November meeting recap

Hi Connect!
Here is the update of the meeting last week.
Service: Help St. Vincent de Paul with Thanksgiving baskets on Nov 16th and 17th. See my previous email or our blog for more details. For December, we're looking into available dates to help prepare and serve food for Operation Sack Lunch. Always a fun event to give back to our community.
Social: Our next meeting will include a white elephant gift exchange! $10 limit. Bring something cool or funny.
Topic: We met with Deacon Craig and had an informative discussion on Advent. What memories do you recall of Advent as a child? Nativity scene? Picking a Christmas tree? Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year in the Catholic Church. Advent is a celebration beginning four Sundays before Christmas. This year Advent begins on December 2nd. It is a celebration of Christ's birth at Christmas. It is a celebration of Jesus's duality, his two natures- humanity and Divinity. It also is a celebration of His second coming at the end of time.

So how can we make Advent more meaningful this year and avoid the commercialism? It begins with awareness and being intentional. We can start by forming traditions with our family. Celebrate old and new traditions. Decorate your Christmas tree together as a family and reminisce about each ornament. Light a candle every week. Begin and end each day with a daily prayer. Give back to your community. Give the best gift of all...your time. Make time to be with your family, friends, and your Heavenly Father in prayer. Be present. Be intentional.
Thank you Deacon Craig for leading the discussion!
I wish you all a wonderful Advent Season! Let us celebrate the gift of life, love and Christ!

Please make time to join us at our next meeting. =) December 4th. Nieves will lead the discussion on trust...the advantages and disadvantages...and how it helps a person be more at peace with themselves and with God.
I hope to see you then!
Reggie

November Community Service

Hi Connect!
Our volunteer opportunity this month:
1.Help prepare the Thanksgiving food baskets for The Society of St. Vincent de Paul on November 16th, Friday, at 2 PM at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton church in station 1, downstairs.
2.Then deliver the baskets to the selected families in need the next morning, Saturday, November 17th, at 9:30 AM in station 1.

If you can help out, thank you! It only took a couple hours both days. If you are not able to give your time, please consider donating food or money to help feed the hungry in our local community.

Thank you Cy for coordinating!

God Bless,
Reggie

Sex & Marriage Study Group

Becky would like to invite you to listen to a talk series by Christopher West on the Theology of the Body starting November 29th. Questions or RSVP contact her at rebecca.harmon@ymail.com. Please read her invite below:

Hello folks,
Since several people in Connect had expressed interest in the Theology of the Body group I am starting up, please see the announcement below for details! If you have questions or want to RSVP, feel free to reply to this email. Cheers!
Becky ----------------

Have you ever wondered...what does it mean to be male or female? Is it possible to change sexes? Is it good for members of the same sex to engage in sexual activity? What exactly is marriage and can it be redefined? Is celibacy unhealthy and repressive? Is there anything wrong with self-stimulation or pornography? Is contraception good for relationships and society? What does sexual purity mean and is it even possible?

According to John Paul the Great, these and other questions regarding sexuality go straight to the heart of what it means to be human. How we answer such questions determines whether our culture is life and love affirming or falls into the sorts of errors that gave rise to the abuses of Nazism, Fascism and Communism. During his papacy, JPII presented the Church's teaching in an exciting and powerful reformulation that his biographer, George Weigel, called "a time bomb set to go off with dramatic consequences." The "Theology of the Body," as JPII's work has been called, is brought down to the layperson's level in a series of talks by the scholar and speaker Christopher West.

Come join other adults at Alleluia Catholic Store in Bothell to listen to these talks on Thursday evenings, from 6:30-8:30pm, starting Nov. 29th. Drop-ins always welcome, but for the fullest benefit of the series, it is best to attend from the beginning. Study guides available for purchase in-store. Refreshments provided.

reminder meeting, 11/6/12

Hi Connect,
Just a friendly reminder of our next meeting on Tuesday, November 6th at 7 PM. Bring a favorite dish/dessert to share. Our new Deacon Craig will be discussing Advent. A great opportunity to get to know one of our leaders at our church.

Check your calendar...Society of St. Vincent de Paul would like our help with building the Thanksgiving baskets on Friday, November 16th and delivering the baskets the next day. Last year we were able to carpool with Connect members and deliver baskets together. It was fun! So let me know if you can make it. Cy will keep us posted with the definite meeting time.

I also found in the Sunday bulletin an interesting meeting you might be interested in. Dr. Tom Curran will be speaking at the church on November 7th from 7-9 PM. He will explain how to deepen our faith alongside Catholics all over the world. Connecting with Pope Benedict XVI announcement that 2013 is the year of faith, a year of reflection and rediscovery of the foundations of our faith.

Hope to see you at our potluck meeting!
Many Blessings,
Reggie