The Church Year begins with a Cycle of Light in the three seasons of Advent, Christmas, & Epiphany!

The liturgical season of Advent is a time of expectation and preparation before we celebrate Christmas. Advent means “to come” and the Church uses this time to retrace the long wait for the coming of the Messiah and highlight our present waiting for Christ to come again. Rather than a prolonged Holiday season that starts before Thanksgiving and ends abruptly after December 25th, the Church commends a different approach. We invite you to spend the Advent Season in waiting preparation. But then we also recommend that you expand the celebration of Christmas into a twelve-day season beginning on December 25th, rather than cramming all of the festivities into one day. In other words, Advent until Christmas and then Christmas until Epiphany!

Devotional Resources for the Cycle of Light:

Advent Resources

This Advent Season we have several special events, recommended resources, and ways to serve our community. Our Sunday services on 12/1, 12/8, 12/15, & 12/22 will also focus on Advent. Finally, there is a festive reprieve in the midst of this season on 12/21, which is the Feast of St. Thomas, our namesake!

Advent Wreath-Making on 11/30

Family Ministry invites you to join us on Saturday, November 30th for an Advent wreath making party at The Parish House (295 Church Street - Athens). This event is open house so drop by any time between 10am and 1pm. Everyone from our parish is invited! Quantities are limited so please reserve your kit and let us know you'll be coming! We'll also have ornament making for the children, music, and festive snacks! $15 Suggested Donation (at time of event). Register here.

Advent Care Drives

Each Advent we raise awareness and support for local ministries and non-profits by conducting drives for specific needs. This year we will be hosting drives for Chosen for Life Ministries, Athens Diaper Bank, & Sparrows Nest. Please bring the following items to church with you on the corresponding Sunday.

• 12/1 - Advent 1: Squishmallows

  • We are excited to partner with Chosen for Life (C4L) to provide Squismallows as a present for every foster child in their program. C4L is aiming to have them in the size range of 11"-16", with a wide variety of designs, colors, & characters for the kids to choose from.

• 12/8 - Advent 2: Diapers

  • In addition to serving our local community, the Athens Diaper Bank has recently provided diapers to communities affected by Hurricane Helene. The Diaper Bank will accept diapers of all sizes as well as pull-ups.

• 12/15 - Advent 3: Socks & Undies

  • Chosen for Life provides clothes for local foster families throughout the entire year. Children’s socks and underwear is a constant need. Please bring unopened socks & underwear in all children sizes.

• 12/22 - Advent 4: Warm Clothes

  • When the weather changes, The Sparrow’s Nest is always in need of warm adult clothing. Please bring lightly worn jackets, hoodies, sweatpants, and warm socks to church with you on Sunday the 23rd.

Lessons & Carols on 12/15

10:00 AM @ The Foundry St. Building: Lessons and Carols is a traditional Anglican worship service consisting of readings from the Bible which trace the story of redemption focusing on the Lord Jesus. These readings are interspersed with hymns and carols. This year, our service will include a very special performance from the St. Thomas Kids Children’s Choir!

Alms Giving for Homeless Care Kits:

In addition to our drives, we will be collecting alms to purchase supplies for winter care kits for the homeless. These kits will include a pair of gloves, water bottle, snack, mylar blanket and a Bible. Kits will be assembled the 3rd week of December and available to anyone who would like utilize them on December 22nd.

Serving in Community

During Advent, we encourage all of our community groups to find ways to collectively serve our city. Below are a list of organizations we recommend. If you are not in a community group, but would still like to serve, please visit our stacathens.org/seasonal page to find links to these specific non-profits and ministries and find out the best ways to serve them during this season. If you group would like to use the newly renovated Parish House kitchen to provide a meal for The Bigger Vision or Athens Area Homeless Shelter reach out to Deacon Tex to schedule a time tex@stacathens.org

• Bigger Vision is in need of several volunteer through mid-January. Small groups can sign up to provide an evening meal or serve the shelter during meal time.

• Athens Area Homeless Shelter - There are several ways to serve the Athens Area Homeless Shelter. You can sign up to spend time with children, grant a wish based on the shelters needs or sign up to bring a meal to those who are currently staying at the shelter (usually around 20-30 women and children).

• Northeast Georgia Food Bank - Every Thursday, the food bank hosts bagging events for their mobile pantries. Bags of food from these events are sent to various events in our community that serve seniors and families with children in need.

• Our Daily Bread serves over 500 people a week through their breakfast and lunch program. As a group, you can sign up to feed roughly 100 people. Groups provide the food, cook and serve those who are in need. If your group would like to serve with Our Daily Bread, please contact Deacon Tex tex@stacathens.org.

12/17 - Youth service project

On Tuesday December 17th, our teens (6th-12th grade) are partnering with City of Refuge, a local non-profit that provides meal kits for food insecure families in the area. We'll meet at their facility at 565 Tallassee Rd from 5:45-7:00 P.M. Please RSVP for your student(s) by emailing Sam. We have 16 spots for youth to serve! samcargill@stacathens.org

Christmas Season

Most people are familiar with the “12 Days of Christmas” from the popular song. We recommend a full Christmas Season celebrating the Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ at Church, in your home, and with friends!

For seasonal Christmas resources, visit 12tide.com website. This is a website (now a book!) curated by the Pipkin family at St. Thomas with great ways to recapture the joy of the Christmas Season.

Christmas Eve Services

The Foundry Street Building (130 Foundry St. Athens, GA)

We are excited to offer two times for our Christmas Eve service. Both services will be the same in content and style, however our 4:00 PM service will utilize battery powered candles instead of wax.

• 4:00 PM - Our 4:00 PM service will be family worship and include children of all ages. However, there will be nursery available for babies and toddlers.

• 8:00 PM - Our 8:00 PM service will be a traditional candlelight service that concludes around 9:30 PM. There will be no childcare or nursery provided so that our volunteers and staff members can attend as well.

The Season of Epiphany

The liturgical season of Epiphany commemorates the three magi who followed a star to Bethlehem to bring gifts to King Jesus. These three kings remind us of God’s plan for all peoples: that all nations might see and receive the light of the Gospel. Epiphany is a season of adoration and mission as we prayerfully consider how we might share the light of Christ in our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities in this New Year. The Epiphany Season also focuses on the Baptism of our Lord and calls on each of us to renew our commitment to God.

Feasting & Twelfth Night! - Christmas should be a time of celebration and feasting! And, as Anglicans, we get 12 whole days of it! On January 5th we will have a Twelfth Night Party and Bonfire at the Portico! Bring some chili to share or something sweet and join us as we celebrate the end of the Christmas season with a cozy bonfire (burning our Christmas trees), festive music, food, delicious treats, and fellowship. Bring your family, friends, and Christmas tree for a fun filled evening! 6:00 PM @ The Portico (5822 GA-186, Good Hope, GA) .

Epiphany Home Blessings - We will have a resource available and short liturgy based on the “Blessing in Homes at Epiphany” from the Book of Occasional Services (2003). This short household service is a way to intentionally set our homes apart as places of Christian hospitality, mission, and rest.

Like many of the traditions of the Church, this guides our participation:

All may, some should, none must.

Clergy Visits - It has also been traditional during the Epiphany Season for clergy to make an annual home visit for pastoral conversation and prayer. Our clergy are available during the Epiphany Season (January 6th - March 4th) for a visit. E-mail any of our team members to schedule an appointment. You are welcome to wait and have them lead the Home Blessing and Chalking of the Door as part of their visit, as well.