Parish Announcements for December. December 6 th Page 2 December 13 th Page 5 December 20 th Page 8 December 27 th Page 11

Transcription

1 Parish Announcements for December December 6 th Page 2 December 13 th Page 5 December 20 th Page 8 December 27 th Page 11

2 December 6 th Parish Announcements for the Week of December 6 Christmas Pageant Christmas Eve, December 4:00 p.m. If your child or grandchild or child's friend would like to be in the Christmas Pageant, please respond to Katherine Kingren at katherinekingren@gmail.com. We will need to know your child's name and age and your contact information. We will be practicing for the Pageant during Church School Sundays in Advent (Dec. 6, 13 and 20). The Pageant will be on Christmas Eve at 4:00 p.m. Centering Prayer during Advent. Draw nearer to God and the approaching celebration of Jesus' birth by practicing Centering Prayer during the season of Advent. Once again we will be using "God with us: rediscovering the meaning of Christmas" to guide our meditations. Whether you currently practice centering prayer or would just like to "try it on for size," please join us on Thursday afternoons in the church at 5:00 p.m. (Enter through the parish hall, please.) we will meet on Dec. 10, & 17. If you have any questions, please call Sharon Manuel at CHRISTMAS MEMORIAL FLOWERS. You may sign up to be a part of the Christmas memorial flowers by filling out one of the forms available on the large center table in the hallway leading to the Parish Hall. Envelopes are there for your form and check. Your donation may be made "in memory of, in honor of or in thanksgiving for your designated person or persons. Any amount over $25.00 will be listed in the Christmas Eve bulletin. The donations will be used to provide the beautiful flowers and greenery for our Christmas services, enhancing our worship as well as honoring those of your choice. GREENING OF THE CHURCH. Sunday, December 20th, will be the day for the traditional Greening of the Church at St. John s. This is a day of great camaraderie and Christmas cheer as we hang the greens both inside and outside of the church. Don't be afraid to come... Only small ladders will be involved for volunteers! Workers will gather in the kitchen at 12:15 for the traditional ham and pimento cheese sandwiches before beginning. Wear your work clothes to the 11:15 service and join in the fun!

3 December 6 th The Ocean Springs Chorale will present the cantata Noel Celebrations on December 13 at 6:30 pm at St. Paul s United Methodist Church, Porter Avenue. Conducted by Mary Elizabeth Sawyer. Multi-denominational. All are welcome! Attention parents and children: Saint Nicholas of Myra is coming to St John s. Please join us at the 5:30 service before dinner Wednesday, December 16.. St Nicholas will meet our children and discuss his work among the poor. He is remembered especially for leaving small gifts in children s shoes. We hope you can come and enjoy meeting this very special saint. (He may ask children to leave their footwear in church during dinner in the parish hall.) The Parish s outside door locks are being changed. The vestry has issued a list of volunteer roles and staff to whom the Rector will distribute new keys. (The management of keys has been delegated by the Rector to Cynthia Ramseur--the master keys are kept in the office she currently occupies). Please know that keys are not being issued to individuals, but rather to specific volunteer roles. When persons leave those positions, their key should be returned to the church office and reissued to the new volunteer. If you have questions, ask our Senior Warden, Angela Bishop or our Junior Warden, Kay Cox or another member of the vestry. Lost tambourine! If you borrowed the tambourine from the choir room it is needed for Advent 3. Please return it or call Cynthia and she will pick it up. Spanish Lessons. Are you interested in practical Spanish lessons? Margarita Swetman is available to teach Spanish lessons, starting in January Schedule to be determined by participants. Contact Margarita Swetman for more information or sign-up in the parish hall: Donations to Spanishspeaking ministry gratefully accepted. Jackson County Pet Shelter Donations. Please consider donating the following items to the Jackson County Pet Shelter: Clorox Bleach, Non-Clumping Clay Cat Litter, Dawn Dish Soap, Animal Shampoo, Liquid Laundry Soap, Paper Towels, Newspaper; and Food Dogs (Purina, Pedigree, Beneful), Puppies (Purina, Pedigree, Beneful), Cats (Purina, 9 Lives, Friskies, Meow Mix), Kittens (Purina). For more information about the Jackson County Pet Shelter contact Jill Roth.

4 December 6 th Coffee Hour. Sunday Coffee Hours are the perfect time to meet new and old friends. We host two coffee hours every Sunday morning: 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. Come to coffee hour and greet newcomers and meet parishioners who attend a different service. Annual Diocesan Council (January 29-31, 2016). The congregations of the Gulf Coast are hosting this year s diocesan council. If you would be willing to serve as an acolyte, lector, usher, intercessor, verger, etc. please contact Pat Warfield at Rehearsal for the Sunday service will be on Friday at 5:00 p.m. You will be asked to arrive for the service on Sunday at 8:00 a.m.

5 December 13 th Parish Announcements for the Week of December 13 The Ocean Springs Chorale will present the cantata Noel Celebrations on December 13 at 6:30 pm at St. Paul s United Methodist Church, Porter Avenue. Conducted by Mary Elizabeth Sawyer. Multi-denominational. All are welcome! EYC. Today will be our Christmas EYC party. We are meeting at St. Peter's in Gulfport at 4:30. We will have Chili and a bonfire. Attention parents and children: Saint Nicholas of Myra is coming to St John s. Please join us at the 5:30 service before dinner Wednesday, December 16.. St Nicholas will meet our children and discuss his work among the poor. He is remembered especially for leaving small gifts in children s shoes. We hope you can come and enjoy meeting this very special saint. (He may ask children to leave their footwear in church during dinner in the parish hall. ) Christmas Pageant Christmas Eve, December 4:00 p.m. If your child or grandchild or child's friend would like to be in the Christmas Pageant, please respond to Katherine Kingren at katherinekingren@gmail.com. We will need to know your child's name and age and your contact information. We will be practicing for the Pageant during Church School Sundays in Advent (Dec. 6, 13 and 20). The Pageant will be on Christmas Eve at 4:00 p.m. Centering Prayer during Advent. Draw nearer to God and the approaching celebration of Jesus' birth by practicing Centering Prayer during the season of Advent. Once again we will be using "God with us: rediscovering the meaning of Christmas" to guide our meditations. Whether you currently practice centering prayer or would just like to "try it on for size," please join us on Thursday afternoons in the church at 5:00 p.m. (Enter through the parish hall, please.) we will meet on Dec. 10, & 17. If you have any questions, please call Sharon Manuel at CHRISTMAS MEMORIAL FLOWERS. You may sign up to be a part of the Christmas memorial flowers by filling out one of the forms available on the large center

6 December 13 th table in the hallway leading to the Parish Hall. Envelopes are there for your form and check. Your donation may be made in memory of, in honor of or in thanksgiving for your designated person or persons. Any amount over $25.00 will be listed in the Christmas Eve bulletin. The donations will be used to provide the beautiful flowers and greenery for our Christmas services, enhancing our worship as well as honoring those of your choice. GREENING OF THE CHURCH. Sunday, December 20th, will be the day for the traditional Greening of the Church at St. John s. This is a day of great camaraderie and Christmas cheer as we hang the greens both inside and outside of the church. Don't be afraid to come... Only small ladders will be involved for volunteers! Workers will gather in the kitchen at 12:15 for the traditional ham and pimento cheese sandwiches before beginning. Wear your work clothes to the 11:15 service and join in the fun! Thank you! Thank you to St. John s for all your kindness and generosity! You have supplied the DOK with wonderful, useful, fun and creative items for 60 Shoe Boxes for Christmas! Yes indeed, smiles will appear on many childrens faces. DOK is also grateful to Ame Severson, Anne Stietenroth, Susan Ray, Faye Mallette, Kay Cox, Virginia Montgomery and Martha Thompson for wrapping and delivering the Shoe Box Project! The parish s outside door locks are being changed. The vestry has issued a list of volunteer roles and staff to whom the Rector will distribute new keys. (The management of keys has been delegated by the Rector to Cynthia Ramseur--the master keys are kept in the office she currently occupies). Please know that keys are not being issued to individuals, but rather to specific volunteer roles. When persons leave those positions, their key should be returned to the church office and reissued to the new volunteer. If you have questions, ask our Senior Warden, Angela Bishop or our Junior Warden, Kay Cox or another member of the vestry. Lost tambourine! If you borrowed the tambourine from the choir room it is needed for Advent 3. Please return it or call Cynthia and she will pick it up. Spanish Lessons. Are you interested in practical Spanish lessons? Margarita Swetman is available to teach Spanish lessons, starting in January Schedule to be determined by participants. Contact Margarita Swetman for more

7 December 13 th information or sign-up in the parish hall: / Donations to Spanishspeaking ministry gratefully accepted. Jackson County Pet Shelter Donations. Please consider donating the following items to the Jackson County Pet Shelter: Clorox Bleach, Non-Clumping Clay Cat Litter, Dawn Dish Soap, Animal Shampoo, Liquid Laundry Soap, Paper Towels, Newspaper; and Food Dogs (Purina, Pedigree, Beneful), Puppies (Purina, Pedigree, Beneful), Cats (Purina, 9 Lives, Friskies, Meow Mix), Kittens (Purina). For more information about the Jackson County Pet Shelter contact Jill Roth. Coffee Hour. Sunday Coffee Hours are the perfect time to meet new and old friends. We host two coffee hours every Sunday morning: 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. Come to coffee hour and greet newcomers and meet parishioners who attend a different service. Annual Diocesan Council (January 29-31, 2016). The congregations of the Gulf Coast are hosting this year s diocesan council. If you would be willing to serve as an acolyte, lector, usher, intercessor, verger, etc. please contact Pat Warfield at Rehearsal for the Sunday service will be on Friday at 5:00 p.m. You will be asked to arrive for the service on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. Did you know.? Parishioners who pledged financial support to the annual Stewardship campaign or to the Praying It Forward effort to reduce the parish hall mortgage may use one of two options to have funds drawn from an account: (1) Contact your bank to establish an auto bill pay, which will send checks to St. John s for a specified amount and time period. Parishioners can modify the bill pay plan as desired; or, (2) A second option is available by way of an Automated Clearing House (ACH) apparatus. With consent of the parishioner, St. John s can start this automatic payment process.

8 December 20 th Parish Announcements for the Week of December 20 GREENING OF THE CHURCH. Sunday, December 20th, will be the day for the traditional Greening of the Church at St. John s. This is a day of great camaraderie and Christmas cheer as we hang the greens both inside and outside of the church. Don't be afraid to come... Only small ladders will be involved for volunteers! Workers will gather in the kitchen at 12:15 for the traditional ham and pimento cheese sandwiches before beginning. Wear your work clothes to the 11:15 service and join in the fun! Christmas Pageant Christmas Eve, December 4:00 p.m. If your child or grandchild or child's friend would like to be in the Christmas Pageant, please respond to Katherine Kingren at katherinekingren@gmail.com. CHRISTMAS MEMORIAL FLOWERS. You may sign up to be a part of the Christmas memorial flowers by filling out one of the forms available on the large center table in the hallway leading to the Parish Hall. Envelopes are there for your form and check. Your donation may be made "in memory of, in honor of or in thanksgiving for your designated person or persons. Any amount over $25.00 will be listed in the Christmas Eve bulletin. The donations will be used to provide the beautiful flowers and greenery for our Christmas services, enhancing our worship as well as honoring those of your choice. Thank you for all the support both financial and emotional and for all your prayers and concern during our family s recent loss (house fire). God promises to be there and provide our needs: he has done that and more through you. You are an amazing congregation and I thank God every day for each and every one of you. --The Clearmans (Grace, Wes, Amanda, Tripp, John and Pate) Reminder: the church door locks were changed last week. I have a new key for you in my office. Please pick up anytime during office hours. Thank you! Thank you to St. John s for all your kindness and generosity! You have supplied the DOK with wonderful, useful, fun and creative items for 60 Shoe Boxes for Christmas! Yes indeed, smiles will appear on many childrens faces. DOK is also grateful to Ame Severson, Anne Stietenroth, Susan Ray, Faye Mallette, Kay

9 December 20 th Cox, Virginia Montgomery and Martha Thompson for wrapping and delivering the Shoe Box Project! Adult Forum. Sunday, December 27 at 10:10 a.m. Dr. John Switzer, Professor of Religion at Spring Hill College will present Insights Gained Teaching a Course on Qur'an for Non-Muslims." The presentation will be followed by a discussion led by John Switzer and Charles Hawkins (the Rector of St. John s). Merry Widows. The Merry Widows meet January 8 at 5:00 p.m. Note that this is an exception to the usual first Friday of the month schedule. Contact Ame Severson to RSVP at Spanish Lessons. Are you interested in practical Spanish lessons? Margarita Swetman is available to teach Spanish lessons, starting in January Schedule to be determined by participants. Contact Margarita Swetman for more information or sign-up in the parish hall: Donations to Spanishspeaking ministry gratefully accepted. Jackson County Pet Shelter Donations. Please consider donating the following items to the Jackson County Pet Shelter: Clorox Bleach, Non-Clumping Clay Cat Litter, Dawn Dish Soap, Animal Shampoo, Liquid Laundry Soap, Paper Towels, Newspaper; and Food Dogs (Purina, Pedigree, Beneful), Puppies (Purina, Pedigree, Beneful), Cats (Purina, 9 Lives, Friskies, Meow Mix), Kittens (Purina). For more information about the Jackson County Pet Shelter contact Jill Roth. Coffee Hour. Sunday Coffee Hours are the perfect time to meet new and old friends. We host two coffee hours every Sunday morning: 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. Come to coffee hour and greet newcomers and meet parishioners who attend a different service. Annual Diocesan Council (January 29-31, 2016). The congregations of the Gulf Coast are hosting this year s diocesan council. If you would be willing to serve as an acolyte, lector, usher, intercessor, verger, etc. please contact Pat Warfield at Rehearsal for the Sunday service will be on Friday at 5:00 p.m. You will be asked to arrive for the service on Sunday at 8:00 a.m.

10 December 20 th Did you know.? Parishioners who pledged financial support to the annual Stewardship campaign or to the Praying It Forward effort to reduce the parish hall mortgage may use one of two options to have funds drawn from an account: (1) Contact your bank to establish an auto bill pay, which will send checks to St. John s for a specified amount and time period. Parishioners can modify the bill pay plan as desired; or, (2) A second option is available by way of an Automated Clearing House (ACH) apparatus. With consent of the parishioner, St. John s can start this automatic payment process.

11 December 27 h Parish Announcements for the Week of December 27 Adult Forum. Sunday, December 27 at 10:10 a.m. Dr. John Switzer, Professor of Religion at Spring Hill College will present Insights Gained Teaching a Course on Qur'an for Non-Muslims." The presentation will be followed by a discussion led by John Switzer and Charles Hawkins (the Rector of St. John s). No Living the Good News Sunday School today. Sunday school for our children will return on January 10 after a Christmas break. Merry Widows. The Merry Widows meet January 8 at 5:00 p.m. Note that this is an exception to the usual first Friday of the month schedule. Contact Ame Severson to RSVP at Annual Diocesan Council (January 29-31, 2016). The congregations of the Gulf Coast are hosting this year s diocesan council. If you would be willing to serve as an acolyte, lector, usher, intercessor, verger, etc. please contact Pat Warfield at Rehearsal for the Sunday service will be on Friday at 5:00 p.m. You will be asked to arrive for the service on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. Thank you to all those who helped with the Christmas pageant on Christmas Eve! All who attended were truly blessed. Annual Meeting of St. John s will be held on Sunday, January 24. Thank you for all the support both financial and emotional and for all your prayers and concern during our family s recent loss (house fire). God promises to be there and provide our needs: he has done that and more through you. You are an amazing congregation and I thank God every day for each and every one of you. --The Clearmans (Grace, Wes, Amanda, Tripp, John and Pate) Thank you! Thank you to St. John s for all your kindness and generosity! You have supplied the DOK with wonderful, useful, fun and creative items for 60 Shoe Boxes for Christmas! Yes indeed, smiles will appear on many childrens faces. DOK is also grateful to Ame Severson, Anne Stietenroth, Susan Ray, Faye

12 December 27 h Mallette, Kay Cox, Virginia Montgomery and Martha Thompson for wrapping and delivering the Shoe Box Project! Spanish Lessons. Are you interested in practical Spanish lessons? Margarita Swetman is available to teach Spanish lessons. Schedule to be determined by participants. Contact Margarita Swetman for more information or sign-up in the parish hall: / Donations to Spanish-speaking ministry gratefully accepted. Coffee Hour. Sunday Coffee Hours are the perfect time to meet new and old friends. We host two coffee hours every Sunday morning: 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. Come to coffee hour and greet newcomers and meet parishioners who attend a different service. Did you know.? Parishioners who pledged financial support to the annual Stewardship campaign or to the Praying It Forward effort to reduce the parish hall mortgage may use one of two options to have funds drawn from an account: (1) Contact your bank to establish an auto bill pay, which will send checks to St. John s for a specified amount and time period. Parishioners can modify the bill pay plan as desired; or, (2) A second option is available by way of an Automated Clearing House (ACH) apparatus. With consent of the parishioner, St. John s can start this automatic payment process.