The Christmas Pageant will be presented on December 24th at 5:30 PM. We have such a short time to learn the songs and practice for a successful Pageant. We will need volunteers to help with rehearsals and the performance. More importantly, we need all children involved to attend practices and know the music. Please practice singing the carols together at home. Practice will be held on December 16th during Sunday School. Dress rehearsal will be Saturday, December 22nd for 9 AM to 11 AM. Children should arrived dressed for the Pageant on December 24th by 5:00 PM.

Pageant parts:

• Mary and Joseph: Elizabeth Pooleand Alex Creel
• Gabriel: Aly Persing
• Three Wise Men: Cooper Thomas, Connor Booth and Matthew Creel
• Star Bearer: Katherine Hurst
• Shepherds: Kindergarten - 5th grade
• Angels: Kindergarten - 5th grade
• Animals: Preschoolers
• Readers: Cee Cee Louder and Olivia James

If your family will not be able to participate, we will be making Jesse Tree ornaments and learning the carols in the Parish Hall during Church School.

Please call Grace Hurst at 790-1758 or send e-mail to christianed@sttimothys.org if you are interested in helping with the Pageant.

St. Timothy’s Church and St. Timothy’s School 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Christmas Ornaments will be available in the school office from 8 AM to 3:30 PM Monday - Friday until December 18th. The 3-D Heirloom Ornaments are 24kt gold plated brass, custom etched and gift boxed and cost $15 each. Please make checks payable to St. Timothy’s School (memo line: ornament).

It is time for the spring rotation of the Table Fellowships dinners. We have had a great time with the dinners in the fall and are looking forward to a successful spring as well. If you are already in a group, Cathy Elsea will be contacting you within the next week to see if you are continuing in the spring. if you are interested in joining the spring dinner groups, we would love to have you. Please either sign the sheet on the bulletin board outside the church office or contact Cathy Elsea at 846-8114 or dselsea@aol.com.

The Youth Group is sponsoring the North Raleigh Ministry’s toy drive and food drive this year. You may purchase a toy and leave unwrapped gifts for children under the tree. You may leave non-perishable foods in the designated bins tin the narthex.

The Youth Group will also host the Italian Night on Friday, January 11th. Put it down on your calendar and then come and enjoy a great Italian dinner and dessert, music and dancing.

There are many ways to pay your pledge. Some parishioners pay their pledges by cashing in stock. This is done by having your broker contact the parish office. The parish has an account with Edward Jones, and the stock can be liquidated so the parish receives the stock value. Please call Debbie Nicholas at the parish office, and she can give you the simple information needed. This is a very convenient way to pay your pledge and holds two good advantages: 1) you may be able to pay your pledge in only one payment before the end of 2007, making it a tax deduction for 2007, and 2) this may help the parish avoid cash flow problems through the leaner times of the budgetary year. Whether you pay your pledge by stock, cash or checks, please know that your support for St. Timothy’s is something that is a true blessing.

Congratulations to our Vestry members who were re-elected to another term: Peter Bourey, Anne Elsea, Susan Flaugher, Peppy Hayes, Steve Sholtis, Stephen Stager and Mark McKeown. Congratulations to the two newly elected members of the Vestry, Chuch Baker and Denise Vreeland, who were elected to one-year terms; they will join the Vestry at the January meeting. We truly appreciate the work and time Keith Bandy and Jack Crush have devoted to the Vestry this past year, and we thank them for their outstanding service.

St. Anne’s Chapter of the ECW invites all women of the Church to attend their meetings as they enjoy their fellowship and study of the women of the Bible. Meetings follow the 10:30 AM Communion Service on the second Wednesday of the month. The next meeting will be on December 12th, and it will be a luncheon following Father Caldwell’s Advent Bible study, which follows the 10:30 AM Holy Communion Service. Bring your favorite dish.

St. Anne’s Chapter appreciates the support of the congregation for their Bake Sale. The proceeds will be used to replace the hymnals and prayer books that are in disrepair.

Gold, frankincense and myrrh may not be on your shopping list, but they were in fact the original Christmas gifts to Him whose birth we are preparing to celebrate. If you haven’t yet decided what to give Him this year, how about an extra hour of your time to know Him better?

Father Caldwell’s Bible class will be held on the three Advent Wednesday mornings at 11:10 AM in the Parlor after the 10:30 AM Holy Communion Service. The group will take a fresh look at the three conspicuously different Gospel narratives of Our Lord’s Birth:

• December 5th: Saint John’s proclamation of God’s Word made flesh in Jesus
• December 12th: Saint Matthew’s version of Christmas, too seldom studied in depth but likely more true to history
• December 19th: Saint Luke’s version, the most loved Nativity story

Put these dates on your calendar and be rewarded.