St. Mark's EpiscopalChurch                                 December 5, 2010
New Canaan, CT                                                                   Advent II
advent 2
We welcome you and your family to St. Mark's
If you are seeking a church home, we would be honored to have you as a member of our parish family.  Please speak to one of the clergy, or be in touch with us during the week to find out more about us (contact information below).

This Sunday's schedule:
   8:00 a.m.     Holy Eucharist Rite I - chapel
   9:00 a.m.     Year of the Story
   9:50 a.m.     Church School
 10:00 a.m.     Holy Eucharist Rite II     
 11:30 a.m.     Jr. High Youth Group and Confirmation Class
   4:00 p.m.     Sr. High Youth Group
   5:00 p.m.     Holy Eucharist Rite II
      
Nursery care is available for children under 3-years old from 9:00-11:45am in the nursery wing.
 
If you are interested in joining or finding out more about St. Mark's, please contact us or call the church office: 203.966.4515. Visit our website to learn more: www.stmarksnewcanaan.org. Click here to read/hear recent sermons and for the current newsletter, The Lion's Roar   If you have a pastoral concern, please contact Mother Anne Richards or Father Peter Walsh.
Handel's Messiah
Friday, December 10 at 8pm
St. Mark's Chorale & Orchestra
                                                             (details below)

Sunday at St. Mark's     

The Year of the Story  The Year of the Story continues today in Morrill Hall from 9:00-9:45am as we take a year-long mountain-top tour of the Bible! Each Sunday we discuss a major Bible story, beginning with Genesis and ending with Revelation. Today Mother Anne will lead a discussion about the Restoration of the Kingdom. Click here for the syllabus.

Book FairHoliday Book Fair Sunday Morning hosted by the St. Mark's Nursery School in Morrill Hall during coffee hour.  There will be books for all ages and interests, educational games and activities, and other gift items for sale.  Plus, you can take advantage of free gift wrapping services.  The fair will also be open Monday Dec. 6 from 9am-12pm and 6:30pm-9:30pm, and Tuesday from 9am-12pm.   Please stop by to support St. Mark's Nursery School, and get a jump start on your holiday shopping!

Get Your Christmas Dove.  Jr. High Youth Group invites you to participate in this longstanding tradition, helping us to provide nutritious Christmas meals for 50 plus families and seniors in the Stamford area. Doves include shopping for specific groceries and gift wrapping them in large Christmas boxes. Doves will be available in church or by reservation now; to learn more/or to reserve a dove, contact Rachel Ranieri: ranieri1@optonline.net or the church office: (966.4515x117/rmorrill@stmarksnewcanaan.org). 

angelsHandel's Messiah  is Next Friday. Purchase your tickets now.  St. Mark's Chorale and Orchestra present the Christmas portion of Handel's great work on Friday, December 10 at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets will be sold after church today, in St. Mark's office and at the Lion's Den Book Store for $10 for general seating and $25 for preferred seating for patrons with advance reservations. Tickets may also be purchased online at: 
                                 www.stmarksnewcanaan.org/messiahtkts.asp

A Gala Reception follows the Messiah in Morrill Hall. We need finger foods - savories and desserts and helpers to set up and decorate tables in the afternoon and during the event. Please contact Gala Chairs Lea or John Cromwell to offer your help or food gift: squirt888@aol.com

The Lion's Den Book & Gift Store celebrates the music of the season with a wide range of Christmas music albums.  Specialty items include nativities from around the world, ornaments hand-felted in Hungary, whimsical gift cards by Shirley Bell, 2011 calendars by Jill Ann and beautiful spiritual coffee-table books. Stop by!

Thank You to all those who have already committed to the 2011 Annual Campaign. To date over $655,484 has been pledged. Our goal is to make this year's campaign short and sweet, so please submit your pledge asap.  For your convenience, pledge cards (in the white envelopes) are in the pew racks and may be put in the offertory plate or you may pledge/contribute online.  Click to Pledge/Click to Pay 

Please keep the following people in your daily prayers: Alice, Tyler Everett Austin, Capt. Samuel Booth, Loretta Chappell, Belle Coughlin, Tod Cunningham, Jim Dwyer, Dana Fox, Jen, John, Lee, George Kinter, Laura Minchella,  Nicole, Frank Petro, Ruthann Saphier, Mary Shouvlin, and Bill Winking.  We rejoice at the birth of Wren Cornelia Donahue, brand new daughter of Sean and Carol Donahue of Portland, Maine and granddaughter of Jack and Lynn Donahue.

Events & Announcements

If you love to cook, St. Elizabeth's Guild needs your help! Our casserole supply is running low. We can use meat or vegetarian dishes.  Serving sizes 4-6 and 6-10. Pick up a label and directions on the freezer door in Morrill Hall. Guild members will deliver to our parish families who are experiencing illness, hospitalization, new home, death, or birth in the family. Contact Lois Sandberg, sandberg.lois@gmail.com or 966-2848, or the church office.

Get in the Advent Spirit by joining us at St. Mark's traditional St. Nicholas Tea this Tuesday, December 7, 2010, 3-5 PM in the Library. You will be pampered with the finest tea and morsels, angelic servers, and cherubic voices while you visit with friends. No charge. If you need transportation please contact Carlyn Tiefenthaler (203-966-5794/ carltief@sbcglobal.net.  If you have any questions, please contact Charlene Berardino (203-966-4805/or ccberardino@yahoo.com). All are welcome, especially children!

Stock Transactions: If you are planning to contribute stock to the Church before year-end, please do so soon. Many brokerage firms want these transactions initiated before December 15 to ensure completion by the end of the month. Contact first either Dick DePatie or Nadia Cwiach in the Church Office for details. (203) 966-4515

The Nominating Committee is busy assembling the slate of candidates for election to the Vestry and Substitute Delegates to the Diocesan Convention / Mid-Fairfield Deanery with the election taking  place at the annual meeting at the end of January. The congregation is invited to submit names of potential candidates to Nominating Committee members: John Layng, Chair, Jonathan Bitting, Jill Ernst, Breeze Hobbs, Kerry Robinson, and Carlyn Tiefenthaler

May Fair Furniture is Abundant This Season!  With several households of furniture awaiting our pickup, we are in dire need of storage space - barns, garages, basements, storage units.  Please help us squirrel away our White Elephant donations until May.  Contact Dick DePatie (203.966.4515x112/rdepatie@stmarksnewcanaan.org).

coffeeDecember Coffee Hour is a festive celebration of the season.  Please bring in one platter of sweets or savories during the month to augment the joyful spirit.  So we know how to plan, please indicate your participation on the Coffee Hour Sign-Up Sheets outside Morrill Hall or contact the church office. Special thanks to Susan Cotter who has orchestrated our lavish November and December Coffee Hours. 
   
Search for Director of St. Mark's Nursery School. Helen Palmesi is retiring in spring 2011 after 20 years of dedicated service; a Search Committee has been formed to fill her position. We are currently accepting applications.  A job description has been posted on the nursery school website. Please share it with prospective candidates you would recommend for the position, or other contacts who might know of qualified candidates.  Recommendations may be directed to: smnsdirectorsearch@stmarksnewcanaan.org.

St. Mark's Nursery School Open House Monday evening, December 6 at 7:30 p.m.  We invite those who would are considering nursery school for their child(ren) next fall to learn more about our program.  Applications for Fall 2011 are now available in the nursery school office or online. Applications are due no later than Friday, January 14, 2011.

Sunday Morning Greeters Needed. Sign-up sheets are outside the library or contact Judy Webb: judyatbank@aol.com with your availability, and she will sign you up.   We need 2 sets of 2 greeters each week.  It's fun and very easy!

Holy Connectivity!  Lots of new faces and names to know; send in a photo for our new in-house picture directory and for the Faithbook Wall.  Digital, good resolution, the whole family identified; please send to Thea: tmcgee@stmarksnewcanaan.org

Food Pantry NeedsThe Food Pantry is running low on supplies while the demands are increasing.  Please help us restock our shelves with the supplies listed below.  Donations should be brought to the Undercroft, down the ramp by the lower parking lot; food can be put on tables along far left wall of room.  



Bottled Juice/Juice Boxes                              Coffee and Tea (regular or decaf)
Mayonnaise/Ketchup/Mustard/Cooking Oil    Canned Pasta/ Pasta Sauce
Salad Dressings                                             Large Snacks (pretzels, etc)
Hash/ Stew / Chili                                            Kids snacks (individually packaged for lunch)
Canned chicken (no tuna)                              Toiletries - Hair Care, Dental Products
Children and Family Ministries                          Registration
Church School begins at 9:50am. 
 pageant kidsPK3-2nd drop-off is in the Library.      "Advent II"
 3rd-4th  in the Education Center.        "God's People in Exile"
 5th in Outreach Center. 
Please help us minimize classroom distractions by being on-time; we only have 40 minutes.  The children enter church at the Peace.  In the Episcopal Church, all baptized children are invited to receive communion, either the bread alone or the bread and the wine.

Nursery Care is available every Sunday in the education wing from 8:45-11:45am for children up to 36 months.

Christmas Pageant Rehearsal Schedule: 

December 19th 3rd-5th graders only: 9-10am.
December 20th 4-6pm lighting and tech rehearsal (no children)
December 23rd 3rd-5th graders:  4-6pm.   2nd grade and under: 5-6pm  Costumes Distributed
December 24th 5pm:  The Annual St. Mark's Christmas Pageant.  Please arrive at 4pm

Youth Ministries                                                  Registration

6th-7th
, aka Total-Chaos-in-the-Name-of-the-Lord-Amen meets today from 11:30am-1pm in the undercroft.  If you'd like to prepare a simple lunch for this group, please contact Jen Frattaroli at jenfrattaroli@yahoo.com

8th (and up), The Confirmation Class meets from 11:30am-1pm in the library. 
Reminders:
      a.) Contact your mentors. 
      b.) Mentors are encouraged to participate in the Dec. 12th class, next week. 

9-12th Sr. High EYC: Tonight 4-6pm: "If I could just be..."  Meet in the library.

Save the Date: July 9-16th Mission-Immersion 2011: Re-New Orleans.


  Find us on Facebook  St. Mark's Episcopal Youth Community
Week Day Adult Education & Worship
 
New Monday Class Continues.  "Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life" by James Hollis, PhD, is the focus of the new Monday class. Join Mother Anne and fellow parishioners (from all stages of life!) on Mondays from 9:15-10:30 in the Library as we discuss key life issues such as barriers to transformation, the dynamics of intimate relationship, recovering a mature spirituality in a materialistic age, the family during the second half of life, and career vs. vocation. Childcare provided. The book is available in the Lion's Den. Please read chapter 2 for tomorrow.

Wednesday Morning Bible Study continues this week in the Education Center from 10-11am. Bishop Grein leads a study of the Book of Revelation. All are welcome.

Meditation Group meets Thursday mornings from 9-9:30am in the Parlor in the Parish House. All welcome, including beginners.

Foundations for Discipleship Class.  This is a class intended for newcomers and adults preparing for baptism or confirmation but open to everyone. The clergy leads 12 sessions spanning the program year at 11:15 in the Education Center. The class covers the basics of the faith including Jesus, the Bible, prayer, the sacraments, and church music. The fall series has ended. The winter series begins on Jan. 9. (Winter dates: Sundays beginning January 9 and running through February 13; Spring dates: Sundays beginning March 20 and running through April 10). It's never too late to join this conversational class.
Photo Gallery
Sunday Morn


   * Indicates new album            
We thank those who are serving this weekend

8AM Holy Eucharist Rite I
Celebrant   The Rev. Anne F. C. Richards
Preacher    Joshua Ashton Hill
Lectors       Bob Bayne  (Lessons), Nick Fellner (Prayers)
Minister of Communion:Eloise Killeffer

10AM Holy Eucharist Rite II
Celebrant    The Rev. Anne F. C. Richards
Preacher     Joshua Ashton Hill
Acolytes: Molly Pivirotto, Ned Thunem, Nathalie DeNey, Peter Meadows, Meredith Luchs,
           Luke Brand
Lectors: Dick DePatie (OT), Ann Fuller (NT), Dean Davis, (POP)
Ministers of Communion:  Jan Annunziato, Tom Berardino, Charlene Berardino, Emily
            Kelting,Ditte Reifsnyder       
Ushers: Richard DePatie (Head Usher), Bill Bowers, JoAnne Bowers, Dean Davis, Jim Hedges,
            Paton Larkin, Richard Megherby
Altar Guild: Holly March (Captain), Jill Ernst, Sabra Jayne, Johanna Kellman, Catharine Sturgess,
            Cindy Tye
Teachers:
    PK3-4: Elizabeth Ellsworth, Betsey Hedges, teen: Sydney Boston
    K-1st: Jan Maynes, teen: Emily Brand
    2nd:    Kathy McLallen, Jennifer Hladick, teen: Ally Frattaroli
    3rd-4th: Scott Hobbs, Shelley Eccleston
    5th:     Chip Ressel, Margaret Roscoe
Flower Guild: Brooke DiCapua (Captain), Carol Bayne, Pat Rice, Margaret Roscoe, Francie
           Thompson
Greeters: Lisa and Jonathan Bitting,  Sarah and George deMenocal
Coffee Hour: Susan Cotter (Captain), Cindy Tye, Laura Saverin, Lisa Bitting, Melissa Engelsen,
            Johanna Kellman and Lori Wyckoff

5PM Holy Eucharist
Celebrant    The Rev. Anne F. C. Richards
Preacher    Joshua Ashton Hill


Link to our
worship schedule and lectionary readings
Link to the Audio Bible online for pronunciations on the Sunday readings.

St. Mark's Episcopal Churchadvent 2
111 Oenoke Ridge
New Canaan, Connecticut 06840
203.966.4515   www.stmarksnewcanaan.org

St. Mark's Nursery School
203.972.7888   www.stmarksnewcanaan.org/nurseryschool.asp

The Lion's Den Book and Gift Store
203.966.3838   www.stmarksnewcanaan.org/lionsden.asp