A Thanksgiving Message from Bishop Loya | |
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Beloved in Christ,
Gratitude is the fundamental spiritual posture for disciples of Jesus. It’s no accident that the central act of Christian worship is called Eucharist—thanksgiving. The goal of common prayer, practiced week by week, is to shape our hearts for perpetual Eucharist. We pray so that we can know deep down that "it is truly, right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere, to give thanks” to the God who creates, redeems, and makes us whole.
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The holiday we celebrate this week is built on the myth of a nice story that, to whatever extent it may or may not have been true, turns its head from the genocidal conquest Europeans wrought on the Indigenous people of this continent.
As followers of Jesus, we can see that fully, lament and repent of it, and give thanks anyway. Because our gratitude is built on nothing less than God’s perfect answer to the horrendous evils of a fallen world—Jesus the Christ, in whom the full power of God’s love was pleased to dwell. Even as we will continue to stumble on our way forward, we know that we are carried along and sustained by God’s mighty power, which buoys the world along toward God’s perfect reign of peace.
For that great good news, and for the gift of each of you, I give God great thanks.
The Right Reverend Craig Loya
X Bishop
Read the Bishop's full letter here
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In this Edition:
- This Sunday - Advent Wreaths, Advent Calendars, and Amplify
- Thank you for coming!
- Wednesday Night Dinner - Dec. 14
- Bake and Craft Sale - Dec 11
- Love Makes Room Open House - Dec. 6
- Sign up for the Posada!
- Christmas Music Rehearsal Schedule
- Sign up to serve coffee
- Vestry Update
- October Financial Snapshot
- LMCC Holiday Giving Tree
- Donate Christmas Flowers
- Feed My Starving Children
- Book Club
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8:00 and 9:30 Holy Eucharist
Godly Play will take place during the 9:30 service for children age 3 through grade 5.
It's the first Sunday in Advent! See our Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany brochure here.
We will continue to Facebook Livestream the Sunday 9:30 service and upload to YouTube to accommodate for those who choose to stay home.
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Make your own Advent Wreath
Community Forum, 10:45-11:30
We're meeting in the Undercroft to let our creativity flow. Bring crafting supplies if it's readily available to you, if it's not, just show up!
Ideas of items to bring
- Evergreen boughs
- jars or cans
- teacups
- candles
- yarn and ribbon (extra points for pink and purple)
- mini Christmas trees
- Legos
- florist wire to attach “things”
- Foam ring or metal ring with candle holders built in
- red berries pine cones
- shells, rocks, etc
- pipe cleaners
- old puzzle pieces
- hot glue guns and refill sticks
- cottonballs
- old ornaments and Christmas decorations
Or whatever else you could use creatively to create your wreath!
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Amplify Youth Worship
November 27th at 7:00pm.
Amplify is a worship service lead by youth, for youth, and everyone is welcome. Come as you are for this laid back and contemporary Service of Light in the Sanctuary, and enjoy fresh popcorn and hot cocoa.
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During the community forum, in addition to making Advent wreaths, we will be passing out Advent calendars from Salt!
Every day leading up to Christmas Eve has its own hand-illustrated card: Sundays include words from scripture, a bite-sized meditation, and a simple prayer; weekday cards include a simple, engaging daily practice to try as we watch, and wait, and pray along the road to Bethlehem.
Ideas for enjoying the calendar:
- Put each card into a numbered envelope and open one per day until Christmas Eve.
- Display the cards in a circle around a centerpiece or candle.
- Pin each card onto a large, fabric-covered canvas and place a tiny Christmas decoration on each day that has passed.
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Newcomer Welcome Brunch - To capture this large crowd of newcomers we really should have pulled out our wide angle lens! What a wonderful photographic faux pas to have. A great time was had meeting all these wonderful folks. If you missed our brunch-time around the table last Sunday, please do take the time to introduce yourself. You will be glad you did. | |
Interfaith Thanksgiving Gathering - Thank you to all you attended the service at Bet Shalom! Next year St. David's will take a turn hosting. | |
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Our Wednesday night Community Dinners are back! They will be once a month December through February, then weekly during Lent. You are invited!
Join us for an Advent Dinner on December 14th at 5:30pm as we prepare for Christmas.
There will be casual conversation and tasty, uncomplicated dinners that someone else will cook! We start serving at approximately 5:30 and wrap up by 7:00. There is no cost for this - just a freewill offering if you are able. Arrive when it is convenient for you.
After dinner, plan on staying for our Wednesday activities for December - Choir, Youth Christmas Cookie Bake, and Inquirers Class. Hope to see you there!
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Have an announcement you would like to share in this weekly email?
Send it to office@stdavidsparish.org before noon on Wednesday to be featured.
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Mark your calendars for the St. David's Bake and Craft Sale happening after services on Sunday, December 11th.
Items can be dropped off on Saturday, December 10th between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. or before services on Sunday, December 11th.
All items are welcome as we share our talents, treats, and traditions to support St. David's.
Not a baker? Not a crafter? That's okay! Bring your cash or checkbook.
Questions? Contact Sara Leigh at leigh.sara@gmail.com or 952-567-3957.
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The Mills Church is hosting an Open House for the Community to learn more about its effort to build affordable housing on its site. The Open House will be held on Tuesday, December 6th from 6:30-8:00 PM in the Minnehaha Room of the Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd. This will be an opportunity to review updated plan concepts for the project, building information, and site data. The event is also to have a conversation with surrounding property owners and gain additional feedback. It would be great to have people who live in Minnetonka attend and offer voices of support for the project. You can find out more information here and here. | |
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Advent is coming soon, meaning it’s almost time for the Posada! In Spanish-speaking regions, “la posada” refers to an inn or a hotel. In many Hispanic traditions, “las posadas” is a term for a type of re-enactment of Mary and Joseph's search for lodging in Bethlehem and is performed just before Christmas. St. David’s honors this tradition by having a set of beautiful felted wool figures of Mary and Joseph travel to our homes for a few nights, affording those who participate the opportunity to be innkeepers. It is a chance for us to extend warm, safe and welcoming hospitality to our “guests” for a few days during Advent.
Each household interested in being an innkeeper should sign up via email. A schedule of overnights for Mary and Joseph is made and provided to the innkeepers who have signed up. Our Mary and Joseph will make their first overnight at a St. David’s home on the first Sunday of Advent (November 27). Then they travel to different homes in the St. David’s community, according to the schedule, and stay for about 2 nights. Each innkeeper is responsible for contacting the next host on the schedule, arranging to drop-off of Mary and Joseph at a time and place that is mutually convenient, and providing a small holiday treat for the receiving innkeepers to enjoy. On Saturday, Dec. 24, the last innkeeper on the schedule brings Mary and Joseph to St. David’s for the Christmas Eve Service, marking the end of their long journey.
If you are interested in hosting Mary and Joseph during Advent, contact Patti Jurkovich at patti.jurkovich@gmail.com to sign up.
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Christmas Music at St. David's | |
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Singers and instrumentalists of all ages are invited to join in leading the music for our Christmas Eve liturgy (one service at 5:00). We’ll rehearse separately in various groups, then join together for one final practice.
Contact Roger Stratton (rstratton@stdavidsparish.org) if you’re interested in any of these opportunities.
Children–We’ll practice on Sundays Dec 4 & 11 (11:00 – 11:30), then join with the adults for part of the Big Christmas Practice on Dec. 21 (see below)
Youth– We’ll practice during youth group time on Wed. Dec 7, and at the Big Christmas Practice on Dec. 21.
Adults – Anyone and everyone is invited to join the choir for Christmas. Our Wednesday rehearsals on Dec. 7 & 14 will begin with Christmas music from 7:15 – 8:00. Then everyone will join together for the Big Christmas Practice on Dec. 21.
Handbells will continue to meet on Wednesdays at 6:15, as well as at the Big Christmas Practice on Dec. 21.
Instrumentalists of all ages are invited to play. Contact Roger, and we’ll work out when the best practice times are.
Big Christmas Practice -- Our final rehearsal for everyone will be on Wednesday Dec. 21, 6:30-8:30. Children and Handbells will only come for part of that time; details will be sent out closer to the date.
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Sign up to serve coffee! Check out the new signup sheet for coffee host volunteers in the Undercroft. There are some snacks in the freezer now to augment what you bring. Or you can always donate new snacks for the freezer and others can do the serving. Any way you choose to help is very much appreciated. | |
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The Vestry met on Monday, November 21st. Our topic for in-depth discernment and discussion this month was the Church's By-Laws. We reviewed them for clarity, accuracy, and inclusion. We have identified the need for some minor changes that will be formalized and presented in January to be voted on at the Annual Meeting, as any changes to the By-Laws must be approved by the congregation.
It is hard to believe the year is nearing an end. We will have two openings on the Vestry for three-year terms next year. If you are interested in learning more about the role or volunteering to serve, reach out to Allison (aferro@stdavidsparish.org) or Katherine (klewis@stdavidsparish.org).
And, please mark your calendars for these important meetings in January:
Budget Review Meeting - Sunday January 22nd at 10:45 AM
Annual Meeting - Sunday January 29th at 10:45 AM
Best Regards,
Allison Ferro
Jr. Warden
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October's Financial Snapshot | |
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October Income was almost 40% less than budget partially offsetting the high increase in income in September. Year-to-Date Income is over 10% higher than budget.
St. David’s clergy and staff continue to do an excellent job of managing expenses. Through October, Year-to-Date Expenses are running almost 4% below budget.
Our Year-to-Date Net Income through October is well above budget. It is too early to say that we will end the year with a balanced budget because our projected expenses over the next 2 months are higher than our projected income, but we are in a solid position as we get closer to year-end.
An update on our Giving Campaign: As of Monday, November 21, we have received 73 pledges for a total of $325,901. If you have not yet had a chance to submit your pledge, there is still time to do so!
Thank you for your generosity and faithful support of the parish.
Gratefully,
Cathy Schwichtenberg, Treasurer
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Lake Minnetonka Care Center Holiday Giving Tree | |
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Hard to believe, but it really is time to get in the Christmas spirit, by remembering all our friends out at Lake Minnetonka Care Center (LMCC). Our annual Holiday Giving Tree gift “exchange” will again look a bit different this year in light of the continuing resident COVID restrictions. So, unfortunately, no holiday party or Eucharist service this time around, but we still want to bring some holiday cheer to the residents with a Christmas gift! We are hoping you would like to participate in this venture.
The Holiday Giving Tree will be located in the narthex from which you may choose a gift tag/wish list. Routine is the same……. just peruse the resident wish lists, find one that piques your interest, sign up your name by that residents name, pick the corresponding gift tag off the tree, purchase a gift/gifts off their wish list, and then return the wrapped package (with handy gift name tag attached) to the church no later than Sunday, December 18th. Probably best to plan on bringing the gifts to church on Sundays when the building is certain to be open, or when you know you have access to the church office.
A fun addition again for this year’s gift giving, we plan to make a singing gift delivery to LMCC that day (Dec 18th) after church as part of our annual Christmas Caroling outing!
Excited to bring a bit of Christmas Cheer to LMCC
Questions, don’t hesitate to ask, Diane Curley, at 763-232-9412
Thank You!
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Greetings. The Christmas Season is upon us and we are again seeking donations for the flowers and greens decorating the church Christmas Eve through Epiphany. There will be envelopes on the seats and in the All Saints' Chapel. Please fill these out and place your donations in the plate on Sunday or contact the office with your name, donation amount and information in memory of/thanksgiving for, etc. We need the information by Saturday, December 17th to assure the information is in the Christmas bulletins. Any and all donations are welcomed and can even be listed anonymously if you prefer. | |
An Opportunity to 'Garden' | |
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Join me as we garden at Feed My Starving Children. Looking for volunteers for Thursday December 1st from 7 to 8:45 at their Chanhassen location. I've reserved 10 spots but could add more if there's more interest.
Contact Sue Owen at 612-716-1945 to sign up.
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St David’s Book Club News
by Cathy Schwichtenberg
St. David’s Book Club will meet on Tuesday, 12/6 from 6:00 pm to 7:55 pm via Zoom. We will be discussing Proud Shoes by Pauli Murray. From 6:00 – 6:30 we will be discussing book selections for 2023. The book discussion will begin at 6:30 and we will finish in time for those who wish to join Compline at 8:00 pm.
First published in 1956, Proud Shoes is the remarkable true story of slavery, survival, and miscegenation in the South from the pre-Civil War era through the Reconstruction. Written by Pauli Murray the legendary civil rights activist and one of the founders of NOW, Proud Shoes chronicles the lives of Murray's maternal grandparents. From the birth of her grandmother, Cornelia Smith, daughter of a slave whose beauty incited the master's sons to near murder to the story of her grandfather Robert Fitzgerald, whose free black father married a white woman in 1840, Proud Shoes offers a revealing glimpse of our nation's history. ~Amazon.com
Pauli Murray lived one of the most remarkable lives of the twentieth century. S/he was the first Black person to earn a JSD (Doctor of the Science of Law) degree from Yale Law School, a founder of the National Organization for Women and the first Black person perceived as a woman to be ordained an Episcopal priest.
Pauli Murray’s legal arguments and interpretation of the U.S. Constitution were winning strategies for public school desegregation, women’s rights in the workplace, and an extension of rights to LGBTQ+ people based on Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Pauli Murray crafted a broad vision of justice, equity, and human rights using words as her primary tool in the fight for liberation. Their vision for a just and equitable world is a beacon of hope during troubled times. Their social justice tactics, legal strategies, speeches, letters, books, sermons, and poetry are models for our ongoing activism aimed at dismantling the oppression s/he faced and we continue to face because of white supremacy.
~https://www.paulimurraycenter.com
Join Zoom Meeting: St. David's Book Club - December 6 Meeting
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What else is going on at St. David's? | |
Want to view the full calendar for the week? Click here to view the St. David's website complete with a calendar to keep you updated on events and offerings! Scroll all the way to the bottom to view it. | |
Have an announcement you would like to share in this weekly email?
Send it to office@stdavidsparish.org before noon on Wednesday to be featured.
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Pastoral Care Line: 952-767-0891 | |
COVID-19 Resources Available
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