15 Dec

Newsletter, December 14

Rev. Sheelagh’s Thought For The Week
Christmas is almost upon us.  Almost but not quite.  We await the coming of a child, who will be named Immanuel, which means, God with us.  It is a message of hope that is timeless.  All births are full of unknown promise and potential.  Mary, filled with new life could not have known what lay ahead, or how life changing the birth of her child would prove to be, no matter how much she trusted the Holy Spirit.  This Sunday,  we will baptize an infant into our community.  A child full of promise and potential; a child beloved of her parents but even more beloved of God; a child who will be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ,  the very child that Mary bore.
O Come, O Come, Immanuel.  How amazing is that! Alleluia.+

Reminders
Date
Time
Event
Dec 18, Sunday11:15amAngel Tree Collection
Dec 18, Sunday11:15am-12pmPageant Rehearsals
Dec 18, Sunday11:30am-1pmVestry Meeting
Dec 20, 20167:30pm-10pmFinance Committee Meeting
Dec 21, Wednesday7pmBlue Christmas Service
Dec 22, Thursday7:30pm-9pmChoir Rehearsal
Dec 24, Saturday5pm
&
10:30pm		Family Service with Pageant

Candlelight Service

  
Serving at the Altar  12/18 & 12/24
12/18
12/24 Christmas Eve
5pm & 10:30pm
8am Reader: M. Walker
5pm Reader: O. Owolabi
10am Readers:
1. F. Dorn
2. C. Ehlers
3. K. Wade
10:30pm Readers
1. F. Dorn
2. B.Churchill
3. P. Wick
4. B. Riedel
Chalicist: E. Maurer
5pm Chalicists: D. Price & D. Cole
10:30pm Chalicists:
E. Maurer & J. Scharff
Ushers: M. & F.L. Priddy
5pm Ushers: M. & D. Price
10:30pm Ushers:
P. Boegershausen & R. Riedel
Altar Guild: A. Walker & J. James
5pm Altar Guild: A. Cole
10:30pm Altar Guild: J. Dorn
Coffee Hour: Susan Dinan
Coffee Hour: Open
Altar Flowers: Advent/Greening of the Church
Altar Flowers: Poinsettias
Pledge Update
Thank you to everyone who has let us know their pledge intentions for 2017. However we are still waiting to hear from some of you.  We have a budget planning meeting on the 18th December,  and would appreciate a card or an e-mail to Eric Thoroman to let us know what you are thinking of giving.  This really helps us plan appropriately.
UPCOMING EVENTS
 
Angel Tree Time
Sunday, December 18th
Continuing our long tradition of sharing Christmas joy with our extended community, we will again provide gifts for families in the Patch program serving Newark children aged 5-13 with an incarcerated parent. Many of these kids participated in our drumming camps.
We do not have specifically identified children this year so instead will deliver gift cards and gift bags with unwrapped gifts labeled for age and gender. We are collecting at coffee hour on  Sunday December 18th.
– Ellen Pluta, Kira Hanson, Susan Dinan, Margo Greenfield.
Pageant Rehearsals
December 18 
The Children’s Christmas Pageant Occurs on Christmas Eve at the family service. This year, we will be performing This Is The Star, By Joyce Dunbar and Gary Blythe. I hope that you can meet us! Please contact me, Phoebe Holt-Reiss at pholtreiss@gmail.com if you have any questions regarding the pageant.
Thank You.
Blue Christmas
December 21, 2016
7:00 p.m.
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
119 Main Street, Millburn, NJ
Join us for an evening of prayer and reflection as we acknowledge our “blue” feelings at this time of year. Together we pray for hope and comfort as we face our losses.
NOTICES
 
Dates & Deadlines
If you have any dates or events that need adding to the St. Stephen’s Calendar please send them to Claire, and all articles and e-mails for the newsletter by NOON on Tuesday to church@ststephensmillburn.org.  Thank You.
Please note the Parish Office is closed on Mondays