The Shamrock

December 10, 2014

In This Issue

PARISH BIRTHDAYS:
December

1-Nancy Dusenberry, 3-Kymberley Williams, Lacey Krakowiak, 4-Nola Wilson, Margaret Ohlenschlaeger, 7-Jane Thomas, Barbara Stafford, 9-Martha Mills, 10-Pam Wilson, 11-Linda Light, 18-Judi Adkins, Peter Richardson, Dani Warren, 19- Kenneth Hosley, 20-Nancy Armstrong, Joy White, 22-Clyde Johnson, Charlie Tighe, 24-Charlie Hobbs, Russell Greig, Anna Rhodes, 25-Jim Lynn, Juliet Smith, 26-Aly Seamans, 28-Callum Graham, 29-Dot Cowan, 31-Hannah Bright

Happy birthday!

Stewardship: Pledge cards for the 2015 Operating Budget are available in the office and you can find a printable pledge card here.

Pledge cards should be returned to the parish office. "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Cor. 9:7

Want to Join St. Patrick's? Please email Amanda Vaughn or call her at 770-455-6523 for more information.

STAY CONNECTED

Visit the website for more details on events and programs.

The office is open Monday - Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The phone number is 770-455-6523.

Deadline for submitting news items for The Shamrock and bulletin is noon Tuesdays. Send news and photos to amanda.vaughn@stpat.net. Most news items will run for two weeks.

The Shamrock is published weekly. It is distributed most Wednesdays.

All content submitted is subject to editing.

Contact: Amanda Vaughn, Director of Communications, 770-455-6523 or amanda.vaughn@stpat.net

Out and About in the Diocese of Atlanta
Want to stay current on all the events going on in the Diocese of Atlanta? Click here to sign up for Connecting, the Diocesan email newsletter. Visit their website here.

Images from Advent: See our Flickr page for more photos.

Take Your Time

There was once an old medical school professor who ended one of his lectures on heart surgery by rapping his knuckles loudly on the table. "Now listen," he said in a loud, strong, voice. "Because this is important. When it's time to tie off the main artery, remember that you only have thirty seconds or that patient dies. So for God's sake, you'd better take your time."

This is the spiritual paradox of Advent, as we await the coming of Christ into our lives at Christmas.

"You have only 30 seconds," our culture seems to say to us. "You have only 15 shopping days until Christmas, to get the right gifts for the people you love, and to decorate the house, and to write the cards, and to host the parties, and to go to the parties, and to travel to wherever you go to see people, or to clean and sweep and call and organize and estimate costs and..." well, you get the picture.

But a deeper wisdom calls us to do the opposite. Advent calls us to "watch," to "wait," in silence and stillness and contemplation-to ask ourselves, What's important in my life? How am I "spending" my time, money, energy, and prayer, for God's work in the world? What might God be "giving birth" to in my life this Christmas Season? How is Christ present within me even now?

We invite you to spend holy time at St. Patrick's this year, beginning with the Advent and Christmas liturgies. Join us Wednesday nights for dinner and Advent reflections from our new clergy, or stop by the Chapel any time (it is open 24/7).

Remember, there are only 15 days until Christmas, so, for God's sake, you'd better take your time.

[Adapted from and inspired by a piece by The Rev. Dean Taylor, with many thanks!]

Advent at St. Patrick's

During the season of Advent, we would like to incorporate some of the prayers of folks here at St. Patrick's during the Prayers of the People.

For the Sundays of Advent, we invite folks to reflect on the four themes of Advent:

Advent III (12/14) - Joy

Advent IV (12/21) - Love

Each week we will offer questions that you may use as part of your Advent devotion in coming up with your prayer. The questions will also be published in the bulletin and the Shamrocks the week prior. Please write your prayer on a slip of paper and place it in the bowl on the round table in the Narthex. At 10:15 a.m.on each Sunday in Advent, the Prayer Intercessors will select 10 prayers each service to be shared aloud during each of the 3 services offered (Sundays at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., Wed. 12:15 p.m.).

Questions for Advent III (Dec. 14): Joy

Where do you give thanks and praise for God's JOY in your life this week? In the world this week?
Where does God's JOY need to be brought into your life this week? In the world this week?

COMING EVENTS

December 13, 6:00 p.m.	Christmas Party
December 20	Malachi's Storehouse Toy Distribution

WORSHIP

Christmas Worship Schedule:

Christmas Eve - Wednesday, December 24

12:15 p.m. Holy Eucharist and Healing
Prayer

5:00 p.m. Nativity Pageant with Holy

Eucharist

10:00 p.m. Choral Prelude followed by

Holy Eucharist

Christmas Day - Thursday, December 25

10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Nave

Sunday, December 28

8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Chapel

10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Nave

no christian formation classes

Wednesday, December 31

12:15 p.m. Holy Eucharist and Healing Prayer, Chapel

Prayer Requests: If you would like to add someone to the prayer list, please email it to prayerrequests@stpat.net. This is the most direct and efficient way to get the information to the right place, to assure that the name gets added to the list.

Wonderful Wednesdays

Wednesdays, 6-8 p.m.

Wednesday nights begin with dinner in our Parish Hall! Dinner is served 6:00-6:50 p.m. to allow participation in Adult Formation. Adult meals are $7, Youth and Children (3-12 years of age) are $5, with a Family Maximum of $20. Please email Amanda Vaughn by the Monday before to make your dinner reservation. Childcare, at no charge, is available by reservation through the church office by the Monday before.

Next week's topic (Dec. 17): Advent reflections led by The Rev. Sarah Fisher.

PARISH HAPPENINGS

Advent Meditation Booklet Available on Website: Due to an overwhelmingly positive response to the Art Retreat Advent booklet, we ran out early. More will be available Sunday and if you missed it, here is the link so you can print or read online (it's on the front page under "upcoming events"). We will print more next time! Cheers, The Art Department

Christmas Flowers: Christmas Poinsettias, which are placed at the altar for the Christmas services, are available for ordering now through the Altar Guild bulletin board in the hallway by the office. The cost is $20 each. The poinsettias are a lovely way to honor friends and family during the season of Christmas. The deadline for ordering is Sunday, Dec. 14. Please note the information you want printed in the bulletin (in honor of / in memory of) and note "Christmas flowers" on your check.

St. Patrick's Christmas Party: Dec. 13, 6:00 - 10:00 p.m., all ages.The party will start with appetizers and a potluck, followed with entertainment by "St. Pat's Got Talent", Christmas caroling and dancing for all ages. Please bring a gift for the Malachi's Storehouse toy drive if you haven't done so already. There will be activities for the little children (ages 5 -11)and for the Youth. RSVP by emailing Elaine Judge.

"St. Pat's Got Talent" at the St. Patrick's Christmas Party: This is your chance to mesmerize us with your beautiful voice, try out your joke, show us your amazing back bend, play water glasses, or convince us that you really can dance!This will be fun for all, if you sign up.Your St. Patrick's Family loves you, so go ahead and be daring!Sign up by emailing Elaine Judge.

Cookie Bake: Sunday, Dec. 21, following the 10:30 a.m. liturgy - You are invited to a cookie baking party in the kitchen. We will be making a variety of cookies, which will be delivered on Dec. 24 to the Peachtree-Pine shelter, where they will be served as refreshments following an ecumenical service. Come, bake, taste-test and celebrate! Adult helpers are needed so that children can actively participate in the baking process! To volunteer to help, please contact Sarah Fisher at 770-455-6523 or email her here.

Christmas Eve Ecumenical Service: All are welcome to attend an ecumenical service at the Peachtree-Pine shelter at 10:00 a.m. on Dec. 24. Come and share Christmas carols and a joy filled service that will be attended by more than 200 of our friends who are homeless. Mother Sarah will be attending and delivering cookies that we make on Sunday, Dec. 21. For more information, please contact Sarah Fisher at 770-455-6523 or email her here.

Foyers Groups: Want to get in on the fun? New Foyers dinner party groups will be forming in January. Reserve your spot with Bill and Diane Rankin. One St. Patrick's foyers group finished in style Friday night while attending Emory University Concert Choir's Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols. 14 parishioners and their guests attended and were entertained after the concert with scrumptious desserts at the home of Mike & JoAnne Cropper.

Pledge Cards Available Online:If you didn't pick up your 2015 pledge card at St. Patrick's, you can find one on our website. Click here to get to it, then print, fill out, and return to the church office.

Vestry Meetings: These meetings are open to all. The next Vestry Meeting is Sunday, Dec. 21 at 12:30 p.m. in Room 8.

Name tags: Remember, wear your name tag when you come to St. nametag Patrick's! They're hanging alphabetically on the name tag board. Each Sunday the board can be found in the narthex. Otherwise it lives in the back hallway. If you need a nametag, please email Amanda Vaughn or fill out the form that can be found Sunday mornings in the narthex on the stand next to the visitor's book.

CHRISTIAN FORMATION

Lectionary for this week

Nursery (newborn - 4 yrs old) - 9:00 a.m.

Children (ages 2 � - 11) Catechesis of the Good Shepherd - 9:00 a.m.

Youth - Rite 13, J2A, and YEA meet at 9:00 a.m.

Adults - 9:15 a.m.

The Old Testament for the New Millennium - Room 8
Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor - Gathering Room
Painting Looking Up:Art Lab - Art Room
Meditative Prayer - Chapel
Dreams - Library
Roundtable - Parlor

MINISTRY NEWS

Sign up to Help at Malachi's Toy Distribution: Thank you for your fantastic response to the request for volunteers for Malachi's Toy Party, which will be held on Saturday, Dec. 20. There are still some slots available, so please click on the link to sign up. We have had several requests from outside our parish community from people who would like to help out. We would like to allow our parishioners to sign up first, and we will open the empty slots to others next week. Please sign up now and join in the fun at the annual Toy Party.

Sign up here!

Gifts for Life Will Transform a Life This Christmas: As we rush from store to store, website to website looking for those gifts to please those we cherish, please consider a small gift to change one life this Christmas. The Episcopal Relief and Development arm of our faith tradition has made it simple, easy and affordable to transform lives all over this Earth we share. Micro loans for women to pull themselves out of poverty allowing them to care for their children, seeds for villages to plant crops with life sustaining vegetables, maternity care for those located in areas of high mortality rates, goats to provide milk to a household and clean drinking water are but a few ways that your precious gift will change lives. Would you consider joining us this Christmas in "paying it forward"? Please email James Tola at jamesnolantola@gmail.com with questions and brochures will be at church showing you how simple you can bring HOPE, JOY and PEACE!

Stephen Ministry:

Changes can be difficult, especially when they are unexpected. Stephen Ministers are trained to help people learn to cope with unwelcome changes in their lives for as long as they are needed. If you have experienced great changes or know someone who has, learn more about Stephen Ministry by calling one of the Clergy Members at 770-455-6523. Everything you tell a Stephen Minister is kept absolutely confidential.

INCOME SUMMARY

Actual Income (Adjusted) - YTD*	Budgeted Income - YTD	Year to Date Difference: Actual - Budgeted	Projected Year End Difference	Projected Year End Difference (% of Annual budget)
$414,861	$455,324	($40,463)	($42,941)	-8.9%

* : pre-payments of pledge values have been annualized

CALENDAR

This Week at St. Patrick's

For more detailed information, please check the website. If you are not on the weekly Shamrocks email list and would like to be, please email Amanda Vaughn.

Thursday, 12/11

12:30 p.m. Holy Spirit Prayer Group, Library

8:00 p.m. The Male Room (AA - Men only), Room 14

Friday, 12/12

8:00 p.m. The Dunwoody North Group (AA), Room 9

Saturday, 12/13

6:00 p.m. Christmas Party, Parish Hall

Sunday, 12/14

8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Chapel

9:00 a.m. CGS & Youth Classes

9:15 a.m. Adult Christian Formation Classes
10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Nave

12:15 p.m. Hospitality House, Parish Hall

12:15 p.m. Stephen Ministry, Room 8

Monday, 12/15

9:30 a.m. Tai Chi, Parish Hall

10:30 a.m. Staff Meeting

7:00 p.m. EfM, Room 8

7:00 p.m. Men's Accountability Group, Room 1

8:00 p.m. AA (open), Room 14

Tuesday, 12/16

6:45 a.m. Men's Prayer Group, Room 8

10:00 a.m. Peachtree Pine Cooking, Kitchen

6:00 p.m. German Ensemble, Choir Room

Wednesday, 12/17

11:00 a.m. Malachi's Storehouse, Parish Hall

12:15 p.m. Holy Eucharist with Healing, Chapel

6:00 p.m. Wonderful Wednesday, Parish Hall