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The Magnificat  Weekly

St. Mary's Episcopal Church      
Crystal Lake IL

Weekly E-Newsletter                                      November 27, 2019

In This Issue

 
Worship Times
Sundays, 8 & 10 am
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A Nursery is available 
during the 10:00 a.m. service.   Coffee Hour fellowship  follows both services;  join us for treats, and conversation.

 


Clergy & Staff
Amy Noe, Parish Administrator
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Parish Vestry  (term expires)
Tracy Higgins, Warden (1/20)
Steve Brooks, Warden (1/21)
Cate Williams, Treasurer
Members:
(1/20)   Amy Koegel, Judy Thornton, Sally Van Vranken
(1/21)   Stacy Cook
(1/22)  Heather Horeled, Lorraine Taylor

Monthly Events
 
The next CRYSTAL LAKE FOOD PANTRY volunteer opportunity is Friday, December 6.  Shift times are 8:30-11:30 a.m., or 11:30 am to 2:30 pm.  Contact Cate Williams if you can help.  

A FREE COMMUNITY MEAL  is offered at St. Mary's on the third Saturday of every month.  The meal is served from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., and ALL are welcome.  There is no RSVP required.   Free will donations will be accepted.  Please watch the newsletter and website for the menu, which will be published a week or two before the event.  The next  Community Meal is Saturday, December 21.


We Pray For
Parishioners: Marion,
Cindy, John, Glenice, John, Amalia, Elmer, Harry, Shirley, Cate, Amy, Gladys, El, Carol, Lorraine, Steve, Margaret, Judy,  Bob,  John, Matthew, and Elizabeth, Galen & Betsy, and all those seeking employment
Family/Friends: Genevieve, Ashley, Kyle, Neil and Des, Shannon and family, Sarah Margaret, Rick, Sylvia, Jess, Betty and Del, Elyse and Chris, Al and Karen, Peggy, Denise, Gabriel, Rev. Bill Beachy, Mark,  Joanne, Lauren,  Lynn, Rachel, Maria,  Kay, Cora,  Saul, Susan, Brian, Tom, Tom,  Pat, Billy, Gary, Kevin,  Kelly, Carole, Kurt, Gail, Regina, Sue, Maggie, Nicci, Sarah

Those Who Have Died
Mary, sister of Peter Becker; Mark, brother of Cameron Robert
 
Those Who Mourn
Peter Becker and the family of Mary; Cameron Robert and the family of Mark
 
Those Serving in the
Armed Forces
Michael, Jeremy

Anniversaries 
November 27-December 4
11.27  Harry & Marion
            Dillon  (71 years!)
12.2    Mark & Kathy 
            Vernsten

 

 

 

Quick Links

 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
News from The Episcopal Cafe



From the Rector

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Mary's,

This Sunday, December 1 , is the First Sunday of Advent , which marks the beginning of the liturgical year. During this season you will notice that our sanctuary is less busy and more simplified. This is a season of quiet contemplation, expectant waiting, hope, and preparation. Advent is my favorite season, a time when the days grow shorter and so we spend more time in the dark. Yet amidst the darkness, the lights that are now showing up on our streets and in the store windows shine brightly. We light our Advent candles illuminating the advancing darkness around us. Have you ever noticed that when you light a candle it shines brighter in the dark? It's almost as if you really can't perceive the great light around us until you dare to go directly into the darkness itself.   We spend so much of our Christian life talking about light but the true miracles of life often happen in the dark.   My favorite author Barbara Brown Taylor says it best in her book, Learning to Walk in the Dark, when she writes "...new life starts in the dark, whether it is a seed in the ground, a baby in the womb, or Jesus in the tomb, it starts in the dark." If you light a candle in a darkened room you will find that after a while the entire room is lit up. Sometimes you just have to go directly into the dark to experience the light. This season as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ let us dare to find the light in the darkness, let us begin to perceive all the ways that God is truly present in this darkened world of ours, and let us dare to go into the dark so that others can find the light through us. I pray that in this holy season you will find and experience the light that has already come into the world.

Please mark your calendars for our annual service of Lessons and Carols for Advent on Sunday, December 8 at 10:00 a.m.   This service will be directed by Beau Surratt, and he and the choir have already been working together on this service. The service will have many of the beloved familiar anthems and hymns as well as some new surprises. Following the service on December 8 we will hold a St. Nicholas Festival, which is an intergenerational event complete with homemade cookies, craft projects, a special visitor, and lunch. See more information in this newsletter about this great event. Adults and children of all ages are welcome to participate.

Thank you to everyone who donated food for the Community Harvest Collection for the Crystal Lake Food Panty, and thank you to everyone who signed up to purchase gifts and gift cards for the Revive Program Please remember that all gifts and gift cards are due by this Sunday December 1st . Thank you for your generosity to all of our friends and neighbors who are in need.

A big shout out to all who attended the Diocesan Convention this past weekend; we had all of our delegates and alternate delegates in the house as well as other parishioners participating and attending workshops and worship. St. Mary's was well represented.

May you and your family and loved ones have a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!
 
Blessings,
Fran+
 
Advent Begins December 1
Volunteers are Needed

Lessons & Carols Readers: The beautiful and tranquil service of Advent Lessons & Carols  is scheduled for December 8, beginning at 10:00 a.m. , in place of the usual Rite II Choral Eucharist. Communion will not be offered at this service. If you are interested in reading one of the lessons, please see the sign-up sheet in the Narthex . (The 8:00 a.m. service will be held as usual.)

Lighting of the Advent Wreath: Families or individuals are needed each Sunday to light the Advent wreath at the beginning of the service.   The sign-up sheet is located on a table in the Narthex.
 
Intergenerational 
St. Nicholas Festival 

Sunday December 8
11:15 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Advent is coming  and so is
 St. Nicholas!  Don't miss this event!

Come meet a special visitor, make Christmas crafts, share homemade cookies and have a great lunch. This free event is for all ages! Invite friends and neighbors, bring your children and grandchildren, and young-at-heart adults.  You may RSVP here, and also indicate if you'd like to bring cookies to share.  

Volunteers are needed to run/assist with the craft tables , and also oversee the lunch/cookie table .   Please contact Amy Koegel if you have any questions or are interested in helping!  Thank you!
   

ReVive Center for Housing and Healing 
Christmas Basket Program

A reminder that all gifts and gift cards are due this Sunday, December 1 Please wrap and label gifts (new) and put them in a cardboard box for transport to the ReVive Center. Label the box with the family code number. Please leave the box unsealed , so that we can add the gift cards to it.   Gift cards can be brought to the office.
 
Diaper and Wipe Drive

My name is Michael Mauger and I am doing my Eagle Project for Boy Scouts.  For my project I have chosen to run a diaper and wipe drive to benefit the Northern Illinois Diaper Bank.  Please consider bringing diapers and wipes to St. Mary's to help me meet my goal of 500 packages.   I chose this organization because they have helped my family with diapers, since my brother uses so many for his gastroparesis. There is a collection bin at church.  
Thank you!                               
 
Creating Sacred Space in Advent
A Labyrinth Walk

Saturday, December 14
9:30 a.m. to Noon
St. Mary's Great Hall
       
For this walk, we will gather on the second Saturday of December, pausing in our outward preparations to share time creating sacred space. No previous experience is needed.

Walking together on the labyrinth pattern creates a symbolic outward journey that tunes us in to our inward journey. The path for both our outward and inward journey toward the coming of Jesus, will be framed by story, music and sacred scripture.

You are invited. Come on December 14th to walk and to listen, and to share the gifts our loving God has prepared for us this Advent season.

Fundraiser for St. Mary's Deadline Extended
Get a Jump-Start on Your Christmas Shopping!
 
We have a great opportunity for you to do a little Christmas shopping, and help St. Mary's at the same time, thanks to parishioner, Claudia Majzner.   Claudia is a Thirty-One consultant, and if you purchase anything online by December 6,  100% of her proceeds will be donated to St. Mary's !    Thirty-One offers a variety of products from lunch totes to travel bags, bags for storage, crafting, and everything in between.
   
Click here to go to Claudia's page on the Thirty-One website and start shopping - for yourself, or for everyone on your Christmas list. 

Note:   There are a few "Act Fast" items which are available for immediate purchase.  See the display in the Great Hall!

PHOTOS FROM RECENT EVENTS
 
St. Mary's was well represented at
Diocesan Convention last weekend!


Thanksgiving Brunch, Sunday, November 24


 
St. Mary's Episcopal Church |   210 McHenry Ave.   |   Crystal Lake IL  60014-6009
815-459-1009    |    parishofc@stmarysepiscopalcl.org