Your e-connection with St. Michael's Church Dec. 19, 2019

In This Issue +Christmas Services +From Our Associate Rector of Christian Ed +Children's Ministry +LIFT Jr. & Sr. High + What is 4-1-2-4 +Stock the Freezer +Annual Meeting Notice +Auto-Draft for Pledging +Preschool Registration +Contribution Statements

Christmas at St. Michael's

Christmas Eve, December 24

2:00 pm Family Christmas Service, especially for children Sunday This service offers a very Holy and thoughtful time for Worship Times families to celebrate Christmas together. Small children and families are welcome and encouraged to attend.

4:00 pm with Carol Singing 8:00 a. m. Rite I This service is an opportunity for those who love to listen 10:00 a.m. Rite II Coffee & Fellowship and sing their favorite Christmas carols. after each service. 10:00 pm Candlelight Choral Service Church School A truly Holy evening experience, this service offers full choir, brass instruments, and candlelight service.

No Church School Christmas Day, Christmas Day 12/29 & 1/5 10:00 am ● Children ages 3-5th grade Join us in the chapel for this joyful morning service. 10:00 a.m. meet downstairs Click here. in classrooms. They will join their families in time for communion.

● JR. & SR. High 9:00 a.m. Meet in the Sturtz House

● Adult Formation Seasonal From Our Associate Rector (watch Sword for of Christian Education upcoming info) The Rev. Lisa Erdeljon Nursery (infants and [email protected] children up to 3 years old) is available St. Michael's is amazing! If you did not already know that, downstairs from consider this your official "telling!" 9:30am through the 10am service. We have collected so many things over the past few For Church School weeks-the storage space is overflowing with generosity. information please contact The Rev. Lisa Erdeljon, Associate Rector for Christian Education.

For additional service information, events and activities, please visit our I'll be sure to share final numbers, once everything has website by been collected and counted, but for now, know that you all clicking here. are amazing!

This Sunday is the final Sunday of the Reverse Advent Calendar. Please bring the past week's items, as well as a new pillow or new set of sheets for Love INC.

Then, there are two more days of Advent, and we do not want to forget those two days.

There will be boxes out this Sunday, on Christmas Eve, on Christmas Day, and next Sunday, December 29. Plus, if you are not able to be here any of those times, feel free to drop off those last two items any time during the week or in January. The final delivery of donated items happens at the end of January, so there is time to get it all here.

Remember:

This Sunday, December 22, bring a new pillow or a new set of sheets for Love INC, as well as the other items collected over the past week.

Love INC is a national organization, currently focused on bedding for families in need in southwest Lake County. St. Michael's has an ongoing and growing relationship with Love INC, with various ministries supporting the organization and donating to their cause.

Then, over the next week, collect the following things in your tote:

Monday, December 23: A tube of toothpaste (travel size) Tuesday, December 24: Baby wipes or diapers (any size) Bring the full bag next Sunday, to unload and be ready for the next week of Advent. Click here for the full Reverse Advent Calendar, and click here for the Daily Devotional Booklet, which includes more information about the organizations we are supporting this Quick Links year.

Children's Ministry (3 year to 5th grade) Kim Curtis [email protected]

Click here St. Nicholas Sunday Observed, THIS SUNDAY! REMINDER for Sunday: Kids arrive early at 9:30 a.m. to practice song. Meet in classroom, wear something red, wear festive socks!

Since the celebration of St. Michael's Day we have been talking a lot about Saints in Sunday school. The word Our Website saint comes from the Latin sanctus and literally means "holy." Throughout the New Testament, saint is used to refer to all who believe in Jesus Christ, one who followed His teachings and who have performed miracles. On all Saints day, November 3, the kids learned about St. Teresa of Avila whose picture and life mission statement is hanging in the church Little Angels hallway. On Sunday, December 22, we will Preschool be celebrating another saint, Saint Nicholas. The traditional Christmas Eve children's sermon will be presented on this day instead.

In preparation for celebrating Saint Nicholas Day and our special children's sermon, I set out to learn about this Listen to Sunday remarkable man. St. Nicholas was made Bishop of Myra Sermons and spent his life telling people about Jesus. His work of always being good to others made him named the patron saint or special guardian of young people. Saint Nicholas was a generous wealthy man. He believed when you give away something to do it secretly so God will know and reward you. This is how the tradition of hanging our stockings by the fireplace was created. Follow us on Facebook On Saint Nicholas' Day in Europe, Children are asked if they have been good and to put their shoes outside at night. In the morning they awake to find their shoes filled with a secret gift of love.

On December 22, the Sunday school kids will line up their shoes in the hallway and go into church in their socks to Vestry Meeting listen and participate in the St. Nicholas Day worship Summary service. When they come out they will have filled shoes. 10.21.19 Click here We will then go into the community room to make a 11.18.19 Click here Bishop's Mitre hat which rises in two points one in the front and one in the back. You may even see a visitor in coffee hour carrying a Shepherd's crook. Saint Nicholas is often shown carrying a staff which means that he is a shepherd of the flock of Christ. Please join us for this spectacular children's event at the 10:00am service!

Sunday Altar Flower Donation Form Click here LIFT Jr. and Sr. High Ministry Kay Lewis [email protected]

LIFT meets on Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. at the Sturtz House. Click here for the LIFT Calendar of Events.

Click here. 4 - 1 - 2 - 4

Looking for a great place to spend a few hours once a week? It's as easy as..... 4-1-2-4.

4 people to volunteer 1 day each a week from 2-4 pm in the parish office. We already have a wonderful volunteer who covers Tuesday's - thanks Jim Steed!

Your main responsibility would be to answer phones and cover the electronic door system (letting folks in the building when they ring the buzzer). Training is happily given, mastering the job is easy, and it's a great office with great folks to spend a few hours! This chair's for YOU! Little Red Wagon Contact Nancy in the parish office, [email protected] or 847-381-2323 x11, if you'd like to learn more or sign up for a day.

Stock the Freezer Sunday, January 12, 12:00-3:00 p.m.

Come join us to bake some wonderful goodies to be used at future coffee hours! We are asking for volunteers to spend a few hours in the We have come to Community Room kitchen baking up treats that time of year that we can then freeze and use for future when we give coffee hours. Lunch will be served and it thanks for the gift will be a nice way to get to know one and celebration of another. Since I have just started taking Christmas. We over coordination of the coffee our ministry, gather food for I thought this would be a great way to get to those in need at St. Cyprian Food know some of our existing volunteers as well as introduce Pantry. Special this ministry to new folks who may want to be volunteers in needed items are: the future. corn, yams, green beans, instant I will be bringing flour, sugar and butter. Please bring any potatoes, cranberry specifics that you need for the recipe you would like to sauce, canned or make. Keep in mind we would like to have these save for package gravy, future dates to end so things that are easy to pack and stuffing mix, canned freeze would be best. pie and pumpkin, cake mix & frosting. And if you're unable to attend but would like to drop off Thank you. goodies - those are always welcome!

Event Details - Sunday, January 12, 12:00-3:00 p.m. with lunch served

Please RSVP by January 5 so we can plan for lunch.

Any questions in this event or our coffee ministry in general (or to sign up to volunteer!) please contact Kelly Lensink: 520-262-1898 or [email protected]

Those who have asked for our prayers: Mitchell, Melba, Carver, Nancy, Len & Barb, Vicki, Maribeth, the Galliher family, Betty, Clark, Ann, Brian, Mark, Ted, Barb & Steve, Patty, Phyllis, Amy [Names placed on the Parish Prayer List are listed for four weeks. The newly departed are also prayed for during the Prayers of the People on Sundays for a duration of four weeks following their death. Please notify any member of the clergy or Nancy to add a name to the prayer list.] Auto Pledge Payments

For any pledge unit who has paid their commitment via a credit card or bank debit option, we need to ask for you to give us permission to continue to do so. In this time of transition, we would be grateful if you would begin to use the online giving portal to set up your credit card or banking information. You may begin the process by clicking here. You may also find on our website by clicking on the word GIVE in the upper right hand corner and then selecting the online giving portal link. This is Remembering available to anyone interested in paying their pledge This Week automatically. If you have any questions, please contact Kim Lessner in the parish office. Thank you in advance Birthday for your assistance. 12.22 Kay Richards 12.27 Jayne Kane Grace Kopecky Little Angels Christian Preschool Erin Taylor Registration for 2020-21 12.28 Bill Heinrich In-house registration will begin on Monday, January 13. Ellen Weiss Registration will open to the community on Monday, Anniversaries January 27. Please contact Caren Hunter with any questions at [email protected]. 12.22 Ellen & Ric Lindeen

Rest in Peace 12.24 Preliminary Year End Eleanor Conlon Contribution Statements 12.25 Nancy Wolters Statements for 2019 have been mailed to all pledging 12.28 Katherine McIntosh units as of December 17. Please take a moment to review Barbara your statement for any donation discrepancies between Papamarcos our records. If you have not received a statement or find a discrepancy on your statement after reviewing, please contact Kim Lessner at 847-381-2323, ext. 16 or via email [email protected].

St. Michael's Vestry [email protected] Dayna Imhoff, Senior Warden; Kirk Chan, Junior Warden Bill Ferry, Gwynne Johnston, Greg Michaels, Steve Barnum, Tim Raynor, Gene Dawson, Michele Phillips, Suzanne Fleer, Renee Buxton, Lindsay Taylor, Charley Wickman, Cam Sells, John Davis, Treasurer - Craig Anderson, Clerk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clergy and Staff The Rev. Jesse Perkins, Rector; The Rev. Lisa Erdeljon, Associate Rector for Christian Education; The Rev. Elizabeth Ward, Priest Associate; The Rev. Alvin Johnson, Priest Associate; Mark Sikkila, Organist & Director of Music; Sara Lloyd Torbeck, Director of Children's Music; Caren Hunter, Director of Little Angels Preschool; Ric Lindeen, Jr/Sr High Youth Ministry; Kim Curtis, Director of Sunday School; Kim Lessner, Parish Operations; Nancy Holmes, Parish Administrator/Rector's Assistant; Rich Hornickel, Sexton ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ St. Michael's Episcopal Church St. Michael's Episcopal Church, 647 Dundee Avenue, Barrington, IL 60010 The Parish Office is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Summer office hours June/July/August: M-TH 9am-5pm; Fri 9am-noon. website: www.stmichaelsbarrington.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Sword The Sword is published each Thursday. The deadline to submit items to be included is Tuesday at Noon. Any questions or comments regarding this publication should be sent to [email protected]