Dragon Tales 12/6/17

Advent 2017

Dragon Tales E-News

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

1601 Pleasant Plains Road, Annapolis, MD 21409

(410) 974-0200 Office Emergency (443) 837-5463

www.st-margarets.org

The Rev. Peter W. Mayer, Rector

The Rev. Dr. Henrietta Wiley, Interim Associate Rector

Quick Links

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Scheduling Reminder --

The memorial service for Christian Tanner will be this Saturday at 11 a.m.

A Note from Jeff

Alice and I have always loved being parents. Seeing the everyday miracles that occurred right under our noses made us want to be the very best parents possible. In our zeal to be the greatest parents ever, in the swirl of school events, extracurricular activities, nightly homework struggles and the sometimes seemingly overwhelming logistics required just to survive, we became blinded by our own priorities.

We remember one Christmas morning in particular. For weeks, Alice and I picked out awesome presents. We wrapped until our fingers cramped. We stuffed the extra-large stockings Alice had made to overflowing. When we went to bed in the wee hours of that Christmas day, the tree looked as if it had exploded into a galaxy of shiny, sparkly, colorful presents! It was magic. It was our childhood fantasy of a Christmas come true, and all out of our love for our children.

Our tradition is to open our stockings, have breakfast, and only then open the gifts under the tree. We open one at a time, so everyone can see what the others get, and to truly savor the excitement that comes when someone opens a gift from you! Stockings took a long time, and by the time breakfast was done and we gathered in the living room, it was close to afternoon. By the time we reached the point where we could start to see the floor under the tree, the kids were tired of opening presents! One of them said to us, "You got us too much!"

Our children showed us that, with the best of intentions, our priorities were askew. With each subsequent Christmas, we have been mindful that it is not the number of presents under the tree that makes it a festive day. Our world wants us to revel in "too much." So does God. When you take away the material distractions, what remains is the love the day celebrates, and can we have too much of that?

Christmas Missions Efforts

Youth Sponsors "Warm" Giving

As the St. Margaret's Youth Group did last year, they are collecting hats, scarves, gloves (or mittens) and fleece blankets, to help 29 local middle school girls and boys - all neighbors of ours - stay warmer this year. The tree, located in the narthex, is loaded with ornaments made by the Youth Group. Each ornament lists what the requested item is, and whether it is for a boy or a girl, and what grade they are in. Please take an ornament (or several!) home with you this Sunday, and when you go out to do your family Christmas shopping, pick up the requested item(s). We ask that you bring the UNWRAPPED donations - with the ornaments - to the Narthex by Sunday, Dec. 17 December. The children will receive their gifts on the last day of school before the Christmas break. For questions, contact Jeff Conover, Youth Activities Coordinator, at [email protected].

Help a Local Family at Christmas!

In keeping with the spirit of Project 3.25, the Mission Commission is helping two local families for Christmas. You can help make the holidays brighter for these needy families by purchasing an item from their wish lists. Requested toys and clothes can be found on ornament tags placed on the Giving Tree in the narthex. Please take a tag, buy the item and leave it unwrapped (with the ornament tag attached) under the tree by Monday, December 18. Thanks for your generosity. Questions? Contact Christine Feldmann at [email protected].

Join Our Day School Drive for the Homeless

Our St. Margaret's Day School is holding a drive to support Giving Back - Linda's Legacy, a local nonprofit that distributes backpacks to the homeless during Christmas week. Included in the backpacks are toiletry items. We are inviting Sunday School students, their families, and other parishioners to help. Plastic bags with a list of needed items are available in the narthex and in Sunday School classrooms. Items should be in the bags and returned to Sunday School classrooms THIS SUNDAY.

Christmas Meals for Neighbors

Parishioners are asked to once again help their neighbors in need through meal giving this coming Christmas. The Missions Commission will furnish the hams, and parishioners are asked to buy specific ingredients for the rest of the meal and then deliver the donations to the recipients before Christmas day. Hams should be picked up on Sunday, Dec. 17 in the parish hall. If you can participate, contact coordinator Jan Little at [email protected].

Christmas Caroling on Dec. 17th

St. Margaret's youth, families, and adults will go Christmas caroling on December 17th, following the 11:15 service. Participants will be visiting parishioners who may have a hard time getting out and enjoying the sights and sounds of the seasons. They will gather in the Parish Hall after the service and will have a quick lunch before we go (a free-will donation to help cover the cost of lunch will be taken). Following lunch, participants will head out to sing for approximately 90 minutes to two hours, depending on how many parishioners we visit. We will need drivers! If you have a mini-van or a car with a lot of seat belts, we can use you! Please let Jeff Conover know if you plan to attend, and if you can drive.

Advent Studies

RE:Thinking Advent with the Rev. Peter Mayer - Sunday mornings

The Rev. Peter will be leading an interactive discussion to help us re-think what the Advent season can mean for all of us. The discussions will take place during coffeehour (10:20-11 a.m.) in the Fellowship Hall on Dec.10 & 17.

Advent Through the Psalms -- Monday evenings

The Rev. Dr. Rhetta Wiley will explore the tradition of praying the Psalms, first examining their composition and formation into the Psalter, then the range of Jewish and Christian interpretation, and finally discussing how to claim the psalms for ourselves. The program will be the adult formation program for Faith & Fellowship Monday evenings at 6:45 p.m. on Dec. 11 and 18.

Advent Daily Devotions - Adults

This year we offer daily devotional meditations for adults titled Living Well Through Advent from the Living Compass program. The booklets provide a foundation for seeking a deeper experience of the Advent season, an experience that will help prepare us for the true meaning of Christmas. A limited number of books are available in the narthex and church office.

Advent Daily Devotions - Families

Families are invited to sign up for daily Advent posts from our Sunday School curriculum publishing site. When you sign up, you will receive a daily email during Advent that includes a Bible verse, ideas for family activities, and discussion questions. We know this is a busy season, so the devotionals can be completed in 5 minutes or less--even when you are on-the-go with your family! You'll receive them in your inbox December 3 through Christmas Day.

Click here to sign up!

Christmas Events

NEW--Christmas Epiphany Pageant Changes

Please note that the location and time of the Children's Epiphany Pageant has been changed!

The Children's Epiphany Pageant will now occur during the 9 a.m. service on Sunday, January 7th in the sanctuary. Rehearsal will still be held on Saturday the 6th at 9 a.m. This cannot happen without parent volunteers! Parishioner Angela Carpita will be heading up the volunteer effort and has created an automated registration form online . For questions, contact her at [email protected].

Guild Poinsettia Sales

The Guild is holding their annual poinsettia sale again this Sunday. Stop by the formation building lobby during coffeehour. Prices are $10, $15, and $20. Proceeds go toward the group's mission projects.

Blue Christmas Service & Tea

For parishioners and their guests who are not as joyous this season, we offer our annual "Blue Christmas" service on Wednesday, Dec. 20, at 3 p.m. in the church followed by a tea reception in the Fellowship Hall. Please invite any friends or family you believe could be comforted by this effort.

Honor Your Loved Ones This Christmas

Honor a loved one this Christmas by purchasing and dedicating Christmas flowers or a wreath to beautify the sanctuary at Christmas time. Your dedication will be notated on Christmas bulletins. Costs are $25 for a poinsettia and $45 for a Christmas wreath. Order forms are in the narthex and church office.

Checks should be made out to "St. Margaret's Church" with "Christmas flowers" on the memo line. You can put it in the offertory plate or drop it off in the church office.

Click here to purchase them online. Be sure and send an email to [email protected] about who you are honoring/remembering.

Important Notes on End-of-Year Giving

Deadlines for contributions to be recorded for 2017 taxes are as follows:

* Stock or bond sales TODAY . This is because it may take 2-3 weeks for the transaction to be processed and for our bank to receive the proceeds from the sale. Please remember to alert the church office of your gift in advance so you can be properly credited.

* Automatic drafts from your bank need to be scheduled by you no later than Monday, December 18. It can take six to seven business days to process and then mail the checks to our office.

*Please mail or drop off your final 2017 contributions so that the office receives them by Thursday, December 28th.

Winter Relief Volunteers Needed

Volunteers are needed as we assist the winter relief efforts at St. Philip's in Annapolis next month. Specifically we are in need of helpers for breakfast on January 4th and dinner help for January 6th.

Winter Relief at St. Margaret's

The Sign Up Genius is now live for our parishioners to sign up for volunteering for winter relief efforts here at the church from Feb. 12-20th. Over 100 people are needed for this effort. From meals to hosting to transportation, we need people! Questions? Email Judy Hall at [email protected].

Annual Meeting/Vestry Candidates

Our parish-wide annual meeting will be held on Sunday, January 28 with a potluck lunch at 12:15 and the meeting starting at 12:45 p.m.

New vestry members will be voted on at the meeting. If you are interested in becoming a candidate, please contact nominations chair Ernie Tucker at [email protected] or let clergy know.

Vestry is the council of St. Margaret's Episcopal Church. In addition to transacting the business of the church, the vestry follows the model of servant leadership, with each member of the vestry responsible for the effectiveness of various ministries. Vestry members serve a three-year term beginning and ending at an Annual Parish Meeting on the last Sunday of January with the terms staggered so that each year approximately one-third of the members are replaced. Vestry meetings currently are held on the second Tuesday of each month (except August) at 7 p.m.

Day School Winter Workshops

Our Day School will hold fun winter workshops on Dec. 20 & 21. Participants will socialize with their peers and make art projects, experiment with different snacks/cooking projects and play games. All children should come with their lunches, keeping in mind that we are still a nut free school environment. Workshops will be staffed with current teachers and summer camp counselors.

Camp is from 9am-3pm for children who are 4 years or older. Camp is from 9am -12pm for children who are 2 and 3 years old. Children who are 3 years old can extend to a full day as well. There will be a discount for registering more than one child or for registering for more than one workshop. Before and after care will be available. To register, go to the school's website at stmargaretsdayschool.org or click here.