Welcome to St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, Ames, Iowa!
We are a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
If you're not a member of our church, we hope you'll get acquainted with us through our website. Find out about what our church does in Ames, Iowa, and throughout the world. Once you get to know us from our website, we hope you'll visit us in person, too. Visitors are always welcome!
Reaching out with Christ's love through worship, education, music, fellowship, service, and outreach.
What's going on at St. Andrew's?
Tanzania Partners is the website of our Tanzania Ministry Team. Its focus is on our relationship with the people of Hedaru in the Kilimanaro region of Tanzania. Visit http://www.tzpartners.org to lean more about what we're doing.
There is lots of information about the partnership, goals, and
successes, as well as great photos.
The Social Concerns Committee is planning a quilt raffle
to benefit ACCESS. All proceeds will go to the Assault Care Center
Extending Shelter and Support. The quilt will be displayed and tickets
will be sold on February 21st and Feb. 28th in the narthex and will be available
at the church office during working hours. Tickets
are priced at $1.00 each, however with every five tickets purchased, you will
receive one additional ticket. The more you purchase, the better your
chances are! You may acquire a nice warm colorful quilt and support a
worthy cause in the process! Drawing will be March 7th during church
announcements.
Wednesday Devotionals
Read Luke 4:
38-44. Pay special attention to verse 43. “Don’t you realize that there are yet
other villages where I have to tell the Message of God’s kingdom, that this is
the work God sent me to do?” (from The Message)
In this
story Jesus is still in the beginning stages of His ministry and yet He knows
that he must travel. He cannot stay put. He cannot just do healings in one
small place. As important as the people in Capernaum may be to Jesus He has a
larger calling to spread the Good News of God’s Kingdom to all. Jesus has a
larger calling to serve God by serving Man.
Just as
Jesus did in His time, the Church today has a larger calling. Larger than the
life of the congregation inside the church walls, the calling is to go to
“other villages” to work, to serve, and to spread the Good News. As important
and vital to the Church as each congregation is, if its people do not look
outside the walls, do not go to other villages, the congregation misses out on
the completion of the work God sends us to do.
And where
are these “other villages”? They start just outside our doors and extend around
the world. There is no place, no matter how close to home or remote, that God
does not want us to go. While no one congregation can be everywhere, every
congregation can be somewhere outside its walls. The local church can be the salvation
of the world, but only if we open the doors, walk to another village, and serve
God there.
Prayer… Dear
God, thank you for your Son and his example. Make us strong for the walk to
other villages and the work there. Keep us always mindful of where we come from
and always looking for new places to go to work, to serve, and to spread the
Good News of your Kingdom. Amen.
Home Thursday, March 11, 2010
