St. David’s Episcopal Church
1519 Elmwood Road
Lansing, MI 48917
(517) 321-2272
www.stdavidsonline.org
www.facebook.com/
stdavidslansing
Good News Letter
Volume 23, Issue 10
Getting a Mulligan
Almost 20 years ago I was attending my weekly Rotary Club meeting at the old
Mountain Jacks at Saginaw and Mall Drive. At this particular meeting I found
myself sitting at a table of doctors, all of whom were somehow related to dentistry. The discussion was all about the golf they had been playing the previous
weekend.
Now, I am not a golfer and don’t pretend to be one. All I really know about golf
is that the grounds are usually beautifully cared for and that the game involves
hitting a small white ball with an assortment of clubs. I am told that for some, it
involves using colorful language and even on occasion a throwing arm.
This particular day, the gist of the discussion revolved around a Sunday morning
game and the “mulligan” one of the doctors had taken. That led to a lengthy
discussion by each doctor of their past “mulligans.” Not having a clue what a
golf “mulligan” was, I sat there quietly eating my salad.
One of the doctors, wanting to include me in the discussion and not knowing
that I have never played golf, asked me if I had ever taken a mulligan. I said no I
had never taken a mulligan and didn’t know what one was. They educated me!
For those of you who may not know, a "mulligan" in golf is a second shot allowed by an opponent and not counted on the score, when the first shot was
hideously muffed or missed altogether. In other words it is a one time do over
and is only allowed among friends.
Advent is very much like a “mulligan.” It is a time for us to start over, to begin
anew once more. In our relationship with God we always start out with the best
intentions. We are going to be faithful. We are going to read our Bible daily. We are going to pray constantly. We are going to give more, perhaps even
tithe. We are going to be model Christians and really love and serve everyone,
even the people we don’t like and who have hurt us.
Looking Ahead

December 3: St. Nicholas Day
Craft Bazaar 10 am-4 pm

December 4: Lessons and
Carols at 10:30 am service

December 8: Senior World
luncheon at 11:30

December 10: ECW Cookie
Bake 9 am-3 pm

December 11: Cookie Walk

December 18: VBS fundraiser
lunch; Greening of the
Church to follow

December 21: Vestry meeting
at 7:15 pm in room 2/5

December 24: Christmas Eve
services at 4:00 pm and 11:00
pm, carols to begin at 10:30
pm

December 25: Christmas Day
service at 10:00 am
Then reality happens. It is too easy to slip into old habits. Our Bible gathers
dust on the table. We stay in bed too long in the morning or spend too much
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relationship with God and with your
brothers and sisters.
time looking at emails and suddenly we
have no time to pray. Our budget gets
tight and the first place we cut back is
our giving to God. He will understand
and besides, we will give more than
what we had planned when we become financially stable. We are sharp
and unkind to the people with whom
we live and work.
This Advent, establish reasonable
goals. Set aside a realistic amount of
time to read your Bible, say your prayers, give back to God. You can always
add more as you mature and as your
spirituality strengthens. It is easier to
add and not risk dropping everything
because we set our goals too high.
Advent says, “You are human, God is
forgiving and you can start over once
again.” In the Christian calendar, it is a
New Year. It is a time to begin anew
preparing for Christmas, the birth of
the Messiah, and His return on the last
day. It is a time to set priorities and
discover what is truly important in your
In life and in our relationships, we
often need, receive and grant
“mulligans.” Advent is God giving us a
mulligan. Take it, and may this Holy
Season of Advent be your best ever.
May God bless and keep you.
With deepest affection,
Fr. David
You are human, God is forgiving, and you
can start over once again.
Acolyte Fundraiser
We’re hoping you
plan to attend the St.
Nicholas Craft Show
on December 3. The
event will take place
in the Great Hall from
10am-4pm. We invite
you to visit the acolyte booth where savory treats will be
available for purchase. Without a
doubt,
you’ll
find
something yummy for
your tummy!
Proceeds will help send
our acolytes to the
National Cathedral in
Washington, DC in
2018.
2017 Donation Schedule
In an attempt to be more organized in our support of local ministries and places in the
Lansing area, for the year 2017 this is the schedule we will be following. Please plan
on being generous to each of these most important ministries and support groups. If
you have any questions, please direct them to Fr. David. There will be a box in the
mail room for monthly collections and they will be blessed on the last Sunday of the
month. Thank you for your generosity!
Donation Schedule
January Helping Women Period: feminine hygiene supplies for homeless women
February Personal Needs: soap, shampoo, toothpaste etc.
March St. David’s Cathedral in Wales: yearly support of our namesake
April Church in Jerusalem: support of Christian ministry in Jerusalem
May Bishop Whittemore Foundation
June Pine Ridge Re-member Project: Missionary Outreach
July School Supplies: Lansing children
August School Clothes: Lansing children
September Diapers, wipes, etc.: single mother support
October Food Baskets: Thanksgiving Food Baskets
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November Food Baskets: Thanksgiving / Christmas Food Baskets
December Food Baskets: Christmas Food Baskets
Year-Round - Big Yellow Food Barrel: year round support of the hungry in Lansing
Delta Community Choir
Ellen McKenzie, Director
Dr. Deb DeWitt, Accompanist
“Building Community Through Song” presents:
“Food for Thought: a Winter Concert”
to benefit theTri-County Office on Aging
Meals on Wheels Program
4:00 p.m. Sunday, December 11, 2016
Our Savior Lutheran Church
7910 W. St. Joseph Highway, Lansing MI
Freewill donation in lieu of admission fee
Special Guests: St. John’s Mint City Singers
Ellen Hoard, Director
Hat and Mitten Tree
With old man winter breathing down our necks, it isn't too soon to start
thinking about donations for the annual "Hat and Mitten Tree." The tree will
be up on December 4. Donations of hats, mittens, gloves, scarves, socks,
throws, and any kind of warm winter clothing, will be accepted.
Pledge Request
If you have not turned in a
pledge card for 2017 please
do so. Your Vestry cannot
make an accurate budget
unless it knows how much
to expect in pledge income.
Remember a pledge is not
cast in concrete. Talk with
your spouse, pray, look at
your finances and pledge
what you think / hope to be
able to give. If it turns out
you cannot give as much as
you would like or something
happens job wise, you can
ALWAYS reduce your pledge
later. All you have to do is
drop a note in the mail addressed to the pledge chair
and Chris will note the
change. Likewise, you can
ALWAYS increase your
pledge is you get a raise at
work or suddenly win the
lottery. Again, a quick note
to Chris will do the trick. It
really is that simple. Please
pledge to support the many
ministries St. David’s is part
of as well as the support of
your hard-working church
staff.
All donations will be taken to the Lansing Rescue Mission. Please help us to
"green" the tree with items to help out those less fortunate this winter.
Thank you in advance for your continued support so that we can extend
God's love to those in need. If you have any questions, please contact Sharon
Phipps at (616) 897-0417, or
[email protected].
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What Marmalade Heard
Christmas Flowers
It is time to order flowers to decorate the
church for Christmas. You may give
them in memory of
someone, in thanksgiv-
ing for someone or
something, or just because. Just make out a
check to St. David's and
in the memo line put
"church flowers". You
can also use one of the
flower envelopes in the
pews or the Nar-
thex. Please get your
information to the
office by Monday December 19th at 10
am. Thank you for being generous! The
church always looks so
beautiful at Christmas
time.
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Please keep Kathy Bancroft in your
prayers as she has been under the
weather with a cold.
Please keep Nancy Burns in your
prayers as she recovers from a knee
replacement on her second knee.
Please keep Karen Burt in your prayers
Please keep Dave and Janie Byers in
your prayers as Janie continues to
have health issues.
Anne Cannell is now living in
Brookdale just north of W. Saginaw
on Delta Commerce Drive across
from Runaway Bay Apartments.
Larry Carey has a new walking record. He put in over 90 miles in one
week! Way to go Larry!
Keep Kerry Chapin in your prayers
as she continues to look for a home
to buy. She knows there is one out
there just for her!
Keep
John
and Sarah
Chapman,
their son
John
and his
family in
your prayers as he is now undergoing chemotherapy for his brain cancer.
Fr. Bill and Millie Ericson purchased
a home in the Gulf Shores, Alabama
area and are thrilled with it. Sandy
now has a fenced in backyard to run
around in!
Keep Elida Gamboa’s daughter, Lily
and her husband in your prayers. They have moved up here from
Texas and are looking for housing
and jobs!
It was great seeing Marjorie and
Norb Gorski last week. They are
looking great!
Keep Nancy Hilgendorf in your pray-
ers as she has been having some
struggles with high blood pressure.
Keep Matt, Sarah, Nathan and Gavin
Koss in your prayers regarding the
loss of their really great dog, Jalopy. He is greatly missed.
The Leiby family has been busy traveling. Maria lost her mother Patricia Quinlin and the family traveled
to Maine for the funeral, the again
traveled to Maine a couple of weeks
later for a family wedding and Jay
traveled to Florida to see his Grandfather - Steve’s dad.
Keep Ruby Magee and Rich in your
prayers as Ruby continues to have
health issues.
Congratulate Gary Mugnolo for
turning the big 65! Have many,
many more in the years to come!
Keep Bob Nordlund in your prayers
as he recovers from cataract surgery.
Dick and Lorayne
Otto are thrilled
with three new
Great Grandchildren: Two Greatgranddaughters,
Evette and Emmarie
and a Garretgrandson Emmerson.
Kay and Bill Paff are home from
another wonderful, relaxing trip to
Mexico!
Eric Pearl was in an accident and a
truck ran over his foot. He has had
surgery to repair the damage and
needs prayers for full healing.
Fr. David and Nancy Pike had a nice
Thanksgiving with Nancy’s brothers
and their families in Mishawaka, IN.
Keep Patricia Purol in your prayers
as she has a knee replacement in
early December.
Congratulate Deacon Bill on celebrating his 85 birthday!
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Nancy Ristow spent a few days in
Sparrow Hospital with health issues. Keep Nancy in your prayers.
Art and Barb VanDyke and all
their children, grands etc. gathered together for Thanksgiving on
the West Coast. I trust they had a
great time together.
Thank you Kreg Vandermoere for
taking care of the leave around the
church porch. It looks great!
Thanks to Sharon Phipps and Jerry
Williams and their hardworking
crew for another successful Food
Basket Project. Excellent job as
always.
Off to lay in the sun and watch for
those first snowflakes that MUST
be coming sometime soon.
Miaow.
Orders are being taken for the wonderful
St. James' Albion Cheeseballs. These are
great Christmas gifts and perfect Hostess
Gifts. The cost is $ 5 each and they come
frozen. Fr. David will pick them up
on Tuesday December 13, 2016 and they
will be available on Wednesday, December
14th. Your order and the money must be in
the church office by noon on Sunday, December 11th.
November 16, 2016 Vestry Meeting Recap
The St. David’s Vestry met on Nov. 16, 2016 beginning at 7:15 pm in Room 2 / 5
The Minutes of the October 19, 2016 Vestry meeting were approved and are posted on the Narthex bulletin board by the coat racks
Committee 3 reported that the next New Persons Dinner will be held on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 beginning at 7 pm. in the Great Hall
Committee 2 reported that there are still a few items that need attention in the Thee Electric project. They
also reported that consideration should be considered in keeping the storage barn locked for safety and
theft reasons
Committee 1 reported that there will be a “Grilled cheese and tomato soup” lunch on December 18, 2016
as part of the Greening of the Church festivities. Cost is $5 per person or $15 for a family of four or
more. Money goes towards VBS cost
Reports were received from the Rector, Assistant to the Rector, and Jr. Warden
The Treasurer's report was received. It was also voted to dispense some of the small pass through accounts that have been carried for years with no activity
Thee Electric will be out next week for a few “Punch list” items
The Stewardship report was received. To date 43 pledges have been received for a total of
$151,437.00. 20 pledges were increased, 3 pledges are new, 15 pledges remain the same and 5 pledges
were decreased. Members who have not responded will soon be contacted by Vestry members
Carpet has been ordered for the Chapel and will be installed hopefully prior to Christmas
The Vestry has begun looking into improving the church sound system and adding a digital recording system
The Vestry approved the Donation Cycle for 2017
A complete set of this months Vestry minutes will be posted after the December Vestry Meeting on the Narthex
Bulletin Board across from the coat rack. The next Vestry Meeting will be on Wednesday, December 21, 2016
beginning at 7:15 pm in Room 2 / 5
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Christian Education Update: December 2016
ad·vent
/'adˌvent/
noun
· the arrival of a notable
person, thing, or event.
synonyms: arrival, appearance, emergence, materialization, occurrence, dawn,
birth, rise, development
· the first season of the
Christian church year, leading up to Christmas and
including the four preceding
Sundays
noun: Advent
· CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY
the coming or second coming of Christ
noun: Advent
Happy New Year! I began our recent all-ages Sunday School class with that
greeting and was met with many confused looks. Eventually a few kids caught
on and realized that it’s Advent!
As has been our tradition at St. David’s, we recently met in an all-ages session
to make an Advent calendar and share the meaning of Advent. This year our
calendar focuses on the manger scene. Each day, our youth will read a Bible
verse and learn about a Biblical figure who gathered to worship Jesus. There
are a few extra mangers and booklets in the narthex if there is a young person in your life who might like one.
THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to our ingathering of Halloween
candy - we collected nearly 30 pounds! Between the youth tithe and other
donations, we were able to provide a surprise sweet treat for all of our food
basket families.
Be sure to mark your calendar for December 18th; it will be a busy day at St.
David’s! The 18th will be when we green the church for Christmas, hold our
monthly Outreach breakfast, as well as a fundraiser luncheon. Immediately
following the 10:30 service and prior to greening we will have homemade
tomato soup, grilled cheese and other grilled sandwiches, salad, and dessert
for available for $5 per person or $15 for a family of four or more. All proceeds will go towards next summer’s VBS adventure.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
December 2 - Loretta Kappler, Michael Sorrell
December 3 - Nancy Burns
December 4 - John Sistanich
December 7 - Sheridan Leinbach, Makayla Damico
December 10 - Nathan Koss
December 11 - Bill Paff
December 12 - Laura Sistanich
December 13 - Gordon Smith, Megan Coté
December 18 - Joyce Leigh, Steven Freeman
December 20 - Elliot Paff, Carlene Howrani
December 22 - Larry Carey
December 25 - Nancy Hilgendorf, Carol Leigh
December 30 - Joyce Miller
December 14 - Mr. and Mrs. Steve Bolin
PHOTO CREDITS
FLICKR USER ALBERT CHAVARRIA
FLICKR USER BRITTANY RANDOLPH
Deadline for
January Good
News Letter is
December 24.
Please send all
items to
[email protected]
Thanks!
Coming Up
January 1: Only ONE
service, at 10:00 am
January 8: Youth
Epiphany Program