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 29th at 11 AM, when we will celebrate the life of Fred Jones, who passed away on Friday, December 15th. 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.