Monthly Musings...From the Team Ministry.

December Ponderings and Prayers

Throughout the Church year, as we celebrate the sacred mysteries, we find new and renewed meaning in our lives in relationship to God. The Liturgical Church year begins with the First Sunday of Advent. During this season of Advent we are given the opportunity to experience the mystery of waiting. We are waiting, preparing, listening, being still in the presence of God; as with great hope we await the coming of Jesus on Christmas Day. Advent allows us a time set aside to be vulnerable to our longings and open to the hope of our salvation in Jesus the Christ.

During this season of Advent, may we all make the time, to be still - still in the presence of God. Make the time to quiet our hearts, minds and bodies. Make the time to LISTEN. Listen to your loved ones; listen to your enemies; listen to strangers - especially the homeless, hungry and hurting people that tend to be invisible in our world; listen to yourself; listen to the breathing of a child; listen to God; listen, listen, listen.

Jesus is coming to the Spirit of the Heartland. Do you hear him? Do you hear what I hear? I pray that we all may experience the gift of awe and quiet wonder during this sacred season. May we find time and space to listen to God and listen to others with our ears and our hearts as we celebrate the sacred mystery of waiting.

Cedar +

SUNDAY WORSHIP TIMES

9:00 am St. Stephen's in Paynesville
(320)243-2012
320 Wendell Street, Paynesville, MN 56362

10:00 am Our Saviour's in Little Falls
(320)-632-5731)
113 NE 4th Street (PO Box 344) Little Falls, MN 56345

11:00 am Good Samaritan in Sauk Centre
(320)-352-6882
529 Main Street (PO Box 205) Sauk Centre, MN 56378

WEDNESDAY NOON PRAYER

12:00 pm Our Saviour's in Little Falls

Special Worship Services:

Christmas Eve:
4 p.m., Good Samaritan
5:30 p.m., St Stephen's
7 p.m., Our Saviour's

Advent and Christmas Worship Notes

The Christmas Season is almost upon us. Whoa!!! Advent is almost upon us, whew! It's so easy to get caught up in all the festivities, that we miss the point of it all. With this thought in mind, our worship services during Advent can help bring you to a quieter more thoughtful place. A place where we will learn to listen, wait, and discover what the point of it all really is.

To set this new season of Advent apart from Pentecost, there are subtle changes in our worship services. First, our three churches will all have Holy Eucharist each Sunday during Advent. This helps keep the Advent theme threading it's way through our worship. LISTEN for it. Before the service begins, there will be a short Advent wreath lighting ceremony. LISTEN to the meaning behind this custom. (I am encouraging our organists to play appropriate music before the lighting of the Advent wreath. Music is such an important part of our worship!) The ministers will process silently, as we settle, center, and prepare to worship together. LISTEN to the silence. We will have reusable service booklets for Advent. LISTEN to the Advent emphasis of the spoken word. The hymns, chosen by each parish's music minister, sing of Christ's coming. LISTEN to the words, many are taken from the scriptures we read during the service.

LISTEN, Listen, listen, listen. Do you hear what I hear? Please note: Advent is the beginning of the church year. Lectors please keep in mind that we move into Year B with the coming of Advent.

Advent Blessings,
Lu Tax, SOH Liturgist

Christmas Carol Sing-A-long!

You Are Invited! Come to our:
Second Annual Community Christmas Carol Sing-A-long!

Join us at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church at 3 p.m. on Sunday December 29, 2002. Come enjoy the fun of singing all the familiar carols with friends and neighbors! This year's caroling will feature the Youth Choir of St. Louis Catholic Church. Refreshments will be served following the sing-a-long in the undercroft of the church.

Advent Workshoop

Join us at Our Savior's on December 1st as we celebrate the beginning of the Advent season by making our own Advent wreaths and other crafts for our homes. We will have a special participatory Advent candle lighting liturgy during our usual 10 a.m. service followed by pizza, pop, crafts & fun! We need all ages to make this work. We may also play an intergenerational game or two. Please contact Kathy Bies-Jaede if you can help (259-7153). Please bring $5 per family to cover the costs of the wreath and craft materials; also please sign up at Our Saviour's or call Kathy so she can plan accordingly.

PRAYERS FOR:

Cynthia, Nancy, Harriette, Doris, Georgianna, Cedar, Rob, Marie & Ivy

CELEBRATIONS FOR:

December Birthdays:
Melissa Woidyla, December 2
Dick McCrudden, December 2
Erin Kehr, December 3
Ruby Richmond, December 11
Jack Burkhalter, December 14
Marge Hayden, December 21
Lucia Wilson, December 22
David Mitzel, December 29

December Anniversaries
Rose Ekegren & Gene Huber, December 11
Joe & Lu Tax, December 18

Victory for Justice!

As a result of a three year effort by ISAIAH/GRIP (Great River Interfaith Partnership), the joint powers agreement on affordable housing was recently approved by the five cities of St. Cloud, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, St Joseph, and Waite Park. This is a historic and unique agreement that is receiving statewide and national recognition for bringing five cities together to make progress toward the common good. The approval of all five cities was the result of hundreds of citizens who through the faith based organizing efforts of ISAIAH/ GRIP demonstrated a passion for justice not often seen across our community. Now, our united churches in the Great Interfaith Partnership are celebrating this great victory for justice. On Sunday, December 8th, each of these congregations will take time to recognize the mighty things that can be accomplished when people of faith work together!.

New Tri-Church Phone Answering System!

Beginning now any call you make to your local church should be forwarded for free to Kathy Bies-Jaede for referral. Or if you prefer, the direct number is: 320-259-7153.

Vestry Meetings in December:

Good Samaritan: December 15, 12:10 p.m.

Good Samaritan is going into winter mode and the snowbirds are flying south! Snow removal is set for winter and they may try to have services in the Guild Hall after Christmas to save heat until Easter. The furnace has been recently repaired. Vestry is discussing financial issues for winter/spring

St. Stephen's: January 5th Meeting/TBA

The last meeting began at 10:45 AM on October 6th. The treasurer's report for July 1-September 30, 2002 was distributed and a unanimous recommendation for ordination to the Diaconate for Doris Dodds was signed by all members present. The meeting was adjourned at 10:30AM.

December 11th at 7 p.m.

No Vestry Report submitted for newsletter publication this month.

Continuing Christian Education (C.E.) Classes

Good Samaritan Bible Study :
This group usually meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays each month at Noon at the church. Join us this month on December 10th (only) for a special potluck Advent discussion! Bring a dish to share.

St. Stephen's Book Study :
This group usually meets the first Thursday of each month at 11 a.m. The last meeting of the book study will be on December 5th at 11 a.m. at the home of Doris Dodds. The group will be discussing RAHAB, a woman of faith, who played a part in the geneology of Jesus the Christ. The book study will resume again sometime in March.

Our Savior's Discussion Group:
This group usually meets the fourth Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Black and White Hamburger Shop. This month since the fourth Wednesday is Christmas, they will not be meeting. Please call Jan Zeman with any questions.

By Hariette Burkhalter
Two members of our ministry team, Roger Phillips and Harriette Burkhalter have left Minnesota for the winter with plans to return for several Saturday team meetings before the spring. They are able to keep closely in touch with the Spirit of the Heartland churches through our team bulletin board, e-mail and telephone connections. The Rev. Rob Canvanna and the Rev. Cedar Morrigan are recovering from (Rob) and preparing for (Cedar) surgery. Our prayers are with them always and particularly at this time. We congratulate Rob and Gina on the recent birth of their first grand grandchild. We celebrate the exciting progress of the addition to Our Saviour's in Little Falls and look forward to the wonderful opportunities for ministry that space will provide for us all. Lu Tax, liturgist is planning to incorporate special recognition of the Advent season in our Sunday services and Doris Dodds has arranged for a concert and carol sing-a-long at St. Stephen's on Dec. 29th. Your team is working with you to bring the good news to our congregations and our communities.

Who are we?

Pat Gillespie, Pastoral Mentor, Priest in Charge, Webminister
Mary Ann Erdmann, Finance Administrator (Staff)
Kathy Bies-Jaede, Communications/Christian Education(Staff)
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Harriette Burkhalter, St. Stephen's, Lay Evangelist and Outreach Minister
Doris Dodds, St.Stephen's, Lay Evangelist and Outreach Minister
Rob Cavanna, St. John's, Priest Sacramentalist and Preacher
Cynthia Evans, Good Samaritan, Lay Intercessor
Cedar Morrigan, Our Saviour's, Priest Sacramentalist
Johanna Morrigan, Our Saviour's, Deacon Preacher
Roger Phillips, Good Samaritan, Sacramentalist in Formation
Lu Tax, Our Saviour's, Lay Liturgist
Maren Kay Welsand, St. John's, Lay Community Life Minister
Randy Welsand, St. John's, Priest Sacramentalist and Pastoral Care Minister
Jan (Zippy) Zeman, Our Saviour's, Lay Preacher