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Sunday, Dec. 8 – Advent 2
9:10 am Spiritual Formation Class: “Who is Jesus?”
11:25 am Advent Wreath Making and Luncheon
11:30 am Choir Rehearsal
7:30 pm Long Beach Camerata Singers performance
Monday, Dec. 9
5:00 pm Blue Christmas Service
6:30 pm Concert Choir Rehearsal
7:30 pm Sunday Choir Rehearsal
Tuesday, Dec. 10
11:30 am Deanery 8 Luncheon
6:00 pm Finance Meeting
6:00 pm Men’s Corner
7:00 pm Vestry Meeting
Wednesday, Dec. 11
10:00 am Healing & Reconciliation Holy Eucharist
11:00 am Good Grief Support Group
Thursday, Dec. 12 – 1:00 pm Quilters and Knitters Group
Friday, Dec. 13 – 6:00 pm St. Anne’s Christmas Auction
For more events, visit our calendar.
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Advent Sunday Breakfast
and Wreath Making Event | |
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Sunday, December 8 after the 10 am service.
All families and parishioners are invited to our annual Advent Sunday Breakfast on Sunday, December 8th after the 10 am service in the Parish Hall. The Friars and volunteers from Wayfarers Chapel will be making a wonderful brunch! So plan to come for delicious food and fellowship!
We will also be making Advent Wreaths on this day so you may continue your celebration of the season in your home. Many of you have made wreaths in past years and may have the foam or metal wreath rings in your garage or storage. In the spirit of reuse, we encourage you to bring your wreath rings, and any gently used candles, to create your arrangement this year. We will provide plenty of fresh greens, pipe cleaners, wire and scissors for your use. And if you don't have a wreath ring at home, we will have extras on hand for you to start your tradition!
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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! | |
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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Rector's Reflection
Do Not Be Afraid
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Mary heard the angel say, “Do not be afraid. God has chosen you...” (Luke 1:30)
We hear the phrase "do not be afraid" no less than 18 times in the four gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. In the Gospel of Luke, an angel appears to Mary to tell her she has been chosen by God to bear the child of God. Mary was betrothed but unwed; being pregnant with Joseph’s baby would have been frowned upon but understandable, and they would have hastened the marriage. But she was pregnant with the child of God, a claim that was as hard to believe back then as it is now. It was also her first pregnancy, and there was an incredibly high risk of her and her child dying when she gave birth. This would have been true had she given birth at her home with the help of a midwife and her female relatives. She gave birth in a stable with no one there to help but Joseph. Mary had good reason to be afraid.
I was cajoling my youngest to sleep the other night when he told me that he was afraid. I told him there was no reason to be afraid, that we were perfectly safe in our house. It was one of those mostly truths we tell our children. We were as safe in our house in PVE as anywhere else in this world. What good would it have done for me to say, “We are safe to a certain extent. The doors are locked, which will keep an honest person out. I suppose someone could kick the door in if they were highly motivated. I don’t know what would happen if there was a big earthquake, though we sleep on the ground floor so it could be bad news, especially if a gas line ruptures. We’re also on the side of a hill, so maybe we would go tumbling down the hill? Also, a wildfire seems unlikely now but it’s never something to rule out entirely.” There are always reasons to be afraid, and always things to fear. But telling him those things wouldn’t be at all helpful. One, he’s too young to understand probability vs. possibility, and two, even if he does understand it, there’s little to be done to mitigate the fear. Fear drives us inward; we literally and figuratively circle the wagons when we are afraid. We could bar the windows and doors on our house (though we’d get fined by the Homes Association), get a state-of-the-art security system, maybe even hire armed guards, but none of those things will take away our fear, because for each fear that’s covered several more pop up in its place.
Mary had good reason to be afraid. The scriptures are not shy about showing people in their worst light or highlighting the hardships that the people endured. But in Mary the authors of the Gospels chose to show her faith and trust in God. When she is told that she is bearing the child of God, Mary sings a song of praise and righteous judgment - the Magnificat. After Mary has given birth to Jesus she is greeted by a host of shepherds, who share with her that they heard about the birth of her son from some heavenly angels, and she treasures their words in her heart. The authors didn’t emphasize the hardships of Mary giving birth in a barn. Mary had good reason to be afraid. There were so many things that could go wrong - and so many things that did go wrong. They were on the road for the last part of her pregnancy, away from home and family, in an unfamiliar country without a decent place to stay. But Mary took the angel’s words to heart. Fear turns us inward towards ourselves, whereas trust, faith and hope have us facing out into the world. Mary welcomed the shepherds and treasured their words. God calls us to be in communion with one another, to not be afraid, to see in one another the ties that bind and bring us together. The world is yelling at us to be afraid. God is quietly, confidently, eternally, telling not to listen to the world, and to not be afraid.
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Fr. Jason's Week in Review | |
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November 28: Thanksgiving! We had dinner at my sister Stephanie’s house, and it was amazing. My brother-in-law Josh smoked a turkey, and it was once again worth all the time on the plane (I mean, seeing my family was worth all the time on the plane too); there were three kinds of pie for dessert and a fire going outside. It was a wonderful day.
November 29: Woke up ridiculously early to get to the airport; Tom and I returned the Chrysler Pacifica and flew to Atlanta then to Jackson, where we said goodbye. From Jackson I flew to Houston then to LAX, where I was able to meet Jennifer and the kids after their plane came in from Chicago (via Fort Wayne). It was a long day. I was able to get work done at the Jackson airport - sermon prep and strategic planning.
November 30: Spent the day recovering from the long day of travel. Sermon prep.
December 1: First Sunday of Advent. We had 23 at the 8AM service and 99 at the 10AM; the music at both services was wonderful, especially at the 10AM with the choir. We had our Reflections class after the 10AM service, where we talked about the readings, and in particular, the difference between God’s time (Chairos) and our time (Chronos).
December 2: Had an appointment in the morning, followed by a quick errand to find wood carving knives/chisels (with no luck); read to two classes at Town and Country; made several pastoral phone calls; caught up on email; helped Joel move an advent tree to the chancel.
December 3: Admin tasks; spent a good part of the day writing.
December 4: Healing service; met with heads of school from Town and Country; met with Senior Warden; took care of several small, urgent tasks that were probably not as urgent as I thought.
December 5: Answered the phone and printed off the bulletins; spent time writing; met with Deacon Celeste; pastoral phone call.
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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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Special 25% discount tickets for the St. Francis Episcopal Church community.
Use Promo Code SFE25 (case sensitive) Enter code before selecting seats
There is no better way to experience the sounds of the holiday season than to be surrounded by the a cappella voices of the Catalyst Chamber Ensemble. You will be immersed in warm candlelight, exquisite harmonies, and the melodies we all hold so dear. The crystalline sound created by the voices of Catalyst will have you closing your eyes and dreaming of the beauties of Christmas.
For questions or more information, contact the box office at 562-900-2863
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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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