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September 2008 Sunday School Opens September 14th with classes for All Ages Ever Week. Sunday School will start at 9:30 AM each Sunday with the following classes. Pre School – Children up through kindergarten will meet in the Nursery Room on the main floor of the Parrish House. Various craft, activities, songs and toys will be provided and the children will learn about some on the characters in the Bible and know about God’s unbounded love for them. This class is being lead by Debbie Hector and Kristin Hector. Elementary – Children in grades 1-4 will meet in
the classroom off of the lower level kitchen. In this class the children
will learn more about Jesus and what it means to be a Christian and
develop a better understanding of God’s love for them. This class is
being lead by Bette Thompson and Diane Alexander. Intermediate – Children in grade 5-9 will meet in the main Sunday School classroom on the lower level of the Parrish House. They will learn how a Christian shows his faith in the world. Learn more about the teachings of Jesus and the church. This class is being lead by John Thompson and Nancy Bowers. Adult – Adults 16 and up will meet in the main upper room of the Parrish House for discussions on various topics but often on how our faith works in the world. This group is lead by Father Carl. New this year! Parent Group- This group is intended for the parents of the children in the Sunday School but open to all who are interested. The focus of the group will evolve to meet the needs of the parents. It is envisioned to lend support to the parents, provide information about parenting, what their children should know about God, Jesus and the church, offer resources to help understand parenting in the 21st century, and what it means to be a Christian Parent. We hope to have educators tell us about preparing yourself for your child’s education. This program will be coordinated by Jack Alexander. We also plan to continue the once a month All School Program in addition to the weekly classes. This will be a multi-media high energy class with a different group of teachers in addition to the regular teachers. It all starts with RALLY DAY Sunday September 14th at 9:30 AM Sharp. Refreshments are available at 9:30 Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 Coffee Hour Cook Out at 11:45 Flooring being replaced after 50 years
New Procedures Regarding the New Parish House Floor 1. PLEASE DO NOT drag the tables (or anything heavy) across the new floor. It will cause irreparable damage. Wait until another person can help you. Do not do it alone! PLEASE! 2. Only the beige folding chairs with the black tips and the small wooden chairs with the furniture glides will be permitted upstairs. 3. Only the WHITE folding tables will be permitted upstairs, with the exception of the tall coffee hour table which has been fitted with new Leg tips. 4. Any new furniture bought for use in the upstairs of the Parish House must be fitted with either furniture glides or tips. 5.
If you notice a chair or table without rubber tips on the feet or
with a fur 6. The Vestry has decided that the lending of folding chairs and folding tables to either outside organizations or parishioners will no longer be permitted. This decision was reached after much discussion and with regret. However, even with the use of a sign-out log, we have lost a great deal of furniture which we cannot allow to continue. 7. The new floor is a major investment in Holy Nativity’s growth and evangelism effort. We all need to take care of it even more carefully than we do our own homes. Let’s try to think of this as an extension of God’s House. 8. Clean up spills quickly. If you notice something isn’t right, please take responsibility for correcting the error. It isn’t someone else’s job. The Bell Tower lights are being replaced
Lights to illumine the bell tower have been breaking due to vandals and lawn mowers. New lights are being installed on top of a twelve foot pole, to prevent further damage. Lighting the tower at night provides a reminder that we are here in the borough of Rockledge. All pets are welcome to the annual Blessing of Pets October 6th at 2:00 PM we will host the pets of the community in the church. Each pet comes forward for a blessing by name. The service has grown over the years and last year was attended buy over 100 creatures, dogs, cats, rabbits, humans and even a snake. Everyone is welcome. Please remember to properly restrain your pet.
Sunday September 24th we sent Kyle off with a special prayer book and bible. He reported to Paris Island, SC and is starting his basic training. Please keep Kyle and all of our men and women serving our country in your prayers. The Pond in the parking lot is to be drained We have signed a contract with a paving company to repair the parking lot next to the stairs leading to the nursery where water collects during storms and in front of the dumpster. They will dig up the asphalt place new stone underneath and re-grade the surface to eliminate the ruts and low spots. 
After eight years of serving the Outreach Program,
Tea at Two. I find due to changes in our families health concerns my
schedule will be different and most busy meeting the needs of the
family. Spiritual Growth Accounting Warden’s Report July 2008 July’s financial results were in the negative as a result of some of the projects underway to improve the facilities around the campus. Total income from all funds for the month was $17,398. Total expenditures from all funds were $18,387, for a loss of $(989) for the month. Income for the year from all sources was $126,566 with disbursements of $139,746, for a deficit for the year through July of $(13,180). Operating funds for July included $12,749 of income and $9,267 in expenses for a gain of $ 3,482. Income was derived from parish giving at $4,338 (34%), investment income at $ 4,687 (37%), and rental income of $2,573 (20%). Operating expenses for July included $5,033 for salaries (54%), $808 (7%) for utilities, $2,037 (22%) for maintenance, $556 (6%) for office and administrative expenses and $834 (9%) for discernment expenses.. There were no unusual major expenses. Allocated (special) income for the month was $4,648 and expenses were $9,120. The major expense was from a second payment for the on-going organ restoration. There has been a positive development in that we are beginning to see significant receipts in response to the appeal for funding the church window restoration,; this accounted for much of the receipts shown Restaurant Review By Jack Alexander Diane and I have often wondered where we should go for dinner in the area. We have come to enjoy the Kitchen Bar Restaurant in Abington on 611 across from the Target. It used to be called Alexander’s. Maybe that’s why we like it. The wait staff has been great and the daily specials are always fantastic. Dinner for the two of us with a drink runs around 50-60. The other night we enjoyed a mixed grill special which included grilled lamb chops which were perfect. We thought we’d share one of our favorite local places and thought you’d share your favorite place with the parish family. Send your recommendations to mail@holynativityrockledge.org It would be great to hear about your favorite place in the community. Window repairs are being done.
With $7,540 left to reach our goal, we still need to hear from many who have not yet made a commitment, and to those who have pledged, we thank you and the pink PIF 2008 payment envelops are on the table in the rear of the church. John Thompson Using the new Lectionary starts September 7th A Lectionary is a table of readings from Scripture appointed to be read at public worship. The association of particular texts with specific days began in the 4th century. The Lectionary [1969, revised 1981] developed by the Roman Catholic Church after Vatican II provided for a three-year cycle of Sunday readings. This Roman lectionary provided the basis for lectionary in The Book of Common Prayer 1979 as well as those developed by many other denominations. The Common Lectionary, published in 1983, was an ecumenical project of several American and Canadian denominations, developed out of a concern for the unity of the Church and a desire for a common experience of Scripture. It was intended as a harmonization of the many different denominational approaches to the three year lectionary. It has been in trial use in the Episcopal Church and among the member denominations since 1983. The Revised Common Lectionary, published in 1992, takes into account constructive criticism of the Common Lectionary based on the evaluation of its trial use. The Revised Common Lectionary, like the current prayer-book lectionary, is a three-year cycle of Sunday Eucharistic readings in which Matthew, Mark and Luke are read in successive years with some material from John read in each year. The Revised Common Lectionary provides these new features: § the option of semi-continuous reading of the great Old Testament narratives on the Sundays after Pentecost, to provide exciting new preaching opportunities, vacation Bible School ideas or informal summer storytelling for adults as well as children. [Genesis through Judges in year A; the Davidic Covenant and Wisdom literature in Year B; the prophets – Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel and Habbakuk – in Year C.] § the option of lections in thematic harmony with the Gospel of the day for the Sundays after Pentecost. This follows the pattern of the present lectionary in which the readings from the Old Testament and the New Testament are chosen in relation to the Gospel; a principle followed the rest of the Church Year as well.§ inclusion of women and their role in salvation history, offering texts about women never heard on Sunday before. The most notable example is the account of the woman anointing Jesus at Bethany [Mark 14:3- 9]. Jesus responded by saying “wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.” This text, omitted in the present lectionary, is included in the Revised Common Lectionary as part of the Passion narrative read on Palm Sunday in Year B. The Revised Common Lectionary preserves around 90% of the Gospel readings in the Lectionary of The Book of Common Prayer 1979. Why should the Episcopal Church adopt the Revised Common Lectionary? § It is a truly ecumenical lectionary shared by most protestant denominations and widely used throughout the Anglican Communion. § It provides new opportunities for ecumenical Bible study and shared resources for teaching and preaching. § It has improved the choice of appropriate texts for Sundays and Festivals. § It incorporates most of the readings with which the church is familiar. § Most new resources for preaching, teaching and the planning of worship are already being developed to support the Revised Common Lectionary. Who is already using the Revised Common Lectionary? American Baptist Churches in the USA. Anglican Church of Australia Anglican Church of Canada Christian Church [Disciples of Christ] Christian Reformed Church in North America Church of England Anglican Church in South Africa Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada Presbyterian Church in Canada Presbyterian Church in the USA United Church of Canada United Church of Christ United Methodist Church The Roman Catholic Church has not adopted the RCL. There are already many differences between the Episcopal and Roman Lectionaries, even though the Episcopal Lectionary was patterned after the Roman Lectionary. The 72nd General Convention, meeting in Philadelphia, called upon the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to propose a resolution to the 73rd General Convention adopting the Revised Common Lectionary. The commission reviewed the lectionary and its trial use and proposed its adoption at Denver. The Convention adopted the following resolution, calling for trial use instead of adoption of the lectionary. CONVENTION RESOLUTION [Denver, July 2000] Resolved, That the readings and psalms and psalms of The Revised Common Lectionary, as distinct from the rubrics, be authorized for continued trial use during the 2001-2003 triennium, and be it further Resolved, That for purposes of trial use, the Revised Common Lectionary be adapted to comply with the Lectionary practice of the Book of Common Prayer and be it further Resolved, That Bishops be encouraged to designate several congregations in their dioceses to use the Sunday readings in Cycle C (Advent 2000 – Advent 2001) contained in the Revised Common Lectionary in order to enhance the effectiveness of trial use; and be it further Resolved, That the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music develop a simple form to enable dioceses to make available to the Standing Commission the results of this trial use, and that these results be reported to the 74th General Convention. Montgomery Deanery is supporting Habitat for Humanity
Looking for a new Tenant for the Rectory
The Discernment Committee is receiving more names. The Discernment Committee is receiving more names
now than ever before. Members of the committee have been visiting,
interviewing and check out background information on several viable
candidates. Nothing happens quickly No news on the Bishop’s sentence. The panel that convicted the Bishop on charges of behavior unbecoming a clergyman has an indefinite amount of time to decide an appropriate sentence. Once they decide the Bishop can appeal to the House of Bishops. The final answer in this case looks like it won’t be until sometime next year. Supplies are needed for our Food Pantry
New Teacher starts at Nursery School This past June our Nursery School graduated and promoted some 45 children. It was a bitter sweet graduation as we said goodbye to one of our teachers. Mrs. Mary Alice Wynne resigned after teaching for us the past twenty years. We wish her all the best in her new endeavors! We have a new teacher joining us in September. Mrs. Kate Alleva will be taking Mrs. Wynne's place as the teacher of our four year olds. Kate hails from Philadelphia and has been busy raising a daughter the past few years, along with working part time. She is now anxious to get back into preschool teaching after subbing last year at Gloria Dei. Kate has a BS in elementary education and will be a great asset to our school, along with Mrs. Kathie Raisch. Our twenty second year of Nursery School will begin again on Tuesday, September 9th. We have openings available in our three and four year old afternoon classes. If you know anyone looking for a Nursery School program, please have them call 215-663-9903 for more information.
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Star Herald
online
niture
glide missing from one of its legs, please put a note on that piece of
furniture immediately so that it can be fixed.
Our
PIF 2008 campaign to raise $30,000 for the repair and restoration of the
eight second story stained glass windows on the Parish House side of the
church was kicked off in June. After ten weeks, thirty seven families
have pledged $21,090. Additionally, two families have decided the
Memorial Funds of their loved ones will be used for this purpose,
bringing our current total to $22,460. We have collected $7,226.00 so
far. This is a tremendous response!
The
Montgomery Deanery has adopted a Habitat for Humanity project in North
Hills. They have a grant for about $40,000 but need to raise the rest
from the member parishes. The vestry has decided to dedicate the funds
collected from the All Saints Night Luminaries to this worth while
project. The suggested donation for these Luminaries is $5.00 and you
will find a display in the back of the church in the coming weeks.
Our
current tenant in the rectory has found a building for their business
and will be leaving in October. Our realtor has been looking for a new
tenant and you will see a sign on Huntingdon Pike indicating the rectory
is for rent. The vestry is exploring many options for the use of this
building. If you have a suggestion or know of a possible tenant please
contact a vestry member. 
however and at least one candidate has accepted a position in their home
parish.
Pastoral
Care continues to aid all who come to them for help. At the present our
Cupboard is bare. If you can help, please check the items below. Any
donation will be appreciated. Please leave donation in the basket in
the rear of the church. Thank you , Gloria