DECEMBER From the Rector

Transcription

1 A publication of St. Paul s Episcopal Church, 485 Appleton St., Holyoke, MA (413) office@stpaulsholyoke.org DECEMBER 2016 From the Rector With December arrives the short season of Advent, our time leading up to Christmas when we prepare for the birth of Jesus and his coming at the end of time. If we take time in this busy season to really reflect, we find that we have some work to do to make room for the Visitor from heaven. It s possible to get so frantic, so caught up in the commotion of the season that we lose sight of His approach and His appearing. At St. Paul s we are issuing an Advent Challenge to our members beginning now, at the start of a new church year, give thought to how you will deepen your faith this year by becoming involved in a new outreach opportunity and a new Christian formation opportunity. Maybe you are doing a fair amount of this already, but what new thing is calling out to you for your participation? In this issue of the Sun there is information about a ½ day Advent retreat at St. Andrew s, Longmeadow on December 10. Perhaps you d like to use the Essential 100 Bible Reading Plan to read and study the Top 100 Bible stories this year (copies of the Plan are at the back of the church.) Online ways of praying with others are available check out Brother, Give us a Word from the monks at St. John s Monastery in Boston at What ideas do you have to share? 1 And then there s outreach. For this there are also countless possibilities from our new veterans lunch at noon every Thursday, to cooking a casserole each month for Kate s Kitchen, to playing with children at homeless shelters, or offering to rake the leaves for a neighbor, there are so many ways to reach out and help someone else and the world. Let s share these ideas and see what God is calling us to do in His name. With Advent and Christmas come the proof that God wants to be involved with us, his cherished children. God is making a most definite move toward us at Christmas in the coming Christ Child. Let s also move closer toward God in this coming year and know what a gift it is to be one in Him. -Rev. Barbara

2 Thanks Christmas Services and Events at St. Paul s Sunday, December 4 10:00 a.m., Jesse Tree for Church School children, and a visit from St. Nicholas at social hour. Sunday, December 11 Giving Tree gifts for the men at Loreto House will be wrapped following the 10 a.m. service and picked up the next day. Sunday, December 18 8 a.m. Holy Eucharist, 10 a.m. Christmas Pageant followed by the Birthday of the Christ Child. St. Paul s Christmas stars, 60 th anniversary. Saturday, December 24 Christmas Eve service at 7 p.m. Sunday, December 25 Christmas Day service at 10 a.m. (the one service this day) Sunday, January 1 New Year s Day service at 10 a.m. (the one service this day) Sunday, January 8 8 a.m. Holy Eucharist, 10 a.m. Service of Lessons & Carols. To the Spirit of St. Paul s group and to the vestry for putting together a lovely reception for Rev. Ann Wood and her husband, John, on November 20, and to Ann and John themselves for their time and ministry at St. Paul s. We learned a lot from one another and had a good time doing it. To everyone at St. Paul s and at Grace Church, Chicopee, who brought gifts for the children whose mothers will be in jail in Chicopee this Christmas and can t get out to shop for them. Mary D Alessandro coordinated the project again this year and we re grateful to her for her leadership. To Trudy Monson and a great cloud of witnesses who were part of the Fall Fair on November 5. A sweet time together, we welcomed our neighbors and made $1300+ in the process. A great effort. To Alison Giuliano. Joan Daly, Kathryn Peterson, Rev. Barbara and Julia Durchanek who worked on the election day bake sale and to all the bakers and jam-makers who contributed. That event brought in $ for our children s programs. To Matt Giuliano, Reese Mackenzie, Kathy Champagne and Dexter Gess for reading their parts in the Seasons of the Spirit on Sunday, November 20. To Seth Clark who wrote the Alleluia, Christ our Passover that we are using for Advent. To Doris and Dave Montgomery for the gift of two mums for the gardens at St. Paul s, and to Joan Daly for planting and taking good care of them all through the season. 2 To everyone who contributed to the Thanksgiving Boxes which were prepared and delivered to our homebound parishioners on November 20. A wonderful thing to do.

3 To the knitters and crocheters who made prayer shawls and baby blankets for us to bless on November 13. The shawls and blankets are in the church for you to take to babies and adults who are in need of a warm embrace by God and the people of St. Paul s. To Tammy Shafer and her band of faithful helpers for making the 2016 Christmas stars this year. They are lovely, on this 60 th year of the Stars. Remember the Homeless this Christmas The Giving Tree event gives us the opportunity to help some of the forgotten people in our community -- homeless men. By purchasing the following gifts, we can help them have a better holiday and a healthier winter * flannel shirts, sweatshirts, and sweaters-- (L, XL, XXL) * hats, gloves, and warm socks * toiletries (deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, combs, brushes, disposable razors, shaving cream) Please bring your unwrapped gifts to the church by Sunday, December 11. On that day, during Coffee Hour, gifts will be wrapped and prepared for delivery to Providence Ministries for the Needy. ~St. Paul's Spirit Committee 3 Advent Retreat 2016 Room Within: Making Space for What Matters, Saturday, December 10, 1:30 to 6 p.m. at St. Andrew s Episcopal Church, Longmeadow. Celtic Spirituality, Meditations, Labyrinth, Workshops, Contemplative Practices. It s easy to fill our lives with things and activities that really don t add to our overall well-being and that of others. How can we find space to grow closer to God and others as we affirm our deepest passions? How do we simplify so we can simply be instead of simply do? Come explore these questions as we make room to celebrate the birth of Christ. The Rev. Jenny Gregg, the Missioner of Servant Leadership for the Diocese of Western Massachusetts will serve as the spiritual director. The retreat will conclude with Waiting for the Light: A Celtic Candlelight Service featuring The Meadow Flutes. Cost: $5 per person and includes materials and light refreshments. Registration: Contact Jen Greene at admin@standrews-longmeadow.org or by 12/6. Vestry Notes At its November meeting the vestry once again spent time considering the upcoming clergy transition at St. Paul s. That work will be ongoing and you will hear more about the vestry s decisions at the Annual Meeting on January 22. The vestry offered thanks to the Rev. Ann Wood for her ministry at St. Paul s these last three years and wished her well in her future ministry in Greenfield and Turners Falls. Dexter Gess, the junior warden, outlined some improvements to emergency lighting that we need to make throughout the buildings. He reported that we have a new updated electrical panel in the preschool area. The vestry voted to create an escrow fund from some of the monies paid by the YMCA for expenses having to do with the preschool area. Enacting our policy of designating 10% of memorial funds to be used for outreach, through a unanimous vote the vestry voted to give Mary D Alessandro $500 toward her education as a lay prison chaplain.

4 The pledge numbers are coming in and here is where we stand on November 28, Total to date: $93, Average pledge: $ 1, Of the 77 total pledges-- 10 new pledges 37 increased their pledge 19 pledged the same amount 11 decreased their pledge Pledge envelopes will soon be out at the back of the church. Thank you to everyone who has pledged. Have we heard from you yet? We would very much like to! October income and expenses-- Income $21,370 Expenses $16,642 $ 4,728 thank you everyone! Little bits... Vestry meeting, Tuesday, December 13, 6 p.m. Budget and Nominations committee meetings are ongoing through December Kate s Kitchen casseroles are due on Thursday, December 15 at 9 a.m. when we will take them to Hamilton Street. Veterans Lunches, for veterans and their immediate adult family members, continue on Thursdays from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the. Many thanks to St. Paul s, St. Peter s Lutheran Church and Kohl s for their support of this program. 4 First Communion class, Sunday, December 4 at 10:30 a.m. in the Church School rooms. RALI, our group for retired persons, will hold a Christmas potluck lunch on Wednesday, December 14 at noon in the. Please let Diane Lessard know to expect you. If you re a patient in the hospital Holyoke Medical Center, Baystate Medical, Mercy Medical, please know: no personnel from the hospital will call and tell us you are there. We check, but sometimes miss you. If you would like to be visited, or want us to know you or your loved one is in the hospital, please call or contact the church, or office@stpaulsholyoke.org. Did you ever forget that it was your turn for social hour? When this happens, you can either run to the store or use one of the two new Social Hour Mystery Boxes. If you use one of these boxes, please refill it for the next person and update the expiration date on the tag, so all food gets used before it expires. However, please don't forget--your homemade goodies are always yummy! It is never too early to start planning for next year's Christmas Star! ANYONE with an idea can initiate workshops. If you have an idea, but aren't sure how to implement it, help is available. Ask Rev. Barbara and she can put you in contact with the person with the right skills/knowledge/equipment/etc. On Tuesday, December 6 at 6:30 p.m. St. Peter's Lutheran Church, 34 Jarvis Avenue, Holyoke, MA is privileged to have a guest speaker to share with us insights on communicating with friends and family with dementia, especially during this holiday season. Rachel Tierney, a retired psychiatric nurse, will share from her experiences in that capacity and from her life story some helpful information for us.

5 As dementia progresses, the communication skills of a person with Alzheimer s disease or another dementia will gradually decline. Anticipating these changes and knowing how to respond can help everyone communicate more comfortably and effectively. Participating in this discussion will provide you with tips for effective dementia friendly communication. Please plan on coming this evening to learn how to best communicate and understand those living through dementia. This event is open to the public so invite a friend to come. Pastor Phil Gustafson December Birthdays & Anniversaries News about people Happy news that Amy and Chris Ruiz, Barbara and Carl LeGrand s daughter and son-in- law, welcomed baby Isabella Ana on November 18. Isabella joins big brother, Felix, at their home in Longmeadow. Many congratulations to their family. Sadly, Lois Hamson died at Wingate, West Springfield, on November 15 and her service was held at St. Paul s on November 26. May Lois rest in peace and rise in glory, celebrating with the angels this Christmas. Little Ani Bandeian made her first appearance at church on Sunday, November 13 so we spontaneously did the prayer book service of Thanksgiving for the Birth of a Child, a first for Rev. Barbara, Ani and the Bandeians (and the congregation?) as well. 4 Jackie (Maude) Martel 7 Marie Troppe, Libby Waring Bishop Douglas Fisher 9 Paul Dupont 10 Christine MacTavish 11 Norman & Barbara Roy 13 Carl & Barbara LeGrand 14 Barbara Harris, Xavier Sumner 15 Mason John Harris 17 Kristin Sroka, Abigail Provost, Diane Bauer 18 Julia & Richard Durchanek Asha Morbyrne 20 Mike Bineau 23 Matthew Giuliano 25 Jesus 26 Cindy Valentine 28 Tito Ramos 30 Collin & Jennifer Provost 31 Deb Lucier, Bob Frye David Morf s mother-in-law, Juanita Arney, died peacefully at the age of 94 in Michigan City, Indiana, just before Thanksgiving. May Juanita, a faithful member of the Salvation Army, rest in peace with her Lord and Savior and may her family know God s comfort at this sad time. Ed Johnson, Candy Johnson s father died early in the morning on the day after Thanksgiving. Ed was a faithful member of St. John s Episcopal Church, Portsmouth, NH and the brownie baker for their Common Table meal. May Candy s mother, Verdi, and Candy and her family know God s comfort. What a pleasure to see Zach Dupont, Jessica Nelson, Justine Sabbs, Robby & Zach, the Nadeau's grandsons, and Teddy and Nicole Denette at the veteran s lunch on Thanksgiving Day. 5

6 Kate's Kitchen Due at the church by Thursday, December 9 a.m. for transport to Kate s Dear Friends at St. Paul s, Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! What a delightful social hour we celebrated on November 20 th. John and I were very moved by your generosity by the wonderful spread, the gift basket, cards and good wishes that accompanied them. We not only received our very own St. Paul s mugs filled with hugs and kisses but also a blanket with pictures of places in Holyoke, which will continue to remind us of our time with you all. I am also very grateful to Joan Daly (and perhaps others) for the pictures of various events. They will be a nice reminder of some of the people and activities that we ve participated in. Leave-taking is always difficult for me and it was certainly very odd last Sunday morning not to be heading down I91 at either 7:10 or 9:10 a.m. to church. You and St. Paul s will always have a special place in our hearts. We will keep you in our prayers, especially in this coming time of transition. Thank you for helping to welcome us both into your community and for the caring and love you gave us. Thank you to all who contributed to the wonderful send-off party. It is one which we will not forget. Blessings on all, Ann and John 2 lb. ground beef 3/4 lb. elbow macaroni American Chop Suey* 2 lbs. canned stewed tomatoes 1 medium onion, chopped 1/2 cup chopped celery 2 Tbs. cooking oil salt & pepper to taste Cook the macaroni about 8 minutes and cool. Saute the celery and onion in the oil. Cook the ground beef, loosely, until the red color disappears. Combine all with the tomatoes, season to taste, and simmer until well-blended. Place in a 9x13 pan, cover with waxed paper and aluminum foil for transportation. *Disposable pans are available in the parish kitchen. This recipe is only a suggestion. If you have a special casserole of your own you would like to prepare, please feel free to do so. Thanks to all who participate in this ministry. 6

7 December 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Church School Sundays 10a Girl Scouts 5:30-7:30p Kung-fu rehearsal Auditorium 4 8 & 10a Jesse Tree and visit from St. Nicholas 10a st Communion Class/10:30a 11 8 & 10a Giving Tree gifts wrapped following 10a service 12 CAB 4:30 13 Vestry 6p 14 RALI lunch/12p 15 Kate's Kitchen 9a Rental Pageant rehearsal and set-up 18 8a Eucharist service 10a Christmas Pageant followed by Birthday of the Christ Child Winter Solstice Christmas Eve service 7p 25 Christmas Christmas Service 10a NO 8a service Rental NOTE: SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2017, ONE SERVICE ONLY AT 10 A.M. 7