Scripture: John 10:10 (I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.)

Opening Prayer Prompt: Give thanks for God’s overflowing gifts.

Discussion Questions:

• Where do you see God’s abundance in your life or in creation?

• How does abundance change the way we see generosity?

• What holds us back from trusting in God’s plenty?

Activity: Create a group “abundance list” on a board or paper.

Closing Prayer Prompt: God of abundance, open our eyes to your gifts and open our hands to share.

Free Online Bible Resources: https://www.biblegateway.com/ and https://biblehub.com/

Scripture: Romans 15:7 (Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you.)

Opening Prayer Prompt: A prayer for hospitality.

Discussion Questions:

• When have you felt truly welcomed?

• How does our parish extend (or fail to extend) God’s welcome?

• What might “radical welcome” look like in practice?

Activity: Share one concrete way the parish could be more welcoming.

Closing Prayer Prompt: Gracious God, make us a people of open hearts, open doors, and open arms.

Free Online Bible Resources: https://www.biblegateway.com/ and https://biblehub.com/

Faces of Gratitude: Week 1
Gail Wassermann

During the “Plenty Good Room” Campaign the weekly feature of “Faces of Gratitude” will  highlight the people, expressions, and personal stories that show what gratitude looks like at St. Andrew’s.

In this feature, we will share brief biographies of four parishioners—Gail Wassermann, Sylvia Taylor, Sue Dyer, and Florence Rauh—who expressed their gratitude by supporting St. Andrew’s with bequests in their wills to advance our mission of sharing God’s unconditional love. We will share one biography each week over the next four weeks.

Gail Wassermann
Dec. 11, 1942 – Dec. 16, 2022
Born in Columbus, Gail Wasserman moved to Yale Avenue in Elyria as a young girl. She graduated from Elyria High School in 1961 and earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY.

She then moved to Chicago, where she worked for many years in the retail and wholesale industries. Eventually, Gail returned to Elyria to be closer to her parents, Robert and Eileen Wasserman, and later concluded her career as an administrator at Wesleyan Village.

Gail was a long-time member of St. Andrew’s, and she and her parents were close to the Van Wormers, sharing holidays and enjoying the bonds of church and family. After retiring from Wesleyan Village, Gail later returned as a patient when her health declined.

Through St. Andrew’s Pastoral Care Ministry,  Joanie Van Wormer visited her regularly and brought her communion. Joanie shared that Gail’s faith remained strong and that she trusted in God’s mercy.  She passed away after an extended illness. Gail was deeply loved and continues to be missed.
When I think of Gail, I think of the perfect example of positivity. Her attitude would light up a room. I’m so grateful to have known her and that Frannie [Gail’s mother] brought her into our lives.
Monica Duffy ²

The Wassermann bequest is divided into four distinct areas outside of the Operating Budget: In-reach, Outreach, Capital Projects, and Emergency Reserve.  This designation was recommended by a task group of parish members appointed by the Rev. June Hardy Dorsey, Rector and facilitated by Mike Von Gunten.  The group was tasked with discerning, together with the parish, how we are being led by God to share and use this generous unrestricted bequest. Several “town hall” meetings were held and a recommendation was made to the Vestry.  The Vestry accepted the recommendation of the task group and the funds are being stewarded accordingly.

Through the Wassermann Outreach Fund, we have been able to support several key non-profits, including the Neighborhood Alliance and Blessing House. Additionally, the Wassermann Capital Projects Fund enabled us to renovate both the kitchen and second floor  restrooms.

1. St. Andrew’s  Director of Music Emerita  and long-time member.
2. From the Dickens Funeral Home webpage for Gail Wassermann https://www.dickenfuneralhome.com/obituaries/gail-hwassermann-1163

Sylvia C. Taylor
6/28/1928 – 12/3/2016

Petite, quiet, and unassuming, Sylvia Taylor appeared docile, but underneath she was a dynamo:
she spoke her mind, traveled widely, was a ballroom dancer, was an Air Force officer, and
worked at the NASA.
An Elyria native, Sylvia attended Elyria High School and graduated from the College of Wooster
in 1950 with a degree in chemistry. From 1951 to 1990, she worked at NASA's Lewis Research
Center (later the Glenn Research Center) in Cleveland, where she rose to lead the Editorial
Branch in the Technical Information Services Division. Her branch edited NASA Research
publications: improving clarity, fixing grammar and removing sensitive text before approving
documents for public release. Her branch also maintained all technical policies and procedures.
She retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force. After NASA she held the position of
Secretary at the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio.
Sylvia was also active in several non-profit organizations including the American Association of
University Women (President, Elyria Branch; Ohio Division Board Member); the Ohio Council
of Churches (serving on both the General Board and the Executive Committee); and the Elyria
Chapter #165, Order of the Eastern Star.
Sylvia was a lifelong, much-loved member of St. Andrew’s, where she was active in the Altar
Guild, choir, and the Vestry. She was also Senior Warden, a lector and a chalice bearer. She was
quiet, delightful, and much-loved.
Sylvia enjoyed traveling, reading, music, ballroom dancing and loved cats. Joanie Van Wormer 1
shared the following fun memory: Years ago, St. Andrew’s hosted a talent show. No one knew
Sylvia had been taking ballroom dancing lessons. She arrived with her partner from the Arthur
Murray Studio and performed a beautiful routine that surprised and deeply moved many
attendees.
Sylvia left a generous bequest to St. Andrew’s, which has supported many of our parish's
programs and renovations.

1. St. Andrew's Emeritus Director of Music and long-time member.

    The Rev. Sabeth Fitzgibbons is rector of Trinity Church, Seattle and serves as

    Treasurer on the board of TENS.

  Questions for Reflection:

    What is something risky that you have undertaken that has paid off in the long run?

Invitation to Thrive

It’s 7:45AM on a Saturday morning in May. I join 45 people gathered on a dirt lot around a table made of plywood laid over sawhorses. We sip from cups of hot coffee and someone offers a prayer. I grab work gloves from a bin and follow the sheetrock team.

The sheetrock team includes: Amelia, the future homeowner who will live here with her three children; Charlie, a retired history professor; Cameron, a pastor from another denomination. Together, we learned a new skill that day – to hang and mud sheetrock.

I kept going back to that worksite one Saturday a month until the house was built. It was a testament to community, overlapping human stories, joy, generosity, building God’s kingdom on South Holly St.

Our congregations thrive because the people who sit in the pews volunteer to learn new skills and share experiences of creating a vibrant community. We know the power of having a common purpose to deepen our faith.

When we open ourselves to volunteering, sharing our stories and skills, our ministry reaches far beyond what we can imagine or accomplish alone.

Will you join me in the adventure of trying something new? Meeting new people who share our core values, seeing our work build on itself and God’s kingdom flourish? Would you commit to volunteer one hour a week (beyond worship time) for your church?

Yes, it’s risky. It might require us to share our stories and find connections. The work we do might not be perfect by the world’s standards (have you ever seen how many crooked nails are in a Habitat for Humanity house?). If we work together to create justice, make peace, spread joy to our neighbors, stand with the outcasts, the kingdom of God – where there is plenty good room for all people – will thrive.

The Rev. Debra Q. Bennett is rector of the Church of our Saviour, Akron

and is past-president of the board of TENS.

Questions for Reflection:

So who’s missing from your table? Is there space at your table or do you need to add another in

response to God’s generosity and abundance?

There’s Always Room for One More

In our household when I was growing up, and it is still true today, there was always room for one more in our home and at our table. It was not uncommon to awaken and find someone asleep on our sofa–whether an old friend of the family who just happened by or a family acquaintance who was experiencing a challenging time in their life. It could even have been the children of one of our upstairs neighbors who were experiencing conflict in the family. My parents opened our home to our schoolmates to keep them from going to a shelter while things were resolved with their parents. We shared our room and a space at our table to accommodate three additional guests. No matter the season there was always room at the Bennett Inn, there were loaves and fishes, and there was always plenty good room at our table. Praying shapes believing and practice not only gets you to Carnegie Hall, it also makes perfect. “You give them something to eat.” Jesus’ words–an admonition to some an invitation to others–we get to embody in table fellowship where all are treated equally and all are fed. This way of being, this way of discipleship, this spirit of generosity and compassion was modeled for us by our family, in our church, and at our babysitter’s home where no child was a stranger and tables were set in the eat-in kitchen and railroad length hallway and Sunday morning we were all given our envelopes with a dollar enclosed for the collection plate (if we didn’t already have one). There was always room for one more and enough to share. There was plenty good room. Even now at our family gatherings we prepare for the unknown guest who may be invited to share our table. A spirit of generosity and abundance finds its root in the beatitudes, in the story of the walk to Emmaus, in the wedding feast at Cana, and in the commandment to “love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus made space for the vulnerable, the marginalized, the poor, and the list could goon ending with all of us. There was plenty good room at his table. When we respond to God’s generosity in kind, there will always be enough, there will always be loaves and fishes, and there will always be plenty good room.

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, James 1:17 NRSV

Dear Friends,

Jesus said, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places,” John 14:2, NRSV.

This promise of abundance and welcome lies at the heart of our stewardship theme:   Plenty Good Room.

In recent weeks, you have heard how we are called to share our resources and nurture our relationships. Now it is time for our response. Stewardship is our faithful reply to God’s generosity. It is gratitude put into action.

A pledge / intent Card and the proposed 2027 Church Budget is provided through the buttons below. Please click to securely download these items.  Pledge Cards are also available on a table in the Gathering Space.

I invite you to prayerfully consider your response and return your pledge by October 11, 2026.  You can turn it in by putting it in the offering plate during a Sunday service,  bringing it to the church on Ingathering Sunday (Oct. 11), dropping it off at the church during office hours or mailing it in an envelope noted as “Includes Pledge Card.”  Please feel free to reach out to me if you have questions about submitting your Pledge Card.

Every gift matters. Every commitment sustains our worship, our learning, our fellowship, and our outreach to those in need.

This is not only an appeal for funds – it is an invitation to claim your place in God’s household, to make room for others, and to live into God’s abundance. When we respond together, we become the church God is calling us to be: a community with plenty good room for all.

Thank you for your faithful and generous response to this call.

With gratitude,

Deb Schwan Campaign Chair