Worship. Serve. Grow.

Announcements for Sunday, Dec 6

Children’s Ministries

  • Children’s Chapel will be held this week at the 9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services. This Chapel is for children ages 3 through 2nd Grade. Please follow the cross processional to the youth wing. This will be the last Sunday of Children’s Chapel until January 10, 2016!
  • This Sunday is the last day of Sunday School for 2015. Please join us again when Sunday School resumes on January 10, 2016.
  • Our Children’s Stewardship Basket is collecting for Stop Hunger Now. Please contribute as the children continue their collection toward our $2900 goal that will sponsor a children’s Stop Hunger Now Day in May 2016. Money for this event will be collected June 1, 2015 through May 15, 2016. To date we have collected $913.98.
  • Christmas Pageant Rehearsals are this week. Children with speaking parts should attend rehearsal on Friday evening (Dec. 11) from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday morning (Dec. 12) from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Children without speaking parts should attend rehearsal on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The Pageant will be on December 13!
  • Pre-EYC meets in the youth wing this week from 11:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Please join us for our annual Christmas Party!

Youth

  • Thank You to everyone who helped make the Babysitting Fundraiser a huge success. Both the youth and the kids attending had a lot of fun. Thank you also to the adults who helped make the lock-in afterwards a success – from bowling to games to movies – it was a great night.
  • Sunday School: The lesson this week is entitled “True Friendship: Loyalty.” Middle School meets in the youth wing. High School meets in Room 10.
  • EYC This Sunday:
    • No EYC for middle school.
    • Youth leadership Team (all high schoolers) meets 4:00 -5:00 p.m. for planning and then we’ll go out to dinner. Let me know if you are coming so we have enough drivers.
  • Next Week 12/13: EYC Christmas Party 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Giving during Advent

St. Paul’s offers many opportunities to share your resources and there is no better time of year to give than during the Season of Advent. Here are a few giving opportunities:

  1. Advent Envelopes – Blue envelopes provided in the pews throughout Advent, and on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Funds collected in these envelopes are designated to continue the mission and ministry of St. Paul’s.
  2. Christmas Plate – All undesignated collections in the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day collections will go to Outreach, specifically toward the Episcopal Build for Habitat for Humanity.
  3. St. Nicholas Ministry – Thanks to all who took a tag (or several) from the tree in the narthex. Cash donations are always welcome and will help us prepare for next year. Simply write “St. Nicholas” in the memo line of your check.
  4. Christmas Poinsettias – Honor or memorialize a loved one by donating to the altar guild. Poinsettias are used to decorate the sanctuary on Christmas Eve. Red Poinsettia envelopes are located in the pews and donations will be accepted until December 13.  There is a $20 suggested donation for each poinsettia.
  5. Food Donations for Urban Ministries – Help feed our hungry neighbors by dropping off food items in the Little Red Wagon in the narthex. Food items are collected all year long-not just during Advent.
  6. Heifer International invites us to honor our friends and loved ones with Christmas gifts that help struggling families lift themselves out of hunger and poverty. Our donations placed in the Heifer Ark on Sunday mornings buy working animals for families in need around the world. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Heifer honor cards will be available in the St. Paul’s narthex. Please take a card for each donation of $10, to send to family members or friends you wish to honor with your charitable gift. St. Paul’s donations in 2015 have now surpassed $5000 for the GIFT ARK of animals. With your generosity, we can give life-changing gifts to even more impoverished families and communities this year. Alison Arnold, 919-605-0761, alisonearnold@gmail.com

Adult Ed: “Conversation and Community” is a small group discussion which meets in the conference room between the 9:00 and 11:15 services. Selections from Brian McLaren’s book, We Make the Road by Walking, are used to facilitate spiritually focused conversation and to foster friendships. All are welcome to attend and join the discussion. Adult Ed Forums will not be held in December.

Stewardship Update: So far, we have raised $680,742 from 213 pledges with an overall total increase in individual pledge amounts of 9%. Please join your fellow parishioners, and prayerfully consider an increase of your pledge this year. 2016 Budgeting has already begun and your pledge is important to help us plan for the future of St. Paul’s!

Coffee Hour Ministry Highlights: The Altar Guild is hosting Coffee Hour in the parish hall following the 9:00 a.m. service this week. This ministry plays an important behind-the-scenes role in preparing the altar for all regular and special worship services. Please plan to stop by to enjoy coffee and refreshments and to find out more about this ministry of service to our parish.

Next week the Fellowship Events Team will be hosting Coffee Hour with food provided by parents. After the Christmas Pageant, come to the parish hall to enjoy coffee and goodies in celebration of this joyous event.

Advent Bible Study: “Understanding Scripture” Trying to understand Scripture can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. This study covers three main questions: Where did the Bible come from? How did we get the Bible we know today? How do we use the Bible in today’s world? Andrew Zawierucha, a St Paul’s parishioner, will teach this class. Andrew has a background in Biblical languages and literature with a seminary degree in New Testament studies. All are welcome to come to one or all of the offered sessions held on Thursday nights (Dec. 10, and 17) at 7:00 p.m. in the youth wing. Child care will be available on request.

The St. Paul’s Preschool Transitional Kindergarten (TK class) would like to thank the congregation, especially the Pre-EYC, for their contributions to the 2nd annual TK Food Drive. We appreciate your generosity in making our “Be Thankful” project a success!

The Women’s Study Group meets on Tuesday, Dec. 8th from 12-1:30 p.m. in the Bride’s Room to discuss The Road to Character by David Brooks. Father Carr will meet with us to discuss this interesting book. Brooks says he wrote this book, “not sure I could follow the road to character, but I wanted at least to know what the road looks like and how other people have trodden in. Come join us for a thought-provoking and lively discussion.

Church Work Day: Volunteers are needed to perform light bulb replacement and upgrades on December 19th starting at 8:30 a.m. in the parish hall. Since this work day is so close to the holiday, the Kids’ Club will be open from 8:45 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. to provide childcare for the children of work day volunteers. Space is limited. If you are able to attend the work day, please email or call Jason Sayers jason.l.sayers@gmail.com or 919-491-6042.

Shop Once; Give Twice: Thanks to the Ten Thousand Villages Store newly opened in Cary, friends of the St. Paul’s Outreach ministries can shop once for the holidays and see their gift multiplied. On Friday, December 11, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., St. Paul’s Outreach will receive a percentage of all sales made at the store.

Ten Thousand Villages is a network of fair trade stores, dealing directly with artisans around the world and selling their wares at prices that offer a fair wage. For 20 years, it has connected individual entrepreneurs in developing countries with market opportunities in North America. The Cary store, formerly in Raleigh’s Cameron Village, is now located in the Shoppes of Kildaire, 1357 Kildaire Farm Road. Ten Thousand Villages has been associated with the Mennonite Central Committee for its entire history. Learn more at www.tenthousandvillages.com. Special thanks to our own Susan O’Neill, longtime assistant manager for the store since its Raleigh days, for helping make this shopping event possible.

Faith on Tap: Bottle shops! They’ve sprung up everywhere. So let’s try them out! We will meet at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19 – Neighborhood Bottle Shop – 1341 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary. Contact Tyrus Cohan, tcohan0117@gmail.com with any questions.