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Much like your homes, with only about ten days before Christmas, decorations are showing up all over the place at St. Peters. There have been many sightings of our devoted flower guild as they prepare the church for our Christmas celebrations, including the Copley Singers' Christmas this evening at 7:30pm. I'm excited about this year's Christmas pageant and especially about including any new children who haven't been in our pageant before. There are also those who, for one reason or another, haven't been to St. Peter's in a while and will find their way here for Christmas. If that is you, even if you feel like Mary and Joseph knocking on the door of an inn in Bethlehem, we'll have room for you here.

Paul+

St. Peter’s Community Prayers

We pray for the people on

our parish prayer list:

~

Maryann, Valerie, Joan, Helen, Harry, Adam, Sarah, Margo, Meredith, and Rosalina

Mark Your Calendars!

• TONIGHT, December 13th - The Copley Singers Christmas at 7:30PM in the Sanctuary (free admission!)

• Tuesday, December 24th - Christmas Eve Family Pageant at 3PM; Christmas Eve Service with Prelude and Carols at 5PM



• Sunday, December 29th - Lessons and Carols

Copley Singers’ Christmas at St. Peter’s TONIGHT



The first of what could become an annual event at St. Peter’s, we have the Copley Singers’ Christmas on TONIGHT, December 13th at 7:30PM. This will be a fun energetic evening. We are grateful to our generous donors who have made it possible for us to offer this event for free and to open our beautiful church to all. Please invite your friends, neighbors, and especially anyone you know who may be looking for a church home. (Click on the video below for more information).

Calling all Angels, Wisepeople & Shepherds: Christmas Pageant 2024 News!

Children of all ages are needed to stage this year’s Christmas Pageant. Held during the family service at 3:00PM on Christmas Eve, this annual tradition has a place for all! Angels, sheep, and other animals of all kinds are especially welcome. Please reach out to Wink van Ogtrop or Deb Boshart with the names and ages of your children or grandchildren. Wink can be reached at winkvo@me.com and Deb at deboshart@comcast.net Rehearsal will take place at 2:15PM on the day of the pageant. 

Christmas Memorial Flower and Music Donations

Christmas flower donation envelopes are located in the pews or you can donate online through Realm HERE by Thursday, December 19th.  

Please email Emily with the name(s) of your loved one(s) and which type of donation.  The deadline to email Emily is Monday, December 16th if you would like the names to be published in the Christmas Eve bulletins. Thank you!

Gifts in Memory of David Bradley, Jr.

Memorial Gifts are being received by the office for new altar hangings given on his behalf. Checks should be made out to St. Peter's with "Bradley Memorial" in the memo line.



It's Time to Pledge: 2025 Stewardship Campaign

With our new Rector, we are entering a new era for our church, and we invite you to lift up your hearts in prayer and ask: “How can I contribute to the flourishing of this church and community?” What you choose to pledge will largely shape what is possible at St. Peter’s next year. Together, with hearts lifted to God, we can make a difference in our church, our community, and the world. Further information and links to enter your pledge can be found on the stewardship page of our website.

A reminder that neither Rev. Paul nor any of the lay leaders of this church will ever text or email you directly asking you for money or donations. There is a rise in phishing scams where someone posts from a phone number or email that appears to be from clergy or lay leaders and attempts to steal money from parishioners or others on our mailing list, usually requesting the purchase of gift cards. When you think you've received a suspicious communication, please report it to your service provider and contact Rev. Paul, Emily in the office, or Mike Iacono directly.

Sign Up to be a Worship Leader/Lay Assistant

Updates to Prayers of the People

If you would like to include a family member or loved one on the prayer list, please contact Emily at office@stpetersweston.org

or call the office at 781-891-3200

Sunday Flower Donations!

If you wish to make a flower donation in memory or in celebration, please sign up your name on the flower calendar in the Narthex of the church. You may either donate by placing your donation in the collection plate or go to the St. Peter’s website to donate online.  The Donate button is located in the top right corner of the homepage or you can use this LINK.  In the drop-down menu, select “Flower Donation.” 

Please contact Helen Stock (helenstock2@gmail.com) as to the type of flower arrangements you prefer and contact Emily (office@stpetersweston.org) as to the wording you would like to appear in the bulletin.

St. Peter’s YouTube Page Revived



St. Peter’s created a YouTube page during the pandemic that was well used during that time, but not at all after that. It is now revived and you can expect to see short edifying videos of all kinds there appearing periodically. For example, some of Rev. Paul’s sermons at St. Peter’s are now there to be seen or re-seen. To find the YouTube page, just click on the YouTube button at the upper right corner of the church’s main webpage or at the bottom of this weekly email. You can also subscribe to be notified of new content. 

Thank you!

This year marks the 15th year of the Latinos en Acción de Waltham toy drive that benefits over 600 children. In addition to the carload of gifts and individual cash donations, the outreach committee donated an additional $1,000 to this effort. Thank you for your donations and wishing you a very merry Christmas!

Afghan Ministry Update

Thank you to Molly, Helen, Becky and Jim for their wonderful Thanksgiving gift to the Afghan community. They decorated the altar with a bounty of vegetables and fruits to celebrate Thanksgiving. Then the produce was donated to newly arrived Afghan families. They were so happy to receive fresh produce. It was a cold week and we visited 7 families, also giving them winter coats, blankets and curtains, drinking tea, and sharing a delicious meal prepared by Lailuma, a lovely young mother. They recently arrived after escaping Afghanistan, where her husband had been jailed by the Taliban for working with the US forces. Their story and countless others remind us to be constantly thankful to God for the blessings in our lives.  The news for Afghan women continues to be bad. A new Taliban decree banned medical schools from admitting female students, removing the last remaining opportunity for women to pursue higher education. This decree deprives millions of women from midwives and critical medical services as women are banned from visiting male doctors. According to BBC, one woman dies every hour in Afghanistan due to complications from giving birth. 

Meanwhile back in Manchester where women are allowed to gather freely, with the new arrivals, we now have over 45 women and have been renting a van to bring them to the Tuesday women's group! More winter blankets were collected in a drive at Temple Adeth Yeshurun and warm clothes from Karen were handed out. Our latest Tuesday group featured Officer Rachel, who discussed child vehicle safety, avoiding scams, what to do in the case of a car accident, laws protecting women in the US from abuse and making sure children are supervised when outside of the home. It is encouraging to see the women trust the Manchester Police Department after previous negative experiences with Taliban police. Our next topic is mental health, led by a retired Social Worker and an Afghan woman nurse and doctor-in-training. 

We are so thankful to all of you for your support of the Afghan ministry. Whether Thanksgiving produce, blankets, coats, sewing machines, laptops, financial support, volunteer time, and countless other donations, our ministry is providing crucial support to so many women and their families. Happy Thanksgiving! 

Karen and Hansi

Do You Have a Pastoral Need?

For pastoral support or emergencies or for any other church matter, please call the Rev. Paul at the office (781-891-3200). We encourage you to let him know if you are in the hospital or have some other need that calls for pastoral support.

Did you know you can give to St. Peter’s securely through our online giving site? Make your pledge, give one-time or designate a special gift to one of our ministries.

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church | 320 Boston Post Road | Weston, MA 02493

www.stpetersweston.org