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Sunday, Dec. 15 – Advent 3
9:10 am Spiritual Formation Class: “Who is Jesus?”
11:15 am St. Anne’s Christmas Cookie Hour
11:30 am Choir Rehearsal
Monday, Dec. 16
6:30 pm Concert Choir Rehearsal
7:30 pm Sunday Choir Rehearsal
Tuesday, Dec. 17
7:00 pm Taizé Service and Reception
Wednesday, Dec. 18
10:00 am Healing & Reconciliation Holy Eucharist
10:00 am Blue Bin Sorting
5:00 pm Good Grief Support Group
Thursday, Dec. 19 – 1:00 pm Quilters and Knitters Group
Friday, Dec. 20 – 4:00 pm St. Luke’s lunch prep
Sunday, Dec. 22 – Advent 4
9:10 am Spiritual Formation Class: “Who is Jesus?”
11:30 am Christmas Choir Rehearsal
Monday, Dec. 23
9:00 am to noon Altar Guild Decoration of the Church
7:00 pm Concert Choir Rehearsal
Tuesday, Dec. 24 — Christmas Eve
4:00 pm Christmas Eve Family Service
6:30 pm Choir Rehearsal: final dress rehearsal
8:00 pm Christmas Eve Choir Concert
9:00 pm Christmas Eve Holy Eucharist
Wednesday, Dec. 25 — 9:00 am Christmas Day Holy Eucharist
For more events, visit our calendar.
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Christmas Cookie Coffee Hour | |
Dust off your cookie cutters and get out your grandma's recipe box. It's time for the St. Francis and Wayfarer's Chapel Annual Christmas Cookie Coffee Hour. Please bring a dozen or two of your favorite holiday cookies for coffee hour on Sunday, December 15. It's a wonderful way to enjoy the holidays together. We look forward to sampling all of your cookies before Santa gets a hold of them. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Jennifer Sams at 310-749-5819 or ajsams@verizon.net. Ho! Ho! Ho! | |
Children's Christmas Pageant call for actors! | |
St. Francis Families, Christmas Eve will be here before you know it. That means it's time for our annual Christmas Eve Pageant on December 24 at 4pm. If your child would like to participate, please pick up a costume on Sunday, Dec. 15 or Sunday, Dec. 22. If you prefer, you may pick one up at 3:30, before the 4pm service. We have angels, shepherds, and lots of manger animals to choose from. (If you would like to be a Wise Man or part of the Holy Family, let me know.) Please plan on being to church by 3:30 on the 24th, so we can do a quick practice run of what to do. We can't wait to see everyone at Jesus's birth! If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Sams at ajsams@verizon.net or 310-749-5819. | |
Donations requested for Rainbow Services to benefit those impacted by domestic violence. | |
During this Advent and Christmas season, St. Francis is collecting donations of canned and dry goods and gift cards for grocery stores, Target, or Walmart for Rainbow Services. We will be taking the collections to Rainbow Services on December 20. Boxes for collections are in the Narthex and in the church office marked as donations for Rainbow Services. Rainbow Services helps those impacted by domestic violence. Contact: Robin Pano, 310-779-0486. | |
Library donations requested | |
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Just before walking into our beautiful sanctuary, there is a bookcase on the lefthand side of the foyer. On the bottom shelf, one may (or may not) notice a few children's books. They have been read and re-read by one generation to the next. While grateful that there are a few books, our supply needs to be updated.
If you're looking for a way to tangibly impact our children here at St. Frances this holiday season, please consider gifting a new book to our little children's bookshelves - both for the bookcase on the way into church and also in the kid's church classroom.
A list of updated and inclusive books contributing to our children's spiritual formation has been created through an Amazon Wish list. Feel free to use this link to purchase a book: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3K2YF8YPVKAQG?ref_=wl_share
OR
Find a book title that is of interest to you and purchase the book from a local independent bookstore in our area.
Once you've purchased the book, we would love for you to write an inscription on the inside cover with a message to the kids so that they know they were thought of specifically by you! Thank you!
Contact: Angie Witt, angiesue84@hotmail.com
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Save the Date:
Decorate the Church for Christmas | |
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Saturday, December 23, 9 am to noon
Join the Altar Guild as they decorate the church interior for Christmas. All are welcome!
Contact: Sara Schulz (s.schulz@cox.net).
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On Christmas Night All Christians Sing!
St. Francis Choir to perform on Christmas Eve
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On Christmas Eve, December 24, at 8 pm in the Sanctuary, the Saint Francis Episcopal Choir will be presenting its annual Christmas concert entitled, "On Christmas Night All Christians Sing!". This delightful and uplifting program of Christmas selections includes works for women's voices—excerpts from Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, 2 settings of traditional English carols—The Lord at First and Coventry Carol by Ralph Vaughan Williams for male voices, a contemporary setting of the 15th century text Myn Lyking, a sublime and moving new work O Bethlehem by female composer, Christin Kieckhafer, a playful, joyous setting of the traditional English Sussex Carol, as well as Adolphe Adam's Cantique de Noël, for 2 sopranos, and many opportunities for all in attendance to sing some of their favorite Christmas carols. The concert will be followed at 9 pm by a service in which you will have even more opportunities to sing carols! We do hope we will see you there!
For more information or if you are interested in singing in this program (before December 8), please contact Dr. Mark Bennett at sternstag520@gmail.com or call or text me at (617) 217-1601.
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The Roof, the roof, the roof is re-tiled | |
There has been an amazing amount of progress on the parish hall roof since this picture (below) was taken. It is nearly done now. We were able to have the west side of the roof repaired without fear of how we would pay for it, because Gloria Jones and her tireless crew of volunteers raised the money at past rummage sales. Our old coats, suits, plates, pots, pans, and dining room sets became new decking, tiles, and a hard-working group of several roofers. It's a wonderful thing to see faith at work. | |
Fr. Jason's Week in Review | |
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December 6: Spent the day cooking and cleaning, then had friends over to assemble and decorate gingerbread homes; sermon prep.
December 7: Day off; sermon prep.
December 8: Sunday services; we had 32 people at the 8am service and 105 at the 10am; after the 10am service we had an amazing breakfast provided by the Friars and Wayfarers Chapel, and many people made Advent Wreaths.
December 9: Admin tasks; met with Senior Warden; prepped for vestry meeting; went to dentist for follow up visit; Blue Christmas service. The Blue Christmas was incredibly peaceful and affirming.
December 10: Interviewed people for the position of Parish Administrator; prepared for Deanery meeting; deanery meeting in the St. Francis’ Boardroom; admin tasks; pastoral phone call; finance meeting; vestry meeting.
December 11: Healing service; admin tasks; prepared bulletins for printing, then printed bulletins; pastoral phone call; went to Men’s Group, where the management of the establishment where we gathered refused to turn down the loud music so we could hear each other talk (for real, it was loud).
December 12: Pastoral visit; spent time writing; spiritual direction.
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Spiritual Formation:
Who is Jesus? | |
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Each Sunday, Dec. 1 to Mar. 30 at 9:10 AM | St. Francis Library
Have you ever wondered about Jesus? Are you questioning and inquiring, curious, or perhaps, doubtful of Jesus and what he is saying? Ever wonder what Jesus may really be saying to us? Where did Jesus come from?
Inquirers, seekers, those wondering about baptism or confirmation, and those seeking a deeper connection to something beyond ourselves: all are invited to conversations about Jesus on Sundays between services in the St. Francis Library.
Conversations will be based on our Sunday readings and we will meet Sundays at 9:10-ish to 9:45am. We will begin on the first Sunday of Advent and continue through the Sunday before Holy Week.
Please contact me, Deacon Celeste, at 310-913-1069 or email at cstump@thecanterbury.org. to RSVP or to answer any questions. I look for to speaking and meeting with you.
Peace,
Deacon Celeste
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Get Involved at St. Francis | |
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Good Grief Loss Support Group: Alternating Wednesday mornings (11 am to noon) and evenings (5 pm to 6 pm) in the St. Francis Library. For people suffering loss of any kind including death, divorce, loss of health due to an illness or accident, etc.
Men’s Corner: Monthly for dinner at Corner Bakery. Contact Ed Hinz (kn6jn@yahoo.com).
Nurture Group meets on the first Wednesday of the month to have a simple dinner and discuss a spiritual topic in a non-judgmental and open way. Next meeting is December 4 at 6 p.m. at the home of Blair Hinz. Please contact Susan Egan if you wish to attend.
Quilting and Knitting Group: Thursdays at 1 pm in the Board Room. Contact: Anna Eakins (annatkozaki@gmail.com).
SAGES (Senior Adult Group of Episcopalians): Group outings, social gatherings, guest speakers, and more. Contact: Kristina Pela (krab3@yahoo.com).
St. Anne’s Guild: Meets on the 4th Monday of Sept-June at 6pm. Join us for fellowship, plan church events (like the Rummage Sale and Antiques Show), potluck dinners, and our Christmas charity event! Contact Anna Eakins.
St. Teresa’s Guild: Meet a few times a year to raise money for charities that support women and children through dues and our famous Chinese New Year event. Contact: Robin Pano.
Friars: Meets as needed to cook meals for Parish events (e.g. Lenten Suppers). Contact: Dick Briggs.
Yoga: All Levels Hatha Yoga for Strength and Mobility: Mondays, 11 am to 12:30 pm. All Levels Gentle Yoga for Vital Mobility and Balance: Wednesdays, 9am to 10:30 am. Contact: Jill Lynch (jillfenskelynch@gmail.com).
Download our 2024 Get Connected booklet (PDF) for a list of all our ministries and small groups.
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Consider making a donation of altar flowers in honor of a special occasion or in memory
of someone you love. (The suggested donation is $50.) Contact Jessica Salazar in the church office at 310-375-4617 or by email.
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Each week we change the photo in the header of this weekly email newsletter. But we need more up-to-date photos... Get your photo featured! You can submit your photos of the St. Francis campus, events, and people to us at social@stfrancispalosverdes.org for consideration. We'll even run your name as a photo credit. So get snapping—we can't wait to see what you create! | |
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Liturgy and Worship
Sundays at 8:00 am
Holy Eucharist Rite I with hymns in the Chapel.
Sundays at 10:00 am
Holy Eucharist Rite II with choir and music in the main church.
Wednesdays at 10:00 am
Healing & Reconciliation Holy Eucharist Rite II with hymns in the Chapel.
Taizé: Last Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm
A meditative service of music and prayer in the Chapel. (No communion.)
For other worship services and parish events, visit our calendar.
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Livestream Worship and Sermons Online
We livestream Sunday 10am worship on Facebook and YouTube. You can view past sermons or entire livestreams on our YouTube channel.
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Nursery School and Sunday School
Sunday school for children in kindergarten through fifth grade will be held in the Parish Hall from 9:50 am to 10:40 am (ish ... the kids typically come in at the Peace). There is a nursery for children 6 months to 5 years old.
Contact: Kristina Pelá
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Pastoral Care
In need of prayer? Send prayer requests to Fr. Jason.
Contact Kristina Pelá to arrange for a Lay Eucharistic Minister to safely bring you communion.
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Parish Directory
Our directory is available online. If you need the password, contact the church office or email Jessica Salazar.
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Calendar of Events
All of our worship services, events, and small groups are listed on our church calendar.
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Communications
and Notices
Please send all notices you wish to be included in the enews or bulletins to Father Jason and Wayne Hastings.
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Coffee Hour
Ministry
To volunteer to help one week after the 10am worship service, see the sign-up sheet at Sunday coffee hour.
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Yoga with Jill
A spiritual mind and body practice led by Jill Lynch in the St. Francis Parish Hall.
Mondays 11:00-12:30 pm – Level 1/2 Hatha for Strength and Mobility
Wednesdays 9:00-10:30 am – Level 1 Gentle Yoga for Vital Mobility and Balance
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