The Advocate: An Episcopal Mission sponsored by the Chapel of the Cross invites all to join in a Blue Grass Mass today at 5:00 pm at the Carrboro Century Center. For more information see: www.ouradvocate.org.

"Set your minds on the things that are above, where Christ is." The ancient monastic service of Compline, the "completion" of the day, is offered in our church every Sunday evening during the university semester at 9:30 pm. An organ improvisation follows the 25-minute service. Come join us and put all of your comings and goings, your beginnings and endings, and everything in-between into the loving hands of God.

This Week

...To join our committee as we develop our partnership with San Patricio in Honduras. If you're interested in this work, please join us at our Nov. meeting, tomorrow at 7:00 pm in the rector's conference room. We also invite you to assist us in planning a dental component for our May 2008 trip to San Patricio. Because Hondurans lack access to even the most basic dentistry, there is no greater health service we could offer than a week of dental care and instruction. If this is something you could provide, please contact annhenley@msn.com.

The semi-annual series of organ recitals known as Bach's Lunch will continue this Tuesday at 12:15 pm in the church with a concert by Laurie Ryan of the Church of the Holy Comforter in Burlington. The recital is free and open to the public.

Welcome students. We are so very glad to have you and would love to greet you following the service. Undergraduates are invited to be a part of Episcopal Campus Ministry which meets every Tuesday night during the academic year. Join us for dinner and fellowship this Tuesday at 5:30 pm in our Campus Center. Join us this week for a Thanksgiving Eucharist and a traditional Thanksgiving dinner that we ALL look forward to every year!

RSVVP stands for "Restaurants Sharing 10 Percent," and it's an enjoyable way to help feed hungry people in the Triangle. Participating restaurants contribute 10% of their total proceeds this Tuesday, Nov. 13, to benefit the IFC, the Food Bank of Eastern and Central North Carolina and Urban Ministries of Durham. So eat out on Nov. 13 -- breakfast, lunch, dinner, or all three! For more information and a list of participating restaurants, visit www.rsvvp.org or see the bulletin board on the parish office door.

There will be a parish-wide potluck supper immediately after the Junior Choir rehearsal this Wednesday from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm in the parish dining room. Please join us and share a Burmese/Thai dish (or one of your family favorites). Recipes are available in the parish office for those who care to prepare an ethnic dish. Rice/drinks will be provided. An interpreter will join us. Please call Barbara Tremblay at (call office for number) with any questions.

Announcements

For our annual Advent wreath making event on the first Sunday in Advent (December 2), we need parishioners to donate greenery to make the wreaths. If you can bring a bag of clippings from your yard, please let us know by signing your name on the sheet marked "Greenery" on the Children and Family Ministry bulletin board in the dining room.

Thank you for supporting the Annual Giving Campaign! Fifty one additional pledges were received this week. A total of 353 pledges have been received to date for a total of $870,320. Each pledge is important. All of us committing to give back to God a portion of what we have graciously received, enable the Chapel of the Cross to carry on its significant ministry. It would be very helpful to have all pledges in by the Ingathering on Sunday, November 25, when all pledges received will be offered at the altar.

Our parish has provided 285 boxes of food to the IFC during the Project 5000 food drive. If you haven't yet returned your boxes, please do so as soon as possible, leaving the boxes under the bench in the hall across from the parish office. Thank you for your participation!

The church has purchased tokens for parking in the Morehead and the Rosemary town lots for individuals attending church services, business or meetings at any time Monday-Friday, including those attending the Sunday 5:15 service. These tokens are available in the parish office from one of the administrative staff. If there is a scheduled meeting after office hours, the person convening or chairing the meeting may obtain a sufficient number of tokens for anticipated attendees from the administrative staff prior to the meeting. The Morehead lot is free until 3:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday; the town lot is free all day Sunday. For the Sunday 5:15 service, the service coordinator should obtain tokens. Please note that the Morehead tokens are for one (1) hour each and the town lot tokens are for 1/2 hour each. Be sure to obtain an adequate number of tokens to cover the total time you are parked. Please take only the number of tokens needed and return unneeded ones as the church is paying for the tokens.

Deck the halls with beautiful, scented balsam wreaths from the great state of Maine. Wottons' Evergreens has been working with the Chapel of the Cross for the past eleven years, providing us with this unique mission fund-raising opportunity. Buy one for yourself or send one to friends and loved ones for Christmas. Look for us following the services today and next Sunday.

Mark Your Calendar

The Rev. Tammy Lee will lead the Advent Quiet Day on Saturday, Dec. 1 from 9:30 am until 2:30 pm in the Dogwood Dining Hall at Camp New Hope. Tammy will share her reflections on the topic of fulfillment using Luke 1:45 as a scriptural basis. There will be silent times for prayer and reflection, a quiet lunch, and a concluding Eucharist. Camp New Hope is located on Highway 86 north of Chapel Hill (www.newhopeccc.org). Casual dress is encouraged, as there will be opportunities for walking outdoors during the times of reflection. Breakfast snacks and lunch with vegetarian options will be served ($6 donation suggested). Please stop by or call the Parish office at 929-2193 to register. For more information, contact Jan Seabock at jseabock@mindspring.com or (call office for number).

Stewardship Opportunities

Again, we are grateful for the many warm clothes brought in for the children. Currently we are looking for gently used jeans and casual cotton slacks, boy's sizes 14, 16 and/or 16X. They now all have medium weight jackets, but they will need heavy coats, knitted caps, gloves and scarfs as the colder weather approaches. Please keep them in mind as you get out your warmest winter clothes for the season. They still need a small kitchen cart with one or two shelves that would hold a small microwave. A small microwave is also needed. The sign-up sheet is in the dining room. The family is excited about coming to the Wednesday potluck supper on Nov. 14. We have two interpreters lined up so that you will be able to communicate with them.

The new intern house is short a few items. The items needed include: a microwave, a blender, and a mixer (either hand-held or counter-top). Also, two bicycles (intern personal bikes) were stolen recently, so if anyone has a bike to donate, it would be appreciated. If someone can donate these items, please contact Susan Gladin at johnson.intern@gmail.com or call her at 929-2193, ext. 14. Thank you so much!

The Holiday Meals Program provides a turkey or ham, stuffing, side dishes, and dessert for households that could not otherwise afford to have a meal together during the holidays. Using the coupon inserted in this bulletin, or one available at the social ministry committee table in the parish dining room, you can contribute $20 for each meal you would like to provide for a household that needs it.

Two new Oxford houses are being set up to serve residents of Orange and Durham County and they are urgently seeking household furnishings such as mattresses, dressers, lamps, sheets, blankets and toiletries. Oxford Houses are a nationwide organization that provide an affordable, alcohol and drug free environment for individuals recovering from alcoholism and drug abuse. Each house is democratically self-run by the members, is financially self-supporting and responsible for all household expenses and is drug and alcohol free. This program provides a wonderful bridge for recovering individuals being discharged from intensive drug and alcohol programs or prison incarceration. Larger items can be picked up at your home. Smaller items can be brought to church. Contact Paula Harrington, Special Project Coordinator for Oxford Houses in North Carolina, directly at (call office for number) or pharring@med.unc.edu. You may contact Peggy Pratt, Social Ministry Chair, at (call office for number) or pegpratt@nc.rr.com if you have other questions.

IFC has an evening slot to begin a new cook team. The 4th Tuesday evening is needing a new team and IFC has asked if Chapel of the Cross parishioners are interested in adopting that additional meal. We presently have a team on the 4th Tuesday lunch and 3rd Friday dinner. If you are interested in joining an IFC cook team, contact Peggy Pratt at (call office for number) or pegpratt@nc.rr.com.

The Social Ministry committee is starting a monthly cook team for Orange House, the AIDS Alliance House in Carrboro. We are planning to cook and share dinner with the residents around 5:00 pm on the second Tuesday of each month. If you are interested, contact Peggy Pratt at pegpratt@nc.rr.com or (call office for number).

The deadline for announcements is 10:00 am on Wednesday. Announcements should be brief. Parish-related submissions are given priority. Include daytime phone and email address for contact. All submissions are subject to editing; publication of the submission is not guaranteed. Email information to submissions@thechapelofthecross.org or leave paper copies in thePublications Assistant's mailbox in the parish office. Email is preferred.

Fall is for planting: choose plants that provide food for birds, butterflies and bees.

Last updated: November 9, 2007