November 30, 2017




JOIN US FOR WORSHIP

THIS SUNDAY, December 3rd, The First Sunday of Advent, there will be one service only at 9:00 a.m.
There is a service of Morning Prayer on Wednesday mornings at 9:00 a.m.

Wednesday Evening Services
In December we will have a Blue Christmas service on Wednesday, December 13, at 5:30 pm. This service is open to everyone, but is particularly for those who struggle with the holiday season due to some sort of loss: death of a spouse, a child, a sibling, a close friend; loss of a job or a house; a loved one who suffers from addiction; or any loss that is difficult, and makes it hard to be merry. It is a service of remembrance and at the same time, a time to lift up our blessings even as we grieve a loss.


Mark your calendar for Wednesday, January 10 at 5:30 pm when we will have an evening prayer service drawing on the Celtic tradition.  More on that to come.

We hope you will join us for worship and fellowship.

READINGS FOR SUNDAY
Sunday, December 3, 2017
Year B
Isaiah 64:1-9
Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:24-37

FROM THE INTERIM RECTOR

Welcome to Advent!
Advent is upon us! On Sunday we begin the season of Advent, and a new church year. For those of you who follow the lectionary, the calendar of scripture readings for each Sunday and feast day, we begin Year B. For much of the coming church year we will be reading from the Gospel of Mark on Sunday mornings.
Advent means "beginning" or "arrival". It is the season of preparing for the coming of the Christ Child - preparing our hearts, minds and souls. It is a time of waiting, and a time to remember that Christmas is about so much more than the commercialism that is thrust upon us everywhere we turn.

As our culture becomes more secular and Christmas becomes more commercialized, Advent becomes ever more countercultural. For me it provides a much needed respite from the busyness of the season; a reminder to be sure to make time for quiet and contemplation, to make space for God.

To give us all an opportunity for quiet communal prayer, we will have a service each Wednesday at 5:30. Services on December 6 and 20 will be a form of Evening Prayer taken from various resources. On December 13 we will host a Blue Christmas service. This service is for everyone, but especially for those for whom the holiday season can be painful. It is a quiet candlelight service of remembrance for those we have lost and of hope for the future. I hope you will join us.

Advent Calendars
We have a limited number of Advent calendars this year. If you’d like one, they are available on the table in the Parish Hall.

Carpooling to Betsy's Ordination
Betsy Hess' ordination to the Diaconate is on Saturday, December 16 at 11:00 at St. Paul's Church in Concord. An ordination is a huge milestone in the life of the ordinand, and a beautiful service as well. I know of a number of people who plan to attend. If you are interested in attending and would like to carpool, please let me know via email (interimsaitv@gmail.com) or sign up in the parish hall on Sunday. Carpoolers should plan to meet at the church at 9:00 and leave no later than 9:15 in order to have time to find parking and seating.

Mark your calendars! Our annual outreach discussion will be held following the 9:00 service on Sunday, December 4. This is the opportunity for us as a parish to review the organizations that we have supported in the past, consider new organizations, and make recommendation to the Vestry. We regularly support organizations in which members of the parish take an active role, so if you would like to recommend an organization in which you serve, your suggestions are welcome. Please come prepared to speak briefly and accurately about that project. All are invited to come be part of the conversation and enjoy participating in this corporate act of generosity.

CHRISTMAS ALTAR FLOWERS
 
If you wish to dedicate Christmas flowers in memory or thanksgiving of a loved one or friend, there will be slips in the bulletins and on the Parish Hall table or you may email your request to Deb at office@standrewsinthevalley.org. To help defray the cost of our Christmas flowers and greens we are asking for $20 for Christmas altar flowers this year.




55+ COMMUNITY


Autumn is calling and so is our Cortland Apple Butter! So delicious with a pork loin roast!!
It's available now or come see us at the Tamworth Farmer's Market on December 2nd. It'll be indoors at the K.A. Brett School in Tamworth 9am-1pm. We'll be hanging with the Jammin' Divas (Carol & Chris M) from St. Andrew's in the Valley..so you know it'll be fun!

PLEDGE PROGRESS
Help us reach our Goals!
  
Rector Search Fund Goal ~ $ 20,000
32 pledges $ 8,899.00
~
2018 Stewardship Pledge ~ Goal $148,215.00
52 pledges $ 139,130.00

DINNER BELL

There is no Dinner Bell on Christmas Eve, December 24th but
all are invited to the Dinner on Christmas Day

 

Dinner Bell cook team for this Sunday December 3rd
FRIENDS

Dinner Bell cook team for next Sunday December 10th
ADAMS
~
Thank you for your volunteer
work in this special Outreach program!

SEARCH COMMITTEE

The Parish Profile is completed!
Click on “Parish Profile” button to read!
 
With joy at the completion of the Parish Profile the Search Committee now begins a new phase of its work: the receiving and reading of applications from our prospective candidates. The applications, vetted by the Bishop and The Rev. Canon Hannah Anderson, will be sent to us from Diocesan House in Concord. After this, we will conduct Skype interviews with each of the candidates. We think, with time given to prayerful reflection, that this phase will occupy us through November. If so, we will start scheduling visits to parishes in Advent.
We continue to be encouraged by your prayers: keep them coming!
Lisa Thompson, Search Committee
SEARCH TIME-LINE for 2017
October-November: Begin receiving names and applications of candidates.  Reading and reviewing applications.
Prayer for St. Andrew’s during the search process.
Everliving and everloving Lord, as we are in the midst of our challenging task to search for our new rector, we pray that you continue to lead our parish to be in one mind and spirit through the conclusion of this journey.  May we be strong in the assurance that you are guiding us and carrying us safely to calling the person you have chosen to be our rector.  In Jesus' name we pray.  Amen.

Search Committee
Pat Adams, Betsy Hess, Tom Huckman, Cathie Lewis, George Rau, Lisa Thompson.

COMMUNITY FOOD CENTER
The Food Pantry thanks you for your contributions throughout the year.
The monthly item for December is dish detergent.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
An Invitation from the Brothers at SSJE:


If you would like to receive #AdventWord this year we invite you to click this link www.adventword.org/sign-up. #AdventWord – the Anglican Communion’s Global Advent Calendar – begins on Sunday, 3 December, 2017, with images and meditations available via email, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. During the 23 days of Advent, a daily email featuring the #AdventWord of the day will go out at 5 a.m. each day, and respondents are encouraged to share their responses to the meditations and images to the aggregated prayer walls within the advent calendar.

As monks we pray with images of Jesus in icons. #AdventWord helps teach everyone how to pray with images as we prepare for the coming of Emmanuel. We developed #AdventWord to bring joy. We have passed it on to Virginia Theological Seminary to work with the Anglican Communion Office and we are excited to see #AdventWord being offered to a wider world.

James Koester SSJE, Superior,
The Society of Saint John the Evangelist.


FORWARD DAY BY DAY FOR TODAY
THURSDAY, November 30, 2017
Matthew 4:19 And [Jesus] said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.”

Followers of Jesus pass on the good news every day in sincere conversations and acts of common decency. Caring enough to listen compassionately to someone else’s pain, grief, or remorse can convey the message of grace and new life more profoundly than words we might speak.

The martyrs of the ancient church died—often gruesomely—rather than renounce their faith. But the Greek word from which martyr comes doesn’t refer to death. It means to witness. Andrew died in Patras, Greece. He was tied to an x-shaped cross and died over a two-day period. Throughout his ordeal, he shared with onlookers his faith in life found in Christ.

As the baptized, we witness to the resurrection by how we live. Our compassion for others, our perseverance through hardship, and our humble pursuit of peace and justice demonstrate that a world-transforming love is at work in our lives.

MOVING FORWARD: Write down the story of how Jesus has called you into ministry with him. Share your story with someone you love and share it with us by using #ForwardDayByDay.

FROM Deb IN THE OFFICE
IT’S NOT TOO EARLY!

This is your head’s up to be thinking about your Annual Reports.  Come December committee chairs should be pulling together their notes to complete reports for submission to the office.  If you have enough information to complete and send your report it is always appreciated to submit it as early as possible. 

Most folks have their last year’s report but if you need an electronic copy or hard copy please let Deb in the office know and she will be happy to provide that for you. REPORTS ARE DUE JANUARY 15TH!

DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES

If you do not see your birthday or anniversary listed, please make sure Deb in the office has an information sheet on file for you.
     
Birthdays
6        Carolyn Seston
12      Hettie Buck
13      Suzanne Morgan
15      Bob Seston
26      Sarah and James Huckman
27      Debra Hoyt
30      Gretchen Behr-Svendsen

Anniversaries
8        Bob & Carolyn Seston



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