It seems nearly impossible that we have reached Advent once again. Wasn’t it only a few weeks ago that we returned from summer vacations? When St. Paul says, "For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night" (I Thess. 5:2), I can understand what he means. Advent seems to sneak up on us "like a thief in the night."
But isn’t that the purpose of Advent -- to keep Christmas from sneaking up on us "like a thief in the night?" Advent gives us the time to prepare for that holy night. It gives us time to bring quiet into our hectic and secular pre-Christmas lives. It brings rest and peace, where normally there is none, so that we may center ourselves and focus on what is really important in our lives. This, so that when Christmas does come, we are ready. We are ready, amidst all the noise, for the Christ Child to be quietly born among and within us.
A time of quiet, rest and peace has been much on my mind lately. Next summer I will celebrate (and I do mean celebrate) my sixth year as your Rector. I can hardly believe that any more than I can believe Advent is upon us again. These have been wonderful years, and I thank God each day that He led me here to minister with you. But I am now feeling the need for that time of quiet, rest and peace, a time to recharge and renew so that my ministry here does not grow tired and stale.
Many of you know that my contract provides for a six-month sabbatical after six and a half years as your Rector. This sabbatical comes due in December 2004. Following discussions with our parish leaders, the Vestry voted to allow me to take half of my sabbatical at the six-year point in my ministry; the second half will be taken at seven years. What this actually means is that I will leave the parish soon after Easter, 2004 and return in mid-August. This time includes one month vacation. I will use this time to rest, to visit with family and friends, to spend some intentional time with God, and to discern the course of this final decade of full-time ministry.
The purpose of dividing the sabbatical is to minimize disruption to the flow of life in the parish. The weeks following Easter are when parish life begins to wind down and folks begin to think about summer vacation. Taking six months together, necessarily including the fall or the spring, means disengaging from the parish during the most active times of its life. Many clergy find it difficult to re-engage after a six-month sabbatical. I do not want to find myself in that position.
It is anticipated that a priest will be engaged to take the Sunday services and mutually agreed upon hours during the weeks I am gone. As soon as this decision has been made, we will let you know.
I am so grateful to all of you for this incredible gift of Sabbath rest. As we enter this holy season leading up to the birth of our Savior, my prayer is that His peace will reign in your hearts and in our world.
The children of All Saints-Sharon Chapel will present the annual Christmas Pageant on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24th, at the 5:00 p.m. service. Rehearsals for the pageant will be held on Saturdays throughout December. This year we have 17 children involved in the pageant and it promises to be our best ever. Please come and invite your friends and neighbors to join us at "What Can I Give Him?" an original pageant about the gifts we can bring the Christ Child.
Preparations are being made to have the Christmas trees delivered, the sales area set up in the parking lot, and sales to begin on Saturday, November 29. Tree sales will continue daily through Sunday, December 21.
The sale is a parish-wide effort and those who are able are encouraged to sign up for at least one time slot. A minimum of two people will serve in each time slot. You may sign up as a family, a group, a couple, a two-person team, or as a single (in which case you will be paired up with another single).
The time slots vary according to day of the week as follows: Weekday (Mon – Fri): 4 – 6 PM; 6 – 8 PM; Saturday 9 AM – Noon; Noon – 3 PM; 3 – 6 PM; Sunday Noon – 3 PM; 3 – 6 PM.
It is a great help to me if you sign up early. Also, if your schedule is flexible and you can "fill in" on short notice, I would appreciate knowing that also. You can call me. Or, you can see me on Sunday mornings.
Last year, many folks enjoyed the opportunity to contribute to this traditional effort, which is both fund-raising and outreach. They enjoyed the opportunity to meet and work with other parishioners and to meet the many really nice people from the community who come by to purchase a tree. I look forward to another enjoyable and rewarding effort this year. Please sign up soon!
Thanks, and God bless,
Paul Rae
It’s not too late to make your pledge for 2004. Pledge cards are available, or you can simply write your pledge on a piece of paper and place in the collection plate. The Vestry needs to begin work on the 2004 budget which will determine how we pay our people, maintain our church and pay for our programs.
Reminder: Get your 2003 pledges up to date.