Join Us for International Sunday, February 8, at St. Barnabas, South Brunswick

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church will have its annual “International Sunday” celebration on Sunday, February 8, with services at 8:30 and 10:30 am. The liturgy will be drawn from Anglican Prayer Books from around the world, the music will be especially diverse, and the coffee hour following the 10:30 service will include appetizers and desserts brought in by members of the church, which includes people who were born in 24 countries on five continents. All are welcome to attend. We will have our African Praise Worship Chorus included in the music for the day and parishioners are invited to bring displays for the Fellowship Room during coffee hour with fun facts about their country of origin/heritage (whether people came to America last week or their ancestors did 100+ years ago). St. Barnabas is located at 142 Sand Hill Road, one mile from Rte. 27 and ½ mile from Rte. 1. Ample parking is available. For more information, please call 732-297-4607 or log onto www.stbarnabas-sbnj.org <http://www.stbarnabas-sbnj.org/> .

A Celebration for Black History Month

A message from the Diocese:

Dear Members and Friends of St. Augustine's,

You are cordially invited to attend, and to bring a friend, our Annual Black History Program. This is a presentation to the community, by the community, for the community, to celebrate "Black History Month" and to showcase our talents in vocal, dance, and visual arts. We hope and pray that you will enjoy this presentation as much as we enjoy bringing it to you. See you on Sunday, February 8, at 4:00 pm at St. Augustine's Church, Prospect and Atlantic Aves. in Asbury Park. Thanks again. See you there!!

More News About Vespers at the Cathedral

Have you seen the Diocese decked out in full regalia lately? It's quite a sight! Here's your chance to see them all represented on Saturday in Trenton when you go to the Vespers service at the Cathedral. Be there at 3 pm. Here's the memo inviting everyone to show off:

Dear Friends,
It's been a while since the clergy processed in full choir vestments: Cassock, Surplice, Academic Hood, Tippet. You've now got ten days to go the dry cleaners! Preaching tabs are only for our guest, Bishop Sutton, of course. The Evensong will express our prayers through a diverse and delightful mix of musical idioms from various communities of faith around our Diocese. Please plan on gathering in the Chapel. Parish Banners (with banner bearer - non- vested) are also asked to be brought for the procession. Thanks! Right Onward PCJ Philip@churchholyspirit.org

Christmas Services

Just to remind everyone, our services this week will be as follows:

Christmas Eve:
5:30 pm, Family Holy Communion, followed by the Birthday Party for Jesus so all the little ones know the "reason for our season" is the birth of the Christ Child;
9:30 pm, Choral Holy Communion. We begin with 30 minutes of music to welcome the Baby as we sing joyously all the carols we love. We then hold our "High Church" Eucharistic service, complete with "smells and bells."

Christmas Day:
10 am, Holy Communion with Carols. A quieter service with a simpler style, but designed to offer thanks for the gift of Jesus.

Sunday, Dec. 28:
8 am, Holy Communion
10:30 Holy Communion

Wednesday, Dec. 31:
4 pm, Community Dinner. Free to all, but please let us know how many will attend.

We hope to see you soon. May God bless us all.

Are You Having a "Blue Christmas?"

Not everyone finds joy in the Christmas season. Sometimes feels of sorrow can cause isolation when you see the happiness of others during December. There is no need to feel alone during this month, though.

A service which addresses the spiritual needs of people who find the Christmas season depressing will be held on Sunday, 21 December at 5 pm in All Saints Church in Lakewood. People may feel blue for many reasons: job loss, poor health, financial worries, or the death of a loved one. The "Blue Christmas" service acknowledges such sadness and concern while trying to help people learn they are not alone with such feelings. The service helps those who mourn and struggle to know that God is present-and God's Word comes to shine light into our darkness. Join us in All Saints' Church, Second Street and Route 9, Lakewood, NJ. For further information, please call All Saints' Church office at 732-367-0933.

Holiday Concert News from the Diocese of New Jersey

The American Boychoir Christmas Concert At Trinity Church, Asbury Park, Dec. 6, 7 pm.

The American Boychoir is regarded as the United States’ premier concert boys’ choir and one of the finest boychoirs in the world. It continues to dazzle audiences with its unique blend of musical sophistication,effervescent spirit and ensemble virtuosity. Its members - boys from grades 4 through 8, reflecting the ethnic, religious and cultural diversity of our nation - come from eight states and four foreign countries to pursue a rigorous musical and academic curriculum at The American Boychoir School,the only non-sectarian boys’ choir school in the nation. Founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1937, The American Boychoir has been located in Princeton, New Jersey, since 1950. In addition to maintaining an active national and international touring schedule, the ensemble performs and records regularly with such world-class artists and ensembles as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, soprano Jessye Norman, pop diva Beyoncé, and jazz vocalist and conductor Bobby McFerrin. They will make a holiday appearance at Trinity Church in Asbury Park this Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Tickets will be on sale after church or via the parish office (http://us.mc635.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=office@TrinityNJ.com or 732-775-5084). Call for more information.


The New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra Choir of Christ Church, New Brunswick sings MESSIAH: A SACRED ORATORIO by George Frederic Handel

The New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra Choir of Christ Church will perform Handel's Messiah on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008, beginning at 8 pm. The orchestra is conducted by Mark Trautman, and features the voices of Diana Whitener, soprano; Giulia Utz, alto; Jack Zamboni, tenor; and John-Andrew Fernandez, bass. The concert will be held at the NJ State Theatre, 15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ. Go to the website http://www.statetheatrenj.org/ for more info.


Trinity Church in Rocky Hill Offers Christmas Concert Dec. 7, 2008 at 5 pm

The choir, parishioners, and friends of Trinity Church in Rocky Hill (in the Trenton Convocation) will present their annual "Christmas Concert" at 5:00 pm, Sunday December 7. All are invited to join the Trinity family for a program of music and fellowship, led by Choirmaster and Organist, Michael Rider. The concert will be followed by a potluck supper (provided by parishioners). Please join us in our historic church, consecrated in 1864. For directions or additional information please call (609) 921-8971 or visit our website at http://www.trinityrockyhill.org/. Email us at TrinityRockyHill@Comcast.net


Music at Trinity Church, Moorestown: Advent Lessons and Carols Sunday, December 7, 2008 at 4:00 pm

The Trinity, Coventry, Canterbury and Carillon Choirs, with Vernon Williams, director and Joanne Owen, organist. Music will include: Comfort, Comfort Ye My People ~ Claude Goudimel; Carol of Prophecy ~ Shirley W. McRae; Rejoice in the Lord Always ~ Anonymous; Magnificat ~ George Dyson; There Is No Rose ~ Pat Messick; Ave Maria ~ Franz Biebl; We Wait for Thy Loving Kindness ~ William McKie

Please join us on Sunday afternoon for a service of Advent Lessons and Carols in the beautiful setting of Trinity Church. The service will be similar in structure to the familiar Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols for Christmas as sung at King's College in Cambridge, in which readings, hymns,and choir anthems are interwoven to tell the story of Christmas. In our service, of course, the readings and music will focus on Advent, the season of joyful preparation for and anticipation of the coming of our Lord. Three vocal choirs and the handbell choir will join forces to present a variety of music from the Renaissance to the 20th century. Our guest organist, Joanne Koerber Owen began studying organ with Richard Wegner in Baltimore. She continued her studies with Paul Bunjes, Carl Halter and Richard Heschke at Concordia University, Chicago and received a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance and Church Music from the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester where she was a student of Russell Saunders and David Craighead. Joanne has held positions as church musician in Chicago; Rochester; Wilmington, Delaware and Woodstown, New Jersey. From 1990-2002 she was Minister of Music and Arts at St. John's Episcopal Church in Salem, NJ, serving as organist, choir director, handbell choir director and director of the church's music and arts series. The concert is made possible by the Friends of Trinity Music, Trinity Episcopal Church, 207 West Main Street, Moorestown, NJ 08057. Phone 857.235.0811 The Rev. Philip W. Stowell, Rector

BREAKFAST WITH ST. NICHOLAS Saturday December 6, 2008, 9:00 - 11:00 a.m., St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 142 Sand Hill Road, Monmouth Junction, NJ

You are invited to come to our free St. Nicholas Day celebration! Bring visitors, neighbors, friends and family! Enjoy fellowship and a hot breakfast! Sing Christmas carols and listen to stories about Advent and the legend of St. Nicholas. Afterwards, the children will be invited to sit on his lap and share with him what they want for Christmas. Enjoy making Christmas and Advent crafts. Help us fill St. Nicholas's sack! Everyone is invited to bring a gift of new mittens, warm hat or scarf for St. Nicholas to take to children in an area shelter for the homeless, or bring in items* for him to deliver to the Seaman's Church Institute (SCI),which serves thousands of sailors located in Ports Elizabeth and Newark. Please RSVP to the church office at 732-297-4607 or office@stbarnabas-sbnj.org *items SCI has requested are: unscented hypoallergenic hand lotion (2-4 oz. bottles); unscented, colorless lip balm; sealed packages of holiday sweets; books or activities like Sudoku, word searches and playing cards; microwave popcorn and sugarless gum.

A Time for Prayerful Mediatation

As we prepare for Tuesday's presidential election, it becomes very important to approach the voting booth with prayers for God to guide our choice. Join with Father Hartt and other members of our Holy Spirit family as we open our chapel downstairs at 7 pm Monday for prayer and meditation.

Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage, we humbly beseech Thee we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance; and from every evil way. Defend our liberties and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in Thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth. In time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in

Thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

All Saints and All Souls Remembered

We all know of Hallowe'een, celebrated on October 31. The name comes from the phrase, "All Hallow's Eve." It is the day before we celebrate the lives of All Saints, November 1. In the Episcopal Church, we celebrate the passage of our loved ones and all others into the presence of the Lord on November 2, All Souls Day. Here in Holy Spirit, Father Walter Hartt led us in a commemoration service that combined both of our services into one at 9 am. We read the names of our loved ones and prayed for them by name, led by Tom Paul, Jean Rhoads, Barbara Elstone, Eileen Minett, Mary Lou Malone, and Jim Robbins. It was very moving and, although it lengthened the ceremony, it helped to focus our attention on the "cloud of witnesses" who have gone before us. What a wonderful tradition to begin!

Grant us, with all who have died in the hope of the resurrection, to have our consummation and bliss in Your eternal and everlasting glory, and with all Your saints, to receive the crown of life which You promise to all who share in the victory of Your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

The Magnetic Church, Part 1

You heard us announce it from the altar. You read about it here. Now you can begin to share in the knowledge that we gained during our trips to Trenton last month.

A dedicated group of us – Vicar’s Secretary Eileen Minett, Vestry members Jim Robbins, Evie Brown, Ed Nuttall and myself, in addition to Father Terry – traveled up Rt. 539 to the cathedral, some of us both Friday and Saturday, in an effort to learn how to make our church more visitor friendly and welcoming to everyone. We listened as Andrew Weeks discussed steps that we can take to help the unchurched discover a home with Christ, and then with us. We examined our communications such as this newsletter, for instance, and learned how to be more inclusive and accessible. Some points should have been obvious but weren’t, for we took them for granted. Other points needed to be brought to our attention.

I plan to run this as a continuing feature, because it is important for everyone to be aware of the reason behind any changes we consider. We need your help and feedback to be effective.

For instance, at our last Vestry meeting we spoke about our Sunday fellowship. An observation was made that we frequently gravitate to sit with friends exclusively and virtually ignore visitors. We decided to implement a suggestion to reduce the number of tables available after the services with the intention of encouraging a flow of people and conversations with new faces. The experiment resulted in a return to our original configuration as a result of popular opinion.

Now, the compromise is this: with the tables back, we need everyone to be responsible for speaking to at least one new face every week, someone with whom you don’t normally converse. Try a new seat. You may get a new view in more ways than one!

SUR-vey SAYS!

Did you ever watch the game show “Family Feud?” It pits two “family” groups of five people against each other as they try to guess answers to questions posed to them by the friendly host. Actually, they attempt to read the minds of a surveyed group of people. They gain points based on knowing the answers that a majority of people give. In the version I best remember, Richard Dawson pats the hands of the struggling contestants, calls them all “darling,’” encourages them to chance a guess, and makes faces with us as they offer a bizarre suggestion.

Now imagine that your vestry is one group of contestants. We know the questions on the survey. But how can we guess the correct answers– or those that most people choose– unless you answered your survey?

You know that you got it in the mail. Did you fill it out and send it back to us? Did you put it aside to complete later? Stop reading right now. Find it. Fill it out. Be (cont’d on pg. 2) honest. Answer all the questions. If you need more room, use another page. Get your spouse to give some input. Mail it right away (we gave you the stamped envelope!). Or bring it with you to church on Sunday and drop it into the box at the entrance to the Fellowship Hall.

We truly want to know what you think. We need to have your responses by June 8, because your vestry will meet for a full day on June 14. This will give us time to compile the answers before we discuss them.

Our annual vestry retreat gives us an opportunity to review our accomplishments during the past year. We plan our targets for the remainder of the year and beyond. Our long-range goals may extend past our individual terms of service. Thus we have a great responsibility.

So tell us what you think. Be truthful. Be specific. Offer suggestions for new classes or fundraisers or hymns. Tell us if you like something we do. Let us know if you dislike something. Tell us what you look for on the website, or if you’ve never been on it. Tell me what you want to read in this newsletter. Tell us what you want your church to be.

We promise to read your answers. We may not be able to incorporate every idea or change. We may take a long-range view and delay implementing it, even if we agree, because something else has a higher priority, or a more pressing need. We have that obligation as your leaders. But share your wisdom with us.

Give our “family unit” a chance to earn some points. That means we can all win. Just let us know, as avuncular Richard Dawson cries, what “SUR-vey SAYS!!”

A Gift From a Friend: Priceless

Have you ever had a friend give you a gift that you were not expecting to receive? How did you feel? Were you embarrassed? Did you want to give your friend something back in return? How could you do that graciously, especially if the gift meant something special to your friend or had a great value attached?

Well, Someone has given you a great gift. He gave His life for your salvation. Jesus is that friend, of course. We have an idea for something that you can give Him back in return. At the same time, you can give a friend here on earth a gift even MasterCard would call “priceless”: the gift of eternal life.

January 27, 2008 will be the first Invite A Friend Sunday in the Diocese of New Jersey. The entire Diocese– all 160 parishes! - will participate in this great event to help the “unchurched” (meaning the 80% of the American population who are not associated with any organized religious groups) feel comfortable enough to try to attend one of our services. You will play a major part because you can be a “bridge to God” for a friend who no longer attends church, or never did in the first place.
Think about it. You probably have regular contact with six or seven people who have only been to church for a wedding or a funeral during the past 6 months, if they’ve been at all. These are the people who would never think to attend a Christmas church service, much less an annual meeting!

We call them your “circle of contacts.” These are the people that become your circle for sharing the good news of everlasting life through Jesus. We can suggest at least eight categories: Neighbors; hobby and recreation friends, like your fishing buddies or quilting ladies; co-workers (be careful here not to stop on corporate toes, but let people know how happy you are in your church, and make them feel comfortable asking you questions); personal friends; contacts in clubs and organizations, like the Red Hatters; relatives; newcomers to our community; and families with new babies. You may not know someone in each category, or you may know more than one person in a particular category. That’s okay. These are just general guidelines. Pray for your contacts daily, and ask God to send the Holy Spirit to you. As you pray for your friend, ask God to reveal a need in his/her life which may give you the opportunity to tell your friend how your faith sustains you.

Rely on the Holy Spirit for help. Don’t think that you need to do this alone. Remember how God sent the Holy Spirit on that first Pentecost to help His disciples? Ask Him to help you now.

Be prepared to answer some hard questions. Start by asking yourself some, such as: what prompted me to visit this congregation when I was looking for a new church home? Was it just because it was Episcopal? Why did I become a member of Holy Spirit? What is special and unique about our congregation that would appeal to guests? What would someone new to our congregation receive by becoming one of us? What would our congregation gain by inviting friends to visit with us for worship and other activities? Do I really want new people in our congregation (be honest with yourself. Why or why not?)? Would new people be welcomed in our congregation?

I would answer the last question with an unqualified “yes.” We have learned to greet strange faces and welcome them to coffee hour, or to the altar rail. We must continue to seek them out at the “Sign of the Peace.”

We have a lot to do in the next few weeks leading up to Invite A Friend Sunday. You will receive lots more info as the weeks pass. Please begin now to consider who might benefit from an invitation issued personally by you. As Episcopalians, we will definitely “step out of our comfort zone” when we begin to speak about our faith. But if you begin to prepare now, and drop a few hints occasionally that you are willing to discuss your faith if anyone has questions, you may open the door for others to reach out to God through you.

Now that’s “paying it forward” in a big way! What a great gift to give your friend– at no charge to you! Truly a “Priceless” gift!

Gaudete Sunday, December 16

In our church, we light the pink (or Gaudete) candle on the third Sunday, the Sunday of “Joy.” The color is lighter because we celebrate the fact that we are now half-way through the season of Advent (one priest told me that there was no truth to the rumor that it was called Mothering Sunday because the mothers were being warned to get their cleaning underway before the holiday arrived!).

This year, the children of our church will participate in our celebration of the lighting of the Advent wreath on Dec. 16 during the 10:30 service. Join us as we light the candle and participate in the service by distributing the bulletins and collecting the offerings.

UTO Ingathering, December 9

Please drop your box or envelope into the collection basket at the door to help fund good works.

Christmas Services at Holy Spirit

It’s finally here! Advent is nearly over. By now you plan to help “green” the church for Christmas and will be here Dec. 23 after the 10:30 service. But what about the Christmas season services? When will we see you?

We offer three celebrations for your choice. They begin after sundown on Christmas Eve, as our wait for the birth of Jesus comes to an end.

The first service is our traditional Children’s Celebration at 7 pm. Father Terry asks all young people to join as we set up the crèche. This was the time that Joseph brought Mary to the stable in search of shelter as her time drew near to deliver Our Saviour. Father also invites everyone to stay for a few minutes after the Eucharist to party in our Fellowship Hall.

We extend an invitation to everyone to join our second celebration as we begin with the Carol Sing at 9:30 pm on Dec. 24. Our choir practices all month to lead us as we rejoice in the birth of Jesus and commemorate the appearance of the angels to the shepherds as the Good News was made known to all.

A Solemn High Eucharist begins at 10 pm on Dec. 24. We welcome the arrival of the Baby with full reverence and display, including incense and choir, concluding with a candlelit Silent Night.

Christmas Day begins with a quieter, more reflective Eucharist at 10 am. Join us to observe the birth of our Saviour before you celebrate with your family. May God bless all of us and watch us.