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Week of December 13th – December 19th

Tuesday
7pm Parish Council Christmas Gathering

Wednesday
10:00am Holy Eucharist 

Next Sunday Dec. 20th
10:00am Advent 4 - Regular Sunday service of the Holy Eucharist

7pm Carols by Candlelight            
Lessons and Carols for the season featuring music and singers across the spectrum of our diverse parish family.  

Christmas Celebrations Thursday, December 24th
Christmas Eve  
7:00 pm – Family Eucharist for Christmas
11:00pm – Candlelight Eucharist  

Friday, December 25th
Christmas Day
10:00 am – Holy Eucharist  

Sunday, December 27th
1st Sunday of Christmas
10:00 am - Family Service Holy Eucharist

Thursday, December 31st
The Holy Name of Jesus (in anticipation of Jan. 1)
6:00 pm - Holy Eucharist followed by Pot Luck and Fellowship in the parish hall.   

**2 Notices about Church Flowers**
1/ Sunday Flowers through the year – If you would like to sponsor the altar flowers on a Sunday during the church year as a memorial or as a thanksgiving, we are currently setting up the rota for the year.  Please speak with Muriel Shearer who has the slips to be filled in.  

2/ Poinsettias for Christmas The Altar Guild will be decorating the Church for Christmas again this year with poinsettias.  Donations toward the cost of the poinsettias would be most welcome.  Please put your donation in the offertory plate in an envelope marked "poinsettias".   If your donation is in memory of a loved one please write your memorial notation on the envelope using the format "in memory of (insert name of loved one). Thank you in advance for your donations for the poinsettias.  

Christmas Bazaar Debriefing meeting an opportunity to review our major event, share our notes, and consider changes or improvements.  Make your notes now so you don't forget and bring them to the meeting after the service on Sunday, January 10, 2016.  

Scents in Church – Over the autumn our rector Steve was approached several times by different members of the congregation who have a difficult time breathing because of scents, colognes, and perfumes people wear to church.  Some of you know that even the flowers in church have sometimes caused breathing difficulties.  For the most part this has not been In the past but we are aware that in the present times people have become much more sensitive and have reactions regarding their breathing in particular.  The church council discussed this at its last meeting and the result was that for the time being we would share this in the notice sheet to raise the awareness for all of us and ask people to refrain from wearing scents and perfumes to church and church events.  We hope everyone will be understanding of this.  

Advent Waiting – for our Lord and Esther – As we await the return of the Lord and as we prepare to welcome His birth we are still waiting for Esther to come to us from Burma.  We have heard this week the Esther has remarried and is expecting a second child.  We are unsure how this impacts her refugee application.  If you remember the application had to be renewed at this time last year because she now had a child and we were asked whether we would be willing to include her child.  There will likely be considerations and paperwork regarding whether her husband is eligible to come.  We hope to be able to give a further update very soon.  

Oak Avenue Childcare – We are sad to convey the news that Oak Avenue has concluded that it can no longer keep up its operations and has made the decision to close.  Its last day of operations was Monday, November 30th.  Oak Avenue, established in 1972, has been using our facilities as its home for about 15 years and has in many ways been a part of the St. Helen’s family.  We ask God’s blessing upon the staff, the children and parents who have had to find new places for child care.  The parish is now actively searching for a new tenant who can make use of our hall.  

Readings for Sunday, December 20th, 2015 – Advent 4: 
Micah 5:2-5a;
Canticle: Magnificat;
Hebrews 10:5-10;
Luke 1:39-45