The Children's Christmas Musical will be presented Sunday during the 9:00 service and on Christmas Eve at the 4:00 p.m. service. There is one more special practice on Saturday from 1:00-3:00 p.m. the B Sharps Choir (3rd to 7th grade) will practice. At 2:15 until 3:00 p.m., the Cherub Choir (4 years to 2nd grade) will join the B Sharps.

This time of year is financially difficult for many people. Throughout the week, folks come or call into St. Anne's office to ask for assistance with rent or utility bills. When we have funds we provide assistance. Right now, our discretionary account is low. If you are able to contribute to St. Anne's discretionary fund, any and all assistance would be much appreciated. Every dollar we receive allows us to help others. Thank you.

Thank you to everyone who has pledged thus far!  As of Tuesday, Dec. 16, we have received 148 pledges (50 % of goal) totaling $554,802 (65% of goal).  Keep those pledge cards coming in!  

You have probably noticed the path of paper stones on the wall as you enter the Narthex.  On the stones are names and stars representing the pledges received.  If on your pledge card, you said we could use your family name on the pledge wall, we did.  If you said no or did not respond to that question, your pledge is represented by a star on one of the stones.  

If you have not yet had a chance to pledge, we hope that in the coming days you have had a few moments to consider the value of St. Anne's to you. St. Anne's offers a welcoming place of worship as well as programs that provide opportunities for engagement in the broader community and the world. Every pledge is important, no matter the size. Your pledge allows St. Anne's to budget for the coming year. Please make a pledge today to allow us to continue to do good works here and in our community. Pledge cards are available in the Narthex or you can use our online pledge form. 

December Vestry Summary

It was requested that a summary of St. Anne's monthly vestry meetings be provided to the congregation. As such, below is a summary of December's vestry meeting, which was held on Sunday, Dec. 14. Click here to see a list of St. Anne's dedicated vestry members.  (Scroll down to see vestry.) Thanks to all vestry members for their service to St. Anne's! 

The first item for the December vestry meeting was to choose a fourth Council Delegate to join Paul Jones, Sheila Sandford, and Bob Rich for the Annual Diocesan Council to be held in Richmond January 22-24. The Vestry elected Veda Simpson. 

By decision of the national church, all churches are required to get health insurance from the national church pool (this decision was made before the Affordable Care Act); however, premiums rose 15% this year and we have asked our delegation to bring the issue before council to at least start a discussion before the triennial convention in June.

The Treasurer reported that we are doing well on receipts through November and expenses have been good except we had to replace three compressors this year.  

Sunday school classes will not be meeting Dec. 21, Dec. 28, and Jan. 4. Classes will resume on Sunday, Jan. 11. If have not already done so, please complete a 2014-15 registration form if your child is a new or returning student. Registration forms are available in the Narthex and in the classrooms. Questions?  Please contact Rev. Laura.

St. Anne's Youth Group News

The next SAYG meeting is the Annual "White Elephant" (First Sunday after the) Epiphany Dinner Party on Sunday, Jan. 11 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the Library.  Note the extended meeting time.  Please bring a wrapped gift under $10.  Join us for dinner and a gift exchange as we celebrate Epiphany and kick off the 2015 year! 

I would like to let everyone know that we will not be traveling to Cuba in March 2015. While there has been strong interest and support of this mission, the timing does not seem to work for enough people to make the trip at this time. We are considering going later in the year, so please stay tuned. I am so grateful for the love and support the congregation gives to this mission trip. Thank you for that. As always, if you have any questions about the Cuba mission trip I would be happy to speak with you.

 I wish you all a Merry Christmas,

Bishop Shannon Johnston will be visiting St. Anne's on Sunday, Jan. 18. Please plan to join us for this special occasion.

Community Garden at St. Anne's! 

We're starting to think about having a Community Garden at St. Anne's. We will create the garden on our property and use the resulting produce for those in need in our local community. Betsy Carbo, a horticulturist with the Library of Congress, has volunteered to lead our effort. If this is an area that you would like volunteer to plan, dig, plant, nurture and/or harvest, we will be meeting on Sunday, Jan. 17 at 1:00 p.m. to see if we have enough interest to get this rolling. If you have any questions, please talk with Tim Barwick.

The Monday Book Group will be meeting again on Jan. 12 at 12:30 at Café Montmartre in Lake Anne Plaza. They will be discussing The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber.

Just Neighbors provides immigration legal services to low-income immigrants and refugees of all faiths and nationalities in Northern Virginia. They expect that 92,000 residents of Virginia are now eligible under the new order, a more than threefold increase from the 26,000 youth in Virginia previously eligible under DACA. Just Neighbors are committed to helping those in our community newly eligible for this temporary status. To meet the needs of this suddenly expanded population, they need your help!  To volunteer, no language or legal skills required, you can contact Just Neighbors at 703-979-1240. 

Save-the-date for the St. Anne's Art Show & Silent Auction to benefit scholarships for participation in St. Anne's programs and events: April 17. The theme of the show is "creation" and we are calling for entries in a variety of media, including but not limited to painting, knitting, music, jewelry, poetry, ceramics, metal, drawing, embroidery, photography, printmaking, glass, wood, quilting, and sculpture. Attendees will be able to bid on the entries and thereby help St. Anne's to provide scholarships for persons to participate in various events and programs. Volunteers are needed; please contact Rev. Laura to serve on the art show & auction organization committee. Start working on your own "creation" today!

Coats for Newly Released Prisoners 

Help provide a warm, fresh start to those who are newly released from prison. OAR (Opportunities, Alternatives and Resources) of Fairfax needs gently used men and women's coats, size AS to AXXL This begins Sunday, Nov. 2 through the middle of March. We are also in need of monthly volunteers to help us pick up the coats once a week and deliver them to OAR in Fairfax. As space is limited, please only donate warm, winter coats. You can leave the coats in the bin under the coat hangers in the Narthex To learn more about OAR, see their website. For more information contact Jackie Wooldridge (703-819-2346).