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 THE VINE
Volume 3, Issue 5 St. Paul's Episcopal Church December 2008
______________________________________________________________________________
Dear Friends of St. Paul 's:
Greetings of the Season to you and yours. It's beginning to look a lot like -----!
Our Church works to help us prepare for the gift of a Savior with the Season of Advent. Hard as it is, I hope you will take time
to become spiritually healthy over these next three weeks; find space each day to ponder, wonder, dream, and hope. Think about those
wondrous gifts that have been given to you, treasure them, and if necessary refresh them. Put a log on the fire, play inspiring
music, find good reading material, savor that glass of wine, and whenever possible let the best of your spirituality soar to new
heights. What does your life need at this time for wholeness and health? Go for it!
The Church asks us to wait, to be aware, to make sure our lives and spirits are in the right place to receive Him, and that we not
become totally consumed with our culture that transports us in a quite different direction. Put the brakes on when you can, and reflect
on what we really want to celebrate - The Gift of Life, Joy, Peace, and Love. In the meantime, work on getting ready for a Wonderful
Christmas.
Thank you for your pledges for 2009, and if you haven't returned your pledge card to the Church, you will be contacted by one of us.
If we need to send a card to you, or if you would like to speak with a member of the vestry or the rector, please leave a message at the
church, 616-754-3163. We would like to have all pledges in hand by December 21, so please help us with this goal.
Please remember the following people in your prayers:
- Greg Arsulowicz, facing difficult health challenges
- Alice Cesar, needing our love as she supports her mother's nursing home placement
- Father John as he learns about bladder infection
- Nathan Parish, recovering from a fall
- Bill Thiedeman, recovering from cataract surgery
- For all of us battling "seasonal bugs."
A reminder to all: It isn't too late to get your Flu Shot!
May your Holiday Season be filled with all the wonder and beauty that is
offered to us.
With love and thanks from the St. Paul 's Team,
Sara Jane, Tina, Mark, and Father John+
Merry Christmas
Calendar of Events
December
Sunday, Dec. 14 th Vestry meets following worship
Sunday, Dec. 21 st Greening of the church with chili and soup lunch following worship
Wednesday, Dec. 24 th Christmas Eve, Feast of the Nativity at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 28 th Morning Prayer and Sermon with thanks to Jim and Donna
January
Sunday, Jan. 25 th Conversion of St. Paul, and Annual Parish meeting
Thanksgiving Day Baskets
The Outreach Committee would like to thank everyone for their generosity again this year in regards to our Thanksgiving Day Baskets. We were able to give 64 families
(308 individuals) a full Thanksgiving meal that they may not have had otherwise.
I want to thank everyone who donated food and money and those who helped pack the boxes on Sunday
and those who showed up early Tuesday morning to sling turkeys and load vans. Also, thanks to
everyone who collected boxes, made the sign
up poster, designed the card to put in the box so the families would know where they
came from, and took pictures. A big thanks to the SPAM men for packing potatoes
and shopping for food, and the parents who took time to come along (Jorgensen's
might never be the same). I don't want to "name names" lest I forget someone -
you know who you are! It could never be done without a big group effort.
For those of you who knew Vicki Zank, the woman who started this project years ago, wouldn't she be proud to know the project is still going strong at St.Paul's?
With much Thanks,
Beth Vogel and the Outreach Committee
History of the Yule Log
The Yule Log is traditionally a large log that is burned in a fireplace to celebrate the Christmas holidays. It has been associated with
Christmas, Christmas Eve, the 12 days of Christmas and Winter Solstice.
In the past in Yugoslavia , the Yule Log was cut on Christmas Eve and then brought into people's homes to be decorated and doused
with wine. In France , cutting the Yule Log was a family affair and featured singing. Both of these countries made offerings to the Yule
Log and asked for blessings.
Some cultures now make cakes in the shape of logs to signify the Yule Log. Also, in the United States , some television stations broadcast a picture of a log burning in a fireplace accompanied by Christmas music on Christmas Day. For some television viewers, this picture takes the place of the traditional Yule Log.
Thanks to our SPAM Group and to Dylan Tanner
Our young men -SPAM - group certainly does some outstanding missionary work for our church. I would like to tell you about one
young man and his mission.
Dylan Tanner makes up bags of health and cleanliness items for us to distribute to the folks who come in to the food kitchen for meals.
Dylan's dad travels a lot and brings home the little bottles and containers of health products from the various motels where he stays. A
few other people have left some items at church and Dylan can use these. He so carefully sorts and bags these so they are reflective of
men or women items. When the folks get these bags, they are so delighted to see what appears inside. They always thank us for them and I tell them
that a young man in our church gathers these for them.
So, I thank Dylan for his wonderful gift. If you have some items that Dylan can use, bring them on in and we will gather them for him.
BUT, most of all, thank him for his generous time and thought.
Hilda Sorvari
Bible Search: Christmas Time
All words listed below are in the puzzle - left, right, up, down or diagonally. Circle each letter of the word you find.
After you have found all the words, write down the leftover letters in the correct order to form the
mystery answer .
 
\
News from the Outreach Committee …
In September Outreach gave $200.00 to the Greenville Ecumentical Food Pantry located at St.Paul's Lutheran Church . The Lutheran
Thrivent Fund was matching all donations for the month, so our money was doubled.
Please keep in mind the box in the back of the church is for your donations.
Following is a list of staples given at the pantry:
Peanut Butter
Vegetables
Fruit
Potatoes
Soup
Spaghetti Sauce
Juice |
Crackers
Canned meat
Pork and Beans
Kidney Beans
Toiletries
Rice Cereal
Stew |
Canned Tomatoes
Macaroni
Oatmeal
Pancake Mix
Jelly
Syrup |
Prayer for GI's
Please pray for the GI's and their families, including the following we lost in combat:
- Pablo Hurtado
- Rob Gambrell
- Geoffrey Grant
- Andrew Adams
- Richard Skinner Troops Box
Our church has sent items to the following GI's:
- Edward Jayck
- Stephen Blas
- George J. Santa Ana
- J.M. Bell Guarding
If you would like to make cookies or fudge to sent to a GI, please contact
Pat Zank @ patricaz@subgobal.net .
Giving is a Way of Life
Written by Al Schoolcraft
Here we are in our Stewardship drive in the season where everybody will be asked to give to any number of needy charities, and here
I come asking for more to be given.
After you have given to your favorite holiday charity and sent in your pledge card, how about thinking about these programs?
- The local food panty (not the Food Kitchen which provides lunches and dinners every Tuesday) is always in need. If you aren't able
to buy some food items on sale while are shopping, how about grabbing a couple cans of soup or other items you have in your pantry
that you had set aside for a rainy day and bringing them in to put in the box near the main entrance?
- The other box near the entrance is for our troops who are fighting for freedom in Iraq . A list of items needed is posted on the
bulletin board in the Parish Hall. We have a parish family who finds the time and money to package these items and send them to
military units in the fighting zones.
-If you are all spent out, how about going through your library and bringing in some good books that the soldiers could enjoy, a good
mystery or a funny book, like the Cosby books? They will love them
- The inter-church Food Kitchen is always in need of a few bucks or some cans of food. Again, if you are all spent out, how about
volunteering to assist in the food preparation or serving on one of the Tuesdays during the holiday season or later this winter? Hilda
Sovari can assist you on how this is done and find a day where you can help, maybe as a family.
Having to receive charity is sometimes difficult, but giving is really the fun part of this holiday season!!
Thank you for giving and helping.
Christmas Trivia Questions
- In the song "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth", why do I want my two front teeth
- In the traditional song, "Go Tell It on the Mountain", what are you suppose to go tell on a mountain?
- True or False: Joseph was the one that told Mary she was going to have a baby.
- In the Christmas song, who did I (the narrator) see kissing Santa Claus under the mistletoe last night?
- In the song "Winter Wonderland", who do we pretend the snowman is?
Answers posted further down
$$$$$$ I t's Your Money $$$$$$$
Written By Jerry Hall
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." So starts the book, 'A Tale of Two Cities', by Charles Dickens.
These words could just as easily apply today. Gasoline is selling below $1.50 a gallon / there are some empty houses in town due to
foreclosure, people today have a lifespan that is more than twice as long as those of a century ago / some companies are laying off
workers. I guess your glass is half full or half empty, depending on your point of view.
With the Christmas season upon us, I hope you have followed the advice of previous columns and planned ahead. Perhaps you set up
a Christmas Club account at your bank or bought things on sale during the year so your expenses are more spread out. No matter
what, set a gift budget and stick to it. Doing so will avoid a "January Surprise", when the bills come in.
Many of us entertain during the season and food is a major cost. Here are some internet sites that will lower your food costs. If you
don't have a home access to the Internet, remember the library does and it costs you nothing.
These are examples, be sure to try similar manufacturer's sites for coupons, free products and rebates.
Use the search engine with names like Rite Aid or Walgreens.
Coupon Clearinghouses:
- www.coolsavings.com
- www.refundsweepers.com
- www.smartsource.com
- www.couponmountain.com
- www.dealcatcher.co
- www.currentcodes.com
Manufacturers's Web Sites:
- www.chickenofthesea.com
- www.colgate.com
- www.cottonelle.com
May your Christmastime be enjoyable and may 2009 find you improving your financial situation.
Christmas Trivia Answers
Answers to trivia questions on previous page:
1. So I Could Wish You Merry Christmas!
2. Our Jesus Christ Was Born!
3. False, an angel told her the news.
4. Mommy!
5. Parson Brown
December and January |
MINISTRY SCHEDULE
THANK YOU FOR SERVING! |
December: |
14 th |
21 st |
24 th |
28 th |
COFFEE: |
Robins |
Cesar |
|
Dombroske |
GREETERS: |
Kennedy / Ryan |
Schoolcraft |
Hoeflinger |
French / Meyers |
LAY READERS |
Helen Kay Kennedy |
Hilda Sorvari |
Julie Jakeway |
Norma Atkeson |
January: |
4 th |
11 th |
18 th |
25 th |
|
COFFEE: |
Tanner |
Butler / Hawley |
Vogel |
Atkeson |
|
GREETERS: |
Butler / Hawley |
Jakeway / Schmitz |
Helder / Kinnaird - Heether |
Kassouni / Sorvari |
|
LAY READERS |
Stacey O'Toole |
Alice Cesar |
Nurya Parish |
Dare Cox |
|
Birthdays and Anniversaries |
December January |
|
|
|
Bob Walenga 2
Susan & Richard Rinehart 7
Pat Moorhead 13
Chris Coyne 15
Phyllis Dawson 16
Sandra French 16
Kate Wessel Walker 18
Tom & Marjorie Blinn 20
Chris Ryan/Roger Simmons 21
Alice Cesar 22
|
Jenna Robins 1
Steve Zank 3
Noah Jager 13
Susan Rinehart 13
Tammy Ritter 18
Angela Ruff 18
Beth Vogel 19
Our Mission Founded 20
Carolyn Zilch 23
Ruth Bedore 25
Grace Elderkin 25
Jim Wessel Walker 31
Brad Hoeflinger 30 |
|
|
