New for Wednesday Evenings in Advent – Every Wednesday our usual service of Holy Eucharist with a Service of Healing is held at 7:00 p.m. and during Advent this service will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by an hour devoted to quiet reflection and conversation.  If you are looking for a moment of peace and a space to get away from the bustle of the season and focus on the meaning of Advent, please join us!   A lovely, quiet soul-refreshing informal service held in the church and a very meaningful preparation for Christmas.  Come for the service at 7:00 or just come for the reflection and conversation at 7:30.   You’ll come away refreshed.

Advent, Christmas and Epiphany Schedule

Sunday, December 20:  Services of Holy Eucharist at 8 & 10 with Advent Call to Worship & Lighting of the Advent Candles. The Christmas Pageant will be part of the 10 a.m. service.
Wednesday, December 23: Holy Eucharist with Service of Healing at 7 p.m., followed at 7:30 by an hour of reflection and conversation.
Thursday, December 24: Christmas Eve services at 4:30 p.m. (Family Service) and at 10 p.m. (Festive Celebration)
Friday, December 25: Christmas Day service of Holy Eucharist at 9:00 a.m.
Sunday, December 27: Christmas 1 Service of Morning Prayer with music at 9:00 a.m.
Sunday, January 3:  Christmas 2  8 a.m. Service of Holy Eucharist; 10 a.m. Service of Lessons and Carols with Holy Communion

What’s Happening at St. Peter’s

Once again the wonderful hardworking volunteers of St. Peter’s produced a superlative St. Nicholas Fair including a delicious luncheon!  Thank you to all of you who prepared so many wonderful things to sell and who set up the room so beautifully and enticingly (and cleaned up afterward!).    You are all GREAT!

We are in the news!! Please view us online (www.stpetershebron.com) to see press releases citing our outreach efforts in donating 10% of our community dinner profits to HIHS, AHM and the Windham Area No-freeze Zone.

Christmas Pageant sign-up – The Christmas Pageant is coming up soon.  It will be held at the 10 a.m. service on the 4th Sunday of Advent (December 20th).  If you or your child would enjoy being a part of this Annual Christmas event, please speak with Allison Forrest or call or email her.  Rehearsals will be held Sundays after the 10 am service.

 Christmas Flower sign-up – A sheet for ordering Christmas flowers to honor loved ones or give thanks and used to decorate the church is now at the back of the church (on the bulletin board) along with a manila envelope for the checks.  Please do not put your flower money in the offertory plate.  If you pay with cash please be sure to place the cash in an envelope well-marked with your name and ‘Christmas Flowers’ (or you may drop it off in the office).  Please write your name and the name of the person(s) remembered or honored on the sheet. Be a Christmas angel and please write clearly.

Christmas Mail Boxes are here! –  Save a stamp and put your cards for parishioners in these boxes, and don’t forget to check to see if you received a card or two.  They are at the back of the church on the piano.

Women’s Club – The next Women’s Club meeting will be held tomorrow, Monday, December 14th at 7:00 at Joan Churney’s home.   This is our annual Christmas party and everyone is invited – even if you’ve never come before!  We each bring a wrapped Christmas ornament for a Yankee Swap which is a lot of fun.  We all bring the usual snacks and beverages so the food is very tasty.  Please join us for a fun event!   You can call Joan at 860-228-0027 for directions and more info.  If you want to carpool, call Kathy Kniep at 860-295-1251 and we’ll make arrangements.  Hope to see you there!

A message from the choir loft – CALLING ALL SINGERS!!!!  Any men or women that would like to sing in St. Peter’s choir are invited to join us Sunday mornings at the 10 am service. We meet on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 – 8:15 and Sunday mornings at 9:05 to rehearse. Anyone interested please speak to the organist (Josh)

Calling All Youth!  Judi Babin and Lynn Hassouna have begun a new series of discussions for youth to be held on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. in Father Perry’s office. Any young person in grades 7 through 12 is welcome to join them. These discussions will continue to be held on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. More events are being planned including a Confirmation Class starting in January. Youth group meeting 10 a.m. THIS Sunday, December 13 in Fr. Perry’s office

Confirmation Classes to begin in January! Father Perry will be scheduling Confirmation classes for any interested youth or adults beginning in early January. This provides a wonderful opportunity for anyone wishing to join the Episcopal Church, any youth (9th grade or older) wanting to become adult members of the congregation or anyone interested in engaging in conversation about the meaning of our Episcopal traditions or how our faith enriches our lives. Please contact the parish office or speak to Father Perry if you have questions or are interested in “signing up!”

Outreach

Christmas Cookies – Today after coffee hour we will be packaging home-baked Christmas cookies for HIHS (Hebron Interfaith Human Services).  We’ll need about 150 dozen this year to serve approximately 50 clients.  Please bring in some cookies and join us for assembling the plates if you can.  For more information please call Judi Babin 860-228-9366.  Thanks in advance for your generosity.  It is always a much appreciated gift for HIHS’s clients

A Red Cross Blood Drive will be held on Saturday, December 26th from 8 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  Please consider giving this Christmas gift to 3 people with your single donation.  It takes only about an hour and is painless.  Spread Christmas joy and help those who are desperately in need of a blood donation in this Christmas season.  Call for an appointment: 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or go on-line to www.redcrossblood.org . Walk-ins are always welcome.

In the Community

The Annual “Blue Christmas” Service at Gilead Congregational Church will be held on Monday, Dec. 21st at 7:00 p.m.  This service provides a special time of being together to receive words of strengthening and hope that can speak to us in the midst of sadness and sorrow.  Bring your fears, pain and grief and join with others for a time of prayer, reflection, singing, communion and a candle-lighting ceremony. Bring a friend as well.

The Windham Region No-Freeze Hospitality Center

Cold, wet, unsafe? Many of the Windham area’s homeless live in makeshift camps along the Willimantic River all year long. The Windham Region No-Freeze Hospitality center seeks to provide a warm shelter for those in the community who are homeless and over the age of 18 from November 15th through April of each year. No one is turned away. We provide food, clothing, hygiene among other services. Donations to keep the center going are always welcome. If you are able to donate items to help please drop them off at our office:

75 Bridge Street, (First unit in the plaza) Willimantic, CT 06226 (Monday through Thursday from 1-4 pm)

Items that the shelter is in need of:

  • Non Instant Coffee, Sweetener, Non-Dairy Creamer, Hot Chocolate,
  • Paper products, Toilet paper, paper towels, napkins.
  • Vinyl or plastic Pillow case covers
  • Coffee cups (small size, disposable)
  • Plastic utensils (spoons/forks)
  • Socks (white preference)
  • Men’s boxer shorts all sizes
  • Women’s briefs – all sizes
  • Razor blades
  • Shaving Cream
  • Toothbrushes
    • Deodorant
    • Women’s hygiene products (pads, tampons)
    • Plastic soap saver boxes
    • Sweatpants/shirts(med/large/Xtra/XXtra lrg)
    • Laundry detergent (powder)
    • Floor and bathroom cleaner
    • Office supplies – Call to see the needs

 

  • Gift Cards to Stop & Shop, BJ’s Walmart, Staples and Home Depot of any value.

The Windham Region No Freeze Hospitality Center, Inc. is a non-profit organization that survives through donations from our local community. We appreciate any monetary donations and gift cards needs of our guests.