Trinity Episcopal Church |
|
| The Weekly Grail Electronic Newsletter |
For the Week of:
Dec 16 - Dec 23, 2007 |
|
| The Mission of Trinity Episcopal Church is to be an open and diverse Christian family dedicated to serving God and all creation by fostering spiritual growth through worship, prayer, education, service, stewardship, and celebration.
|
 Greetings!
Below are the weekly announcements of events and activities of Trinity Church, Hattiesburg, MS. Information about our parish life together for the forthcoming week, as well as special events, programs and new ministries are highlighted here. I hope you enjoy receiving this information. And - just for fun - check out the picture at the bottom. Can you guess whose picture that is?
Bill
Rector,
Trinity Episcopal Church
|
Special Guest Lecturer in the Rector's Forum, 12/16 and 12/23
Dr. Mark Wagner, USM Assistant Professor Department of Philosophy and Religion, will be the guest lecturer at the 9:15 a.m. Rector's Forum on Sunday the 16th and the 23rd. THE FORUM WILL BE IN THE CHAPEL. Dr. Wagner is an expert in Islam. The topic of December 16 will be "Muslim-Christian Relations: Islam's View of Christianity," and the topic for December 23 will be "The Crusades."
|
BLUE CHRISTMAS EUCHARISTIC SERVICE SUNDAY 12/16
The holidays can be less than joyous. Sometimes the loss of a loved one or a serious illness can make it hard to experience the happiness of the Advent and Christmas seasons. The bright lights, happy Christmas carols, and sounds of laughter can be more irritating than uplifting. Some people find that the long dark nights of December drag the spirits down. Others find the whole season depressing for a variety of other reasons.
At Trinity, we are aware that this can be a particularly difficult season for many people. And we want to honor that fact. So we are holding a special "Blue Christmas" Eucharistic service at 4 p.m. on December 16. At this service we will acknowledge the reality that this can be a hard time, full of painful memories, grief, and loneliness. We want those who come to this service to feel that they are among kindred suffering spirits.
In the event that this holiday season is difficult for you, I want to invite you to come to Grinity at 4 p.m. on December 16 to share some of the difficulty with other sympathetic people who are alone, depressed, or who hurt. I hope that this special service will help you acknowledge and release any pain or anxiety you may have, so that the light of Christ can re-enter your soul and brighten your life.
-Fr. Bill
|
|
Sunday
December 16
Guest Lecturer and Expert in Islam to Speak at the Rector's Forum TODAY AND NEXT SUNDAY IN THE CHAPEL. Dr. Mark Wagner, USM Assistant Professor Department of Philosophy and Religion, will present a two Sunday Rector's Forum at 9:15 a.m. on December 16 and 23 in the "Chapel." The topic of December 16 will be "Muslim-Christian Relations: Islam's View of Christianity," and the topic for December 23 will be "The Crusades."
-
Adult Study (Library), 9:15 a.m
-
Christmas Pageant Rehearsal, 9:15 a.m.
-
Godly Play (Room 3), 10:15 a.m.
-
Catechesis (Room 4), 10:15 a.m.
-
EYC, 12 noon
-
Breadbasket Christmas Boxes packed at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2 p.m.
-
Blue Christmas Service, 4 p.m.
|
Monday
December 17
-
EFM, 8:45 a.m.
-
Pine Meadows Service, 9:30 a.m.
-
Finance Committee Meeting, 5:15 p.m.
|
Tuesday
December 18
-
Centering Prayer, 2:00 p.m.
-
Bible Study, 5:15 p.m. (Library). Topic is the gospel of Matthew. The same Bible study will be offered on Wednesday morning to accommodate individual work schedules. Interested persons only need attend one session a week.
-
Micro-industry Mission Meeting, 6 p.m. Rm. 6
|
Wednesday
December
-
Holy Eucharist & Healing in the Church, 9:30 a.m.
-
Play School Christmas Program in the Parish Hall, 9:30 a.m.
-
Bible Study, 10:30 a.m.
-
Staff Meeting, 4 p.m.
-
Youth Choir, 4:45 p.m.
-
Christmas Pageant Rehearsal, 5:30 p.m.
-
Adult Choir, 6 p.m.
-
Vestry, Choir, Staff and spouses/guests Potluck Party, 7:30 p.m.
|
|
|
Thursday
December 20
Deliver Breadbasket Christmas Food Baskets from Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2:00 p.m.
|
Friday
December 21
No events scheduled for this day. |
Saturday
December 22
No events scheduled today.
|
Sunday
December 23
-
Choir Rehearsal, 9:15 a.m.
-
Rectors Forum (Old Choir Room), 9:15 a.m. Guest Lecturer and Expert in Islam, Dr. Mark Wagner, USM Assistant Professor Department of Philosophy and Religion, to Speak at the Rector's Forum. Topic will be "The Crusades."
-
Adult Study (Library), 9:15 a.m.
-
Christmas Pageant Rehearsal, 9:15 a.m.
-
Godly Play (Room 3), 10:15 a.m.
-
Catechesis (Room 4), 10:15 a.m.
-
Greening of the Church after the 10:30 service. If you are interested in helping, call Libby Lewis (601-268-6687).
-
EYC, 12 noon
-
Christmas Pageant. 6:00 p.m
|
ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS SERVICES
-
Sunday, December 23: 8 a.m. Spoken Eucharist, Advent 4
-
Sunday December 23: 10:30 a.m., Holy Eucharist with music, Advent 4
-
Sunday, December 23: 6:00 p.m. Children and Family Christmas Pageant.
-
Monday December 24: 4:00 p.m., Children and Family Holy Festival Holy Eucharist with music
-
Monday December 24: 10:00 p.m. Music Program
-
Monday, December 24: 10:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Festival Holy Eucharist with Music
-
Tuesday, December 25: 10:30 a.m. Contemplative Holy Eucharist
|
|
Christmas Day Potluck
Following the 10:30 a.m. Christmas Day service, we will have a Potluck Christmas Dinner similar to what we did for Thanksgiving, except that the main course will be ham. The church will provide wine. If you would like to participate in this potluck, please (1) call the church at 601-544-5551 so that we will know how many to plan for, and (2) contribute a dish in one of the following categories:
-
Potato, sweet potato, or yam side dish
-
Hot vegetable side dish
-
Hot Casserole
-
Green salad
-
Fruit Salad
-
Cranberry, pickle, olive, or other such side dish
-
Dessert
-
Non-wine beverage
|
FUTURE EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Christmas Pageant.
This year's Christmas Play will be at 6 pm on Sunday, December 23rd.
An Inconvenient Truth coming in Lent. We are currently assembling the materials to do an adult study of Nobel Prize Winner Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth during the Rector's Forum. A study guide will be provided. The film puts forth the argument that we can no longer afford to view global warming as a political issue - rather, it is the biggest moral challenges facing our global civilization. In order to be sure we prepare sufficient study materials, please email Bill at wgstroop@earthlink.net if you are interested in participating.
Breadbasket is a multi-denominational effort of eleven churches to stock a food pantry. Every week, all year long it supplies a few days of inexpensive basic groceries to up to fifteen needy families in the Hattiesburg area. Each Sunday of Advent, beginning December 2, a basket will be in the narthex for your donations of nonperishable food. Trinity will be furnishing the green beans (we need 90 cans) and powdered Great Value orange juice (we need 42). These items are needed by Wednesday, December 12. The boxes will be packed with the staple items on Sunday, December 16 at 2 pm at Westminster Presbyterian Church and delivery of the boxes will be on Friday, December 21 at 2 pm from Westminster Presbyterian Church. If you would like to take part in this very rewarding service ministry, call Karen Shappley at 601-268-6962. Families are encouraged to take part and children are especially encouraged to help.
If you would like more information about this ministry or would like to help distribute food during Trinity's weeks of service, please call Karen Shappley at 601-268-6962.
|
Jody Burnett's Purse
If you are interested in helping Jody Burnett while he is in seminary, you can write a check to Trinity Church and put in the envelopes provided in the pews that have Jody's name on it. If you give cash, please indi-cate your name and address on the outside of the envelope. You do not have to put Jody's name on the memo line of your check. Just put it in an envelope with Jody's name on it. Contributions designated to a specific individual on your checks are not tax deductible. Jody would like to acknowledge your gifts, so we will provide him with names and addresses but not amounts. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the church office. |
 WHO IS THIS?
For the next several weeks, we will be publishing a picture here each week. They will be pictures of current parishioners from a "few" years ago.
(Last week's picture was of Mary Virginia McKenzie)
|
|
I hope you find this weekly announcement bulletin from Trinity Parish, Hattiesburg helpful and informative. It is intended to provide you with news of the parish and upcoming activities for the weekend and next week in our community.
See you in church on Sunday!
The Rev. Dr. Bill Stroop
Trinity Episcopal Church |
|
|
