Middletown transcript., 1916-12-23
ST. ANNE'S CHURCH NOTES

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11.45 Sunday School session.
7.3O Evening Prayer & Address.
This Sunday though still in the Adven
season is also the Eve of Christmas Day
and therefore it is perfectly proper t,
observe the Festival of the Nativity
As announced in these Notes last week
the services on December oath, will b.
commemorative of the Nativity.
The service on Monday, Christmas
Day, will be a celebration of the Holy
Communion at nine o'clock.
The offering on Christmas Day will
be for the Aged and Infrm Clergy
Fund. Last year the parish contributed
twenty dollars and twenty-seven cents.
Christmas is one of the three great
festivals on which all the faithful are
expected to make their communions.
We therefore hope every communicate
will endeavor to be present at the SER
vice at nine o'clock, on Christmas Day.
A quantity of greens will have to be
provided for Christmas decorations in
the Church. We request that they be
sent to the Church on Thursday or Fri
day afternoon at the latest, so the
Chancel Committee will have ample time
for decorating.
We would here mention that the fur
mace pipes have been thoroughly over
hauled this week and there will be no
further trouble with the gas fumes.
This trouble being remedied there will
be no more discomfort from lack of
heat
CHILDREN S CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL
The Christmas Festival for the men,
bers of the Sunday School and the Aux
iliary, will be held in the Parish House,
on Thursday after Christmas, Dec 28th,
at two o'clock in the afternoon. At
this service the Christmas carols will be
sung, and there will be recitations by
the younger pupils, and of course, there
will be the usual decorated Christmas
Tree; and every child will receive a re-
membrance.
The early hour has been selected for
the service in the hope that the young
est member of the Sunday School need
not be deferred from attending. And
we want their parents, and friends, as
we want the children.
We have secured a most efficient
teacher for the Sunday School in Miss
Clara Willis, who takes the class
formerly taught by Miss Eliza C. Green.
But we still need another teacher Who
will volunteer to help?
We regret that Miss Anna D. Gibbs,
who has been a most capable secretary
of the Woman's Auxiliary for the past
eleven years has been obliged to tender
her resignation. We wish to record our
appreciation of her long service and
labor Of love for the Auxiliary The
parish is to be congratulated on the ad-
mirable appointment of Miss A. P:
Spruance as her successor.
The Woman's Auxiliary is preparing
missionary box to be sent to clergy
man residing in Punta Gorda, Diocese
of Southern Florida.
The Sunday School has been presented
with new organ stool, and we take
this opportunity of thanking the donor.
The old one was far from being pneu-
matte stool.
St. Luke IL: 8, ''And there were in
the same country shepherds abiding in
the field, keeping watch over their flock
by night"
Shepherds in the eastern countries
take care of their flocks of sheep. They
watch over them all the time, oftimes
by night as we'll as by day. Sometimes
they have little houses or sheds on
wheels which are moved from one field
to another as the sheep seek their food.
These make shelter for the shepherds |
when the nights are cold and when it is
stormy. 1t is told of them that they
take very little lambs into these houses
to keep them warm. Long years ago,
nearly two thousand, there were some
shepherds watching their sheep among
the hills of Palestine. Night came on,
and very likely after their long days |
work they were tired and sleepy. Per-
haps some we're already asleep, when a
strange thing happened-a great light !
came into the sky. Where just before
had been blackness, with millions of |
diamond stars shining through, light had
come. What could it mean? While they |
rubbed their eyes and wondered, the
light grew stronger and stronger-so
strong and bright did it become that
they could not look at it, and they were
very much frightened-out of the great |
white light came an angel of the Lord.
That explained the light-it was the
glory of the Lord (which shone round
about Them" And the angel said,
Fear not: for behold, | bring you It'd
ings of great joy, which shall be to all
people. For unto you is born this day
in the city of David Saviour, which i
is Christ the Lord" And the music
never before nor since has there been
heard such music-for there was null |
.titude from heaven with the angel, and |
all praised God, and said, ''Glory to God |
in the highest, and on earth peace, good
will toward men," Then was there an
ecstacy of delight when the wise men,
following the guiding star, were brought
into the presence of the Babe of Beth
lehem, bowed the knee before Him,
and poured their gifts at His feet And
each Christian century has given a
richer meaning to the message of the
angels and the star. On Christmas as
the sane message encircles the globe,
nth MY 6GMorYsxy Christ