Pastor s Corner: Let My Thanksgiving Be Shared

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1 November 22, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 294 Main Street South, Woodbury, CT (203) In This Issue: Pastor s Corner: Let My Thanksgiving Be Shared Pg 2 - Calendar of the week Pg Bazaar Pg Community Services Pg 9 - Readings Pg 10 - Advent Words Pg 14 - Participating Dear friends in Christ, rom Bishop Steven Charleston, in his collection of F reflections, "Hope as Old as Fire, Red Moon Publications, "Each Thanksgiving my heart turns in two directions. I am thankful for all that God has given me, but I cannot help but think of those with so much less. Please join me and a prayer, a Thanksgiving tithe: thank you, God, for your many blessings, for your mercy and grace, but take a portion of what I have received and give it to those for whom this day is dark. Let them see your loving light and feel there hope restored. Let my thanksgiving be shared, no empty chair at your table." God bless you all. Rev Lois T his final week of this church year has for its Gospel, the Great Commission, which ends Just as you did it unto the least of these who are members of my family, you did it for me. As we prepare for Advent and a new church year, how will you covenant to feed the hungry, give sustenance to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the needy, visit the prisoner, and/or tend the sick? We live in a world crying for all kinds of compassionate care. How will you be the face and hands of Jesus?

2 THIS WEEK AT ST. PAUL S Thu Nov 23 Sat Nov 25 5:00 pm Holy Eucharist Sun Nov 26 8:00 am Holy Eucharist 10:00 am Holy Eucharist Mon Nov 27 6:15 pm Christian Yoga, Basement 7:00 pm Transition Team Meeting, Seabury Room Tue Nov 28 7:00 pm Vestry Meeting, Seabury Room Wed Nov 29 12:00 pm Men s Lunch, Charcoal Chef Thu Nov 30 8:00 am Holy Eucharist, Seabury Room 10:30 am C.I.A. Discussion Group, Louise Smith s Home 7:00 pm House Church at Fr. Fred s Sat Dec 2 10:00 am Christmas Bazaar 5:00 pm Holy Eucharist Sun Dec 3 8:00 am Holy Eucharist 9:00 am Church School - Advent Wreath Making 10:00 am Holy Eucharist Congratulations Shahrokh - Fr. Dezhbod is the new Missional Priest-in-Charge at Christ Church in Watertown. On Sunday, December 3rd at 10 am Christ Church Watertown is officially welcoming him and will be holding a reception for him following the service. All are welcome. Contact Betty Lou Bowles for more info. Lay Schedule - We are beginning work on our winter & Christmas lay schedule. Please contact the parish office or your lay ministry coordinator as soon as possible about your schedule availability for this period (December thru March 15). F ood Collection Sunday The third Sunday of each month we encourage everyone to bring in food donations for the Woodbury Food Bank. For an up to date list of the priority needs of the Woodbury Food Bank see the handout sheet in food collection basket in the narthex. The food bank is not able to accept items past their labeled expiration date. 2

3 Christmas is Coming... along with St. Paul s Christmas Bazaar! The time is speeding by and before you know it December will be here. More specifically, planning, preparing and setting up our Annual Christmas Bazaar to be held Saturday, December 2 nd will get under way very soon. Volunteers are needed to help prepare for the Bazaar the entire week before, Nov 27 to Dec 1. Additionally bakers are requested to fill our newly expanded Heavenly Bake Shop. Donations up will be accepted until Friday, Dec 1. We especially need paper, plastic bags and newspaper for wrapping and sales. We re hoping new parishioners will share the fun and friendship as we come together to make our 2017 Christmas Bazaar a standout in the community! House Church - Small Group Gathering - Now meeting each Thursday night at 7:00 pm a small group gathers at Fr. Fred s for an evening of prayer and study, concluding with Compline. If you would like to join House Church please contact Father Fred at frfred@sbcglobal.net or Betty Lou Bowles at honeylou@charter.net. tewardship can be defined very simply as S taking care. In Sunday s gospel passage Jesus talks about people who take care of other people, namely those who are hungry or thirsty, those who are foreigners, those who lack clothing, as well as those who are sick or imprisoned. Thinking about that list, you might want to ask yourself: what kind of a steward am I? Coming Next Summer! Are you ready to travel to the Biblical land of the Pharaohs, Jacob, Joseph, and Israel during the famine? Plans are underway for another awesome Christian pilgrimage. This time to Egypt with a Nile River cruise and a climb up Mount Sinai. There will be options for those who haven t been to Jordan and Israel as well. We depart for Egypt on June 28th and return on July 19th. The Israel only trip leaves on July 10th. Pricing and more details are available here. 3

4 Christmas Bazaar BASKET RAFFLE...Yet another great showing coming up! Over 20 baskets are expected, some already done, but 10 more are wanted. You can make the basket yourself OR purchase the basket and all the fillings and bring it in to one of the "basket-eers" to be put together. Call Julie Calkins to let her know you will be doing a basket. ALL THEMES ARE WELCOME! TREASURE CHEST...In past years, this "high end"merchandise was called the Treasure Chest. We are now eliminating this name, and the merchandise will be merged into White Elephant, but the quality level will remain "treasure." It will be displayed on the cemetery wall, as in the past.. For sorting and set-up purposes, we can think of it as White Elephant CENTER, and White Elephant WALL, Some nice donations for each level have already come in BUT WE HOPE FOR MUCH MORE. FRESH GREEN SPRAYS WITH BOWS...Judie Ferris and Kathy Baird have become experts at making the sprays with gorgeous bows, and they fly out the door. But more help is needed. Please call Judie at COOKIES FOR COFFEE How our visitors love our free coffee and hot chocolate and COOKIES! Sooo many cookies are needed...please add your name to the sign-up sheet in the parish hall, that you will make cookies for this really popular item. Tasty thanks in advance! 4

5 BAZAAR '17 is delighted to present... The Heavenly Bakery When Bazaar '16 generated a fantastic $750 profit, while all scrunched up at the end of one table, it became time to consider what greater things we could do with this VERY popular event...and thus was born The Heavenly Bakery, at the post-'16 evaluation meeting..."baked Goods" transformed! The new HB (short for Heavenly Bakery) will now be located on the cemetery wall, from the first window to the center of the wall. Shelving will be created on the wall side, with tables in front. So much wonderful space! Kathy Gaydosh will again bake dozens of loaves of bread, finishing many of them off on bazaar morning at 6 am, so the aroma fills the parish hall. Thanks to Kathy for this exceptional labor of love Now we hope you will be an HB ANGEL and fill this great new "store" with Cakes * Pies * Breads * Brownies/Bars Cookies * Specialty Loaves * Cupcakes Relishes/Pickles * Nuts & Candies * Sauces Jams- Jellies- Chutneys * Tarts Baked Beans * Applesauce & Preserved Fruits and anything else you love to prepare! If your contribution contains N U T S, please so mark clearly. ONLY 2 WEEKS until the great event... can you feel the excitement??!! Please use the sign-up sheets in the parish hall..they are so helpful to the planners. WE INVITE YOU TO SHARE IN OUR JOY THROUGH SERVICE Any questions call Dory Holmes or Diane Heavens

6 Coffee Tins Needed - Metal coffee tins (empty) with lid are needed to transport altar flowers to those unable to get to church. You can leave them by the mailboxes near the office stairway or give them to an Altar Guild member. 6

7 Holiday 2017 Priority List for Woodbury Food Bank Donation Requests Critical need: Soups, especially chowders, chicken & beef broths, pea soup, lentil soup, pasta & bean soup, Italian wedding soup, chicken combo soups, beef combo soups Special holiday needs: Stuffing (bagged & stove-top ) Canned & boxed potatoes (plain & flavored) Canned yams French-cut green beans Cranberry sauce Gravy (jarred & canned) Turkey broth Pie fillings (pumpkin, cherry, apple, berry) Sugar (granulated, confectioner s & brown) Brownie mixes Cake mixes Frosting Pie shells Pie dough mixes Quick bread mixes Baking chips (milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, butterscotch) Cookie mixes Nuts for baking Pasta sauce Pastas especially farfalle (bowtie), rotini, rigatoni, linguine, fettucine, angel hair & lasagna Canned tomatoes, especially stewed, diced, crushed & paste Canned fruits & fruit cups, especially peaches, pears, pineapple & fruit cocktails Canned chili Canned beef stew Canned chicken Canned Spam & Vienna sausage Canned hash Canned tuna & canned salmon Sloppy Joe sauce, canned spaghettios & mini-ravioli Cereals, oatmeal, pancake/waffle mixes, syrup Juice bottles & juice boxes Canned carrots, canned beets, canned mushrooms & canned olives Regular, half-caf & decaf ground coffee, and regular & decaf teas Shelf-stable milk & powdered milk Rice & pasta mixes Instant pudding mix & pudding cups Peanut butter, jams & jellies Mayo Ketchup & mustard Salad dressings Cooking oil (vegetable, canola, olive, corn) Dish detergent Laundry detergent Personal care items including toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo & conditioner, bar soaps Paper towels, toilet paper, napkins & facial tissues Organic, low-carb & gluten-free food products Pet foods Donations are received Fridays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturdays 9 to 11 a.m. at the Food Bank (our entry access is from the rear delivery lot behind the buildings in the LaBonne s plaza the Food Bank is located at the basement level of Newtown Savings Bank). Please call Bob Taylor at (203) or Bob at community.services.council@gmail.com if you need to make special arrangements. Thanks so much on behalf of our clients and volunteers for offering the gifts of nourishment and compassion! 7

8 Warm homes & hearts for the holidays Community Services Council of Woodbury 2017 Holiday Program The Community Services Council of Woodbury, serving families in need in our town for three decades, invites you to join us in continuing the tradition of warming homes and hearts with the special gift of compassion during the holiday season. Financial donations to the Community Services Council during our Holiday Appeal will meet the special costs of supplying clients of the Woodbury Food Bank with turkeys and the dinner trimmings for Thanksgiving, turkeys and hams for Christmas, fresh vegetables and fruit for the holiday table, and grocery store vouchers to purchase other food items. A donation of $15 will pay for a turkey, and a gift of $40 to $50 will provide all the dinner trimmings to grace the table of a grateful family on Thanksgiving Day. Financial gifts to the CSCW also will be gratefully received to meet the needs of families who seek energy, heating and crisis assistance from the CSCW, enabling us to keep the homes of our neighbors warm during the winter and preserve our clients personal security. The CSCW welcomes donations of new toys, games and craft items suitable for children from toddlers through teens for the Council s annual Santa s Shop on Thursday, Dec. 7, which offers families in need the opportunity to find special holiday gifts for their children. We also gratefully accept donations of gift cards for local retail and grocery stores to brighten the holidays for our client families by allowing them to shop for holiday gifts, winter clothing and holiday meals, while conserving their resources to meet essential financial obligations. Financial donations and individual gift card donations may be mailed to the Community Services Council, PO Box 585, Woodbury CT Special dates for dropoff of toy, game and craft donations at the Woodbury Food Bank will be from 10 am to 2 pm Nov. 22, from 9 to 11 am Nov. 30, from 9 am to 2 pm Dec. 1, and from 9 to 11 am Dec. 2. For additional information about the Council s 2017 Holiday Program, please contact CSCW president Bob Taylor by at community.services.council@gmail.com or by phone at (203) Your generosity warms the homes and hearts of our client families yearround. Please know that your neighbors in need are most grateful for your support! With warm wishes that your home is filled with joy and peace this holiday season, Bob Taylor, President Community Services Council of Woodbury, Inc. 8

9 I Stewardship Minute whatever you did for one of the least of my brothers, you did for me. - MATTHEW 25:40 ost of us are generous when it s convenient for us. We M are generous when we have the time or the money. But, generosity is the opposite of that. It means giving of one s time, money, compassion, forgiveness or mercy when it s not convenient; when it s not on our schedule, but on the other person s schedule. This Weekend s Readings Jesus Sovereignty Ezekiel 34:11-16, n our opening reading the Lord promises to be the shepherd of the people. God will bring them home and heal them. God will feed and protect them. The exile of Israel is coming to an end. Ezekiel has prophesied against the false shepherds, the rulers who only fed off the flock. Now God will tend the sheep who have been dispersed and preyed upon, but the overfed will be judged. Psalm 100 A call to praise and to offer thanksgiving to the Lord. Ephesians 1:15-23 In this lesson Paul gives thanks for the faith and love of the Ephesians and prays that they may see with their inward eyes the power of God, who raised and enthroned Jesus far above all earthly and heavenly dominions. How vast is the treasure that God offers to those who trust in the Lord! Matthew 25:31-46 Our gospel presents a picture of the universal judgment when the Son of Man, acting as judge and king, will separate humankind into two groups: those who have cared for the Lord in the needy, the stranger, and prisoners - and those who have not. On one level the evangelist intends those in need to be understood as Christian disciples. But the bringing of all peoples into judgment has caused Christians to realize that the Christ is to be recognized in every individual. Beneath this awareness lies a profound theological mystery; the likeness of God, which has been decisively revealed in the human person of Jesus, may be perceived in each human being. 9

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11 Men s Group E ach Wednesday at noon the men s group, a growing and informal gathering of men, meets for lunch at the Charcoal Chef. Please join us next week! SAVE THE DATE Woodbury Boy Scout Troop 480 is expecting a visit from Santa on December 2, 2017!! Twas the day of the Woodbury Christmas Festival, when all through the town People were shopping and bustling around; Wreaths were laid on the North Green with care, In hopes that the townspeople soon would be there; The Scouts of Troop 480 were preparing to host, The kind of warm meal SANTA likes most; Sauce on the stove, bread in the oven, Top it all off with a cupcake or muffin; And while the Troop 480 Scouts serve you a wonderful treat, Look out for SANTA who has stopped by to eat; Whether you have been naughty or you have been nice, Tell SANTA your wish list for Christmas Eve Night; He ll pose for a picture in between bites, That you can post to your Facebook page for relatives to like: There will be raffles, meatballs, salad and beverages galore, Your heart will be filled with Holiday Cheer as you head to the door. 11

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14 Participating in the Services 5 pm Usher Lectors Chalicer Saturday, November 25th Jeff Leavenworth John Dransfield, JoAnn Plunske Gaby Drews Sunday, November 26th 8:00 am Ushers Rick Hammer, Kathie Nichols Lector Joan Wilson Chalicer Beverly Deickler Intercessor Dick Leavenworth 10:00 am Ushers Julie & Tom Calkins Lectors Duke Breon, Betty Lou Bowles Chalicers Peter Bowles, Lois Zane Intercessor Amy Williams Counter Peter Bowles Altar Guild: Marianne Daly, Pam Lehman, Isobel Moore, Lois Zane Lay Eucharistic Ministers: Betty Lou Bowles, Dory Holmes, Joan Wilson Please remember to arrange for your own replacements and to keep the office informed of any changes at st.paulswoodbury@stpaulswoodbury.net. COFFEE HOUR HOSTS Contact Barbara Elmore to volunteer! Hebrews 13:2 - Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. St. Paul s Church 294 Main Street South Woodbury, Connecticut Office: Office@stpaulswoodbury.org Website: stpaulswoodbury.org 14