A quick note about this coming Saturday, December 4: Come to the Santa Rosa Junior College Orchestra's Holiday Concert, a family concert celebrating the festive music of the season. Saturday, December 4, 3:00 PM. Santa Rosa Bible Church, 4575 Badger Road. Directed by Cynthia Weichel. Featuring: Santa Rosa Children's Chorus, Santa Claus and more (Pastor Gail Cafferata plays violin J). Admission: $5
HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE TODAY AT HEAVENLY TREASURES! Are you ready for the best shopping experience you'll have this holiday season? Come over to Heavenly Treasures today after services. You'll find the perfect sparkly outfit for that holiday party, lots of Christmas decorations, holiday wrap and cards. You'll also find brand new gifts like high-quality French soaps, jewelry, and warm, gorgeous shawls. Take advantage of bargain basement prices, and know that your purchase does real good--90% of our profits are donated to social service and justice causes. We'll be open until 1:00, so stroll over and let us help you with your holiday shopping.
Come to Farlander Hall after the 8 am and 9:15 am services today to enjoy a hot pancake breakfast, made just for you! Suggested donation $5, all proceeds benefit the Youth's Mission Trip to South Africa.
Holiday Bazaar: Thank You! The Guild of the Incarnation Holiday Bazaar was a big success. Many thanks for all your support. And a big thank you to all who baked, made jams, knitted or crocheted and made the lovely craft items for us to sell. Thanks to Muriel Morrow for the beautiful tree skirt and Marjorie Whistler for the Christmas stocking for our raffle. A special thank you to Vicki Garcia for her new ideas and help in making items, it was fun to work with her. And the usual big THANK YOU to Eric and Ernie for their help.
The Guild of Incarnation meets this Tuesday, December 7 for the annual Christmas program and catered luncheon. ALL ARE WELCOME to attend. We will have communion in the church at 11:00 a.m. and then hold our business meeting at 11:30 a.m. The luncheon will be served at 12:15. We have a very special program: our esteemed director of the St. Cecilia Choir, Carol Menke, with her beautiful lyric soprano voice, will be singing a Christmas program for us at 1:30 p.m.
The next "Twilight Pipe Organ Mini-Recital" will be on Friday, December 10, 6:00 PM. Stanley Browne, organist and professor of Astrophysics at Berkeley, will be the featured artist. He will be playing a Seasonal Program preparing us for Christmas. After the recital, those wishing to join the artist are invited to a no-host dinner at a local restaurant. For more information, contact Harold Julander, 694-1896 or e-mail, bach4me@sonic.net.
Episcopal "birds of a feather" come flock together! Let's share our gratitude for God's gifts of birds, walking and community and gather from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. the morning of Saturday, December 11 for the first collective outing of birdwatchers from Episcopal churches along the lower Highway 101 corridor (Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Kenwood, Sebastopol). We'll explore who's feeding at the polishing water treatment ponds of Ellis Creek (and Shollenberger Park if you'd like a longer trip). Bring binoculars, scopes and field guides (and if you have extras to share with those that have none, bring them too). Meet at the ponds' recreational parking lot at 9:30 a.m. In event of heavy rain, raindate is January 1. Contact is Gail Cafferata at gail.holyfamily@sbcglobal.net. Directions: Hwy 116 east to S. McDowell, right on Cypress; when Cypress takes a hard left at "Barbara's" building (3900 Cypress), go straight instead, through the gate to the parking lot on the left. There are clean restrooms, hard gravel trails and benches to rest.
Kid's Christmas Gift Shop on December 12! All kids are invited to participate in the upcoming Christmas Gift Shop, which is back by popular demand. Kids can experience the joy of choosing their own special, inexpensive gifts for family and friends. They shop in secret so everything is a SURPRISE! Members of the Youth Group will help kids make their selections and wrap their gifts.
The Gift Shop will be open after the 9:15 service and is for kids of all ages. There will be a great variety of new gifts in different price ranges for kids to choose from. The prices are very affordable and well below retail, with most in the $1-3 range. Imagine the fun they'll have surprising family and friends with "secret" gifts they bought and wrapped - all by themselves! Bring your kids, grandchildren, kid's friends, neighbors...all are welcome. All proceeds will go towards the Youth Group's Mission to South Africa.
Because of when Christmas falls in the week, the Evening Women's Group will meet on December 14 at 6:30 pm. We will be having our annual dine out night. This year we will be dining at the Brasserie in the Hyatt Hotel. All women are welcome to join us. We are a supportive group providing a place to share our lives and our spiritual journeys with each other, building friendships as we go. If you have any questions, please contact Donna Wiuff at (707) 837-8768.
An easier way to give... Advent is the start of a new church year. The tax year still has a month to go. A transfer of appreciated stock to The Episcopal Foundation of Northern California for the benefit of your church is one of the best ways to fulfill your pledge to the operating or capital fund. Starting on November 29, 2010, The Foundation has a new procedure to follow for transferring appreciated stocks, bonds or mutual fund shares. A transfer to The Foundation will result in a sale, the funds being transferred to your church and an appropriate tax receipt given to you. Your pledge will be satisfied; you will receive a tax deduction and pay no capital gains tax. A Great start to the new church year! For more information on this procedure, you or your broker may contact Foundation Executive Director Rick Harrison Smith: rick@norcalepiscopalfoundation.org or(530) 515-3121.
Lend a hand - help prepare food/groceries at Burbank School. Redwood Empire Food Bank and Target stores are sponsoring a food pantry at Luther Burbank Elementary School starting November 18. Between 100 and 150 Burbank families will receive free groceries once a week. These groceries will include both perishable and non-perishable healthy foods which parents will be able to pick up every Thursday that school is in session between 2:25 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Principal Kris Cosca has asked for volunteers to be at the school to help package the perishable food items and assist in distributing the food. If you can help, even occasionally, please see the sign-up board in Farlander Hall, or contact Patty Hickey at 568-6856 or by e-mail, mnp4449@sbcglobal.net. She will coordinate by week, with the food bank representative to determine number of volunteers needed and report time for each Thursday distribution.
Via Media Sign-up! The Via Media sessions will be starting January 9th (Sunday 11am-1pm in the library) and going for seven consecutive weeks. Via Media is a series of classes that explore our faith from a unique Episcopalian point of view. Topics such as the Holy Spirit, The Bible, and Jesus Christ are talked about and you are encouraged to ask your questions and explore with others through conversation, friendship, worship and radical hospitality! Each class starts off with a delicious meal, a time of fellowship and getting to know one another. There is a sign-up sheet on the Small Groups table in Farlander Hall. If you want to learn more about Via Media or about being "confirmed" or "received" at Incarnation, visit our website at www.incarnation-sr.org and go to Christian Ed-Adult Education or contact Mitch Garcia at 707-703-4162 or email smallgroups@incarnation-sr.org.
Calling All Ministry Leaders! Our website is filled with information about our church and about the many ministries here at Incarnation. Some of that information may be outdated or possibly just plain wrong. I need your help and ask that you go to our website and locate the ministry you are involved with as a leader and please check to see if the information is correct. If your ministry is not on our website, then I need to know as soon as possible so I can add that information to our site. I thank you all in advance for your help and you can contact me at smallgroups@incarnation-sr.org to send along any changes or updates.
Volunteers needed! Have you ever thought about volunteering in the Church Office? Please contact Claire at 707-579-2604 ext. 104 or email Claire@incarnation-sr.org for more info. Thank you, volunteers! You make our lives MUCH easier, and getting to know you is great fun!
A Weekend with Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault -- Love, Contemplative Style: Centering Prayer and Awakening the Heart. When: Friday, Feb 11 & Saturday Feb 12. Where: Grace Episcopal Church (1314 Spring Street, St. Helena, CA 94574). Cost: $75 per person for both days, $25 for Friday only, $50 for Saturday only (includes lunch). Note: Purchase both days before December 10, 2010 and receive a free copy of "The Wisdom Way of Knowing." Grace Episcopal Church in St. Helena welcomes contemporary mystic, Cynthia Bourgeault, writer and internationally known Retreat Leader. Reservations are necessary. Call Grace Church at (707) 963-4157 or email invite@grace-episcopal.org.
