NON PROFIT ORG. U. S. Postage Paid Chattanooga, TN. Permit no. 144 Church Address: 848 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga, TN 37415 Phone: 423-877-2428 Fax: 423-877-2429 School Phone: 423-870-1794 Church E-mail: parishadmin@stpeters.org Website: www.stpeters.org
St. Peter s Episcopal School News December 2016 Staff THE REV. JOHN H. BONNER III Interim Rector johnbonner@stpeters.org THE REV. DR. VALERIE CARNES Priest Associate valeriecarnes@stpeters.org TIM HINCK Organist/Choirmaster LINDA COOPER Christian Ed Director lindacooper@stpeters.org JODY DAVIS Youth Minister jodydavis@stpeters.org TRACY BOOKER Sexton DONNA ALBRIGHT Nursery TINA CHAMBERS Parish Administrator parishadmin@stpeters.org Sundays 7:30 am Communion, Rite I Nave 9:00 am Family Service, Rite II Nave 10:00 am Christian Education Various Locations 11:00 am Communion, Rite II Nave 12:00 pm Fellowship Bracewell Room Mondays 10:00 am Yoga Class Bracewell Room 6:30 pm Vestry Meeting Bracewell Room (TBD) 7:00 pm College & Career Various Locations Tuesdays 9:30 am CREATE Connor Library 7:00 pm Centering Prayer Connor Library 8:00 pm AA Bracewell Room Wednesdays 10:00 am Communion, Rite I Chapel 10:45 am Lay Ministry Bracewell Room (12/7) 11:00 am Bible Study Conference Room 6:30 pm Choir Practice Nave 7:00 pm Youth Group Bracewell Room 8:00 pm ACOA Connor Library Thursdays 1:30 pm Caregivers Support Connor Library (12/8) 7:00 pm Boy Scouts Bracewell Room Fridays 10:00 am Warden s Meeting Bracewell Room Love of Learning The right to vote is the foundation of our democratic society. Educating our children about the importance of voting and how it enables them to have a voice on issues lays the foundation for a responsible future voter. Joy of Service Third graders read to the animals at McKamey Animal Shelter in the Paws to Read program. A Lively Faith Through the Compassion Experience, students were able to experience other cultures and the realities of global poverty. December Events Dec. 1 Admission Event 9-11 am Dec. 8 Cookies & Cocoa Alumni Event 4-6 pm Dec. 13 Holiday Concert (1 st -5 th ) 8:05 am Dec. 14 Holiday Concert (PS-K) 8:20 am
Annual Christmas Pageant St. Peter s Annual Christmas Pageant will be presented at the 5:00 pm service on Saturday, December 24. If your child wishes to participate, please notify Linda Cooper at 423-304-0079 or lindacooper@stpeters.org. Gingerbread Houses Are you a seeker of knowledge? Simply looking for a good book to read? Come to the Connor Library! Checking out items is a snap: write your name on the slip at the back of the book and leave the card in the basket by the door. No due dates. No fines. No limits! Do you have a passion for books? Please consider volunteering. Call the church office and we will put you in touch with longtime librarian, Barbara Sparks, and new volunteer, Kimberly Kilgore. Do you have gently used books or DVDs you no longer want? Please consider donating them. Together, we can make the Connor Library a wonderful resource for the entire parish! The Sheep are Coming! CREATE will sell the feed our sheep ornaments that were featured as table decorations during Fast Day. The suggested minimum donation is $5 per sheep. Look for them at Church on December 4, location to be announced. On Saturday, December 17, at 10:30 am, all children are invited to gather in the Bracewell Room to make Gingerbread Houses. All supplies will be provided. Please let Linda Cooper know if you will be there. Those who are participating in the Christmas pageant will meet at 10:00 am in the Nave for a short practice. There will be no Sunday School on Sunday, December 25, or Sunday, January 1. Congratulations to our new Vestry members, elected at the annual Parish Meeting on November 13. Thank you for your willingness to serve. David Andreae Harriet Hamilton Rob Norred Ruth Wilson
December Birthdays 01 Bucky Wolford 02 Trey Johnson 02 Clint Wolford 05 John Bonner 06 Marjorie Bogart 06 Phyllis Lundien 06 Helen Masiulis 06 Helen Mullenix 07 Dixie Warren 07 Tim Andrews 08 Chip Stansbury 09 Kelley McCahill 10 Morgan Howard 12 Chele Roberts 14 Julie Thurman 15 Susan Harris 17 Winter Pickett 18 Paula Hurn 18 Cody Smith 19 Maureen Brock 20 Jacqueline Hoover 20 Kirt Long 21 Llewellyn Boyd 21 Michael Collier 22 Odell Leinart 23 Sarah Webb 24 Elaine Adams 24 Brent Blalock 25 Jackson Harris 27 W. Bruce Mullinex 27 Bob Poole 27 Holley 27 Jean Waldorff 28 Maxwell Blasbery 29 David Andreae 29 Chuck 29 Terri Williams 30 Pat Curtis Christmas Party: It s that time of the year again! It is time for the annual St. Peter s Youth Christmas Party. The Christmas party will take place on Wednesday, December 21, and will consist of good food, great friends, and white elephant gifts galore. The location of the Christmas party is TBD. If you are interested in hosting or helping with the Youth Christmas party please contact Jody at Jodydavis@stpeters.org. Don t forget your Tacky Christmas Sweater! Please Note: There will be no College & Career or Youth meetings during the last week of December. EPIPHANY BREAKFAST FOR ALL AGES Mark your calendars! Inter-generational Epiphany Breakfast at 10:00 am on Sunday, January 8, in the Bracewell Room. There will be a special Epiphany presentation by the children for all to enjoy. Grace Point Winter Session: Can't wait until summer to be back at camp? Introducing Winter Session: a weekend of camp for 9th-12th graders. Featuring a Dean's Program with the one and only Gale Jones, your favorite camp activities, and your Grace Point community! Registration is now open at Gracepointcamp.org. Page 4
A Note from the Interim Rector Chatt-EY: This month we made our way out to St. Luke s in Cleveland to participate in our fourth Chatt-EY. We were joined by about 50 other youth from parishes all across Chattanooga. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, this month our focus was on outreach. Together we were able to pack over 100 blessing bags filled with everything from water, hot hands, snacks, socks, gloves, and toiletries. All the youth were able to take their bag home to give away when the opportunity presents itself. What a wonderful night of friends and fellowship! Our next Chatt-EY will be hosted by Grace Episcopal on December 11. Enchanted Garden of Lights: St. Peter s youth will head up Lookout Mountain for the Enchanted Garden of Lights this Christmas season! Our journey is scheduled for Wednesday, December 14. We will meet at St. Peter s at 7pm to head up the mountain. If you are interested in acting as a driver/chaperone, please contact Jody at jodydavis@stpeters.org. Dear Parish Family; Much has transpired since last month. We have a new President, the Search Committee is working on a Profile of our Parish that will go to the Bishop in December, and I hope a joy-filled Thanksgiving has been part of your life. A historic election took place and our President-Elect is one Donald Trump. A shock to many but reality to us all. So how are you with this? As a Christian, just understand that our purpose is the same regardless of who is elected: First, we are to love God and, secondly, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. That is, our Democratic neighbors, our Republican neighbors, our Muslim neighbors, our Jewish neighbors, our immigrant neighbors, our refugee neighbors, our disabled neighbors, our neighbors who are victims of sexual violence, our black neighbors, our LGBT neighbors. ALL OF THEM. ALL OF THEM! Our Search Committee is in Profile mode. They, along with Vestry representatives, have met together with our Consultant and examined all of your responses to the Parish Survey. The committee is now putting this together into a coherent form to be presented to the Vestry and then to the Bishop, so that during the month of December the Diocese can respond and by early January a final form will be ready to be given out to prospective candidates as the next Rector of St. Peter s. There are, as always, a few surprises and Aha moments in the survey material but it is what makes this Parish a rich and diverse place. Please continue to pray for this work as it becomes a final document and a picture of who we are that will ultimately invite new leadership to our Parish. Come, ye thankful people, come; raise a song of harvest home, goes the standard hymn for Thanksgiving. My family gathers at Kanuga, a Church Conference Center in North Carolina, to visit and hash and rehash all the old stories and to embrace the love that makes us family. How many things can one person be thankful for? Roy Exum, former Sports editor of our local paper, used to list all of the things for which he was thankful each year and it was a memorable article every time. You should take stock of all of God s gifts to you and get on your knees and say Thanks for the life you have been given. Perfect? No! But it is what you have, the canvas upon which your life picture is painted, and it is far richer and more meaningful than you realize. Each time you worship here the centerpiece of our time together is called The Great Thanksgiving (Eucharist) and it centers our life upon God s wondrous gift of His Son and all that He gives to us through and beyond this gift. When the final bell is tolled upon your life and we who are left behind discuss all the richness of knowing you, let the final word be, He/She was always thankful and always said thank you to the people and events of his/her life. You have been blessed, so speak to God about your appreciation and come and share it here often. Page 8 Faithfully, John B.
7:30 9:00 11:00 St. Peter s ROTA Those Who Serve December 2016 SUNDAY December 4 December 11 December 18 Altar Guild Nancy Johnson, Shirley Shirley Lay Eucharistic Minister Joe Marland John Joralemon Sound System Frank Pinchak Frank Pinchak Altar Guild Shirley Shirley Greeters Everyone Everyone Lay Eucharistic Minister Steve Hunt Rob Norred Sound System Volunteer needed Volunteer needed Acolytes Altar Guild George Brant, Kendall Farr, Cole Janney Harriet Hamilton, Sadie Hannah, Jenny Hannah, Tilda Wall Duncan Harris, Ethan Steele, Grace Steele Kim Kilgore, Ann Swafford, Shirley Element Bearers James Bell & William Nelson Jaye & Susan Harris Fellowship Tim & Mary Andrews James & Bylinda Bell Greeters Everyone Everyone Lay Eucharistic Minister Lector/Intercessor Jacqueline Hoover, Beth Janney Beth Janney/ Jenni Norred Joani Koch, Susan Self James Bell/ Chip Stansbury Sound System John Trieber Richard & Sam Weems Tellers & Vestry Rep Ushers James Bell, Susan Self, Terri Williams Jerry Arnold, James Bell, Norm Elkins, Connor Roberts Susan Harris, Fonda Harwell, Scott Steele Ron Abston, Fonda Harwell, Mitch Harwell, Scott Steele SATURDAY December 3 December 10 December 17 Altar Guild Richard Smith, Shirley Cheriee Adkins, Shirley Shirley Carter Lynch Frank Pinchak Jan Strunk, Shirley Everyone Sarah Poole Volunteer needed Tim Andrews, Connor Nelson, William Nelson Susan Harris, Susan Self, Connie Trieber David & Ruth Wilson Claire Brant Everyone Tony Burgess, Bruce Johnson, Sr. Ellie Pickett/ Myron Rogers John Trieber Mary Alice Northern, Kim Steele, Charlie Willett Gary Frederick, Fred Koch, Odell Leinart, Philip Morris, Myron Rogers, Charlie Willett Nancy Johnson, Shirley Christmas Services Saturday, December 24 5:00 pm: Christmas Eve Family Service with Christmas Pageant 10:00 pm: Christmas Eve Traditional Service Sunday, December 25 10:00 am: Christmas Day Service If you cannot serve on your assigned day, please make arrangements for your own replacement.