Many thanks to all who contributed to the Clean Drive for Mustard Seed.  We sent them off with many products to help them clean the space.

Annual Heifer Living Gift Market on the weekend of December 5th/6th following all worship services with live animals after the 10:00 a.m. service. Offered by Heifer Project, Rutland, MA. Take this opportunity to 'purchase' animals like pigs, chickens, or goat as a great alternative to commercial gifts. Give a gift that keeps on giving!

What better gift to our military family than to send each of them a Christmas card signed by a multitude of the St. Francis family?

Stop by the library after services the weekend of December 12/13, to sign Christmas cards for those military men and women on our prayer list. You will find each card in its own box, and the person's name will be printed on the box. When you take a card out to sign it, kindly put it back into the same box, so family members can sign their service person's card with personal notes. Veteran's, please feel free to note your branch of the service with your signature.  If you have any questions, please contact Ruth Webb at ruthpwebb@aol.com

Wow! All of the ornaments describing the Christmas wishes of children that we volunteered to help have been taken. Now the shopping fun begins. If you want to help and you do not have a specific child to buy for, there is plenty of need and chances to make an abused child's Christmas brighter.

Many children come into care after the lists have been created, some just days before the holidays, leaving Social Workers and Foster Parents scrambling to make sure these children are not left out. 

Additional donations to DCF of clothes and toys are placed in a room for Social Workers to go in to pick out some items to deliver to foster parents and relatives that have taken in these emergency placements.

Especially appreciated are: socks, new clothes (especially for teens, but for any age really) books and toys, games and puzzles, stuffed animals, dolls, action figures and art supplies. 

These items should be left in the narthex with the other donations.

Thank you for providing cheer to a child in much need of it.

Carrie Grinstead LICSW

The Holidays are quickly approaching and Hope for Housing cards would make great gifts.  Have a college student?  A family member on a fixed income?  What about an elderly neighbor or a veteran or a friend who is out of work?  The best thing about a Hope for Housing card is that not only do they make great gifts but you are benefiting the homeless here in Worcester.  Bring your checkbooks or cash the weekends of Nov. 21-22 and Dec. 12-13 and purchase some great gift cards for some special people in your lives. If you would like to help out by selling the cards after any of the services, please contact Kathy Diehl at kdiehl@charter.net  or Dick Welch at welch96@charter.net.  Thank you!