The Third Sunday of Advent

The Third Sunday of Advent
Visitation by Bishop Marc Andrus
December 13, 2015
10:00 am   All Parish Community Eucharist

From the Rector
Walking with a friend
Bishop Marc joins us today and we are so glad to have him with us. Our theme throughout Advent as been ‘I wonder as I wander.’ We have used this theme to think about our own contemplative practices during the season of Advent, we have thought about Mary’s walk to her cousin Elizabeth’s house and what she must have had on her mind during that journey. Today we go for a walk with our friend and spiritual guide, Bishop Marc.
Come and join us as we go on this walk with Marc – he has just returned from the climate change conference in Paris and I am sure will have insights and thoughts to share with us as he celebrates and preaches. After the service we are going to stay and talk for a while. Virginia is going to share our ‘wondering together’ findings and we are going to invite Bishop Marc and the whole congregation to talk about what we have found out about ourselves. 
It is like going for a walk with a good friend, an insightful one, with whom you can talk about your journey and hear what you say reflected back in their comments. Marc is the leader of our diocese, our Bishop, and he is a man with a great capacity for contemplative reflection. This will be a precious and valuable time as we seek to deepen our commitment to ministry in San Mateo in the months and years to come.
Love,   
Matthew+
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News & Announcements
Welcome Bishop Marc and Sheila!  
We are delighted to welcome our Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Marc Andrus and his wife Sheila to celebrate with us today at our parish-wide service at 10am, followed by coffee and a discussion forum during which we will reflect on where we are with the spiritual leader of our diocese. 
While the Bishop is here we will be receiving two new members into the Episcopal Church, Eric Choate and Michele McLean become full members of the Episcopal family of faith.
Wondering Together
After the service we have a chance to talk more deeply with each other and our Bishop. Virginia Fox has been leading our ‘Wondering Together’ program this fall and we will give feedback on the dinners, the youth dinner, the three wish cards and the online survey 
We will invite some reflections from Bishop Marc and also have an opportunity for parishioners to discuss the findings so far. 
Advent Outreach - the Giving Tree
Thank you to Hayes Bakken and Noelle Huey for speaking last week about their work with two bay area organizations:
Homeless Prenatal Program - a not for profit organization serving families in San Francisco and Haven of Hope Homes - a Santa Cruz based program providing care for twelve girls in foster care ages 12-18, in need as a result of histories of abuse or neglect.  THANKS TO ALL - your response was so phenomenal that we ran out of stars! There are more up this week, so please pick a star with a gift designation if you didn’t get a chance to and be sure to sign out which gift you are purchasing.   Please bring all gifts back to church by next Sunday, Dec. 20!  Thanks!
Grandmother Monica
Our Assistant Rector, Monica Whitaker is with her daughter, son in Law and new grandson, Benjamin, born on December 7th. She returns to the parish on December 19th. Please pray for this new ‘holy family’.
Snow Day is coming!
Snow day is this Saturday, Dec. 19th, 4-6pm! Thank you to George Philipp who is taking the lead. All interested volunteers, please speak to George or Matthew. Thank you to our Snow Angel, Snow Ball or Snow Flurry donors!  It’s not too late to lend your support:  Snow Angels - donate $500. Snow Ball - donate $200.  Snow Flurry - donate $50,.
Men’s Retreat: Roots
Where are your roots? Have you ever been uprooted? When did you put down new roots? Come and explore the idea of rootedness at our Men’s Retreat, St Dorothy’s Rest, Jan 8-10 2016. A great gift for guys and a great way to start the new year. More details and forms next week.
Annual Meeting 
​Our annual meeting takes place on Jan 31st after a combined service at 10am. We will share brunch and take time to reflect on our parish ministry, review our finances and elect parish leadership for the next year. 
Nominations are open for the Vestry and Deanery Representatives posts, if you are interested in running for any of these roles, speak to any of our Nominating Committee members:  Jan Jensen, Keith Jobe, Virginia Fox, Claudia Dierkes-Banks and George Philipp.