Hello from the Vicar 12/4/10

Hi, all!

This is the first edition of a weekly e-mail newsletter I'm sending to my friends at St. Antony's. I hope you like the format: a brief, informal, weekly update on what's happening at St. Antony's. They'll be easy to read -- personal, informative, and lively.

I'm using the Constant Contact e-mail program, which allows for recipients to opt out if they choose. If you want to unsubscribe, it's easy...just go to the bottom of this page . There's also a sign-up button on our parish web page so interested people can sign up to receive these e-mails and we can spread the welcome of St. Antony's a little wider.  Another attractive feature of the Constant Contact program is that it's a secure service so your e-mail address won't be sold or stolen.

You may have noticed that the power outage last week messed up the timers for the outdoor lights at church. Instead of coming on at sunset, they were coming on in the early part of the day and going out before dark. Not very helpful!  We finally got them re-set so they work right (let me know if we need to make adjustments). It reminds me that interruptions in our lives sometimes make us re-set our internal clocks and compasses. 

Advent is like that. In Advent we come to the darkest part of the year and we reflect on the themes of darkness, waiting, and watching. At our house, we're lighting an Advent candle during dinner each night. It helps remind us that the light of Christ shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it. (John 1:5)

This week I visited Jeanne Hummel in her new home at Country Meadows Cottages. Her address is 12146 Country Meadows Lane #17, Silverdale, WA 98383-9550 and she'd appreciate cards and visits. I also visited Eunice Brodde, who has moved to an assisted living apartment at Clearbrook. Cards and brief visits for Eunice would be very helpful: 12295 Schold Rd NW, Silverdale, WA.

At our BC meeting on Wednesday night, we passed a motion to make an offer on the property on Clear Creek Rd. The offer will be made through the diocesan property committee in due course. I think we've had a good parish discussion about this property, and I feel hopeful about it.

See you Sunday as we gather round the table for the Eucharist -- our life together with God and one other.

Bill