December 27, 2012

This coming Sunday, December 30, 2012, The First Sunday after Christmas we will have an 8am Service of Morning Prayer and 10am Service of Lessons and Carols.

  

 

 

 

Levi and Aislinn process the laurel roping for the greening of the church last Sunday.

 

What a glorious week of Christmas Services. There was an abundance of people here to rejoice on Christmas Eve enjoying music with Val May on harp.

 

Jasmine and Victoria join Aislinn ( and Connor) in vested roles at the 5pm service Christmas Eve.

 

 

 Children at the Christmas Eve 5 o’clock service participated in the telling of the Christmas story and in the setting and blessing of the crèche.

 

 

The children arrange figures into a nativity scene
before the altar. (Placed first, before anything
else was the moose, bear and fisher cat.)

 

 

  

Thank you to all who participated in the success of the Christmas Dinner, Carol Tubman had help from many including Lee and Jim (who did painting for us in 2010).

Please view the additional pictures below.

 

 

Please plan to attend this Saturday, December 29^th at 11 AM, when we will celebrate the life of Fred Jones, who passed away on Friday, December 15^th. If you would like to make a contribution to the reception table, it would be most welcome.
Donna’s address is 1701 White Mountain Hwy #55, Tamworth 03886. Please keep Donna and their children and grandchildren in your prayers.

On Sunday, January 6, we will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany with ONE service only, at 9:00. We will welcome Ginger Heard’s recorder group as our guest musicians. The coffee hour will be hosted by the Pastoral Care Committee. After the service all are invited to a discussion of our Outreach & Mission distribution of funds.

Bishop Rob's Installation: This celebration will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 5 at St. Paul’s Church in Concord.  All are welcome and invited to this event.  If you would like to offer a ride or need a ride, sign up on the bulletin board. This will be the formal occasion when Bishop Rob becomes the Diocesan Bishop.
Bishop Rob will be visiting Saint Andrew's on February 10th. If you think you might like to be confirmed or officially received on that occasion, please let me know soon so we can work on preparation.

"Food for thought ... from the Medieval mystery plays of Coventry, England ...
The Coventry Carol

"Herod the king, in his raging
Charged he hath this day,
His men of might, in his own sight,
All young children to slay.
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
By, by, lully, lullay"

On the church's calendar each year on December 28th we remember "The Holy Innocents" (see Matthew 2:16-18)...
To protect himself against being supplanted by an infant king (Jesus), King Herod is said to have ordered the slaughter of all male children unter the age of two in Bethlehem and the surrounding region. No one knows how many were killed, but the Church has always honored these innocent children as martyrs. Augustine of Hippo called them "bud, killed by the frost of persecution the moment they showed themselves." 

May we remember as well all other young children massacred through senseless acts of war and violence in our own time as well. In the words of the collect for today,
"Receive, we pray into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims; and by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Blessings, All, in this holy season.
Heidi+

 

It’s that time of year…that is YEAR END!  Our Annual Meeting is scheduled for

Sunday, February 3rd, following our ONE service at 9:00 AM.

Debra will be looking for your Annual Reports as soon as you can get them to her, final due date being January 18th.  Please don’t wait until the last minute. Send them via email to the office or drop off a hard copy to her in-box.

If you need a copy of last year’s report, please send your request to her and she can either email it to you or provide a hard copy.

 

ALL ARE WELCOME! To join a Service of Morning Prayer, every Wednesday at 9 AM, led by one of our three licensed worship leaders.

 

 

Blessings from The Office at St. Andrew’s

 

About 75 people enjoyed Christmas Dinner in the Parish Hall.

Peg and her daughter Mary Ellen were there.

The chefs became servers for the Prince Room buffet line.

Several of Carol's friends were back to help again.

 

December 20, 2012

We will have ONE service only, at 10 A.M., this coming Sunday, December 23, the Fourth Sunday of Advent. This will be our “Greening of the Church” liturgy, so that together we can prepare our church home, transforming it from the blue of Advent to the white and gold of Christmas. It will be followed by our pre-Christmas coffee hour.
“Set every peak and valley humming,
with the word, the Lord is coming!
People look East and sing today:
Love, the Lord, is on the way!” 

Celebrate Christmas Schedule

December 23, Fourth Sunday of Advent

No 8:00 Service.
10 am Service of Holy Eucharist

and the Greening of the Church

 December 24, Christmas Eve Candlelight Services

4:45 pm Carol Sing

5:00 pm Blessing of the Créche & Holy Eucharist

“Midnight” Service with Organ, Choir & Harp

10:45 pm Carol Sing- 11:00 pm Festival Eucharist

December 25, Christmas Day

11:30 am Holy Eucharist followed by 
Christmas Dinner (see below)

December 30, The First Sunday after Christmas

8:00 am Service of Morning Prayer

10:00 am A Service of Lessons & Carols

January  6, Epiphany

9:00 am One Service only

Special Festival Liturgy in celebration of the

Feast of the Epiphany

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, December 29^th at 11 AM, when we will celebrate the life of Fred Jones, who passed away on Friday, December 14^th. If you would like to make a contribution to the reception table, it would be most welcome.
Donna’s address is 1701 White Mountain Hwy #55, Tamworth 03886. Please keep Donna and their children and grandchildren in your prayers.

Saint Andrew’s Annual Christmas Feast will take place on Christmas Day, gathering at 12:30, with the meal served at 1:00. This is an open community meal for anyone who would like to attend – members of the church, as well as from the wider community. No one should spend Christmas alone. If you know you’ll be coming, please leave a message at the church office (323-8515). Contributions of cash and/or dessert are voluntary.

On the First (and only) Sunday of Christmas, December 30, a Service of Morning Prayer will be held at 8 AM and a Service of Lessons and Carols at 10:00.

On Sunday, January 6, we will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany with ONE service only, at 9:00. We will welcome Ginger Heard’s recorder group as our guest musicians. The coffee hour will be hosted by the Pastoral Care Committee.

Special thanks go out to all who so generously offered many hours of creativity and labor to prepare for and welcome the 400 friends and family members who attended Roy Grace’s funeral last Saturday: Gretchen, Cathie, Lisa, Carol, Chris M., Duane, David, George R., Patti, Dale, Debra, Peg, Tom, Marty; the Choir; and all who came, even though they did not know Roy, as an indication of love and support for Judy and Larry and the Grace family. It was a remarkable manifestation of the what it means to be the body of Christ.

Kaitlyn coaches Preston on being a crucifer.

Food for reflection as we approach this season in which we are called to joy, even in the midst of the pain and loss that is visiting us locally, and as a nation…

Joy is a mystery. It’s as mysterious as our suffering.
 And it’s as boundless as our suffering.
Somehow, in God’s economy, the one is creating the space for the other.
                                                   Br. Curtis Almquist , SSJE

A Blessed Fourth Advent and Christmas to you all!
Pax, Heidi+

December 13, 2012

  

There will be two services this coming Sunday, December 16^th,  the 3^rd Sunday of Advent, one at 8 and one at 10, each with coffee hour following. Childcare will be available during the 10:00 service. We hope you will join us for worship.

Celebrating the life of Roy Grace: Roy (son of Judy and Larry, husband of Kim Seamans-Grace, dad of Ezra and Asa), died suddenly last Saturday of a pulmonary embolism. His service will be this coming Saturday, December 15, at 2 PM. If you are able, please bring a contribution to the reception table.

Heads Up for the Sunday before Christmas!!! There will be no 8:00 service on December 23^rd. Instead, we invite the whole parish to worship and celebrate together at 10:00 for a liturgy that includes the “Greening of the Church.” It’s been a few years since we did the decorating liturgically, rather than informally in the evening. It makes for an engaging and joyful liturgy with broad participation as the garlands get processed, the pew greens get distributed by the children at the Peace, all are invited to bring a poinsettia forward at the offertory, and during the post communion hymn we watch as the blue vestments of Advent miraculously give way to the white and gold of Christmas. And for anyone who has to be away from Saint Andrew’s for Christmas, this will give you a chance to “bring in Christmas” here before you leave us.

Christmas flower envelopes are now in the pews. We welcome contributions made in memory of, in honor of, or in thanksgiving for. Please get the information to Debra in the office by this coming Wednesday, the 19^th, since all the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day bulletins need to be completed by Friday the 20^th!!! Your contributions support the purchase of poinsettias and laurel roping.

Enliven your week with the Sandwich Singers' annual concert of wonderful Christmas music. This year Saint Andrew's is very well represented by Gabriele Wallace, Carolyn Boldt, Heidi Frantz-Dale, Stephen Hird, Duane Dale, Chris Boldt ... and former St. Andrew-ites Will Cabell and Courtenay Moore.
this Sunday at 7:30 at the Methodist Meeting House in Sandwich and Wednesday at 7:30 at the Tamworth Villiage Congregational Church.

 

GIVE A GIFT IN SOMEONE’S NAME. 

Donate to one of St. Andrew’s Funds:

Rector’s Discretionary Fund

Dinner Bell
Special Gifts for Operating Budget
Building Fund

…on behalf of someone else.  They will receive a note from St. Andrew’s about their gift from you.  Envelopes can be found on the table in the Parish Hall or drop a note in the mail to Debra in the office.  Please designate the fund and in whose name the gift is given.

Investiture Update

The Investiture of the Right Reverend A. Robert Hirschfeld as the Tenth Bishop of New Hampshire will take place at 11 AM on Saturday, January 5^th, 2013 at Saint Paul’s Church, 21 Centre Street, Concord NH.

Following the Investiture there will be a reception for all, with light refreshments, in the undercroft of St Paul’s Church.

The Diocesan Election and Transition Committee invites you to join us for this significant moment in the life of our diocese as we welcome Bishop Rob as bishop of our diocese and celebrate the beginning of the next chapter in our life together.  No ticket or advance notice is required for either the Investiture or the reception.

If you would like to write to Fred Jones, his address is:

MGH Respiratory Acute Care
Bigelow 9, Room 906
55 Fruit St
Boston, MA 02114
Cards and notes are most welcome.

 Last Sunday’s Godly Play sermon: Prepare the way of the Lord!!!

We pondered what John the Baptist’s life was like living in the desert wilderness with only God as a companion.

 

  When word got out about John, people wanted to find out what he had discovered from all his time in the desert with God. They went looking for someone who was so connected to God that he might point them in the right direction, so they came by droves from their towns and cities.

John said, “Prepare! Someone truly filled with God is coming.

Who is it that we are preparing for?

Albert’s decisive response: “Jesus!!!”

Food for thought in this Advent season…this poem written by Kathy Bunker last Sunday, her response to setting time aside to listen in the “wilderness” of the woods around her home in South Tamworth. (thank you, Kathy! May this inspire others to do the same.)

December Sunset - Kathy Cloran Bunker

I love a December sunset -

Weak light shining through the trees,
On the way to an early evening.
I take a moment to enjoy as I please.

I love a December sunset -

As I walk through woods scattered with ice,
Brown and white blending together.
Some think more color would be nice.

But I love a December sunset -

I love the simple and unadorned ground;
I love the silence of a forest forsaken
Until Spring comes back around.

I love a December sunset -

So brief, so sweet, so alone…
And knowing that I now have to hurry
To reach the warm light of home.

Treasure these Advent sunsets!

Blessings, Heidi+

From the office at St. Andrew’s:

UPCOMING WEEK’S CALENDAR:

Fri  12/14:

                10a-noon  Food Center
Sat 12/15:            
                8pm AA & Al-Anon(PH,PR)

Sun 12/16:

               8 AM Holy Eucharist Rite I
          10 AM Holy Eucharist Rite II
               5 PM Dinner Bell (Cook Team: Madison)

Mon 12/17:         

               Church office closed

Tue 12/18:

                10am – noon  Food Center
                8pm -AA

 Wed 12/19:

               9 AM Service of Morning Prayer

Thu  12/20:

December 6, 2012

The services for this coming Sunday, December 9th, the Second Sunday in Advent will be at 8 and 10 AM, followed by coffee hour.

We invite all who are interested to join with members of the Vestry for our annual Outreach and Mission conversation following the 10:00 service. This is the time when we make our decisions about the organizations and efforts that we as a parish will support with the money we have raised through our fund-raising dinners.

Readings for this Sunday: Baruch 5:1-9; Psalm 126; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6.

 And we hope you are joining us for our Advent Quiet Day, which will be this Saturday, December 8th from 9am to 1pm at Dale Appleton’s home (49 Logan Way, West Ossipee, 539-3761). The Rev. Susan Ackley will be our retreat leader. Susan is an experienced retreat leader, an old friend of the parish, and one of the priests who took services here during Heidi’s sabbatical. To register, please contact Lisa Thompson at 323-8245.

      A “Quiet Day” is a time set aside as a gently directed retreat. This comes at a particularly appropriate time for us to pause as we enter into the Advent season and prepare our hearts for Christmas. It will involve several mediations (short, reflective talks) designed to support you in how you might use the several periods of quiet time during the time together, as well as equipping you to be more centered and spiritually engaged in the weeks that follow. It will close with a brief eucharist and a simple meal of bread and soup.

A big Thank You for all who contributed their cooking and time for Boughs & Bonbons! Please get your receipts for reimbursements in to Debra this week so we can get a final tally on the net profit.

And a huge thank you to our team of “earth movers” George Rau, Dave Adams, Bill Lord, and also Duane Dale (taking the photo), who spent most of the daylight hours yesterday improving the drainage away from the Prince Room, on both the north and south sides. They also made the dirt and concrete disappear from the west side of the parking lot and improved the grading near the concrete walk, and got the job done before the ground freezes solid! Yet to come (next spring) are the permanent handrails and asphalt to meet the bottom of the concrete.

Women’s Lunch Bunch will not meet this month.

If you would like to write to Fred Jones, his address is :

MGH Respiratory Acute Care, Bigelow 9, Room 906, 55Fruit St, Boston, MA 02114
Visitors are still discouraged but cards are welcome.

 Looking for warm donations for seafarers: hats, scarves, current magazines, and your extra 2013 calendars can be dropped off in the Seafarer’s Box in the Parish Hall.  Thank you.

 Bishop Rob's Installation: This celebration will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 5 at St. Paul’s Church in Concord.  All are welcome and invited to this event.  If you would like to offer a ride or need a ride, sign up on the bulletin board. This will be the formal occasion when Bishop Rob becomes our Diocesan Bishop.
Bishop Rob will be visiting Saint Andrew's on February 10th. If you think you might like to be confirmed or officially received on that occasion, please let me know soon so we can work on preparation.

ALL ARE WELCOME! Join us for Morning Prayer, every Wednesday morning at 9, led by one of our three licensed worship leaders.

And for your contemplation…this 6^th century Latin Advent Hymn
 

Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding, “Christ is nigh,,” it seems to say;

“Cast away the works of darkness, O ye children of the day”
Wakened by a solemn warning, from earth’s bondage let us rise;
Christ, our sins, all sloth dispelling, shines upon the morning skies.
Lo! The Lamb, so long expected, comes with pardon down from heaven;
let us haste, with tears of sorrow, one and all to be forgiven,
So when next he comes with glory, and the world is wrapped in fear,
may he with his mercy shield us, and with words of love draw near.
Honor glory might and blessing, to the Father and the Son,,
with the everlasting Spirit while unending ages run!

See you in church!

Blessings, Heidi+
 

From the office at St. Andrew’s:

UPCOMING WEEK’S CALENDAR:

Fri  12/7:

10a-noon  Food Center

Sat 12/8:              

8pm AA & Al-Anon(PH,PR)

 Sun 12/9:

8 AM Holy Eucharist Rite I
10 AM Holy Eucharist Rite II
5 PM Dinner Bell (Cook Team: Madison)

Mon 12/10:         

Church office closed

Tue 12/11:

10am – noon  Food Center
8pm -AA

Wed 12/12:

9 AM Service of Morning Prayer

Thu  12/13:

6 PM Round table Eucharist
6:30 brown bag supper
7PM Vestry meeting