Our Altar Rail Cushion project is ready for stage 2. The canvas has been painted and the last order of yarn has finally arrived, so we are ready to begin the needlepoint! We will meet at Saint Paul's in the St. Patrick's Room in the Children's Ministry Center with the Linda Mote, our designer, Saturday, December 3, 1:00 PM. Please RSVP your interest and/or attendance to Laurie Montgomery by email lauriefm628@gmail.com or by phone (706) 495-5029.

Your generous non-pledged offerings (cash and designated checks) on the first Sunday each month support our clergy’s Discretionary Account. Fr. Biddy uses these funds to meet urgent needs within our community, to further the ministries of the church when other funds are not available, and to support community programs and institutions that serve those in need.

Calling All Angels! Our Angel Tree Christmas Ministry is in progress. This year we will be providing new children’s coats of all sizes to support W. S. Hornsby School coat drive as well as providing Christmas gifts & meal bags to support children and their families in a Hornsby School mentoring program. Donations are greatly appreciated, and checks should be made out to Saint Paul’s Church and designated for Angel Tree Ministry.

This Sunday we will be blessing the gifts for Angel Tree at the 11:00 service. Be sure to save the date for our Angel Tree Breakfast, Saturday, December 10, 9:30 AM. More details below. For more information on how you can get involved, please email Melissa Friedman or (443) 528-9149 or email Nancy Kotti at (706) 910-2410.

We are pleased to announce that the Saint Paul’s nursery is open for children 6 months to 4 years of age. The nursery will be available this Sunday morning beginning at 9:30 AM to allow parents to attend formation.

We are currently understaffed in the Nursery and are in the process of hiring two nursery caregivers. Because we cannot open the nursery without two trained caregivers, we are communicating the nursery schedule to parents weekly. If you are not receiving our nursery email, please contact the parish office. If you can recommend a candidate for our nursery, please let us know that as well.

For more information, please contact Kim Butler, Director of Children, Youth, and Intergenerational Ministries.

11 AM Rite II - In person

11 AM Facebook Live

Busy morning? Breakfast with your friends at Saint Paul's instead! We've added Bojangles Bo-Berry & Chicken Biscuits to our Continental Breakfast while we eagerly await the NEW Tyler Hall kitchen this winter.

Donations accepted.

Our Sunday Forum continues during Advent when we will study Frederick Buechner’s The Sacred Journey. Buechner teaches us to hear God speaking through the mundane and spectacular parts of our lives.

The Canterbury and St. Nicholas Choirs rehearse as scheduled at 9:25 AM Sunday morning. For more information about our choir programs, please contact Keith Shafer.

This Sunday we will begin preparing for our annual Christmas program that will be performed during the 11 AM service on Sunday, December 18th. We will be preparing the children for this wonderful program during formation on the Sundays of December 4th, December 11th, and December 18th. This Sunday we will begin assigning roles and picking out costumes.

The performance gives the chance for the children to dress up and tell the story of Jesus’ birth through the

eyes of the animals in the stable. It is a beautiful, sweet song and story and such a gift to the congregation.

It requires no speaking parts so it is also low stress for the kids. We are very excited that Coleman Graham will be returning to direct our program. Please let us know as soon as possible if your child will be participating. Contact Kim Butler at kbutler@saintpauls.org or text at (706) 833-8541.

This Sunday the young people of Saint Paul’s will celebrate Saint Nicholas. His feast day is on December 6th. We will celebrate the spirit of Saint Nicholas and the day by focusing on giving over receiving, remembering the less fortunate, and remembering how much Saint Nicholas loved children.

Young people are invited to leave their shoes in the narthex as they enter the church for the 11 AM service. “Saint Nicholas” will leave a treat in their shoes during the service. It will be a fun way to celebrate one of our favorite saints. ♥️

This Sunday, December 4, 4 PM in the Berlin Room, Belinda Peebles will lead a labyrinth walk as we wait and walk in anticipation of the birth of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. There will be a brief introduction to walking a labyrinth and a time for reflection prior to the walk. No experience walking a labyrinth is required.

EYC meets at Saint Paul’s this Sunday 5-7 PM for a Saint Nicholas Celebration with our friends from Saint Bart’s. We will gather in Tyler Hall from for supper and then a fun Saint Nicholas Gift Exchange. Please bring a wrapped gift ($10 or under) for the exchange. Friends are always welcome! For more information contact Kim Butler.

Celtic Evening Prayer and Communion with Prayers for Healing will be offered at 5:30 PM. Rob Foster will be our guest musician.

At just the time when life becomes most hectic for many of us, the Church tells us to slow down, wait faithfully, and prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. How can we wait while we run from appointment and errand to appointment and errand?

This Advent at Saint Paul’s, we’ll hold quiet (half-) days to give us all a chance to take a breath and wait in the presence of God. Join us Tuesday, December 6 and/or Wednesday, December 14; 9 am to 12:00 noon, beginning in the Chapel.

The annual festival of Lessons and Carols to benefit the Sacred Heart Cultural Center and directed by Keith Shafer is Tuesday, December 6 at 7:30 PM. This year's choirs are from Greenbrier and Lakeside High Schools. Tickets at www.sacredheartaugusta.org.

We are inviting all parishioners join us for a delicious home cooked Christmas breakfast and fellowship at the church on Saturday morning, December 10th with the gift recipients and their families. Sign up to help with the various tasks for the Angel Tree breakfast using the link below to the Sign-Up Genius or on the portico this Sunday. All assistance is greatly appreciated.

The Augusta Choral Society and the Lyra Vivace Orchestra will present “The Most Wonderful Time” at Saint Paul’s Church on December 10, 7:30 PM. Music selections will include The Many Moods of Christmas, Three setting of The Gloria, The Christmas Song and many familiar Christmas songs. Tickets may be purchased online at augustacs.org, by calling 706-826-4713, or at the door the night of the concert.

Our next Men’s Monthly Meal (Mmm!) is scheduled Wednesday, December 14 — (Men gather at 4 PM to cook, the parish gathers at 6 PM for dinner.) On the menu: Ham, baked potatoes, collard greens, corn, and dinner rolls. There are two sign-ups. Please RSVP for dinner and men, please sign up for this fellowship and cooking team (separate sign-up from dinner reservations). Donations welcomed. Contact Eric Friedman for more information.

December 24 - Christmas Eve Services 4 PM & 10 PM

December 25 - Christmas Day Service 11 AM

January 1 - New Year's Day, Sunday services, 8.11,5:30

January 1 - Lessons and Carols, 11 AM

The Vestry Nominating Committee is seeking candidates whom you believe would make outstanding Vestry members for Saint Paul's. If you'd like to suggest someone, including yourself, please contact retiring Junior Warden Catherine Boardman. Prior to nominating someone else, please discuss with them their interest and willingness to serve in this role.

The basic responsibilities of the Vestry are:

We expect to elect for three full three-year terms. If the new junior warden comes from the current vestry, we may have an additional unexpired term to fill.

To be eligible for the Vestry, a nominee must answer "yes" to all of the following questions.

Each nominee slated to run for election to the Vestry will be invited to share a profile with the parish via our regular parish communications including the weekly newsletter.

A Note on Eligibility: Those eligible for election are those “confirmed adults in good standing eighteen years of age or older enrolled in the Congregation” (Canon 2.1). Those eligible to vote in an election are “those confirmed adults enrolled in the Congregation who are in good standing and who have reached the age of sixteen” (Canon 2.3). Those already in the process of being confirmed or received and otherwise eligible, are eligible to run and vote while waiting for the bishop’s next visit. If you are interested in being confirmed when the Bishop visits next year, please contact Fr. Biddy.

The Diocese of Georgia will offer daily devotions written by Bishop Frank and Victoria Logue for a 7-week study from Advent through Epiphany. The short daily readings use the lens of Franciscan ideals including humility, simplicity, and peace as a focal point of each week.

You do not need to buy anything to take part in this study as the Diocese of Georgia Facebook page will offer the content daily. Each week the Facebook page will also feature a companion video that is posted on the diocesan YouTube Channel that expands on the theme of the week.

The reflections will also be posted on the Diocese website each day as well as their Facebook and Instagram accounts.