Happy New Year! This Sunday marks the beginning of the Christian calendar year.
Advent is the first season of the church year, beginning with the fourth Sunday before Christmas and continuing through the day before Christmas, Dec. 24. The name is derived from a Latin word for “coming.” The season is a time of preparation and expectation for the coming celebration of our Lord’s nativity, and for the final coming of Christ “in power and glory.”
Collect for the First Sunday of Advent
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Readings:
Key things to know about this week:
New Interim Rector
Fr. Dave Blank begins his tenure as the interim rector at St. David’s on Nov. 28.
Known as Pastor Dave in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, he is a native of western Pennsylvania. He has been an ordained minister for more than 30 years serving congregations in northwestern PA and upstate New York, as well as Saint Andrews Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids and, most recently, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids.
During his pastoral tenure, Fr. Dave was also a full-time chaplain for LutheranCare, a long-term care facility located in Clinton, N.Y. He is a graduate of Thiel College, Greenville, Penn., and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Penn. His ministry centers on Word and Sacrament, teaching, equipping the laity for service and leadership. He is also interested in ecumenism and Celtic Spirituality.
Fr. Dave is married to Judith M Cole, a native of Buffalo and an artist. He is father and grandpa. His hobbies include winemaking and Lionel trains.
Be sure to read Fr. Dave’s letter to the St. David’s community.
Coffee Hours Are Back
There will be a “Welcome to St. David’s” coffee hour on Sunday, Nov. 28, following the 9:30 a.m. service for our interim priest Fr. Dave Blank.
This will be his first Sunday, so let’s give Fr. Dave a big welcome! It will also be a wonderful way to kick off the Advent season.
We will continue to have coffee hour in the Great Hall now even though we are still using masks. We will keep the doors closed and those who feel comfortable with eating together are welcome to come in and join us.
Hopefully this will start us on a path to more community. There will be a sign-up calendar to give you an opportunity to participate!
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Donations Needed: Personal Needs Closet
A personal needs closet will be reopening at North Westminster Presbyterian Church. In order to do so, they need to rebuild their supply of the following items:
- Toilet paper
- Laundry soap
- Bleach
- Dish soap
- Bar soap
- Paper towel
- Toothpaste
- Shampoo
- Tampons
- Pads
- Deodorant
- Tissue
Thank you in advance for your generosity. There is a container in the Narthex eagerly awaiting your donations.
Urgent Update About the Food Basket Program
Dear St. David’s Family,
I want to let you know of the Church’s plans for this year’s Food Basket Program.
After prayer, consultation with Bill Paff and Jerry Williams, and in light of the continuing COVID19 crisis, we have decided to repeat what we did last year and again give donations made to the Food Baskets to the following charities that continue to provide food to local individuals and families in need:
- The Lansing City Rescue Mission
- The Lansing Capital Area Salvation Army
- SIREN/Eaton Shelter
- The Greater Lansing Food Bank
- Meals-On-Wheels Program
As Bill stated in his guidance, “We have been so careful this last number of months to avoid face-to-face contact to minimize the possibility of spreading the COVID19 virus that I would hate to see an act of charity and giving be the cause of illness to either St. David’s parishioners or those coming to pick up food baskets.”
So, even though we won’t be having our usual Food Basket program this year, we will still be helping people who need help. For that reason, we urge you to continue to support the Food Baskets. Any amount you contribute will be deeply appreciated.
If you have questions, please contact Sharon Phipps at srfroeli@hotmail.com or Jerry Williams at jerrywill42@comcast.net.
May God bless you and keep you.
Sincerely,
Sharon Phipps, Outreach Chairperson
Delta Community Choir Holding “Seasons of Love” Concert
Delta Community Choir presents “Seasons of Love,” a winter concert to benefit Canines for Change.
Canines for Change is a nonprofit organization that strives to provide the highest-quality assistance and skilled companion dogs to enhance the lives of individuals with disabilities by empowering them to maintain an independent and active lifestyle.
The concert is at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, at the Grand Ledge High School Auditorium, 820 Spring St., in Grand Ledge.
Freewill donations are accepted to benefit Canines for Change in lieu of admittance fee. Reservations are not required.
For more information, call 517-627-6202.
This Week at St. David’s
Monday, Nov. 29
7 p.m. — Promise Keepers (Zoom)
7 p.m. — Delta Community Choir (Great Hall and Room 8)
Tuesday, Nov. 30
10 a.m. — Bible Study (Zoom)
Wednesday, Dec. 1
6:30 p.m. — Holy Eucharist (Chapel)
Thursday, Dec. 2
6 p.m. — Bell Choir Rehearsal
7 p.m. — Choir Rehearsal
Friday, Dec. 3
9 a.m. — Holy Eucharist (Chapel)
Sunday, Dec. 5
9:30 a.m. — Holy Eucharist and Sunday School
Please Note: To join a Zoom event, please contact Rev. Carol (281-0528) for details.