Advent is a season in the church year leading to the celebration of the Feast of the Nativity, or Christmas. This four week season is marked by themes of waiting, expectation and preparation. It is signified by the color purple being used in church. Join in the many ways that the St. Paul's Community marks this important season together!

Advent Wreathmaking

Sunday, November 27, 2022, 9:45 AM

Join us in the parish hall for a favorite Advent tradition. We will be making Advent wreaths using fresh greens, ribbons, and purple and pink candles. Come and learn all about how and why we mark each Sunday in Advent with a candle, and what those candles mean! Wreath form and candles $10, candles only $5. Feel free to bring your old wreath forms to reuse.

2022 Reverse Advent Calendar

Join us in our yearly tradition of the Reverse Advent Calendar in support of the South Hills Food Pantry. A Reverse Advent Calendar lets us give to our community each day during the season of Advent!

Each day of Advent, we invite you to donate the item indicated on the calendar by placing it in your own Reverse Advent Calendar box or bag, and then bring it to St. Paul's when complete. All items will be donated to the South Hills Food Pantry. The calendar can be downloaded here, or you can pick up a copy in the Undercroft. Contact the Rev. Erin Morey [email protected] 412-531-7153 ext. 13 with any questions.

Angel Tree

Christmas Flower Remembrances 2022

The Altar Guild of St. Paul’s will decorate the church for the glorious services of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with seasonal flowering plants and flowers. It is our custom that these flowers are given in memory of loved ones as well as a meaningful thanksgiving for the blessing in our lives.

The names of those remembered and honored, and the donors, will be printed in the Christmas bulletin. All orders are due by Sunday, December 18.

A contribution of $15 for each name is requested.

The plants and flowers will be delivered to those we want to reach out to and especially remember at this time of the year.

Christmas Flower order form

St. Paul's Advent Devotional

This Advent we will reflect on the love, hope, peace and joy that Jesus brings to our lives by reading our St Paul's Advent Devotional together. Each week of this booklet is written by a member of our St Paul's community and serves as a companion in this season of holy anticipation. Hard copies of the Devotional will be available at the church on November 20th.

Download a digital copy of the Advent Devotional

St. Paul's Small Groups

St. Paul's Small Groups will meet in Advent starting the week of November 27th. We will be discussing the St. Paul's Advent Devotional, written by members of our parish!

For more information, or if you would like to start or help lead a small group, please email the Rev. Laura Di Panfilo or call her at 412-531-7153 x11.

• Tuesdays at 7am with Noah Evans on Zoom
• Tuesdays at 6pm with Laura Di Panfilo at St. Paul's
• Wednesdays at 7pm with Eileen Sharbaugh on Zoom
• Thursdays at 11:30am with Erin Morey on Zoom

Rector's Advent Open House

Saturday, December 3, 1-4PM at his home (See weekly emails for address)

Drop by for food, drink, fun and fellowship with our Rector, Noah, and his family, Sara, Isaiah and Adah, and also members of St. Paul's and St. John Church. All are welcome to come to the annual informal Advent gathering! Please bring gloves and knit hats to be donated to local ministries for those in need.

Beer + Pop + Carols (+ Pizza!)

December 7, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

at Caliente Pizza and Drafthouse 329 Castle Shannon Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15234

It's been three years, but Beer + Pop + Carols (+ Pizza!) makes its triumphant return to Caliente in Mt. Lebanon on December 7! Join your St. Paul's family from 6:30-8:30pm for all of the food, fellowship, and festivities. $12 gets you unlimited one-topping pizza and pop (purchase alcoholic beverages on your own), so make sure to bring your appetite along with your singing voice! This is a great event for the entire family.

Claudia Circle Christmas Luncheon: Calling All Women of St. Paul’s!

Thursday, December 8 at noon in the Undercroft

St. Paul’s Claudia Circle invites you to attend a potluck Christmas luncheon on Thursday, December 8 at noon in the Undercroft. If you would like to gather with other women of St. Paul’s, or you think you might be interested in finding out more about Claudia Circle, please plan to come. Also, please bring a dish to share, as follows:

If your last name begins with A–G, please bring a salad or side dish.

If your last name begins with H–P, please bring a main dish.

If your last name begins with Q–Z, please bring a dessert.

We are looking forward to making this a festive time of fellowship and friendship, as well as a time to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. Please respond to Ellen Goss via email to let us know that you plan to come.

Adult Forums- Sundays at 9:45 AM in the Undercroft

Begin your Sunday morning by worshiping at the 8:45AM service and staying for coffee hour and the Adult Forum, or begin with coffee hour and Adult Forum and stay for the 10:45 service.

November 27: Advent Wreath Making- We will be making Advent wreaths using fresh greens, ribbons, and purple and pink candles. Come and learn all about how and why we mark each Sunday in Advent with a candle, and what those candles mean!

December 4: What is Healing Prayer? with The Rev. Erin Morey- Come and learn about how God calls us to care for one another by praying for each other's healing and wholeness.

December 11: Healing Stories in Scripture with The Rev. Noah H. Evans- Join us as we explore healing stories found in scripture in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament.

December 18: Phillips Brooks: You Already Know Him, Come Learn More! with Geoff Hurd- Join us to learn more about the composer of Little Town of Bethlehem.

Ordination of the Reverend Erin Morey

December 10th, 10am in the Sanctuary

With a reception in the Undercroft to follow

If you would like to contribute to Erin Morey's ordination gift, please send the gift to the church office at St. Paul's (1066 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon, PA, 15228) with the note "Morey Ordination".

Cookies with CLASP (Church Ladies at St. Paul's)

Ladies, are you running around trying to get everything done for the holidays? Do you need a break? On Sunday, December 11 from 4 to 6, CLASP will be serving a delightful array of homemade Christmas cookies in St. Paul’s Lounge. Please stop by, relax, and have some tea or coffee and cookies.

This year's St. Paul's Christmas Pageant will be:
Sunday, December 18th at 4pm, with potluck dinner following

Advent Lessons and Music: Sunday, December 18 at 10:45am

Christmas Lessons and Music: Sunday, January 1 at 10am

The Book of Occasional Services offers two distinct seasonal celebrations of scripture readings and music: A Service of Advent Lessons and Music, and Christmas Lessons and Music. On the fourth Sunday of Advent, December 18, we will offer the service for Advent; on Sunday, January 1, we will offer Christmas Lessons and Music.

Comprising the Service of the Word followed by Holy Eucharist, both services are a series of seasonal readings followed by hymns, carols, choral works, solos and other instrumental music. The readings entail the scriptural history of salvation from the creation to the coming of Christ. Both services are based loosely on Lessons and Music first celebrated at King's College, Cambridge in 1918.

Help Serve at a Christmas Day Sit - Down Community Dinner

On Sunday, December 25, from 12 - 2pm

at St. John Lutheran Church, 601 Washington Ave, Carnegie, PA 15106

St. John’s will be serving a community Christmas Day meal! Anyone in need of a meal who would like to attend can call 412-485-8436, and let St. John’s know they are coming.

Volunteers will also be needed to help serve the meal, clean up afterward, and other possible tasks. You can sign up to volunteer here. Email the Rev. Erin Morey or call 412-531-7153 ext. 13 with any questions.

Healing Prayer Ministry

This Advent Season, St. Paul’s will be offering a Healing Prayer ministry.

Healing prayer is an opportunity to share in physical, embodied prayer. Parishioners will be invited to approach a trained prayer team member at the designated spot during Communion at the 8:45am and 10:45am worship services, and request prayer for a specific concern. Then, the prayer team member will offer a prayer for that specific concern. The prayer team member can also lay hands on the person seeking prayer, or anoint them with healing oil, if the person seeking prayer requests it.

The prayer team member will keep the prayer requests confidential, and not follow up with the person receiving prayer. They will report the pastoral concerns to St. Paul’s clergy.

Please reach out to any of the clergy with questions.

Blue Christmas

December 21st at 7pm in the Sanctuary or live streamed on Facebook

In addition to being a time of joy, the Christmas season for some can also be a time of feeling sadness and loss. It can be hard to celebrate the holiday when you are facing the death of a loved one, or the loss of a job, among many other challenges life brings.

The Blue Christmas service is a time to mark these complicated feelings and bring them before God. This service is a service of lament, healing, light and hope. This service will be planned and led by our Stephen's Ministers and our Associate Rector. We hope you will join us and invite your friends and family on December 21st at 7pm in the sanctuary or on Facebook. Reception in the Lounge following the service.

Celebrating Christmas with St. Paul's