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Merry Christmas!
Serving at the Christmas Eve Family Eucharist 5 pm Service:
Eucharistic Ministers:
Ellen Shields
Acolyte & Crucifer:
Carter Shields
Altar Guild:
Robin Schroeder, Karen Lee, Gail Grossman, Christina Fink, Mary Lou Pedersen,
Elsie Wikstrom
Serving at Christmas Eve 10:30 pm Service
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Eucharistic Ministers:
Christian Athanasian &
Alan Dinn
Lectors:
Elisa Delaney &
Larry Shields
Acolytes:
Andrew Athanasian & John Athanasian
Altar Guild:
Robin Schroeder, The Schroeder Family, Gail Grossman, Christina Fink,
Mary Lou Pedersen & Elsie Wikstrom
Serving at the Christmas Day 10 am Service:
Eucharistic Ministers:
Becki Schroeder
Acolyte & Crucifer:
Colin Schroeder
Altar Guild:
Robin Schroeder, Susan Miller, Mary Lou Pedersen, Christina Fink, Gail Grossman
& Elsie Wikstrom
Serving at the Holy Name of Jesus- New Year's Day 10am Service:
Eucharistic Ministers:
Gy. Dioguardi & Rachel Golder
Lectors:
Bob Persons & Jennifer Wilson-Pines
Acolytes:
Caroline Peiser & Lian Pines
Altar Guild:
Sue Mittlestaedt, Laura Richards & Susan Miller
Coffee Hour:
Rene & Bob Peiser
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We have looked at three ways of being prepared for the coming of Christ this Advent Season.
We have stressed the need to keep the vision of God's kingdom alive in our hearts - that vision that gives hope as it tells us about the purpose and meaning of life.
We have looked at the wonder of how God's peace comes as a gift to us when we seek it, when we turn from those things that build walls between us and our neighbors and our God and follow in the path shown to us by Jesus,
and we have briefly spoken of how God grants his gift of joy to those whose hands are open to give and receive the blessings that he pours out on his faithful people.
Today - as we see Christmas approaching, I want us to consider the importance of our saying Yes to God's love and how our saying yes to love is able to bring to birth in our world, a new and marvelous thing, how it prepares us and others for the coming of the Messiah.
You know the Christmas Story is strongly reliant upon something that most people find very strange. It is reliant upon two people saying yes to God.
And saying yes in most unusual circumstances, to a proposal that seems most strange indeed.
We are all keenly aware of Mary and how she said yes to God, and so came to be the mother of the Messiah, mother of the one we call the Son of God, mother of the one who would die so that we might live.
But have you considered how this Yes profoundly changed the course of Mary's life? How her willingness to trust the angel of God and to accept his word altered her entire world?
Engaged to be married, she is suddenly to be with child by one who is not the man she loves.
The risks are tremendous.
And what is this child of God's love to be?
This child that she says yes to when she opens her life so totally to God?
At the time that Mary conceived there were many Messiahs, many folk who proclaimed they had been chosen of God to take the throne of David:
-to take David's throne back from the corruption of the rulers who sat upon it
-to take it back from the control of the many who had manipulated it since the fall of Jerusalem-- from the Persians, the Greeks, the
Egyptians - and now the Romans,
-to take it back and to sit upon it and bring to Israel that time that God had promised would come.
There were many Messiahs at the time Mary conceived.
Most of these were either ridiculed or were killed or both.
So why would her child - this child she was told would be of God be any different?
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Sunday School News
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Last week was wonderfully busy!
On Friday evening, Dec. 16th, about 25-30 of the St. Stephens parish family and friends got together for a very fun evening of "Cookies & Carols." Although it was cold outside, the Parish hall was nice and warm inside with singing Christmas carols and eating delicious cookies. Special thanks to Erica for her help, Rachel for her musical talent, and of course the kids who baked the cookies!
On Sunday Dec. 18th, all of the Sunday School kids did an amazing job in the Christmas Pageant. Everyone worked really hard, and the pageant was beautiful.
Special thanks to all the teachers for the help getting this together and Ruth Ann for the music.
Happy Birthday Jesus!!!
Thanks so much for everyone who chose an ornament from
The Giving Tree!!!!
The gifts were delivered to Our Lady of Fatima on Sunday afternoon. Because of all of you, a family in need in our community will have a VERY Merry Christmas. Thanks so much for your generosity and for making this outreach project so successful. There is no doubt we will do it again next year.
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| Just a few of the presents donated. |
Have a Very Blessed Christmas
and a Happy Healthy New Year!
There is NO Sunday School Dec 25th and Jan 1st.
We will resume Sunday school Jan. 8th
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Upcoming
Christmas Eve Family Service- Sun. Dec. 24, 5pm (children's sermon only)
Midnight Mass- Dec. 24, 10:30pm
Christmas Day Celebration- Sunday, Dec. 25,10am
Annual Parish Meeting- Sunday, January 22, after 10am service
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Father Gary's 12 Days of Christmas
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Announcements
Call for Counters!:
Counters needed to help record the donations to the church. This usually takes place on Sunday after the 10am service. If you can spare an hour or so, once or twice a month, PLEASE contact Gail Grossman at
gaildg1@verizon.net or Maria Whisenand at
lmwhisendand@optonline.net.
Call for Office Volunteers!: The Parish Office needs volunteers. Please contact Bernadette Reyes
office@Ststephenspw.org or 516-767-0363. Thank you.
Baby Supply Exchange: St. Stephen's Baby Supply Exchange needs strollers (no jog strollers please) and winter clothes for toddler girls (ages 2-6 years). Call Leslie Bradshaw at 516-883-3003 to donate.
Save The Date: "Everything Belongs" on Sunday January 8, 2017 at 11:30 am in Parish Hall, Room 104.
All are welcome to attend the continuing discussion of what that means at St. Stephen's as we examine the oneness of all creation. Meeting, open to all, will take place after Coffee Hour and go for about 1 hour. Father Richard Rohr had conducted a conference last July on this topic, and Bob and Dolores Kazanjian-O'Brien will lead the conversation, based on a conference they attended at Fr. Richard Rohr Center for Action and Contemplation on that topic. The session on January 8th will focus on the work of one of the presenters, Christena Cleveland, who discussed findings from social psychology research, as well as experiences as a black, female professional.
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Vestry Nominations
St. Stephen's Annual Parish Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 22nd, 2017 in Parish Hall, following the 10 am Eucharist.
The election of new Vestry members will take place at the Annual Meeting Parish Meeting.
The St. Stephen's Vestry Nominating Committee - John Longmire (chair), Abby Chromy, Alan Dinn, Einar Haukeland, Melissa Murphy and Ellen Shields - has met several times and announces the following nominees:
For Vestry:
Catherine Fish
Rachel Golder
Stephen Sylvester
For Warden:
Roopali Gupta
The nominees' biographies can be found
here.
Many thanks to the Nominating Committee for their tireless efforts in the search and selection process of these four fine candidates, as well as to the nominees for their willingness to serve.
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For Our Prayers
For the Sick: Dick & Jean, Virginia, Peter, Bob, Ann, Gerry, Julia Motch, Carol, Jo, Tom, Gerry, Darlene, Jeanne, Steve & Debbie, Dianne, Valerie, Nancy, Frank, Sue, Nina, Karen, Kevin, Ian, Richard, Donna V., Lisa F., Kitty, Justin, Tony, Mary M., Ross, Sue, Hank, Derek, Gladys Van Colten, Howard, Libby, Charles, Roy, June, William, Carolyn, Elizabeth and Erica.
To have someone entered onto our Prayer List please send an e-mail with the person's name & the requester's name to: office@ststephenspw.org. Your prayer request will be included for 4 weeks - please submit another request if you wish to have prayers continue after this time.
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Special Christmas & New Year Hours:
Father Gary: On vacation starting Sunday, December 25th (following Christmas Day service) until Saturday, December 31st (New Year's Eve).
Parish Office: OPEN Monday, December 26th through Thursday, December 29th, 10am-1pm; closed Friday December 30th.
Parish Office: CLOSED Monday, January 2nd.
Consignment Shop: CLOSED Saturday, December 24th (Christmas Eve) until Monday, January 2, 2017. It will reopen Tuesday, January 3rd.
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