December 2012

Christmas Eve Monday, December 24th

4:30pm- Children's Pageant, Junior Choir singing, and

Holy Eucharist (Nursery available)

7:00pm- Christmas Music Prelude (Nursery available)

7:30pm- Holy Eucharist with Choir

11:00pm- Holy Eucharist with Choir

Lessons and Carols Sunday, December 30th

8:00am- Holy Eucharist, no music

10:30am- Traditional Service of Lessons & Carols

(no Eucharist, Nursery available)

Christmas Day Tuesday, December 25th

10:00am- Holy Eucharist, no music

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H O L I D A Y I N F O R M A T I O N

Join your fellow Franciscans in the Greening of the Church on

Sunday, December 23rd after the 10:30 am service. Families,

oldsters, youngsters and teens – everyone is invited to help in the

hanging of greens, garlands and wreaths and clean-up as we pre-

pare our sanctuary for Christmas Eve. Bring rags and furniture

polish to polish the pews.

If you need more info, call Kitty Baker at 676-2458. See you on

the 23rd!

Our annual Christmas Pageant, which will be at 4:30pm on Christmas Eve!

We need children of all ages to be animals, wise men, shepherds, angels,

readers, etc! Rehearsals will be: Sunday, December 9th at 3:30pm, Satur-

day, December 15th at 10am, and Sunday, December 23rd at 3:30pm. If

you or your child is interested in being a part of the pageant, please contact

Amanda at amanda@stfrancisgreensboro.org.

The Chrismon Tree

The Chrismon ornaments were first developed by Frances Kipps Spencer at

The Ascension Lutheran Church in Danville, Virginia. In 1957 Chrismons

were started when she set out to create decorations appropriate for a church

Christmas tree.

A Chrismon Tree is an evergreen tree, which symbolizes the eternal life,

which our savior has won for us. It forms the background for tiny white

lights and beaded Chrismon designs. All the Chrismon ornaments on our

tree are handmade by the Chrismon Construction Company. Some Chris-

mon designs are simple copies of symbols of Christianity from its earliest

days; others are new explanations of God's constant presence in our ever changing world; and

some are combinations of several elements old and new. The symbols used are interdenomina-

tional and the heritage of all Christians.

According to the dictionary, a chrismon is a monogram of Christ. But the chrismons as orna-

ments are more than monograms; they may also tell about Jesus Christ. As the designs grew in

number, they included references to the life, ministry, activities, nature and teaching of Jesus.

Thus the Chrismons as symbols always point beyond themselves to God. Indeed, the vital fea-

ture of the concept is that each design must proclaim some truth about God as seen in Jesus.

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St. Francis Honor Cards are a wonderful way to remem-

ber friends and family during the Christmas season. All

of the funds go directly to outreach throughout the com-

munity and the world. Cards are 1 for $5, 3 for $10 and

6 for $20. They are available in the Church Office be-

tween 9:00am - 5:00pm Monday thru Friday.

Lessons and Carols Sunday, December 30th

8:00am- Holy Eucharist, no music

10:30am- Traditional Service of Lessons & Carols (no Eucharist,

Nursery available)

About the Service Our Lessons and Carols service is based on a similar service celebrated

at King’s College, Cambridge. The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

is a format for a service of Christian worship celebrating the birth of

Jesus that is traditionally followed at Christmas. The story of the fall of

humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus is told in

nine short Bible readings from Genesis, the prophetic books and the

Gospels, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols, hymns and

choir music.

The order of service was adapted from an order drawn up by Edward White Benson, who

would later become Archbishop of Canterbury, for use at a 10:00 p.m. service on Christmas

Eve in 1880 that took place in a temporary wooden shed serving as the cathedral in Truro,

Cornwall. The first Lessons and Carols service at King’s College was held on Christmas Eve in

1918. It was conceived by Eric Milner-White, the Dean of the College, whose experience as an

army chaplain had led him to believe that more imaginative worship was needed by the Church

of England. It was first broadcast in 1928 and is now broadcast to millions of people around the

world. A broadcast will be available via American Public Media.

The format of the service has not changed substantially from the one in use at King’s College

to this day. The order of the lessons was revised in 1919, and since that time the service has

always begun with the hymn “Once in Royal David’s City.” We hope that this service is one of

splendor, awe, and profound meaning. Christmas blessings to all!

H O L I D A Y I N F O R M A T I O N

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E N D - O F - Y E A R C O N T R I B U T I O N S

V E S T R Y H I G H L I G H T S

The Outreach Committee and Vestry approved donations to the Barnabas Network [furniture

ministry] in the amount of $3000 and Episcopal Relief & Development [for hurricane Sandy

needs] in the amount of $2000.

A change in Memorial Garden fees was approved. The fee will be $350 effective Jan. 1, 2013.

The 2012 Vestry welcomed those elected to the new class at the Annual Parish Meeting. New

Vestry persons are Kris Cooke, Robert McDowell, Jim Tanner and Susan Tysinger.

Please feel free to call either Linda at the church office (288-4721) to find out your pledge

balance. All 2012 contributions are due into the office by Sunday December 30, 2012 to make

the end-of-the-year deposit. Thank you for your timely commitment to these matters.

The Lindas

C H A P T E R S I N O U R L I V E S

BIRTHS:

Eleanor Rebecca Black was born to Tyler and Robert Black on November 14th

Kendall Mae Abraham was born to Leigh and David Abraham on November 19th.

DEATHS:

Rebecca DeCoste, Parishioner

TRANSFER IN:

Manuel and Kathleen Vidal

James, Laura, Graham and Emery Otterberg

Tara, Megan and Joseph Talluto

TRANSFER OUT:

Kathryn, Christopher and Nicholas Pritchard to Holy Trinity

Nicholas Macpherson to St. John's Parish - John’s Island, South Carolina

Allen Waller to First United Methodist Church - Athens, Georgia

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T R E A S U R E R ’ S R E P O R T

A comparison of the ten months ending October 31st of 2012 and 2011 is below:

We are TEN months into the year and have nine Sundays to the end of the

church year. We remain favorable with the year-to-date budget in Revenues

and Expenses.

Pledges through mid November have been encouraging but more is needed so

we may begin finalizing the 2013 budget plan. The Vestry will approve a

budget framework at their Annual Retreat in early January 2013.

One significant expense will impact in November. That item will be the cost(s)

of the HVAC unit that was replaced in October and has now been paid in No-

vember. The project cost was approximately $16,000. Keep in mind; this was

an unforeseen expense that absolutely had to be incurred to provide heat and air conditioning to

the Sunday and Day Schools.

As of the October Vestry meeting, the Day School had 77 students. While this is less than what

was budgeted, the Day School staff is working diligently to increase the enrollment to a level that

will bring them back onto the budgeted numbers required for a successful school year.

This is the last of the Financial Reports for 2012. My sincere thanks go to the Finance Committee

members and Vestry Liaison for their counsel during the year. Thanks also go to the Vestry,

Clergy and this wonderful parish family that my wife Marty and I have come to know and to love.

I pray you all be blessed in this season as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus

Christ. We wish you a memorable Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New

Year.

In God’s Peace.

Larry Upson

LARRY UPSON

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S T O P H U N G E R N O W

On Sunday, December 2, the Youth

Group sponsored the annual Stop

Hunger Now service event! This

year, we packed just over 20,000

meals, which will be sent to one of

76 countries that the Stop Hunger Now organization

works with. It was wonderful to see folks of so many

different ages jumping in and helping, as well as first

time visitors and exchange students from Japan and

Saudi Arabia! Thank you to all those who came out to

help pack these meals, and may we continue to pray

for those who suffer from hunger in our

community and around the world.

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Our Nigerian refugee family continues to do well in Greensboro, and is becoming a part of our

church family. One son, Barikpele (fondly known as BK) has been working in an adult care

home service, which manages 7 adult care homes in Greensboro. He is a wonderful care-giver,

very polite, gentle, and a hard worker. But as many small business, they are cutting back on full

-time hours to hire more part-time staff. So, BK is having a hard time making ends meet now.

He works 2nd shift at the home, and is therefore available for any day-time work that might

help him out. He came here as a farmer, and so can do anything in the yard; he can help with

Christmas lights, decorations, trees, or yard clean up; as a personal care-giver, he could also

assist anyone who might need help caring for a male family member. Please call the church

office at 288-4721 if you could use his help, or contact Betty Barry, Mary Plybon, or Dan Jones

for references.

O U T R E A C H

S T O P H U N G E R N O W ( C O N ’ T )

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S T . F R A N C I S E P I S C O P A L C H U R C H A Parish of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina

The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry, Bishop

The Rt. Rev. Albert (Chip) Marble, Assisting Bishop

The Rt. Rev. William Gregg, Assistant Bishop

P A R I S H S T A F F

ST. FRANCIS EPISCOPAL CHURCH 3506 Lawndale Drive

Greensboro, NC 27408

The Rev. Michael Moulden, Rector

The Rev. Robert Black, Assistant Rector

Amanda Harmon, Director of Children's and

Youth Ministry

Liz Harvey, Youth Ministry Assistant

Rae Augustin, Day School Director

Sam Doyle, Choir Director

Pat Copley, Organist

Jane Woody, Junior Choir Director

Linda Allgood, Parish Administrator

Bonnie Thyer, Communications Coordinator

Mike Taylor, Facilities Manager

Linda Lambe, Bookkeeper

Rigoberto Bautista, Custodian

On the web at: www.stfrancisgreensboro.org

Phone 336-288-4721 Fax 336-288-4760

St. Francis Day School 336-288-4740