The bulletin for the 10 am service for December 22nd is posted below.
To read or download bulletins from previous weeks, click here to go to the Bulletins page.
THIS WEEK’S PARISH NEWS – December 22 – December 29 (**New Items, *Revised Items)
**Please stay to help decorate the Christmas Tree today after the 10 am service. Let’s work together to prepare the Sanctuary for the Christmas season. We will have Coffee Time in the church this Sunday, so that we can enjoy coffee and tea while we decorate the Christmas Tree.
*Longest Night Service – Tonight, December 22nd, 7 pm – This time of year can be difficult for many people because of loss or changes in our lives. This service of light in the midst of darkness is an opportunity to come and enter gently into a quiet holy time, and is open to everyone. You are welcome to invite a friend to come and share with you in this service of remembrance and hope.
**The Church Office will be closed December 25th to 27th, December 31st, and January 1st. The Church Office will be open on December 23rd, December 24th, December 30th, and January 2nd and 3rd.
“Help Wanted” for Sunday Morning Coffee Times including baking, set up, and clean up. Volunteers have a choice to just set up or clean up or both. Baking is always welcome and thoroughly enjoyed at Coffee Time. Our Coffee Times after the 10 am services have become very popular and we can only continue if we have enough volunteers. If you can help, please email Heather Simpson, Rector’s Warden (hsimpson@stlukecedarhill.ca) or chat with her on Sunday. Dates needed now are the Sundays in January.
Planning Christmas activities with visiting family and friends? Keep in mind our special Christmas services at St. Luke’s – Christmas Eve: Child-friendly service at 4 pm with Christingle oranges for the children; 7 pm Family Communion service with candles, carols, soloists, instrumentalists, and a choir. Christmas Day: 10:00 am Family Communion Service. All are welcome at all of these services. Please note that there will not be a 10 pm service on Christmas Eve this year.
Invitation Cards are Available at the Back of the Church – Please use the invitation card to invite a friend or neighbour to the special services through Advent and over Christmas. Or post the card on your fridge to remind you of the services over Christmas. Invitation cards for the Christingle service and Longest Night Service are also on the back table.
**The Service for the First Sunday after Christmas (December 29th) will be a Service of the Word at 10 am. There will not be an 8 am service this Sunday.
**The Next Fantastic Friday will be on January 3rd, 2025 – It will be an Epiphany Party in the Hall starting at 4:30 pm. The evening will include Fantastic Friday crafts and the Epiphany tradition of chalking the church door. Everyone welcome!
*On Sunday January 5th, we will celebrate the Feast of Epiphany. The 10 am service will be an Epiphany Lessons and Carols Service with special music.
**Our January Reflections, our Sunday service at dusk, will be on Sunday, January 12th at 4:30 pm – The January Reflections will feature Flutist, Dr. Mary Byrne. When paired with inspirational readings, we hope that this Reflections will bring a sense of light and peace to all who attend.
2025 Contributor Boxes – If you haven’t picked up your box of envelopes yet, please pick up your box at the back of the church. If you donate only via the PAR or by e-transfer, or just a couple of times a year, we didn’t order a box for you this year.
Pre-Authorized Remittance Program (PAR) – A number of people noted on their givings cards that they would like to increase their PAR or start using PAR. To make a change or start using PAR, please send an e-mail to St. Luke’s Givings e-mail and include the following information as noted. To make a change to PAR, include your envelope #, the date you would like the change to happen (eg \ January 1, 2025 or February 1, 2025, etc.), and the amount of the change. The PAR comes out of one’s account on the 20th of the month but changes have to be sent in prior to the 10th of the month. To start using PAR, send an e-mail to St. Luke’s Givings e-mail and a form to enrol will be sent to you. The Treasurer will follow up with everyone who indicated that they would like to change their PAR amount or start PAR in case they have any questions.
*Christmas Stocking Project – We have chosen a World of Gifts Project through the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund as our Christmas Stocking Project. We started our Christmas Stocking Project on the first Sunday of Advent, and it will continue to Christmas Day. Our project will be buying goats for families in Kenya who are food insecure and have little to no income. You are invited to drop your gold coins (Loonies or Toonies) into the Christmas stocking at the back of the church or to put a special donation into the collection plate labelled “Goats Project”. Money designated in the collection or collected in the stocking from now to Christmas Day will be sent to the PWRDF to buy goats for families in Kenya. Thank you for your donations to date totalling $145 - 1½ goats! Let’s see how many more goats we can buy.
*Thank you for your Continued Donations in your Special Purpose Envelopes towards Buildings Expenses – Donations to date since September 1st now total $6,612.75. This year, we have spent around $20,000 more on our buildings than we had budgeted. Please the list at the News page. If you are able to make an additional donation in your Special Purpose Envelope (above your regular donations) to help cover these unexpected expenses, your donation would be greatly appreciated. You can also make a donation in regular envelope, via e-transfer, or through Canada Helps, noting that this donation is towards building expenses.
The Shelbourne Community Kitchen invites you to join their Donate & Double Your Impact campaign! From December 1st to 31st, every dollar donated will be matched up to $15,000. With inflation and rising food costs, the need for food security has never been greater and so far this year The Kitchen has registered more than 300 new participants, including seniors, families, and newcomers for support. This is our community's chance to make twice the difference. Every donation—big or small—will be doubled, amplifying the impact and helping The Kitchen meet the growing demand for support. See more information and a link to make a donation at the News page.