“I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” 

John 1:27

Weekly Calendar

Quick Links for Online Worship and Fellowship

Tis the Season for Christmas Flower Dedications

Please click here to donate/dedicate Christmas flowers and help our amazing flower guild adorn our altar on Christmas Day. Thank you!

Prayer Requests

If you have additions to our Parish Prayer List, please fill out this,

Online Prayer Request Form There are also always paper forms available in the rear of the church or our parish office.

A Prayer for our Community in Transition

Almighty God, you know the needs of your Church in every place: look graciously upon the people of Saint Mary’s and grant us the guidance of your Holy Spirit as we seek a new Rector for this parish. Guide the members of our Search Committee as they labor to be faithful in seeking your will. Inspire those who will discern with us, that each may be responsive to Your call. Give us wisdom and confidence in your timing, and in all things help us to seek the path you have set for us to follow. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

THANK YOU!

Boy did you all .....

We dropped off an entire SUV full of fabulous and thoughtful gifts for vulnerable children on Cape Cod. The Parish Hall at the Congregational Church in Yarmouthport was transformed into a beautiful Pop-Up Christmas Shop. Parents and care givers were able to stroll through by appointment and pick out presents for their children this week. It was wonderful to see the generosity extended by all of you and even more heart-warming to see the joy and relief on the faces of the parents shopping. Thank you for your generous support of this program.

Rudolph Bodhi helped deliver our wagon of gifts

The Pop - Up Christmas Market at the Congregationalist Church

Don't Forget Our Furry Friends!

We have a collection box in the sunroom for Toys from Santa for Animals housed in shelters. Please remember our wonderful animal companions this Christmas.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

A Reverse Advent Calendar

For those of you who were unable to pick one up in our sunroom or the back of the church, we have included a "Reverse Advent Calendar" which focuses our attentions on intentional giving. You are invited to add an item to a box each day of Advent and then on Christmas Eve, donate the box to a local food pantry. Enjoy!

Bakery Deliveries?

The Homeless not Hopeless program is looking for volunteers to help with picking up and distributing end of day bakery items from Pan D'Avignon bakery in Hyannis. The bread can be picked up at the end of each day and delivered to the four houses in the Hyannis area. If you are interested in volunteering with this program please contact Allison.

This coming week, members of the Search Committee are preparing to connect with the

candidates whose submissions we regard as suitable for continued consideration and for whom we have received preliminary screening from their Dioceses. We had chosen them from the original 25 applicants on the basis of their statements of interest, résumés, and Episcopal ministry profiles. The committee will next conduct calls via Zoom with clergy on our “long list.”

Our preparation for the meetings involves reviewing their details a second time and watching sermons they submitted with their applications. The connections won’t start yet; the Advent season is too busy for members of the clergy to spare time for them. So we’ll start this next phase of our search in early January.



If you have any questions or comments for us, please email them to search@stmarys-church.org.

A New Name for Bible Study - Announcing .....

Wednesday Spirituality Discussions

Still Wednesdays at 10am via zoom only. They are discussing The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr (available on Amazon).All are warmly welcomed! For more information, please contact Deacon Elizabeth Whitmore at emmausw65@gmail.com

Movie Theology Series

Hope you can join us THIS Sunday afternoon for a beautiful film, The Best Years of Our Lives. Please click here for a synopsis.

Please bring your own beverage, adult or soft, a seat cushion and we’ve got the rest, including the popcorn. We have a great line up of movies selected for this year. Please invite friends and help us welcome others to Saint Mary's on the following dates.

• December 17
• January 14
• February 11
• March 10
• April 14
• May 12
• June 9

Coming Events



The Christmas 2023 Worship Service Schedule

Saturday, December 23 - Advent IV

5:00 PM - Holy Eucharist with hymns

Sunday, December 24 - Christmas Eve Day

11:00 AM - Holy Eucharist with special music 

4:00 PM - Family Eucharist with special music

9:30 PM - Prelude of Christmas music

10:00 PM - Festival Eucharist with choir

Monday, December 25 - Nativity of Our Lord

10:00 AM - Holy Eucharist with hymns

Formation



Province 1 Indigenous People’s Justice Network

Invites You to a Book Study

Our next Province 1 Indigenous Peoples’ Justice Network book discussion is on January 10, 2024 from 7-8:30 p.m. The book is Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War, by Lisa Brooks. (Read about Professor Brooks here, and about the book here.)

Register here in advance for this meeting.

For additional information about the book discussion or the network, contact Martha Gardner, Missioner for Networking and Formation, Diocese of Massachusetts, at mgardner@diomass.org. 

Indigenous People's Justice Network Book Group Registration

Save The Date

We will be offering a special workshop in collaboration with First Lutheran Church. Only 20 spots total in the workshop. The signup will open the second week of January.

"Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness."

- Martin Luther King Jr.

Coffee Hour

We are always looking for more hosts and hostesses.

Please be sure to check the bulletin board in the sunroom in order to sign-up. You are welcome to co-host with a friend if you desire. We have allowed for 2 volunteer slots each week although, you are welcome to host solo as well. This is a crucial way for us to build community and welcome newcomers. Thank you very much for your help with this ministry.

Altar Flower Dedications

Please click here for the online signup form. Flower arrangements can be donated for so many different reasons whether it is in loving memory of a deceased loved one, in celebration of a joyous event, a wedding, a baptism, a graduation, or in thanksgiving for something important in your life. We are very blessed to have a team of talented flower guild members who always work to create beautiful arrangements holding your intentions in their hearts. We also have a paper sign-up on the bulletin board in the sunroom as well. Please note that dates do need to be shared as we have a large community to honor and celebrate together. There are NO flowers during Advent or Lent. You are welcome to dedicate Altar Arrangements during Advent but please understand the arrangements will not include flowers, just seasonal greens.

Thank you!

Sharing Your Thoughts

Your Vestry has decided to set up an on-line Let's Talk Box in addition to the physical ones around campus. Please click on the image below to share your thoughts, questions, concerns, ideas etc. The hope is this additional pathway of communication will help our Vestry members know what is on the hearts and minds of our parish.

• Weekly E-News deadline: Wednesday at noon.
• In an effort to keep it brief we will only highlight happenings of the next 10 days in our E-News.
• Submission deadline for the January E-Newsletter is today, December 15th!
• For your convenience, the Monthly Newsletter (printed out) will be available in the sunroom and the back of the church for those who would like a paper copy. If you know of someone who would enjoy receiving a paper copy in the regular mail please let Allison know.

     Saint Mary's Episcopal Church

P.O. Box 395

3055 Main Street

Barnstable, MA 02630

508-362-3977

www.stmarys-church.org