Mission Statement for St. Paul s: To proclaim God s love by word and example and to seek Christ in one another.

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1 Mission Statement for St. Paul s: To proclaim God s love by word and example and to seek Christ in one another. St. Paul s Episcopal Church, 276 Church Street, Montrose, PA Office , Mon. to Thu. 8:15am to 1:00pm stpaulsmontrose@epix.net Dec , 2016 Upcoming Events (Events are at St. Paul s unless specified otherwise) Christmas Eve Service Sat. Dec. 7:30pm There will be Morning Prayer at 9:00am on Sunday, Dec Christmas Day. Merry Christmas! This Week s Lay Ministers for Christmas Eve: Altar Guild: Carol Marker, Ben Zalewski, Carol Lasher, Barbara Undercoffler, Betty Smith Announcements: Nancy Dooling Camera & Broadcast: Al Leigh Acolyte: Benjamin Zalewski or Karen Holgate Counters: David Calby & Steve Kupscznk Eucharist Minister: Vickie Calby Lector: Sandy Darde Intercessor: Nancy Dooling Greeter/Usher: Sandy Seeger & Marsha Jones Our Readings for Christmas Eve: First Reading: Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm: 96 Epistle: Titus 2:11-14 Gospel: Luke 2:1-14, (15-20) The 16 th annual FREE Community Christmas dinner will be served on Sunday, December 25, 2016 at 12 noon at the Montrose Square Community Room, sponsored by Endless Mountains Health Systems physicians, employees, volunteers of EMHS and the community. Everyone is invited no reservations are necessary. Please join us for a wonderful meal followed by singing of carols. Special favors are being made by students at the Learning Center. Centerpieces donated by Kathy Zaleski are always a big hit. The Senior Center is located at 145 Church Street, Montrose, PA. S.C.A.R. Susquehanna Community Assisted Recovery Thu. Jan. 12 th 7 pm At the Susquehanna Community High School Auditorium. We would like to welcome every member of the community to join us as we begin the conversation concerning the addiction crisis in our area. This will be a night of sharing, caring, and truth about substance use disorder. Together we can develop solutions for a better tomorrow. Guest Speakers and Panelists Include Mayor Nancy Hurley, CRS John Fabiseski, CADC Judith Herschel, Susquehanna Police Chief Sweet, Individuals in Recovery. For more information Please call CRS John Fabiseski at or jfabiseski@trehab.org

2 A cookie blessing for your holiday baking: O God, who see the cookies that you have graciously deigned to allow us to bake here according to this recipe that you have given us that we may give to others that which you have given to us here, bless, we pray, them, O Lord, that you may allow us to offer them in return to many, as we seek to preveniently nourish these your holy people, we pray, with the ineffable taste of the flour that you have graciously allowed us to refine, O Lord, with the milky milk that milkily issues forth abundantly from the many bovine animals which you have made and from the sweet sugar that sweetly comes from the sweet sugar cane plants which you have created for we your people, who humbly implore your blessings, that all of us may humbly eat of them, in order that you might, O Lord, we humbly beseech you, bless us and them, and, we pray, O Lord, and I forgot what where I was going with this prayer and thank you for the aroma of the cookies that have already been baked and for the joy of tasting a bit of each one. Amen. From an anonymous source On Monday December 26th the office will be closed. Pledge Books for 2017 will be at the back of the Church. If you did not pledge and would like a book please let the office, know. PUB NIGHT There will be no Pub Night until the 6th of January We will be moving our meeting time up from 6:30 to 6:00 p.m. at least for the winter months. In the spirit of saving money and having one place to meet to enjoy each other's company the Calby's will be hosting Pub Night during the winter months. Everyone is welcome. On January 6th, it will be pizza night. I will pickup pizza (maybe some wings too), We will divide-up the cost between all those attending. It will be helpful if you can let Jane Chandler know if you are coming. This way we will be sure to have enough for everyone! Anyone who wants to bring something to munch on please feel free. Also, please BYOB. Dave and I wish everyone a Blessed and Peaceful New Year and a very Merry Christmas. Congrats to all my friends at St. Paul's looks like you had a very successful Country Store. We had a great turn out for our Cookie Walk on Saturday too. Merry Christmas Happy New Year hope to see all of you soon we will be coming up before the new year. Evie Constantine Thanksgivings: Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us, especially during this past week. Amen. CHURCH CLOSURES please turn your radio dial to WPEL 96.5 FM. We will announce any closure of our church service on that station.

3 St. Paul s Cycle of Prayer: Al & Rita Leigh; George & Mary Beth Mann; Richard & Carol Marker; Joel & Suzi Maxey Remember the following throughout the week in your daily prayers: Diocese of Bethlehem: St. Paul s - (Troy) The Rev. A.J. (Han) van den blink Anglican: Diocese of Kitale - (Kenya) The Rt Revd Stephen Kewasis Kajo Keji: Kala Parish For those who are ill or have requested our prayers: Margaret Burgh, Brad Darde, Al Leigh, Joe Welden, Rita Leigh, Rick Arrowsmith, Jennie Bowen, Sarah Bertsch, Jerry Stahl & Becky Stasko. SEND COMMUNICATIONS: minutes, special events etc. to the office, for the parish office to disperse. Pastoral Emergency: call the parish office during office hours. After hours, you may call John Finlon at his home Our thanksgivings: We give thanks for Ann Stone, Kelsey Warriner and Reilly Shingler who celebrate their birthdays this week and next. O God, look with favor, we pray, as Ann, Kelsey and Reilly begin another year. Grant that they may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen their trust in your goodness all the days of their life. Amen. We give thanks for those celebrating wedding anniversaries this week. Grant o God, in your compassion, that those celebrating wedding anniversaries this week may live out the covenant they have made. May they grow in forgiveness, loyalty and love, and come at last to the eternal joys which you have promised through Jesus Christ our Lord; and may the blessing of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with them this day and forever. Amen. St. Paul s Altar Flowers: If you wish to reserve, a Sunday please sign-up on the sheet at the back of the church. Then fill out an Altar Flower Card. Please use one card for each request, enclose your check for $36.00 with the card in the envelope provided, and place it in the offering plate or send it to the parish office prior to the week that you are doing flowers. For those wishing to supply your own flowers please sign up on the sheet at the back of the church and fill out an altar flower card indicating you will do your own flowers. Thank you! 5 Photos this week. The American Legion's Coats for the Community program had its seventh and final 2016 coat distribution at St. Paul's last week. Over 300 coats were given out from St. Paul's and over 1,625 from all the sites. Thanks to Nancy Dooling, Vera Dunn, and Lynne Graham for helping make St. Paul's participation in the program successful. Special thanks to three seniors from the Montrose High School's Key Club who helped unload the trucks and did the heavy lifting.

4 As has been our tradition, after the 4th Sunday of Advent service, in preparation for Christmas, the altar guild supervised the greening of the church. The candle sconces were put in place and evergreen boughs and bows were added throughout the nave.

5 On last Sunday, patience won out. Karen Holgate is now vested to serve as an acolyte. Good job Karen!