We welcome our Bishop – D. Bruce MacPherson and his wife Susan this Sunday at our 8:00 am and 10:00 am services. Bishop MacPherson will celebrate and preach at both services and will confirm at the 10:00 am Eucharist. There will be a reception for the Confirmands at 9:00 am in the Parlor.
The deadline to return Salvation Army Angel gifts – is Monday, December 5. Please bring your unwrapped gift to the church office.
Our daily 7:00 am Eucharists for Advent have begun. – We gather in the Chapel Monday through Friday through December 23. All are welcome.
Our first-ever Men Gone Wild Gumbo Cook-Off is this Saturday from noon till 7:00 pm. – If you have an outdoor burner that we could borrow, please contract Brooks Boylan: brooks@stmarkscathedral.net.
The Cooking Crew still needs turkeys – since we will soon begin cooking for Christmas! If you can, please bring a frozen turkey and place it in the freezer in the kitchen. We will also need cooks on December 12-15 from 8:30am-noon, and the 14th, noon-3pm. You do not have to be a member of the Cooking Crew or have any experience. If you can help, contact Jennifer Beruvides at jennifer@stmarkscathedral.net.
Beginning this Sunday – local educator Robert Trudeau will begin a class on Anglican Art running through December 11 in the Ministry Center. The class will make stained-glass Christmas cards as well as discover the roots and growth of Anglican art. Brooks Boylan is teaching Pre-Christmas Decompression in our Adult Blend class.
Attention 4th and 5th graders - Our next C.I.A. event is this Sunday. Meet at the Cathedral at 1:45 pm, and then we will head to Providence House where we will join their 4th and 5th graders to make Christmas cards for area nursing home residents. We will also enjoy refreshments and play a few games before returning to the Cathedral by 4:00 pm. There is no cost for this event. Parents are welcome to attend.
Our annual Christmas Pageant will be held during the 3:00 pm Christmas Eve Family Service on December 24. – All children are welcome to participate. You don’t want to miss this special service!
It is the custom at St. Mark’s - to invite the parish family at Christmas to make a contribution to the glory of God and in memory or honor of loved ones. This is not only an appropriate way to honor those who have gone before us, but these gifts make it possible to decorate the Cathedral in a festive manner. If you wish to make a memorial, please send your donation, along with the name or names of those to be honored, to the attention of Becky Deverts, no later than Friday, December 9, 2011.
End of Year Contributions - If you want to mail your 2011 pledges or any other contributions by the end of the year, they must be postmarked by December 31. If you wish to hand deliver them to the church office, they must be in by noon on Friday, December 30 when the office closes for the holidays
Information on the tax laws governing your church contribution - is available in the back of the church. Please pick up as many copies as you need. For any further questions, contact Becky Deverts in the church office.
The Altar Guild has openings for Chapel flowers - on Sundays, January 22, February 19 and March 25. Please contact Janet Barlow at jmabarlow@aol.com.
During the week of December 12, the Providence House hosts a Christmas Shop for residents, both adult and children. – Participants are able to shop for gifts for family members at very minimal prices. On Monday, December 12 from 5pm-7pm, St. Mark’s has volunteered to assist at this event. The Providence House needs 10-15 volunteers to accompany residents in the store (located within the Providence House Child Development Center) to help shop and then wrap their gift. If you would like to give of your time, please contact Jennifer Beruvides: jennifer@stmarkscathedral.net.
Our annual Festival of Lessons and Carols is December 18 at 4:00 pm. - This is our musical gift to the whole Ark-La-Tex community. This year we are singing a few settings that were especially composed for St. Mark’s choirs by former members of St. Mark’s, John L. Hooker and E.J. Hermann. Please make plans to join us.
Have a gently used bicycle cluttering up your garage? - The Shepherd Center in St. Joseph, LA collects donated bikes to give to children at an annual Christmas celebration. We are requesting bikes in good condition – new bikes are welcome, too. All age ranges and sizes are gratefully accepted. This Friday, December 9 a truck will be in the Cathedral parking lot just south of the school car pool line to load donations of bicycles for this annual ministry. We will collect the bikes from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. For more information, contact Candace Higginbotham at 470-3001.
