|
A HOLY MOMENT OF THE WEEK Send yours to goodnews@saintjamesgi.net
Mitch Lewis with a Lego themed tree he designed for the Greens Market
|
This Sunday is Youth Sunday Our children and youth will join us all morning, serving in all the roles of the church.
Greens Market Thank You! Every person who helped in any way with the 88th Historic Greens Market was a contributor to its success. Thank you so much!! The women of St. James realize that this ongoing event would not be possible without the help of the entire congregation, especially the men who are the crew for the set-up and take down. We are so very grateful. Our hope is that everyone will enjoy the beautiful greens that decorate your home during the Christmas season.
Dedicate the Christmas Poinsettias and Music by using the GOLD form in your bulletin. Names and thanksgivings will be in all Christmas bulletins through the season.
Join Us And Bring A Friend For Bach Cantata Sunday December 18th during the 10AM service! Featuring the St. James Choir, chamber orchestra, soprano Jill Robinson, and tenor Christopher Wolf presenting Bach’s Cantata “Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland” BWV 61, this is not an event you want to miss! Come hear one of Bach’s most popular Advent Cantatas, as we sing and play instruments to glorify God on December 18th.
Candy Poppers Will Be Made This Sunday After Worship in Galloway Hall using the candy, TP rolls, wrapping paper, tape and ribbons that have been donated. Pitch in to help make these gifts for the people of the Spirit of Hope Soup Kitchen.
A Winter Clothing Drive for Men organized by our Men’s group is now in gear. Saint James is collecting warm winter clothing (coats, scarves, sweaters, gloves, mittens and blue jeans) for those less fortunate. Clothing will be delivered to Spirit of Hope for distribution after Dec. 18. A collection box will be located outside the office. Thanks in advance for your usual and abundant generosity. If you have nothing in your closet to donate, you are more than welcome to purchase a new item to donate!
Last Chance for Ordering Holiday Gift Cards The SCRIP program allows Saint James’ to order gift cards from hundreds of retailers and have a portion of the amount go directly to the church! You can use the gift cards to buy your Christmas presents or give the cards as presents. The list of retailers and order forms are located on the information table. Orders must be prepaid and checks (preferred) made payable to “Saint James Scrip”. The last day to order is Sunday, Dec. 11. Contact Lynn Blanks, 676-3967 for more information.
Christmas Services
A Blue Christmas Service (for those feeling blue during this season) will be held on Wednesday night, December 21, at 7pm in the chapel.
A Family Christmas Service will be held on Saturday, December 24, at 4pm in the main sanctuary. Come early if your children will be in the pageant.
A Festival Christmas Service will be held on Saturday, December 24, at 11pm, preceeded by 30 minutes of carol singing at 10:30pm.
One Service on Christmas Day will be held on Sunday, December 25, at 10am in the chapel.
Baptisms Sunday, January 8th is a day of Baptism in all Episcopal Churches. To inquire about a baptism, speak to Fr. Phil or call the church office.
United Thank Offering – UTO – Little Blue Boxes – It is not too late to participate in UTO. Set in a prominent place in your home your little blue box is a reminder to express your gratitude in a concrete way for the many blessings in your life by dropping coins or cash in the box. UTO raises between 2.5 – 3 million dollars each year to support grants, missions and ministry throughout the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. Through our prayers and thankful giving we reach out in the world to bring hope and improve lives. Please note that our “ingathering” or box collection will take place on January 22nd. Thank you, Wendy Kiblawi 248-476-0265
Why? Why? Why? A sermon in January will be dedicated to answering your questions about anything having to do with Religion, Bible, Worship, Tradition, Spirituality, Practice, etc. Send questions to goodnews@saintjamesgi.net or submit a question anonymously by passing it under the rector’s door. The more questions the better!
A Note From The Treasurer Please remember to bring up to date your plan of financial support for this year, 2016. If possible, a little over that plan would make a big difference for those who can. Please also consider the Special Music Fund and the Special Flower Fund that help make our Christmas services so beautiful.
Check the Coat Racks and take home anything that belongs to your family!
A Children’s Choir (K-5) meets on Sundays after the 10am service. Talk to Jill Robinson (robinsonjill25@yahoo.com) or Bobby to find out more.
ECW Annual Retreat Will Be January 19-21 in Clarkston. Information and registration forms can be found on the table in the hallway. This year’s theme is Stirring Up the Spirit. The lead presenter is The Rev. Beth Taylor.
Nancy Clark Continues To Recover In Grand Rapids after a fall, she is in rehab after surgery for a broken knee. If you’d like to send her an encouraging note she can be reached at: Nancy Clark, c/o Susan Levine, 2860 Bonnell Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49606
Group Studies of many kinds are offered through Saint James. On Sunday mornings we gather at 9:05am in the Fireplace Room for an open Bible Study. On Thursday mornings we meet at 10:30am in the library to discuss short readings from luminaries like Ghandi. On Wednesday mornings we have a 10:15am service of Holy Communion in the chapel. On Wednesday evenings the WOW (Women on Wednesday) group meets in members’ homes for book studies. Contact the office for more information on any of these open studies.
Beginner’s Belly Dance is taking a break and will resume on January 4, 2017.
Fr. Phil’s Open Office Hours are every Tuesday from 4:30-6:30pm.
SERVING THIS WEEK
THESE ROLES ARE ALWAYS OPEN to new participants.
To join a team contact the office at goodnews@saintjamesgi.net
| December 11 | |
| Altar Guild | Joan Hemsworth, Jennifer Engle, Gwyn Dugliss |
| 8am 1st lesson reader | Mark McPherson |
| 8am Eucharistic Minister | David Hartwell |
| 10 am 1st lesson reader | William Johnson |
| 10am 2nd lesson & chalice | Landen Johnson |
| 10am prayers & chalice | Warren Johnson |
| Ushers | Lynn & Paul Blanks, Zach & Merri Lewis |
| Greeters | Robin Knudson and Marie Johnson |
| 10 am Crucifer | Landon Johnson |
| 10am Acolytes | Anna Shumate & Thomas Shumate |
| Prayer Team | Herman Rugel and Linda Shannon |
SAINT JAMES WISH LIST
Below are some things that St. James would love to have, but the budget does not allow them at this time. If one of these items speaks to your heart, please make a donation toward the purchase. All partial gifts will be gratefully accepted and put toward the total cost. Also, if you see or think of something that should be on this list, please let us know.
- Needed: wish list items!
Thank you to Dorothy Crooks for her donation to purchase the piano cover off of our wish list!
Thank you, thank you, and thank you!
🎵 🎶 🎶🎵 MUSIC NOTES 🎵🎶🎶 🎵
Choir season is up and running, and it’s never too late to join! We are doing some very exciting music this year, including some great standards by composers Ralph Vaughan Williams and John Rutter, exciting new pieces by composers Libby Larsen and Benjamin Wegner, and our upcoming Bach Cantata. Bell choir will also be doing some exciting work this year as well! Please let me know if you plan to attend! The St. James Bell Choir rehearses Thursdays at 6:30PM, and the St. James Adult Choir rehearses Thursdays at 7:30PM. The children’s choir meets after the 10AM service. All are welcome! If you have reservations about joining that I can smooth over, or even just want to chat and learn some more about music, I’m always happy to talk! I’m easily reached at music@saintjamesgi.net.
This morning’s musical point of interest: We hear presented this morning another Bach postlude, and as we lead up to Bach Cantata Sunday on the 18th, here are some Bach fun facts for you to enjoy! 1) Bach had 20 children. 2) In his youth, Bach would challenge other musicians to “keyboard duels” which he would regularly win. In one case, famed keyboardist Louis Marchand fled the city rather than duel Bach. 3) Bach’s music became unpopular during his lifetime, and widely went unperformed until Mendelssohn staged a performance of the St. Matthew Passion in 1829, permanently restoring Bach to the standard repertory. 4) Bach wrote well over 1000 pieces of music during his lifetime. Some of these pieces were well over an hour long, and each one dedicated to the Glory of God.
Stay tuned for upcoming music events in the area:
Dec. 18: Bach Cantata Sunday, right here at St. James during the 10AM service, complete with choir, soloists, and orchestra performing “Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland” BWV 61. It’s a morning you don’t want to miss! Bring a friend!
CELEBRATIONS & PRAYERS
We Celebrate Birthdays This Week
| Keller (12/14) | Mandy Phillips (12/15) | Steven DePaul (12/16) | |
| Matthew Drake (12/16) | Hannah Thomas (12/16) | Randi Mammo (12/17) | |
| Drew Haddix (12/18) |
We Celebrate Anniversaries This Week
| Charlotte & Lester Campeau (12/18) |
Please Pray This Week For Healing
| Lee | Jerry Zavadil | Maureen Kohn | |
| Jerry | John Kurth | Nancy Clark | |
| Pete Fernandes | Jean Fernandes | Andrew Brunell | |
| Philip Metz, Sr. | Misty Peake | Mary | |
| Allison Bell | Charles | Michael Stoddart | |
| Joan Klose | Jackson Bruce Beidler | Annie Krueger | |
| Tamara Howes | Karen Brock | Teddy Cleaver |
Pray for those serving in The Church For leaders of the worldwide church, for Philip our priest, members of our vestry, heads of our guilds & committees, and the staff and lay leaders of this congregation; for those engaged in mission work, for Jamie Treadwell in England, Todd and Patsy McGregor & family in Kenya, El Hogar in Honduras, and the Spirit of Hope Soup Kitchen in Detroit.
Pray for those serving in the military AJ Allen, J.B. Faistenhammer, Buckley Neal, Brett Ready, Dr. Bettina Sauter, and Alexander Turin.
To ensure our Lists are current petitions for healing are listed for 4 weeks per submission. Names may be re-submitted any number of times to office@saintjamesgi.net.