St. John's e-News for Sunday, December 11, 2011 - 3 Advent

Coats for the Needy – St. James of Portsmouth distributes coats for the needy on the 1^st Saturday in December, January, and February.  For more information contact the Rector.

Winter Quiet Day – Thank you to all who made the Clergy Quiet Day a huge success. The participants were impressed with our facility. We may be hearing from some in the future as they rent our facilities for their small group retreats. A special thank you to Marcella and Don Wittenauer and Bernice Rogers for their hospitality during the lunch hour on Tuesday.

Greening the Church – We will Green the Church immediately following the service on Sunday, Dec 18. Everyone is welcome to help and lunch will be provided. If you have any greens to help beautify the church please bring them by. For more information please contact Lynn Rose.

______________________________________________________________

December 11, 2011, 10:30 am Holy Eucharist Rite II

Lessons for the Third Sunday of Advent
First Lesson: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
Psalm 126
Second Lesson: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
The Gospel: John 1:6-8, 19-28

Lay Participants for December 11, 2011 - 10:30 am service

Chalicist:  Terry
Lector:  Ben
Prayers:  Bernice
Ushers:  Lynn and David
Nursery Attendant:  Khristina
Nursery Assistant:  To be determined

Refreshments:  Marcella

Sermon for December 4: http://chirb.it/rPcgMD
______________________________________________________________
Our Vision – We will continue to develop our awareness regarding our denominational and our Anglican heritage striving for excellence in worship, outreach, and fellowship.

New Music – We will introduce the hymn “People, look East” (see insert) after the service during the next two weeks in preparation for its use during the service.  Please leave the insert in your pew or the Narthex.

Vestry Election – Vestry Election for the coming year will be held December 11^th following the service. Two people have volunteered to stand for election: Mr. Fisher and Mr. Stanton.

This Sunday’s Psalm – We will sing the portion of the Psalter in unison. We will use a metrical version of the Psalter from A New Metrical Psalter by Christopher Webber. We will sing Psalm 126 in unison. The Psalm will be set to Hymn 304 “I come with joy” (Land of Rest) from the Hymnal 1982. The words and music will be found in a bulletin insert.

Christmas Eve and Day and New Years Day Services – During the Liturgy Team meeting it was decided that our Christmas Eve festivities would begin at 9:00 pm. We will have 30 minutes of Carol singing followed by the celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord beginning at 9:30 pm. We will also celebrate Holy Eucharist the following morning (Sunday) beginning at 11:00 am (note the delayed start time). Please join us for one or both the offerings on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

          We will have service the following Sunday, New Years Day at 11:00 am. On New Year’s Day we will celebrate with Christmas Lessons and Carols. There will be 8 readings and a like number of Carols. Please come and enjoy this celebration of the New Year.

Budget Year 2012 $$ Pledge Drive $$ – Our annual pledge drive officially concludes today. Please endeavor to turn in your pledges so the Vestry can make its determination about the coming year’s budget and how we intend to fund operations.

          As you prepare your pledge some thoughts about pledging: (1) your pledge, while it should be firm, is not cut in stone – you can modify your pledge based on family and financial situations; (2) your pledge includes time, talent, and treasure to help the church achieve its mission and vision; (3) every little bit helps and helps us plan for the coming program year; (4) is something that you should determine based on your prayerful consideration of the thankfulness you have for God’s gracious bounty in your life – not simply in the past year but over the span of your lifetime.

“Women’s” Book Study - The “Women’s” Book study will be studying The Grand Weaver by Dr. Ravi Zacharias this year. The study is not limited to women alone; the Rector does participate most weeks. The next meeting will be Wednesday December 14^th from 10:00-11:30 am in the Parish Hall. We will discuss ““Your Destiny Matters; Questions 24 and 25.” The lesson will be followed by potluck in the Parish Hall.

          Our next book study will be on the book Made for Goodness: And Why This Makes All the Difference by The Most Rev. Desmond Tutu and The Rev. Mpho Tutu. If you would like to participate or have a copy of the book please contact Margaret Tankovich.

Formation Classes – This week’s class will discuss our Old Testament reading: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11, “The Good News of Deliverance.” All are invited to join us in the Parish Hall from 9:15-10:15. Next week we will cover 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16, “God’s Covenant with David.”

Lay Participants – We would like to thank those who volunteer to assist during worship as Altar Guild, Chalicist, Reader, Lector, and Usher. We would like to have a few more volunteers to assist on Sundays in one of these capacities. The Chalicist is the only person who requires special but simple training. We will provide an overview of the positions in coming weeks but if you have any questions about the duties see one of our current volunteers or the Rector.

Thought for the week – Patience: What is enough is now. Start with what is now: with your breath, with what you can see and hear and feel now. Pay attention to now, which is a gift, and be thankful.

-Br. Curtis Almquist, SSJE

______________________________________________________________________
Upcoming Events:
Sat. Dec 10^th         Rug Hookers – 10:00 am – 3:00 pm (Parish Hall)
Sun. Dec. 11^th         Pledge cards due
                             Lake Prince Woods Vespers (Rector preaching) – 4:00 pm
Tue. Dec. 13^th        Vestry Meeting – 7:00 pm (Parish House)
Sun. Dec. 18^th        Blessing of the pledges
                             Greening of the Church – following service
Sat. Dec. 24^th        Christmas Carol Sing – 9:00 pm (Sanctuary)
                             Festive Eucharist – 9:30 pm (Sanctuary)
Sun. Dec. 25^th        Holy Eucharist – 11:00 am (Sanctuary)
____________________________________________________________
PASTORAL CARE
Pray for Katherine, our presiding bishop; Holly, our bishop; and Les our priest.

St. John’s shut-ins, Marianne, Meriwether, Allen, David, Shirley, Suzanne, Janis, Dominique, Virginia, Lon, Luann, David, Evan, Kevin, Peg, Faye and family, Carter and family, Foster family, Jim, Lisa, Terri and Family, Marvin, Bev, Denise, and Jaelyn.

Serving in the Armed Forces and Overseas: Bryan and Susan; Jonathon, David, and Patrick

Parish Cycle of Prayer: Perk & G. Lee
Diocesan Cycle of Prayer: Emmanuel, Franklin; St. Thomas', Freeman; The Rev. Geoffrey & Kathleen Price.
Anglican Cycle of Prayer: The Rt. Rev. Granville Taylor of Western North Carolina.

Anniversaries in December

Don & Marcella 17           Shannon & Dotty 20
John & Elizabeth 28         Steven & Susan 30

Birthdays in December

Marcella 2          Gary 8
Les 8                  John 14
Burr 18               Nansi 18
Kevin 19             Jim 19
Will 28                Kate 29
Susan 30              Don 30

If you are in need of Pastoral Care,

Please call Father Ferguson.
Home:  757-484-8409

Contact Music Minister Roger Peyton

Like us on our Facebook page:

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Suffolk VA
https://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Johns-Episcopal-Church-Suffolk-VA/176697562360854