Brotherhood is poised for growth

More ministry goals established

Dear Brothers, National Council Members & The Executive Board:

Greetings Brothers, one-and-all. I pray your season of Advent has thus far drawn you closer to The Lord. I wish to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to those of you who worked hard this year to improve our ministry. We are gaining ground even though we have a ways to go. Thanks to you, we accomplished some things this year and you have helped to set the stage for what promises to be a pivotal year in 2008. As I have mentioned on many occasions, growth begins in the field at the grass roots level. When we choose to invite a friend, neighbor or colleague from work to a chapter meeting, you never know what God may have in-store. Just as the Apostle Andrew brought his Brother Simon Peter to Jesus for an introduction, you may be doing the same thing by introducing someone to our ministry. God bless you, everyone, and may you have a truly Merry Christmas and may God richly bless The Brotherhood of Saint Andrew in the New Year ahead.
Serving Christ together, I am,
Ronald Warfuel, President ."

Communion at the National Council meeting held July 4-6 at the Alexandria Mark Hilton Center Hotel near Washington, D.C. At left is Mike Borno offering communion to Erskine Herbert.

Brotherhood of St. Andrew Chaplain Bishop D. Bruce MacPherson has been a "card-carrying member" of the Brotherhood for 40 years, he told national council members and guests July 5.
A Times-Mirror newspaper executive, MacPherson was returning home after "one of those interminable church finance committee meetings" when he was gripped by a desire to go to a nearby chapel and pray.
"I was putting the key in the door to go into the house, but I had an overwhelming sense that I needed to go to the chapel," MacPherson said. "The church at the time had a chapel that was open 24 hours per day.
"I went down there and knelt on the floor in front of the altar, thanked God for all the wonderful blessings of this life and told Him I had not given my whole heart over to Him. I said, 'here I am God, send me.'
"When I arrived back home I walked in and Susan took one look at me and said, 'something's different.' She could tell right away I had undergone a massive change. That's when I turned my life over to God."
The chaplain said all efforts to bring more men and boys to Jesus Christ must start with just such a commitment to Christ.
"It begins with us as individuals and our truly personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The spirit of God makes all things new. The spiritual life is only real when lived amidst the pains and joys of the here and now," Bishop MacPherson said.
MacPherson said that Jesus offers a sense of respite during busy days filled with stress and anxiety.
"In our world today, busy-ness has become almost a status symbol," the chaplain said. "Everybody is always 'so busy.' We're always 'busy as usual' when greeting people. In our society, being busy has become a way of identifying ourselves.
"The problem is that this type of thinking pulls us apart and forces us to lose our center. This affects me, too. There always to be something I should have done, or something I should have said. There is a lingering feeling of never fulfilling our obligations.
"Jesus tells us to not worry and to set our hearts on the Kingdom of God first. Jesus himself had little time alone. He preached and prayed all through Galilee, making disciples and casting out devils. Jesus was concerned with only one thing - doing the will of His Father.
"And we can do the same. Jesus said in John 3:14, 'Whoever believes in me will do the same work I do myself.'
"This radical transformation of our lives is the work of the Holy Spirit."
Bishop MacPherson said no one has to give up his job or his family to bring men and boys to Christ.
"What is new will be a freedom from the compulsions of the world," the Brotherhood chaplain said. "You will experience the rich variety of a truly spiritual life. It can come suddenly or as part of a long process of conversion.
"Jesus says, 'do not worry - seek the Kingdom of God first.'
"By following Jesus on his obedient way, God will use us and inspire us and all the busy-ness of life will fall to the background."