Dear Parishioners:

A gigantic thank you to Julie Todd and Kate Grigal for all their hard work on Kountry Kitchen. It was a wonderful ministry and a fun time. I heard it raised about $1600.00 for the Arlington Life Shelter. An excellent result and outreach from St. Alban’s. My gratitude to all who helped make it such a success: our soup makers, kitchen helpers, dishwashers, servers, and those who cleaned tables. Each team, every day, made it a special time and rewarding time. A special thanks to Dorothy Lynn Brooks who beautifully entertained us with festive music. It greatly enriched the whole atmosphere. Thank you to all who supported and brought friends and neighbors. Without you Kountry Kitchen would not have been so successful. Thank You!

December brings a most wonderful and holy time of the year. We look forward and anticipate the coming of our Lord. We jump into the Advent season with Advent Lessons and Carols on Sunday, December 6th at 5:30 pm. This is a beautiful service filled with Scripture and Advent music. This is a wonderful time to invite friends and neighbor to St. Alban’s. Invite them to join us as we hear God’s Word and listen to moving anthems and hymns, preparing our hearts for our Lord. There will be a potluck dinner to which all are invited following Lessons and Carols. St. Nicholas will even be on hand for this special occasion. I remind you to listen to WRR, 101.1, as we will be advertising Advent Lessons and Carols to the public. Whose voice is that on the radio?

On Saturday, December 19th St. Alban’s will be having an Open House at the home of Kathleen and Clell Harral. They are new to St. Alban’s but Lynn and I have known them since our Granbury days. They have a newly remodeled home and would like to welcome the whole parish to drop by from 2 p.m. until 5 pm. Their address is 4629 Crestline Road, Fort Worth and directions are found in this Legate. Since it is in Fort Worth it might be best to car pool from the Church. Call the Church office or sign up if you can drive or need a ride on the list in the entrance. If you can, please bring a toy with you that will be donated to a charity.

We will again be advertising on WRR for our celebration of the Incarnation of our Lord, Christmas Eve and Day. Our 5:30 pm Christmas Eve Eucharist will feature a children’s sermon, our youth choirs and will be Rite II. Our 8:00 pm Christmas Eve Eucharist will be Rite II also, but will have a sermon for adults. Our 10:30 Christmas Eve Eucharist will be a Rite I Eucharist. It will be a traditional “High Mass” with incense. Our Christmas Day will be a said Eucharist, Rite I with Dorothy Lynn Brooks providing harp music at 10:00 am. Please remember your special offering at Christmas is above and beyond your regular pledge. A generous Christmas will help us meet some of our financial obligations for 2009. Please join us as we prepare our heart, minds, and souls for the celebration of God’s most generous and gracious gift of his Son, Jesus Christ.

It is hard to believe that another year has begun with the beginning of Advent. It is hard to believe another secular year is coming to an end. Some things to look forward to in 2010: January 3rd our children and youth and youth choirs will perform a Christmas pageant. Also on January 3rd we will have our pre-Epiphany celebration with a lunch following the 10:30 Eucharist. On January 24th we will have our Annual Parish Meeting. The nominations for Vestry are in this Legate and the nominations for Delegates to Diocesan Convention will be in the January Legate. We will have one Eucharist this day at 9:00 am followed by a light lunch and our Parish business meeting.

I hope everyone will have a rich and rewarding Advent Season. I look forward to seeing all our friends and family as we celebrate the Nativity of our Lord. May this New Year be a blessing upon you and all your family here at St. Alban’s.
God Bless and Merry Christmas everyone.

In Christ,
Fr. K+