Rector’s Update: This Season We Are In

Dear Restoration,

This season of Advent has already been so meaningful as we create space and intentional practices to listen to the Lord.
Our sanctuary is beautiful.
The music of waiting and longing expresses the desires of our heart.
The Advent retreat was a well-timed gift.
Our Daily Prayer Guide is helping us hear from the Lord through His Scriptures. 

“Surely the Lord is coming soon. Amen, come Lord Jesus.” 

As we pass the half-way mark of this season, I have four brief updates for you:

1. The Vestry Election. To our slate of six candidates who stood for vestry, thank you. It takes courage to offer oneself for service. All six have served our congregation in myriad ways and I am grateful for their time and effort. To our members who voted in the vestry election, thank you.  Thank you for praying, deciding, and discharging your part of the responsibility we have to choose our leaders. I appreciate it. 
   
   The following people were elected to the vestry class of 2025. They will serve for three years.
   Jared Daugherty
   Joel Harris
   Becky Mohr
   
   We give thanks to God for you! The words of St. Paul to the Ephesian elders shape the way we approach our time on vestry:  “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” (Acts 20.35)
    
2. Opportunity to serve on Christmas Eve. The weekend of December 24 and 25 will be so fun on Quincy Street. We will worship together on Christmas Eve at 3:00pm, 5:00pm, and 8:00pm. All the info you need (and an easy way to invite your friends!) is right here. 
   Are you planning to attend the 8pm? Would you be open to helping me by advancing the slides we use in that worship service? I am looking for one person to take on this important role and I’ll teach you how to do it- so easy, will take us 5 minutes. Shoot me a quick note.
   
   While I have ya… on Christmas Day, we will have one service at 10:00am! None of us attends ‘the 10am service at Restoration’. It’s special! One time only! For Christmas! It will be casual, with carols, and Eucharist. We would love to see you on Christmas Day.
    
3. Had a chance to sign up for a Glebe Star Tree gift? This is a way we connect to the needs of households at Glebe Elementary. There are still about 40 opportunities for you to jump in. You can do that here. Please bring your wrapped gifts to church this Sunday, December 11. If you need a little more time to get your gift to us (but no later than Friday, December 16) just reach out to Louise. 
   
   We are also seeking cookie bakers to bring goodies on Sunday, December 18. We’ll share those sweet sweets with Glebe families who come to get their gifts. Want to buy or bake a dozen (or two)? Let us know here.
    
4. The carols are coming!!! December 18 is the 4th and last Sunday of Advent. We will begin to transition from our Advent waiting to our Christmas singing in the afternoon at 4:30pm. Isaac will lead us in a crowd-sourced wish list of Christmas carols. Picture children pulling carol names out of a bowl and Isaac taking off in exuberant song. It will be a blast! After an hour, when our voices are spent, we will enjoy cookies and hot cider. It will be a marvelous end to our Advent season and a large cup of Resto Joy. Hope you can be there.

I am praying for you- that the Lord will met you in Advent and in the season in which you find yourself.
Thank you God for our new vestry members.
Thank you God for opportunities to connect to others as we wait and worship and serve.
Thank you, God.

-David