THE CHATTER ST. BARTHOLOMEW S CHURCH P.O. BOX 265 Tonawanda, NY (716) RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

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1 THE CHATTER ST. BARTHOLOMEW S CHURCH P.O. BOX 265 Tonawanda, NY (716) RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID TONAWANDA, NY Permit No. 158 FOR OVER FIFTY YEARS PROCLAIMING THE TRUTH AND LOVE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, IN WORD AND IN DEED. VOLUME 50 NUMBER 12 ADVENT DECEMBER 2007 ST. BARTHOLOMEW S 2007 CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE Monday Christmas Eve December 24 4:00 PM...Holy Eucharist No incense 7:00 PM...Carol Sing 7:30 PM Holy Eucharist With Choir & incense 10:30 PM....Carol Sing 11:00 PM..Holy Eucharist With Choir & incense Tuesday Christmas Day December 25 10:00 AM.Holy Eucharist No incense Nursery Care will be provided at both the 4:00 PM and the 7:30 PM services. 1 S P E C I A L W O R S H I P OPPORTUNITY ON THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT: Please be sure to mark your calendar: Sunday December 2, Integrity Recording Artist and Worship Leader Paul Wilbur, will be leading us in musical worship, and preaching at both the 9:15 AM and 11 AM services right here at St. Bartholomew s. You can find out more information about Paul, by checking out his website at FRIDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDIES THIS FALL! Come join Father Molison for a journey through Paul s Letter to the Ephesians, Friday Evenings: 11/30, 12/7 and 12/14 at 7 PM. There will not be a covered dish dinner. Bring your Bible, paper, and markers.

2 THE BISHOP SCAIFE GUILD Thanks to all that donated all the delicious baked goods and yummy candy, and for the crafts for our table at the Red Sleigh Family Fair on November 17. Our profits for baked goods was $ ; candy - $ ; and crafts - $310 ; for a total of $1, We will have our budget for 2008 in the February Chatter. It will designate which ministries we will support in COMING EVENTS: December 11- (Tuesday) at 7 PM - Our Annual Christmas Program and Cookie Ingathering. Our program this year will be Witness, a men s quartet from Trinity Lutheran Church, West Seneca. Please bring 3 dozen cookies to share and for the boxes that are made for the shut-in s of the parish. Please check the display case for gift items. Call Marilynn Alliger ( ) or Bonnie Fleischman ( ) to order. Donations are welcome. Please continue to support the Bundles for Babies project that makes up the bundles for the less fortunate in our communities. Baby items may be left in the basket under the table at the entrance. Diapers are especially needed. These items are taken to the Network of Religious Communities office on Delaware where the bundles are made up. Thanks for the donations. They are greatly appreciated. NOVEMBER VESTRY MEETING Overseers for the Annual Parish Election to be held following each of the three services on the Second Sunday of Advent, December 9, 2007 were assigned. The back parking lot door that was being propped with a bar has been repaired at no cost by the Sexton. Due to an additional enrollment in the Sunday School, funds were allotted for 15 additional Bibles. The Thanksgiving/Advent/Christmas offerings will be sent to Angel Tree (A Prison Fellowship ministry that buys gifts for the children of convicts), Life Saving Ministry, Cornerstone Manor, and Anglican World Relief & Development Fund. DECEMBER 2007 Genera ion Nex There is so much planned for the month of December pick up a copy of the Generation Next Newsletter or check it out online December 3 Seniors meeting, 7-9 pm December 10 Seniors meeting, 7-9 pm December 12 Junior meeting, 7-9 pm December 19 Caroling and Christmas Fun (both groups) 7-9 pm December Joshua Revolution A MESSAGE FROM ST. BART S ANGELS Here we are again ending another successful year of donations from St. Bart s Angels and the wonderful support from our Parish Family. We want to thank everyone who has donated time, money and supplies to the effort. Your generous support has made it possible to help the less fortunate. We have been able to send the following to various organizations: 94 hats, 100 pairs of slippers, 126 afghans, 8 scarves, 68 pairs of mittens and 2 sweaters. Once again Thank You. St. Bart s Angels. GOD BLESS OUR CHOIRS! St. Bartholomew s three choirs - Contemporary, Junior, and Senior, will be singing a Christmas Program at DeGraff Hospital, on Sunday, December 16, at 7:15 PM. What a blessing it will be for the patients and staff to be serenaded by our choirs during Christmas time! And it is an awesome way to share the Good News of Jesus Christ s birth with those who need some good news in their lives. Members of St. Bart s are invited to come and share in the choir s ministry. DeGraff is located in North Tonawanda on Twin Cities Highway and Tremont Street. Thank you to Terry Gamble, and the Choirs! 2

3 S u n d a y S c h o o l Ministry Events for December: Our 2 nd Annual Advent Celebration Event will be on Saturday, December 1, from 1:00 pm 3:00 pm. The families will be making Advent Calendars, ornaments, and Christmas Cards to be sent to shutins or servicemen. As per a previous notice regarding severe allergies, please DO NOT bring any cookies. We will be supplying all the refreshments. There will be a love offering basket if you can give a donation to help defray costs. Just sign up on the sheet in the lobby and come and prepare with your family for Advent. Each family will also receive a special Advent Devotional Booklet as our gift to your family. It has been written by our Sunday school teachers and our clergy. Sunday, December 9, is Manger Sunday. bring an unwrapped gift to donate. DECEMBER 2007 Please Christmas Eve: at the 4:00 pm service ONLY: All Pre-K through 6 th grade are welcome to join us for A Journey to Bethlehem and a Happy Birthday Jesus Party. We need 7 th and 8 th graders to volunteer to take a part in our re-enactment and any Parents/High School/College kids to volunteer to help. The kids will make a special ornament, take the journey, and attend the Birthday Party for Jesus with cake and balloons too. Looking Ahead Winter Beach Blast Saturday, January 19 DECEMBER KINDESS IDEAS Try a little kindness: Soak up the wonderful smells, the glittering sights, the joyful sounds, the sweetness of good cheer, the smiles on familiar faces, the look of surprise in a child s eyes, and all that the Christmas season offers. Store it in your soul; return to it often, and share it weekly with those you meet in the New Year. Ecology Ideas: Unplug electrical gadgets when not in use, and you ll prevent them from sucking energy. Install Energy Star qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs throughout the house, and save money. THE FOOD PANTRY COLLECTION OCCURS ON THE FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH! 72 bags of groceries and 2 cash donations were taken to the North Tonawanda Interfaith Food Pantry in November. Thank you for such a great response, but we need your continued participation. The Food Pantry continues to need the usual food items such as boxed dinners, fruit, peanut butter, pasta, etc. They have specifically requested: plastic and paper bags combined for added strength, and boxed complete meals. They once again need more egg cartons and personal items are requested. This is the time of year when the Food Pantry s need is the greatest preparing Christmas baskets so that others may be blessed with a real, nourishing, and festive meal on these most special holidays. Please consider donating a Turkey/ham, stuffing mix, potatoes, cranberries/ cranberry sauce, canned vegetables, apple sauce, pie fillings, pie crusts, coffee or tea. The Food Pantry also express their gratitude to the people of St. Bart s for their generosity. Please bring your items on the FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH so that our Food Pantry Delivery Angels only have to make one trip. Freedom Village USA will present a c o n c e r t T h e C h r i s t m a s S p e c t a c u l a r Cantata featuring the 100 Voice Sounds of Freedom Choir. The concert will be Sunday, December 9, at 7 PM in the Millennium Hotel, near the Walden Galleria Mall. A free will offering will be taken to help support this marvelous ministry that has helped to transform the lives of so many troubled young people. For more information call VICTORY. MISSIONETTE NEWS: This month the Missionettes will meet on the December 5 and 19. We plan on having our Christmas party on December 19. I hope that everyone can come! We will have a lot of fun playing games and spreading holiday cheer by making Christmas cards for St. Bart s shut-ins. 3

4 Confirmation Class St. Bartholomew s Church, Tonawanda, NY October 7, 2007

5 2007 CONFIRMATION CLASS ST. BARTHOLOMEW S CHURCH OCTOBER 7, 2007 (Top Row left to right) Robert Clontz, Anthony Luckoski, Steven Fildes, Daniel Saviola, Timothy Saviola, Stephen Saviola, Jeffrey Brylinski, Jonathan Welkley. (2nd Row from top - left to right) Fred Garrasi, Moriah Knowl, Carl Calabrese, Kelsey Garrasi, Jessica Kieffer, Chelsea Rosky, Tori Brown, Lauren Lipinoga, Meghan Lipinoga, Cassandra Emmons, Lydia Matuch, Linda Matuch. (3rd Row from top - left to right) Emily Decker, Debora Geis, Colleen Reichard, Patricia Dyviniak, David Dyviniak, Matthew Rudin, Peter Van Lente, John Commins, Samantha Emmons, Alexis Santillo. (4th Row from top - left to right) Shannen Fiorella, Carlie Schwartzmyer, James Arnold, Judith Vine, Samantha Crane, Theresa Commins, Chelsea Richner, Brielle Clontz, Drew Romano, Jared Schwartzmyer, Anthony Matteliano, Nicholas Colosanti, Paul Brylinski. (Front Row Clergy, left to right) Deacon John Reitz, Fr. Russell Amend, Fr. Arthur Ward, Bishop Keith Ackerman, Fr. John Commins, Fr. Richard Molison, Fr. Albert Montanari. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR CONFIRMANDS! We thank the Lord for the awesome testimony of 41 people who knelt before Almighty God outwardly professing their faith, in our Lord Jesus Christ in Holy Confirmation. What a blessing it was to have The Right Reverend Keith L. Ackerman, Bishop of the Diocese of Quincy, Il, here on Sunday, October 7, 2007, to confirm these fine men and women. Fr. Ward s Adult Inquirer s class for new members will begin Sunday, February 3, 2008 at 1:00 PM until 2:15 PM and continue through Sunday, May 5, If you are interested, please speak with Fr. Ward. 5