighbors. Service happens organically as members are sent back into their households, schools, and places of work – not with a particular “agenda,” but by the call we have to be present with others and do the best work that we can, giving witness to the light of Christ. Martin Luther once said, “The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes.”
Christ’s love, active in service to others, also takes place through Saint Andrew on the local, national, and global level. This happens through regular benevolent gifts to organizations that do good work and extends the mission of the gospel. This also happens by organizing and coordinating people to serve and contribute in ways that best suit the gifts God has given to them.
RECENT SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES TO CONSIDER
BE A STEWARD OF OUR ENVIRONMENT - USE OUR BLUE MAGIC PAPER BOX
The blue “Magic Paper Box” recycling bin is located in the West parking lot near the dumpster enclosure. This recycling program not only promotes care for the environment but also generates revenue from being paid for the paper waste collected. SALC members and others in the community are encouraged to collect and drop off newspapers, junk mail, magazines, office/school papers and catalogs. This program is not for cardboard, plastic, metal, glass, text books, hard cover books, garbage or paper contaminated with food, chemicals etc. Thank you for recycling and helping support the ministry programs at Saint Andrew!
Local Service and Outreach
Available to community members and church members alike, the food pantry serves people monthly on an as needed basis. The Social Ministry team “shops” the pantry on your behalf to create meals, complete with produce and perishable items. To receive a “food basket,” please call Saint Andrew. Members contribute food and financial donations to support the effort of our in-house Saint Andrew food pantry.
Members gather on the 2nd and 3rd Tuesdays of the month to sew quilts and make school bags for a variety of local organizations and for Lutheran World Relief. Saint Andrew quilters also make “Alzheimer Mats” for local nursing homes that help patients with dementia interact with familiar items to bring comfort. The quilters are always looking for donations of extra fabric and supplies to help with their efforts.
Community Dinner – On the third Sunday of several months during the year, members of Saint Andrew provide a meal free of charge for members of the community in partnership with First Presbyterian Church and other congregations in downtown Wausau. Members help to prepare, serve, and clean up after the meal.
Good Shepherd Shelter – Trained volunteers are part of a Saint Andrew team that will take “a shift” to support the work by helping to check in homeless individuals staying the night for shelter and nourishment.
In the season of Lent, the community is welcome to gather in fellowship following worship around bowls of fresh and warm soup, made in the kitchen at Saint Andrew. A portion of the free will donation received is given away for the work of local organizations, decided annually. Members can participate by helping to make soup, serve the meal, and clean up following.
On Monday nights at 7 pm, Saint Andrew is open to the work of AA and provides a safe and comfortable place to meet, share, and find community.
For more information on Alcoholics Anonymous, visit the AA website.
For more information on Al-anon and Alateen, click here.