"And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them."
St. Matthew 21:3
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Fr. Yossi officiated a beautiful Holy Communion service on the First Sunday in Advent. His sermon focused on the Gospel lesson from St. Matthew 21 which describes Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem and followed by the cleansing of the temple. He reviewed the expectations of the crowd, the symbolism of the colt, and the words of the Prophets . At the end of his sermon, Fr. Yossi asked if we are living the life we are called to live?
Thank you Fr. Yossi for the beautiful Holy Communion service and Br. Scott for leading Morning Prayer. Sadly, we had technical issues with our YouTube broadcast.
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After services we enjoyed another delicious lunch of lasagne, tossed salad, and several types of brownies brought by Scott, Mere, Lin, and me.
After lunch we decorated the church for the Advent Season. We put up the Christmas tree, set up nativity scenes upstairs & downstairs, and placed candles in the windows. Thank you so much to everyone for all their help - the church looks beautiful!
Advent - Tis the season to wear purple!!
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This Sunday, Fr. Yossi continued with confirmation classes in preparation for Bishop Jones' visit on Sunday December 10. He finished his review of the Articles of Religion. This was the last Christian Education class for 2023. The classes will restart on Sunday January 7 at 10 am - a pot of coffee will be on! Topic to be announced.
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This past Saturday St. Peter's members enjoyed lunch at Long Horn Steakhouse followed by The Symphony of the Mountains 'By The Fireside' Christmas Concert at the Toy F. Reid Eastman Employee Center in Kingsport. What an fantastic way to spend an afternoon with wonderful company, delicious food, and joyful music!
Long Horn Steakhouse
Pictures from the concert:
Br. Scott was given the opportunity to direct the Symphony on this, one of his last nights as the Executive Director of the Symphony of the Mountains!
After the Show:
JP even introduced us to Cornelia, the Music Director for the Symphony of the Mountains!
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Lin sent this beautiful picture of her and her granddaughter, Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn got married this past weekend - may God bless her and her husband as they start their new life together!
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Scott took this photo of The 2023 Women's Retreat of the Anglican Province of America at Holy Spirit Monastery, Conyers, Georgia. Sue and Scott attended the retreat in October.
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Advent Devotional:
The Advent Devotional created by our local Deanery is available at the Deanery website:
Fr. Rivard is the head of the Deanery of Appalachia of which St. Peters is a member. Thank you Fr. Rivard for putting this Devotional together and for all the contributors including our own Fr. Yossi and Br. Scott. Please note next Sunday, December 3, is the First Sunday in Advent.
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Sunday, Dec. 10, The Second Sunday in Advent:
Bishop Jones is visiting St. Peter's on Sunday, December 10! He will be confirming several of our new members. After services we will celebrate with a BBQ lunch. We are asking everyone to bring a dish that goes with BBQ! Hutch and Misty created a Google sign up sheet for the BBQ. Please go to the link below and let us know what dish you plan to bring so we can ensure a variety of dishes!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JIv8Q24y2OUKeYUy0Nojfp_ADAqyRg50XBcfDP_2pnc/edit?usp=sharing
Thank you so much Hutch and Misty for setting up the sign up sheet!!
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Sunday, Dec. 17, The Third Sunday in Advent:
We will present The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols starting at 10:30 am. This service features scripture readings, traditional Christmas hymns, a string quartet from the Symphony of the Mountains and light refreshments after the service. Please plan to bring a sweet or savory finger food to share after the service.
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Christmas Eve and Christmas Day:
On Christmas Eve Br. Scott will lead Morning Prayer at 9:15 am. Fr. Yossi will celebrate Holy Communion at 11 am.
On Christmas Day Br. Scott will lead Morning Prayer at 9:15 am.
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Our next Women's Bible Study is on Wed. December 6 @ 11 am at the church. We are using "The First 24" for our study guide. This is an in depth study of Mark 1:21-45 - the first 24 hours of Jesus' public ministry. The guide is available on Amazon. Please remember to bring the book, your bible, and a lunch!
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