Holy Comforter E-Messenger for Sunday,
December 22, 2024
New This Week
Advent
Upcoming Events
Articles of Interest
Worship
Ministry Offerings
Social Media
Christmas Services
Christmas Eve Connection Time
We will have Connection Time after the Christmas Eve service on Tuesday, thanks to Susan Goff, who has offered to host. Thank you, Susan!!
Christmas Donations - Make It Two
On four religious holidays each year, we make contributions to external organizations doing God's work in the world. For the Christmas season, we invite you to support the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP) and Side by Side. Put bluntly, VICPP is a lobbying organization for Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, etc. faith communities representing our shared desire for peace and justice. Side by Side supports LGBTQIA+ youth; such support is needed more than ever. All cash and checks written to HoCo with "VICPP" or "Side" in the memo will go to these great organizations that make a difference in many lives. Thank you for your support.
Lessons and Carols with Holy Communion - December 29
The Feast of the Epiphany - January 6
Monday, January 6 is the Feast of the Epiphany. We will celebrate the Holy Eucharist at 7:00 p.m. The Rev. F. Bradley Peyton will be our presider and preacher. Please join us!
Blood Drive - January 11
Holy Comforter and the American Red Cross are hosting a blood drive on Saturday, January 11, 2025 from 9:00am-2:00pm. Please join our life-saving mission! Schedule an appointment today at www.redcrossblood.org. Volunteers are also needed to check in donors and provide hospitality. contact Angie Palmer at 804-402-9441 for more information.
Day for All People - January 15
Click on the image above to read the full article.
HoCo Book Group Resumes in January
After a break for the holidays, the HoCo Book Group will resume via Zoom on Tuesday, January 21st, at 7:00pm.
This month's selection was recommended by Mary Maxwell: The Little Liar by "beloved bestselling author" Mitch Albom.
"The Little Liar by Mitch Albom tells the story of Nico Krispis, a young Greek boy who has never told a lie, who is manipulated by Nazi officers during World War II to convince his Jewish community to board trains to "safe" locations, ultimately sending them to Auschwitz, while he is forced to live with the devasting consequences of his unwitting deception, forever struggling with the weight of his lie and the impact it had on his life and the lives of those around him: the novel explores themes of truth, forgiveness, and the lasting effects of trauma during the Holocaust." Truth, lies, deception, consequences-a story set in World War II and the Holocaust, yet with themes both eternal and current.
If you are interested in joining the HoCo Book Group, please contact Peggy Hombs. Her information is in the church directory. The group meets monthly on the 3rd Tuesday via Zoom. We alternate fiction and non-fiction and diversity of authors in our selections.
Advent and Christmas Art Project
This Sunday and the coming Sundays of Advent, we invite the entire congregation to take part in transforming the message of materialism that often dominates our holiday time into a reminder of God's gift to humanity through art. Please join us in the Montague Room after the service!
Advent Greeting Video
Click on the image above to watch a video!.
Advent Resources from Sanctified Art
Please enjoy the following resources for Advent 2024:
- Advent Devotional
- Advent Calendar One - English
- Advent Calendar One - Spanish
- Advent Calendar Two - English
- Advent Calendar Two - Spanish
Relic Baroque Music Chamber Orchestra - January 10
Baroque chamber orchestra Relic explores the beginning of time in five evocative chapters: the emergence of the elements, the separation of earth and the heavens, the formation of storms and seas, the creation of birds and beasts, and finally the birth of humankind. Inspired by ancient creation stories from across the world, this dramatic program features music by Rebel, Rameau, Biber, Vivaldi, and others.
Friday, January 10 at 7:30pm
Pre-concert talk at 7:00pm
Church of the Holy Comforter
4819 Monument Ave
Richmond, VA 23230
Tickets: https://bit.ly/3Zzk1kS
Our Rector is Available to Meet with You
Please make an appointment with Hilary+ if you would like to talk with her in person or on Zoom. Coming in January, office hours will be announced. Friday is her day off, but even then if a pastoral need arises, please contact her by texting or by calling Hilary's phone number as found in our directory.
Our HoCo Parish Directory
Hard copies will be available at church this Sunday. Additionally, above is the info on how to log into the directory online. This talks about the app, but you can also go to https://members.instantchurchdirectory.com/ and set up your login from there. The security is that you can only sign in from the device you use to set this up, but of course, you can set it up on other devices. This keeps bad actors from getting in from their computers. Using the email address that you gave to me, for the directory, you will be able to set up your own password to access the directory. Enjoy our directory! Hilary+
Connection Time - An Important Part Of Growing Our Community
Spending time together after church helps us know each other better, and meet newcomers, and help them to feel welcomed and included. We plan to have Connection Time every Sunday with or without food. To make it less complicated and easier to help, we have updated the Sign-up Genius
( https://bit.ly/hoco_connections) with these options and are asking that one person take one task on a Sunday:
- Drinks: making coffee, putting out a pitcher of water
- Putting snacks out that will be provided by Parish Life and will be in the kitchen
- Clean-up after Connections
Please consider signing up for one or more options.
If you have any questions, please contact Susan Boze, the vestry person for Parish Life. Thanks for taking part in this important ministry!
This Week's Birthdays
Happy Birthday to all those who have birthdays this week!
Tracy Councill, 22nd
Claire Dixon, 24th
Lindsey Smith, 25th
Rev. Bradley Peyton, 26th
Deborah Westin, 27th
Moises Cabeduque Jr, 28th
Welcome to the Church of the Holy Comforter (HoCo)! Here is Some General Information
Join us at church on Sundays at 10:00 am for a service of the Holy Eucharist. We often use prayers from Enriching our Worship, which offers expansive images of God. We live stream our Sunday morning service on FaceBook and post it to be seen at your convenience on FaceBook.
Parish office hours are Mondays through Thursdays, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.
If you have a pastoral emergency, at any time of day, call our Rector, Hilary (her number can be found in the parish directory ). Hilary's email is hbshococlergy@gmail.com. If you would like to schedule an appointment to talk with Hilary, or another member of our parish clergy, please email or call to schedule a time.
If you would like to make a financial offering, you may use online giving or US Mail. Thank you for supporting God's ministry to our local community and beyond through HoCo.
This Week's Worship Bulletin
Wednesday Worship At Church
There will be no Wednesday Centering Prayer or Eucharist on December 25 and January 1. We will meet again on Wednesday, January 8, when we'll celebrate the feast of AELRED of Rievaulx, patron saint of gays.
Metro Richmond at Prayer (Richmond Hill Cycle of Prayer)
We pray for the families of Metropolitan Richmond: For an end to child abuse. For healthy relationships between children and their caregivers. For families going through divorce; for all in the midst of life transitions.
Informal Artists of HoCo announces UFOs – Un Finished Objects
We'll meet in the Conference room from 10:30 - noon (ish) on Tuesdays to work on our own personal projects. Knitting, sketching, drawing, writing... good conversation and busy hands! All are welcome - bring a friend. Contact Kipley Herr if you have any questions.
Sunday Morning Adult Class
The Sunday morning class has concluded for the season. Monday night Zoom class returning soon.
Lectionary Group, Summer Schedule
Our Thursday Lectionary Group meets on Zoom at 4:00 p.m. All are welcome to drop in and see what we discuss. It is fun! We look at the Sunday readings coming up and share knowledge, ideas, and how the scripture speaks to us in our lives. Go to our website, hoco.org, and click the banner at the top for the link. On break and returns January 9.
Tuesday Morning Book Group
We are reading Life After Doom, Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart by Brian D. McLaren. Join us at 11:00 a.m. On break and returns January 7.
The Current Messenger
Click on the image above to see this season's issue.