Food Pantry Needs: Breakfast items (cereals, grits, oatmeal, breakfast bars, etc.), canned meats, dessert items (cake mix, pudding, Jell-O, etc.). Marked containers will be placed in the Parish Hall for collection of these items, and they will be transported to the Crisis Center. Please donate your time, talents and energy to sharing Christ’s love with our neighbors by volunteering at North Raleigh Ministries. Call 785-9911 and ask for Katie or contact Pat Baker at 787-5976 to volunteer.

There will be a meeting of all the Church School Teachers next Saturday, January 10th at 10 AM in the Parish Hall. We need to review what things have gone well and not so well from September through December and what things we need to be doing from January through May.

Vacation Bible School planning meetings will begin in January. There will be a short organizational meeting on Sunday, January 18th at 10 AM in the Parish Hall. We are looking for a vbolunteer to step forward and help organize this year’s program. Please consider taking on this important and fun ministry on behalf of the children at St. Timothy’s Church.

St. Timothy’s School is hosting a class in CPR and AED training (cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automatic external defibrillator) on Monday, January 5th from noon until 3 PM. The school is opening the class to any parishioner who would like to attend. The class is limited to 15 people. If you would like to be trained in the use of CPR and AED, simply give your name to Father James. We will be purchasing an AED for the Church and the Parish Hall some time next year, and it would be good to have more parishioners trained in its used before it is installed.

It is expected in The Episcopal Church that everyone who is baptized will be confirmed. Our Prayer Book rubrics say, “In the course of their Christian development, those baptized at an early age are expected, when they are ready and have been duly prepared, to make a mature public affirmation of their faith and commitment to the responsibilities of their Baptism and to receive the laying on of hands by the bishop. Those baptized as adults, unless baptized with laying on of hands by a bishop, are also expected to make a public affirmation of their faith and commitment to the responsibilities of their Baptism in the presence of a bishop and to receive the laying on of hands” (BCP, P. 412). We also use the Confirmation Classes to prepare people converting to The Episcopal Church from other branches of the Faith.

Father James would like to meet with all adults and young people who want to attend the Confirmation Classes in the parlor at 10 AM on Sunday, January 18th. The parents of the young people wanting to be confirmed should attend this meeting. Everyone will receive a syllabus, and we will determine the best day and time to hold the weekly classes. The confirmation is scheduled for Sunday, May 3rd during the Bishop’s Annual Visitiation.

From Monday, December 29th through Wednesday, December 31st we will have a paving crew working on the north and east sides of the Church. If we are coming into the Church, we will need to enter and exit the property from the Rowan Street entrance and enter the building through the Parish Hall. We should gain a few parking spaces and a more unifom look as a result. We apologize for any inconvenience this construction may cause for those attending the Communion Services on those days.

The Vestry designated Sunday, November 2nd as our Every Member Canvass Sunday. Many were here to offer their pledges in thanksgiving to God for the work and witness of St. Timothy’s through 2009. If you have yet to pledge, please complete a pledge card from the narthex. We also have children’s pledge cards for those who are younger. The Vestry will follow up with phone calls and letters until they have canvassed the entire membership. This canvass will determine the strength and power of our witness through 2009. As of December 23rd, we have received 228 pledges totalling $310,393.20. Thank you to everyone who has pledged for 2009. Our work and witness here at St. Timothy’s will continue becuase of your willingness to show your thankfulness to God in the form of a pledge. It is truly inspiring and strengthening to see the outpouring of support for our Church and all that it stands for.

Wednesday, December 24:

• 5:30 PM: Sung Service of Holy Communion with a Christmas Pageant
• 10:30 PM: Christmas Music
• 11 PM: Sung Service of Holy Communion with Solemn Procession and Blessing of the Creche

Thursday, December 25: 9 AM Said Service of Holy Communion

Friday, December 26: 12 Noon Holy Communion for the Feast of St. Stephen

Saturday, December 27: 12 Noon Holy Communion for the Feast of St. John the Evangelist

Sunday, December 28:

• 9 AM: Said Service of Holy Communion
• 11 AM: Sung Service of Holy Communion

Monday, December 29: 12 Noon Holy Communion for the Feast of the Holy Innocents

Wednesday, December 31: 10:30 AM Said Service of Holy Communion

Sunday, January 4:

• 9 AM: Said Service of Holy Communion
• 11 AM: Sung Service of Holy Communion

Tuesday, January 6: 12 Noon Holy Communion for the Feast of the Epiphany

If your children are planning to be in the Christmas Pageant, please try to attend the Sunday practices.

The Dress Rehearsal will be held on Saturday, December 20th in the Church from 9 AM to 11 AM. We will practice in the Church and hand out costumes. This is a mandatory practice.

This year we will decorate the Church for Christmas on Sunday, December 21st immediately after the 11 AM Service. We will need many hands to hang the greens, set up the Christmas Creche, put lights on the tree and do everything else we need to do to be ready for our first Masses of Christmas on Wednesday, December 24th. The more hands we have from the little elves, the faster the work will go and the better it will look.

The Youth Group Christmas Party will be held on Sunday, December 21st from 4 PM until 7 PM. We will have our traditional gingerbread house contest, gift exchange and yuletide games.