GOOD NEWS
 December 2007

 

LIFE TOGETHER --

 I bid you greetings as the coming holiday season of Christmas is soon approaching.  A new year in the Christian calendar begins with the First Sunday in Advent on December 2nd.

 Advent is a Latin word for “coming.”  We wait, we watch, and we hope for the coming of Christ and the new life of reconciliation, justice and peace for the whole world.  It is a time for hope, a time for envisioning what is possible throughout all of God’s creation.

 This Advent we prepare our hearts and minds as the winter months come upon us and new life arises out of the depths of winter’s darkness.  We rejoice at the birth of Jesus as a witness to God’s incarnate Word made flesh.  God takes on the form of a human being to show his compassion and care for us and for everyone regardless of race, religion, or creed.  Jesus’ message is that salvation is God’s gift for all humankind.

 Jesus is born in a lowly stable in a manger.  The Christ Child comes into the world and into every heart and mind that waits in hopeful anticipation of this new life of reconciliation.  The Prince of Peace arrives at Christmas.

 

 

The symbols we use, an Advent wreath with its purple candles and an unending circle are representations of waiting and preparation.  We light a candle each week as the expectant day of Christ’s arrival approaches.  There is in this newsletter a form for using an Advent wreath in our homes, lighting a candle each week and praying repentantly for God’s eternal presence in our lives. 

We also hope for our life together as a parish community of God’s people here in Riverside.  Our vision for the future of St. Mark’s is important as we work to carry out Christ’s mission in our communities.  Our worship, our ministry to those in need, and our efforts to build up this community of love and forgiveness are the ingredients that will enable us to continue as a vibrant and vital community of compassion. 

May this Advent season be for you a time of waiting, of watching, and most especially a time of hope for what is to come in your life, in the life of St. Mark’s Church, and in the lives of those you love.

 

Blessings and peace,
The Rev. David A. Ames

 

ADVENT WREATH 

The Advent Wreath is a symbol celebrating hope in the coming of Christ, the everlasting Light, the Prince of Peace. 

The wreath is made of four candles in a circle of evergreens. Three candles are purple and the fourth is pink, although four purple candles may also be used.  The candles are lighted each day perhaps before the evening meal -- one candle the first week, and then another each succeeding week until December 25th.  The pink candle is lighted on the third Sunday of Advent.  A prayer may be said as the candles are lit.  

On the first day of Advent as the wreath is lit, the leader may say:

 "As our nights grow longer and our days grow shorter, we look on these earthly signs--light and green branches -- and remember God's promise to our world: Christ, our Light and our Hope, will come." 

Listen to the words of Isaiah the prophet: 

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy of the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.”  (Isaiah 9:1-2) 

Let us pray: 

O God, rejoicing, we remember the promise of your Son. As the light from this candle, may the blessing of Christ come upon us, brightening our way and guiding us by his truth. May Christ our Savior bring life and hope into the darkness of our world, and to us, as we wait for his coming. We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen

ADVENT EVENTS 

For Advent St. Matthew’s in Barrington will hold a prayer discussion group, Praying the Advent Collects Tuesday nights at 7:00 PM on the following dates: 

       Nov. 27th – 1st Advent
       Dec. 4th – 2nd Advent
       Dec. 11th – 3rd Advent
       Dec. 18th – 4th Advent

 

                                   

 First Week: December 2nd

Then the first candle is lit while the following prayer is said:

 O Emmanuel, Jesus Christ, desire of every nation, Savior of all peoples, come and dwell among us.  Amen.

 Second Week: December 9th

 The second candle is lit while praying:

O King of all nations, Jesus Christ, only joy of every heart, come and save your people.  Amen.

 Third Week: December 16th 

The third candle is lit while praying:

O Key of David, Jesus Christ, the gates of heaven open at your command, come and show us the way of salvation. Amen.

Fourth Week: December 23rd 

The fourth candle is lit while praying:

O Wisdom, holy Word of God, Jesus Christ, all things are in your hands, come and show us the way of salvation. Amen.

 A fifth white candle may be placed in the center of the wreath for lighting on Christmas Day to celebrate the birth of Christ, or the candles may be changed to white or red.

 

 ADVENT TO EPIPHANY  READ TO FEED PROGRAM

 December 1, 2007 to January 6, 2008, children of all ages and adults are encouraged to participate in the Read to Feed Program sponsored by Heifer International. Participants may read any books; however copies of Heifer International’s recommended stories and books will be made available through the Resource Center. Any questions contact Ms. Maryann Kolakowski at 274-4500 ext. 247 or maryann@espiscopalri.org

 On Saturday, January 19, 2008 from noon to 2:00 PM, participants are invited to celebrate together and help to choose the animal(s) we will send from the Diocese as a gift. Place to be announced.

 

THE TREE OF JESSE 

One of our traditions at St. Mark’s is to have the children decorate the Jesse Tree on the First Sunday in Advent during the Family Service. 

The Tree of Jesse refers to a passage in the Biblical Book of Isaiah which describes metaphorically the descent of the Messiah and is accepted by Christians as pertaining to Jesus.

 In the Book of Isaiah, we read, “And there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”

 In the New Testament the lineage of Jesus is traced in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Luke describes the "generations of Christ" beginning with Jesus and tracing back through his "earthly father" Joseph all the way to Adam.

 Matthew's Gospel opens with the words, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, descendant of David, descendant of Abraham.”  Matthew makes clear Jesus' lineage:

He is of God's chosen people, descended from Abraham, and he is the "shoot of Jesse" by his descent from Jesse's son, King David.

 

A CANDLELIGHT SERVICE OF LESSONS AND CAROLS

On Sunday afternoon, December 16th, we will have our annual service of Lessons and Carols here at the church at 4:00 in the afternoon. It will be a candlelight service as part of our Advent preparation for the coming of Christmas.

The Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols is a tradition within many churches throughout the Anglican Communion. Plan to come and support our parishioners who will read the lessons, and join with all the congregation in singing the hymns and carols of the season.

 

 2nd ANNUAL LUMINARY MEMORIAL

Girl Scout Troop # 117 is holding their second Annual Luminary Memorial Walkway. The first four Sunday evenings in December at Larisa Park in Riverside. Forms located on the bookcase outside the office, must be filled out and mailed to Elaine Mathers 44 Cove St. Riverside, RI 02915.

ECW MEETING

ECW Christmas Party is on Tuesday, December 4th at 6:30 PM. A sign-up sheet can be found on the easel in the Parish hall. Dinner is pot-luck; bring a main course or side dish. Dessert will be served. There will be caroling and a cookie exchange as well. Please bring 4 dozen cookies if you wish to participate in the exchange.

 

THANK YOU, THANK YOU

 What more can be said to all who made our Holiday Bazaar a success again this year. You know who you are – Craft Ladies who work all year preparing for the Bazaar – those who contributed “Theme Baskets” – Baked Goods & Candy – Hand Knitted items as well as Hand made items – Young people that decorated the undercroft – the Kitchen Crew – the ladies that spent many afternoons sorting the “Treasures” that were donated. Last but not least the men and women who helped set up Thursday evening and brought the “for sale” items from the undercroft to the Parish Hall, and Judy Oberg who made the Parish Hall light up with flying angels.

Bazaar Photo's

 If you did not have the opportunity to come to the Bazaar you missed the chance for fellowship with many of our neighbors. It has been said that people enjoy coming to our Bazaar because all the workers are smiling and are so friendly. This was our opportunity to reach others. 

The total raised as of Saturday before Sunday sales the ECW had made $4,331.71. Money that was raised will go to help the church and our community.

 

 DRIED FRUITS & NUTS

 Do you need nuts or dried fruits for the holidays? We have cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans, choc. chips for baking, and a variety of mixed nuts and dried fruits that will please the whole family. See Myra Duhamel on Sundays or call her at 433-3072.

 

YOUTH GROUP

 We received 2 bids this year in our silent auction at the Bazaar. The winners are David & Judy Ouellette and Keith & Kerri Bernard for a total of $125.00. Congratulations and we will call you in the Spring. They also made $25.35 on pink and yellow key chains. That money will be donated to breast cancer.

 

WHAT’S COMING UP AT ST. MARK’S CHURCH 

African Team Ministries: Sunday, December 2nd & 9th after both 8:00 & 10:00 am services.

Episcopal Church Women: Tuesday, December 4th at 6:30 pm for a pot-luck supper and cookie exchange with Christmas carols.

Vestry Meeting: Second Tuesday of the month, December 11th at 7:00 PM.

 Adopt-A-Family: Wednesday December 12th to the 14th 9:00 am - 4:00 PM in the Parish Hall.

 Meals on Wheels: Saturday, December 15th to January 19th. Sign-up sheet can be found on the bookcase outside the office.

 Lessons & Carols: Sunday, December 16th at 4:00 PM.

 Christmas Pageant Rehearsal: Saturday, December 22nd at 11:00 AM.

 Decorate the church: Sunday, December 23rd after 10:00 service.

 Christmas Pageant & Holy Eucharist:  Monday, December 24th at 5:00 PM.

Festival Christmas Eve Service: Monday, December 24th at 10:00 PM.

 Office: The office will be closed December 23rd until January 2nd while the Parish Administrator is on vacation. Please call the Rev. David Ames with any needs at 578-0961.

 

Congratulations to Todd Hoskin for Employee of the month!!

It is with great pleasure to announce "Loyalty has its Reward" winner. Todd Hoskin Production Control Team Leader II at Citizen’s Bank, has just won a new car in the October drawing.  It does pay to work hard.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:

Fred Aparicio

Gayle Baxter

Debi Cook

Joe Crowell

Martha Davids

Carol DelRoss

Bob Frechette

Nancy Hirst

Zelia Knowles

Carol Landau

Ruth Lewis

Margie Miller

Judy Oberg

Irving Peterson

Lucy Tuthill

Mary Ulbrych

 

 LOOKING AHEAD

 Sunday, January 6th

Evensong at St. Michael’s in Bristol hosted by the East Bay Deanery.

 Sunday, January 27th

 Church service at 9:00 AM with the Annual Meeting to follow.

2008 CALENDARS 

Thanks to the folks at Smith-Mason the 2008 calendars are here and are located in the Narthex.

 

CHRISTIAN FORMATION  AND ADULT EDUCATION

 Several adult education opportunities are on the horizon for the Fall. Some of these will be here at St. Mark’s, and some at St. Matthew’s, West Barrington. Watch for more information in the September newsletter.

 

Among the offerings are:

 1. Advent Collects
 2. Bible Study
 3. Family Movie Nights

 For your calendar:

 1. Bible Study – on Wednesday, from 6-7 PM.  For the fall, we will be comparing the film Jesus of Nazareth to the Gospel accounts.

 2. Praying the Advent Collects: A Prayer &  Discussion Group for Advent

      A. Nov. 27th – 1st Advent
      B. Dec. 4th – 2nd Advent
      C. Dec. 11th – 3rd Advent
      D. Dec. 18th – 4th Advent

 3. Family Movie Nights - Old Movies!  We provide popcorn and soda!

       Dec. 7th Robin Hood

   These movies are designed for school age children.

Wanted:

A parishioner is in need of a twin box spring. Please contact Norma Brown at 437-9776

 

  BLOOD DRIVE

 Our fourth blood drive of the year will be held on December 3rd at Covenant Evangelical Church on Rounds Ave. from 4 to 8:00 PM.

 The blood center is committed to collecting 280 pints of blood for Rhode Island hospitals. Only 6 percent of the people eligible in our state donate. If you or any one in your family has needed a transfusion you know how important those 6 percent are!

 Our first community drive (it is Hope Church, St. Mark’s, St. Brendan’s, Riverside Congregational, and Covenant) was May 24, 1982, had a total of 107 donors and was held at Riverside Congregational. Our last blood drive was held at Covenant and 42 pints were collected. Our total over the years is 4,467 pints. We are challenged to raise our collections by 25 percent. So we need your help. If you are eligible to donate, please come on December 3rd. Bring your family and friends, give the gift of blood to someone.

 PLEDGES OF SUPPORT FOR 2008

If you missed attending our Pledge Sunday recently, there is still time to make your pledge for 2008.  St. Mark’s is your spiritual home, and your generous support of our annual budget is necessary to keep our ministries and mission alive and well.  

We need you and we feel that you need this community for pastoral care, support, meeting the needs of others, and offering grateful worship and praise to God for all we have received.

Please mail your pledge card to the Church office or bring it on Sunday and place it in the offering.

Thank you for all you do for St. Mark’s Church.

GOD AND FAMILY AWARD

 Katherine Bell is a Girl Scout and member of St Mark’s parish.  She is working on the achievement of the “God and Family” Award.  As her service project, she will be collecting donations to help Blue Denim Ministries, which supports at-risk teen Moms and their newborn infants at Kent County Hospital. 

Our own Archdeacon Robin Higbie, chaplain at Kent County Memorial Hospital began this program for at-risk teen Moms and their newborn infants to provide them with basic and much needed supplies for their babies for the first two weeks, as they are working with Social Services to get assistance.  

Please take a look at this list and if you can donate items, please bring them to the church on the following dates: November 25, December 2 and December 9.  Katherine will gather all donations made by St. Mark’s parish, and they will be presented to the Archdeacon on Sunday, December 16, at the Cathedral, when she and Tatyana Johnson will receive their medals of achievement for the program. 

Needed Items

Receiving Blankets

Plain Bibs

Baby Quilt

Burp Cloths (pkg. of 6 cloth diapers)

Newborn Huggies,

Pampers or Luvs Diapers
(44 pkg.)

Luvs Diapers (44 pkg)

Oneses

Sleepers

Baby Wash Cloths/Towels

Baby Wipes- unscented

Nighties

Baby Afghan

Baby Rattle

CHOIR

 Children’s Choir meets Sundays at 11:30 after the 10:00 AM service. Grades are 2-6. All are welcome.

 Adult Choir meets on Wednesday nights at 7:00 PM in the Choir room downstairs.

 Come and lend your voice.

Adam Schneider
Organist & Music Director

 

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