November, 2004 Calendar In This Issue: Parish Weekend Reflection Donations for Flowers We Gather Together Bringing Ritual, Tradition and Art to Advent All Saints Day and the Communion of Saints Turning of the Time: A Steward's Reflection The Advent Labyrinth Walk: A Direct Encounter with the Holy Columbarium Sale Ending Soon Home Advent Wreath Ceremony

by Suzanne Pipkin

The natural beauty of flowers does a great deal to enhance our worship experience. Altar flowers are donated to the glory of God by our parishioners in memory to loved ones or in thanksgiving for life's blessings. If you and your family would like to give flowers on a Sunday of special significance, here is the procedure.

Ask an usher for a sign up slip found in the entranceway to the church. Fill one out and deliver it to the church office, either in person, or by mail, along with your payment of $50. The flowers will be ordered by the Altar Guild for the Sunday you request. The Altar Guild works with a particular florist who knows our sanctuary and colors. The florist knows which flowers are appropriate to the season and the church year (during Lent, for example, there are no altar flowers). If you wish a specific date, be sure to have your donation in early - usually, flower signup slips should be sent in at least a week ahead of time.

We gladly accept all donations for Christmas and Easter flowers, however large or small, and invite you to help us decorate the church at our annual Greening of the Church, which will be on Sunday, Dec. 19th at 12:15 p.m. Offering envelopes for Christmas flowers will be available in the bulletin after Thanksgiving. After the last service of these high feast days, we encourage you to take the flowers to the sick, needy and homebound.

In this season of Thanksgiving, another way to remember loved ones and enhance our worship service is to donate money to the Altar Guild for us to use in purchasing altar linens. Our communion linens generally cost $20 for a Purificator, $30 for a Corporal or a Pall, and $20 for a Lavabo Towel. And if you don't know what these funny-sounding names mean, please come and visit the Altar Guild and you'll learn all about them, and more!

A final note about giving to the Church. Don't forget that you can include gifts to the church in your memorial plans. St. Augustine's was blessed to receive a gift of $5,000 from the estate of Gwen Milsom. The money was donated to the Altar Guild and was used to buy new altar linen and the new frontal presently on the altar. It is a lasting tribute to a generous servant of God.

Copyright © 2004 St. Augustine by-the-Sea