Reverse Advent Keeps Food Pantry Restocked

The 4th week of Advent is upon us already. We are all eager to celebrate the great feast of The Nativity, the Birth of Jesus the Christ.

So far, our “Reverse Advent” Food Pantry Donation has been beyond successful. The generosity of our community is testimony of the nature of who we are as God’s children…we care and we love!

Thank you, one and all, for your thoughtfulness, kindness and consideration. Our efforts make it possible for so many others who come to us, in need and want. What a blessing to be able to lovingly give from the heart.

(Please remember to check expiration dates on canned goods, boxed items and other such perishable items.)

This Week at St Nicholas – Calendar

As a reminder, the full master calendar is always available online at this link.  Here is the schedule for the next week:
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
AA Meeting

12:00 PM

Food Pantry

4:00 PM

Evening Prayer

6:00 PM

Choir Rehearsal

6:30 PM

Al-Anon Meeting

7:30 PM

 Thursday, April 17, 2014
AA Meeting

12:00 PM

Choir Call

6:00 PM

GA Meeting

7:00 PM

Maundy Thursday Service

7:00 PM

 Friday, April 18, 2014
AA Meeting

12:00 PM

Good Friday Service

7:00 PM

 Saturday, April 19, 2014
AA Meeting

1:00 PM

NO 4:30 Worship Service tonight (entire community will celebrate at the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday)

4:30 PM

AA Meeting

7:00 PM

Choir Call

7:00 PM

GSR – AA Meeting

7:30 PM

The Great Vigil of Easter

8:00 PM

 Sunday, April 20, 2014
Easter Worship Service

10:00 AM

Adult Bible Study

11:30 AM

Children’s / Youth Formation

11:30 AM

AA Meeting

7:30 PM

 Monday, April 21, 2014
AA Meeting

12:00 PM

AA Meeting

7:00 PM

 Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Vicar’s Day Off
AA Meeting

12:00 PM

AA Meeting

7:00 PM

 Wednesday, April 23, 2014
AA Meeting

12:00 PM

Evening Prayer

6:00 PM

Al-Anon Meeting

7:30 PM

Criminalizing Christ: The Love Wins Incident

This thought-provoking post from The God Article blog touches on issues we at St Nicholas address through our food pantry. As many of us may remember from when our Holy Innocents Hall was constructed, we were stopped from accepting the donation of commercial-grade appliances for the kitchen by the village. It was thought that the reason for this was to prevent us from offering our space as a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. So this issue also applies to our humble efforts to serve Christ in others.

Read more about the Love Wins story here. Read the Rev. Hugh Hollowell’s personal blog here.

As a Christian, I know Jesus teaches us that we are to offer food to the hungry, to welcome the stranger, to give water to the thirsty — the least of these on the margins of society. But he goes much farther than that. He identifies with the least of these so much so that he says any time there is a hungry, thirsty or ostracized person, that person is Christ himself. 

And if we don’t share our food, our water, or our welcome, then we are rejecting the Incarnation of God in this world. 

That’s why the incident with Love Wins isn’t only about sharing food with the hungry and homeless. It isn’t just about the larger war on the hungry and the poor being waged in city councils, state houses, and in the federal government. 

It isn’t even about the criminalization of homeless people, their advocates, and friends. 

It is about the criminalization of Christ.

via Criminalizing Christ: The Love Wins Incident and the Nationwide Targeting of Homeless – The God Article.