Wednesday evening, November 15, there will be a service of Solemn Evensong and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 6:30 PM. On Thursday evening,  November 16, a Solemn Mass will be celebrated also at 6:30 PM. The Very Rev'd Professor Andrew McGowan,  Dean of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, will preach at the Mass. There services are offered in conjunction with the  conference ,  Anglo-Catholicism: Uncovering Roots,  to be held at the Advent next week.

All are invited to attend these services.  The conference itself is completely subscribed, and so if you have not already registered we are sorry to say that there are no places left.

The official Church of the Advent Staff Tee Shirt was inaugurated last Holy Week. The design emphasizes the real, flesh and blood, and, if you will, space and time reality of the Incarnation. Something which happened and is still happening. It was borrowed from a Swedish journal of theology and is a human heart surrounded by the words of John 1:14-And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us-in the original Greek. Since then, there have been requests for similar tee shirts from as far abroad as Christ Church, Hamilton! We have, therefore, decided to abandon our unfair restriction to Staff members and offer these tee shirts to anyone who wishes one. They come white and gray and in all sizes. The price will be decided by the number of tee shirts ordered, but should be around $20.

The design and a specimen are posted in Moseley Hall.  If you would like one, email [email protected] giving the size and color.  This is the last week that orders can be taken for shirts.

Next Sunday, November 19, the Advent will have a Solemn Evensong and Benediction at 5:00 pm.  It will be preceded by an organ recital by John Wessler at 4:30 pm. 

At a light supper to follow, long-time friend of the Advent the  Rev'd Canon Alistair Macdonald-Radcliff will speak about his experiences and perceptions regarding Muslim/Christian Relations in the Middle East, as well as his perceptions of the same in the West, entitled  "For Better or Worse:  Just what do we want in the Middle East?"  It was supposedly said of John Foster Dulles as Secretary of State, that there was no situation which a few words from him could not make worse.  This is not only a caution to those so rash as to speak upon the subject, but also reminds of the long history of missteps and travail in the region.  There is now also a sense of fatigue affecting many who feel that Western efforts to intervene in the Middle East have all too often ended badly.  But probably everyone can at least agree that things are not as they should be.  While the remedies advanced are myriad and fragmented in consequence of a deep diversity of goals among the key actors, it is interesting to ask what a good outcome in the Middle East would be.  What is the place of Christians within that future and of the current religious diversity in the region?  What can we learn by reflecting upon where it all went wrong in the past?

The talk will reflect on or two key turning points and the impact of personal experience in the region upon these large questions.  It is hoped that these reflections will provoke a lively debate given the difficulty of arriving at definitive answers.

Alistair Macdonald-Radcliff is Director General of the World Dialogue Council, which promotes better relations between the many worlds of Islam and the West.  He was formerly Dean of All Saints' Cathedral in Cairo where he has also advised the Anglican Bishop of Egypt, North Africa and the Horn of Africa, the Most Rev'd Dr Mounir Anis, currently Primate of the Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. 

The first returns for the 2018 Canvass are coming in. Thanks to everyone who pledged so promptly! 

As of this past Thursday we have received 37 pledges, pledging a total of $85,484.12 have increased their pledges by 20%, and there are two new pledges. We have still to hear from 179 parishioners who pledged a total of $425,329 last year.

The Stewardship Committee thanks all who have made a pledge so far . If you have not yet pledged, please do so soon. 

If you did not receive a 2018 stewardship packet in the mail, there are Stewardship brochures and pledge cards on the tables at the rear of the Church. And you can pledge on line by going to the parish website, www.theadventboston.org, and clicking the "Pledge Online" button.