Trinity Church in Menlo Park
December 6, 2015 
Trinity Church in Menlo Park Weekly Newsletter
In This Issue

December 6, 2015
Second Sunday of Advent

Sunday's Scriptures
Malachi 3:1-4
Canticle 16 (BCP)
Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3:1-6 

        
5:05 Service
Advent Liturgy with
Special Prayers for the Environment

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Pastoral Care at Trinity

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This Week at Trinity
 Sunday, December 6    
8:00 & 10:00 am Holy Eucharist, Church

9:00 am Children's Pageant Rehearsal, Angus Hall

5:00 pm Mission Trip Planning Meeting, Library

5:05 pm Eucharist, Chapel

Monday, December 7 
7:00 pm Living Wisdom Series, The Descent of the Heart, Trinity Hall 
 
Tuesday, December 8
5:30 pm - 6:45 pm  
Yoga Class, Chapel

7:30 pm Outreach Commission, Library

8:15 pm - 9:15 pm Contemplative Chapel, Chapel


Wednesday, December 9
10:30 am Living Wisdom Series, The Descent of the Heart, Library
   
12:10 pm Healing Eucharist, Chapel  
 
5:15 pm  Centering Prayer, Chapel

7:00 pm Al-Anon Meeting, Trinity Hall

 Thursday, December 10
6:45 pm Bell Choir Rehearsal, Church

7:30 pm Trinity Choir, Music Room (Angus Hall 2nd Floor)

  
Friday, December 11
7:00 am Morning Prayer, Chapel

Saturday, December 12
10:00 am Parents Day Out, Angus Hall

5:00 pm A Scottish Christmas Concert, Church 

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This Sunday is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas, and we look forward to welcoming the Bishop of Myra to our 8:00 am and 10:00 am services.   He will be leaving a special gift for the children during the 10:00 am service. 

Bishop Marc is heading The Episcopal Church's official delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.  It is the first time our church has had an official presence at such a conference.  He joins a number of other religious leaders attending the conference.  Bishop Marc is blogging about the conference and his experiences at www.bishopmarc.comIn support of the conference, we will include special prayers for the environment in all of our services this Sunday.  You can learn more about the conference in this article.
 
We are in the midst of our 2015 Stewardship Campaign, "To Love and Serve with Gladness and Singleness of Heart".   If you have pledged for 2016, thank you!  If you haven't, please do so as soon as possible.  You may use the paper pledge card you received (more are available in the back of the church if you need one), but you may also make your pledge securely online by clicking HERE. 

And as we are rapidly moving toward the end of 2015, please remember to complete your 2015 pledge by December 31.  The Treasurer also reminds you that if you plan to make a stock gift in 2015, please (1) try to do that by December 15 and (2) please notify the Treasurer of your gift of stock.  Thank you!!

Thank you for your support of Trinity, and for being a part of this community.

Peace,
MatthewSignatureGenuine

                                              
Lessons & Carols with Christmas Fiesta on December 13

Please plan to join us for our Advent Service of Lessons and Carols on Sunday, December 13, at 10:00 am.  Please note that there will be no Communion at this service, though Communion will be offered as usual at 8:00 am and 5:05 pm.

After enjoying Lessons and Carols, plan to stay for our Christmas Fiesta Lunch in Trinity Hall, which will include a Christmas carol sing (with Ron Valentino at the piano!).  It's a great time for food, fellowship, and fun as we anticipate the Christmas season a bit.  The Fiesta this year features an Italian menu prepared by the Kitchen Crew (gluten free option will be provided).
 
Stewardship 2015
To Love and Serve with Gladness and Singleness of Heart

Thank you to those of you who have already made your 2016 pledge.   We urge you to submit your pledge as soon as possible, as this greatly helps with the formulation of our budget for 2016.   You may fill in a secure pledge card online by clicking HERE.
To learn more about how to prayerfully and thoughtfully consider your 2016 pledge, please visit the online presentation by clicking HERE.  This page also has a link to allow you to fill out your pledge card online.

 
Youth & Family Ministries Update 
 
Christmas Pageant Rehearsal begins at 9:00 am this Sunday in Angus Hall, followed by Godly Play & Explorers in Trinity Hall at 10:00 am.  St. Nicholas is visiting this Sunday, so children will be brought over to the church for his visit, and then return to classes.

Note: the time for the Christmas Pageant service on Christmas Eve has changed!!  The service will be at 3:00 pm, an hour earlier than previously.

Youth group will meet this Sunday from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  There is a Mission Trip Planning Meeting at 5:00 pm in the Library for those who would like to contribute to the planning process for next summer's trip.  
  
Contact Rev. Mary for more info!
 
Outreach Opportunity:  Christmas for Catherine's Center

In the spirit of Christmas, our Trinity community will again be giving gifts to each of the women of Catherine's Center as well as providing them with the ingredients for their Christmas dinner!

We are welcoming your contribution for those gifts in the form of checks written out to Trinity with Catherine's Center in the memo line. You can send them to the church or put them in the collection plate the next three Sundays. You can also contribute online by clicking HEREWe will shop for identical bags of gifts for each of the women and bring them to the Center on Wednesday, December 23.

In addition, on the next three Sundays, we will be doing signups for bringing recipes and ingredients for their Christmas meal. As we did for Thanksgiving, we are asking for you to drop off the food at the Trinity Kitchen no later than noon on Wednesday, December 23.

It means so much to the women that Trinity cares about them and shows it in tangible ways. We are so blessed that they are a part of our life. We give God thanks that we can share the journey together.

Please contact Rev. Frannie if you want to help with the shopping!


 
St. Nick, Parents' Morning Out, Lessons & Carols, and the Christmas Fiesta  

Mark your calendar for our special events that lead up to our celebration of Christmas.

On Sunday, December 6, St. Nicholas will be joining us at both the 8:00 am and 10:00 am services.  His visit is extra-special this year because it falls on the actual St. Nicholas' Day in the church calendar!

Saturday, December 12, from 10:00 am to Noon will be Parents' Morning Out!  Youth group members and parent volunteers will supervise and entertain children that morning so the parents have some free time.  It's a great opportunity to get some Christmas shopping done!

Sunday, December 13, will be our service of Advent Lessons and Carols at 10:00 am (note there will be no Communion at that service), with special offerings from our music program.   We will also be welcoming new members.

Our Christmas Fiesta will also be on December 13, following the 10:00 am service.  This is an opportunity to enjoy food and fellowship together, while having the opportunity to sing Christmas carols and get in the spirit of the season.  This year, the food is being provided by the Kitchen Crew, led by  Bob Cleveland.
 
Christmas Memorials

There are opportunities every Sunday for people to make contributions for flowers and/or music to honor God and give thanks for all sorts of occasions (births, anniversaries or birthdays, memorials to loved ones who have died) or to honor a particular group of folks (the clergy and staff, the Family Ministries Commission, the Altar Guild, etc.). At Christmas, with all the special music and floral decorations, many such memorials can be made by many different people to celebrate the event and help defray the extra cost of the celebrations. If you wish to honor God and give thanks for any special persons or events this Christmas, we encourage you to do so.

Please CLICK HERE to print out the Christmas Memorial Form, and fill it out following the instructions.  Forms should be returned to the Church Office by Sunday, December 6.