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Notices for the Week of Dec 3rd – 9th

Parish Council Christmas Gathering – is taking place Tuesday, December 5th gathering from 6pm in the upper hall. This is a potluck and council members are asked to bring a dish to share with other council members. Spouses and partners are invited as well  

ACW Christmas Gathering and Party – is taking place Wednesday evening, December 6th in the upper hall beginning at 6:30pm with refreshments. An appetizer buffet will follow. Please remember to bring your Prayer Partner Gifts and Door Prizes as well.  

Teapots! We need teapots! We are looking for at least 1 and hopefully 2 teapots for our kitchen. Large ones, but not so large they are difficult to manage please. If anyone has any unused ones at home, we would be happy to accept them. Please talk to Marion O’Byrne for further info.  

Lessons and Carols for Advent & Christmas – Our Multicultural Service will take place next Sunday, December 10th at 7pm. This is a wonderful service to invite friends and family. Do come along and bring a gang with you. There will be hot chocolate served afterwards.  

The Path to Christmas – This year, as a part of our Christmas preparations and celebrations we are having 4 stopping places made on a path through our woods. There will be a lighted walkway to follow as pilgrims make their journey through the Christmas Story. The journey ends as they enter the stable door (main door of the church) to find the Christ Child. The church will be alight with candles. The sound of Christmas Carols will welcome all who enter, and hot chocolate will be served.  

Many Thanks go to Jose Gedalanga and Demosthenes Sotana for the work they are doing on building the huts for the Christmas Path. Thanks to Bob Desaulniers and Dick’s Lumber who have provided most of the materials for building the huts.  

Next Sunday is Food Bank Sunday! Please bring non-perishable, long-dated items for the food bank  

Lunch Bunch Christmas Turkey Luncheon will be on Dec 12th. We will meet at 11:30 with lunch being served at noon. This will be taking place at Faye’s Restaurant, 7380 King George Blvd #600, Surrey, BC V3W 5A5. Deadline for monies to be received is Sunday, December 10th. Please see Joan Hnedish if you wish to go.  

PWRDF – On Sunday, December 17th, our PWRDF parish representative, Paulette Smith, will make an appeal to the congregation for a special contribution to a PWRDF for Advent. Donations to PWRDF of $20 or more will be receipted for income tax purpose.  

Christmas Flowers Donations are now being received for the Christmas flowers given in memory of a loved one or in thanksgiving. As a gauge for what your offering might be, each poinsettia plant costs about $25. Please make your Christmas Flower offering in a separate envelope and place it in the offering.  

Outdoor Christmas Lights If you would like to make a contribution toward the cost of the Christmas Lights to light our ‘Pathway to Christmas’, please speak with one of the wardens, Fil Sotana or Jacquie Stinson.  

Perfumes and Scents in the Church and Parish Hall We have all heard of the problems associated with breathing and the triggers that cause people real difficulties for breathing. In the last year, a number of parishioners have approached the wardens and rector in reference to their own difficulty breathing. The difficulty comes when members of the congregation, including both men and women, are wearing scents, colognes, and perfumes to church and other events in the parish hall. For some people, the throat begins to close or constrict and breathing can become severely restricted. This, of course, is quite serious, very scary, and can easily lead to a medical emergency.   It is important to understand that this has nothing to do with disliking a particular fragrance or scent. The church council requests members of the congregation, of their own volition, to refrain from using perfumes, colognes, and scents so that others who are easily affected may breathe easy. We hope everyone will be understanding of this.  

Forthcoming Dates for St. Helen’s
December 10 – 7pm Lessons and Carols for Advent and Christmas
December 12 –Lunch Bunch meets at Faye’s Restaurant (see notice)
December 16 – 3pm Trinity School, Kandi, Sri Lanka, Carol Service
December 24th is both Advent 4 and Christmas Eve
Please remember the 4th Sunday of Advent is the morning of December 24th. We will have our usual Sunday service at 10am.
Christmas Eve Services – 7pm and 11pm
Christmas Day Service – 10am  

Readings for Next Sunday, December 10th – Advent 2
Isaiah 40:1-1;
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13;
2 Peter 3:8-15a;
Mark 1:1-8  

Sunday Flowers for the Altar People have asked about making donations toward the flowers. Here is some information in a question and answer format.  
Why Flowers? Flowers are placed at the altar each week to beautify the church and as a reminder of God’s creativity and generosity to us. It reminds of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and the promise of new life given to us.  
When? - People most often donate these flowers in memory of a loved one. The information about this is placed in the Sunday service sheet and prayed for as we remember those who have died in the intercessions. People also donate the altar flowers in thanks for a special event such as a marriage, a birthday, an anniversary, or graduation. Really, it can be whatever your wish it to be.  
Which Sunday? - You may wish to donate the flowers for a particular Sunday that is closely associated with the memorial or thanksgiving. It does not matter if there is more than one person contributing to the flowers on any given Sunday. The cost of the flowers is spread over the whole year including Sundays when there has not been a particular sponsorship.  
How Much? - Please remember you are making a donation to the church. Please make your cheque or cash donation in an envelope and place it in the offering plate on any Sunday. Please mark the envelope ‘Altar Flowers’. Please mention the date for which the flowers are intended as well. Of course, please donate what you think you can afford but in various conversations, a $25 donation will go a long way in helping to defray the cost of the flowers each week.  
What Now? If you would like to contribute to the flowers and have the memorial or thanksgiving placed in the intercessions, please speak with Heather Herd who will take the details to pass on to be placed in the Sunday notices. A week before the designated Sunday, Brownee Hamilton will call you to remind you that on the upcoming Sunday your thanksgiving or memorial will be in the intercessions and in the service sheet. If you have not already made a donation to the flowers, your donation will be very much appreciated on that Sunday. If you have any questions, please speak with Heather Herd. If you are not sure who Heather is, please ask the Rector.  

Holy Days and Commemoration of the Week Nicholas 6 December - Bishop of Myra, c. 342 — Commemoration Nicholas was a fourth-century bishop of Myra, a town in what is now southwestern Turkey, and we remember him because of the stories which have given him “a perpetual name for deeds of kindness on land and sea.” Nothing certain is known about his life, but the people of the Church held him in high honour from a very early date and many stories came to be told about him. The most famous of these legends tells of his merciful generosity. Once there were three sisters whose parents were so poor that they thought of selling them. Bishop Nicholas heard of the sisters’ plight and tossed three bags of gold onto their doorstep — thus providing them with dowries for marriage and saving them from a life of prostitution. That is why he is considered the special protector of children. In memory of his deed of mercy to the three sisters, the Dutch developed the custom of giving gifts to children on his feast-day. They brought this custom to America, where it became associated with Christmas rather than the feast of Nicholas — and where “Sant Nikolaas” was changed into “Santa Claus.” Another story tells how a company of seafarers were caught in a storm off the coast of Asia Minor. The waves were swamping their ship, and the mariners were nearly at their wits’ end when they remembered what they had heard about the bishop of Myra. Though he was still alive, the sailors cried out his name and implored his help. The legend says that Nicholas himself suddenly appeared in the rigging of their ship and calmed the storm, so that the ship and all who were in it came safely to port. Nicholas is considered the patron saint of many other groups besides children and sailors. The common thread in all these claims on his heavenly protection is his legendary kindness to those in need — and his special care of those who follow his storied example by aiding the desperate, the needy, and the sick.