THIS COMING SUNDAY

December 14th, the Third Sunday of Advent

• SUNDAY'S APPOINTED MASS READINGS: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Psalm 126; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28.  Sunday’s bulletin will contain a special envelope for use in making contributions towards greening the church for Christmas.
• SUNDAY SCHOOL RESUMES. The students will begin their rehearsals for the annual Crèche Service to be held at the end of mass on December 21st.
•  ADULT CHRISTIAN ED.  Today, Rufus Hallmark and Vince Peterson will lead a discussion on Handel’s Messiah.  The class will take place in the Library after Coffee Hour.

CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE

Looking ahead to Christmas

• A mass with carols for families with small children will be said at 5:30 pm on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24th.
• Later in the evening, carols to welcome Christ’s Birth will be sung beginning at 10:30 pm.
• Solemn Mass of Christmas Midnight will begin at 11:00 pm.
• On Christmas Day, mass will be said at 9:00 am.

OUTREACH

• BOOK DRIVE – This Sunday, December 14th is the last day that we will be collecting new books for children and young adults (ages 6 to 18.)  The books will be wrapped on Sunday and delivered to less fortunate children in time for Christmas.  If you would like to help with the wrapping, contact Anne Hallmark.

MESSIAH

• SING – We hope that all parishioners will join in support of The Second Annual Sing-it-Yourself Messiah which will be held on Sunday, December 21st at 4:00 pm.  Tickets for this parish-wide community event are available at Coffee Hour and online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/969490.
• PRACTICE -This year Vince Peterson will offer a free pre-concert class for singers who would like to review a cross-section of difficult singing spots throughout the score – a fun and engaging afternoon, full of insights, tricks, and free singing tips!  The class will run from 2:30 to 3:30, with a break at the end of class for some light refreshments in the Parish Hall before the concert.
• LEARN - In addition to practicing and singing Messiah, you can also learn more about the composition when Rufus Hallmark and Vince discuss Handel’s great work and answer questions about it at the Adult Christian Education Class, the week before on Sunday, December 14th.  Class will begin after Coffee Hour.
• BAKE - In keeping with Christmas traditions, you may also want to help John Lord bake cookies for the Messiah singers.  Baking will begin on Saturday, December 20th at 9:00 am.  Contact John if you are able to help.

OTHER DECEMBER EVENTS

• PHOTOGRAPHY - The second round of photography for our Parish Hall Photo ID Board will take place this Sunday, December 14th during Coffee Hour.
• CHRISTMAS GIFT SALES – Everything is happening on Sunday.  We will be offering for sale a number of holiday craft items and Christmas gifts during Coffee Hour on December 14th and December 21st.  See John Lord if you have homemade crafts that you would like to donate to the sale.
• CHORAL CHAMELEON and CHAMELEONIC CONCERT - Mysterium - Sunday, December 14th at 7:00 pm.