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| CHIMES Our Newsletter December 2009 |
| 667 Mount Road, Aston, PA 19014 610-459-2013 |
| Our Mission: To worship the Lord To serve the community To grow the church |
From the Rector:
Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters, and you who have no
money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and
without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on
what does not satisfy?
Christmas is right around the corner. I love this time of year. Everyone
seems a bit happier, more polite, and a greater sense of being gracious
to one another. Maybe it’s the radio station that plays Christmas music
24 hrs. a day that has gotten us in a better frame of mind? Maybe it’s
because Santa’s making a list and he’s checking it twice and going to
find out who’s naughty or nice?
Many of us go into the holiday season hurting and fearful. The zeros in
the bank account are fewer. The lavishness of Christmas’ past won’t be
repeated. Santa Clause is downsizing the number of presents this year.
There are a lot of us out there who are struggling. I heard Bono, lead
singer of U2, say once, “If you want to find Jesus, look to the poor.” I
can assure you that the poor of our community will have the same
Christmas as last year – not much. However, through their meagerness
of resources family and friends gather and provide what no amount of
money can buy – love: love found within community and family.
The miracle of Christmas is that through a pregnant teenager a savior is
born. The miracle of Christmas is that through a poor, homeless family
God recreates the world through those whom the rest of society would
consider as insignificant and expendable. Through struggle and
hardship, God comes to us as one of us. God held nothing back by
giving away the treasures of heaven in order to show us that love
refuses to leave us alone. Love is not what you give or what you get.
Love is sacrifice. Love is hospitality. Love is forgiveness. Love is God.
Love is the baby Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Love is holding your baby
tight. Love is hearing children singing. Love is Calvary Episcopal
Church.
Your church home is such a place where love can be found. Enclosed
within the walls of Calvary are where the broken can be made whole
and home found for the restless. Through our love for one another, the
poor are rich and the sorrowful are comforted. Those of you who hurt,
those of your who are fearful, hear the Word of the Lord:
Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters, and you who have no
money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and
without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on
what does not satisfy? Isaiah 55:1-2
Chuck +
Calvary Church Annual Meeting – December 6
The Annual Meeting will be Sunday, December 6 after the 10:00am
service. The reports from committees and organizations at Calvary will
be available, also the 2010 Pledge envelopes and Episcopal calendars.
There will be an election for the vestry and delegates to the Annual
Diocesan convention also lunch will be provided. Put this date on your
calendar and plan to attend this important meeting of your parish. There
is only one service on Sunday – 10 AM – Rite 1.
Stewardship Reminder
Currently, pledges are down from 2009 so please remember to return
your completed pledge cards. If neccessary, additional pledge cards
can be found in the Narthex. Your commitment helps us continue the
ministry of God. Thank you and God bless.
Mike Reisinger
Parish Growth Committee
The Parish Growth Committee wishes everyone a blessed Christmas!
The committee will be hosting a Game Night on Friday, Jan.15 at 7 PM.
This is an evening of group games for all ages 10 and above. Please
join us for a great evening of fun, games, and fellowship. Invite a friend
to join you for a wonderful evening. There will not be a Game Night in
December due to all of the holiday activities.
F.I.S.H. – Free Instruction & Study Help has been meeting on Tuesdays
between 3 and 6 PM. This program is for children of all ages. Please
help spread the word about the program. We are always looking for
volunteers to help with the children. If you would like more information
or would like to volunteer, please contact me at 610-891-0386.
The Parish Growth Committee is a small but active group. We would
love to have your help. We hope to plan future events that will serve
the community. Please join us at our next meeting on January 3 after
the 10 AM service and coffee hour to plan activities that will help with
the growth of our church!
Will Evans
Hospitality Committee
Many thanks to all who have helped supply the treats for our coffee
hours. We need the help of everyone to continue to provide these
wonderful treats. There is a new signup sheet for the new year with
many “open” Sundays. Please signup to help with this wonderful
activity. You won’t have to do it yourself, we will make sure that you will
have help with the event. Your help and support will be greatly
appreciated.
Calvary will soon be serving Bishops Blend coffee and tea. Episcopal
Relief and Development has partnered with PuraVida, a company that
sells fair trade products that not only taste good, but also are grown
according to sustainable practices. Bishops Blend is certified fair trade,
organic and shade grown. This means that coffee and tea farmers are
paid a fair living wage and gain access to affordable credit, and that the
growing methods help protect the environment. 15% of all profits from
the sale of Bishops Blend coffees and teas are used to support
Episcopal Relief & Development projects around the world. By using
Bishops Blend coffee and tea, we will also be helping small farmers
build better lives for themselves and their families. These products do
cost a little more than regular coffee, so we are asking for donations to
the coffee fund. This does not mean you must pay for your coffee. We
are just asking for some contributions when and if you can. You can do
some good in the world, one cup at a time, by supporting our use of the
Bishop Blend products.
Ellie Evans
The St. Elizabeth Guild
The Guild thanks “the bakers” and everyone who participated in the
Thanksgiving Pie Sale, it was a huge success. The Annual Christmas
Dinner for the Guild will be December 12, at the Towne House in Media,
from noon to 3:00PM. All women of the parish are members of the Guild,
please come and join us for a meeting.
Come celebrate Christmas at Calvary!
Bring family and friends to join us as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Our services for Christmas Eve will be 5PM and 10:30. The 5PM service
of Holy Eucharist will feature a children’s Christmas Pageant and
singing favorite carols of the season. A traditional, candlelit ‘midnight
mass’ will be celebrated at 10:30 with Holy Eucharist and carols. On
Christmas Day there will be a 10AM Rite II Holy Communion service
with carols. Sunday December 27th will be a combined service of
Lessons and Carols followed by Holy Communion. There will be no 8AM
service on this day. What a blessed time of year. Come celebrate the
reason for the season.
HELP WANTED: ANGELS, SHEPHERDS, ANIMALS NEEDED FOR
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
Children (ages 2-18) who are interested in participating in this year’s
pagent will need to sign up no later than December 13th. Generally,
boys are shepherds and girls are angels. Toddlers and other young
children will be animals. We have costumes and no need to learn any
lines. There will be 2 rehearsals that you must attend. The dates of the
rehearsals will be December 20th after the 10AM service and December
22nd at 6:30PM. The sign up list is found on the bulletin board in the
undercroft. You may contact the church office for more information.
| Small Parish - Big Heart - Inclusive The little church you've been looking for! All are welcome! |
MAILING ADDRESS: PO Box 452 Glen Riddle, PA 19037 |
| Come and worship with us - all are welcome! |
| CHIMES Calvary Episcopal Church, Rockdale December 2009 |
To contact us: Calvary Episcopal Church 667 Mount Road Aston, PA 19014 610-459-2013 OFFICE The Rev. Charles Messer, Rector Fr. Chuck: frmesser@calvaryepiscopalrockdale.org Website: mail@calvaryepiscopalrockdale.org Office: calvaryoffice1@verizon.net |
