Happy Thanksgiving!
It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord. (Psalm 92:1a)
Dear Friends in Christ,
Thanksgiving is at the heart of our Christian life. In The Book of Common Prayer, when we come together for Holy Eucharist, the second part of the service, we offer The Great Thanksgiving (p. 361). Eucharist comes from the Greek word for thanksgiving.
In the United States, the fourth Tuesday in November is set aside as a national day of Thanksgiving in observance of a tradition deeply rooted in our history and our desire to express gratitude for all God has given us. It is a time to come together with family and friends to feast and celebrate.
My prayer this Thanksgiving is that it will be a time that deepens your bond with those you love, those you worship with each Sunday, and most importantly, with God, the giver and the gift. As you remember Thanksgivings past and give thanks this year, remember the God who is the source of all.
Yours in Christ,
2022 GIVING TREE
This year, we’re collecting donations for pet food to help families who come to Emmanuel’s Table Food Pantry and are taking a collection to support Grandparents as Parents (GAP).
Our furry friends are an important part of our families and those experiencing food insecurity often are struggling to feed their furry family as well. In our area, there are few resources to get pet food, so Emmanuel’s Table has been stepping in to help fill this community need.
GAP, led by Shelia Helsley, is a vital group in ShenCo serving the grandparents serving as parents. These grandparents have been unexpectedly called upon to step up to fill the roll of parent to their grandchildren, so appreciate the help GAP provides in offering support in the form of community, education, food, clothing and more. This Christmas, the GAP families are receiving a Christmas box to help make their Christmas brighter (and ensure there’s something under the tree for everyone).
We’re asking that folks send monetary donations, made out to Emmanuel Episcopal Church and noting that it is for Giving Tree to 122 E. Court St., Woodstock, VA 22664. Or, you can pick items (including gift cards) from THIS AMAZON WISH LIST and have it mailed directly to the church.
Please feel free to share this with friends and family who are looking for ways to give back this holiday season. We’ll be taking donations through the end of January, with monetary donations divided evenly between both groups.
2022 CHRISTMAS FLOWER DEDICATIONS
If you would like to dedicate Christmas flowers to a friend or loved one, please complete this form. The form needs to be completed and money given to your church’s treasurer by Sunday, Dec. 18. The flowers will decorate the sanctuaries on Christmas Eve at St. Andrew’s and Emmanuel. If you have any questions, please speak with Mother Kathy or Melissa.
COOKIE & VOLUNTEER SIGNUP FOR LIGHT UP WOODSTOCK: COOKIES AND VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We are still in need of cookies for the 2022 Light Up Woodstock event. Typically, we hand out at least 100 dozen so need many more yet. Cookies need to be dropped off at Emmanuel by 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2.
We also need volunteers to help set up, hand out cookies/drinks and clean up. We need folks to come at 4 p.m. to start set up. We anticipate that break down will be done by 8 p.m. We’ll have two shifts, 4 to 6 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. You’re welcome to volunteer for one shift or both.
If you’re able to bake or giving store-bought cookies (we ask that they be individually wrapped with one or two cookies per bag), or to volunteer to help, please fill out this form or email Melissa (beckfordparishoffice@gmail.com) to let her know how many dozen you’ll be bringing and/or which shift(s) you can volunteer for.
EMMANUEL: PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR PLEDGE FORMS
Your vestry will be working on the 2023 budget starting at their November meeting, so we really need to get your pledge forms in so we know how much income we can count on. Thank you for returning yours. If you didn’t receive your stewardship letter and card, please let the church office know. If you have questions, email Elizabeth Cottrell, Stewardship Chair: elizabethc@heartspoken.com. If necessary, an emailed pledge sent to Elizabeth will be counted and appreciated.
BISHOP’S CONSECRATION INFO
If you would like to attend the consecration, it is open to the public. Registration, which you can do online is required. A bus with folks from our area is leaving from Emmanuel Harrisonburg at 7:45 a.m. December 3 to go to Richmond. If you are interested, please RSVP to Mother Kathy. There is a cost involved.
SHARING OUR FAMILY NATIVITY SETS
This advent season, we’re asking folks to bring in a special nativity set that they’d like to share with others in our church family. At Emmanuel, they’ll also be set up in the fellowship hall during Light Up Woodstock for our neighbors to come in and see. Please drop off your set at any Sunday service between now and the last Sunday of the month, when Advent begins. Should you have questions, Mother Kathy would be glad to help.
THURSDAY BIBLE STUDY: NO BIBLE STUDY TONIGHT
Join in fellowship with our Episcopal neighbors here in the Southern Shenandoah Region for a Bible study focusing on the upcoming Sunday’s Gospel reading. The Bible study is held Thursdays at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Everyone is welcome!
Emmanuel’s Table is open every second and fourth Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The next dates are Dec. 13 and 27. We always welcome folks to help unload deliveries and pack and distribute food. A huge thanks to all those who have stepped in to help coordinate the food pantry to make sure we can keep feeding our neighbors who experience food insecurity.
PRAYER LIST
One of the greatest gifts we have to offer each other as a parish family is our prayers for ourselves, our families and our loved ones. You’re invited to sit with your parish directory and each day, lift up a section or page of names a day. Let’s continuously hold each other in prayer. Let us pray: God of grace and comfort, enfold our parish-members, family and friends with your mercy. Strengthen each one with a shield of faith and enable them to accept what is to come, heal them and bear their pain, keep them in peace, and fix their hearts on you through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Our prayer list can be found on our website. If you have folks you’d like added to the prayer list, please email their names to email Melissa.
CELEBRATING NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS
11/1 Mother Kathy
11/5 Sally Clark
11/6 Linda Clark
11/22 Emily Scott
11/23 Chuck Everett
11/23 John Gatchell
11/27 Rebecca Doroshenk
In future editions of the Beckford Connection we’d like to celebrate anniversaries as well. Please email Melissa and let us know if you have an upcoming anniversary.
WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
WEEKDAY SERVICES
NIGHTLY COMPLINE
Sunday through Thursday, 8 p.m. Compline on Facebook Live and Zoom
WEDNESDAY HEALING EUCHARIST
12 p.m. at Emmanuel
SUNDAY SERVICES
8 a.m. Emmanuel
9:15 a.m. St. Andrew’s and Facebook Live
11:15 a.m. Emmanuel and Facebook Live
The full bulletin is available here on our website.
All weekly and Sunday services are available to view on Facebook and our website after the services, when available.