ADVENT DINNERS & MUSIC

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1 St. Simon s on the Sound Episcopal Church Ft. Walton Beach, FL Inside this issue: St. Nicholas 1 Upcoming Events 2 Advent & Epiphany 3 ADVENT DINNERS & MUSIC St. Simon s much-beloved Advent Dinner and Music program continued last night with a delicious dinner provided by the Vestry and a beautiful performance by Schola Cantorum. There is only one more event remaining for this year s program: Joshua Woods 4 Legacy Society 4 Financial Update 4 Announcements 5 IMPORTANT: Bring Baby Jesus to any worship service this weekend for a special blessing. Advent Quiet Day this Saturday, December 9 (see p. 2) CALENDAR Click Here to View Parish Calendar THE SHEPPARDS AND FRIENDS Wednesday, December 13 Dinner, 5:30 PM Performance, 6:30 PM There is no cost to attend (though donations are appreciated), and childcare is provided during the music performance. We invite you to bring the whole family, your friends and neighbors and join us as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. An Afternoon with St. Nicholas THIS Sunday, Dec. 10 3:00 PM Children of all ages are invited to attend a special afternoon event with St. Nicholas, Bishop of Smyrna, in the Nave this Sunday at 3:00 PM. Children will have an opportunity to gather around St. Nicholas to learn about his life and perhaps take a picture or two. Afterwards, we will enjoy some fun activities and snacks. P.S. - Bring a friend! This is a great event for families. The more, the merrier!

2 Page 2 Upcoming Events In addition to our regular Advent and Christmas services, there are many other things happening at St. Simon s! Now is a great time to get involved and get to know your fellow parishioners.. ADVENT QUIET DAY Prayers We Love Blessing of the Baby Jesus SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 10:00 AM - Join Deacon Clelia Garrity and bring your favorite prayers for this quiet, reflective service. Please contact Deacon Clelia at garritycpg@gmail.com to let her know you can attend. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9 & 10 - Parishioners are invited to bring the Baby Jesus from their home nativity scenes to any of the regularly scheduled worship services to be blessed at the Altar. Caroling at the Emerald Coast Nursing Home Lessons & Carols SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 6:00 PM - Following the 5:00 PM Saturday evening service, parishioners, friends, and family will gather at the Emerald Coast Nursing Home to spread joy and cheer through song. All ages are welcome! SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16 & 17 - Join us for a service of song and story as we recall the events leading up to the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This popular service will take place during all regularly scheduled worship services. Step 1 Click Here to Register Follow the on-screen instructions to create a new password. If you haven t already, now is the time to register with Realm! This interactive, cloud-based system offers the most up-to-date directory and makes it possible for us to communicate and organize with our faith community like never before. Step 2 Verify Your Once you have successfully created a password, you will be asked to again check your . Feel free to contact the office with questions or corrections. Step 3 Login Using the same and the new password you just created, you may now login to your Realm account.

3 Page 3 Advent & Christmas SERVICE SCHEDULE for DECEMBER 3-17 Sunday Morning Worship, 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM Sunday Morning Christian Formation, 9:30 AM Saturday Evening Worship, 5:00 PM ADVENT DINNERS & MUSIC PROGAMS Wednesdays, Nov Dec. 13, 5:30 PM BLUE CHRISTMAS Thursday, December 7, 3:00 PM ADVENT QUIET DAY Saturday, December 9, 10:00 AM A VISIT WITH ST. NICHOLAS Sunday, December 10, 3:00 PM LESSONS & CAROLS Sunday, December 17, 8:00 & 10:30 AM 4TH ADVENT SERVICE Sunday, December 24, 10:00 AM CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES Sunday, December 24, 5:00 & 10:00 PM CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICE Monday, December 25, 10:00 AM NEW YEAR S EVE SERVICE Sunday, December 31, 10:00 AM Epiphany EPIPHANY PAGEANT REHEARSAL Wednesday, January 3, 10:30 AM Sunday, January 7, 9:30 AM EPIPHANY SERVICE & POTLUCK Saturday, January 6, 5:00 PM EPIPHANY PAGEANT Sunday, January 7, 10:30 AM

4 Page 4 Thank You We recently received this picture from Joshua Woods, member of St. Simon s and seminarian, modeling his new vestments provided through the generosity of several parishioners. He wanted to share words of thanks and appreciation for everyone at St. Simon s for the continued love and support. Please keep Joshua in your prayers as he continues his studies and moves towards ordination. Liza Jackson Legacy Society Have you seen the beautiful bronze plaque now hanging in the Church Atrium? It honors those parishioners who have made commitments to the St. Simon s Endowment Fund, and because of that, have become members of the Liza Jackson Legacy Society. Their acts of charity and financial commitment to the St Simon s Endowment Fund help to ensure the future viability of St. Simon s for years to come. With the season of giving upon us this may be a good time for you to consider a commitment to the Endowment Fund as well. You don t need to be wealthy to give, and giving need not be complicated. Make a gift, through your will, or an insurance policy in memory or honor of a friend or family member. With Tax Season just around the corner, there are a number of types of planned gifts which provide tax benefits. For more information consult with your financial advisor, pick up a Brochure in the rack by the church office, or ask any parishioner whose church nametag indicates they are a member of the Legacy Society. Financial Update As we approach the end of the year, it is important for all of us to understand the financial health of the parish. From plate and pledge giving, to special event contributions, St. Simon s is fortunate to have a generous congregation, and we are very close to reaching our pledged giving goal for the year! Pledged Giving $536,250 $511,568 Budgeted Year-to-Date Actual Year-to-Date Remembering and fulfilling your pledge will help ensure St. Simon s ability to continue to offer a multitude of services and events. Please give prayerful consideration to your support for the work of the parish during this festive, yet busy, time of year. St. Simon s is a wonderful place because of you and all you do, so let s keep giving and keep going! Save the Date! MAY 5, 2018 CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FALL 2017 FTN NEWSLETTER

5 Page 5 Please help us continue this tradition by signing up to sponsor coffee hour! A sign-up sheet is located in the Atrium near the library doors. Each service (8:00 and 10:30) has its own volunteer time slot. You may sign-up for one or both. Many thanks to those who have already volunteered and thanks in advance to those who will do so soon. We can t do this without you! Announcements Beckwith Summer 2018 Camp Registration opened December 1 with discounts for those who register before March 31. Visit for more information. Blessing of the Baby Jesus will take place during all three regularly scheduled services the weekend of December Parishioners are invited to bring the Baby Jesus from their home nativity to be blessed at the Altar. An Afternoon with St. Nicholas will be held on December 10 at 3:00 PM in the Nave. All the children of the parish are invited to join us for this fun event. Caroling at Emerald Coast Nursing Home will take place on Saturday, December 16 immediately following the 5:00 PM worship service. Bellissimo! St. Simon's Dining Out group invites you to join in a festive Italian Christmas meal. We'll meet at Giovanni's (formerly Caffe Italia) at 189 Brooks Street SE in Fort Walton Beach on Sunday, December 17 at 5:30 p.m. We'll pay by separate checks; a 20 percent gratuity will be added. Please RSVP to JoAnn Gorsuch at (850) by Thursday, December 14 at 5:00 p.m. To see the menu beforehand, visit: Single Friends will meet Dec 16 at Noon for lunch at Shrimp Basket. The restaurant is located at 560 Mary Esther Cut Off. RSVP is not required. Contact Ceil Lacey at if you have questions GIVE TO ST. SIMON S ONLINE! The epistle is published weekly on Thursdays. All submissions are due the preceding Tuesday and are subject to edit and approval by St. Simon s staff. Make singular or recurring donations, including pledge contributions, by clicking or scanning the QR code above. (You must have a Realm account to use this feature.) St. Simon s on the Sound Episcopal Church Fort Walton Beach, Florida 28 Miracle Strip Parkway SW Ft. Walton Beach, FL (850)