This Sunday, December 14th, 2025

The Third Sunday of Advent


8:00 and 9:30am Service of Holy Eucharist

A prayer of dedication will be offered for our new sanctuary art.

Note: the art will be unveiled prior to Saturday's Advent Evensong


Forum Time: Gingerbread House Decorating


We continue to Facebook Livestream the Sunday 9:30 service and upload to YouTube.

Sunday Bulletin

Worship Team Schedule

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day Worship Team

Upcoming Dates


- Saturday, December 13

  • Advent Evensong
  • A Light in the Storm - Isaiah Statewide Convention


- Sunday, December 14

  • Dedication of Sanctuary Art
  • Gingerbread-House Decorating after the 9:30am Service
  • After Party Youth Event - RSVP below


- Sunday, December 21 - Coffee & Carols and Christmas Caroling


- Monday, December 22 - Christmas Eve Music Rehearsal from 6:30-8:30pm


- Wednesday, December 24 - Christmas Eve Service at 4:30pm


- Thursday, December 25 - Christmas Day Service at 10:00am

"Getting to Know our Commissioned Artwork"


Laura Hensley, Instructional Designer and Artist, offered guidance on how to engage with our new sanctuary art at last Sunday's worship. Please click here to read, "Getting to Know our Commissioned Artwork".

Join us Through Advent


We invite you to join us in a variety of programming offerings and opportunities for reflection over these Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany seasons. All opportunities can be read about in our advent brochure.


Click Here to Open the Brochure

We need you! - On the Road!
Sunday, December 21st


Save the date on your busy holiday calendars for one of St David’s favorite forums “Coffee and Carols”, followed by one of our favorite outings of the year, “Christmas Caroling” for our homebound friends. After the 9:30 service, on December 21st, all parishioners can head downstairs to the undercroft where the coffee hour for the day will be enjoying delicious treats along with some old-fashioned Christmas Caroling. Roger will be at the piano and lead us all in holiday song. We will even face time those parishioners we cannot visit in person with a carol from the undercroft.


Those who have planned to go caroling to the homebound will then head out en masse, about 11:30 am, to our first stop, Hope Springs at Minnetonka, a behavioral health assisted living facility where we volunteer. Here we will sing as one large group and play Santa--dropping off our Christmas gifts for all the residents. 


From there, we will then divide and conquer, with each group visiting 2 or 3 of our parishioners who also find themselves homebound this holiday season. To get a handle on the traveling carolers’ numbers, we ask you to please sign up on the signup sheets located in the church Narthex/Undercroft or sign up electronically through the Genius link below.  If you find you suddenly can go caroling that day and you did not sign up, no worries… as there is always room for everyone to participate!

Click Here to Sign-up!


Remember………No professional singing talent required, all ages welcomed, and families strongly encouraged to attend! Folk’s love seeing children at Christmas. We hope you can join in, sing some classic Christmas carols, and partake in the real joy of the season.

  

Questions? Don’t hesitate to contact me, Diane Curley, at dsbkncurley@gmail.com

A Ho-Ho-Hope Springs Holiday 


It is that time of year again to share some holiday spirit with our friends at Hope Springs at Minnetonka, a Behavioral Health Assisted Living Facility in our community.  We will have a list of residents’ names and some fun Christmas cards at the ready for your personal notes of Christmas cheer. A table will be set up in the narthex after Sunday services, at which you may offer your generous financial gift of $40 (cash or checks most appreciated). You will need to choose a recipient, pick a card you fancy, sign that card, write a short note, then finally address the envelope…...but no licking it closed allowed!  Once we have received enough donations, we will purchase gift cards from the store where they are able to shop, insert them into your cards, and then wrap them all up in one big festive Christmas Stocking. We will then deliver that stocking when we sing Christmas carols at Hope Springs after the forum on Sunday December 21st.


Ho, Ho, Hope you stop by the Hope Springs Christmas table in the Narthex...…. starting after services on Sunday December 7th, then again on Sunday, December 14th.   Thanks in advance for your generosity this Christmas season.


Questions, Diane Curley at dsbkncurley@gmail.com

Christmas Eve Potluck Reception


St. David’s will host a reception in the Undercroft following the Christmas Eve worship service. If you are able, please bring an appetizer or dessert to share. St. David’s will provide beverages.


RSVP & Potluck Sign-up! - Starting this Sunday there will be a paper sign-up available to indicate your attendance, how many in your party will be joining us and whether you intend to bring a dish to share!


Celebrate Jesus’ birth with your St. David's friends and their guests!

Christmas Eve Music Rehearsal: Mon. December 22nd


Our next rehearsal for Christmas eve musicians is Monday December 22nd from 6:30-8:30pm.


Singers and instrumentalists of all ages are invited to join our intergenerational choir and instrumental ensemble for the Christmas Eve liturgy. The music will be easy, familiar and joyful.


Contact Roger Stratton (rstratton@stdavidsparish.org) to join in the musical festivities!

Weekly Programming:

  • This Sunday, Dec 14 - The Peace Table for children ages 7-11
  • Coffee Hour - Gingerbread House decorating for all ages!
  • The After Party for youth grades 6-12. See below for details and sign-up!



  • Wednesday, Dec. 17 - LIFT at Trinity for a Christmas party, with a white elephant gift exchange and more festive fun! Dinner included. 6:30-8:30pm

 

Sunday December 14 | The After Party | Grades 6-12

The After Party RSVP

Trinity Excelsior is hosting an afternoon movie and hangout time for youth in Grades 6-12 from St. David’s, St. Stephen’s and any other friends that want to join in our fun. Sit by your friends in church. Carpool over to Trinity for lunch and a hot chocolate bar. We will watch Home Alone. Bring anything you want to keep you cozy! ALL Youth and families are welcome to leave after the movie is over or stick around to join Trinity for intergenerational caroling in Excelsior at 3:00. Contact Sally Hockinson for more details! sally@trinityexcelsior.org | 507-951-9181


Sign up:

 

Important Links:

2025-26 Children and Youth Registration Form

2025-26 C+Y Program Calendar

Minister of Finance Position is Open!


The position description and application instructions for our Minister of Finance Position have been posted on our website, Facebook, Instagram and on Indeed.com.


We thank you for sharing this opening with your networks and for any references you might provide. Interested applicants may email staffing@stdavidsparish.org to introduce themselves and share a resume and cover letter outlining their relevant experience.


We look forward to welcoming a new member to our staff team!

ICA Update


Our mission: To create a healthy and stable community for all

Our vision: A community where everyone has the resources to thrive

Our belief: ICA’s presence in our communities makes our neighborhoods more stable and secure

Hats & Mittens


Hats & Mittens is a non-profit organization that collects hats and mittens for children (infant through teenage years). Its goal is to ensure that children in the seven county metro area have access to hats and mittens and be warm while they learn, reach and grow. 


Through the winter months, St. David’s will be collecting warm hats, mittens/gloves and scarves in all sizes for infants through young adults. They can be new or gently used (but clean). There are Hats & Mittens boxes at the two south church entrances 


With the onset of a “real” Minnesota winter (think snowstorms, slick roads & numbing cold), Hats & Mittens has experienced the most requests ever from non-profits who work with children! 


Currently, Hats & Mittens is very low on mittens/gloves for ages 15-young adults. In addition, we are low on waterproof mittens/gloves & hats for ages 9-14 years and for infants and toddlers. Providing warmth for area children and youth is a wonderful, caring Christmas gift which will be so appreciated.


You can help spread the warmth. 

A Light in the Storm: ISAIAH Convention
December 13, 12:00-6:00pm

Minneapolis Convention Center


Our group at St. David’s, in partnership with ISAIAH, is coordinating with similar groups around the state and country to build a movement that can preserve our democracy and the civil rights our country was founded on. We don’t want to just wait and hope, we want to be part of creating a more positive future grounded in what God calls us to do – feed the hungry, care for the sick, welcome the stranger.


On Saturday, December 13, thousands of people from all over Minnesota will be gathering to ratify a shared set of priorities for the future and launch a path to caucus in 2026 around this shared “Yes Agenda”. We’ll also equip ourselves for the next phase of resistance to attacks on our civil rights and safety net programs, including large actions on Palm Sunday and July 4th.


Everyone is invited to attend even if you have not participated in other ISAIAH Lighthouse Path events. We are planning to carpool from church to the Convention Center. Register for the event here: https://bit.ly/ISAIAHDec13Event


Have an announcement you would like to share in this weekly email?


Send it to office@stdavidsparish.org before 9:00 am on Wednesday to be featured.


Holiday Season Weekly News Schedule & Office Hours


Weekly News Holiday Schedule:

With major holidays all falling on Thursdays this season we plan to adopt this schedule for release of the weekly news.


Week of Christmas

  • No regular news with announcements this week. The final newsletter before Christmas will be sent Thursday, 12/18. Submissions are due Wednesday 12/17 at noon as usual.
  • A Christmas Eve/ Day Services reminder will be sent on Monday or Tuesday December 22 or 23.
  • Please note that the Christmas Day service will not be livestreamed.


The Week of New Years Day

  • Submissions due Tuesday 12/30 at noon
  • News released Wednesday 12/31 in the early evening


Office-Closed Days

  • Thursday, December 25- Friday, January 2

Upcoming Sunday Forums

Sunday December 14

Gingerbread House Decorating

Sunday December 21

Holiday Giving Tree and Caroling at Hope Springs

Sunday December 28

Social Time

Sunday January 4

Social Time

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.

Pastoral Care Line: 952-767-0891

To add someone to the prayers, please contact

the office

office@stdavidsparish.org

or

The Rev. Katherine Lewis

klewis@stdavidsparish.org



We will include all individuals in the prayers list for four consecutive weeks, and then they will be removed from the list. If the prayer need is ongoing, please reach out and we will keep their names on the list. If anyone's prayer need is shorter than four weeks, please also note that. This way we will keep all prayer lists updated and recent.

Prayers and Passages

We pray for healing of body, mind or spirit for those we love, especially Bobbie (mother of Nancy Mark), Shannon Camlek (friend of Kimberle Lopac), Jess Carter (friend of Vonnie Fiedler), Joanne Downs (friend of Virginia Haggart and Ned Sorley), Kay Handley (mother of Jeff Handley), Linda Halley (mother of Laura Hensley), Martha Hatcher, Charity Harvala, Sharon Herpers, Tom Lutz, David Maass (brother of Bill Jacobs), Ann McNamara (sister of Eileen McNamara), Jim Monteith, Nicki Notermann (cousin of Steph Pederson), David Pearson, Amy Phung (daughter of the Ronbecks,) Lisa Popp (daughter of LaMar Popp), Pat (friend of St. David's), Mabel Rohr (friend of the Allan family), Duane Schroeder, Dayle Schnack, Bob Triebenbach, Mike Winter (father of Christina Haake), Tatiana, and Jenni (friend of the Clarks).


We pray for those who have died.


We pray for all those killed by guns, in war, in churches and schools, on our streets, and in our homes. We pray for in the injured, for families, first responders, for all who are fearful and traumatized. May our grief and compassion give us a commitment and resolve to work for systemic change to prevent war and gun violence.


We pray for our country, for immigrants and refugees, and for the safety of the most vulnerable among us. We pray especially for our Somali and Latino neighbors, that they be surrounded with protection, courage, and the unwavering assurance that they are not alone in the face of kidnappings, fear and injustice. We pray for the people of Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Cameroon, the Sudan, and all impacted by famine, warfare, climate crises, and unrest. We pray for all affected by gun violence. We pray for all first responders and for hospital staff and all who help in times of tragedy.


For the world and its leaders, our nation and its people.

 

We pray for an end to racism and all systems of oppression.

 

We pray for those serving in the military, especially Aprille Mulvaney and Austin Hultman.

 

Websites


St. David's Episcopal Church: http://www.stdavidsparish.org


St. David's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWtyWv6KQL0fA5ewDDy_xQ 


The Episcopal Church in Minnesota: http://www.episcopalmn.org


The Lectionary Page-Lectionary Readings: http://www.lectionarypage.net


The Episcopal Church: http://www.episcopalchurch.org