Please keep in your prayers: Peggy Blackmon,

Brantley Elliott, Ruth & Johnnie B. Glass, Seth

Smith Sr., Harold & Marie Hughes, Jack & Alice

Babb, Lisa Richey’s mother (Edna Bearnes), Elsie

Campbell’s niece (Brenda) and niece-in-law

(Debbie), Jerry Jupina’s brother (Michael), the

Jupina’s daughter (Vicki Di Muzio), Peggy

Blackmon’s sister-in-law (Jennifer Yoder), Kay

Horne’s uncle (Jack Terrell), Jacqui Lye’s husband

(Michael Newton), Alice Murphy’s sister-in-law

(Nancy), The Rev. Katherine Powell (Rector,

Church of the Servant, Wilmington), all in war’s

way, the unemployed, underemployed, and those in

financial crises. A complete list of prayer requests is

located in the on the bulletin board by the rector’s

office.

Bishop Visitation: Our new bishop will

visit Grace Church on December 7.

During the worship service, Greg Currie

will be confirmed and Alice Murphy will

be received into the Episcopal Church.

Denominational Service Schedule: Reminder -

Special events and feast days often cause alterations

in the schedule. Please check the newsletter

monthly calendars to see when a particular

denominational service will be held. This month, the

schedule is as posted below:

December 7 Episcopal Holy Eucharist, Rite II –

Bishop’s visitation

December 14 Lutheran Holy Eucharist

December 21 Episcopal Holy Eucharist, Rite I

December 24 Choir Concert at 10 pm. Episcopal

H.E. II at 10:30 pm

December 28 Lessons & Carols with Episcopal H.

E. II

Advent Noon Services: A short service of Noon

Day Prayer will be held on the first three

Wednesdays in Advent. Following the

service, a soup and sandwich lunch will be

offered in the Parish Hall. Take a break from your

hectic schedule and enter a quiet space in

preparation for the coming of the Christ child. Time:

service at 12 o’clock noon on Wednesdays

December 3, 10, and 17; lunch seved at 12:30 pm.

Preachers TBA.

Christmas Eve Service. On Monday, December 24,

Christmas Eve, a solemn sung high

mass will begin at 10:30 PM. The

service will be preceded by a choir

concert at 10 PM and will be followed by a

reception hosted by the Vestry in Parish Hall.

There will NOT be a service on Christmas Day.

A service of Lessons and Carols will be

held the first Sunday after Christmas, Dec.

28th.

If you would like to be one of the readers

for that service, please contact Mother Anne as soon

as possible.

Bishop’s Reception: Our new bishop, The Rt. Rev.

Rob Skirving, will visit Grace Church on Dec. 7.

Following the service and Bishop’s Forum, we will

have a pot luck reception. Please sign-up to bring a

food item to share. A list will be posted on the

bulletin board.

The Apostle monthly newsletter for

Grace Episcopal Church

including the Lutherans of Christ the King

December 2014

105 S Madison Street, Whiteville, NC, 28472

www.gracechrist.com T: 910.642.4784

Please note the schedule change: This month’s

Grace Family night will be held on Dec. 10 at 6:30

pm. We will enjoy a meal of pizza and bag gifts for

our Christmas families.

Advent Soup Luncheons: Wednesdays, December

3, 10, and 17 following the Advent Noon services.

Please sign-up to bring a pot of soup or sandwiches.

Vestry Christmas Reception: Following the

Christmas Eve Service, the Vestry will host its

traditional Christmas Eve reception. Come by the

Parish Hall to wish everyone a blessed Feast of the

Nativity and enjoy holiday treats.

The

kitchen

walls,

cabinets, and all exterior church doors are in the

process of being painted. It is hoped that the project

will be completed by the Bishop’s viisitation on

Sunday, Dec. 7th .

r

We will continue our Advent Study titled Mary

Had a Baby: An Advent Study Based on African

American Spirituals.

During the weeks prior to and in the season of

Advent, one African American spiritual will

has and will be featured, with discussion and

interaction based on the Biblical, historical and

spiritual themes of the lyrics and music of the

featured spiritual. The two remaining spirituals will be: 12/3 “

Children, Go Where I Send Thee” and 12/17 “Go Tell It on the

Mountain”.

We will NOT meet on Wednesday, December 24 or 31.

Annual Whiteville Festival of Trees November 17-21

Once again, Dr. Ray Thigpen donated a tree to the festival in honor of Grace Episcopal Church and Christ the

King Lutheran. The decorated “angel tree” is the one that remains year round in the lobby of the Hospice Angel House. Please thank Ray and Donna for their remembrance.

The list of Christmas Families is posted

on the bulletin board by the rector’s office.

When you sign up for one (or more) of the

requests, you help brighten the season for

members of our extended family of God

and you reflect our desire as a parish to live

out our faith ‘not only with our lips, but in

our lives.’ Please DO NOT WRAP your

present. We will bag the presents as part of

our December Family Night activities.

This year’s families will be clients of

Families First.

Rector’s Discretionary Account: Please

consider making a contribution to the

Rector’s Discretionary Account to assist

our neighbors needing help with power bills

in the coming cold weather. You may

place your donation in the small brown

envelopes in the pew. If you write a check,

please make a note on the memo line

indicating that you want your funds to go to

the Discretionary Account. For either a

cash or check contribution, mark the

appropriate box on the front of the

envelope. Gift cards ($10) for gas money

are also welcome.

Box tops for Education: Don’t forget

to look for and clip Box Tops for Education

coupons as you shop for your holiday

baking and meal preparation supplies.

Our parish filled 11 shoe boxes of gifts for

Operation Christmas Child, as well as a

donation for shipping. Thank you for your

generosity. Remember: In 2015, our yearly

goal is 100 SHOE BOXES in honor our

Grace Church’s centennial.

Bake Sale Results. A GIANT “thank you” to all who made this year’s Holiday

Bake Sale another HUGH success . . . and a very special thank you to Elsie

Campbell and Paula Blanchard for their continued leadership. We made OVER

$3600 . . . and we are still counting this record-breaking total! Thank you to all the

cooks, bakers, knitters, bidders, buyers, and donors. Note: As has become our custom, we will

tithe the proceeds of the Bake Sale. Ten percent of our sales will be used to stock the food

pantry/buy food cards for the needy in the community.

Special Announcement- A few frozen items from the Bake Sale are available for sale (plain

dressing, quiche, and vegetable soup). If you would like to purchase a container, please see

Elsie Campbell or Paula Blanchard.

You’re invited to begin the new year by taking a closer look at

how you want to live into the next 365 days. Join Lisa Richey in the

Grace House living room at 10:30am on January 1,.for a simply sacred

study of your 2015.

Yep, coffee and tea will be ready and waiting.

The Campbell Room labyrinth will also be available for walking.

Thank you note from Mike Cooper: “Thank you so much for your

prayers and good thoughts. I am back on my feet and doing well.”

Treasurer’s Request - 2014 PLEDGE PAYMENTS

As we get closer to the end of this year, please note that I will be closing the financial

records’ books for the 2014 fiscal year on January 1, 2015. Please note that any

contributions you want posted to your 2014 pledge record must have a December 2014

date on them and be received no later than January 1, 2015.

Many Thanks. Connie Ghent, Parish Treasurer

OUR NOVEMBER STEWARDSHP

DATE ATTENDANCE OFFERING SPECIAL GIFTS______

11/02/14 42 $ 4,033.00 Families First Cash $ 23.00

11/09/14 31 $ 1,744.00 Help Mission $ 22.00

11/16/14 22 $ 291.00 Food Pantry $ 160.00

11/23/14 29 $ 3,068.00 Christmas Flowers $ 70.00

11/30/14 31 $ 1,254.00 UTO $ 195.00

Total $10,390.00

Our weekly Ministry needs $11,903.15 Budget needs YTD $ 114,268.95

are $ 2,380.60 1,513.15 Short Income YTD $ 104,432.85

SERVICE SCHEDULE December and the first Sunday in January

Day/Service Acolytes Lectors Usher/Greeter Altar Guild Fellowship Vestry People

of the day

Dec 7 Gary B© Bill H Peggy B Potluck Jerry J

Advent 2 volunteer Kay H Avis H lunch Paula B

HE II 9:30

Bishop’s Visitation

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dec 14 Peggy B© volunteer same as Hilly H Ray T

Advent 3 Connie G Alice M above Connie G

H.E. 9:30

Lutheran

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dec 21 Shari G

Advent 4 Lisa R© John D Connie G Kay H

HE I 9:30 Lisa R Kay H Shirley Jo S S Dail John D

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dec 24 Ray T

Christmas Eve volunteer Gary B© volunteer same as Vestry Jerry J

Choir Concert 10:00pm Alice M above reception

H.E. II 10:30pm

Vestry sponsored reception for all follows the service.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dec 28 Susan Wh© Sam Wh same as Lisa R Paula B

Christmas 1 Lisa R Lisa R above Connie G

HE II 9:30

January 4 Ray T© John D Ruth G Elsie C Ray T

Christmas 2 volunteer Donna T Paula B John D

HE II 9:30

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

THANKS FOR FINDING A REPLACEMENT (and letting Anne & Connie know)

IF YOU CANNOT SERVE YOUR SCHEDULED TIME.

Grace Episcopal Church

105 S Madison Street

Whiteville NC 28472

December 2014

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 Lectionary Readings, Year B

and Daily Office,

Year One

2 12:30 Clergy Spirituality Grp,

Wilmington

3 Noon Advent Svc 12:30 Soup Lunch

6 PM HE II

6:30 Bible study &

meal

4 6 PM Choir

rehearsal

5 Office Closed

6

7 Advent 2 9:00 choir 9:30 Episcopal HE II

Bishop’s Visit &

Reception following

service

8 6:30 ML King day planning meeting

7 PM Compassionate

Friends Meeting

9 noon Clericus Holy Trinity, Hampstead

10 Noon Advent Svc 12:30 Soup Lunch

6 PM HE II

6:30 Family Night:

wrap gifts & pizza

party

11 6 PM Choir

rehearsal

12 Office Closed

13

14 Advent 3 9:00 choir

9:30 Lutheran HE

15

16 6:30 PM Vestry

Mtg

17 Noon Advent Svc 12:30 Soup Lunch

6 PM HE II

6:30 Bible study &

meal

18 6 PM Choir

rehearsal

19 Office Closed

20

21 Advent 4 9:30 Episcopal HE I

22

23

24 Christmas Eve

10 PM Choir Concert 10:30 Midnight Mass Episcopal HE II Vestry Reception

25Christmas Day No Service Office Closed

26 Office Closed

27

28 Christmas I 9:00 choir

9:30 Episcopal HE II Lessons & Carols

29

30

31 New Year’s Eve No Evening Service No Bible Study or meal Office Closed

1 January 2015 New Year’s Day Office Closed

2 January 2015 Office Closed