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The Second Sunday of Advent (12/9/12)
GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
WEEKLY UPDATE: December 7, 2012
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Janet, Thomas Humeston, Bob and Donna Weber, Yasso Herath, Peter Lubeck, Catherine Lubeck, Al & Carol Lalli, Barbara Harris, Richard Parsekian, Marianna Quinn Parsekian, Elaine MacPhee, Bob Williams, Tankert Mahler, Harte Mahler, Anne Huntington, Marie Haynie, Mary Stierlen, Tim Brady, Marianne Kagan, Joanne Click, Maurice Buckley, Teri Caserto, Peggy Lehrecke, Ron & Pat Mapstone, Gloria Greene, Fran
PHOEBE COLWELL
The memorial service for Phoebe Colwell, postponed from an earlier date due to Hurricane Sandy, will take place tomorrow, Saturday, December 8, at 2:00pm. A reception will follow in Memorial Hall.
[Please note: if you are available to help as an usher for the service, or to assist Julia Ann at the reception, please let us know.]
The prayer list is refreshed monthly please call the office to add a name, or to request that a name be carried forward. There is a book in the narthex where -- before the service begins -- you may add names to be read during the Prayers of the People for the day.
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READINGS
CLICK HERE to listen to sermons from previous weeks |
COLLECT OF THE DAY
Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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CLICK HERE for Bible study resources.
UPDATED FOR ADVENT: To listen to a wide variety of Episcopal "faith stories," CLICK HERE to open I AM EPISCOPALIAN. Be patient, it takes forever to load!
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The certainty of Christian hope lies beyond passion and beyond knowledge. Therefore we must sometimes expect our hope to come in conflict with darkness, desperation and ignorance. Therefore, too, we must remember that Christian optimism is not a perpetual sense of euphoria, an indefectible comfort in whose presence neither anguish nor tragedy can possibly exist. We must not strive to maintain a climate of optimism by the mere suppression of tragic realities. Christian optimism lies in a hope of victory that transcends all tragedy: a victory in which we pass beyond tragedy to glory with Christ crucified and risen.
It is important to remember the deep, in some ways anguished seriousness of Advent, when the mendacious celebrations of our marketing culture so easily harmonize with our tendency to regard Christmas, consciously or otherwise, as a return to our own innocence and our own infancy. Advent should remind us that the "King Who is to Come" is more than a charming infant smiling (or if you prefer a dolorous spirituality, weeping) in the straw. There is certainly nothing wrong with the traditional family joys of Christmas, nor need we be ashamed to find ourselves still able to anticipate them without too much ambivalence. After all, that in itself is no mean feat.
But the Church in preparing us for the birth of a "great prophet," a Savior and a King of Peace, has more in mind than seasonal cheer. The Advent mystery focuses the light of faith upon the very meaning of life, of history, of man, of the world and of our own being. In Advent we celebrate the coming and indeed the presence of Christ in our world. We witness to His presence even in the midst of all its inscrutable problems and tragedies. Our Advent faith is not an escape from the world to a misty realm of slogans and comforts which declare our problems to be unreal, our tragedies inexistent. . . . Our task is to seek and find Christ in our world as it is, and not as it might be. The fact that the world is other than it might be does not alter the truth that Christ is present in it and that His plan has been neither frustrated nor changed: indeed, all will be done according to His will. Our Advent is the celebration of this hope.
From Seasons of Celebration: Meditations on the Cycle of Liturgical Feasts by Thomas Merton (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1965)
Our Parish Forum this weekend will offer some ideas for alternative Christmas gifts. Here are links to two sites with a wealth of ideas and resources: The Advent Conspiracy Simple Christmas
Got a few minutes to spare? Test your vocabulary while earning rice to be donated through the World Food Program.
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Are you on the worship ministry schedule this weekend? CLICK HERE to find out.
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8
10:00am Midnight Run (Memorial Hall)
2:00pm Memorial for Phoebe Colwell
Followed by a reception in Memorial Hall
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9
8:00/9:30/11:00am Holy Eucharist
10:10am PARISH FORUM: Alternative Christmas Gifts
2:30pm AGC rehearsal (Memorial Hall)
4:00pm GraceMusic presents: Messiah Sing
5:30 - 7:30pm Parish Advent Party (Rectory & Memorial Hall)
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11
9:00am Staff Meeting (Rector's Office)
7:00pm Boy Scouts (Memorial Hall)
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12
12:00pm Providing Care in Aftermath of Disaster - Interfaith/Region II Clergy (Patterson Hall)
7:00pm Confirmation Class (Bradley Chapel)
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13
7:00am Men's Prayer Breakfast (Patterson Hall)
8:15am Wardens Meeting (Rector's Office)
9:00am EmpowermentCenter graduation (Memorial Hall)
7:30pm Choir Rehearsal
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15
2:30pm Caroling at Nyack Manor
9:00pm Helping Hands (Memorial)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16
8:00/9:30/11:00am Holy Eucharist
2:30pm AGC rehearsal (Memorial)
6:30pm Senior Youth Group/Helping Hands
9:00pm Helping Hands (Memorial)
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PARISH FORUMS - between the 9:30 and 11:00am services
Join us Sundays from 10:10 to 10:50am to learn more about our faith, our church, our diocese, and our communion.
Sunday, December 9 Alternative Christmas Gifts - Get a jump on your Christmas shopping with some great gifts that help support good causes - the senior youth group will have a selection of fair trade items; Maloto will offer hand made goods from Malawi, and there will be lots of information and suggestions for other "non-commercial" gift-giving. |
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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9
GraceMusic presents: 43st ANNUAL MESSIAH SING at 4:00pm
A GraceMusic tradition, this yearly sing-along features the audience (that's you) and professional soloists and organist in the Christmas portion of Handel's oratorio. Bring in the Christmas season with some joyous singing. Use your own score of borrow one of the limited number of copies available at the door. Not a singer? Not a problem - you're welcome to just come and listen. $10 donation - children are free.
PARISH ADVENT PARTY - Sunday, December 9, at the Rectory
Join us as we gather at 5:30pm - right after the Messiah Sing - to "deck the rectory", trim the tree and share sweet and savory treats.The Fellowship Commission will have stations set up to make paper chains and popcorn&cranberry strings. We also invite you to bring a special ornament for the tree which will later be presented as a "a parish warming gift" to our new rector.
The senior youth group will host a Junior Advent Party, with pizza, movie and a Christmas craft in Memorial Hall. If you would like to help out, bring a treat to share or bring a child to the Junior Advent Party please contact Kris Burns (845-405-1203).
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GIFT CARDS FOR HURRICANE SURVIVORS
We are collecting gift cards to be distributed to those recovering from Hurricane Sandy in the Staten Island area through a program of Diocese of New York. They have requested vendors such as Target, KMart, WalMart, Home Depot, Lowes, and they should come to us by Sunday, December 16 so that we can send them from the parish to Christ Church on Staten Island.
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CHRISTMAS FLOWERS
Each year as we gather to celebrate the Nativity of our Lord on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, our worship is enhanced by poinsettias, trees and greens. Your generosity makes this possible. Please join in the time-honored tradition of making a donation for our Christmas Flowers in memory of loved ones and/or in thanksgiving for God's blessings. Offering envelopes are available in the narthex, and need to be by Sunday, December 16 for inclusion in the Christmas bulletins.
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DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE FORMING
Grace Nyack has formed a new Development Committee. The purpose of the committee will be to identify new sources of revenue to support the mission of the church and supplements our pledge effort. People with experience preparing and submitting grant proposals, with fundraising and planned gift experience, or those interested in learning about development are invited to join us. The first chairperson of the committee is Jennifer McCann. Anyone interested in assisting in this effort to build Grace's future, should contact Jennifer or Jeff McDowell, our senior warden.
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BOOK GROUP MAKES JANUARY SELECTION
Our next book group selection is Anne Lamott's new book Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers. We'll meet at church at 7:30pm on Wednesday, January 9.
New members are always welcome!
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THANK YOU to those who have made their pledge for 2013: The goal of the Stewardship Commission is to have all the pledges in, if possible, by Sunday. December 16, so that the vestry and the Standing Committee on Finance can begin working on, next year's budget. So why not "avoid the holiday rush" and send in your pledge right now. MISPLACED YOUR PLEDGE PACKET? Click here for the materials. Your Stewardship Committee: Jim Gilbert, chair
Tom Burns, Jennifer McCann, Debbie McGuiness, Sally Ann Mock, Rudy Knight
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CHRISTMAS SERVICES AT GRACE
Monday, Dec. 24-Christmas Eve
Holy Eucharist at 4:00pm
With the Joyful Noise & St. Cecilia Youth Choirs
For young and old alike
Holy Eucharist at 6:30pm
With the Parish Choir
Carols for Choir at Congregation at 10:30pm
Choral Eucharist at 11:00pm
With the Grace Church Choir
Tuesday, Dec. 25 -Christmas Morning - Holy Eucharist with carols at 9:00am
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HELPING HANDS - December 15, 16, 17
On Saturday, December 15, Sunday, December 16 and Monday, December 17, Grace Church will host about 25 homeless Rocklanders for Helping Hands. We already have enough cooks for the evening meals but on each night we need at least one more volunteer to spend the night on the very comfortable couches in Patterson Hall and help to supervise our guests. We also need a team of people who are able to provide a breakfast (as simple or elaborate as you wish) for our guests on Sunday morning at around 7:30. If you can help with either of these needs please contact Charlie Cross (358-4599) or cjcross3ny@yahoo.com.
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CHRISTMAS GIVING TREE
Social Ministry will sponsor a Christmas Giving Tree for the children at Nyack Center this year. Look for the tree in the narthex -- take a tag (or two) and return your unwrapped gift under the tree (or to the office) by DECEMBER 16. This earlier date will allow time for sorting, wrapping, and distribution at the Nyack Center.
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PREPPING THE CHURCH FOR CHRISTMAS
Polishing -On Saturday, December 22 from 9:00am- 12 Noon
Come one, come all - let's make the sanctuary bright, shiny and clean for the Christmas celebrations. Spend an hour or spend three. All are welcome - we'll have fun!
Greening of the Church - Many volunteers will be needed to help make the Sanctuary festive for our Christmas celebrations. Join us on Sunday, December 23 at 2:00pm, immediately following the Christmas Pageant.
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HUNTING FOR THAT PERFECT GIFT?
Don't forget to check out Grace's Thrift Shop which, in addition to its usual times, is open Sunday afternoons from noon until 4:00pm through Christmas. It's a great place to find eclectic gifts and holiday finery or a special set of china for your entertaining needs! Call the shop at 358-7488 for information. Volunteers are welcome too!
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DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUR FACEBOOK PAGE
Click here to go to our Facebook group page -- our cyber-bulletin board. Join in the discussion and remember to share items that you find of interest -- pictures, links, etc --make or ask for book or movie recommendations, etc.... Not into Facebook? Click here to send an email and we'll post your note to the Grace Church Nyack page. |
ONLINE NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF NEW YORK CLICK HERE
WEEKLY BULLETIN INSERT FROM EPISCOPAL LIFE CLICK HERE
DIOCESE OF NEW YORK WEBSITE CLICK HERE
EPISCOPAL CAFE For daily Episcopal news/reflection/commentary CLICK HERE
ON FAITH conversations about faith and current events from all angles CLICK HERE
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Making the House Ready for the Lord
By Mary Oliver
Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but
still nothing is as shining as it should be
for you. Under the sink, for example, is an
uproar of mice -it is the season of their
many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves
and through the walls the squirrels
have gnawed their ragged entrances -but it is the season
when they need shelter, so what shall I do? And
the raccoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard
while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;
what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling
in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly
up the path, to the door. And I still believe you will
come, Lord: you will, when I speak to the fox,
the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know
that really I am speaking to you whenever I say,
as I do all morning and afternoon: Come in, Come in.
From Thirst, by Mary Oliver. Boston: Beacon Press, 2006.
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GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH.130 First Avenue.Nyack.New York.10960.845-358-1297
The Reverend Alon White, Interim Rector
The Reverend Emily Sieracki, Assistant to the Rector
Brandon Beachamp, Interim Organist and Choirmaster
www.gracechurchnyack.org |
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