Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Sunday's readings and verger schedule
Serving on Sunday (Dec 21st)
Old Testament: Stew Wood Epistle: Dave Davison Psalm and Prayers: Karen Smith
Greeter: Holly Hall Host: Black Chalice: Leslie Black, Pam Hanson
Announcer: Jane Carroll Counters: Cindy Boehm-Patenaude, Andrew Pillsbury
Sunday's readings 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 Romans 16:25-27
this week's announcements:
Resource Lists, click lines below:
Resource Contact List for whom to contact with questions or concerns.
Worship Calendar to view the Sunday schedule of celebrants and sermon preachers.
Verger List has Sunday assignments through December.
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Schedule of Christmas services
December 24, 2014. One service Christmas Eve at 5:00 pm including the Pageant. Potluck family meal following that service.
December 25, 2014. One service Christmas Day at 10:00 am including Eucharist
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Christmas Eve Pageant
Pageant plans are underway for the 5pm Christmas Eve service. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the parish hall for those wishing to participate. Visiting grandchildren are welcome. Jane Carroll and Lexi Kremer are the artistic directors this year. A practice date will be announced soon.
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Alternative Gifts
Looking for a gift for that hard to buy for person? Want to purchase a gift that can make a difference in someone's life? Need a last minute idea for a teacher? This Sunday and next Sunday after church our Sunday School youth will once again be selling cards from Episcopal Relief and Development's "Gifts for Life" program. These cards can be purchased and given in someone's name. The card lets the recipient know that a donation had been made to aid families in need around the world. Please stop by the table and check out the cards and consider a donation for an "alternative gift" to give!
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Christmas Eve Potluck
For the past few years, several of us have had potluck dinner at the church between the 5pm and 9pm services on Christmas Eve. Even though there will not be the 9pm service, we will still have the potluck dinner after the 5pm service! If you have any traditional foods you enjoy on Christmas Eve, we would love for you to share them with us. For example, the Patenaude’s will be bringing their traditional “Stone Soup”! Please consider joining us for a wonderful time of food, fellowship and perhaps even some games!
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Knit and Purl Fellowship
We'll meet January 5th at Judy Barwood’s home. For more information, call Holly at 802-295-9095.
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Carol Sing December 20th
Please join in a Carol Sing Saturday, 12/20; exact time and locations will be announced next week. The plan is to have enough people to have two groups with both singing at a few homes. If you would like to join us, please contact Holly or Gary.
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Verger Schedule
Cindy Boehm-Patenaude is working on the new schedule that will start the Sunday after Christmas and go through the end of March. Please let Cindy know if you would like to be added as a reader, host, psalm/prayers, greeter, etc. If you know you will not be in church on certain dates, please let Cindy know that as well so to plan accordingly. We will need several readers on the Sunday after Christmas for our Lessons and Carols service. It would be wonderful if some of our youth would volunteer for that Sunday! Please contact Cindy Boehm-Patenaude at dbcpiccolo@gmail.com
Thank you to those of you who participate in this ministry!
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A Note on Advent Worship
In designing worship for the four Sundays of Advent, the planners tried to balance several factors: to offer a more reflective tone for this special season, to add some new texts with images and words to refresh our experience, and to hold enough to the familiar that we can still feel at home.
The season evokes the longings of the heart, reminding us of Israel’s hunger for God’s comfort and justice, the hunger for hope felt by those around Jesus, and our own yearning for a world made whole by God’s vision and reign on earth. Our Advent worship invites us into this experience of hopeful expectation. We gather in quiet, greeting one another with a few hope filled sentences. The cantor will then open our prayer with song as we prepare to light the Advent wreath. Then the service will continue with the Collect of the Day, following our usual form but with some different texts at the Creed (we’ll be using an Affirmation) and the Eucharistic Prayer, where we will be using a prayer from Kenya. Planners hope that these forms will enrich your Advent worship. Diane Root
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Prayer List
All prayers are welcome. To make a prayer request, contact Holly, 802-295-9095.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Carol Sing, December 20
Singing locally at a few homes
Christmas Eve, December 24th
Christmas Eve Pageant 5pm
Christmas Eve Potluck to follow service
Christmas Day, December 25th
One service Christmas Day at 10 am including Eucharist
Monday, January 1
Knit and Purl Fellowship at Judy Barwood’s home 6:30
Wednesday, January 28
St. Paul's Caring Ministry Meeting