Providing a welcoming community in which all can, with open hearts and open minds, receive God's grace through worship, fellowship, learning and outreach to others.

Church of the

Holy Apostles

(Episcopal)

DECEMBER

2018

Even though this is being written prior to the results of the pledge drive, it is not too late (nor is it too early) to say thank you for your generous gifts of time and talent during 2018. They have allowed us to expand our ministries and provide better Christian Education programs. Because of you, we have touched and improved the lives of thou-sands of individuals in our parish, community and around the world.

At our in-gathering in December we will share with you the results of the 2019 Stewardship Drive. At that time, we will also provide a more formal thank you, especially for the gifts pledged in 2019, and will celebrate our accomplish-ments and discuss our future.

It is important for everyone to submit a pledge card; it is the only way we can properly plan for next year’s ministries and programs. If you have not yet submitted a pledge card or are prayerfully reconsidering an increase to the amount you have already pledged, please consider this:

Did you ever wonder how it is that the smallest gift recorded in the Bible is the most famous? It can be found in Mark 12:41-44. “(Jesus) watched the crowd putting money into the Treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins which are worth a penny. Then (Jesus) … said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the Treasury. For all of them have contributed out of abundance but she, out of her poverty, has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’”

As you finalize your giving, please remember and reflect on this: What acts of generosity in your life have come from unexpected sources? How have they called you to your own acts of unexpected generosity? Just like the widow, what would Jesus say about you and your giving?

God bless you, 2019 Stewardship Committee

From the Stewardship Committee

Schedule of Christmas Services Sunday, December 23rd 10:00 am Advent Lessons and Carols (Nursery provided) 5:15 pm Bluegrass Mass

Monday, December 24th

Christmas Eve

5:00 pm Holy Eucharist with Children’s Christmas Pageant (Nursery provided) 7:00 pm Bluegrass Christmas Mass (Nursery provided) 9:30 pm Music for the Season 10:00 pm Holy Eucharist

Tuesday, December 25th

Christmas Day

4:00 pm Holy Eucharist

If you would like to help beautify the church this Christmas, the Altar Guild will sell Poinsettias starting December 2nd for $12.50 each. Forms will be available in the pews and at the usher tables or you can purchase online.

Proceeds generated by the sale of Poinsettias benefit the Our Little Roses Ministry, an outreach of the Altar Guild.

Page 2 THE ACTS

EYC 6th - 12th Graders

Sunday, December 2nd Caroling from 3:00 - 5:00 pm Every year, we visit a few of our neighbors who live in retirement communities and spread holiday joy! This is a family event and all are in-vited! Carpools will be available. More details to come!

Sunday, December 9th - 5:00 pm Special Friends Christmas Crafts Come celebrate the holidays with Special Friends Fellowship at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Memphis (White Station and Quince Road). We will be helping with worship, crafts and dinner. All are welcome to participate. Look for food sign-up soon!

Sunday, December 16th - 4:00 pm Advent/Pre-Christmas Party At the home of Cynthia McCarty 8567 Sycamore Trail Drive in Germantown Join us for our annual silly gift ex-change and enjoy games and holiday treats. Please bring a small wrapped gift (approx. $10-$15) and a holiday treat to share!

EKC 3rd, 4th and 5th Graders

Sunday, December 2nd Caroling from 3:00 - 5:00 pm We will join EYC to sing carols for residents of retirement centers in our community. Carpools will be availa-ble. More details to come!

Check us out on Twitter or Instagram @holyapostlestn or like our Holy Apostles Youth Page on Facebook!

Holy Apostles Youth

The Diocese of West Tennessee Ski Trip will be January 18 - 20, 2019 at Hidden Valley Ski Resort in Missouri. Nearly 100 teenagers from across the Diocese will hit the slopes as part of the first Exursion, the newest outdoor adventure programming offered by St. Columba.

The trip is open to anyone in grades 6 - 12, but there are a limited number of spots, so sign up today! If you sign up by December 16th, the cost is $300. After that, it is $400. Partial and full scholarships are available. Email Cynthia at cynthia@holyapostlestn.net for details. Visit www.saintcolumbamemphis.org/ski to register!

Youth Ski Trip January 2019

Christmas Pageant Christmas Eve All children are invited to participate in the Christmas Pageant at the 5:00 pm Christmas Eve service. You’ll have the opportunity to sign up to participate at the Advent Festival on December 2nd at 10:10 am You may also email Cynthia McCarty at cynthia@holyapostlestn.net.

There are speaking and non-speaking roles for every age child. Those who sign-up for a speaking role will be contacted by December 13th with their lines to practice.

Rehearsal and costume fittings will be on Sunday, December 16th at 12:15 pm. This rehearsal is required for all speaking roles.

All participants will need to be at the church no later than 4:00 pm on December 24th for a dress rehearsal before the service.

If your child is unable to attend the rehearsals, but would like to participate or help with

the pageant, or if you have any other questions, please contact Cynthia.

Thanks to everyone who participated in Holy Home Cookin'!! We raised almost $1,500! It takes $2,000 to fund Meals-on-Wheels for one person for one year, so if you would still like to donate, you may write a check to the church and please reference "Holy Home Cookin'" on the memo line. We were blown away by the won-derful food donated - the variety, quality AND quantity of it all was the best ever. Thanks to all who made and

bought the food! Your generosity is really going to make a difference in someone's life this year! Barb Cafferty, Lee Carpenter, Barbara Olive & Marianne Waszilycsak

Advent Festival Sunday, December 2nd Please join us on December 2nd for our annual Advent Festival. This event will be fun for all ages and will take place in the PLC during the Christian Education hour.

We will welcome the season of Advent with a festive hospitality hour, serving special treats. We will also have advent wreath decoration, in addition to a craft area set up with fun activities for kids, including holiday cookie-decorating and ornament-making. In addition, we will have resources for families to help with your advent celebration at home.

Please bring fresh greenery and clippings from your home, like magnolia leaves, mis-tletoe, holly branches, and Christmas tree branches. If you have any questions or would like to help with this event, email Cynthia at cynthia@holyapostlestn.net.

Page 3 THE ACTS

Reading with the Rector book club will meet on Tuesday, December 18th at 6:30 pm in the Conference Room to discuss the nonfiction work The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson.

Reading with the Rector :

December

Adult Christian Education

During the first three weeks of December, we will continue with Jim Walsmith’s presentation and discussion of “Hymns of the Season”. Jim started this series for us on November 25th.

“The Holidays” are upon us! For worshiping Episcopalians, the holidays start around the Feast of All Saints and include the Feast of Christ the King, Advent preparations and Christmastide.

This period of feasting and fasting is accompanied by characteristic hymns and canticles. So make this a part of your Advent preparations! Join our music director, Jim Walsmith, for a closer look at what we’re singing through-out December.

Rector’s Forum Sundays at 10:10 am

St. Clare Silent Retreat for Women

Prime Timers Prime Timers has two events in December:

On Sunday, December 9th, we will attend a performance of Miracle on 34th street at the Harrell Theatre in Collierville at 2:30 pm. Ticket price is $12.00 and you can purchase your ticket at the door. A block of seats has been re-served, so please identify yourself as attending with Holy Apostles. Join us for lunch before the show, too - 12:30 pm at Highlander Pub on the Collierville Square. Visit the website to sign up! www.holyapostlestn.net/events

Then, on Friday, December 14th at 6:00 pm, we will gather for our annual Christmas social at the home of Judy and Frank Potter (1728 Wainright Court, Collierville). Please bring a heavy hors d’oeuvres or dessert to share.

With our societal norm of increasing busy-ness during the holiday season, it can be challenging to make space for a holy Advent. But an intentional start helps. What: Half-Day Silent Retreat for Women When: Friday, December 7th, 8:30 am – 1 pm Where: St. Columba Camp and Retreat Center

St. Clare Retreats, a ministry of the Epis-copal Diocese of West Tennessee, pro-vides silent retreats for women of all de-nominations and faiths, following the Psalmist’s invitation to come away for a time to experience God’s presence. After greetings and coffee, a brief meditation and communion are offered; then a peace-ful, reflective two-hour period of silence begins. During this time, retreatants may walk on beautiful wooded paths, sit by the

fire, relax in a chair on the patio, knit, read, write, pray or just quietly commune with God. At the end of the silence, a short service precedes lunch and conversation.

To learn more and register, visit

saintcolumbamemphis.org and click on

‘Retreats.’

Operation Joy Just a reminder, if you picked an angel off our tree, the

gifts are due back to the church by December 2nd.

We hope you enjoyed being able to shop for one of

our angels. If not for your help, many of these chil-

dren would not receive any gifts. Make sure your gifts

are labeled with the child’s name and the family name.

If you have any questions, contact Barb Cafferty at

barb.cafferty@ipaper.com or (901)651-9613.

Note from the Altar Guild: Due to the increased cost of purchasing flowers, the cost of altar flower arrangements will go up to $60 starting January 1st.

Thank you for your generosity!

More Than A Meal Christmas Collection

The More Than a Meal ministry team is seeking donations for its Christmas collection to benefit those we serve at

Grace-St. Luke’s. Please help us provide 100 bags of consumables (fruit cups, Hershey’s candy bars,

snack crackers, hard candy, Lunch-ables). We would also like to include home-baked Christmas cookies and

tangerines. Please keep an eye out for more information about when and

where we will collect items.

NONPROFIT ORG. U. S. POSTAGE PAID COLLIERVILLE, TN PERMIT NO. 12

Office: 901.937.3830 Fax: 901.937.3837

www.holyapostlestn.net

info@holyapostlestn.net

Church of the

Holy Apostles (Episcopal)

1380 Wolf River Blvd. Collierville, TN 38017

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

The Acts December 2018

Dec 1: Helping Hands

Dec 2: Advent Festival (see page 2)

Dec 4: Devotional at Page Robbins 11:00 am

Dec 5: Knitting for Needs 9:00 am

Dec 5: The Gathering - Evening Prayer (5:30 pm) and

Potluck Dinner (6:00 pm)

Dec 9: Prime Timers to Harrell Theatre (2:30 pm)

(see page 3)

Dec 11: ACTS January Newsletter Deadline

Dec 11: Men’s Prayer Breakfast 7:00 am

Dec 14: Prime Timers Holiday Gathering 6:30 pm

(see page 3)

Dec 18: Devotional at Page Robbins 11:00 am

Dec 18: Reading with the Rector 6:30 pm (see page 3)

Dec 23: More Than A Meal at Grace-St. Luke’s 3:30 pm

Dec 24: Christmas Eve (see service schedule on page 1)

Dec 25-26: Parish Office Closed

For more information on these and other events at Holy Apostles, visit our website (www.holyapostlestn.net), where you can sign up for our weekly email announcements.

Like us on Facebook (@hapostles) and follow us on Twitter (@hapostles) and Instagram (holyapostlestn).

December at Holy Apostles

Holy Home Cookin’

Operation Joy