Please make note of the following special worship opportunities at St. Andrew's during Advent and Christmas:

• Sunday, December 2nd, 11 a.m. - Worship with Holy Communion
• Wednesday, December 5th, 6 p.m. - Join us for a simple supper followed by worship at 6:30 p.m. - Advent Service of Waiting and Preparation.
• Sunday, December 16th, 11 a.m. - Christmas Choral Service and Christmas Play
• Wednesday, December 19th, 6 p.m. - Join us for a simple supper followed by worship at 6:30 p.m. - Advent Service of Light and Hope in the Midst of Darkness.
• Sunday, December 23rd, 11 a.m. - Worship with Holy Communion
• Monday, December 24th, 7 p.m. - Christmas Eve Worship, a service of lessons and carols including a children's story and Christmas meditation.

Every year, along with the Season of Advent comes the "Advent Appeal" at St. Andrew's. The Advent Appeal is a fun and meaningful way to celebrate Christmas by giving to people in our community who are truly in need. The Advent Appeal supports local helping agencies including the Saskatoon Food Bank, the Friendship Inn, the Saskatoon Native Circle Ministry, and others. Go to the Outreach page for more information on these and other agencies supported by the Advent Appeal.

The way the Appeal works is like this: The Outreach Committee has trays of Christmas ornaments set out in the lower hall at the church. Each ornament has a tag on it with a suggested gift of money, time, or an item for one of the helping agencies in our community. You select one or more ornaments, buy the gifts, and bring them to the church. Place your gifts under the Advent Tree and attach your ornaments to the tree. The more we give, the more beautiful our tree will become. The Outreach Committee will deliver all the gifts before Christmas.

Why not try to make this Christmas a little simpler than in the past? The real meaning of Christmas has nothing to do with buying as much stuff as possible for all your friends and family. Consider simplifying your Christmas and making a difference in the world. Instead of buying things you don't need, make a donation to Presbyterian World Service and Development. You can choose a project in the “Something Extra” catalogue and provide a home for families caring for AIDS orphans, supply a family with seeds to diversify their crops, or send a child in an urban slum to school. You can make a donation in honour of a loved one through “Gift of Hope.” You give the gift and then a card is sent to your loved one. You can also give a gift through PWS&D to respond to urgent needs around the world when there is a hurricane, flood, or crisis somewhere in the world. Give online through Presbyterian World Service and Development.

For more simple ideas for reducing Christmas Chaos and enjoying a Christ-centered holiday, pick up a copy of “Whose Birthday is it anyway?” in the entranceway at the church, or go to the Alternatives for Simple Living website.

Advent Calendars from the Presbyterian Church in Canada are also available for you to pick up in the entranceway. Open the door each day, starting on December 1^st, and follow the story of Maria's Christmas in Guatemala.

This Christmas we'll be swamped with offers, ads and invitations to buy more stuff. But now there's a way to say enough and join a movement dedicated to reviving the original meaning of Christmas giving. Buy Nothing Christmas is a national initiative started by Canadian Mennonites but open to everyone with a thirst for change and a desire for action. Check out the Buy Nothing website for more information.

We gather for Bible Study every Sunday morning from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. in the parlour at St. Andrew's. We're almost finished our study on the Book of James. Join us for a 2-session Advent study on the "Accounts of Jesus' Birth" on December 2nd and December 9th. We'll be looking at the nativity stories in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Reflecting on the similarities and differences between accounts of Jesus' birth, we enter into a deeper understanding of the mystery of God with us, Emmanuel.

The Bible Study group will take a break for Christmas, and then we will begin a study on the Acts of the Apostles on Sunday, January 6th, 2008. We hope you will decide to join us. Use the parking lot side door, and stop by the kitchen for a cup of coffee on your way up to the parlour.

On Saturday, Nov. 24th from 2:00-4:00 PM the Women’s League will host their "Yuletide Tea & Bake Sale" at St. Andrew's. Everyone is invited! All donations of baking or time are greatly appreciated. Baking may be dropped off any time after 10:00 AM on the 24th. The desserts are always great, the baked goods are amazing, and the youth will be selling 2008 calendars from the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

The mission of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is to empower the children of developing countries to learn by providing every school-age child with a laptop that is specially designed for children. Between Nov. 12th & 26th, OLPC is offering a Give-One-Get-One program in the US and Canada. During this time, you can donate the revolutionary XO laptop to a child in a developing nation, and also receive one for the child in your life in recognition of your contribution. For more information go to the OLPC website. The website gives details about their innovative software and hardware package. This is a collaborative project led by Nicholas Negroponte of the New Media lab at MIT.

Do you love to read? The Book Room, located at the offices of the Presbyterian Church in Canada in Toronto, issues a monthly electronic newsletter, called The Book Room-E News. Pick up your free copy of the November issue and the special December Christmas Edition from the table in the church entranceway. You can subscribe to The Book Room E-News by emailing: bookroom@presbyterian.ca with the words “subscribe e-news” free of charge.

While preparing for the Remembrance Day Service this Sunday, I looked back at the sermon that I preached last year on Remembrance Sunday. Perhaps some of you would like to read this reflection on the "Fear of Death" from Sunday, November 5th, 2006.

The Book Room of the Presbyterian Church in Canada and the Women's Missionary Society is having a "CLEAR THE SHELVES" sale during the month of November 2007. If you happen to be in Toronto, you can check it out in person at 50 Wynford Drive. But if you can't make the sale in person, check out The Book Room website after October 31st for a list of books on sale. The more books you buy, the greater the discount.