Loading...Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved. Psalm 80:3
To be restored in this sense of the Psalm can mean to turn back to God. During Advent, we especially take time to return to God. During week 2 of Advent, our devotional booklet, Living with Simplicity had a theme of doing things that turned us towards God.
This week at Nativity and St. Stephen has been filled with the many ways we return to God. On Monday, members gathered all of the gifts for the 15 families and 40 children we supported through Join Hands. The gifts were placed in cars and trucks and delivered to Join Hands in New Bloomfield. Restore us, O God of hosts, show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
On Tuesday, members of the Environmental Stewardship Committee met and after the meeting, made brownie mix for use to make brownies for the Roland's feeding ministry. Restore us, O God of hosts, show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
On Wednesday, men and women met for fellowship and sharing at breakfast. Afterwards, the choir rehearsed for their many upcoming offerings. The bulletins for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, along with special musical offerings, are being planned. The Altar Guild is figuring out how to make sure the altar is set for all of our services during this busy time. Restore us, O God of hosts, show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
After Choir Rehearsal, Bill Day and Tootser Davis went to the garage and brought out the sand and shovels so we can be ready for the winter weather. Tootser worked on who can shovel and plow for the winter. Restore us, O God of hosts, show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
Seth visited Maud and received Maud's donation of an electric keyboard, which will be used by the choir to rehearse before Sunday mornings. They can now rehearse in the parlor before the service. Seth and I rearranged some furniture in my office to store the keyboard. Restore us, O God of hosts, show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
Every week, there are opportunities for us to return to God, to be restored. In doing so, we are saved!
Blessings as you finish your week!
Love, Rebecca+
This Sunday, join us for a Soup Lunch after the Greening of the Church.
There will be no Parlor People until January 8.
Men’s Breakfast - each Wed., 9am, Espresso Yourself Café.
Women’s Breakfast - Wednesday, December 28, 9am, May’s Railside Grill.
Choir Practice The Choir will practice Wednesday, December 21 at 10:15am.
Taize’ Tuesdays, 5:00pm. Twenty minutes of Centering Prayer followed by a Taize’ service. There will be no Taize’ on December 27.
Christmas Eve Services
4pm, St. Stephen’s, Thompsontown
10:30pm, The Church of the Nativity, Newport
The Church Office will be closed December 26—December 31. You can reach Rebecca for any pastoral care issues at her cell phone, 717-433-1556.
Join Hands Needs Volunteers to Help Re-do their Office Space Join Hands needs 10+ people on Tuesday, Dec 20, 12pm to 3pm to help them move their office contents out so new carpet can be laid and Tuesday, January 3, 9am to 1pm, to help them move their office contents back into the office and rearrange for better efficiency.
They also need a volunteer/professional to paint their office a new color sometime between December 20 and January 2.
They will pay for the supplies. Contact Join Hands at 582-7844 if you are able to help.
Prayer Shawl Ministry of Newport meets December 29, 10-11:30am, Church of the Nativity. Bring your yarn projects and also learn how to knit or crochet.
The Rolands are taking donations of adult coats. If you have any suitable for giving, please bring them to church.
Lunch and Craft at Episcopal Commons, January 11, 11am – 1pm. If you can attend or donate an item for lunch, please let Lynne Mitchell or Wendy Day know.
Baking needs and chocolate items available through Equal Exchange. See the cart in the parish hall. We are now a wholesaler for Equal Exchange, a company that supports small farmers who use sustainable practices for chocolate, cocoa, coffee, tea, nuts, olive oil and other baking items. A price list and basket are available to pay for the items you choose to buy. Also, be sure to write down what you’ve purchased to help us maintain our inventory. A catalogue is also available. If there’s an item you’d like us to order, please see Jane Hoover.
Food Bank Donations are needed! For a list of the items needed by the Food Bank, go to their website at //www.perrycountyfoodbank.org/ and click on their wish list. Canned vegetables, fruit, nut butters and protein are always needed.
Honor or Remember a loved one or a special occasion with flowers on the altar! Flowers help make our worship space more beautiful and remind us of the blossoming life we have in Christ. Please consider sponsoring the flowers in memory of a loved one, or to celebrate your thanksgivings. Flowers are $30. A sign-up chart is in the Undercroft.
Help People in Need when you buy your Groceries! See Gail Shull or Pat Szabo to purchase cards in various amounts to use at Giant, Mutzabaugh's, or Weis Stores. 5% of the cost of each card stays with the church and is used for outreach and mission projects.
Let Rebecca know if you’d like her to come visit. She can come to your home or another location you suggest. This helps her to know you better and hopefully you will also know her a little better. Let Rebecca know your availability on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday days or evenings and she'll be in touch to arrange a time for to get together. You can send an email to her at nativityrector@pa.net or leave a message at the church at 567-6514.
Help people in need around the world! A Thankoffering box is available by the coffee pots in the kitchen if you'd like to make donations that way. United Thankoffering is a project of the Episcopal Church Women of The Episcopal Church. Boxes are available to collect your offering, which is brought to church twice a year. A wonderful spiritual practice is to put something in the box each time you are thankful to God. If possible, count the money in your box and write a check to the church in that amount.
Connect with us on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEpiscopalChurchOfTheNativityStStephen
Twitter: @ChnatssChurch
Instagram: https://instagram.com/chnatss/
You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMdhiksmcXv0kyz9M2uio6Q
