Welcome!
Please review The Church of St. Michael & St. George's weekly newsletter to
keep abreast of our events. Visit our online calendar for event
information.
Come visit! Let us know....
If you or someone close to you has had a change in circumstances [in the hospital, moved to a nursing home, etc.] please call the church at 314.721.1502, so we can keep CSMSG in your life.
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Questions? Call us at 314.721.1502 or e-mail laurie@csmsg.org
The Church of
St. Michael &
St. George
6345 Wydown Blvd.
PO Box 11887
Clayton, MO 63105
314.721.1502 p
314.721.4670 f |
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"Living Christ In This World"
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December 19 - December 25, 2011
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This Week's Banner
Nativity Scene. Woodcut by R.Reinhold. |
Preaching Rota
December 25 Mr. Isaac Arten
January 1 The Rev. John Michael Wheeler
January 8 The Rev. Andrew John Archie
January 15 The Rev. Jedediah Wynn Fox
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Sunday Adult Education
 The Rector's Forum
The Rector's Forum will not meet December 25 or January 1. Please join Fr. Archie as he continues to study the book of Exodus on January 8. Faith & Life Forum  The Faith & Life Forum will not meet December 25 or January 1. Please join the Faith & Life Forum, led by John Tyler, Sunday, January 8 at 10:30 AM in the Sverdrup Room.
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Giving in Gratitude
Annual Stewardship Appeal 2012  As of today we have received 330 pledges for a total of $1,663,266.
Thank you for Giving In Generosity!
A Christmas Carol is a story about stewardship. In the story, Dickens wants each of us to discover what old Scrooge had to learn the hard way: the only way to hold onto something is to give it away. This is the paradox of giving: the one who gives a gift, from substance and without counting the cost, is the one who is most grateful. Besides being a donor, the generous person is also a beneficiary. That's why Scrooge says thank you "fifty times" and also why he asks the gentleman asking for money for the poor house, quite sincerely, to do him a favor by accepting the gift.
Ever afterwards, Mr. Dickens writes, it was said of Scrooge "that he knew how to keep Christmas well." Like any good steward, Scrooge kept it well by giving it away. And so, as Mr. Dickens observes at the conclusion of his story, "May that be truly said of us . . . every one!" Every tither of our church has expressed the same sentiments.
Merry Christmas and thank you CSMSG for "keeping Christmas well"!
If you have not yet made a pledge and wish to do so, please contact the church at Laurie@csmsg.org or 314.721.1502 or download the pledge card.
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This Week
Saturday, December 24
Christmas Eve
Christmas Schedule
Download the Christmas Liturgy schedule
Sunday, December 25
Christmas Day
Holy Eucharist: 10 AM
Monday, December 26
Offices & Building will be closed.
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Music
The CSMSG Girls Choir The CSMSG Girls Choir is still accepting new members, ages 9-18, to sing throughout this choral season concluding in May of 2012. Contact Christi Bye now for more information by email at cbye@csmsg.org or by contacting her at church at 314.721.1502, ext. 4043.
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Centennial Stories Needed!
Next year marks the 100-year anniversary of The Church of St. Michael and St. George. To celebrate this event we would like to solicit stories and photos for the E-letter and Duo. If you have a memory of 'riding the trolley to church' or of when the Great Hall was a theatre, please contact Laurie Brown at Laurie@csmsg.org or 314.721.1502 ext. 4035. Rumor has it the Youth Group was called the 'Quakers' in the 1950's. If you can shed light on this or any other interesting bit of information, let us know.
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Upcoming Events
Sunday, January 1
New Years Day
Holy Eucharist: 10 AM
Monday, January 2
Offices & Building will be closed.Sunday, January 8
Crowning of the Three KingsJoin us for Epiphany Family Night Dinner and a special service on January 8 at 5 PM. Celebrate the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of Epiphany with a Mexican dinner, crowning of the Three Kings, and a very special service in the church.
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Rent-a-Kid
 Rent-a-Kid is a year-round fundraiser for the Youth of CSMSG High School Mission Trip, and also provides a unique opportunity for teens to connect with each other and the community through service. If you have ANY job in mind, please contact Bart Freer at 314.276.3733 or bart.freer@gmail.com.
Download more information about Rent-a-Kid
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Church School Happenings
Any Church School child who would like to be in the Gospel Pageant on Christmas Eve, 4 PM, please be in the Great Hall in costume (as either a sheep, shepherd or angel) at 3:30 PM. High school assistants will assist you during the pageant and will help the children find their parents in the church when the Pageant has ended, for communion.Church School
Church School resumes on January 8, 2012.
Epiphany Family Night Dinner and Service
Epiphany Family Night dinner and service will be in the church at 5 PM on January 8. More information to follow.
Have a wonderful Christmas!
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Youth
ALL CSMSG College Students! Join the Youth Ministry Staff on Wednesday, December 21 from 12-1:30 PM at Fallon's so we can treat you to lunch! Parents, please send Marty your college student's current e-mail if you have not already done so. RETREAT season is almost here! All 9th-12th graders are invited to join Isaac and Buzz for a ROCKIN' RETREAT January 7/8 at Trout Lodge! Sign-up NOW by e-mailing youth@csmsg.org immediately! Bring your friends! We will depart from church Saturday morning at 8 AM on Saturday and will return by 1:30 PM on Sunday. Cost is $150. All 6th-8th graders are invited to attend our MS retreat January 28/29 and are asked to sign up now!
Rent-a-Kid: The holidays are quickly approaching so take advantage of the Youth Ministry sponsored Rent-a-Kid fundraiser for the Youth of CSMSG High School Mission Trip! This provides a unique opportunity for teens to connect with each other and the community through service. If you have ANY job in mind, please contact Bart Freer at 314.276.3733 or bart.freer@gmail.com.
Middle School Mission Week-June 11-15, 2012: Make plans now for your 5th-8th grader to participate in local service opportunities. Cost is $50 for the week. Friends are WELCOME!
2012 High School Mission Trip: Current 8th-12th graders are invited to join our HS mission team as we travel by train to Monument Valley, Utah, June 21-July 1, 2012. E-mail youth@csmsg.org to sign up or for more information.
Look for your copy of our new Youth Ministry E-Newsletter each week! If you have not received this yet, please e-mail Buzz at Buzz@csmsg.org with your current e-mail address.
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Welcoming
Fishin' for Folk
Church 'business cards' are available in the Great Hall and Narthex. Look for the flower pots. Please plant a card in a friend's hand and let them know about all the great things happening here.
Forward this e-letter to your friends!
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Adult Formation
Join Fr. Fox for Bible Study on Mondays
6:30 PM Library
The Bible--It's big, it's complex and sometimes even a little frightening. You need someone to study alongside, someone to share the load of understanding the story of God's continued work of renewing the world. Come and study with Fr. Jed and other parishioners of St. Michael & St. George as they pursue this endeavor most Mondays in the Library at 6:30 PM.
Conformation is Coming!
Any one who is interested in being confirmed or received into the Episcopal Church, or just wants more information about what all of this means, please contact Fr. Jed Fox or call the church at 314.721.1502.
Mens Retreat
The Annual Men's Retreat will take place the February 17-18, 2012. All the men of the parish are encouraged to attend, and to bring a friend. Our speaker this year is Fr. Robert Hendrickson, Curate at Christ Church, New Haven, and a driving force behind the founding of the American chapter of the Society of Catholic Priests and St. Hilda's House, an intentional community for young adults contemplating a vocation to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church. We will once again be retreating to Pere Marquette Conference Center. We hope that you can be a part of a great opportunity to get away and get close to God and your fellow parishioners. For more information, call the church at 314.721.1502, or send Fr. Jed Fox an email.
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Columbarium Update
The Page Garden columbarium is nearing completion! As you may have noticed, the walls and niches have been constructed and the new pavers are laid. (Check them out--they're gorgeous!) Landscape lights and sprinklers are roughed in, awaiting only the completion of the landscaping. A new gate remains to be built and installed.
We expect to return the urns from the lockers to their niches sometime in the spring, following Easter, when the weather will be more temperate. We will alert those who have loved ones in those urns prior to any such move. 
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Outreach Ministries
Sausage cook(s) needed!
We are thankful for the response from the parish and have sausage cooker volunteers for the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Sundays. All we need now are volunteers to fill the slots for the 3rd and 5th Sundays. The 5th Sunday is an easy one; there are only four or five a year.
For additional information call Nick Clifford at 314.997.4011 or email at nickclifsr@yahoo.com.
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Suggestion Box
Please let us know what you like about our e-newsletters and how you think we can improve upcoming editions. This is an interactive publication and we'd like to hear from you! Give Us Your Feedback |
Canterbury Bookstore
Merry Christmas to all!
May your holiday season be filled with joys of the season and the awareness of the greatest gift given to all of us.
Ann Babington, Linda Bickel, Connie Roeder, Rhonda Smith,
Peggy Strelinger and Mark Foster.
The Bookstore Staff
The Bookstore will be closed December 29 through January 5.
Bookstore hours: Sunday 8:30-11:30 Monday 10-noon Thursday 10-3 Friday 8:30-noon |
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Endowment Fund
The Endowment Fund of the Church of St. Michael and St. George was established in 1943. It was created to provide the Church consistent supplemental funding for vital services, support during difficult economic times, and additional resources for mission growth. Over the past decades, while investments have been prudently made, parishioners and friends of the parish have not always remembered the fund in their estate planning and the Fund has not grown sufficiently to continue to meet its original purposes.
Today, as our society continues to evolve, the need for a strong Endowment has never been greater. In 2010, the Endowment Expansion Committee was formed to develop a long-term strategy to expand the Fund to a sufficient size to meet the Church's current and future needs. The Committee, chaired by John Rowe, includes: Ken Bean, Laurie Brown, Spencer Burke, Marianna Deal, Becky Fouke, Nick Kouchoukos, Talbot MacCarthy, Jeff Miller, Stephen Nickelson, Joe Sheehan and JoAnn Vorih.
In early 2012, the Committee intends to share its plan for Endowment Fund expansion with the entire church membership. In the meantime, several targeted presentation have been made to the members of the Vestry, former Wardens and other church members. The resulting donations and commitments for future donations to the Fund have been quite encouraging. |
Bulletin Board
Birth Announcements Needed Please contact Debbie Fenner at debbie@csmsg.org or 314.721.1502 when there is a birth in the church family, so we can properly welcome the new baby into the parish. CSMSG Pre-primary Enrollment We are currently accepting applications for our parish's two pre-primary programs: 18-24 months on Thursday and Friday mornings from 8:30-11:30 AM and 2-3 years on Monday through Wednesday mornings from 8:30-11:30 AM. We are also offering a five-morning schedule for both classes. Our programs are taught by a degreed teacher and have proven quite successful since their inception. For more information, call Carol at 314.721.1502.
The Servers' Guild The Servers' Guild provides a unique opportunity for students from 6th through 12th grades to participate in the Sunday liturgies and gain a deeper appreciation for our traditions and style of worship. If you would like to join a group of young people who are dedicated to enhancing the worship experience at CSMSG, contact Fr. Mike Wheeler.
Altar Guild
We invite you to deepen your spiritual life and connection to the liturgy by becoming a member of the Altar Guild. This ministry is dedicated to the service of God by lovingly preparing the altars. Many hands are needed, weekdays and Sundays, to care for the linens, candles and silver. Contact Betsy Panke: 314.993.6487 or epanke@aol.com.
Valet Parking Valet service by Midwest Parking will be available on Sunday mornings for elderly parishioners and those with special needs. This valuable service is being provided by an anonymous benefactor. Thank you for this very generous gift! |
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