December 10, 2020 Dear Friends of St. Timothy: On Friday, December 4th, Bishop Hollingsworth issued a statement that all Episcopal parishes in our Diocese are required to suspend in-person worship through the end of the year. (You can find his statement HERE.) This difficult and painful decision was made in conjunction with the Bishop of Southern Ohio, so all Episcopal church buildings in the state are closed until sometime in 2021. Obviously, this is not what any of us wanted, especially with Christmas just two weeks away. However, as the Bishop said so well . . . As a religious community, we may be afforded certain exemptions by our government. As Christians, however, we are never exempt from caring for our neighbor and putting the safety of others before our own needs and desires. Taking these steps in this unprecedented emergency is, indeed, an act of faith and a witness to the love of God in Christ Jesus. It is not what we want to do, but it is what we must do--especially because we worship a God who cares about people, which is really what Christmas is all about. (I refer you to last year's Christmas sermon about The Sewers of London.) We will continue to do all we can to keep our members and guests safe and healthy, because that is what we are called to do. On to the updates . . .

WORSHIP Next week, we offer three services, and one organ recital, all of which will be streamed online. You can find this week's bulletin insert HERE. Sunday Services 12/13 Gaudete Sunday 10:00 am During the Advent season, we will stream a Rite II service of Holy Eucharist, using Choirmaster Andrew Bolden's "Third Street Mass," which can be found HERE. This week's service outline is HERE, and hymns are HERE. Tuesday 12/15 7pm:  We will stream The Great Litany and sung Compline at 7pm, on Facebook and at our website. You can find those programs HERE and HERE. Wednesday 12/16 12:00pm: Advent Organ Recital by our long-time friend, Mr. Loren Veigel. This stream will be available under the Calendar tab at the website, as well as on our Facebook page. You can watch Jay Spencer's lovely playing from yesterday HERE. Thursday 12/17 7pm: Our weekly service, based on the Taize' model. You can tune in at 7pm, on Facebook and at our website. You can find an outline of the service HERE. Special thanks to Steve Merrill for bringing us a visit from St. Nicholas this past Sunday! More information on all our services can be found at the Calendar page of our website, and all streamed services are then uploaded to our youtube  page.

CHRISTMAS OUTREACH We get a lot of calls from our neighbors asking for help with Christmas gifts for their children. We always tell them that we only sponsor people through the Salvation Army (which ensures that everything is on the up and up). This year, thanks to Ann Higgins, we are sponsoring five families. Ann has the list of what to buy for each child, and I hope you will consider pitching in with some safe shopping to bring some Christmas joy to our neighbors. Also, we still have a few half-hour slots available for bell ringing at Buehler's on the west side. Please give Ann a call to find out more. If you don't have her number, call the church office and we can give you her number.

EPIPHANY LESSONS AND CAROLS Friends and families of St Timothy's are invited to participate in this year's virtual Epiphany Lessons & Carols. We are planning to create a pre-recorded service and would like to maximize parish participation by having families sing one of the hymns and submit a video recording of those performances. We will provide a soundtrack for you to sing along with, and all you need do is set up a camera and sing! We will compile and edit submissions to be included in the final video which will stream on Epiphany, January 6, 2021. Please contact Andrew Bolden for more details.

BIRTHDAYS and ANNIVERSARIES Celebrating birthdays this week are Kristie Baker (12/16), Paul Kaboth (12/19), and Dana Ehmer (12/19). Also, we accidentally missed Tyler Strawder turning 4 on St. Nicholas Day (12/6). Celebrating anniversaries this week are Jay and Laurie Bomze (12/16) and Steve and Susan Merrill (12/17). Be sure to send happy thoughts and good wishes to all who celebrate this week!

CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS The ECW is once again offering the opportunity for you to purchase poinsettias during the Christmas season (which you'll recall begins at sundown on Dec. 24th and lasts for 12 days). If you would like to designate plants as memorials or dedications, you can find the order form by clicking HERE. Or, you can call the office, and we can take your order over the phone.

PRAYERS REQUESTED Please keep these friends and parishioners in your prayers. David Wigginton, Anne Smith, Bob Meyer, Chris Lane, Judy Wigginton, Priya Kurian, Chuck Tilley, Michael Flamm, Bob Long, Chester Brumbaugh, Stormi, Jeff Frank, Eve, Shari, Etta Trimpi, Charlene Lochland, Dan, and all those affected by COVID 19. We pray for the repose of the souls of Don Merrill (father of Steve Merrill) and Rachel Sanchez (cousin of Cristin Baum). This past Friday, we lost our dear friend and parishioner Rick Trimpi. His passing leaves a large empty space in our congregation. Rick will be remembered by all for his kindness, generosity, and loving welcome for visitors to our parish. Please keep Etta, Sarah D., and the family in your prayers in the days and weeks ahead.

WEEKLY PUZZLE It occurs to me that most of our parishioners have not seen the High Altar in a long, long time. So, this week, you can see it up close for an extended time by putting together the puzzle below.  You will find the puzzle by clicking HERE. You can choose your background color, number of puzzle pieces, and even set it to display just the edge pieces. Plus, you get a very affirming crowd reaction once you have completed it!

GROWING WITH GOD We have contracted with a local company to replace our leaky worn-out awning over the parking lot doors. On Wednesday, as a first step, they came and removed the old one, as you can see. But how about those decorative planter arrangements, huh? Thanks to Mrs. Baum for adding a touch of beauty for over the winter months.

VESTRY POSITIONS Each January, at our Annual Meeting, we elect three new Vestry members. Though I still haven't figured out how we will actually run our Annual Meeting in this environment, we do still need some folks willing to join Vestry for a three-year term. If you're interested, or would like more information, please contact me or a current Vestry member at your earliest convenience.

NEXT WEEK Since we cannot gather in person for the time being, we will be sending out a packet of materials to everyone on our postal mailing list. (If you're not on that list and would like to be, please call the church office.) This mailing will include the bulletin for our Christmas Eve streamed service, a copy of Andrew Bolden's "Third Street Mass," an order form for Christmas Poinsettias, and the annual Christmas Letter from the Rector. Though I would much rather hand you all these things in person (while hoping you'd hand me a cookie in return), this is the way it must be for now. Please know that I continue to pray for you, and please let me know if I can be helpful in any way. Faithfully, Fr. George