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Parish Newsletter - November 2017  

Fall is truly upon us and the rains have come, soaking the earth with much-needed moisture and perhaps turning our lives a bit more inward as we prepare for the coming of the Advent season.  

In the life of our community, we are marking this interior journey in a variety of ways. This Saturday, we will delve into what it means to live our faith, especially in times racism and exclusion. At 7 pm on Nov. 18th, we will gather in the church to watch the movie ‘Hidden Figures’- the “story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA”.  

Sunday the 19th (10am), Nicky Rendell will share the incredible paintings which she created in response to her work with the Refugee committee. Her Art will be displayed in the church and chapel during November. I encourage you to come and spend some time meditating on this powerful work. 

Saturday the 25th (9 – 11am) will be our Re-Gift Church Sale. There are lots of new items donated this month: books, toys, jewelry, Christmas decorations, silver, art, knitting, items to re-gift for Christmas, stocking stuffers. Please join us for a great sale! You can also drop off gently used items to the church on the morning of the 23rd or 24th.  

Advent begins on Nov. 26th. As we prepare, how will you mark this holy season? How are you being called to prepare your heart and make room? The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, shares that "Advent is a time of expectation and a time of hope. A time, of quiet. We don't have quite the sort of quiet we need to think, 'Well what would it be if Jesus really came as if for the first time in my life? What would it be for the good news really to change me.' Because for that to happen I need some reflective time; I need some peace; I need to slow down; I need, you might say, to take my time about things. And so all those bits of our contemporary culture which are about rushing to get gratification, getting the results straight away, all those habits in our culture which so drive the crises of our culture, all those things we have to cast a rather cold eye on during Advent and say slow down, take time, let yourself grow and open up, rather like a flower coming to blossom - a time of expectation, a time of excitement, a time of waiting, a time of peace, a time where we're clearing our hearts and our minds a bit so we really can see clearly when Jesus arrives, and feel fully the impact of his coming."   May this time of preparation be filled with hope as we step deeper into darkness, closer to the light.  

Blessings and Peace