8:00 a.m. Spoken Holy Eucharist

9:30 a.m. Faith Forum: Dr. Ron Casey on mental health

10:30 a.m. Choral Holy Eucharist

12:00 p.m. Community Garden planning meeting

3:00 p.m. Candlelight Festival of Lessons and Carols

Christmas flower offering envelopes will be available in the pews. If you’d like to donate toward Christmas poinsettias in memory of a loved one, please fill out the envelope with your name and the name(s) of your loved one(s), put your cash or check donation in the envelope (any amount is welcome), and put it in the offering plate. You may also send or drop off your contribution and names to the office. All names must be received by December 17 to be included in the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day bulletins.

If you requested weekly offering envelopes for your 2019 pledge, you may pick them up in Hubbard Hall. The envelopes are in alphabetical order by last name, in a box on the windowsill just outside the entrance to the nave.

Click here for a service preview – Besides a preview of the service music and bulletin for upcoming services, this link also provides access to sermon texts, podcasts and live-stream service videos.

Dr. Ron Casey, consulting psychologist to the Episcopal Church in CT and a practicing therapist, recently led two popular Faith Forums on prevalent mental health concerns. These sessions generated enough interest and conversation that Dr. Casey will return to lead a third Faith Forum, specifically addressing suicide, this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Members of the public are welcome, so if you know someone who might benefit from these conversations, please invite them to join us.

Click on the image to see a brief video featuring Dr. Casey.

The Christmas Pageant will take place during the 10:30 a.m. service on Sunday, December 23. This Sunday is the last day for children and youth to sign up for roles.

A mandatory rehearsal is on Saturday, December 22, 9 to 11 a.m. There will also be a rehearsal during the education hour (9:30 a.m.) on Sunday, December 16.

We need many adult helpers to make this wonderful event happen. Please sign up to help in the following ways:

Contact Buffy Ineson and David Beers for more information.

Even though the growing season in God’s Garden is over for now, it’s not too early to begin planning ahead for next year. All who are interested in learning more about our community garden and volunteering to help are invited to a meeting after the 10:30 service on Sunday. We need people to plan for the growing season, plant, schedule volunteers, weed and maintain, harvest, and organize weekly veggie giveaways to our neighbors.

P.D. James’s novel The Children of Men will be the subject of an Advent Faith Forum on December 16. The story is filled with Advent’s themes: life and death, courage in the face of destruction, how to find hope even in darkness and loss, the enduring promises of God, and the miracle of the Word become flesh and dwelling among us. The novel is set in a future world where no children have been born for 25 years. This world is dispirited, without a reason to build libraries and museums, to compose poems or write books, to do research or care for gardens. People dream only of safety from crime, a full larder, and a peaceful death. In this bleak and cheerless place, the novel provides a surprising retelling of the Christmas story. The book is readily available from online retailers or your favorite book store. It is gripping, moves along quickly, and has contemporary relevance. So get reading and come and join Hope and Bill Eakins in the Reception Room from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. on December 16.

Earlier this week, staff from the Nurturing Families program picked up overflowing bags of toys, clothes and child care items to fulfill the Christmas wishes of 60 children. The staff are pictured here with Jillian Puzzo and Leah Murchie, who coordinated the project for St. John’s. Thank you to all for your abundant generosity! If you didn’t get a chance to fill a gift bag and would like to, please let Ellen in the office know, as we may have some additional opportunities to brighten a child’s Christmas.