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This Sunday, November 30th, 2025
The First Sunday of Advent
8:00 and 9:30am Service of Holy Eucharist
Forum Time: Social Time
We continue to Facebook Livestream the Sunday 9:30 service and upload to YouTube.
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Upcoming Dates
- Sunday, November 30 - Last day to sign-up for the Sat. Dec. 6 Advent Retreat
- Monday, December 1 - Maynard's Day Event - Benefitting ICA!
- Tuesday, December 2 - Last day to sign-up for Advent Bible Study
- Thursday, December 4 - Westminster Townhall with The Rt. Rev. Marian Budde
- Sunday, December 7 - St. David's Annual Bake Sale & Craft Fair
- Saturday, December 13 - Advent Evensong
- Saturday, December 13 - A Light in the Storm - Isaiah Statewide Convention
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Advent begins this Sunday Nov. 30th
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
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Begin your Advent journey by pondering Mary saying, “yes,” to bringing forth God’s presence in the world. And ponder how we, as individuals and faith communities, are called to do the same.
In this half-day Advent retreat, you will engage with Scripture through Gospel Based Discipleship and construct a journal from recycled materials. In your journal you will create a collage based on reflections and learning from the Scripture study.
Date: Saturday, December 6th
Time: 9:00am - 12noon
Location: St. David's Episcopal Church - ICA Building, Jones Room
Click here to Register!
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Advent Bible Study through Yale Divinity School
Join us for an Advent Bible Study through Yale Divinity School: The Anticipation and Arrival of Jesus in Luke 1 and 2, with the Rev. Dr. Allen Hilton. This 3-week Zoom study runs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Central Time on Thursdays, Dec. 4th, 11th, and 18th. The cost is $10 for the complete course, and you can register by clicking here.
Registration closes Dec. 2nd, and the Zoom info will be sent on Dec. 3rd.
All registrants may join as part of a group Zoom in the Jones Room of the ICA building with opportunity for discussion afterwards. Please let Julia (office@stdavidsparish.org) know if you would like to be part of the group gathering. Otherwise you are invited to register and participate on your own from home!
Please reach out to Marilyn Clark (purlbuck@gmail.com or 763-354-4472) with questions.
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Posada - Sign-up to Host Mary & Joseph this Advent!
The season of watching and waiting is almost here. For the St. David's community, the St. David’s Posada helps us mark time as we wait for the birth of Jesus during Advent. In Spanish-speaking regions, “la posada” refers to an inn or a hotel. In some Hispanic traditions, “las posadas” is a term for a type of re-enactment of Mary & Joseph's search for lodging in Bethlehem & is performed just before Christmas. St. David’s honors the Posada tradition during Advent by inviting households to sign up to serve as innkeepers to a set of felted wool figures of Mary & Joseph for a few nights before sending them on to another St. David’s household for the next part of their journey. Those who participate as innkeepers have the opportunity to provide our “guests” with loving hospitality & safe lodging as they travel from home to home during Advent.
Each household interested in being an innkeeper must sign up to host, and then a schedule of overnights for Mary & Joseph is made & provided to the innkeepers. Our Mary & Joseph will make their first overnight at a St. David’s home on the first Sunday of Advent (Nov. 30). Then they travel to different homes in the St. David’s community, according to the schedule, & stay for about 2 nights. Each innkeeper is responsible for contacting the next host on the schedule, arranging to drop-off of Mary & Joseph at a time & place that is mutually convenient, & providing a small holiday treat for the receiving innkeepers to enjoy. On Wednesday, Dec. 24, the last innkeeper on the schedule brings Mary & Joseph to St. David’s for the Christmas Eve Service, marking the end of their long journey.
If you are interested in hosting Mary & Joseph during Advent, contact Patti Jurkovich at patti.jurkovich@gmail.com to sign up.
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Weekly Programming:
- This Sunday, Nov 23 - The Peace Table for children ages 7-11
- Wednesday, Dec. 3rd - LIFT will meet at St. David's for our annual Christmas Cookie Bake!
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
Teens Encounter Christ - was this past weekend. It’s a retreat for high school students where students lead discussions and music, give faith talks, and have opportunities for ‘wrestling with God’. St. David's had 2 teens who were there for the first time as ‘Candidates’, two other teens who gave inspiring faith talks and served on Spirit Team, and one of our teens served as ‘Head Rector’. It was amazing to witness each of these teens grow in their faith, confidence, and in relationship with one another. Thank you for your prayers for the TEC community this past weekend!
The next TEC retreat is in the Spring - April 17-19. This fall’s group of candidates are invited to come back in the Spring to serve on Team!
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Update on the 2026 Giving Campaign
Heartfelt thanks to the generous people of St David's for walking in love together to provide the resources to live out our mission as followers of Jesus. We have completed and celebrated a successful giving campaign this year. The Finance Team is currently preparing the budget for 2026 and our pledges make it possible for them to prayerfully and accurately predict our ability to sustain our staff, campus, and ministries. In case you have missed the opportunity, there is still time to make a pledge and there are three ways this can be done:
We will announce the final results once we have all the information finalized and the budget will be presented in January.
Gratefully,
St David's Giving Campaign Team
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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 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.
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-Friday, November 27-28
- Thursday, December 25- Friday, January 2
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Furniture in Sanctuary to be Rearranged
As is our custom, our sanctuary furniture will be rearranged beginning this Sunday, the First Sunday of Advent to a more traditional arrangement, with the congregation in rows facing the east wall.
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Shea Brendalen to Retire
It is with deep appreciation and sadness that I share the news that staff member Shea Brendalen will be retiring from St. David's in early 2026. Shea joined the staff as bookkeeper in 2009 and, since then, has assumed increasingly more responsibilities with various job titles along the way. Shea has been instrumental in helping us create our annual budgets and develop outstanding financial, accounting, and administrative systems. She has been a close collaborator and professional confidant to me, and I will miss her very much. She is a humble servant leader, embodying a spirit of generosity, a strong work ethic, and a willingness to learn and just simply to figure things out! She also carries a great deal of institutional knowledge, which has been invaluable in countless ways.
In the coming days, our HR committee will post this "Minister of Finance" position description and we will begin the search for a new member of our staff team.
In Shea's generous way, she has offered to stay with us until we hire for this position. Our hope is to do so in the early months of 2026.
I celebrate Shea's upcoming retirement and only wish the best for her. We will certainly find ways to celebrate Shea and her ministry among us before she leaves.
With deep appreciation and gratitude,
Katherine
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ICA Update
Maynard’s Day - December 1
Stop by Maynard’s in Excelsior for lunch, happy hour or dinner on Monday, December 1 between 11 am & 11 pm. For the 18th year, Maynard’s is donating 100% of its proceeds to supporting neighbors in need through ICA. You can call 952-470-1800 or visit maynards-excelsior.com to make reservations.
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
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Loaves and Fishes
With a heavy heart we share the news that Loaves and Fishes will no longer be serving meals at St. Gabriel’s effective this past Monday November 24th - our last night. This is not the only site that is shutting down. Closings are due to financial issues.
Sue and Basil Owen will coordinate with Loaves and Fishes in the next few weeks to determine a path forward.
Thank you to all who have served in the last year's and those that have kept us in your prayers.
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Westminster Town Hall Forum:
Courage is Contagious
Please join us Thursday December 4 to hear The Right Reverend Bishop, Mariann Budde.
Moderated by: The Reverend Dr. Jessica Patchett
The New Senior Pastor and Head of Staff at Westminster Presbyterian Church will lead a conversation on the intersection of faith and politics and speaking truth to power.
Date: December 4, 2025
Times:
Doors 11:00 am | Music 11:30 am | Forum 12:00 noon
Breads & Spreads reception at 1:00 pm
Location: Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1200 Marquette Ave, Minneapolis
Cost: Free to attend or watch via livestream.
Parking: Limited car parking on-site for $12 (more available in local lots); Accessible by transit. Free bike parking is available.
More details on our website here.
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Musical Guest: Ann Reed - The Forum opens with a performance by Ann Reed at 11:30 am
Songwriter, singer and author Ann Reed has been a performing artist for nearly 50 years with her rich, dark-chocolate voice, storytelling from the human experience, and songs that find a permanent place in the heart. Of course, some of her songs and stories might end up closer to your funny bone – a little irreverence never hurt anyone!
Ann continues to present a show on YouTube called Ann Reed Live From Somewhere In Her House. She is one of the few who accompanies herself on the 12-string guitar.
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In the Undercroft and 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
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Bake & Craft Sale on December 7
Hello Crafters & Bakers!
November is rushing by and Thanksgiving will soon be here with the Advent and Christmas seasons close behind. The annual Bake Sale & Craft Fair is the second Sunday of Advent, December 7th.
Craft items can be dropped off on Saturday, December 6th between 1 pm and 4 pm, or before the services on Sunday, December 7th.
Contact Sara Leigh at leigh.sara@gmail.com if you have questions.
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Calling Musicians for our Christmas Eve Service
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.
We have two rehearsals for everyone:
- Wed. December 10, 7:00 – 8:00pm
- Mon. December 22, 6:30 – 8:00pm
Contact Roger Stratton (rstratton@stdavidsparish.org) to join in the musical festivities!
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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.
So far this season, requests for hats, mittens and scarves from non-profits who work with children are greater than ever before! Right now, Hats & Mittens is low on mittens/gloves for ages 15-adult. In addition, there is always a need for waterproof mittens and gloves for elementary and teen-aged children. Many thanks to everyone who has already donated some wonderful hats, mittens/gloves and scarves. Thankful for your generosity.🙏
You can help spread the warmth.
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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
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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.
| | | Sunday November 30 | Social Time | | Sunday December 7 | St. David's Annual Bake Sale & Craft Fair | | Sunday December 14 | Gingerbread House Decorating | | Sunday December 21 | Holiday Giving Tree and Caroling at Hope Springs | | Sunday December 28 | 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 | | | | |
